PETS2是中下級，通過該級考試的考生，其英語水平基本滿足進入高等院校繼續學習的要求，同時也基本符合諸如賓館前臺服務員、一般銀行職員、涉外企業一般員工，以及同層次其他工作在對外交往中的基本需要。該級考生應能在熟悉的情景中進行簡單對話。下面是yjbys網小編提供給大家關於公共英語考試二級短文理解訓練題，希望對大家的備考有所幫助。
短文理解 |||第一節短文理解 閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的[A]、[B]、[C]和[D]四個選項中，選出最佳選項，並在答題卡上將該項塗黑。
第21題單選修改
閱讀下列短文,回答{TSE}題目.
It is often difficult for a man to be quite sure what tax he ought to pay to the government because it depends on so many different things：whether the man is married;how many children he has;whether he supports any relations;how much he earns;how much interest he receives;how much he has spent on his house during the year，and SO on and SO this makes it difficult to decide exactly how much the tax is.
There was a certain artist who was always very careful to pay the proper amount.
One year，after posting his check as usual，he began to wonder if he had paid enough，and after a lot of work，with a pencil and paper，he decided that he had believed that he owed the government something.
He was just writing another check to send to the tax-collector when the postman dropped a letter into the box at the front ing it，the artist was surprised to find inside it a check for five pounds from the tax— official explmned that too much had been paid，and that therefore the difference was now returned to the taxpayer.
{TS} It is mentioned in the passage that one has to pay tax according__________.
much education one has received
her one is single or married
old one’s children are
e one lives
參考答案：B
參考解析： 參考譯文
一個人往往很難確切地知道他應該向政府交多少稅。交稅的金額由很多方面決定：是否已婚、孩子的多少、是否要資助親戚、掙多少錢、能得到多少利息以及每年在房子上花費多少錢等等。所有這些方面使得很難決定稅款的確切數額。有個藝術家，他總是很小心地繳納合適的稅款數額。有一年，他照例郵寄了納稅支票後，卻開始懷疑自己是否交足了稅額。用紙筆經過一番計算後，他認為自己沒有交夠，還欠政府一些錢。
但是正在他寫另一張繳稅支票時，郵遞員在他前門的郵箱裡放了一封信。開啟後，藝術家驚奇地發現原來是稅務官寄來的5鎊的支票。稅務官解釋說，他的稅額交多了，因此，多餘的稅款現在要退還納稅人。
答案及解析
B【解析】事實細節題。題幹意為“文章提到，一個人應該根據什麼來繳稅?”由文章的第一段第一句話看出，一個人所繳稅款是由很多方面決定的。whether the man is married是其中的一項。所以正確的答案為B。
第22題單選修改
The underlined word“proper”in the second paragraph means__________.
l
t
g
參考答案：C
參考解析：C【解析】詞語釋義題。題幹意為“第二段第一行‘proper’的意思是什麼?”“proper”的意思是“適當的，合適的”。由文章的最後兩段可知，藝術家擔心自己這次繳稅不夠，打算再次補交。所以他以前交的都是合適的。所以正確的答案為C。
第23題單選修改
After a lot of work，the artist ：he had paid the government__________.
tax than he should have
tax than he should have
much tax as usual
enough tax
參考答案：A
參考解析：A【解析】事實細節題。題幹意為“經過計算後，藝術家認為這次他繳納的稅款如何?”從文章的第三段內容可知，He believed that heowed the govemment something.根據意思，他認為自己仍欠政府的錢，繳納的應該比實際繳的多。所以正確的答案為A。
第24題單選修改
Why did the tax-collector send a letter to the artist?
send him a new tax form.
return the money over-paid.
remind him of paying the tax.
explain the rules of tax-paying.
參考答案：B
參考解析：B【解析】推理判斷題。題幹意為“為什麼稅務官給藝術家寄一封信?”由文章的最後一句話可知，too much had been paid，他的稅額交多了，因此，多餘的稅款現在退還納稅人。所以正確的'答案為B。
第25題單選修改
閱讀下列短文,回答{TSE}題目.
"How far is it to the next village?" the American asks a man sitting by the side of the road. In some countries, because the man realizes that the traveler is tired and eager to get to his destination( 目的地 ), he will politely say "Just down the road". He thinks this is more encouraging, gentler, and therefore the wanted answer. So the American drives through the night, getting more and more angry, feeling "tricked". He thinks the man purposely cheated him, for obviously he must have known the distance quite well.
Had conditions been turned over, the American would have felt he was "cheating" the driver if he had said the next town was close when he knew it was really 15 miles further on. Though, he, too, would be sympathetic( 同情的 )to the weary driver, he would say "You have a good way to go yet; it is at least 15 miles". The driver might be disappointed, but he would know what to her to be correct or polite leads to many misunderstandings between people of different cultures. If you are aware of the situation in advance, it is sometimes easier to recognize the problem.
{TS} The man at the roadside tells the American it is close to the next village because________
is playing a trick on him
American expects the answer
doesn' t know the exact distance at all
wants to encourage him to go further
參考答案：D
參考解析：參考譯文
“這兒離下個村莊還有多遠?”一個美國人向一個坐在路邊的人詢問道。在一些國家，人們因為意識到旅行者不僅疲倦而且急切地想要到達目的地，會禮貌地回答說“就在前頭”。他們認為這樣回答更鼓舞人心、更溫和，而且也是期望中的答案。而當那個美國人行駛了一個晚上仍沒到達時，他就會越來越生氣，覺得自己被“愚弄”了。他認為那個人是有意欺騙他。因為他確切地想知道這段距離。
如果情況顛倒過來。這個美國人一定覺得明知道距離下個村莊還有15英里卻對司機說就在前面是一種“欺騙”。儘管他也很同情那個疲倦的司機，他仍會說：“你還有好一段路要走，至少還要l5英里才到呢。”司機也許會很沮喪，但他起碼知道該期望些什麼。
到底應該準確作答還是禮貌回答在不同文化背景的人們之間引發了許多誤解。如果你事先對情況有所瞭解，有時會更容易意識到這個問題。
答案及解析
D【解析】事實細節題。從文章第一段第三句，He thinks this is moreencouragin9，gentler，and therefore the wanted answer可知，他這樣說是因為他想鼓勵那個疲勞的美國人。所以正確的答案為D。
