题文
Across the planet there are millions of people who engage in some type of meditation, the practice of concentrating and clearing the mind to bring the body into a state of peace, at least a semi-regular basis. For some, particularly among practitioners of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, this is part and parcel of their religious practice.For others, particularly in Western cultures, meditation tends to be a response to stress. With the world economy approaching meltdown and people worried about their job or their ability to keep their home, it’s a way for people to attain a state of peace of mind and well-being.
For those interested in taking up the practice, instruction in meditation for beginners can be found in literally thousands of sources.
One of the most popular styles of mediation in the West, with classes offered in most major cities, is called Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it is known among its practitioners, first came to worldwide attention when the Beatles began practicing it in 1967. For direct, guided, personal instruction in meditation for the beginner, TM may be the hallmark.
Part of the confusion about how to practice meditation effectively is due to the fact that there are literally hundreds of techniques championed by various groups and individuals. As a general principle, it might be said that all meditation techniques seek to have the practitioner attain a state of consciousness that is different to our ordinary state of awareness. They attempt to train people to clear their minds and achieve a sense of inner peace. It sounds simple enough, but of the huge number of people experiment with meditation, very few are able to maintain its practice over the long haul. In most cases, this is due to frustration over the inability to experience any dramatic, instantly recognizable effects.
This is quite a sad state of affairs, that so few these days are willing or equipped to persist in something that doesn’t provide immediate life-changing results. It reflects a culture in which demands for discipline and sustained effort are considered unnecessary or even unfair. It is no surprise therefore that many people abandon their efforts at meditation before they have a chance to bear fruit.
But for anyone who does decide to take up this worthwhile practice, please remember. You must clear your mind, relax and “take it as it comes”. Maintain the practice with a sense of discipline and devotion, and eventually benefits of inner peace and calm will be yours.
小题1:The underlined part “part and parcel of” in paragraph 1 is nearest in meaning to ________. A．closely associated with B．very different to C．usually sent from D．an important element of小题2:The goal of meditation is ________. A．to clear the mind B．to practice a religion C．to develop a technique D．to carry out an experiment小题3:What can we infer about meditation from the passage? A．It has two main types. B．It is practiced by many famous artists. C．Its benefits are not immediately obvious. D．Most people find it a very good way to relax.小题4:According to the writer, what has attracted many Western people to meditation practices in recent years? A．Their improved understanding of foreign culture. B．The need to fill in their growing free time. C．Increasing employment instability. D．Migration from countries in which meditation is traditional.小题5:Who is the probable audience for this article? A．Experienced meditation practitioners. B．People interested in starting to learn meditation. C．Buddhists and Hindus. D．People who are very religious. 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:D
小题2:A
小题3:C
小题4:C
小题5:B
解析
文章介绍了宗教行为中常见的默念,默想。小题1:猜测词义题。根据上下文可知默念,默想是东方宗教行为的主要部分。
小题2:细节题。根据文章第5段第5行They attempt to train people to clear their minds and achieve a sense of inner peace.和第一段第2行the practice of concentrating and clearing the mind to bring the body into a state of peace,可知A正确。
小题3:推断题。根据文章最后一句eventually benefits of inner peace and calm will be yours. 可知默想的好处不是一下子就显示的，而是慢慢地表现出来。故C正确。
小题4:推理题。根据文章第二段2,3行With the world economy approaching meltdown and people worried about their job or their ability to keep their home可知C正确。
小题5:推理题。根据文章内容可知作者是一个对默念,默想非常了解的人，也许是一个对默念,默想非常感兴趣的人。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“Across the planet th.....”主要考查你对 [社会现象类阅读 ]考点的理解。社会现象类阅读
社会现象类阅读概念：
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。
社会现象类阅读解题技巧：
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。阅读这类文章要理清思路。
1、浏览试题，明确要求。
在阅读文章前，最好先浏览一下文章后面的题干和选项。知道了问题后再去看文章，可使思路更敏捷，而且也便于阅读时留意文中出现的与选项有关的信息。
2、通读全文，抓住主要内容。
在不影响理解的前提下，尽可能地阅读以便在尽可能短的时间内理解文章或段落的内容。阅读时，如遇到不熟悉的单词、词组或一时看不懂的句子，不要停下来苦思冥想，继续读下去，通过上下文的词语和句子可能就理解了。
3、抓住中心思想和段落大意。
通读全文时，要特别注意主题句。每篇文章或每个段落都有与文章有关的句子，尤其是科技、政论性文章的主题句一般都在文章的开头或结尾，插在中间的很少。所以，文章的第一段或开头的第一、二个句子往往包含着文章的中心思想、作者的意图或全文的概述，因此要特别注意，彻底理解。
4、有针对性地仔细阅读，找寻所需信息。
在前面的基础上，可进行有针对性地阅读了。把与问题无关的内容一扫而过，而对于和问题有关的内容认真阅读，还可以用笔在下面做出记号。再把这些信息与问题的要求结合起来，逐条分析，综合判断，找出正确答案。
5、进行合理的推理判断。
对文章有了全面的了解之后，可以按照文章要求以及上下文之间的关系，做出推理判断。在进行推理判断的时候，需要综合考虑句型、语法、句子之间的逻辑关系、文化背景等方面的因素。
6、认真复读，验证答案。
要用全文的中心思想统帅各个题目，研究其内在联系和逻辑关系，并依次审核那些还未打上的题目，确保理解无误。
