公共英语二级阅读理解训练：Fashion

　　Fashion

A

An Expensive Little Black Dress

　　Someone has paid ￡467,200 for the little black dress made for Audrey Hepburn for her role in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The dress was sold in London and the profits from the sale will be given to charity1. The black dress had been expected to be sold for only ￡70,000, but there were laughs and cheers as the price rose bit by bit, before finally coming to rest at ￡467,200. Audrey Hepburn was considered as a superstar when she first appeared on the scene in 1953. She was tall, beautiful and smart. Why was she regarded as "the most beautiful woman of all time" in a magazine story earlier this year? Her granddaughter, Claire Goldsmith, said, "It’s about her eyes —her big, brown and warm eyes. Women liked her because she was comfortable to be with, and for men she had that innocence2."

　　For the founder of the charity that will benefit from the sale of the dress, Hepburn’s attraction is perhaps more useful. The French author Dominique Lapierre set up the charity, called the City of Joy Aid. It aims at helping poor people in India. Dominique said, "I am shocked that a piece of cloth worn by such a magical actress will enable me to buy bricks and wood to put the poorest children in the world into schools."

　　So it seems that this little black dress has turned into gold.

　　Notes:

　　1. charity n.慈善

　　2. innocence n.纯真

　　本文词数:124 参考时间:2'29''

　　1. Why was the black dress sold at such a high price?

　　A. It was made of gold.

　　B. The buyer was a rich actor.

　　C. It was once worn by a famous star.

　　D. The buyer was cheated by Dominique Lapierre.

　　2. Audrey Hepburn became so famous because ______.

　　A. she owned the beautiful and valuable black dress

　　B. she had attractive eyes

　　C. she set up the City of Joy Aid charity

　　D. she acted successfully in many films

　　3. What was the main purpose of setting up the City of Joy Aid?

　　A. To earn money for the founder.

　　B. To collect money for filmmakers.

　　C. To sell the valuable clothes of famous people.

　　D. To help develop education in India.

B

　　Clothes are not only a kind of fashion in our lives; they are also popular in the English language. As we all know, people wear pants1 to cover the lower part of their bodies. So we sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have ants in their pants. Sometimes, people may get caught with their pants down. It means they are caught doing something they should not be doing. In every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family. Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt. You may have to live on less money and spend it more carefully. But once you have succeeded in planning how to spend your money, you will have that skill under your belt. My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie and a shirt with sleeves2 that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is very firm and serious. They think he is uncommunicative. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve, and shows his feelings openly. Also, no one ever has to say to him, "Keep your shirt on" because he always stays calm and never gets angry or too excited.

　　Notes:

　　1. pants n.裤子

　　2. sleeve n.袖子中 华 考 试 网

C

　　Many different types of hand-made clothes can be bought in Korea. A suit can be made to your measure in a couple of days. Korean sizes are often a little small for Westerners. A "large" T-shirt bought in a Korean market may not be large enough for an American! There are many kinds of silk and other material. You can also buy hand-made traditional clothes. Traditional Korean clothes have a long history. You can find them in old wall paintings and on old tombs. The Korean "hanbok" represents Korean culture. The top part of it, called a jeogori, is blouse-like and has very long sleeves. Women wear skirts (chima) while men wear bag-like trousers (paji). Common people used to wear white, except during festivals or on special days. Clothes for the upper classes were brightly-colored and showed the wearer’s social status1. Various accessories2, such as jewelry3 and headdresses, complete the clothes. Traditional Korean clothes are both bright in color, and soft in their flowing lines and the way they hide the body’s shape. The colorful national hanbok is often worn during national holidays and on festive days. The designs and colors of the various forms represent the rich culture and life of traditional Korea.

　　Notes:

　　1. status n.身份, 地位

　　2. accessory n.零件, 附加物

　　3. jewelry n.珠宝,首饰

　　本文词数:150 参考时间:3'00''

　　1. We can learn that ______ from the first paragraph.

　　A. traditional Korean clothes are very hard to make to a certain measure

　　B. Korean sizes are often a little larger than those in Western countries

　　C. you can buy traditional Korean clothes and many other kinds of clothing in Korea

　　D. all Korean clothes are hand-made by Korean tailors

　　2. Why were some people’s clothes often brightly-colored?

　　A. They had a special love for bright colors.

　　B. They wanted to show their high status.

　　C. They saw that the clothes in old paintings were brightly-colored.

　　D. They believed bright colors were the colors of nature.

　　3. According to the passage, traditional Korean clothes _______.

　　A. have been newly designed and developed by the Korean people

　　B. show the special culture and life of Korea

　　C. disappeared in Korea a long time ago

　　D. are not very popular with Koreans

　　阅读新题型

　　Most children in England wear school uniforms1 when they are at school. In some schools children must wear jackets and ties. However, in other schools the uniform is not so serious. When they are relaxing themselves at home or playing with their friends outside, children in England wear comfortable clothes like T-shirts, jeans and sportswear. The right clothes are very important to teenagers, _________________. Sometimes, they spend a lot of time and money in getting their favorites. The U.K. is a Western society —We wear the same clothing as anyone in any other modern Western society, from jeans and T-shirts to business suits for office work. Special clothes for the climate include heavy overcoats for cold weather and raincoats and umbrellas for rainy days. The materials2 cover every type and color. Since Britain is a society with many kinds of culture, in certain cities you will find many stores selling colorful silk which can be used for making ethnic3 clothes. Shoes can vary from being sneakers from Nike or Adidas to Leather Brogues, and for ladies, also sneakers, to highly-fashionable boots, and shoes with heels4 or without.

　　Notes:

　　1. uniform n.制服

　　2. material n.材料

　　3. ethnic adj.民族的

　　4. heel n.脚后跟

　　本文词数:92 参考时间:3'30''www.examｗ.com

　　1. What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)

　　2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? They wear different types of clothes according to changes in the seasons, from cold winters to rainy summers.

　　3. Please fill in the blank in the second paragraph with proper words or phrases. (Please answer within 10 words.)

　　4. What kind of clothes do you like to wear? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)

　　5. Translate the underlined sentence in the third paragraph into Chinese.

　　本期参考答案

　　A

　　1-3 C B D

　　阅读理解B

　　1-4 B C D D

　　阅读理解C

　　1-3 C B B

　　阅读新题型

　　1. Clothes Children Wear in England

　　2. Special clothes for the climate include heavy overcoats for cold weather and raincoats and umbrellas for rainy days.

　　3. and many love to shop for the latest fashion / so many will shop for themselves

　　4. I like to wear sports clothes, because they are the most comfortable.

　　5. 因为英国属于西方国家,我们的穿着和其他现代西方国家非常相似,从牛仔裤、T恤衫到正装

　　本文词数:195 参考时间:3'54''

　　1. A man who was found climbing over a wall ______.

　　A. had ants in his pants

　　B. was caught with his pants down

　　C. burned a hole in his pocket

　　D. had to tighten his belt

　　2. What does it mean to say, "Father wears the pants in my family"?

　　A. My family is too poor to have enough pants for everyone.

　　B. My father succeeds in planning how to spend our money.

　　C. My father often takes control of my family.

　　D. My father likes wearing pants at home.

　　3. Which is an example of "tightening one’s belt," as described in the passage?

　　A. Tom had a headache and didn’t have lunch.

　　B. Tom’s father was too strict with him.

　　C. Tom’s wife made a pair of pants which was too big for him.

　　D. Tom’s mother lost her job and his father fell ill in bed.

　　4. The author states that his father ______ by saying he "wears his heart on his sleeve".

　　A. easily gets too excited

　　B. takes everything seriously

　　C. is very firm, and hard to get along with

　　D. often expresses his happiness or sadness