Question

（2011·安徽卷）E

George Prochnik would like the world to put a sock in it. He makes his case in a new book, Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise. Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):

“We’ve become so accustomed to noise, there’s almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence might be beneficial. If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man. But it’s never been more important to find continuing quiet. Silence focuses us, improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace and satisfaction.”

“We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little. During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds become a kind of art—the spoons making a light ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono(和服)brushing against the floor.”

“Deaf people are very attentive(专注的)in almost every aspect of life. If two deaf people are walking together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protect each other by paying steady attention to the other. They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings. Even deaf teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them. If we remove the powerful blasts(一阵阵)of noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us—of little soft sounds and the sound of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking(开裂声). It’s astonishing how beautiful things sound when you can really listen. ”

72. What does the phrase “to put a sock in it” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A. to be quiet                  B. to be colorful

C. to be full of love             D. to be attentive to someone

73. What does Prochnik say about us?

A. We are used to quietness

B. We have to put up with noise

C. We do not think silence to be beneficial

D. We do not believe lasting peace to be available

74. Which of the following is true according to Prochnik?

A. We need more sounds in our lives

B. There is nothing to be learned from the deaf

C. We are not aware how rich the world around us is

D. There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony

75. It can be inferred from the text that­      .

A. we can benefit a lot from old people

B. it is a good idea to use sign language

C. there is no escape from the world of sound

D. it is possible to find how beautiful things sound

Answer 1

【文章大意】文章介绍了George Prochnik的新著Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise

和他的观点：在喧嚣的世界中创造一方不太纷扰的环境，这个世界会更美好。

【解析】选A。词义理解题。根据第二段作者的观点Silence focuses us, improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace and satisfaction.可知，作者是推崇的silence, 故选A项。

【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据第二段We’ve become so accustomed to noise, there’s almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence might be beneficial和it’s never been more important to find continuing quiet及第三段During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds become a kind of art等句可以判断得出，我们生活在一个喧闹的世界，寂静才是我们的追求，故选择C项。

【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据文章末段If we remove the powerful blasts(一阵阵)of noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us.... It’s astonishing how beautiful things sound when you can really listen.可知C项正确。A项和作者的观点相反；根据We in the hearing world can learn from them (deaf people)可知B项错误；根据During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds become a kind of art可知作者赞赏the smallest sounds，故D项错误。

【解析】选D。推理判断题。通读全文可知，尽管我们生活在一个喧闹的世界，作者提倡我们创造一个不太纷扰的环境，果真如此，这个世界是很美好的，据此D项正确。