2015考博英语阅读理解精讲（五）

　　2015考博考试时间大多为3月，距今还有一个多月，考博考生们应该多抓紧复习分值比较大的考博英语阅读理解，希望考生们多做习题以此熟悉单词和语法、完型。

　　In taking up a new life across the Atlantic, the early European settlers of the United States did not abandon the diversions with which their ancestors had traditionally relieved the tedium of life. Neither the harshness of existence on the new continent nor the scattered population nor the disapproval of the clergy discouraged the majority from the pursuit of pleasure.

　　City and country dwellers, of course, conducted this pursuit in different ways. Farm dwellers in their isolation not only found it harder to locate companions in play but also, thanks to the unending demands and pressures of their work, felt it necessary to combine fun with purpose. No other set of colonists took so seriously an expression of the period, "Leisure is time for doing something useful." In the countryside farmers therefore relieved the burden of the daily routine with such double-purpose relaxations as hunting, fishing, and trapping. When a neighbor needed help, families rallied from miles around to assist in building a house or barn, husking corn, shearing sheep, or chopping wood. Food, drink, and celebration after the group work　provided relaxation and soothed weary muscles.

　　The most eagerly anticipated social events were the rural parties. Hundreds of men, women, and children attended from far and near. The men bought or traded farm animals and acquired needed merchandise while the women displayed food prepared in their kitchens, and everyone, including the youngsters, watched or participated in a variety of competitive sports, with prizes awarded to the winners. These events typically included horse races, wrestling matches, and foot races, as well as some nonathletic events such as whistling competitions. No other occasions did so much to relieve the isolation of farm existence.

　　With the open countryside everywhere at hand, city dwellers naturally shared in some of

　　the rural diversions. Favored recreations included fishing, hunting, skating, and swimming. But city dwellers also developed other pleasures, which only compact communities made possible.

　　26. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A) Methods of fanning used by early settlers of the United States.

　　B) Hardships faced by the early settlers of the United States.

　　C) Methods of buying, selling, and trading used by early settlers of the United States.

　　D) Ways in which early settlers of the United States relaxed.

　　27. What can be inferred about the diversions of the early settlers of the United States?

　　A) They followed a pattern Begun in Europe.

　　B) They were enjoyed more frequently than in Europe.

　　C) The clergy organized them.

　　D) Only the wealthy participated in them.

　　28. Which of the following can be said about the country dwellers' altitude toward "the pursuit　of pleasure" ?

　　A) They felt that it should help keep their minds on their work.

　　B) They felt that it was not necessary.

　　C) They felt that it should be productive.

　　D) They felt that it should not involve eating and drinking.

　　29. What is meant by the phrase "double-purpose" in the 4th sentence in paragraph 2?

　　A) Very frequent.

　　B) Useful and enjoyable.

　　C) Extremely necessary.

　　D) Positive and negative.

　　30. What will the author probably discuss in the paragraph following this passage?

　　A) The rural diversions enjoyed by both urban and rural people.

　　B) Leisure activities of city dwellers.

　　C) Building methods of the early settlers in rural areas.

　　D) Changes in lifestyles of settlers as they moved

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