2026年山西版《学位英语》冲刺试卷一

In those__21__， the English people thought that they couldn’t__22__without a yearly supply of home-made ale（麦芽啤酒）. However， such a thing was unknown in the quiet community to__23__they had come.__24__there was no barley（大麦）in the new home， seed was imported__25__ England. The family once more was__26__to enjoy their favorite drink. When neighbors paid a visit， they were， of course，__27__to have a drink. Thus， the fame of Vassar’s ale__28__increased， until finally the father decided to make ale to sell. Mathew， for some reason，__29__ the idea. He left home for Newburg，__30__he remained four years， learning to keep books， and__31__his money. He then returned home， working in his father’s establishment__32__a book-keeper（记账员）.All__33__well for some time， till a fire came， destroying all the property， ruining his father， and worst of all __34__ his brother’s death. The father returned to a farm， but Mathew was__35__to restart the business.He began the business__36__an old shed and its fame increased， making the ale of Vassar known far and near. From such a beginning， the business__37__into an immense one， which he carried on__38__over thirty years.When he retired， Mathew decided to do__39__with his money for the betterment on society. In 1861 Vassar Female College was__40__up， and afterwards was changed to Vassar College. It was the first female college ever established in the US.

Passage 1
All the useful energy at the surface of the earth comes from the activity of the sun.The sun heats and feeds creatures and mankind.Each year it provides men with two hundred million tons of grain and nearly ten million tons of wood， coal， oil， natural gas， and all other fuels are stored energy from the sun. Some was collected by this season’s plants as carbon compounds.Some was stored by plants and trees ages ago. Even waterpower derives from the sun. Water turned into vapor by the sun fails as rain. It courses down the mountains and is converted to electric power.Light transmits only the energy that comes from the sun’s outer layer， and much of this energy that is directed towards the earth never arrives.About nine tenths of it is absorbed by the atmosphere of the earth.In fact， the earth itself gets only one half millionth of the sun’s entire output of radiant energy.

Passage 2
Television has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world. In the United States， where sociologists have studied the effects， some interesting observations have been made.Television， although not essential， has become an important part of most people’s lives. It alters people’s ways of seeing the world; in many ways， it supports and sustains(维持)modern life.Television has become a baby-sitter， an introducer of conversations， the major transmitter of culture and a keeper of tradition. Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed， it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer; the poor quality of programming does not elevate(提高)people into greater understanding， but rather maintains and encourages the life as it exists.The primary reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV programming development and the economics of TV. Television in America began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television. Therefore， the close relationship which the advertisers had with radio programs became the system for American TV. Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs， but many actually produced the programs. Thus， in American society， television is primarily concerned with reflecting and attracting society rather than experimenting with new ideas. Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible. To do so requires that the programs be entertaining rather than educational， attractive rather than challenging.Television in America today remains， to a large extent， with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope for further development and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the entire system.