Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes) Passage 1 Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
It happened in the late fall of 1939 when, after a Nazi submarine had penetrated the British sea defense around the Firth of Forth and damaged a British cruiser, Reston and a colleague contrived to get the news past British censorship. They cabled a series of seemingly harmless sentences to The Time’s editors in New York, having first sent a message instructing the editors to regard only the last word of each sentence. Thus they were able to convey enough words to spell out the story. The fact that the news or the submarine attack was printed In New York before it had appeared in the British press sparked a big controversy that led to an investigation by Scotland Yard and British Military Intelligence. But it took the investigators eight weeks to decipher. The Times’s reporters’ code, an embarrassingly slow bit of detective work, and when it was finally solved the incident had died and little was done about it. The Time’s editors in New York, given the story very prominent play, later expressed dismay that the reporters had risked so much for so little; and the incident left Reston deeply distressed. It was so out of character for him to have become involved in such a thing. The tactics were questionable and, though the United States was not yet in the war, Britain was already established as America’s close ally and breaking British censorship seemed both an irresponsible and unpatriotic thing to do.
21.The episode recounted in the passage took place____. A) just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War B) before Britain entered the Second World War C) before the United States entered the Second World War D) While the United States was in the Second World War
22.The plan for evading British censorship of the submarine story was thought up by____. A) two reporters B) one reporter C) The Times’s editors and one reporter D) The Times’s reporters
23.It was clear that British censorship rules had been broken because the story was____. A) first published in New YorkB) published nowhere but in The Times C) uncomplimentary to the BritishD) much fuller in its Times version than elsewhere
24.According to the author, the British did little about the story’s publication mainly because____. A) everyone responsible had apologized for what had happened B) it took the authorities too long to figure out how the censors had been outwitted C) Scotland Yard and British Military Intelligence disagreed about who was at fault D) they were afraid to admit that the censors had been so easily fooled
25.The passage indicates that eventually everyone involved came to regard the publication of the story in The Times as a____. A) regrettable error B) cheap journalistic trick C) brilliant journalistic maneuver D) proper exercise of the freedom of the press
Passage One短文大意：本文叙述的是1939晚秋，纳粹的潜水艇侵入到英国某一个海湾附近的一海防并重创了英国一艘巡洋舰。Reston和他的同事千方百计想把这则消息通过新闻检查发送出去。他给纽约时报编辑拍去了一系列看起来似乎无害的句子，这些句子足够凑成一个故事。这则消息结果在纽约反比在伦敦发布还早，这就引起一阵哗然。结果导致英国军方情报处展开调查。但是侦探们花了八个月的时间才破译出记者的密码。他们虽然弄清了事情的真相，但早已时过境迁，也没有办法采取什么行动了。事后两位记者感到十分沮丧，因为他们此举不仅有破坏英国新闻检查制度之嫌，而且被认为是不爱国的行为。 21. 【参考译文】这一情节的详细描述发生在什么时候。【试题分析】本题为一般理解。需要根据关键词语进行推理。【详细解答】本题答案很容易从上下文中找到，因为短文最后一句话叙述得很明显：The tactics were questionable and, though the United States was not in the war, Britain was already established as America’s close ally……(他们使用的方法是否恰当尚不无疑问,而且美国当时还没加入战争,但英国已经与美国建立了亲密的同盟关系……)因此C为正确答案。 22. 【参考译文】逃避潜艇攻击事件新闻检查的计划是由谁想出来的。【试题分析】本题为一般理解题。【详细解答】这一节情描述的开头就明确指出了这一计划的出台是由Reston和他的同事想出来的，毫无疑问是两个人，故只有A为正确答案。 23. 【参考译文】很明显，英国新闻检查制度被打破是因为____。【试题分析】本题为一般理解题。【详细解答】短文中：The fact that the news or the submarine attack was printed in New York before it had appeared in the British press sparked a big controversy…(结果这则潜艇攻击的消息在纽约反比在英国较早发布，这个事实引起了一阵骚乱…)从这句话中可以清楚地判明A为正确答案。 24. 【参考译文】按照作者的观点，英国对于这则消息的发布没有做什么工作，主要因为____。【试题分析】本题是考查对作者意图的理解。【详细解答】这一答案必须从上下文的字行里去发现。如：But it took the investigation eight weeks to decipher.(破译密码)…and when it was finally solved the incident had died and little was done about it.(可是这些侦探花了八个星期才解开密码…最后还是解决了这一事件，但是已事过境迁，也就没有采取行动了。)故B为正确答案。 25. 【参考译文】这篇文章说明牵涉此事件的有关人员最终都把这则时报上发布的消息看成是____。【试题分析】本题考查对关键词语和上下文的理解。【详细解答】短文最后部分间接地回答了这一问题。如：…and the incident left Reston deeply distressed. It was so out of character for him to have become involved in such a thing. (结果这件事使Reston十分沮丧，牵涉进这样的事件真是不智之举。)由此可知，A为正确答案。
given the story very prominent play, later expressed dismay that the reporters had risked so much for so little; and the incident left Reston deeply distressed. It was so out of character for him to have become involved in such a thing. The tactics were questionable and, though the United States was not yet in the war, Britain was already established as America’s close ally and breaking British censorship seemed both an irresponsible and unpatriotic thing to do.
reporters
