专四阅读理解

4)For a long time, researchers have tried to nail down just what shapes us--or what, at least, shapes us most. And over the years, they've had a lot of exclamation moments. First it was our parents, particularly our mothers. Then it was our genes. Next it was our peers, who show up last but hold great sway. And all those ideas were good ones--but only as far as they went.Somewhere, there was a sort of temperamental dark matter exerting an invisible gravitational pull of its own. More and more, scientists are concluding that this unexplained force is our siblings.From the time we are born, our brothers and sisters are our collaborators and co-conspirators, our role models and cautionary tales. They are our scolds, protectors, goads, tormentors, playmates, counselors, sources of envy, objects of pride. They teach us how to resolve conflicts and how not to; how to conduct friendships and when to walk away from them. Sisters teach brothers about the mysteries of girls; brothers teach sisters about the puzzle of boys. Our spouses arrive comparatively late in our lives; our parents eventually leave us. Our siblings may be the only people we'll ever know who truly qualify as partners for life. "Siblings," says family sociologist Katherine Conger, "are with us for the whole journey."Within the scientific community, siblings have not been wholly ignored, but research has been limited mostly to discussions of birth order．Older sibs were said to be strivers；younger ones rebels；middle kids the lost souls．The stereotypes were broad，if not entirely untrue，and there the discussion mostly ended．But all that’s changin9．At research centers in the U．S．，Canada，Europe and elsewhere，investigators are launching a wealth of new studies into the sibling dynamic，looking at ways brothers and sisters steer one another int0—or away from--risky behavior how they form a protective buffer(减震器)against family upheaval；how they educate one another about the opposite sex；how all siblings compete for family recognition and come to terms--or blows--over such impossibly charged issues as parental favoritism．From that research，scientists are gaining intriguing insights into the people we become as adults．Does the manager who runs a harmonious office call on the peacemaking skills learned in the family playroom? Does the student struggling with a professor who plays favorites summon up the coping skills acquired from dealing with a sister who was Daddy’s girl? Do husbands and wives benefit from the inter—gender negotiations they waged when their most important partners were their sisters and brothers? All that is under investigation．“Siblings have just been o ff the radar screen until now，”says Conger．But today serious work is revealing exactly how our brothers and sisters influence us．1．The beginning of the passage indicates thatA．researchers have found out what shapes us．B．our peer is the last factor influencing us．C．what researchers found contributes in a limited way．D．what researchers found is good and trustworthy．2．In the third paragraph, the author tries to demonstrate that our siblingsA．offer us much useful information．B．have great influences on us．C．are the ones who love us completely．D．accompany us throughout our life．3．In scientific community, previous research on siblingsA．mostly focused on the sibling order．B．studied the characteristics of the kids．C．studied the matter in a broad sense．D．wasn’t believable and the discussion ended．4．Which of the following is NOT sibling dynamic?A．A brother cautions his sister against getting into trouble．B．Sisters have quarrels with each other．C．Siblings compete for parental favoritism．D．Older kids in a family try hard to achieve．5．From the last paragraph，we can conclude thatA．managers learned management skills from the family playroom．B．spouses learned negotiation skills from their siblings．C．studies on siblings are under the way。

D．studies on siblings need thorough investigation．5)What comes to mind when you hear the word--diversity? Issues of race or gender may spring to mind．Equal rights? Or minority issues?I encourage people to look at a much wider definition of the word．1 would tend to say diversity is “differentness” in any form．A good example of this kind of diversity has been experienced by every person who ever left behind the comforts of home and moved into uncharted territory．Issues of diversity are informed not only by your cultural background and context，but also by your religion，age，field of work，family situation，personality，and countless other factors that make us unique．Diversity affects everyone．It’s for this reason that d iversity has become such a buzz word．The buzz happens because it’s all about how you handle it．It’s very much like the job a composer has when creating a great musical composition．If the composer understands what each unique note and dynamic mark is capable of in combination with the other parts，the result achieved is extraordinary．If, however，none of the parts is communicating with the others，we’re left with a cacophony(刺耳的声音)．On a personal level．it’s this understanding and acceptance of “the other” whi ch rests at the core of diversity．Whether we’re talking about navigating through a multicultural urban environment or uprooting and moving to a new foreign social context，it is necessary to set aside rigid assumptions about “the other” and put oneself in t he other’s shoes. So how do we make this leap? It’s often as simple as asking questions and being careful not to assume that what you see is necessarily what the other side sees.Often in my workshops I give a magic lesson to the audience to illustrate this principle. I first present the magic and accomplish the "impossible". The participants receive the same props but simply can’t manage. We look more carefully at the situation and realize that the assumptions they made about it actually blocked them from achieving this feat; a feat they suddenly are empowered to do which, moments ago, was impossible.The goal in being sensitive to diversity is to cultivate a culture of respect for people’s differences and understand that such an environment is beneficial to everyone involved.Diversity awareness is an evolution. We can’t get there by snapping our fingers, and it isn’t a matter of training people to have textbook politically correct attitudes. Instead it’s a case of looking at the big picture of how we see the world, understanding why we see it that way, and then making sure we do our part to genuinely value difference and benefit from it.1. According to the author, diversity isA. confusing.B. extraordinary.C. quite common.D. universal.2. "It" in Paragraph Three refers toA. diversity.B. the buzz.C. how to handle diversity.D. the formation of diversity.3. The author believes thatA. to handle diversity one should put himself in others’ shoes.B. when you are in a foreign environment, do as the Romans do.C. diversity can hardly be defined.D. diversity derives from cultural difference.4. The example of a magic lesson is to showA. everyone can do magic.B. magic is nothing but a feat.C. what blocks people from handling diversity.D. it is possible to achieve anything.5. How to raise diversity awareness according to the author?A. By living in an unfamiliar environment.B. By having politically correct attitudes.C. By being sensitive to everything one experiences.D. By understanding people’s differences.6)Parents are often upset when their children praise the homes of their friends and regard it as a slur (诋毁) on their own cooking, or cleaning, or furniture, and often are foolish enough to let the adolescents see that they are annoyed. They may even accuse them of disloyalty, or make some spiteful remark about the friends’ parents. Such a loss of dignity and descent into childish behavior on the part of the adults deeply shocks the adolescents, and makes them resolve that in future they will not talk to their parents about the place or people they visit. Before very long the parents will be complaining that the child is so secretive and never tells them anything, but they seldom realize that they havebrought this on themselves.Disillusionment with the parents, however good and adequate they may be both as parents and as individuals, is to some degree inevitable. Most children have such a high ideal of their parents, unless the parents themselves have been unsatisfactory, that it can, hardly hope to stand up to a realistic evaluation. Parents would be greatly surprised and deeply touched if they realized how much belief their children usually have in their character and infallibility, and how much this faith means to a child. If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction, and realized that it was a sign that the child was growing up and developing valuable powers of observation and independent judgment they would not be so hurt, and therefore would not drive the child into opposition by resenting and resisting it.The adolescent, with his passion for sincerity, always respects a parent who admits that he is wrong, or ignorant, or even that he has been unfair or unjust. What the child cannot forgive is the parent’s refusa l to admit these charges if the child knows them to be true.Victorian parents believed that they kept their dignity by retreating behind an unreasoning authoritarian attitude; in fact they did nothing of the kind, but children were then too cowed to let them know how they really felt. Today we tend to go to the other extreme, but on the whole this is a healthier attitude both for the child and the parent. It is always wiser and safer to face up to reality, however painful it may be at the moment.1. Ac cording to the passage, children would arouse parents’ disappointment forA. admiring their friends’ homes.B. talking back to their parents.C. complaining home-made dishes.D. making some spiteful remark.2. When adolescents feel disillusion with their parents, it means that theyA. feel disappointed with their parents.B. are developing into maturity.C. just want to hurt their parents.D. are expressing their discontentment.3. Adolescents in Victorian timesA. had shown more respect for parents than today.B. always answered back to deal with the problem.C. admired the authoritarian attitude of their parents.D. were too afraid to tell what they really thought.4. What is the tone of the passage?A. Critical.B. Humorous.C. Serious.D. Ambiguous.5. What does this passage mainly discuss?A. Children will become more and more mature when growing up.B. Parents have to change their ways in educating their children.C. The conflicts between parents and their children are inevitable.D. Parents have made mistakes in communication with children.7)Recently, Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to make it easier for older workers to win age discrimination lawsuits. Age discrimination remains a significant workplace issue.In recent ten years, 15.79 percent of cases brought to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, were described as successful claims. While this number is small given the number of workers covered by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, many, if not most, instances of age discrimination are never sued, and cases hiring discrimination often go undetected.Most of those who do sue are white, male middle-managers who are likely to have lost a sizeable salary and pension. For the most part, other groups do not sue because the costs of a lawsuit outweigh the potential benefits. Age discrimination remains a significant workplace issue.There is strong experimental evidence for age discrimination in hiring, at least for entry-level jobs. Recently, I performed a labor market experiment in Boston in which I sent out thousands of resumes for fictitious (虚构的)entry-level female candidates and measured response rate based on date of high school graduation. Among this group, younger applicants, whose date of high school graduation indicated that they were less than 50 years old, were 40 percent more likely to be called back for an interview than were older applicants.It is difficult to tell whether employment problems are worse for older workers than for other workers when times are bad. The number of discrimination lawsuits increases during times of high unemployment, but this finding by itself does not indicate an increased level of age discrimination. In times of higher unemployment, the opportunity cost to a lawsuit is lower than it is when times are good.From the employer’s perspective, mass layoffs may seem like a good chance to remove a higher proportion of generally more expensive older workers without the worry of being sued. On the other hand, employers may be less likely to remove protected older w orkers because’ they still fear lawsuits. One thing we do know is that once an older worker loses a job, he or she is much less likely to find a new job than a younger worker is.Unfortunately, the effect of legislation prohibiting age discrimination is not easy to see and may actually be part of the reason it is so difficult for older workers to find employment. If it is more difficult to fire an older worker than a younger worker, a firm will be less likely to want to hire older workers. Indeed, my research finds that in states where workers have longer time to bring a lawsuit claim, older men work fewer weeks per year, are less likely to be hired, and less likely to be fired than men in states where they do not have as much.Not many people would suggest that we go back to a world prior to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, in which advertisements specify the specific ages of people they are willing to hire. However, legislation prohibiting discrimination is no panacea (万灵药). The recent proposed congressional legislation could have both positive and negative effects on potential older workers.1. A lot of cases of age discrimination are not found becauseA. age discrimination law was just introduced recently.B. other discriminated groups don’t sue except the whites.C. age discrimination cases are in large quantity and it is difficult to detect all of them.D. many discriminated people don’t sue and costs of a lawsuit outweigh potential benefits.2. The labor market experiment in Boston shows thatA. younger male applicants are more likely to be hired than their female counterparts.B. age discrimination is quite common in hiring process.C. the author collected information by interviewing female applicants.D. female applicants who are 50 years old will never have a chance to get a job.3. What may lead to the increase of discrimination lawsuits during times of high unemployment?A. The increase of age discrimination.B. The decrease of age discrimination.C. The decrease of opportunity cost to lawsuits.D. The increase of opportunity cost to lawsuits, .4. From the last paragraph, we learn thatA. employers could specify the ages of people they want to hire in the past.B, all employers recruited workers through advertisement in the past.C. legislation prohibiting discrimination can’t free old workers from age discrimination.D. the recent proposed congressional legislation is ineffective.5. The author is __ when he analyzes the age discrimination issue.A. pessimisticB. partialC. objectiveD. doubtful8)"Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it’s a girl."Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different response from every man who hears these words. Some feel pride when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples, pregnancy was an accident that both husband and wifehave accepted willingly or unwillingly.Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the shift from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this reconciliation (协调) process. Although numerous books have been written about American mothers, only recently has literature focused on the role of fathers.It is argued by some writers that the change to the father’s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the change the wife must take to the mother’s role. The mother’s role seems to require a complete transformation in daily routine and highly innovative adaptation. On the other hand, the father’s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.1. From the passage, we learn that fatherhoodA. brings a feeling of excitement to most men.B. makes some men feel proud and others uneasy.C. has a different meaning for men who have daughters.D. means a responsibility that men accept unwillingly.2. What does the passage say about the shift from the role of husband to that of father?A. Numerous books have been written about it.B. Not enough attention has been paid to it.C. The shift is harder for men than for women.D. The shift is a difficult but incomplete one.3. The passage indicates thatA. mothers get more attention and recognition from society.B. mothers are innovative and demanding according to some writers.C. mothers generally stay at home to take care of the children.D. mothers should help fathers in their reconciliation process.4. Which of the following will the author most probably disagree with?A. It’s as difficult to be a father as it is to be a mother.B. More books should focus on the role of fathers.C. The father is still the breadwinner in the household.D. Fathers are as important to children as mothers.5. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is toA. explain why there are few books on the role of fathers.B. praise mothers for their great contributions to the home.C. criticize fathers for not taking enough responsibility in bringing up the children.D. complain about the lack of social programs to help fathers in their role shift.9)Imagine you are a citizen of Athens, enjoying a warm Mediterranean night in the Theater of Herodes Atticus. You are wearing jeans and a T-shirt, listening to a great concert.Now rewind this picture 1,839 years. You are in the same seat, only you are watching classical Greek entertainment and wearing a simple chiton, or tunic.The city of Athens is a fun mix of the old and the new, the classic and the modem. Often a little shop is located next to the rains of a temple, which is only a block from a large, air-conditioned hotel. The great city of 2,500 years ago is still visible today.Ruins are the most obvious sign of ancient Athens, and the most famous of these is the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large hill that was the center of life in Athens. On its slopes were temples, monuments, and theaters. From the top, you can see how the urban sprawl (扩展,延伸) of Athens stretches out in every direction.On the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This was once a huge temple to Athena, the city's patron. It was first completed in 432 B.C., but has been damaged and destroyed several times. However, visitors can still see the "tricks" used in building the Parthenon. The columns along the outside lean inward, and are slightly fatter in the middle. The temple is also higher in the middle than on the sides. All these effects make the Parthenon look perfectly straight from a distance.Only a block away from the Acropolis is the neighborhood of Plaka. The area, with its little shops and restaurants,is very popular with both tourists and locals, and is an important part of modem Athenian culture.Many great thinkers, writers, and political leaders lived in ancient Athens. The ruins of their homes and favorite spots are scattered throughout the busy port city. The hill where St. Paul addressed early Christian Athenians is located near the Acropolis. Great thinkers such as Perikles and Demosthenes spoke to the civil assemblies held at the Pnyx Hill. Today the Pnyx is an open-air theater for light and sound shows.Greeks still use some ancient sites, such as the Pnyx and the Theater of Herodes Atticus. During Roman times, in 76 A.D., gladiators (角斗士) used the Panathenaic Stadium for contests. The Olympics were held there in 1896, and today people still jog and exercise in the stadium.Tourism is very important to people who live in modem-day Athens. Thousands of people come every year to see these ruins and to tour the many museums that house artifacts from ancient times. This provides many jobs and brings money into Athens, which helps the city pay for improvements. Athenians take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors, and people from all around the world come to admire them. By looking around the city today, we can imagine what life was like in ancient Athens.1. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about the city of Athens?A. The culture of the city is a mixture of the old and modem.B. Traces of the ancient city can still be found.C. Ruins and modem hotels co-exist in the city.D. All the temples are not far away from air-conditioned hotels.2. Which tourist attraction was ancient Athens most famous for?A. Plaka.B. Acropolis.C. Pnyx.D. Parthenon.3. According to the context, "tricks" in Paragraph Five refer toA. mischievous acts.B. confusing constructing skills.C. skillful constructing methods.D. constructing materials.4. The writer mentioned all the following benefits of tourism in Athens for Athenians EXCEPTA. offering job opportunities to Athenians.B. enriching Athenians by providing accommodation for tourists.C. enabling Athenians to improve the infrastructures.D. making Athenians proud of their ancestors.5. What is the best title for the passage?A. Tourism in Athens.B. Athens: Then & Now.C. Historic Interests in Athens.D. The Magic of Ancient Athens.模拟题：1）california is a land of variety and contrast. almost every type of physical land feature, sort of arctic ice fields and tropical jungles can be found within its borders. sharply contrasting types of land often lie very close to one another. people living in bakersfield, for instance, can visit the pacific ocean and the coastal plain, the fertile san joaquin valley, the arid mojave desert, and the high sierra nevada, all within a radius of about 100 miles.in other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day, without having to travel long distance.contrast abounds in california. the highest point in the united states (outside alaska) is in california, and so is the lowest point (including alaska).mount whitney, 14,494 feet above sea level, is separated from death valley, 282 feet below sea level, by a distance of only 100 miles.the two areas have a difference in altitude of almost three miles. california has deep, clear mountain lakes like lake tahoe, the deepest in the country, but it also has shallow, salty desert lakes. it has lake tulainyo, 12,020 feet above sea level, and the lowest lake in the country, the salton sea, 236 feet below sea level. some of its lakes, like owens lake indeath valley, are not lakes at all: they are dried-up lake beds. in addition to mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, and plateaus, california has its pacific coastline, stretching longer than the coastlines of oregon and washington combined.1. which of the following is the lowest point in the united states?a. lake tulainyo.b. mojave desert.c. death valley.d. the salton sea.2. where is the highest point in the united states located?a. lake tahoe.b. sierra nevada.c. mount whitney.d. alaska.3. how far away is death valley from mount whitney?a. about 3 miles.b. only 100 miles.c. 282 feet.d. 14,494 feet.4. which of the following is not mentioned in the passage as being within a radius of about 100 miles of bakersfield?a. the pacific ocean.b. san joaquin valley.c. mojave desert.d. oregon and washington.5. which statement best demonstrates that california is a land of variety and contrast?a. the highest lake in california is lake tulainyo.b. it is possible to go surfing and snow skiing in some parts of california without having to travel long distance.c. sierra nevada, san joaquin valley, mojave desert and the pacific ocean all lie within a radius of about 100 miles.d. owens lake, in death valley, is not really a lake at all.2）As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe－sun baked brick plastered with mud. Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people, along with store rooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them "pueblos", which is Spanish for town.The people of the pueblos raised what are called"the three sisters" - corn, beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain.The way of life of less settled groups was simpler and more strongly influenced by nature. Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as small rabbits and snakes. In the Far North the ancestors of today’s Inuit hunted seals, walruses, and the great whales. They lived right on the frozen seas in shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow. When summer came, they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou.The Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Sioux tribes, known as the Plains Indians, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. They hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was used to make their clothing and covering of their tents and tipis.16. What does the passage mainly discuss?A. The architecture of early American Indian buildings.B. The movement of American Indians across North America.C. Ceremonies and rituals of American Indians.D. The way of life of American Indian tribes in early North America.17. It can be inferred from the passage that the dwellings of the Hopi and Zuni were______.A. very smallB. highly advancedC. difficult to defendD. quickly constructed3）Glacier National Park in Montana shares boundaries with Canada, an American Indian reservation, and a national forest. Along the North Fork of the Flathead River, the park also borders about 17,000 acres of private lands that are currently used for ranching, timber, and agriculture. This land is an important part of the habitat and migratory routes for several endangered species that frequent the park. These private lands are essentially the only ones available for development in the region.。