Question

A linguist is always listening, never off-duty. I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents, and that it would take only a few minutes. Thus one evening, three people turned up at my house and were shown into my front room. When they saw the room they were a bit anxious, for there was a microphone at head height, with wires leading to a tape-recorder in the middle of the floor. They sat down, rather nervously, and I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from 1 to 20. Then we could relax and have a drink. I turned on the tape-recorder and each in turn counted seriously from 1 to 20 in their best accents. When it was over, I turned the tape-recorder off and brought round the drinks. The rest of the evening was spent in total relaxation. I joined them in talking and joking freely, leaving them only to take a telephone call, which lasted some time.

As a matter of fact, the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one in the kitchen. My friends, having seen the visible tape-recorder turned off, paid no more attention to the microphone which stayed in front of their chairs, only a few inches from their mouths, thus giving excellent sound quality. And my long absence meant that I was able to get as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find I should add, perhaps, that I did tell my friends what had happened to them, after the recording was over, and asked them whether it should be destroyed. None of them wanted to—but for some years after that, it always seemed that when it came to buying drinks, it was I who paid for them. Linguistic research can be a very expensive business.

1.The writer asked his friends to count from one to twenty because _________.

A. he wanted to record the numbers for his research

B. he wanted his friends to think that was all he wanted to record

C. he wanted to make his friends relax before real recording started

D. he wanted to find out whether the tape recorder was working

2.How did his friends react when the writer told them what he had done?

A. They wanted him to destroy the recordings he had made

B. They made him buy them more drinks

C. They were angry with him

D. They didn’t seem to mind much

3.The writer went into another room to _________.

A. stay away from too much drinking with his friends

B. bring a telephone into the front room

C. get a natural recording of his friends’ conversation

D. answer a long distance phone call

4.The writer successfully recorded his friends’ conversation on the recorder _______.

A. in the front room

B. in the kitchen

C. in the middle of the room

D. in the room where he was answering the call

5.Which of the following words can best describe the recording which the writer managed to make?

A. natural    B. prepared

C. controlled    D. unclear

Answer

1. B

2. D

3. C

4. B

5. A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲了一个语言学家邀请他的朋友们来家做客，研究他们的语言，并做好记录。最后，作者问他们的朋友是否介意被偷偷录音，他们都说不介意。但在那之后的几年里，似乎每次买饮料都是作者付的钱。作者感叹语言学是一个非常昂贵的职业。

1.细节理解题。答案定位在第一段They sat down, rather nervously, and I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from 1 to 20. 作者让他的朋友们从一数到二十，因为他想让他的朋友们认为这就是他想记录的全部，故选B。

2.推理判断题。答案定位在最后一段but for some years after that, it always seemed that when it came to buying drinks, it was I who paid for them.（但在那之后的几年里，似乎每次买饮料都是我付的钱。）由此推断出当作者告诉他的朋友们他所做的事情时，他们似乎并不介意，故选D。

3.细节理解题。答案定位在最后一段And my long absence meant that I was able to get as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find I should add可知作者走进另一个房间，想把朋友们的谈话自然地录下来，故选C。

4.细节理解题。答案定位在第二段As a matter of fact, the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one in the kitchen.（事实上，麦克风根本就没有连到屋子中间的录音机上，而是连到厨房里的另一个录音机上。）由此可知作者成功地用厨房里的录音机录下了朋友们的谈话，故选B。

5.推理判断题。答案定位在第一段The rest of the evening was spent in total relaxation. I joined them in talking and joking freely, leaving them only to take a telephone call, which lasted some time.（整个晚上剩下的时间都在完全放松中度过。我和他们一起畅所欲言地说笑）由此推断出“自然的”最能描述作者所录制的录音。A. natural自然的；B. prepared准备好的；

C. controlled受控制的；D. unclear不清楚的，故选A。