学位英语

阅读理解

Who (Doesn’t) Let the Dogs Bark?

For the past year，Cornelia Czarnecki said，the barking of her neighbor’s German shepherdl has awakened her repeatedly at 4 a.m.The dog often barks for hours at a time，said Mrs.Czarnecki，a Clifton resident.

“That dog is out there barking day and night，and we don’t know what to do anymore，”she said.

Mrs.Czarnecki became so upset about the dog that she filed a municipal complaint3 against him under the town’s general noise ordinance.The case is set to be heard in municipal court on August 6.Complaints like the ones Mrs.Czarnecki lodged with the police4 and city officials led the Clifton City Council to draft an ordinance that could result in fines for residents whose dogs are “barking，howling，crying”or making any.other loud noises for more than 30 minutes in an hour.

“I can’t wait，”Mrs.Czarnecki said.The council took up the ordinance for a first reading on Tuesday;a final vote is scheduled on August 8.

“It’s a quality of life issue，”said Councilman Frank C.Fusco，who introduced the measure.Clifton is far from alone in seeking to silence noisy dogs.At least 144 of New Jersey’s municipalities have laws that address whining and barking5，according to a municipal ordinance database online at www.generalcode.com.

In New York，at least 30 towns in Nassau and Suffolk Counties have similar laws，as do about 25 towns in Westchester County.Connecticut has a statewide law barring dogs that are a “nuisance”because of “excessive barking or other disturbance.”

Many of the ordinances in the region are general prohibitions against excessive whining or barking.In Westchester，the City of New Rochelle ran into trouble with its law in 1997 after a resident challenged a citation.A city judge ruled that the ordinance was unconstitutionally vague6 because it did not include details about time of day and duration of barking，and the city changed the law in 1998.

“Many of these ordinances go back to the 1800s，”said the New Rochelle corporation counsel，Bernis Shapiro.“They’re just carried forward and they don’t get changed until an issue comes up.”

In May 2006，Hillsborough Township in Somerset County passed an ordinance to specifically address barking，but no complaints have been filed since then，said Lt.Bill Geary of the Hillsborough Police Department.Other New Jersey towns，including Bloomsbury in Hunterdon County and Manville in Somerset，considered such ordinances but withdrew them after residents complained that they would be unenforceable.

As for those who contend that a barking dog should be a low priority，Councilman Fusco said，“If the dog was next to your house，you’d sing a different song.”

Mr.Fusco said he was confident that the ordinance proposed in Clifton would be supported by his fellow council members.At the same time，he knows that some residents may object.

But David Axelrod，a groomer at Furrs N Purrs on Valley Road，said he did not think the measure was tough enough.

“Thirty minutes is extremely generous，”he said.“There is no reason why a dog should be barking that long.”

The ordinance says barking must be sustained to be illegal，and it bans excessive barking only from 10 p.m.to 7 a.m.

Under the ordinance，a resident complains to the City Health Department，which sends a warning note.If the barking continues，the resident takes the complaint to municipal court，where fines can start at $250.Before a court date，the city would most likely try to resolve the matter through mediation，said the city attorney，Matthew T.Priore.

Last year about a dozen warning letters were sent to residents about their barking dogs，Clifton officials said.

Currently，residents can complain about barking under the city’s general noise ordinance，but they have to essentially prosecute the case in municipal court themselves，Mr.Fusco said.Under the proposed ordinance，residents would appear as a witness in a case presented by the municipal prosecutor.

“The new ordinance has some bite to it，”Mr.Fusco said.Eric M.Zwefiing，director of the Rutgers University Noise Technical Assistance Center，trains police officers on noise complaints and writes municipal noise codes.

“One of the things I say to the officers I train is that if people were fundamentally civil to each other，we’d all be out of work，”he said.

Mr.Zwerling，the owner of a chocolate Labrador named Bosco，said he had his own appreciation of the barking problem.

“A dog is barking for one of two reasons--either it needs attention or it is trying to alert you to something，”he said.“In either case，you should be attending to7 it.”

词汇：

municipal/mju:5nIsIpl/adj.市政的 ordinance/5C:dInEns/n.法令，训令，条例

howl/haJl/vi.嚎叫，怒吼 municipality/mju:7nIsI5pAlItI/n.市政当局，自治市

nuisance/5nju:s[ns/n.讨厌的人或东西 excessive/Ik5sesIv/adi.过多的

prohibition/5prRsIkjU:t/n.禁止，阻止 counsel/5kaunsl/n.辩护律师

prosecute/5prCsIkju:t/vt.起诉 civil/5sIvl/adj.有礼貌的

注释：

1. German shepherd：德国牧羊犬

2. Clifton：克利夫顿：美国新泽西州东北部一城市，位于帕特森附近

3. file a complaint：写信控诉

4. lodge a complaint against sb.with the police：向警方对某人提出控诉

5. ...laws that address whining and barking：针对动物嘶鸣和吠声的法律

6. unconstitutionally vague：因含糊不清而违背宪法精神

7. attend to：注意，留心

练习：

1. What’s the reaction of Mrs.Czamecki when she was annoyed by the barking of her neighbor’s dog?

A) She went to her neighbor’s door to complain about it.

B) She wrote to the local government and suggested that a law should be made to prohibit the dogs from barking.

C) She lodged a complaint against the dog with the municipality.

D) She became so upset and telephoned the police.

2. In the city of Clifton，A legislative bill that addresses whining and barking was introduced by：

A) David Axelrod

B) Frank C.Fusco

C) Matthew T.Priore

D) Eric M.Zwerling

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A) Mrs.Czarnecki’s complaint made the city officials decide to introduce the general noise ordinance.

B) Clifton is the first city in New Jersey that seeks to silence noisy dogs.

C) The general noise ordinance in Clifton is contradictory to the Constitution so that it was changed in 1998.

D) At present，Clifton residents who complain about the noisy dogs can not employ a lawyer to prosecute the case in municipal court.

4. Which of the following statements about the proposed ordinance is true?

A) Clifton City Council finally passed it on Tuesday，August 8.

B) Under the ordinance，whenever a dog barks over 30 minutes in an hour，its master will get fined.

C) All the residents in Clifton hope that the ordinance can be reinforced as soon as possible because it is a quality of life issue.

D) People who complain about the disturbance by noisy dogs do not need to prosecute the case in municipal court themselves according to the proposed ordinance.

5. Which of the following statements is Mr.Zwerling’s own appreciation of the barking problem?

A) The ordinance is not tough enough since it allows a dog bark for 30 minutes.

B) The problem can only be solved ifpeople are civil enough to each other.

C) Financial punishment is the best way to ban dogs from barking.

D) The city should try its best to resolve the matter through mediation.

第二篇

Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners .Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word “obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child .Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.

Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate ,they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation(模仿)leads on to deliberate(有意的)imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.

It is a problem we need to get out teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use at seven months of “mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds .

1. Before children start speaking________.

A .they need equal amount of listening

B. they need different amounts of listening

C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructions

D. they can’t understand and obey the adult’s oral instructions

2. Children who start speaking late ________.

A. may have problems with their listening

B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them

C. usually pay close attention to what they hear

D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly

3. A baby’s first noises are ________.

A. an expression of his moods and feelings

B. an early form of language

C. a sign that he means to tell you something

D. an imitation of the speech of adults

4. The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitations can be considered as speech________.

A. is important because words have different meanings for different people

B. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually

C. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age

D. is one that should be completely ignored(忽略)because children’s use of words is often meaningless

5. The speaker implies________.

A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds

B. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak

C. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly

D. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating

The National Park Service

America's national parks are like old friends. You may not see them for years at a time, but just knowing they're out there makes you feel better. Hearing the names of these famous old friends -Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon -revives memories of visits past and promotes dreams of those still to come.

From Acadia to Zion, 369 national parks are part of a continually evolving system. Ancient fossil beds, Revolutionary War battlefields, magnificent mountain ranges, and monuments to heroic men and women who molded this country are all a part of our National Park System (NPS). The care and preservation for future generations of these special places is entrusted to the National Park Service. Uniformed Rangers, the most visible representatives of the Service, not only offer park visitors a friendly wave, a helpful answer, or a thought-provoking history lesson, but also are skilled rescuers, firefighters, and dedicated resource protection professionals. The National Park Service ranks also include architects, historians, archaeologists, biologists, and a host of other experts who preserve and protect everything from George Washington's teeth to Thomas Edison's wax recording.

Modern society has brought the National Park Service both massive challenges and enormous opportunities. Satellite and computer technologies are expanding the educational possibilities of a national park beyond its physical boundaries. Cities struggling to revive their urban cores are turning to the Park Service for expert assistance to preserve their cultural heritage, thirsty for recreational outlets are also working with the NPS to turn abandoned railroad tracks into bike and hiking trails, as well as giving unused federal property new life as recreation centers.

To help meet these challenges and take advantage of these opportunities, the National Park Service had formed partnerships - some dating back 100 years, some only months old - with other agencies, state and local governments, corporations, American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives, Park Friends groups, cooperating associations, private organizations, community groups and individuals who share the National Park ethic.

National Park Week 1996 is a celebration of these partnerships.

1. Why are America's national parks like old friends?

A) Because they are always out there.

B) Because they are very old.

C) Because they make people feel better.

D) Because they are very famous.

2. Which of the following statements is true about uniformed rangers?

A) They take tourists to national parks.

B) They always act as tourist guides.

C) They help set up new national parks.

D) They protect the National Park System.

3. The National Park Service does all the following EXCEPT

A) offering help to visitors

B) molding the Nation.

C) keeping people better informed of the National Park System.

D) helping preserve the cultural heritage.

4. What is this passage about?

A) It is about the American National Parks.

B) It is about the National Park Service.

C) It is about the National Park Service partnerships.

D) It is about the care and preservation of the National Parks in America.

5. What will the paragraph following this passage most probably discuss?

A) The pocket parks in America,

B) The preparations made for the celebration of National Park Week 1996.

C) The work that has been done by the partners.

D) The preservation of national resources in America.

参考答案：

1. C 从第三段的第一句话可知Czamech夫人在忍无可忍的情况下向市政当局控诉这一情况。

2. B 根据文章第五段，市议会议员Frank C.Pusco提出了新的法案。

3. D 根据文章第十七段，按照现行的法案，遇到受动物呜叫骚扰的案件时，只能由受害者本人亲自到庭指控。

4. D 由第十七段的最后一句可推出新法案允许受害者作为证人，由律师代为控诉。

5. B 该文第十九段提供了答案。

答案解析：BDABD

答案: ADBBC

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