07-18-专业英语四级-76_真题-无答案

专业英语四级-76
(总分100,考试时间90分钟)
READING COMPREHENSION
TEXT A
When they advise your kids to "get an education" if you want to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide man power for your society, but not too much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you are occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison and you can successfully drop out in grade school.
Get college degree, if possible. With a B.A., you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master"s degree, make sure it is a M.B.A., and only from a first-rate university. Beyond this, the famous law of diminishing returns begins to take effect. Do you know, for instance, that long-hand truck drivers earn more a year than full professors? Yes, the average salary for those truckers was $24,000, while the full professors managed to average just $23,930.
A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are facing a dim future. There are more Ph.D.s unemployed or underemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far. If you become a doctor of philosophy in English or history or anthropology or political science or languages or—worst of all—in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands. Not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands.
Thousands of Ph.D.s are selling shoes, driving cabs, waiting on tables and filling out fruitless applications month after month. And then maybe taking a job in some high school or backwater college that pays much less than the janitor earns.
You can equate the level of income with the level of education only so far. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.
1. By mentioning Bernard Shaw and Thomas Edison, the author means to support the idea that ______.
A. one"s chance to succeed has nothing to do with education
B. many talented people become successful without education
C. few people can be successful without a high school education
D. people as famous as them will succeed without proper education
2. The author suggests that it"s satisfactory enough for one to get ______.
A. a high school diploma
B. a college degree
C. a master"s degree
D. a doctor"s degree
3. The law of diminishing returns is manifested by the fact that ______.
A. the elder generations earn less than their children"s generations
B. ordinary truck drivers have to work harder than full professors
C. a college diploma is more promising than a high school diploma
D. people with a B.A. earn more than those with a doctor"s degree
4. It is indicated in the passage that it is most likely for the Ph.D.s in philosophy to be ______.
A. of **mercial value
B. not needed by the society
C. difficult to succeed in their profession
D. unable to satisfy the country"s demand
5. Your income can parallel your education only when ______.
A. you are not a Ph.D. in liberals arts
B. you get no more than college education
C. what you learn is practical but not theoretical
D. what you learn is not beyond the national demands
My job is to provide relevant, factually accurate information that is interesting, useful and entertaining to my readers, be they Brainstorm or ITWeb readers.
My job is not to get your corporate message across. If you want to get your corporate message out to the market take an advertisement, or, failing that, do a good enough job that your clients get your message and spread it for you, then you wouldn"t be so desperate that you have to attempt to force me to do it.
Secondly, my job is to take information from any sources as I feel are relevant or necessary, and process it into one smooth, seamless story that makes sense, and is easy and pleasant to read. It is not my job to print every single word of jargon and marketing waffle that spews from your lips. Should you choose to spew jargon and marketing waffle during an interview, it will not be used. Try plain, simple English in future.
What my job reminds me of is to **ments and quotes that provide knowledge and insight, not to use anything you have said merely because you have said it. What I use and what I do not use in a story is my privilege. Should I choose not to use your quote there is nothing you can do about it. Further, my job is to write stories that my readers want to read, thus keeping the magazine or website"s ideas alive and kicking, and thus providing advertisers with an audience to advertise to. Should I write what you want me to write my readers will stop reading and you will have no vehicle for your marketing and advertising.
Additionally, should you have a hissy fit and threaten to pull your ads, or never advertise again, because I ran a story you did not like, or did not use your quotes, or looked at you funny when you were having a bad day, you are not going to get a sympathetic response. You will get a positive and professional response. Nice people will kindly attempt to explain to you about press freedom,
and what is enshrined in SA"s constitution, and that "really, really, we"re sorry but advertising people have no control over what those journalists do".
What you will get from me is the pleasure of never being interviewed by me again. I will not be blackmailed. I will not be bullied. And I most certainly will not interview you again, knowing that if you happen to take an ad for that feature you will assume I am running your quotes to keep you happy. Conversely, I will not do an interview knowing that if I do not run your quotes you will assume it is because you have not taken an ad.
So the next time you have the urge to ask me if you can approve copy, or tell my sales team that you will not take an ad unless you are guaranteed editorial, remember the above and think about what you are actually doing. You are asking me to compromise my ethics, credibility, reputation, integrity and—ultimately—my career and I will not do that—for you or anyone.
6. The author suggests that corporate message should be sent to the consumers primarily by ______.
A. committing to advertising
B. improving product quality
C. spreading public praise
D. attracting more readers
7. According to the author, jargon and marketing waffle are ______.
A. irrelevant
B. unintelligible
C. professional
D. monotonous
8. The author writes most probably in order to chiefly satisfy ______.
A. his desire
B. the editors
C. the media
D. his readers
9. When the author refuses to take the clients" quotes, he doesn"t expect them to think ______.
A. that he is being blackmailed
B. it is because they have taken an ad
C. it is because they have not taken an ad
D. that he is being professional
10. It can be assumed that the author is ______.
A. a novelist
B. an advertiser
C. a journalist
D. an interviewer
TEXT B
The dramatic collapse in American consumer confidence, following the World Trade Center attack, increases the likelihood that the US economy will slide into recession. It"s not a nice message, but there"s no point in ignoring life"s harsh realities.
America"s economy had been dragged along for nearly 18 months by the refusal of US consumers to face up to the fact that they were spending more than they were earning, share prices (especially in the high-tech sector) were in retreat, corporate America was cutting investment, and US unemployment was about to rise. The devastation wrought by the suicide killers has shaken American consumers from their state of denial. In Europe too, consumers have been rattled by the Manhattan atrocity and President Bush"s subsequent determination to hunt down the killers. A
survey by a research group on behalf of the European Commission shows consumer confidence falling across the eurozone countries.
But it"s America that is the greatest cause for concern. When the US stops spending, the rest of the world suffers. It imports more than any other country. In Britain, for example, Americans represent a big chunk of the tourism market, especially in London. The US is also crucially important to British-based car manufacturers, such as Jaguar and Land Rover, which seem certain to feel the pinch along with other luxury brands. This economic slowdown is not the creation of fevered press minds; it"s real and it"s now. That"s why the US government is considering a $100 billion revival package, including cuts in capital gains taxes and corporate taxes, to stimulate demand. Likewise, central banks in America, Europe and Britain have trimmed interest rates to beat off a credit crunch and lubricate the wheels of commerce. Their swift action is a tacit admission that a deep recession is possible, if not probably.
Leading US investment bank, Morgan Stanley, told theFinancial Times, "Never in their lifetimes have so many Americans feared for their safety in going to work, taking time off, or in procuring their daily needs." Stock markets, where most international indexes are about 30% below their 1999-2000 peaks, are telling us that corporate earnings are likely to be much lower than analysts had expected. Some sectors, such as airlines, hotels and insurance will be driven deep into loss. There is also a share-price discount for uncertainty, the biggest element of which is the extent of American military actions. Until the scale of the Middle East conflict becomes clear, investors will continue to shun the risk of equities for the certainty of cash and government bonds. Recovery **e. It always does. But a swift return to the go-go days of the late 1990s is inconceivable.
1. After the World Trade Center attack, Americans have to face the following realities except ______.
A. the dramatic collapse in consumer confidence
B. that they spend more than they earn
C. that the economy slides into recession
D. the declining investment of the business people
2. When President Bush decided to hunt down the suicide killers, people felt ______.
A. positive
B. cautious
C. doubtful
D. anxious
3. US government"s cuts in taxes are intended to ______.
A. stimulate import and export
B. restore the vigor of economy
C. bring back the confidence of spending
D. help the sale of European luxury brands
4. Morgan Stanley has observed the influence of the attack on ______.
A. consumer confidence
B. domestic stock market
C. service sector trade
D. corporate investment
5. What does the author think about the future of the economy?
A. He expects that the economy won"t relate to military actions.
B. He expects that the economy will be better than the late 1990s.
C. He is affirmative that the economy will revive.
D. He is uncertain whether the economy will revive.
Ah, praise. So powerful are simple words of approval and admiration that the late psychologist B.
F. Skinner once called praise giving "the greatest tool in behavior modification".
Yet precisely because praise is such heady stuff, motivation researchers warn of its psychological perils. Although the researchers agree that encouragement is essential for everyone, studies have found that poorly chosen words of praise can be as manipulative as any other reward—and just as destructive to creativity, perseverance and performance. Even behaviorists who advocate heavy use of praise for positive reinforcement in the classroom warn that its power can easily be missed. Such condemnation of simple good words is difficult even for those who can clearly see the destructive potential of gold stars and other glittery enticements. But in fact, Kohn argues, praise should not always be considered a synonym for human kindness. Children, he argues, can **pletely dependent on praise and in that emotional process lose any love of doing things for their own sake. Experiments show, for example, that children who are praised for being generous with others actually end up being less generous than those who received no strokes.
Praise has also been shown to have very disruptive effects on confidence, concentration and performance. People who receive praise often become so self-conscious of their temporary good standing that they cannot focus on the task at hand, or alternatively they simply avoid challenging themselves in order to prevent the possibility of failure. Case Western Reserve University researcher Roy F. Baumeister found **pliments are an effective way to increase pressure, making a person more likely to "choke". Subjects who were praised just before a test of video skills consistently performed worse than did those who were not. And students who were heavily praised became more unconfirmed in their answers and gave up more quickly on ideas teachers disagreed with. "I worry about children whose eyes light up every time they are praised," says Kohn. "Many of them will grow to be adults desperate for others" approval, unable to formulate their own standards."
Although words of praise may be more subtle than other rewards, the basic psychological issue is one of power and manipulation. "Often, the most striking thing about a positive judgment is that it"s a judgment," says Kohn. "It implies, "I have power over you."" What"s more, he adds, praise carries with it the possibility of criticism, which can make the loftiest praise threatening: today"s "you"re perfect" can become tomorrow"s "you are worthless".
6. According to B. F. Skinner, praise ______.
A. is most useful in behavior correction
B. is simple but powerful words of good will
C. can change people"s behaviors to be better
D. may both be beneficial and disadvantageous
7. Words of praise could become destructive when ______.
A. they are casually chosen
B. they are heavily used
C. they are not used by behaviorists
D. they are out of an educational environment
8. The last word "strokes" in the third paragraph most closely means ______.
A. instructions
B. criticisms
C. help
D. compliments
9. Roy F. Baumeister found that heavy praise could result in people"s ______.
A. stubbornness
B. lack of persistence
C. lack of creativity
D. incapability
10. Which of the following statements is Kohn most likely to agree with?
A. Words of praise are nothing more than positive judgments.
B. Words of praise fall into the category of basic psychological issue.
C. Words of praise and criticisms are interchangeable.
D. Words of praise are meant to manipulate the listeners.
TEXT C
In the south of Spain, there was a small village whose people were very joyful and lucky. The children played under the shade of trees in the gardens of their home. A shepherd boy whose name was Nasir, stayed near the village with his father, mother and grandmother. Early morning each day, he took his herd of goats up the hills to find a suitable place for them to graze. In the afternoon he would return with them to the village. At night his grandmother would tell him a story. As usual, on one of these days, as Nasir was watching his herd and playing his flute he suddenly saw a wonderful light behind the flower bush. When he came towards the branches he saw a transparent and most beautiful crystal ball.
The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow. Nasir carefully took it in his hand and turned it around. With surprise suddenly he heard a weak **ing from the crystal ball. It said, "You can make a wish that your heart desires and I will fulfill it." Nasir could not believe that he had actually heard a voice. But he became so engrossed in his thoughts for he had so many wishes but he must wish for something which was impossible like the wish to be able to fly. He said to himself, "if I wait till tomorrow I will remember many things." He put the crystal ball in a bag and gathered the herd, happily returning back to the village. He decided that he would not tell anyone about the crystal ball. On the following day also, Nasir could not decide what to wish for, because he really had everything he needed.
The days passed as usual, and Nasir appeared to be very cheerful that the people around him were amazed to see his cheerful disposition. One day a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a tree. Nasir as usual sat in one corner, took out the crystal ball and for a few moments looked at it. The boy waited for the moment when Nasir would go to sleep. Then he took the crystal ball and ran away. When he arrived in the village, he called all the people and showed them the crystal ball. The citizens of that village took the crystal ball in their hand and turned it around with surprise. Suddenly they heard a voice from inside the crystal ball, which said, "I can fulfill your wish." One person took the ball and screamed, "I want one bag full of gold." Another took the ball and said loudly, "I want two chests full of jewelry."
Some of them wished that they would have their own palace with grand door made from pure gold instead of their old houses. Some also wished for bags full of jewelry, but nobody asked for gardens in their palaces. All their wishes were fulfilled but still the citizens of the village were not happy. They were jealous because the person that had a palace had no gold and the person that had the gold had no palace. For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry and were not
speaking to each other. There was not even one garden which existed in the village where the children could play. The patience of the children was running out and they were uncomfortable. Nasir and his family were happy and pleased. Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute.
The children could not wait anymore and decided to return the crystal ball to Nasir, The parents and neighbours went to him. The children said to Nasir, "When we had a small village we all were happy and joyful." The parents also said, "In one way or another nobody is happy. The expensive palaces and jewelry only bring us pain." When Nasir saw that the people were really regretful, he said, "I have not wished till now, if you really want everything to return to its own place, then I will wish for it." Everyone happily agreed. Nasir took the crystal ball in his hand, turned it around and wished that the village become the same as it was before. Everyone quickly turned towards the village and saw it became the same old village with gardens full of trees and fruits. Once again the people started to live happily and the children played under the shade of trees. From the next day and everyday at sunset the sound of Nasir"s flute could be heard in the village.
1. The details in the story are organized in the pattern of ______.
A. cause and effect
B. chronological order
C. spatial order
D. exemplification
2. When Nasir heard the voice from the crystal bail, he didn"t answer immediately because ______.
A. he wanted to save the wish for his family
B. he was too happy to remember anything
C. he was shocked by the talking ball
D. he didn"t know what wish to make
3. The boy followed Nasir in order to ______.
A. prove that Nasir was hiding something good
B. take the ball and share with the villagers
C. find out why Nasir was cheerful
D. steal the ball when Nasir slept
4. "Nasir and his family were happy and pleased" because ______.
A. only their family had a garden
B. their life was not disturbed by the ball
C. they saw the trouble caused by the ball
D. they only wished for a happy life
5. The story may well illustrate the proverb "______".
A. A contented mind is a continual feast
B. A little learning is a dangerous thing
C. Every advantage has its disadvantage
D. God helps those who help themselves
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, "I love you, but I know this other woman loves you too, and she would love to spend some time with you."
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19
years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. "What"s wrong, are you well?" she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
"I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you," I responded. "Just the two of us." She thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I would like that very much."
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to he nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel"s. "I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can"t wait to hear about our meeting."
We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Morn sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.
"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said.
"Then it"s time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation—nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other"s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.
As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I"ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed.
"How was your dinner date?" Asked my wife when I got home.
"Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn"t have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn"t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates—one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son."
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: "I LOVE YOU," and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time".
6. When the mother heard it was the son"s call, she was ______.
A. worried
B. surprised
C. suspicious
D. puzzled
7. The mother"s friends were most impressed by ______.
A. the memorable date between the mother and the son
B. the mother"s realization of her long-awaited dream
C. the son"s love for his mother
D. the mother"s pride in her son
8. When the mother took the author"s arm into the restaurant, she ______.
A. looked like the First Lady
B. was treated like the First Lady
C. was as important as the First Lady
D. felt as proud as being the First Lady
9. What did the mother mainly talk about to the author during the dinner?
A. Her life after the author"s marriage.
B. Her life since the author"s last visit.
C. Her memory about the author as a child.
D. Her expectation about future reunions.
10. The mother insisted on inviting the author to dinner because ______.
A. she was going to die soon
B. she wanted to show her love
C. she did not expect the heart attack
D. she intended to thank him and his wife
11. The passage intends to teach us how to cherish ______.
A. our parents
B. love
C. our family
D. life
TEXT D
They may be just passing your office, computer bag slung over one shoulder. Or they may be sitting in a car outside it, casually tapping away at a laptop. They look like innocent passers-by. In fact, they are stealing your corporate secrets.
Drive-by hacking is the trendy term given to the practice of breaking into **puter networks from outside the buildings that house them. A recent study in the UK, sponsored by RSA Data Security, found that two-thirds of organizations with wireless networks were risking their data in this way. Security experts patrolled several streets in the City of London seeking evidence of wireless networks in operation.
Of 124 that they identified, 83 were sending data without encrypting them. Such data could readily be picked up by a passer-by armed only with a **puter, a wireless modem and a few pieces of software that can be freely downloaded from the Internet.
The data could include **pany documents containing valuable information. Or they could be email identities and passwords that could be used by hackers to log into corporate networks as if they were legitimate users.
**panies using wireless networking technology do not take even the simplest of precautions to protect their data. Nearly all wireless network **es with some basic security features that need only to be activated in order to give a minimum level of security, for example, by encrypting the data being passed over the network.
Raymond Kruck, business development manager at Check Point Software, a security technology specialist, believes this could be partly a psychological problem. People see the solid walls of their building as bulwarks and forget that wireless networks can extend up to 200 meters beyond physical walls.
Companies without any security at all on their wireless networks make it risibly easy for hackers to break in. Switching on the security **es with the network technology should be automatic. Then there are other basic steps a company can take, says Mr. Kruck, such as changing the
passwords on the network from the default setting.
Companies can also install firewalls, which form a barrier between the internal network and the public Internet. They should also check **puter records regularly to spot any abnormal activity, which might betray the presence of a hacker.
1. According to the study sponsored by RSA Data Security, two thirds of the subjects ______.
A. had their corporate data stolen
B. depended on **puter networks
C. were exposed to drive-by hacking
D. were unaware of the risk of wireless hacking
2. Which of the following is not considered in the study?
A. The number of wireless hacking incidents.
B. The number of **puter networks.
C. The way in which data are sent and received.
D. The way in which data are hacked and stolen.
3. Most wireless network **prises ______.
A. date encryption programs
B. password security programs
C. illegitimate-user detection
D. virus-intrusion detection
4. Raymond Kruck most probably agrees that wireless network security involves ______.
A. wireless signal administration
B. changes in users" awareness
C. users" psychological health
D. stronger physical walls
5. Without firewalls, companies using wireless networks ______.
A. cannot operate normally
B. should turn to passwords
C. will be easily attacked by hackers
D. can still spot the activities of hackers
Men and women approach problems with similar goals but with different considerations. While men and women can solve problems equally well, their approach and their process are often quite different. For most women, sharing and discussing a problem presents an opportunity to explore, deepen or strengthen the relationship with the person they are talking with. Women are usually more concerned about how problems are solved than merely solving the problem itself. For women, solving a problem can profoundly impact whether they feel closer and less alone or whether they feel distant and less connected. The process of solving a problem can strengthen or weaken a relationship. Most men are less concerned and do not feel the same as women when solving a problem.
Men approach problems in a very different manner than women. For most men, solving a problem presents an opportunity to demonstrate **petence, their strength of resolve, and **mitment to a relationship. How the problem is solved is not nearly as important as solving it effectively and in the best possible manner. Men have a tendency to dominate and to assume authority in a problem solving process. They set aside their feelings provided the dominance hierarchy was agreed upon in advance and respected. They are often distracted and do not attend well to the quality of the。