英语四级阅读练习及答案
(完整版)大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案
As the pace of life continues to increase ,we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift,being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.Stress is an natural part of everyday lift and there is no way to avoid it. In fact ,it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be .A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation adn give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress,and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress,in whatever form,we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to stress,that health becomes endangered.Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress.Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could),we need to find ways to deal with it.1.People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.a.they do not know how to enjoy themselvesb.they do not believe that relaxation is important for healthc.they are travelling fast all the timed.they are becoming busier with their work2.According to the writer ,the most important character for a good manager is his ________.a.not fearing stressb.knowing the art of relaxationc.high sense of responsibilityd.having control over performance3.Which of the follwing statements is ture?a.We can find some ways to avoid stressb.Stress is always harmful to peoplec.It is easy to change the hagit of keeping oneself busy with work.d.Different people can withstand different amounts of stress4.In Paragraph 3, "such a reaction" refers back to_______.a."making a choice between 'flight' or 'fight'"b."reaction to stress both chemically and physically"c."responding to crises quickly"d."losing heart at the signs difficulties"5.In the last sentence of the passage,"do so " refers to ______.a."expose ourselves to stress"b."find ways to deal with stress"c."remove stress from our lives"d."established links between diseases and stress"答案：dadbcIn the 1960s, many young Americans were dissatisfied with American society. They wanted to end the Vietnam War and to make all of the people in the U.S. epual. Some of them decided to "drop out" of American society and form their own societies . They formed utopian communities , which they called "communes," where they could follow their philosophy of "do your own thing." A group of artists founded a commune in southern Colorado called "Drop City." Following the ideas of philosopher and architect Buckminster Fuller they built domeshaped houses from pieces of old cars. Other groups, such as author Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the followers fo San Francisco poet Steve Gakin, and a group that called itself the Hog Farm, lived in old school huses and traveled around the United States. The Hog Farm become famous when they helped organize the Woodstock Rock Festival in 1969. Steve Gaskin's followers tried to settle down on a farm in Tennessee, but they had to leave when some members of the gruop were arrested for growing marijuana.Not all communes believed in the philosophy of "do you own thing," however . Twin Oaks , a commune founded in Virgiania in the late 1960s, was based on the ideas of psychologist B.F.Skinner. The people who lived at Twin Oaks were carefully controlled by Skinner's "conditioning" techniques to do things that were good for the community. In 1972, Italian architect Paolo Soleri began to build Arcosanti, a utopian city Arizsona where 2500 people will live closely together in one large building called an "archology" Soleri believes that people must live closely together so that they will all become one.1.Why did some young Americans decide to "drop out" of scoiety during the 1960s?a.They were not satisfied with American society.b.They wanted to grow marijuana.c.They wanted to go to the Vietnam War.d.They did not want all people to be equal.2.Where did the members of the Hog Farm commune live?a.In dome-shaped houseb.In old school husesc.On a farm inTennesseed.In an archology in Arizona3.Who gave the people of Drop City the idea to bulid dome-shaped house?a.Paolo Solerib.B.G.Skinnerc.Steve Gaskind.Buckminster Fuller4.What was the Twin Oaks commune base on ?a.The philosophy of "do your own thing"b.Virginaia in the late 1960sc.The ideas of psychologistd.The belief that people must live closely togerher.5.What is an "archology"?a.A person who studies archaeologyb.A large building where people live closely togetherc.A city in A rizonad.A technique to contorl people答案：abdcbThere are two factors which determine an individual's intelligence. The first is the sort of brain he is born with. Human brains differ considerably, some being more capable than others. But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with, an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has opportunities to learn. So the second factor is what happens to the individual—the sort of environment in which he is reared. If an individual is handicapped envionmentally ,it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is capable.The importance of environment in determining an individual's intellingence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins, Peter and Mark X. Being identical, the twins had identical brains at birth, and their growth processes were the same. When the twins were three months old , their parents died, and they were placed in separate foster homes. Peter was reated by parents of low intelligence in an isolatedcommunity with poor educational pooprtunities.Mark was reared inthe home of well-to-do parents who had been to college. He was read to as a child , sent to good schools, and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually.This enviromental difference continued until the twins were in their late teens, when they were giben tesets to measure their intelligence. Mark's I.Q. was 125, twenty-five points higher than the average and fully forty points higher than his identical brother. Given equal opportunities , the twins , having identical brains,would have tested at roughly the same level.1.This selection can best be titled_________.a.Measuring Your Intelligenceb.Intelligence and Environmentc.The Case of Peter and Markd.How the brain Influences Intelligence2.The beststatement of the main idea of this passage is that _____.a.human brains differ considerablyb.the brain a person is born with is improtant in determining his intelligencec.environment is crucial in determining a person's intelligenced. persons having identical brains will have roughly the same intelligence3.According to the passage , the average I.Q.is _____.a.85b.100c.110d.1254.The case history of the twins appears to support the conclusion that _______.a.individual with identical brains seldom test at same levelb.an individual's intelligence is determined only by his enviromentck of opportunity blocks the growth of intelligenced.changes of enviroment produce changes in the structure of the brain5.This passage suggests that an individual 's I.Q.______.a.can be predicted at birthb.stays the same throuthout his lifec.can be increased by educationd.is determined by his childhood答案：bcbccAs she walked round the huge department store,Edith reflected how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father.She wish that he was as easy to please as her mother, who was always delighted with perfumeBesides,shoppong at this time of the year was a most disgreeable experience :people trod on yourtoes,poked you with their elbows and almost knocked you overin their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you.Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter where some attracive ties were on display. "They are real silk," the assistant assured her, trying to tempt her. "Worth double the price." But edit knew from past experience that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father.She moved on reluctantly and then quite by chance, stopped where a small crowd of man had gathered round a counter. She found some good quality pipes on sale-----and the prices were very reasonable. Edith didnot hesitate for long : although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, she knew that this was a present which was bund to please him.When she got home,with her small well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, her parents were already at the supper table. Her mother was in an especially cheerful mood, "Your father has at last to decided to stop smoking." She informed her daughter.1.Edith's father _______.a.did not like presentb.never got presentc.preferred tiesd.was difficult to choose a present for2.The assistant spoke to Edith because she seemed_______.a.attractiveb.interested in tiesc.tiredd.in need of comfort3.Edith stopped at the next counter_________.a.puroselyb.suddenlyc.unwillinglyd.accidentally4.Edith's father smoked a pipe_______.a.when he was obligedb.on social occasionsc.from time to timed.when he was delighted5.Shopping was very disagreeable at that time of the year because_______.a.coustomers trod on each other's toesb.coustomers poked each other with their elbowsc.customers knocked each otherd.customers were doing their shopping in a great hurry答案：dbdcdIf the population of the earth goes on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources left to sustain life on the planet.By the middle of the 21st century,if present trends continue, we will have used up all the oil that drives our cars,for example.Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race,the crowded conditions on earth will make it necessary for lus to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution to the problem, however,has recently been suggested by American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan.Sagan believes that before the earth's resources are compleetely exhausted it will be possible to change the atmophere of Venus and so create a new world almost as large as earth itself. The difficult is that Venus is much hotter than the earth and there is only a tiny amount of water there.Sagan proposes that algae organisms that can live in extremely hot or cold atmospheres and at the same time produce oxygen,should be bred in condition similar to those on Venus.As soon as this has been done, the algae will be placed in small rockets. Spaceship will then fly to Venus and fire the rockets into the atmosphere .In a fairly short time, the alge will break down the carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon.When the algae have done theri work, the atmosphere will become cooler,but befor man can set foot on Venus it will be neccessary for the oxygen to produce rain. The surface of the planet will still be too hot for man to land on it but the rain will eventually fall and in a few years something like earth will be reproduced on Venus.1.Inte long run, the most insoluble problem caused by population growth on earth will probably be the lack of ______.a.foodb.oilc.spaced.resources2.Carl Sagan believes that Venus might be colonized from earth because _____a.it might be possible to change its atmosphereb.its atmosphere is the same as the earth'sc.there is a good supply of water on Venusd.the days on Venus are long enough3.On Venus there is a lot of ________.a.waterb.carbon dioxidec.carbon monoxided.oxygen4.Algae are plants that can____.a.live in very hot temperaturesb.live in very cold temperaturesc.manufacture oxygend.all of the above5. Man can land on Venus only when_______.a.the algae have done their workb.the atmosphere becomes coolerc.thereis oxygend.it rains there答案：cabdd。
大学英语四级仔细阅读专项练习20篇(附答案)
大学英语四级仔细阅读专项练习20篇（附答案）练习一（2010年12月大学英语四级考试真题）Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee's is one of them.The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual opportunities.Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates willcontinue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”57. By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.[A] university researchers know little about the commercial world[B] there is little exchange between industry and academia[C] few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university[D] few university professors are willing to do industrial research58. The word “deterrent” (Line 2, Para. 1) most probably refers to something that ________.[A] keeps someone from taking action [C] attracts people's attention[B] helps to move the traffic [D] brings someone a financial burden59. What was Helen Lee's major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?[A] Flexible work hours. [C] Her preference for the lifestyle on campus.[B] Her research interests. [D] Prospects of academic accomplishments.60. Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.[A] do financially more rewarding work[B] raise his status in the academic world[C] enrich his experience in medical research[D] exploit better intellectual opportunities61. What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?[A] Increase its graduates' competitiveness in the job market.[B] Develop its students' potential in research.[C] Help it to obtain financial support from industry.[D] Gear its research towards practical applications.Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows and widowers (鳏夫) were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man's life and two to a woman's. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.Even if the odds are stacked against you, marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn't smoke. There's a flip side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouse's death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological (生理的) mechanisms. For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The ultimate social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected, so their health is interconnected.”62. William Farr's study and other studies show that _________.[A] social life provides an effective cure for illness[B] being sociable helps improve one's quality of life[C] women benefit more than men from marriage[D] marriage contributes a great deal to longevity63. Linda Waite's studies support the idea that _________.[A] older men should quit smoking to stay healthy[B] marriage can help make up for ill health[C] the married are happier than the unmarried[D] unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life64. It can be inferred from the context that the “flip side” (Line 4, Para. 2) refers to _________.[A] the disadvantages of being married[B] the emotional problems arising from marriage[C] the responsibility of taking care of one's family[D] the consequence of a broken marriage65. What does the author say about social networks?[A] They have effects similar to those of a marriage.[B] They help develop people's community spirit.[C] They provide timely support for those in need.[D] They help relieve people of their life's burdens.66. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?[A] It's important that we develop a social network when young.[B] To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network.[C] Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span.[D] We should share our social networks with each other.练习二（2010年6月英语四级考试真题）Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.You never see him, but they're with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to withstand almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They're known as the black box.When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India Ocean, June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine (潜水艇) detected the device's homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the device was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane – the area least subject to impact – from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility.Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots' conversations, and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft's final moments. Placed in an insulated (隔绝的) case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can withstand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged, they're also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft. Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1,2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they're still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane's black boxes were never recovered.57. What does the author say about the black box?A) It ensures the normal functioning of an airplane.B) The idea for its design comes from a comic book.C) Its ability to ward off disasters is incredible.D) It is an indispensable device on an airplane.58. What information could be found from the black box on the Yemeni airliner?A) Data for analyzing the cause of the crash.B) The total number of passengers on board.C) The scene of the crash and extent of the damage.D) Homing signals sent by the pilot before the crash.59. Why was the black box redesigned in 1965?A) New materials became available by that time.B) Too much space was needed for its installation.C) The early models often got damaged in the crash.D) The early models didn't provide the needed data.60. Why did the Federal Aviation Authority require the black boxes be painted orange or yellow?A) To distinguish them from the colour of the plane.B) To caution people to handle them with care.C) To make them easily identifiable.D) To conform to international standards.61. What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?A) There is still a good chance of their being recovered.B) There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed.C) They have stopped sending homing signals.D) They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil.Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed.” Butwas positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?Researchers in Canada just published a study in the journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.The study's authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your dim friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you're just underlining his faults. In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students' self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “I am lovable.”Those with low self-esteem didn't feel better after the forced self-affirmation. In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren't urged to think positive thoughts.The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation (静思) techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.62. What do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry?A) It is a highly profitable industry.B) It is based on the concept of positive thinking.C) It was established by Norman Vincent Peale.D) It has yielded positive results.63. What is the finding of the Canadian researchers?A) Encouraging positive thinking many do more harm than good.B) There can be no simple therapy for psychological problems.C) Unhappy people cannot think positively.D) The power of positive thinking is limited.64. What does the author mean by “… you're just underlining his faults” (Line 4, Para.3)?A) You are not taking his mistakes seriously enough.B) You are pointing out the errors he has committed.C) You are emphasizing the fact that he is not intelligent.D) You are trying to make him feel better about his faults.65. What do we learn from the experiment of Wood, Lee and Perunovic?A) It is important for people to continually boost their self-esteem.B) Self-affirmation can bring a positive change to one's mood.C) Forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.D) People with low self-esteem seldom write down their true feelings.66. What do we learn from the last paragraph?A) The effects of positive thinking vary from person to person.B) Meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy.C) Different people tend to have different ways of thinking.D) People can avoid making mistakes through meditation.练习三（2013年6月大学英语四级考试真题）Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.Junk food is everywhere. We're eating too much of it. Most of us know what we're doing and yet we do it anyway.So here's a suggestion offered by two researchers at the Rand Corporation: Why not take a lesson from alcohol control policies and apply them to where food is soldand how it's displayed?“Many policy measures to control obesity（肥胖症）assume that people consciously and rationally choose what and how much they eat and therefore focus on providing information and more access to healthier foods,” note the two researchers.“In contrast,” the researchers continue, “many regulations that don't assume people make rational choices have been successfully applied to control alcohol, a substance — like food — of which immoderate consumption leads to serious health problems.”The research references studies of people's behavior with food and alcohol and results of alcohol restrictions, and then lists five regulations that the researchers think might be promising if applied to junk foods. Among them:Density restrictions: licenses to sell alcohol aren't handed out unplanned to all comers but are allotted（分配）based on the number of places in an area that already sell alcohol. These make alcohol less easy to get and reduce the number of psychological cues to drink.Similarly, the researchers say, being presented with junk food stimulates our desire to eat it. So why not limit the density of food outlets, particularly ones that sell food rich in empty calories? And why not limit sale of food in places that aren't primarily food stores?Display and sales restrictions: California has a rule prohibiting alcohol displays near the cash registers in gas stations, and in most places you can't buy alcohol at drive-through facilities. At supermarkets, food companies pay to have their wares in places where they're easily seen. One could remove junk food to the back of the store and ban them from the shelves at checkout lines. The other measures include restricting portion sizes, taxing and prohibiting special price deals for junk foods, and placing warning labels on the products.57. What does the author say about junk food?A) People should be educated not to eat too much.B) It is widely consumed despite its ill reputation.C) Its temptation is too strong for people to resist.D) It causes more harm than is generally realized.58. What do the Rand researchers think of many of the policy measures to control obesity?A) They should be implemented effectively.B) They provide misleading information.C) They are based on wrong assumptions.D) They help people make rational choices.59. Why do policymakers of alcohol control place density restrictions?A) Few people are able to resist alcohol's temptations.B) There are already too many stores selling alcohol.C) Drinking strong alcohol can cause social problems.D) Easy access leads to customers' over-consumption.60. What is the purpose of California's rule about alcohol display in gas stations?A) To effectively limit the density of alcohol outlets.B) To help drivers to give up the habit of drinking.C) To prevent possible traffic jams in nearby areas.D) To get alcohol out of drivers' immediate sight.61. What is the general guideline the Rand researchers suggest about junk food control?A) Guiding people to make rational choices about food.B) Enhancing people's awareness of their own health.C) Borrowing ideas from alcohol control measures.D) Resorting to economic, legal and psychological means.Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Kodak's decision to file for bankruptcy（破产）protection is a sad, though not unexpected, turning point for a leading American corporation that pioneered consumer photography and dominated the film market for decades, but ultimatelyfailed to adapt to the digital revolution.Although many attribute Kodak's downfall to “complacency(自满)”, that explanation doesn't acknowledge the lengths to which the company went to reinvent itself. Decades ago, Kodak anticipated that digital photography would overtake film — and in fact, Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 — but in a fateful decision, the company chose to shelf its new discovery to focus on its traditional film business.It wasn't that Kodak was blind to the future, said Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, but rather that it failed to execute on a strategy to confront it. By the time the company realized its mistake, it was too late.Kodak is an example of a firm that was very much aware that they had to adapt, and spent a lot of money trying to do so, but ultimately failed. Large companies have a difficult time switching into new markets because there is a temptation to put existing assets into the new businesses.Although Kodak anticipated the inevitable rise of digital photography, its corporate（企业的）culture was too rooted in the successes of the past for it to make the clean break necessary to fully embrace the future. They were a company stuck in time. Their history was so important to them. Now their history has become a liability.Kodak's downfall over the last several decades was dramatic. In 1976, the company commanded 90% of the market for photographic film and 85% of the market for cameras. But the 1980s brought new competition from Japanese film company Fuji Photo, which undermined Kodak by offering lower prices for film and photo supplies. Kodak's decision not to pursue the role of official film for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was a major miscalculation. The bid went instead to Fuji, which exploited its sponsorship to win a permanent foothold in the marketplace.62. What do we learn about Kodak?A) It went bankrupt all of a sudden.B) It is approaching its downfall.C) It initiated the digital revolution in the film industry.D) It is playing a dominant role in the film market.63. Why does the author mention Kodak's invention of the first digital camera?A) To show its early attempt to reinvent itself.B) To show its effort to overcome complacency.C) To show its quick adaptation to the digital revolution.D) To show its will to compete with Japan's Fuji photo.64. Why do large companies have difficulty switching to new markets?A) They find it costly to give up their existing assets.B) They tend to be slow in confronting new challenges.C) They are unwilling to invest in new technology.D) They are deeply stuck in their glorious past.65. What does the author say Kodak's history has become?A) A burden.B) A mirror.C) A joke.D) A challenge.66. What was Kodak's fatal mistake?A) Its blind faith in traditional photography.B) Its failure to see Fuji photo's emergence.C) Its refusal to sponsor the 1984 Olympics.D) Its overconfidence in its corporate culture.练习四（2014年6月英语四级考试真题）Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60are based on the following passage.The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts in higher education isn't an either/or proposition(命题)，although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths)----related fields can make it seem that way.The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of technicaltraining, but also asserts that the study of the humanities (人文学科)and social sciences must remain central components of America's educational system at all levels. Both are critical to producing citizens who can participate effectively in our democratic society, become innovative (创新的) leaders, and benefit from the spiritual enrichment that the reflection on the great ideas of mankind over time provides.Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education worry about graduates' job prospects as technological advances and changes in domestic and global markets transform professions in ways that reduce wages and cut jobs. Under these circumstances, it's natural to look for what may appear to be the most “practical” way out of the problem “Major in a subject designed to get you a job” seems the obvious answer to some, though this ignores the fact that many disciplines in the humanities characterized as “soft” often, in fact, lead to employment and success in the long run. Indeed, according to surveys, employers have expressed a preference for students who have received a broadly-based education that has taught them to write well, think critically, research creatively, and communicate easily.Moreover, students should be prepared not just for their first job, but for their 4th and 5th jobs, as there's little reason to doubt that people entering the workforce today will be called upon to play many different roles over the course of their careers. The ones who will do the best in this new environment will be those whose educations have prepared them to be flexible. The ability to draw upon every available tool and insight----picked up from science, arts, and technology—to solve the problems of the future, and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, will be helpful to them and the United States.56. What does the latest congressional report suggest?A) STEM-related subjects help students find jobs in the information society.B) The humanities and STEM subjects should be given equal importance.C) The liberal arts in higher education help enrich students' spiritual life.D) Higher education should be adjusted to the practical needs of society.57. What is the main concern of students when they choose a major?A) Their interest in relevant subjects.B) The academic value of the courses.C) The quality of education to receive.D) Their chances of getting a good job.58. What does the author say about the so called soft subjects?A) They benefit students in their future life.B) They broaden students' range of interests.C) They improve students' communication skills.D) They are essential to students' healthy growth.59. What kind of job applicants do employers look for?A) Those who have a strong sense of responsibility.B) Those who are good at solving practical problems.C) Those who are likely to become innovative leaders.D) Those who have received a well-rounded education.60. What advice does the author give to college students?A) Seize opportunities to tap their potential.B) Try to take a variety of practical courses.C) Prepare themselves for different job options.D) Adopt a flexible approach to solving problems.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn't it? If you think so, you're not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.“Energy independence” and its rhetorical (修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through. What is it we want independence from, exactly?Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel（生物燃料）available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.Second, Americans have basically decided that they don't really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don't read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices, At the same time, we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.61. What does the author say about energy independence for America?A) It sounds very attractive.B) It ensures national security.C) It will bring oil prices downD) It has long been everyone's dream.62. What does the author think of biofuels?A) They keep America's economy running healthily.B) They prove to be a good alternative to petroleum.。
大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案
大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案（一）There are three kinds of goals: short-term,medium-range and long-term goals.Short-range goals are those that usually deal with current activities,which we can apply on a daily basis.Such goals can be achieved in a week or less,or two weeks,or possible months.It should be remembered that just as a building is no stronger than its foundation ,out long-term goals cannot amount to very munch without the achievement of solid short-term goals.Upon completing our short-term goals,we should date the occasion and then add new short-term goals that will build on those that have been completed.The intermediate goals bukld on the foundation of the short-range goals.They might deal with just one term of school or the entire school year,or they could even extend for several years.Any time you move a step at a time,you should never allow yourself to become discouraged or overwhelmed. As you complete each step,you will enforce the belief in your ability to grow adn succeed.And as your list of completion dates grow,your motivation and desire will increase.Long-range goals may be related to our dreams of the future. They might cover five years or more. Life is not a static thing.We should never allow a long-term goal to limit us or our course of action.1.Our long-term goals mean a lot__.a.if we complete our short-range goalsb.if we cannot reach solid short-term goalsc.if we write down the datesd.if we put forward some plans2.New short-term goals are bulid upon__.a.two yearsb.long-term goalsc.current activitiesd.the goals that have been completed3.When we complete each step of our goals ,__.a.we will win final successb.we are overwhelmedc.we should build up confidence of successd.we should strong desire for setting new goals4.Once our goals are drawn up,__.a.we should stick to them until we complete themb.we may change our goals as we have new ideas and opportunitiesc.we had better wait for the exciting news of successd.we have made great decision5.It is implied but not stated in the passage that ___.a.those who habe long-term goals will succeedb.writing down the dates may discourage youc.the goal is only a guide for us to reach our desinationd.every should have a goal答案：adcbc二The economy of the United states after 1952 was the econnomy of a well-fed,almost fully employed people. Despit occasional alarms, the country escaped any postwar depression and lived in a state of boom. A n economic survey of the year 1955, a typical year of the 1950’s, may be typical as illustrating the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was value at 10 percent above that of 1954 (1955 output was estimated at 392 billion dollars). The production of manufacturers was about 40 percent more than it had averaged in the years immediately following World War 2. The country’s business spent about 30billion dollars for new factories and machinery. National income available for spending was almost a third greater than it had been it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about 700 million dollars a day ,or about twenty-five million dollars every hour , all round the clock. Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted jobs but could not find them . Only agriculture complained that it was not sharing in the room. To some observers this was an ominous echo of the mid-1920’s . As farmer’s shre of their products declined , marketing costs rose. But there were , among the observers of the national economy, a few who were not as confident as the majority . Those few seemed to fear that the boom could not last and would eventually lead to the oppsite-depression.1. What is the best title of the passage?a. The Agriculatural Trends of 1950’sb. The Unemployment Rate of 1950’sc. U.S. Economy in the 50’sd. The Federal Budget of 19522. In Line 4 , the word “boom”could best be replaced by______.a. nearby explosionb. thunderous noisec. general public supportd. rapid economic growth3. It can be inferred the national from the passage that most people in the United States in 1955 viewed the national economy with an air of _________.a. confidenceb. confusionc. disappointmentd. suspicion4. Which of the following were LEAST satisfied with the national economy in the 1950’s?a. Economistsb. Frmaersc. Politiciansd. Steelworkers5. The passage states that incom available for spending in the U.S. was greater in 1955 than in 1950 . How much was it ?a. 60%b. 50%c. 33%d. 90%答案：cdabc三Women are also underrepresented in the administration and this is because there are so few women full professors. In 1985,Regent Beryl Milburn produced a report blasting the University of Texas System adminitration for not encouraging women.The University was rated among the lowest for the system.In a 1987 update ,Milburn commended the progress that was made and called for even more improvement.One of the positive results from her study was a System-wide program to inform women of available administrative jobs.College of Communication Associate Dean Patrica Witherspoon,said it is important that woman be flexible when it comesto relocating if they want to rise in the ranks.Although a woman may face a chilly climate on campus , many times in order for her to succeed , she must rise above the problems around her and concentrate on her work.Until women make up a greater percentage of the senior positions in the University and all academia,inequities will exist."Women need to spend their energies and time doing scholarly activities that are important here at the University." Spirduso said. "If they do that will be successful in this system.If they spend their time in little groups mourning the sexual discrimination that they think exists here, they are wasting valuable study time."1.According to Spirduso,women need to ____.a.produce a report on sexual discriminationb.call for further improvement in their working conditionsc.spend their energies and time fighting against sexual discriminationd.spend more time and energy doing scholarly activities2.From this passage ,we know that _____.a.there are many women full professors in the University of Texasb.women play an important part in adminitrating the Universityc.the weather on the campus is chillyd.women make up a small percentage of the senior positions in the University3.Which of the following statements is true?a.the number of women professors in the University in 1987 was greater than that of 1985b.the number of women professors in the University in 1987 was smaller than that of 1985c.the number of women professors was the same as that of 1985d.more and more women professors thought that sexual discrimination did exit in the University4.One of the positive results from Milburn's study was that _____.a.women were told to con centrate on teir workb.women were given information about available administrative jobsc.women were encouraged to take on all the administrative jobs in the Unversityd.women were encouraged to do more scholarly activities5. The title for this passage should be _______.a.The University of Texasburn's Reportc.Women Professorsd.Sexual Discrimination in Academia答案：ddabd四Today ,as in every other day of the year ,more than 3000 U.S. adlescents will smoke their first cigarette on their way to becoming regular smokers as adults. During their lifetime,it can be expected that of these 3000 about 23 will be murdered,30 will die in traffic accidents, and nearly 750 will be killed by a smoking-related disease. The number of deaths attributed to cigarette smoking outweithts all other factors, whether voluntary or involuntary, as a cause of death.Since the late 1970s, when daily smoking among high school seniors reached 30 precent , smoking rates among youth have declined . While the decline is impressive ,several important issues must be raised.First, in the past several years,smoking rates among youth have declined very little. Second,in the late 1970s ,smoking among male high school seniors exceeded that among female by nearly 10 percent . The statistic is reversing.Third ,several recent studies have indicate high school dropouts have excessively high smoking rates, as much as 75 percent .Finally, thouth significant declines in adolescent smoking have occurred in the past decade,no definite reasons for the decline exist. Within this context,the Naional Cancer Instiute (NCI) began its current effort to determine the most effecive measures to reduce smoking levesl among youth.1.According to the author, the deaths among youth are mainly caused by _____.a.traffic accidentsb.smoking-related deseasec.murderd.all of these2.Every day there are over_____high school strdents who will become regular smoker.a.75b.23c.30d.30003.By "dropout" the author means______.a.students who failed the examinationb.students who left schoolc.students who lost their wayd.students who were driven out of school4.The reason for declining adolescent smoking is that ________.a.NCI has taken effective measuresb.smoking is prevented among high school seniorsc.there are many smokers who have died of cancerd.none of these5.What is implied but not stated by the author is that ________.a.smoking rates among youth have declined very littleb.there are now more female than male smokers among high school seniorsc.high smoking rates are due to the incease in wealthd.smoking at high school are from low socio-economic backgrounds答案：bdbdb五The food we eat seems to have profound effects on our health.Although science has made enormous steps in making food more fit to eat ,it has, at the same time,made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of all human illnesses are related to diet and forty percent of cancer is related to the diet as well,especially cancer of the colon. Different cultures are more likely to cause certain different illnesses because of the food that is characteristic in these cultures. That food is related to illness is nto a new discovery. In 1945, about 35 years ago, government researchers realized that nitrates, commonly used to preserve color in meats,and other food additivies,caused cancer. Yet, these carcinogenic additives remain in our food, and it becomes more difficult all the time to know which things on the packaging labels of processed food are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to beef and living animals, and because of this ,penicillin has been found in the milk of treated cow. Sometimes similar drugs are given to animals not for medical purposes,but for financial reasons. The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to obtain a higher price on the market. Although the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) has tried repeatedly to control these procedures, the practices continue.1.What is the best possible title of the passage?a.Drug and Foodb.Cancer and Healthc.Food and Healthd.Health and Drug2.Which of the following statements is NOT ture?a.Drugs are always given to animals for medical reasonsb.Some of the additives in our food are added to the food itself and some are given to the living animalsc.Researchers have known about the potential dangers of food additives for over thirty-five years.d.Food may cause forty percent of cancer in world.3.How has science done something harmful to mankind?a.Because of science , diseases caused by polluted food haven been virtually eliminated.b.It has caused a lack of information concerning the value of food.c.Because of the application of science,some potentially harmful substances have been added to food.d.The scientists have preserved the color of meats,but not of vegetables.4.What are nitrates used for?a.They preserve flavor in packaged foods.b.They preserve the color of meats.c.They are the objects of research.d.They cause the animals to become fatter.5.The word 'carcinogenic' most nearly means '_____'.a.trouble-makingb.color-retainingc.money-makingd.cancer-causing答案：cacbd六As the pace of life continues to increase ,we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift,being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.Stress is an natural part of everyday lift and there is no way to avoid it. In fact ,it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be .A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation adn give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress,and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress,in whatever form,we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to stress,that health becomes endangered.Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress.Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could),we need to find ways to deal with it.1.People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.a.they do not know how to enjoy themselvesb.they do not believe that relaxation is important for healthc.they are travelling fast all the timed.they are becoming busier with their work2.According to the writer ,the most important character for a good manager is his ________.a.not fearing stressb.knowing the art of relaxationc.high sense of responsibilityd.having control over performance3.Which of the follwing statements is ture?a.We can find some ways to avoid stressb.Stress is always harmful to peoplec.It is easy to change the hagit of keeping oneself busy with work.d.Different people can withstand different amounts of stress4.In Paragraph 3, "such a reaction" refers back to_______.a."making a choice between 'flight' or 'fight'"b."reaction to stress both chemically and physically"c."responding to crises quickly"d."losing heart at the signs difficulties"5.In the last sentence of the passage,"do so " refers to ______.a."expose ourselves to stress"b."find ways to deal with stress"c."remove stress from our lives"d."established links between diseases and stress"答案：dadbc七In the 1960s, many young Americans were dissatisfied with American society. They wanted to end the Vietnam War and to make all of the people in the U.S. epual. Some of them decided to "drop out" of American society and form their own societies . They formed utopian communities , which they called "communes," where they could follow their philosophy of "do your own thing."A group of artists founded a commune in southern Colorado called "Drop City." Following the ideas of philosopher and architect Buckminster Fuller they built domeshaped houses from pieces of old cars. Other groups, such as author Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the followers fo San Francisco poet Steve Gakin, and a group that called itself the Hog Farm, lived in old school huses and traveled around the United States. The Hog Farm become famous when they helped organize the Woodstock Rock Festival in 1969. Steve Gaskin's followers tried to settle down on a farm in Tennessee, but they had to leave when some members of the gruop were arrested for growing marijuana.Not all communes believed in the philosophy of "do you own thing," however . Twin Oaks , a commune founded in Virgiania in the late 1960s, was based on the ideas of psychologist B.F.Skinner. The people who lived at Twin Oaks were carefully controlled by Skinner's "conditioning" techniques to do things that were good for the community. In 1972, Italian architect Paolo Soleri began to build Arcosanti, a utopian city Arizsona where 2500 people will live closely together in one large building called an "archology" Soleri believes that people must live closely together so that they will all become one.1.Why did some young Americans decide to "drop out" of scoiety during the 1960s?a.They were not satisfied with American society.b.They wanted to grow marijuana.c.They wanted to go to the Vietnam War.d.They did not want all people to be equal.2.Where did the members of the Hog Farm commune live?a.In dome-shaped houseb.In old school husesc.On a farm inTennesseed.In an archology in Arizona3.Who gave the people of Drop City the idea to bulid dome-shaped house?a.Paolo Solerib.B.G.Skinnerc.Steve Gaskind.Buckminster Fuller4.What was the Twin Oaks commune base on ?a.The philosophy of "do your own thing"b.Virginaia in the late 1960sc.The ideas of psychologistd.The belief that people must live closely togerher.5.What is an "archology"?a.A person who studies archaeologyb.A large building where people live closely togetherc.A city in A rizonad.A technique to contorl people答案：abdcb八There are two factors which determine an individual's intelligence. The first is the sort of brain he is born with. Human brains differ considerably, some being more capable than others. But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with, an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has opportunities to learn. So the second factor is what happens to the individual—the sort of environment in which he is reared. If an individual is handicapped envionmentally ,it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is capable.The importance of environment in determining an individual's intellingence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins, Peter and Mark X. Being identical, the twins had identical brains at birth, and their growth processes were the same. When the twins were three months old , their parents died, and they were placed in separate foster homes. Peter was reated by parents of low intelligence in an isolatedcommunity with poor educational pooprtunities.Mark was reared inthe home of well-to-do parents who had been to college. He was read to as a child , sent to good schools, and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually.This enviromental difference continued until the twins were in their late teens, when they were giben tesets to measure their intelligence. Mark's I.Q. was 125, twenty-five points higher than the average and fully forty points higher than his identical brother. Given equal opportunities , the twins , having identical brains,would have tested at roughly the same level.1.This selection can best be titled_________.a.Measuring Your Intelligenceb.Intelligence and Environmentc.The Case of Peter and Markd.How the brain Influences Intelligence2.The beststatement of the main idea of this passage is that _____.a.human brains differ considerablyb.the brain a person is born with is improtant in determining his intelligencec.environment is crucial in determining a person's intelligenced. persons having identical brains will have roughly the same intelligence3.According to the passage , the average I.Q.is _____.a.85b.100c.110d.1254.The case history of the twins appears to support the conclusion that _______.a.individual with identical brains seldom test at same levelb.an individual's intelligence is determined only by his enviromentck of opportunity blocks the growth of intelligenced.changes of enviroment produce changes in the structure of the brain5.This passage suggests that an individual 's I.Q.______.a.can be predicted at birthb.stays the same throuthout his lifec.can be increased by educationd.is determined by his childhood答案：bcbcc九As she walked round the huge department store,Edith reflected how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father.She wish that he was as easy to please as her mother, who was always delighted with perfumeBesides,shoppong at this time of the year was a most disgreeable experience :people trod on your toes,poked you with their elbows and almost knocked you overin their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you.Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter where some attracive ties were on display. "They are real silk," the assistant assured her, trying to tempt her. "Worth double the price." But edit knew from past experience that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father.She moved on reluctantly and then quite by chance, stopped where a small crowd of man had gathered round a counter. She found some good quality pipes on sale-----and the prices were very reasonable. Edith did not hesitate for long : although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, she knew that this was a present which was bund to please him.When she got home,with her small well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, her parents were already at the supper table. Her mother was in an especially cheerful mood, "Your father has at last to decided to stop smoking." She informed her daughter.1.Edith's father _______.a.did not like presentb.never got presentc.preferred tiesd.was difficult to choose a present for2.The assistant spoke to Edith because she seemed_______.a.attractiveb.interested in tiesc.tiredd.in need of comfort3.Edith stopped at the next counter_________.a.puroselyb.suddenlyc.unwillinglyd.accidentally4.Edith's father smoked a pipe_______.a.when he was obligedb.on social occasionsc.from time to timed.when he was delighted5.Shopping was very disagreeable at that time of the year because_______.a.coustomers trod on each other's toesb.coustomers poked each other with their elbowsc.customers knocked each otherd.customers were doing their shopping in a great hurry答案：dbdcd十If the population of the earth goes on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources left to sustain life on the planet.By the middle of the 21st century,if present trends continue, we will have used up all the oil that drives our cars,for example.Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race,the crowded conditions on earth will make it necessary for lus to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution to the problem, however,has recently been suggested by American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan.Sagan believes that before the earth's resources are compleetely exhausted it will be possible to change the atmophere of Venus and so create a new world almost as large as earth itself. The difficult is that Venus is much hotter than the earth and there is only a tiny amount of water there.Sagan proposes that algae organisms that can live in extremely hot or cold atmospheres and at the same time produce oxygen,should be bred in condition similar to those on Venus.As soon as this has been done, the algae will be placed in small rockets. Spaceship will then fly to Venus and fire the rockets into the atmosphere .In a fairly short time, the alge will break down the carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon.When the algae have done theri work, the atmosphere will become cooler,but befor man can set foot on Venus it will be neccessary for the oxygen to produce rain. The surface of the planet will still be too hot for man to land on it but the rain will eventually fall and in a few years something like earth will be reproduced on Venus.1.Inte long run, the most insoluble problem caused by population growth on earth will probably be the lack of ______.a.foodb.oilc.spaced.resources2.Carl Sagan believes that Venus might be colonized from earth because _____a.it might be possible to change its atmosphereb.its atmosphere is the same as the earth'sc.there is a good supply of water on Venusd.the days on Venus are long enough3.On Venus there is a lot of ________.a.waterb.carbon dioxidec.carbon monoxided.oxygen4.Algae are plants that can____.a.live in very hot temperaturesb.live in very cold temperaturesc.manufacture oxygend.all of the above5. Man can land on Venus only when_______.a.the algae have done their workb.the atmosphere becomes coolerc.thereis oxygend.it rains there答案：cabdd阅读理解限时训练与解析A（5minutes）I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk.Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed（解散）. As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible (负责任) for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized（强调）the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating（欺骗）themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously（认真地）about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued（继续）to believe that I had cheated on the test.1. The story took place（发生）exactly ____ .A. in the teacher’s officeB. in an exam roomC. in the schoolD. in the language lab2. The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because ____ .A. she had not brought a pen with herB. she had lost her own on her way to schoolC. there was something wrong with her ownD. her own had been taken away by someone3. The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy ____ .A. to go on writing his paperB. to stop whisperingC. to leave the room immediatelyD. to stay behind after the exam4. The thing(s) emphasized in her talk was(were) ____ .A. honestyB. sense of dutyC. seriousnessD. all of the above5. The boy knew everything ____ .A. the moment he was asked to stay behindB. when the teacher started talking about honestyC. only some time laterD. when he was walking out of the roomB（7minutes）Some kids start to drink alcohol (酒精) at a young age. They think it is part of becoming an adult. They also think drinking is not that bad because so many people do it. They feel it is not as bad as taking drugs (毒品). It is easy for kids to get liquor （酒精饮料）by using fake identification (伪造证件).Parents may start to notice a change in their child’s behavior if the child starts drinking. Kids who drink sometimes stop doing things they normally liked to do. They may keep telephone calls and meetings a secret and not want anybody to touch their things. They act moody (喜怒无常) and do not have the same eating and sleeping habits.Parents need to stay involved (牵涉) in their kids’lives. They should talk to their children about their problems to be aware of any changes.Parents can be the best protection. Children who get a lot of love can feel good about themselves. It helps them resist（抵抗）doing bad things even when other kids are doing them. Parents can also help set a good example by not drinking and driving. They can have firm rules in the home that everyone follows.Give the children good ideas on how to say “no”to drinking, even when they are at a party. Try not to overreact or panic (惊慌) if the child tries alcohol. How you handle it can affect their attitude. It may be helpful to talk to other parents about setting up curfews (宵禁令) and rules about parties or other events.1. Which of the following is NOT the reason why some kids have an early start of drinking?A. They want to show their maturity (成熟) by drinking alcohol.B. Drinking alcohol is much cooler than taking drugs.C. They are affected by many other people around them.D. They can get liquor easily.2.According to the passage, what changes may happen to the kids who start drinking?A. Nothing serious will happen to them.B. They keep the same eating and sleeping habits.C. They can control their moods quite well.。
大学英语四级阅读题含答案
大学英语四级阅读题含答案大学英语四级阅读题：【原文】On average，American kids ages 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school，eight hours more that they did in 1981.They also did more household work and participated in more of such organized activities as soccer and ballet (芭蕾舞)。
Involvement in sports，in particular，rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997：boys now spendan average of four hours a week playing sports; girls log hall that time. All in all，however，children‘sleisure time dropped from 40% of the day in 1981 to 25%“Children are affected by the same t ime crunch (危机) that affects their parents” says Sandra Hofferth，who headed the recent study of children‘s timetable.A chief reason，she says，is that more mothers are working outside the home.Nevertheless，children in both double-income and “male breadwinner” householdsspent comparable amounts of time interacting with their parents 19 hours and 22 hours respectively.In contrast，children spent only 9 hours with their single mothers.)All work and no play could make for some very messed-upkids.“Play is th e most powerful way a child e某plores the world and learns about himself，” says T. Berry Brazelton，professor at Harvard Medical School Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their relationships withtheir peers，but kids ages 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week engaged in it.The children sampled spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing “free time” watching television.But that，believe it or not，was one of the findings parents might regard as good news.If they‘respending less time in front of the TV set，however，kids aren’t replacing it with reading.Despite efforts to get kids more interested in books，the children spent just over an hour a week reading.Let‘s face it，who’s got the time?大学英语四级阅读题：【题目】Choose correct answers to the question：1. By mentioning “the same time crunch” (Line 1，Para.2) Sandra Hofferth means ________.A.children have little time to play with their parentsB.children are not taken good care of by their working parentsC.both parents and children suffer from lack of leisure timeD.both parents and children have trouble managing their time2.According to the author，the reason given by Sandra Hofferthfor the time crunch is ________.A.quite convincingB.partially trueC.totally groundlessD.rather confusing3.According to the author a child develops better if ________.A.he has plenty of time reading and studyingB.he is left to play with his peers in his own wayC.he has more time participating in school activitiesD.he is free to interact with his working parents4.The author is concerned about the fact that American kids________.A.are engaged in more and more structured activitiesB.are increasingly neglected by their working mothersC.are spending more and more time watching TVD.are involved less and less in household work5.We can infer from the passage that ________.A.e某tracurricular activities promote children‘s int elligenceB.most children will turn to reading with TV sets switched offC.efforts to get kids interested in reading have been fruitfulD.most parents believe reading to be beneficial to children大学英语四级阅读题：【答案】1.[C] 语义理解题。
四级英语考试阅读精选题及答案解析
四级英语考试阅读精选题及答案解析四级英语考试阅读精选题(一)There are people in Italy who can’t stand soccer. Not all Canadians love hockey. A similar situation e某ists in America, where there are those individuals you may be one of them who yawn or even frown when somebody mentions baseball. 『Baseball to them means boring hours watching grown men in funny tight outfits standing around in a field staring away while very little of anything happens.』① They tell you it’s a game better suited to the 19th century, slow, quiet, gentlemanly. These are the same people you may be one of them who love football because there’s the sport that glorifies “the hit〞.By contrast, baseball seems abstract, cool, silent, still.On TV the game is fractured into a dozen perspectives, replays, close瞮ps. The geometry of the game, however, is essential to understanding it. You will contemplate the game from one point as a painter does his subject; you may, of course, project yourself into the game. It is in this projection that the game affords so much space and time for involve ment. The TV won’t do it for you.Take, for e某ample, the third baseman. You sit behind the third base dugout and you watch him watching home plate. His legs are apart, knees fle某ed. His arms hang loose. He does a lot of this. The skeptic still cannot think of any other sports so still, so passive. 『But watch what happens every time the pitcher throws: the third baseman goes up on his toes, fle某es his arms or bring the glove to a point in front of him, takes a step right or left, backward or forward, perhaps he glances across the field to check his first baseman’s position.』② Suppose the pitch is a ball. “Nothinghappened,〞you say. “I could have had my eyes closed.〞The skeptic and the innocent must play the game. And this involvement in the stands is no more intellectual than listening to music is. Watch the third baseman. Smooth the dirt in front of you with one foot; smooth the pocket in your glove; watch the eyes of the batter, the speed of the bat, the sound of horsehide on wood. If football is a symphony of movement and theatre, baseball is chamber music, a spacious interlocking of notes, chores and responses.1. The passage is mainly concerned with .A. the different tastes of people for sportsB. the different characteristics of sportsC. the attraction of footballD. the attraction of baseball2. Those who don’t like baseball may complain that .A. it is only to the taste of the oldB. it involves fewer players than footballC. it is not e某citing enoughD. it is pretentious and looks funnyThe author admits that .A. baseball is too peaceful for the youngB. baseball may seem boring when watched on TVC. football is more attracting than baseballD. baseball is more interesting than football4. By stating “I could have had my eyes closed. 〞 the author means (4th paragraph last sentence): A. The third baseman would rather sleep than play the game.B. Even if the third baseman closed his eyes a moment ago, it could make no different to the result.C. The third baseman is sogood at baseball that he could finish the game with eyes closed all the time and do his work well.D. The consequent was too bad he could not bear to see it.5. We can safely conclude that the author.A. likes footballB. hates footballC. hates baseballD. likes baseball四级英语考试阅读精选题答案1. D主旨题。
英语四级阅读练习及答案
英语四级阅读练习及答案Passage One:As the horizons of science have expended, two main groups of scientists have emerged. One is the pure scientist, the other, applied scientist.The pure or theoretical scientist does original research in order to understand the basic laws of the nature that govern our world. The applied scientist adapts this knowledge to practice problems. Neither is more important than the others, however, for the groups are very much related.Sometimes,however,the applied scientist finds the“problems”for the theoretical scientist to work on.Let’s take a particular problem of the aircraft industry: heat-resistant metals. Many of the metals and alloys that perform satisfactorily in car cannot be used in a jet-propelled (喷气推进式) plane, New alloys must be used, because the jet engine operates at a much higher temperature than an automobile engine. The turbine wheel ( 涡轮) in a turbojet (涡轮喷气发动机) must withstand temperatures as high as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, so air craft designers have to turn to the research metallurgist for the development of metals and alloys that would dothe job in jet-propelled planes.Diving scientists into two groups-pure and applied-is only one broad way of classifying them, however. When scientific knowledge was very limited, there was no need for men to specialize. Today, with the great body of scientific knowledge, scientists specialize in many different fields. Within each field, there is even further subdivision. And, with finer and finer subdivisions, the various sciences have become more and more interrelated until no branch is entirely independent of the others. Many new specialties-geophysics and biochemistry, for example-have resulted from combining the knowledge of two or more science.1.The applied scientistA) does original research to the basic laws of natureB) applied the result of research to practical problemsC) provides the basic knowledge for the pure scientistD) is not interested in practical problems2. The example given in the third paragraph illustrates howA) pure science operates independently of applied scienceB) the applied scientist discover the basic laws of natureC) applied science defines all the areas in which basic research is doneD) applied science suggests problems for the basic scientist3. Finer and finer subdivision in the field of science has resulted inA) the loss of the need for specialistsB) greater interdependence of each scienceC) greater dependence of each scienceD) the need for only one classification if scientists4. Geophysics and biochemistry are .A) examples of new specialties resulting from combing sciencesB) totally dependent sciencesC) among the oldest sciences known to manD) both B)and C)5.“The horizons of science have expanded,”(para1)means thatA) scientists can see further out into spaceB) science has developed more field of human endeavorC) the horizon changes size from year to yearD) scientists have made a machine for enlarging the horizonPassage Two:Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the friendship for granted,we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with only a number ofpeople, we are usually friends with only a very few. For example, the average among students is about 6 per person. In all the cases of friendly relationship, two people like one another and enjoy being together, but beyond that, the degree of intimacy between them and the reasons for their shared interest vary enormously .As we get to know people we take into account things like ages ,race, economic condition, social position, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of prime importance, it is more difficult to get on with people when there is a marked difference in age and background. Some friendly relationships can be kept on argument and discussion, but it is usually for close friends to have similar ideas and beliefs, to have attitude and interests in common —they often talk about“being on the same wavelength”.It generally takes time to reach this point. And the more intimately involved people become, the more they rely on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to break an promise. Equally, friends have to learn to put up with annoying habits and to tolerant differences of opinion.In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the association between two people. But the supporting and understanding of each other that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a powerful bond,which can overcome differences in background and break down of age, class and race.6.According to the author, .A) all those who get on well with each other are friendsB) friends are closer than people who just get on well with each otherC) everyone understand clearly how to make friendsD) every students has 6 friends7. When we make friends, we consider such things as age, race and background becauseA) it is not easy to have a friendly relationship with people when there is a marked difference in age and backgroundB) the degreed of friendship between people and the reason for their shared interests can vary greatlyC) friends need to know all these thingsD) these are the most important factors to make friends8.In paragraph2,“being on the same wavelength”means.A) using the same frequency while talkingB) keeping the same friendly relationship as other people doC) having similar ideas, beliefs, attitudes and interestsD) having the same background9. Which of the following is not implied or directly stated in thepassage?A) Even friends may have differences of opinionsB) Friends never argue with each otherC) It generally takes time for people to become close friends.D) Someone’s habits may annoy his friends.10. To strengthen friendly relationship, peopleA) must hold friendship ceremoniesB) have to eliminate differences in backgroundC) should make friends with those who are of the same age and the same raceD) should support and understand each other through shared experiences and emotionsPassage Three:The movement toward centralization of authority in state departments of education has in some cases created friction with communities, which regard this modern policy as usurpation( 篡夺, 夺取)of their rights. Constitutionally, there can be no doubt that the state has a right to prescribe( 指示)to the local districts in any degree which it will. Legislatures( 立法机构)have been given power by State Constitutions which make them the most importantpolicy-making agent for education in a state. Legislatures establish the framework(机构)for education; they make direct appropriations for education; they create educational institutions; and they determine whether of not certain educational programs are to be authorized, expanded, decreased, or eliminated( 废除). The Legislature usually authorizes a State education department to administer its policies. It may, however, provide for a state board of education to advise it regarding policy and to administer the educational program. The central agency may define the extent of the local district and may determine in detail what shall be done within this district. While this is the constitutional right of the state, the practical fact is that the local district conducts its schools in very large measure according to its own desires, and local officers often talk upon state supervision as indefensible interference11. About the centralization of authority in state department of education, some communities feel that .A) their rights are improvedB) their rights are ignoredC) their rights are violatedD) their rights are protected12. According to the article, which of the following rights are NOT belong to the state?A) The right to administer entrance examination.B) The right to expand or decrease educational programs.C) The right to budget school programsD) The right to created educational institutions.13. What does the Legislature usually do in administering Policies?A) It administers policies by itself.B) It authorizes a State education department administer its policies.C) It is authorized by a State education department to administer its policies.D) It authorizes a state board of education to administer the educational program.14. Which of the following is NOT true about actual educational situation?A) The local district has a lot of control over its schoolsB) The central agency may extend the extent of the local districtsC) State supervision is not always welcome to local districts.D) Local officers forbid State supervision if they think it is a kind of interference15. which of the following titles can best summarize the article?A) The Legislature Administers its PoliciesB) The Centralization of Authority in State Department ofEducationC) The Role of the State in EducationD) The Rights of the Local DistrictsPassage Four:Some people believed that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: those international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was the recent incident of tragedy involving murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by mi-nor national contests.One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey(曲棍球)dinal, There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the loser objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disal lowed and their opponents’victory was unfair.The presidentof the Federation(联合会)said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years. The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disorder. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player plopped it into the basket. It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive(行为过分的)patriotism(爱国心).16. The author thinks that in recent years Olympic gameshave .A) showed little international friendshipB) greatly encouraged international brotherhoodC) created goodwill between the nationsD) created only misunderstanding and hatred17.What did the manager mean by saying“This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the Int ernational Hockey Federation are finished”?A) This is not a standard hockey matchB) The Federation would not exist any longer after this match was overC) His team would not enter the game in three yearsD) The unfair decisions ruined both hockey and the Federation.18. The basketball match showed thatA) the Russian team should not have taken advantage of the last three seconds.B) aggressive patriotism was displayed in the incident.C) The appeal jury was too ineffective in making a decisionD) the American team should have taken the first place.19. The author gives 2 examples in the 2 nd and the 3rd paragraphs is in order to show thatA) contests often end in disorderB) no contest is fair in Olympic GamesC) competition discourages international friendshipD) unfair decisions are common in sports20. Which statement best summarizes this passage?A) Athletes should compete as individualsB) The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.C) Any team that has disrespectful behavior should be suspended.D) Different teams often have disputes when fighting for the first place.Passage Five:Urban life has always involved a balancing of opportunities and rewards against dangers and stress; its motivating force is, in the broadest sense, money. Opportunities to make money mean competition and competition is stressful; it is often at its most intense in the largest cities, where opportunities are greatest. The presence of huge numbers of people inevitably involves more conflict, more traveling, the overloading of public services and exposure to those deviants and criminals who are drawn to the rich pickings of great cities. Crime has always flourished in the relative anonymity of urban life,but today’s ease of movement makes its control more difficult than ever; there is much evidence that itsextent has a direct relationship to the size of communities. City dwellers may become trapped in their homes by the tear of crime around them.As a defence against these developments, city dwellers tend to use various strategies to try and reduce the pressures upon themselves: contacts with other people are generally made brief and impersonal; doors are kept locked; telephone numbers may be ex-directory; journeys outside the home are usually hurried, rather than a source of pleasure of pleasure. There are other are other strategies, too, which are positively harmful to the individual, for example, reducing awareness through drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, all these defensive forms of behavior are harmful to society in general; they cause widespread loneliness and destroy the community’s concern for its ck of informal social contact and indifference to the misfortunes of others, if they are not personally known to oneself, are amongst the major causes of urban crime.Inner areas of cities tend to be abandoned by the more successful and left to those who have done badly in the competitive struggle or who belong to minority groups; these people are then geographically trapped because so much economic activity has migrated to the suburbs and beyond.Present-day architecture and planning have enormously worsened the human problems of urban life. Old established neighborhoods have been ruthlessly swept away, by both public and private organizations, usually to be replaced by huge, ugly, impersonal structures, People have been forced to leave their familiar homes, usually to be rehoused in tower blocks which are drab( 单调乏味的), inconvenient, and fail to provide any setting for human interaction or support. This destruction of established social structures is the worst possible approach to the difficulties of living in a town or city. Instead, every effort should be made to conserve the human scale of the environment, and to retain familiar landmarks.21. According to the author, living in a city causes stress because there are so many people who are .A) In need of helpB) naturally aggressiveC) likely to commit crimeD) anxious to succeed22. The author thinks that crime is increasing cities because .A) criminals are difficult to trace in large populationsB) people do not communicate with their neighborsC) people feel anonymous thereD) the trappings of success are attractive to criminals23. According to the article, what is the worst problem facing people living in cities?A) Crime.B) Finding somewhere to live.C) Social isolation.D) Drugs and alcoholism.24. The majority of people who live in inner cities do so because they .A) have been forced by circumstances to do soB) have turned against societyC) dislike having to travel far to workD)don’t like the idea of living in the suburbs25. Architectural changes have affected city life by .A) forcing people to live on top of each otherB) making people move to the suburbsC) giving the individual a say in planningD) dispersing long-established communitiesPassage Six:People do not travel for pleasure on the roads and trains leading into cities on weekday mornings; they are commuting. Commuters represent the exact opposite of Robert Louis Stevenson’s view of traveling that“For my part,I travel not to go anywhere,but to go.I travel for travel’s sake.”Commuters travel because they have to; the destination is the only thing that matters.Commuting is modern.Up until the1950’s most workers lived in the shadow of their workplace and within earshot of its whistle or hooter; people walked or cycled to work, even going home for their lunch. As cities grow and as the pressure on city center property increases, so ever more people have had to move further away from their place of work. The suburbs grow and this results in the awful rush hours, many of which tail back to the suburbs themselves, To ease the commuter congestion city governments build new roads, especially ring roads, but these generate more traffic, adding to the traffic jams and bad health. San Francisco introduced BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit) to take the pressure off its roads, but after an initial positive response the scheme was overtaken by the sheer magnitude of commuter growth.Trains and subway systems are little better.In Tokyo“pushers”are employed to squeeze commuters into carriages, in London and New York the underground systems are near capacity and unpleasant toride. In Paris petty crime on the Metro ( 地铁) is widespread. In Soweto the trains are so crowded that commuters hang on the outside of the“back only”trains.Th e associated health hazards are rivaled by those caused by traffic accidents and the stress-related diseases created by the tension in all forms of commuting. The bigger the city, the larger the daily commuting public and the longer the distances traveled. Many commuters see neither their house nor their children in daylight for almost six months of the year. In a large city like London the average daily time spent commuting to and from work is almost two hours. As a working day is eight hours or less, this means that the average commuter really“works”in excess of a six day week.Cities which try to alleviate the lot of the commuter are those which are most worth living in, but it is a hard and uphill task to do anything constructive. Special“Kiss and Ride”metro stations surround Washington,but are as little used as the“Ride-On”buses.People appear to prefer the traffic jams on the Beltway.Although most people dislike the unpleasant“dead time”of commuting, some people turn it to their advantage. J. M. Keynes wrote his General Theory en route from London to Cambridge, and there are classes in French, business studies, bridge and chess (among other topics) on commuter trains into the London main-linestations. Other people, especially those who can afford the comfort of first-class tickets, catch up on their reading, do the preparation for the day’s work,use their computers or the train telephones,or listen to music Others take the view that commuting should make you fit. They walk, run, cycle, row, sail, skate and skate-board into work.26.San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit scheme.A) took a long time to become successfulB) was eagerly awaitedC) could not cope with the numbers of passengersD) has been a big success27. As a solution to the rise in the number of commuters, trains and subways are .A) more effective than new roadsB) not as effective as new roadsC) rather more effective than new roadsD) scarcely any more effective than new roabs28. It is more pleasant to live in cities which .A) are small enough for people not to need to commuteB) encourage commutingC) have efficient public transport systemsD) improve conditions for commuters29.Washington’s metro trains are.A) less popular than its busesB) more popular than its busesC) as popular as its busesD) as unpopular as its buses30. The majority of travelers .A)don’t enjoy wasting their time commutingB) make the most of the time they spend commutingC) keep fit while commutingD) exercise their minds while commutingPassage Seven:One phase of the business cycle is the expansion phase. This phase is two-fold one, including recovery and prosperity. During the recovery period there is ever-growing expansion of existing facilities, and new facilities for production are created. More businesses are created and older ones expanded. Improvements of various kinds are made. There is an ever increasing optimism about the future of economic growth.Much capital is invested in machinery or "heavy" industry. More labor is employed. More raw materials are required. As one part of the economyDevelops, other parts are affected. For example, a great expansion in automobiles results in an expansion of the steel, glass and rubber industries. Roads are required, thus the cement and machinery industries are stimulatedDemand for labor and materials results in greater prosperity for workers and supplest of raw materials, including the various segments of the population. This prosperity period may continue to rise and rise without an apparent end. However, a time comes when this phase reaches a peak and stops spiraling upwards. This is the end of the expansion phase.31. We may assume that in the next paragraph the author will discuss____.A. cyclical industriesB.union demandsC. the higher cost of livingD.economic decline period32. The title below that best expresses the idea of this passage is_____A The Recovery Stage C.an Expanding society B. Attain prosperity D. the Period of GoodTimes33. Prosperity in one industry_____A. reflects itself in many other industriesB. will spiral upwardsC. will end abruptlyD. will help all segments of society except the farm34 Which of the fooling industries will probably be a good indicator of the period of expansion?A. Foodstuffs.B.Machine toolsC.Cosmetics D Farming35. During the period of prosperity, people regard the future _____.A. cautiouslyB. in a confident mannerC.indffferently D in a happy moodPassage Eight:On average, American kids ages 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school, eight hours more than they did in 1981. They also did more household work and participated in more such organized activities as soccer and ballet ( 芭蕾舞). Involvement in sports, in particular, rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997: boys now spend an average offour a week playing sports; girls log half that time. All in all, however,children’s leisure time dropped from40%of the day in1981 to 25%.“Children are affected by the same time crunch(危机) that affects their parents,”says Sandra Hofferth,who headed the recent study of children’s timetable.A chief reason,she says,is that more mothers are working outside the home. (Nevertheless, children inboth double-income and“male breadwinner”households spent comparable amounts of time interacting with their parents, 19 hours and 22 hours respectively. In contrast, children spent only 9 hours with their single mothers.)All work and no play could make for some very messed-up kids.“Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about himself,”says T.Berry Brazelton,professor at Harvard Medical school. Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their relationships with their peers, but kids ages 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week engaged in it.The children sampled spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing “free time”watching television.But that,believe it or not,was one of the findings parents might regard as good news.If they’re spending less time in front of the TV set, however, kids aren’treplacing it with reading. Despite efforts to get kids more interestedin books,the children spent just over an hour a week reading.Let’s face it,who’s got the time?36.By mentioning“the same time crunch”(Line1,Para.2)Sandra Hofferth means .A) children have little time to play with their parentsB) both parents and children suffer from lack of leisure timeC) both parents and children have trouble managing their timeD) children are not taken good care of by their working parents37. According to the author, the reason given by Sandra Hofferth for the timecrunch is .A) partially true B) quite convincingC) rather confusing D) totally groundless38. According to the author a child develops better if .A) he has plenty of time reading and studyingB) he is free to interact with his working parentsC) he is left to play with his peers in his own wayD) he has more time participating in school activities39. The author is concerned about the fact that Americankids .A) are involved less and less in household workB) are spending more and more time watching TVC) are engaged in more and more structured activitiesD) are increasingly neglected by their working mothers40. We can infer from the passage that .A) most parents believe reading to be beneficial to childrenB) efforts to get kids interested in reading have been fruitfulC) most children will turn to reading with TV sets switched offD) ex tracurricular activities promote children’s intelligenceKey:1-5. BDBAB 6-10 BACBD 11-15. CABDC 16-20 ADBCB21-25 DACAD 26-30 CDDDA 31-35 DDABB 36-40BACCA (注：范文素材和资料部分来自网络，供参考。
大学四级英语仔细阅读专项习题附答案
大学四级英语仔细阅读专项习题(一)Of the thousands of different kinds of animals that exist in the world man has learned to make friends with an enormous number. Some are pets, and offer him companionship; some give protection, and some do hard work which man cannot do for himself. Dogs, which serve man in all three capacities, are found in various breeds in all countries of the world. The Husky can live in the cold polar regions, and the Saluki is at home in the hottest parts of Central Africa. The inhabitants of certain countries are dependent for their very lives on the camel. In the West Indies the little donkey, strong and sure-footed, carrying heavy loads even in mountainous places, is a familiar sight.来源：考试大Trained and tamed for many generations, domestic animals are not accustomed to roaming(到处走动) in search of food and shelter. They look to their masters to provide for their needs, and as long as these are supplied, they are content to do what their masters require.All domestic animals need proper food. It must be suitable for them, sufficient in quantity, fresh and clean. Some people feed a pet dog or cat on odds and ends of table scraps, and then wonder why the animal seems listless(倦怠的) and dull. The quantity of food depends on the size of the animal and the amount of exercise it takes. Overfeeding is as bad as underfeeding. Containers for food and water must be washed regularly if the animal is to maintain good health.Even well cared for animals may sometimes fall ill. If this happens, the wise master seeks the best advice he can get. All sorts of medicines and treatments are available for sick animals, and in some countries organizations exist to provide them free or at a cheap price. Useful, friendly, hardworking animals deserve to have some time, money and attention spent on their health.1. What main idea does the author want to convey in the first paragraph?A) There exists thousands of species of animals in the world.B) Man came to establish a close relationship with a number of animals.C) In some regions a donkey seems to be a very useful beast.D) An animal will be useless unless domesticated.2. When an animal is underfed, it will probably ____.A) refuse to obey its masterB) immediately fall illC) require its master to offer some foodD) seek for food on its own3. Which of the following is NOT true of dogs according to the passage?A) They can act as friends, guards, and servants to man.B) They have great adaptation for the environment.C) There live a great variety of breeds of dogs on the globe.D) The Husky and the Saluki are the strongest breed ever known in the world.4. To keep a domestic animal physically fit, its owner is advised ____.A) not to hesitate to spend enormous amount of money on itB) to pay attention to its proper feedingC) not to allow it to take excessive amounts of exerciseD) to join some sort of pet-keeping organizations5. Which of the following would be best TITLE for this passage?A) Domesticated Animals - Man’s Best Fr iendB) Proper Diet - the Road to HealthC) The Advantages of Raising Domestic AnimalsD) Some Tips on Pet-keeping大学四级英语仔细阅读专项习题答案1.B)Man came to establish a close relationship with a number of animals. 黑体部分为第一段两个要点，A只包含了一个要点，C只提到了一头驴。
大学英语四级阅读题带答案
大学英语四级阅读题带答案大学英语四级阅读题：【原文】Many private institutions of higher education around the country are in danger.Not all will be saved，andperhaps not all deserve to be saved. There are low-quality schools just as there are low-quality business.We have no obligation to save them simply because they exist.But many thriving institutions that deserve to continue are threatened.They are doing a fine job educationally，but they are caught in a financial squeeze，with no way to reduce rising costs or increase revenuessignificantly.Raising tuition doesnt bring in more revenue，for each time tuition goes up，the enrollment goes down，or the amount that must be given away in student aid goes up.Schools are bad businesses，whether public or private，not usually because of mismanagement but because of the nature of the enterprise.They lose money on every customer，and they can go bankrupt either from too few students or too many students.Even a very good college is a very bad business.It is such colleges，thriving but threatened，I worry about.Low enrollment is not their chief problem.Even with full enrollments，they may go under.Efforts to save them，and preferably to keep them private，are a national necessity.There is no basis for arguing that private schools are inherently (固有地)better than public schools.Examples to the contrary abound.Anyone can name state universities and colleges that rankas the finest in the nation and the world.It is now inevitable that public institutions will be dominant，and therefore diversity is a national necessity.Diversity in the way we support schools tends to give us a healthy diversity in the forms of education.In an imperfect society such as ours，uniformity of education throughout the nation could be dangerous.In an imperfect society，diversity is a positive good. Enthusiastic supporters of public higher education know the importance of sustaining private higher education.大学英语四级阅读题：【题目】Choose correct answers to the question：1.According to the authors opinion，schools are bad businesses because of _______.A.mismanagementB.too few studentsC.financial squeezeD.their characteristics2.The author used the phrase “go under” in Para. 3 to mean “_______”。
大学英语四级阅读习题及答案
大学英语四级阅读习题(一)Acculturation, which begins at birth, is the process of teaching new generations of children the customs and values of the parents' culture. How people treat newborns, for example, can be indicative of cultural values. In the United States it is not uncommon for parents to put a newborn in a separate room that belongs only to the child. This helps to preserve parents' privacy and allows the child to get used to having his or her own room, which is seen as a first step toward personal independence. Americans traditionally have held independence and a closely related value, individualism, in high esteem. Parents try to instill these prevailing values in their children. American English expresses these value preferences: children should "cut the (umbilical) cord" and are encouraged not to be "tied to their mothers' apron strings." In the process of their socialization children learn to "look out for number one" and to "stand on their own two feet".Many children are taught at a very early age to make decisions and be responsible for their actions. Often children work for money outside the home as a first step to establishing autonomy. Nine-or ten-year-old children may deliver newspapers in their neighborhoods and save or spend their earnings. Teenagers (13 to 18 years) may baby-sit neighbors' homes in order to earn a few dollar a week. Receiving a weekly allowance at an early age teaches children to budget their money, preparing them for future financial independence. Many parents believe that managing money helps children learn responsibility as well as appreciate the value of money.21. According to this passage, the way people treat newborns_____.A) is a sign of their customsB) is an indication of their level of knowledgeC) symbolizes their social systemD) varies from culture to culture22. The expression, "to cut the cord", is used to show that_____.A) children don't like their parentsB) parents don't feel close to their childrenC) parents would not like to live together with their childrenD) independence from one's family is an important personal goal in USA23. Children who are "tied to the apron strings" _____.A) are caught in their mothers' apronsB) must always wear an apron when they eatC) are very dependent on their mothersD) are independent from their parents24. American people often let their children work for money outside the home at a very early age because _____.A) children have to earn money to help the familyB) they need more moneyC) they want them to begin establishing autonomyD) children have to save money for future use25. It can be inferred from this passage that _____.A) Americans are money loversB) Americans admire independenceC) Americans are good at decision-makingD) Americans are all responsible大学英语四级阅读习题答案1、A2、D3、C4、C5、B大学英语四级阅读习题(二)Long after the 1998 World Cup was won, disappointed fans were still cursing the disputed refereeing (裁判) decisions that denied victory to their team. A researcher was appointed to study the performance of some top referees.The researcher organized an experimental tournament (锦标赛) involving four youth teams. Each match lasted an hour, divided into three periods of 20 minutes during which different referees were in charge.Observers noted down the referees’ errors, of which there were 61 over the tournament. Converted to a standard match of 90 minutes, each referee made almost 23 mistakes, a remarkably high number.The researcher then studied the videotapes to analyse the matches in detail. Surprisingly, he found that errors were more likely when the referees were close to the incident. When the officials got it right, they were, on average, 17 meters away from the action. The average distance in the case of errors was 12 meters. The research shows the optimum (最佳的) distance is about 20 meters.There also seemed to be an optimum speed. Correct decisions came when the referees were moving at a speed of about 2 meters per second. The average speed for errors was 4 meters per second.If FIFA, football’s international ruling body, wants to improve the standard of refereeing at the next World Cup, it should encourage referees to keep their eyes on the action from a distance, rather than rushing to keep up with the ball, the researcher argues.He also says that FIFA’s insistence that referees should retire at age 45 may be misguided. If keeping up with the action is not so important, their physical condition is less critical.21. The experiment conducted by the researcher was meant to________.A) review the decisions of referees at the 1998 World CupB) analyse the causes of errors made by football refereesC) set a standard for football refereeingD) reexamine the rules for football refereeing22. The number of refereeing errors in the experimental matches was ________.A) slightly above averageB) higher than in the 1998 World CupC) quite unexpectedD) as high as in a standard match23. The findings of the experiment show that ________.A) errors are more likely when a referee keeps close to the ballB) the farther the referee is from the incident, the fewer the errorsC) the more slowly the referee runs, the more likely will errors occurD) errors are less likely when a referee stays in one spot24. The word “officials” (Line 2, Para. 4) most probablyrefers to ________.A) the researchers involved in the experimentB) the inspectors of the football tournamentC) the referees of the football tournamentD) the observers at the site of the experiment25. What is one of the possible conclusions of the experiment?A) The ideal retirement age for an experienced football referee is 45.B) Age should not be the chief consideration in choosing a football referee.C) A football referee should be as young and energetic as possible.D) An experienced football referee can do well even when in poor physical condition.大学英语四级阅读习题答案21. B 22. C 23. A 24.C 25. B。
英语四级阅读理解练习题附答案解析
英语四级阅读理解练习题附答案解析导读：我根据大家的需要整理了一份关于《英语四级阅读理解练习题附答案解析》的内容，具体内容：英语阅读在英语四级考试中一直占有相当大的比重，因而加强英语阅读的练习尤为重要。
下面我为大家带来英语四级阅读理解练习题解析，欢迎考生阅读练习。
英语四级阅读理解练习题(一)...英语阅读在英语四级考试中一直占有相当大的比重，因而加强英语阅读的练习尤为重要。
下面我为大家带来英语四级阅读理解练习题解析，欢迎考生阅读练习。
英语四级阅读理解练习题(一)Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to thatextraordinary discovery of echolocation (回声定位) in bats to see a case in which the voice playsa strictly practical role.To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent humaninventions. Everyoneknows that if he shouts near a wall or a mountainside, an echo will comeback. The further off this solid obstacle, the longer time it will take for the return of the echo.A sound made by tapping on the main body of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, andby measuring the time interval between the taps andthe receipt ofthe echoes the depth ofthe sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding equipment, now ingeneral use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound, varying according to the size andnature of the object. A shoal of fish will do this. So it is a comparatively simple stepfromlocating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improvedequipment, it is now possible not only to locate fish but to tell if it is herring, cod, orotherwell-known fish, by the pattern of its echo.A few years ago it was found that certain bats emit squeaks (吱吱声) and by receiving heechoes they could locate and steer clear of obstacles--or locate flying insects on which theyfeed. This echolocation in bats is often compared with radar, the principle of which is similar.练习题：Choose correct answers to the question:1.The main purpose of this passage is to ______.A. describe that animals can make different soundsB. prove that animals voices can play practical rolesC. inspire the readers to make more inventionsD. startle the readers with some shocking facts2. The discovery of echolocation may help with all of thefollowing EXCEPTA. measuring the depth of the seaB. distinguishing different kinds of fishC. improving the functions of radarD. varying the size and nature of an object3. By saying "A shoal of fish will do this"(Lines 6-7, Para.2), the author means________.A. only one special kind of fish can reflect soundsB. only one special kind of fish can be used to help locate a shipC. a large group of fish can reflect soundsD. a large group of fish can be used to help locate a ship4. As it is discussed in the passage, the squeaks of bats can be functionally comparedwith ________.A. human languagesB. a mountainsideC. a shoal of fishD. taps on a ship5. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?A. Animals are more intelligent than humans.B. Humans are more intelligent than animals.C. Animals are often compared with human inventions.D. Humans are often inspired by animals.英语四级阅读理解练习题答案1.[B] 主旨大意题。
大学英语四级阅读理解练习题和答案解析
大学英语四级阅读理解练习题和答案解析大学英语四级阅读理解练习题：【原文】The Earth comprises three principal layers: the dense, iron-rich core, the mantle made of silicate (硅酸盐) that are semi-molten at depth, and the thin, solid-surface crust There are two kinds of crust, a lower and denser oceanic crust and an upper，lighter continental crust found over only about 40 percent of the Earths surface. The rocks of the crust are of very different ages. Some continental rocks are over 3,000 million years old, while those of the ocean floor are less than 200 million years old. The crusts and the top, solid part of the mantle, totaling about 70 to 100 kilometers in thickness, at present appear to consist of about 15 rigid plates, 7 of which are very large. These plates move over the semi-molten lower mantleto produce all of the major topographical(地形学的)features of the Earth. Active zones where intense deformation occur are confined to the narrow, interconnecting boundaries of contact of the plates.There are three main types of zones of contact: spreading contacts where plates move apart, converging contacts where plates move towards each other, and transform contacts where plates slide past each other. Newoceanic crust is formed along one or more margins of each plate by material issuing from deeper layers of the Earth s crust, for example, by volcanic eruptions (爆发) of lava (火山熔岩) at mid-ocean ridges. If at such a spreading contact the two plates support continents，a rift(裂缝) is formed that will gradually widen and become flooded by the tea. The Atlantic Ocean formed like this as the American and Afro-European plates moved in opposite directions. When two plates carrying continents collide, the continental blocks,too light to be drawn down, continue to float and therefore buckle (起褶皱) to form a mountain chain along the length of the margin of the plates.大学英语四级阅读理解练习题：【题目】Choose correct answers to the question:1.The Earths crust______.A.can be classified into two typesB.is formed along the margins of the platesC.consists of semi-molten rocksD.is about 70 to 100 kilometers thick2.The 15 plates of the Earth are formed from ___.A.the oceanic crusts and continental crustsB.the crusts and the mantleC.the crusts and the top and solid part of the mantleD.the continental crusts and the solid part of the mantle3.Seriously-deformed zones appear _______A.whenever the crusts move over mantleB.when the plates move towards each otherC.in the narrow boundaries where two plates meetD.to be the major topographical feature of the Earth4.According to the second paragraph, the formation of the Atlantic Ocean is the example of_______.A.spreading contactsB.the influence of volcanic eruptionsC.converging contactsD.transform contacts5.This passage is probably_______.A.a newspaper advertisementB.a chapter of a novelC.an excerpt from a textbookD.a scientific report of new findings大学英语四级阅读理解练习题：【答案】1.[A] 事实细节题。
(完整版)英语四级阅读试题库含答案解析
英语四级阅读题库含答案解析1.Passage Onest century, Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21’t –we won ’t do much about it. We will argue overbut regardless of whether it is or isnit and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth, ”as if merely recognizing it’t know enough tocould put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we donrelieve global warming, and—we can ’t do–without major technological breakthroughsmuch about it.’s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 From 2003 to 2050, the worldbillion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. but that ’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless w e condemn t he world ’s poor to their present poverty and freeze everyone e lse‘s living standards. With modest growth, energy u se and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050.No government w ill adopt rigid restrictions o n economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, d riving and travel) that might cut back global’re “doing something. ”Consider the Kyoto warming. Still, politicians want to show theyProtocol (京都议定书). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t. But itsignatories (签字hasn ’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many国) didn ’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.The practical c onclusion i s that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development p rogrammight find ways of breaking dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it ’s really a n engineering one. The inconvenient t ruth is that if we don ’t solve t he’re helpless.engineering problem, we57. What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?A) It may not prove an environmental B) It is an issue requiring world wide crisis at all. commitments.C) Serious steps have been taken to avoid D) Very little will be done to bring it underor stop it. control.58. According to the author ’s understanding, what is Al Gore ’s view on global warming?A) It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of.B) It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.C) It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.D) It is an area we actually have little knowledge about.59. Green house emissions will more than double by 2050 because of _______.A) economic growth C) wasteful use of energyB) the widening gap between the rich and D) the rapid advances o f science a ndpoor technology60. The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, ________.A) politicians have started to do something to better the situationB) few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy useC) reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warmingD) international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems61. What is the message the author intends to convey?A) Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.B) The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technologyC) The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.D) People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.Passage TwoSomeday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission o r scan theWebsites you ’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your creditcard purchase or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.In fact, it ’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who wouldwatch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketingcompany, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen —the 21 st century equivalent of being caught naked.Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it ’s important to reveal yourself tofriends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs ( 碎屑) you leave everywhere m ake it easy for strangers toreconstruct w ho you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simpleGoogle search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simple cannot keep a secret.The key question is: Does that matter?When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is”“slipping away, and that bothers me.But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system t hat can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).’s like health: When you have it, you But privacy does matter –at least sometimes. Itdon ’t notice it. Only when it ’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.“the 21 st century equivalent of being caught62. What does the author mean by sayingnaked ”(Lines 3-4, Para.2)?A) People ’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.’secrets.B) In the 21 st century people try every means to look into othersC) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.63. What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?A) Friends s hould open their hearts to C) There should be a distance even each other. between friends.B) Friends should always be faithful to D) There should be fewer disputes each other. between friends.”64. Why does the author say“we live in a world where you simple cannot keep a secret (Line 5, Para.3)?A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.’affairs.C) There are always people who are curious about othersD) Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.65. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.C) They rely more and more on electronic D) They talk a lot but hardly do anythingdevices. about it.66. According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ________.A) people will make every effort to keep itwoman.B) its importance is rarely understoodThere are many reasons forC) it is something that can easily be lostD) people don ’t cherish it until they lose itthis-typically, m en take more risks thanwoman a nd are more likely t o drink andsmoke but perhaps more importantly,men don ’t go to the doctor.“Men aren ’t seeing doctors as often 2.Passage One“Thisas they should, ”says Dr. Gullotta, Questions 57 to 61 are based on theis particularly so for the over-40s,when following passage.”diseases tend to strike.If you are a male and you are readingGullotta says a healthy man should this ,congratulations: you are avisit the doctor every year or two. For survivor .According to statistics .you a rethose over 45,it should be at least once a more than twice as likely to die of skinyear.cancer than a woman ,and nine timesTwo months ago Gullotta saw a more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you50-year-old m a who had delayed doing make i t to the end of your natural t erm,’s cough for aanything about his smokerabout 78 years for men in Australia, youyear.will die on average f ive years b efore a“When I finally saw him it had alreadyspread a nd he has since died from lung Regular check-ups for men would cancer ”he says, “Earlier d etection a nd inevitably place strain on the public purse,”But prevention is cheaper treatment may not have cured him, but it Cartmill says.”in the long run than having to treat the would have prolonged this lifeAccording t o a recent survey, 95%of diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost is far”women aged between 15 and early 40s greater: it is called premature death.see a doctor once a year, c ompared t o 57.Why does the a uthor congratulate h is70% of men in the same age group. male readers at the beginning of the “A lot of men think they are invincible passage?（不可战胜的）”Gullotta says “They only A. They are more likely to survive serious come in when a friend drops dead on the diseases today.golf course a nd they think ”Geez, if it B. Their average life span has been could happen to him. considerably extended.Then there is the ostrich approach,” C. They have l ived long enough to read some men are scared o f what might be this article.there and would rather not know, ”says D. They are sure to enjoy a longer andDr. Ross Cartmill. happier live.“Most men get their cars serviced 58.What does the author state is the most more regularly than they service their important reason men die five years bodies, ”Cartmill says .He believes most earlier on average than women?diseases that commonly affect men could A. men drink and smoke much more thanbe addressed by preventive check-ups. womenB. men don ’t seek medical care as often disease because of fearas women 61. What does Cartmill say about regular C. men aren ’t as cautions a s women in check-ups for men?face of danger A.They may increase public expensesD. men are more likely to suffer from fatal B.They will save money in the long rundiseases C.They may cause psychological strains on 59. Which of the following best completes menthe sentence “Geez, if it could happen to D.They will enable men to live as long ashim ?’(line2,para,8)? womenA. it could happen to me, too Passage TwoB. I should avoid playing golf Questions 62 to 66 are based on theC. I should consider myself lucky following passage.D. it would be a big misfortune High-quality customer service is60what does Dr. Ross C artmill mean by preached( 宣扬)by many ,but actually”(line q para.9) keeping customers h appy is easier said“the ostrich approach’s health than doneA. a casual attitude towards oneconditions Shoppers seldom complain to the B. a new therapy for certain psychological m anager o r owner of a retail store, b utproblems instead will alert their friends, relatives, C. refusal to get medical treatment for fear co-workers, strangers-and a nyone whoof the pain involved will listen.’s Store m anagers are often the last toD. unwillingness to find out about onehear complaints, and often find out only include f illed parking l ots, cluttered (塞满when their regular customers decide t 了的) shelves, overloaded racks, frequent their competitors, according to a out-of-stock items, long check-out l ines,study jointly conducted b y Verde g roup and rude salespeople.and Wharton school During peak shopping hours, some “Storytelling hurts retailers and retailers s olved t he parking problems by entertains consumers, ”said Paula getting moonlighting （业余兼职的）local”police to work as parking attendants. Courtney, President of the Verde group.the store loses the customer, but the Some hired flag wavers to direct”customers to empty parking s paces. This shopper must also find a replacement.On average, every unhappy customer g uidance eliminated the need forwill complain to at least four other, and customers to circle the parking lotwill no longer visit the specific s tore for endlessly, and avoided confrontationevery dissatisfied c ustomer, a store will between t hose eyeing the same p arkinglose up to three more due to negative space.”Retailers can relieve the headaches by reviews. The resulting “snowball effectcan be disastrous to retailers. redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking According t o the research, shoppers sales items, hiring speedy and who purchased clothing encountered the experienced c ashiers, a nd having salesmost problems. r anked s econd a nd third representatives on hand to answerwere grocery and electronics customers. questions.The most common complaints Most importantly, salespeople shouldbe diplomatic and polite with angry them.customers. C Few c ustomers believe t he service w ill “Retailers w ho ’re responsive and be improved.friendly are more likely to smooth over D Customers have no easy access to store’t so friendly. ”managers.issues than those who arensaid Professor S tephen H och. “Maybe 63. What does Paula C ourtney i mply by something as simple a s a greeter at the saying “?the shopper must also find astore entrance would help.”replacement ”(Line 2, Para. 4)?Customers c an also improve future A New customers a re bound to replace shopping experiences by filing complaints o ld ones.to the retailer, instead o f complaining t o B It is not likely the shopper can find thethe rest of the world. Retailers are same products in other stores.hard-pressed to improve when they have C Most stores provide the sameno idea what is wrong. D Not complaining to the manager causes 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答the shopper some trouble too.62. Why are store managers often the last 64. Shop owners often hire moonlightingto hear complaints? police as parking attendants so that A Most customers won ’t bother to shoppers_____complain even if they have had unhappy A can stay longer browsing in the store experiences. B won ’t have trouble parking their cars B Customers w ould rather relate their C won ’t have any worries about security unhappy experiences to people around D can find their cars easily after shopping65. What contributes m ost to smoothing over issues with customers?A Manners of the salespeopleB Hiring of efficient employeesC Huge supply of goods for saleD Design of the store layout.66. To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to_________.A exert pressure o n stores to improve their serviceB settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic wayC voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directlyD shop around and make comparisons between stores3. The January fashion show, called Future Fashion , exemplified how far green design has come. Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, t he show inspired many top designers t o work with sustainable fabrics for the first time. Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges. Scott Hahn, cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to fine . “Most designers with existing labels are finding’re doingthere aren ’t comparable fabrics that can just replace what youand shat your customers are used to, ”he says. For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable o nce woven into a dress. But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents.Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support. Last year the influential trade show Designers &Agents stopped(企业家) who charging its participation fee for young greenentrepreneursattend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special r ecognition to designers w hose collections a re at least 25% sustainable . It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago. This week Wal-Mart is set to announce amajor initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional (过渡型的) cotton at higher prices , thus helping to expand the”“Mainstream is about to occur, supply of a key sustainable material .says Hahn.分析师) are less sure . Among consumers, only Some analysts (18%are even aware that ecofashion exists, up from 6% four years ago. Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example o f the unconverted consumer, when asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied: “Not that I ’m aware of.”Like most consumers, she finds little time to’t too’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isnshop, and when she does, she’t yet on her mind. But ”By her own admission, green just isnexpensive.––thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliersone day it will be.57. What is said about Future Fashion?A) It inspired many leading designers to start going green.B) It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.C) It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized.D) It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable.58. According to Scott Hahn, one big challenge to designers who will goorganic is that .A) much more time is needed to finish a dress u sing sustainablematerials .B) they have to create new brands for clothes made of organicmaterials .C) customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organicmaterials .D) quality organic replacements f or synthetics are not readilyavailable .59. We learn from Paragraph 3 that designers w ho undertake g reenfashion .A) can attend various trade shows free .B) are readily recognized by the fashion worldC) can buy organic cotton at favorable prices .D) are gaining more and more support .’s attitude toward ecofashion?60. What is Natalie HormillaA) She d oesn ’t seem t o care a bout it. C) S he i s doubtful of itspractical value.B) She doesn ’t think it is sustainable D) She is very muchopposed to the idea61. What does the author think of green fashion?A) Green products will soon go mainstream.B) It has a very promising future.C) Consumers have the final say.D) It will appeal more to young people.Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Scientists have devised a way to determine roughly where a person缕) of hair , a technique that could help track the has lived using a strand(movements of criminal suspects or unidentified murder victims .The method relies on measuring how chemical variations in drinking water show up in people’s hair.”“You’re what you eat and drink, and that’s recorded in you hair, said Thure Cerling, a geologist at the University of Utah.While U.S diet is relatively identical, water supplies vary. The differences result from weather p atterns. The chemical composition o frainfall changes slightly as raid clouds move.Most hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are stable , but traces ofisotopes (同位素) . The heaviestboth elements are also present as heavierraid falls first .As a result, storms that form over the Pacific deliver heavier water to California than to Utah.Similar patterns exist throughout the U.S. By measuring the proportion of heavier hydrogen and oxygen isotopes along a strand of hair, scientists can construct a geographic t imeline. Each i nch of hair corresponds to about two months.Cerling ’s team collected t ap water samples f rom 600 cities and constructed a mop of the regional differences. T hey checked the accuracy of the map by testing 200 hair samples c ollected f rom 65 barber shops.They were able to accurately place the hair samples in broad regions roughly corresponding to the movement of raid systems.“It’s not good for pinpointing ( 精确定位),”Cerling said .“It’s good”for eliminating many possibilities.Todd Park, a local detective, said the method has helped him learn more about an unidentified woman whose skeleton w as found nearGreat Salt Lake.The woman was 5 feet tall. Police recovered 26 bones, a T-shirt and several strands of hair.When Park heard about the research, he gave the hair samples to the researchers. Chemical testing showed that over the two years before her death, she moved about every two months.She stayed in the Northwest, although the test could not be more specific than somewhere between eastern Oregon and western Wyoming.”Park said “But it narrows it way down “It’s still a substantial area,for me. ”62. What is the scientists’new discovery?A) One ’s hair growth has to do with the amount of water they drink.’s hair may reveal where they have lived.B) A personC) Hair analysis accurately identifies criminal suspects.D) The chemical composition of hair varies from person to person.”“You’re what you eat and drink63. What does the author mean by(Line 1, Para.3)?A) Food and drink affect one’s personality development.B) Food and drink preferences vary with individuals.’s body tissues.C) Food and drink leave traces in one’s existence.D) Food and drink are indispensable to one64. What is said about the rainfall in America’s West?A) There is much more rainfall in California than in Utah.B) The water it delivers becomes lighter when it moves inland.C) Its chemical composition is less stable than in other areas.D) It gathers more light isotopes as it moves eastward.’s team produce in their research?65. What did CerlingA) A map showing the regional differences of tap water.B) A collection of hair samples from various barber shops.C) A method to measure the amount of water in human hair.D) A chart illustrating the movement of the rain system.’s research?66. What is the practical value of CerlingA) It helps analyze the quality of water in different regions.B) It helps the police determine where a crime is committed.C) It helps the police narrow down possibilities in detective work.D) It helps identify the drinking habits of the person under investigation.4.Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on thepresidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so, but ’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be selfishly, Iable to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American’s attention.woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the worldAnd that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close a nd personal w ith the type of African-American woman t hey sorarely see.Usually, t he lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems t o be that we ’re all hot-tempered single’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black mothers who can’t escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed women still can酗酒的) mothers.females raised by our never-married, alcoholic (These images h ave helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit toa cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.It won ’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have donein-depth features o n regular A frican-American women, l ittle is knownabout who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis.For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs’d like to see Michelle bring to the Whitehave written about what theyHouse —mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone —an impossible task. B ut for many African-American women沉着), confidence and intelligence will golike me, just a little of her poise (’s been around for far too long.a long way in changing an image that57. Why does Michelle Obama h old a strong fascination for the author?A) She serves as a role model for African women.B) She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady.C) She w ill present to the world a new image of African-American women.D) She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women.58. What is the common stereotype o f African-American women according to the author?A) They are victims of violence. B) They are of an inferior violence.C) They use quite a lot of body language. D) They live on charity and social welfare.59. What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?A) Whether Michelle can live up to the high expectations of her fans.B) How Michelle should behave as a public figure.C) How proud they are to have a black woman in the White House.D) What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House.60. What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?A) However many fans she has, she should remain modest,B) She shouldn’t disappoint the African-American community.’t expect to please everybody.C) However hard she tries, she can’s concerns.D) She will give priority to African-American women61. What do many African-American women hope Michelle Obama will do?A) Help change the prevailing view about black women.B) Help her husband in the task of changing America.C) Outshine previous First Lady.D) Fully display her fine qualities.Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.When n ext year ’s crop of high-school g raduates arrive a t Oxford’ll be joined by a new face; Andrew University in the fall of 2009, theyHamilton, the 55-year-old p rovost (教务长) of Yale, w ho ’ll become—a position equivalent to university president Oxford ’s vice-chancellorin America.Hamilton isn ’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, S ingapore, etc, have a lso recently m ade top-level hiresfrom abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive’s gone global. Yet business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it’t universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only the talent flow isnone direction: outward from America.’t tend to seriously The chief reason is that American schools donconsider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado s earched for a new president, it wanted a leader f amiliar’s budget.with the state government, a major source of the university“We didn ’t do any global consideration, ”says P atricia H ayes, the board ’s chair. The board ultimately picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old活动家) who is likely to do Colorado businessman and political activist (well in the main task of modern university presidents: f und-raising. Fund-raising is a distinctively A merican t hing, since U.S. s chools r ely heavily o n donations. T he fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government f unding. But government s upport has failed to keep pace with rising student number. The decline in government support has made funding-raising an increasing necessary ability among administrators and has hiring committees hungry for Americans.In the past few years, prominent schools a round the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison。
大学英语四级真题阅读练习10套(附参考答案)
大学英语4级真题Passage 1The endless debate about “work-life balance’’ often contains a hopeful footnote about stay-at-home dads. If American society and business won5t make it easier on future female leaders who choose to have children, there is still the ray of hope that increasing numbers of full-time fathers will. But based on today’s socioeconomic trends, this hope is, unfortunately, misguided.It’s true that the number of men who have left work to do their thing as full-time parents has doubled in a decade, but ifs still very small：only 0. 8% of married couples where the stay-at-home father was out of the labor force for a year. Even that percentage is likely inflated by men thrust into their caretaker role by a downsizing. This is simply not a large enough group to reduce the social stigma(污名)and force other adjustments necessary to supporting men in this decision, even if only for a relatively short time.Even shorter times away from work for working fathers are already difficult. A study found that 85% of new fathers take some time off after the birth of a child—but for all but a few, it’s a week or two at most. Meanwhile, the average for women who take leave is more than 10 weeks. Such choices impact who moves up in the organization. While you’re away, someone else is doing your work, making your sales, taking care of your customers. That can’t help you at work. It can only hurt you. Women, of course, face the same issues of returning after a long absence. But with many more women than men choosing to leave the workforce entirely to raise families, returning from an extended parental leave doesn’t raise as many eyebrows as it does for men.Women would make more if they didn't break their earning trajectory (轨迹）by leaving the workforce, or if higher-paying professions were more family-friendly. In the foreseeable future, stay- at-home fathers may make all the difference for individual families, but their presence won’t reduce the numbers of high-potential women who are forced to choose between family and career.56.What gives women a ray of hope to achieve work-life balance?A)More men taking an extended parental leave.B)Peopled changing attitudes towards family.C)More women entering business management.D)The improvement of their socioeconomic status.57.Why does the author say the hope for more full-time fathers is misguided?A)Women are better at taking care of children.B)Many men value work more than their family.C)Their number is too small to make a difference.D)Not many men have the chance to stay at home.58.Why do few men take a long parental leave?A)A long leave will have a negative impact on their career.B)They just have too many responsibilities to fulfill at work.C)The economic loss will be too much for their family to bear.D)They are likely to get fired if absent from work for too long.59.What is the most likely reaction to men returning from an extended parental leave?A) Jealousy. C) Admiration. B) Surprise.D) Sympathy.60.What does the author say about high-potential women in the not-too-distant future?A)They will benefit from the trend of more fathers staying at home.B)They will find high-paying professions a bit more family-friendly.C)They are unlikely to break their career trajectory to raise a family.D)They will still face the difficult choice between career and children.答案：BCABDPassage 2Some of the world’s most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food riots and hunger make news. But the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decline in the growth in yields of some of the world’s major crops. A new study by the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal looks at where, and how far, this decline is occurring.The authors take a vast number of data points for the four most important crops :rice, wheat, com and soyabeans (大豆).They find that on between 24% and 39% of all harvested areas, the improvement in yields that took place before the 1980s slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s. There are two worrying features of the slowdown. One is that it has been particularly sharp in the world’s most(人口多的）countries, India and China. Their ability to feed themselves has been an important source of relative stability both within the countries and on world food markets. That self-sufficiency cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down or reverse.Second, yield growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in com and soyabeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods, accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Com and soyabeans are more important as feed grains. The authors note that “we have preferentially focused our crop improvement efforts on feeding animals and cars rather than on crops that feed people and are the basis of food security in much of the world. ”, The report qualifies the more optimistic findings of another new paper which suggests that the world will not have to dig up a lot more land for farming in order to feed 9 billion people in 2050, as the Food and Agriculture Organisation has argued.Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed up for crops might be able to revert (回返）to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in yields, which may not actually happen.61.What does the author try to draw attention to?A) Food riots and hunger in the world.C) The decline of the grain yield growth.B) News headlines in the leading media.D) The food supply in populous countries.62.Why does the author mention India and China in particular?A)Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets.B)Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years.C)Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns.D)Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted.63.What does the new study by the two universities say about recent crop improvement efforts?A)They fail to produce the same remarkable results as before the 1980s.B)They contribute a lot to the improvement of human food production.C)They play a major role in guaranteeing the food security of the world.D)They focus more on the increase of animal feed than human food grains.64.What does the Food and Agriculture Organisation say about world food production in thecoming decades?A)The growing population will greatly increase the pressure on world food supplies.B)The optimistic prediction about food production should be viewed with caution.C)The "slowdown of the growth in yields of major food crops will be reversed.D)The world will be able to feed its population without increasing farmland.65.How does the author view the argument of the Food and Agriculture Organisation?A)It is built on the findings of a new study.B)It is based on a doubtful assumption.C)It is backed by strong evidence.D)It is open to further discussion.答案：CADDBPassage 3Junk food is everywhere. We’re eating way too much of it. Most of us know what we’re doing and yet we do it anyway.So here’s a suggestion offered by two researchers at the Rand Corporation : Why not take a lesson from alcohol control policies and apply them to where food is sold and how it’s displayed?“Many policy measures to control obesity(肥胖症）assume that people consciously and rationally choose what and how much they eat and therefore focus on providing information and more access to healthier foods,” note the two researchers.“In contrast,” the researchers continue, “ many regulations that don’t assume people make rational choices have been successfully applied to control alcohol, a substance—like food—of which immoderate consumption leads to serious health problems. ’’The research references studies of peopled behavior with food and alcohol and results of alcohol restrictions, and then lists five regulations that the researchers think might be promising if applied to junk foods. Among them:Density restrictions：licenses to sell alcohol aren’t handed out unplanned to all comers but are allotted (分配) based on the number of places in an area that already sell alcohol. These make alcohol less easy to get and reduce the number of psychological cues to drink.Similarly, the researchers say, being presented with junk food stimulates our desire to eat it. So why not limit the density of food outlets, particularly ones that sell food rich in empty calories? And why not limit sale of food in places that aren5t primarily food stores?Display and sales restrictions: California has a rule prohibiting alcohol displays near the cash registers in gas stations, and in most places you can’t buy alcohol at drive-through facilities. At supermarkets, food companies pay to have their wares in places where they’re easily seen. One could remove junk food to the back of the store and ban them from the shelves at checkout lines. The other measures include restricting portion sizes, taxing and prohibiting special price deals for junk foods, and placing warning labels on the products.56.What does the author say about junk food?A)People should be educated not to eat too much.B)It is widely consumed despite its ill reputation.C)Its temptation is too strong for people to resist.D)It causes more harm than is generally realized.57.What do the Rand researchers think of many of the policy measures to control obesity?A) They should be implemented effectively.C) They are based on wrong assumptions.B) They provide misleading information.D) They help people make rational choices.58.Why do policymakers of alcohol control place density restrictions?A)Few people are able to resist alcohol’s temptations.B)There are already too many stores selling alcohol.C)Drinking strong alcohol can cause social problems.D)Easy access leads to customers’ over-consumption.59.What is the purpose of California’s rule about alcohol display in gas stations?A)To effectively limit the density of alcohol outlets.B)To help drivers to give up the habit of drinking.C)To prevent possible traffic jams in nearby areas.D)To get alcohol out of drivers’ immediate sight.60.What is the general guideline the Rand researchers suggest about junk food control?A)Guiding people to make rational choices about food.B)Enhancing people’s awareness of their own health.C)Borrowing ideas from alcohol control measures.D)Resorting to economic, legal and psychological means.答案：CCDDCPassage 4Kodak’s decision to file for bankruptcy (破产）protection is a sad, though not unexpected, turning point for a leading American corporation that pioneered consumer photography and dominated the film market for decades, but ultimately failed to adapt to the digital revolution.Although many attribute Kodak’s downfall to “complacency ( 自满)”that explanation doesn’t acknowledge the lengths to which the company went to reinvent itself. Decades ago, Kodak anticipated that digital photography would overtake film—and in fact, Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975—but in a fateful decision, the company chose to shelf its new discovery to focus on its traditional film business.It wasn’t that Kodak was blind to the future, said Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, but rather that it failed to execute on a strategy to confront it. By the time the company realized its mistake, it was too late.Kodak is an example of a firm that was very much aware that they had to adapt, and spent a lot of money trying to do so, but ultimately failed. Large companies have a difficult time switching to new markets because there is a temptation to put existing assets into the new businesses.Although Kodak anticipated the inevitable rise of digital photography, its corporate(企业的）culture was too rooted in the successes of the past for it to make the clean break necessary to fully embrace the future. They were a company stuck in time. Their history was so important to them. Now their history has become a liability.Kodak’s downfall over the last several decades was dramatic. In 1976, the company commanded 90% of the market for photographic film and 85% of the market for cameras. But the 1980s brought new competition from Japanese film company Fuji Photo, which undermined Kodak by offering lower prices for film and photo supplies. Kodak’s decision not to pursue the role of official film for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was a major miscalculation. The bid went instead to Fuji, which exploited its sponsorship to win a permanent foothold in the marketplace.61.What do we learn about Kodak?A)It went bankrupt all of a sudden.B)It is approaching its downfall.C)It initiated the digital revolution in the film industry.D)It is playing the dominant role in the film market.62.Why does the author mention Kodak’s invention of the first digital camera?A)To show its early attempt to reinvent itself.B)To show its effort to overcome complacency.C)To show its quick adaptation to the digital revolution.D)To show its will to compete with Japan’s Fuji Photo.63.Why do large companies have difficulty switching to new markets?A)They find it costly to give up their existing assets.B)They tend to be slow in confronting new challenges.C)They are unwilling to invest in new technology.D)They are deeply stuck in their glorious past.64.What does the author say Kodak’s history has become?A) A burden.B) A mirror.C) A joke.D) A challenge.65.What was Kodak’s fatal mistake?A) Its blind faith in traditional photography.C) Its refusal to sponsor the 1984 Olympics.B) Its failure to see Fuji Photo’s emergence.D) Its overconfidence in its corporate culture.答案：BADACPassage 5When it’s five o’clock, people leave their office. The length of the workday, for many workers, is defined by time. They leave when the clock tells them they’re done.These days, the time is everywhere: not just on clocks or watches, but on cell-phones and computers. That may be a bad thing, particularly at work. New research shows that clock-based work schedules hinder morale (士气) and creativity.Clock-timers organize their day by blocks of minutes and hours. For example：a meeting from 9 a. m. to 10 a. m. , research from 10 a. m. to noon, etc. On the other hand, task-timers have a list of things they want to accomplish. They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.What, then, are the effects of thinking about time in these different ways? Does one make us more productive? Better at the tasks at hand? Happier? In experiments conducted by Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier, they had participants organize different activities—from project planning, holiday shopping, to yoga —by time or to-do list to measure how they performed under “clock time vs “task time.” They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive. They tend to enjoy the moment when something good is happening, and seize opportunities that come up.The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in business culture. Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.This might be a small change to the way we view work and the office, but the researchersargue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by dock time. While most people will still probably need, and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when perfoming a job that requires more creativity. It’ll make those tasks easier, arid the task- doers will be happier.56.What does the author think of time displayed everywhere?A)It makes everybody time-conscious.B)It is a convenience for work and life.C)It may have a negative effect on creative work.D)It clearly indicates the fast pace of modem life.57.How do people usually go about their work according to the author?A)They combine clock-based and task-based planning.B)They give priority to the most urgent task on hand.C)They set a time limit for each specific task.D)They accomplish their tasks one by one.58.What did Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier find in their experiments about clocks timers?A) They seize opportunities as they come up.C) They have more control over their lives.B) They always get their work done in time.D) They tend to be more productive.59.What do the researchers say about today’s business culture?A)It does not support the strategies adopted by smart companies.B)It does not attach enough importance to task-based practice.C)It places more emphasis on work efficiency than on workers5 lives.D)It aims to bring employees, potential and creativity into full play.60.What do the researchers suggest?A)Task-based timing is preferred for doing creative work. B)It is important to keep a balance between work and life.C)Performing creative jobs tends to make workers happier. D)A scientific standard should be adopted in job evaluation.答案：CADAAPassage 6Martha Stewart was charged, tried and competed of a crime in 2004. As she neared the end of her prison sentence, a well-known columnist wrote that she was “ paying her dues,” and that “ there is simply no reason for anyone to attempt to deny her right to start anew.”Surely, the American ideal of second chances should not be reserved only for the rich and powerful. Unfortunately, many federal and state laws impose post-conviction restrictions on a shockingly large number of Americans, who are prevented from ever fully paying their debt to society.At least 65 million people in the United States have a criminal record. This can result in severe penalties that continue long after punishment is completed.Many of these penalties are imposed regardless of the seriousness of the offense or the person’s individual circumstances. Laws can restrict or ban voting, access to public housing, and professional and business licensing. They can affect a person’s ability to get a job and qualification for benefits.In all, more than 45, 000 laws and rules serve to exclude vast numbers of people from fullyparticipating in American life.Some laws make sense. No one advocates letting someone convicted of pedophilia（恋童癖）work in a school. But too often collateral(附随的）consequences bear no relation to public safety. Should a woman who possessed a small amount of drugs years ago be permanently unable to be licensed as a nurse?These laws are also counterproductive, since they make it harder for people with criminal records to find housing or land a job, two key factors that reduce backsliding.A recent report makes several recommendations, including the abolition of most post-conviction penalties, except for those specifically needed to protect public safety. Where the penalties are not a must, they should be imposed only if the facts of a case support it.The point is not to excuse or forget the crime. Rather, it is to recognize that in America’s vast criminal justice system, second chances are crucial. It is in no one’s interest to keep a large segment of the population on the margins of society.61.What does the well-known columnist’s remark about Martha Stewart suggest?A)Her past record might stand in her way to a new life.B)Her business went bankrupt while she was in prison.C)Her release from prison has drawn little attention.D)Her prison sentence might have been extended.62.What do we learn from the second paragraph about many criminals in America?A)They backslide after serving their terms in prison.B)They are deprived of chances to turn over a new leaf.C)They receive severe penalties for committing minor offenses.D)They are convicted regardless of their individual circumstances.63.What are the consequences for many Americans with a criminal record?A) They remain poor for the rest of their lives.C) They are marginalized in society.B) They are deprived of all social benefits.D) They are deserted by their family.64.What does the author think of the post-conviction laws and rules?A)They help to maintain social stability.B)Some of them have long been outdated.C)They are hardly understood by the public.D)A lot of them have negative effects on society.65.What is the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?A)To create opportunities for criminals to reform themselves.B)To appeal for changes in America’s criminal justice system.C)To ensure that people with a criminal record live a decent life.D)To call people’s attention to prisoners’ conditions in America.答案：ABCDBPassage 7The wallet is heading for extinction. As a day-to-day essential，it will die off with the generation who read print newspapers. The kind of shopping—where you hand over notes and count out change in return—now happens only in the most minor of our retail encounters, like buying a bar of chocolate or a pint of milk from a comer shop. At the shops where you spend any real money, that money is increasingly abstracted. And this is more and more true, the higher upthe scale you go. At the most cutting-edge retail stores—Victoria Beckham on Dover Street, for instance—you don’t go and stand at any kind of cash register when you decide to pay. The staff are equipped with iPads to take your payment while you relax on a sofa.Which is nothing more or less than excellent service, if you have the money. But across society, the abstraction of the idea of cash makes me uneasy. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned. But earning money isn’t quick or easy for most of us. Isn’t it a bit weird that spending it should happen in half a blink (眨眼）of an eye? Doesn’t a wallet—that time-honoured Friday-night feeling of pleasing, promising fatness—represent something that matters?But I’ll leave the economics to the experts. What bothers me about the death of the wallet is the change it represents in our physical environment. Everything about the look and feel of a wallet—the way the fastenings and materials wear and tear and loosen with age, the plastic and paper and gold and silver, and handwritten phone numbers and printed cinema tickets—is the very opposite of what our world is becoming. The opposite of a wallet is a smartphone or an iPad. The rounded edges, cool glass，smooth and unknowable as a pebble (鹅卵石）. Instead of digging through pieces of paper and peering into comers, we move our fingers left and right. No more counting out coins. Show your wallet, if you still have one. It may not be here much longer.56.What is happening to the wallet?A) It is disappearing.C) It is becoming costly,B) It is being fattened.D) It is changing in style.57.How are business transactions done in big modem stores?A)Individually.C) In the abstract.B)Electronically.D) Via a cash register.58.What makes the author feel uncomfortable nowadays?A)Saving money is becoming a thing of the past.B)The pleasing Friday-night feeling is fading.C)Earning money is getting more difficult.D)Spending money is so fast and easy.59.Why does the author choose to write about what’s happening to the wallet?A)It represents a change in the modem world.B)It has something to do with everybody’s life.C)It marks the end of a time-honoured tradition.D)It is the concern of contemporary economists.60.What can we infer from the passage about the author?A)He is resistant to social changes.B)He is against technological progress.C)He feels reluctant to part with the traditional wallet.D)He feels insecure in the ever-changing modem world.答案：ABDADPassage 8Everybody sleeps, but what people stay up late to catch—or wake up early in order not to miss— varies by culture.From data collected, it seems the things that cause us to lose the most sleep, on average, are sporting events, time changes, and holidays.Around the world, people changed sleep patterns thanks to the start or end of daylight savings time, Russians, for example, began to wake up about a half-hour later each day after President Vladimir Putin shifted the country permanently to “winter time” starting on October 26.Russia’s other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays. On New Year’s Eve, Russians have the world’s latest bedtime，hitting the hay at around 3:30 a.m.、Russians also get up an hour later on International Women’s Day, the day for treating and celebrating female relatives.Similarly, Americans, late nights, late mornings, and longest sleeps fall on three-day weekends. Canada got the least sleep of the year the night it beat Sweden in the Olympic hockey （冰球）. The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation(剥夺）.The worst night for sleep in the U. K was the night of the England-Italy match on June 14. Brits stayed up a half-hour later to watch it, and then they woke up earlier than usual the next morning thanks to summer nights, the phenomenon in which the sun barely sets in northern countries in the summertime. That was nothing, though, compared to Germans, Italians, and the French, who stayed up around an hour and a half later on various days throughout the summer to watch the Cup.It should be made clear that not everyone has a device to record their sleep patterns; in some of these nations, it’s likely that only the richest people do. And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person. Even if that’s the case, though, the above findings are still striking. If the most health-conscious among us have such deep swings in our shut-eye levels throughout the year, how much sleep are the rest of us losing?61.What does the author say about peopled sleeping habits?A) They are culture-related.C) They change with the seasons.B) They affect peopled health.D) They vary from person to person.62.What do we learn about the Russians regarding sleep?A)They don’t fall asleep until very late.C)They get less sleep on public holidays.B)They don’t sleep much on weekends.D)They sleep longer than people elsewhere.63.What is the major cause for Europeans’ loss of sleep?A)The daylight savings time.C)The World Cup.B)The colorful night life.D)The summertime.64.What is the most probable reason for some rich people to use a device to record their sleep patterns?A) They have trouble falling asleep.C) They are involved in a sleep research.B) They want to get sufficient sleep.D) They want to go to bed on regular hours.65.What does .the author imply in the last paragraph?A)Sleeplessness does harm to peopled health.B)Few people really know the importance of sleep.C)It is important to study our sleep patterns.D)Average people probably sleep less than the rich.答案：ACCBBPassage 9Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it?It wouldn't be surprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because you couldn't reproduce it in most of the US either. What does it take to make a Silicon Valley?It's the right people. If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from Silicon Valley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.You only need two kinds of people to create a technology hub (中心) : rich people and nerds (痴迷科研的人).Observation bears this out. Within the US, towns have become star, up hubs if and only if they have both rich people and nerds. Few startups happen in Miami, for example, because although it's full of rich people, it has few nerds. It's not the kind of place nerds like.Whereas Pittsburgh has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people.The top US Computer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon. MIT yielded Route 128.Stanford and Berkeley yielded Silicon Valley. But what did Carnegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh? And what happened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list?I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both. The weather is terrible, particularly in winter, and there's no interesting old city to make up for it, as there is in Boston. Rich people don't want to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca. So while there're plenty of hackers (电脑迷) who could start startups, there's no one to invest in themDo you really need the rich people? Wouldn't it work to have the government invest in the nerds?No, it would not. Start up investors are a distinct type of rich people. They tend to have a lot of experience themselves in the technology business. This helps them pick the right startups, and means they can supply advice and connections as well as money. And the fact that they have a personal stake in the outcome makes them really pay attention.56.What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?A. Its success is hard to copy anywhere else.B. It is the biggest technology hub in the US.C. Its fame in high technology is incomparable.D. It leads the world in information technology.57.What makes Miami unfit to produce a Silicon Valley?A. Lack of incentive for investment.B. Lack of the right kind of talents.C. Lack of government support.D. Lack of famous universities.58.In what way is Carnegie-Mellon different from Stanford, Berkeley and MIT?A. Its location is not as attractive to rich people.B. Its science departments are not nearly as good.C. It does not produce computer hackers and nerds.D. It does not pay much attention to business startups.59.What does the author imply about Boston?A. It has pleasant weather all year round.。
大学四级英语考试阅读习题及答案
大学四级英语考试阅读习题及答案导读：我根据大家的需要整理了一份关于《大学四级英语考试阅读习题及答案》的内容，具体内容：阅读理解在英语四级考试中中占有相当大分值，因此需要考生重视英语阅读能力的提升。
下面我为大家带来大学四级英语考试阅读习题，供考生阅读练习。
大学四级英语考试阅读习题(一)T...阅读理解在英语四级考试中中占有相当大分值，因此需要考生重视英语阅读能力的提升。
下面我为大家带来大学四级英语考试阅读习题，供考生阅读练习。
大学四级英语考试阅读习题(一)The motor vehicle has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented. Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral rights of others. So the massacre on the road may be regarded as a social problem.In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless people or ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say. But it is a principle both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when ones actions could bring death or damage to others.A minority of the killers go even beyond carelessness to total negligence.Researchers have estimated that as many as 80 per cent of allautomobile accidents can be attributed to the psychological condition of the driver. Emotional upsets can distort drivers reactions, slow their judgment, and blind them to dangers that might otherwise be evident. The experts warn that it is vital for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep ones emotions under control.Yet the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not confined to drivers. Street walkers regularly violate traffic regulations; they are at fault in most vehicle walker accidents. And many cyclists even believe that they are not subject to the basic rules of the road.Significant legal advances have been made towards safer driving in the past few years. Safety standards for vehicle have been raised both at the point of manufacture and through periodicroad-worthiness inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave. The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to convince people that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration. Those who fail to do all these things pose a threat to those with whom they share the road.62. The word "massacre" in line 3 paragraph one means _____A) mass-killing.B) disaster.C) tragedy.D) accident.63. What is the authors main purpose in writing the passage?A) To show that the motor vehicle is a very dangerous invention.B) To promote understanding between careless drivers and street walkers.C) To discuss traffic problems and propose possible solutions.D) To warn drivers of the importance of safe driving.64. According to the passage, traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem because _____.A) autos have become most destructive to mankindB) people usually pay little attention to law and moralityC) civilization brings much harm to peopleD) the lack of virtue is becoming more severe65. Why does the author mention the psychological condition of the driver in Paragraph Three?A) To give an example of the various reasons for road accidents.B) To show how important it is for drivers to be emotionally healthy.C) To show some of the inaccurate estimations by researchers.D) To illustrate the hidden tensions in the course of driving.66. Who are NOT mentioned as being responsible for the road accidents?A) Careless bicycle-riders.B) Mindless people walking in the street.C) Irresponsible drivers.D) Irresponsible manufactures of automobiles.大学四级英语考试阅读习题答案ACBBD大学四级英语考试阅读习题(二)Merchant and passenger ships are generally required to have a life preserver for every person aboard and in many cases, a certain percentage of smaller sizes for children. According to United States requirements, life preservers must design, reversible capable of being quickly adjusted to fit the uninitiated individual, and must be so designed as to support the wearer in the water in an upright or slightly backward position.Sufficient buoyancy(浮力) to support the wearer should be retained by the life preserver after 48 hours in the water, and it should be reliable even after long period of storage. Thus it should be made of materials resistant to sunlight, gasoline, and oils, andit should be not easily set on fire.?The position in which the life preserver will support a person who jumps or falls into the water is most important, as is its tendency to turn the wearer in the water from a face-down position to an upright or slightly backward position, with his face clear of the water, even when the wearer is exhausted or unconscious.The method of adjustment to the body should be simple, andself-evident to uninitiated persons even in the dark under the confused conditions, which follow a disaster. Thus, the life be reversible that it is nearly impossible to get it on wrong. Catches, straps, and ties should be kept to a minimum. In addition, the life preserver must be adjustable to the wide variety of shapes and sizes of wearers, since this greatly affects the position of floating and the self-righting qualities. A suitable life also be comfortable to wear at all times, in and out of the water, not so heavy as to encourage to take it off on shipboard while the ship is in danger, nor so burdensome that it hinders a person in the water while trying to swim.1. The passage is mainly about____.A) the uses of life preserversB) the design of life preserversC) the materials for life preserversD) the buoyancy of life preservers2. According to the passage, a life be first of all ____.A) adjustable B) comfortable C) self-evident D) self-righting3. United States Coast Guard does NOT require the life preserver to be made ____.A) with as few strings as possibleB) capable of being worn on both sidesC) according to each wearers sizeD) comfortable and light to wear4. By "the uninitiated individual" (Para. 1, Line. 4) the author refers to the person ____.A) who has not been instructed how to use a life preserverB) who has a little experience in using a life preserverC) who uses a life preserver without permissionD) who becomes nervous before a disaster5. What would happen if a person were supported by the life preserver in a wrong position?A) The waves would move him backwards.B) The water would choke him.C) He would immediately sink to the bottom.D) He would be exhausted or unconscious.大学四级英语考试阅读习题答案1. B。
英语四级考试阅读理解练习题附答案解析
英语四级考试阅读理解练习题附答案解析导读：我根据大家的需要整理了一份关于《英语四级考试阅读理解练习题附答案解析》的内容，具体内容：离英语四级考试越来越近，考生想要提高阅读技巧就要多做英语阅读练习。
下面我为大家带来英语四级考试阅读理解练习题，供各位考生阅读练习。
英语四级考试阅读理解练习题(一)Peo...离英语四级考试越来越近，考生想要提高阅读技巧就要多做英语阅读练习。
下面我为大家带来英语四级考试阅读理解练习题，供各位考生阅读练习。
英语四级考试阅读理解练习题(一)People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten and what cannot beeaten. If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, you would consider octopus a greatdelicacy. You would not be able to understand why some people find it repulsive. On theother hand, your stomach would turn at the idea of frying potatoes in animal fat -- the normallyaccepted practice in many northern countries. The sad truth is that most of us have beenbrought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail. Cooked inwine, snails are a great luxury in variousparts of the world. There are countless people who,ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food. My friend, Robert, livesin a country where snails are despised. As his flat is in a large town, he has no garden of hisown. For years he has been asking me to collectsnails from my garden and take them to him.The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after heavy shower, I happened to bewalking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of myprize plants. Acting on a sudden impulse, I collected several dozen, put them in a paperbag,and took them to Robert. Robert was delighted to see me and equally pleased with my littlegift. I left the bag in the hall and Robert and I went into the living room where we talked for acouple of hours. I had forgotten all about the snails when Robert suddenly said that I must stayto dinner. Snails would, of course, be the main dish. I did not fancy the idea and I reluctantlyfollowed Robert out of the room. To our dismay, we saw that there were snailshad escaped from the paper bag and had taken complete possession of the hall!I havenever been able to look at a snail since then.练习题：Choose correct answers to the question:1.The underlined word "repulsive" in Paragraph 1 most probably means"_____".A.disgustingB. pleasantC. acceptableD. delicious2.We can infer from Paragraph 3 that when collecting the snails, the author____ .A.was glad that he could share them with his friendB.was angry because they might damage his beloved plantsC.was excited about being able to give his friend a surpriseD.was depressed because it was hard to catch them all3.The author finds that snails _______ .A. are as delicious as octopusB. are disliked in his hometownC.are the most controversial foodD. are as popular as fried potatoes4.The best title for the passage might be "______"?A.One Mans Meat is Another Mans PoisonB.Foods and CulturesC.Snail and OctopusD.People Are Illogical in Front of Delicacies5.As indicated in the passage,people love different foods mainly because____A.they live in different places.B.they learn to eat certain foods in their familiesC.they have different understanding of delicacyD.they are too illogical to explain英语四级考试阅读理解练习题答案1.[A] 词义推断题。
英语四级仔细阅读练习及答案解析
英语四级仔细阅读练习及答案解析(1)Section CDirections：There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage isfollowed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each ofthem there are four choices marked A.，B.，C.and D..You shouM decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on thefollowingpassage.With so many of the deaths each year from around the world directly related to poor health choices we make.world health leaders have set a goal of lowering the number of preventable deaths by 25%from 2010 rates by 2025.That would save 37 million lives over 15 years.Reporting in thejournal Lancet，public health experts note that the ways to prevent those deaths areat surprising.But acting on those strategies will take individual and political will.Heres how the experts hope to do it.Not smoke.The UN General Assembly set a target of cutting smoking around the world by 30%by 2025.Already,higher-income nations that already adopted smoking bans in public places and instituted tobacco taxes have seen drops in smoking rates，however,residents in lower-income nations continue to light up at high rates.Limit excessive drinking.While moderate amounts of alcohol have been linked to some health benefits，overindulging can increase the risk of certain cancers and liver disease，as well as contribute to high blood cating people about the risks of excessive drinking，as well as instituting taxes on alcoholic products，has been somewhat successful in curbing(遏制)abuse.Cut back on salt.High sodium (钠)diets can increase blood pressure and contribute to heart disease and stroke，and in many developed countries，people eat several times the amount the salt their bodies need.In the U.S.，the average American consumes about 800mg more salt every day than health experts consider acceptable.Promoting alternatives，such as the citric acid in lemons，to satisfy the need for salt， Call help to bring sodiunl consumption down.Get blood pressure under ck of exercise and high sodium diets contribute to hypertension(高血压)，and uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart disease.Monitoring blood pressure with regular screenings，and treating elevated levels with changes in diet and exercise，or medications if necessary,are the most effective ways to address this risk factor.Address diabetes.Closely tied to the obesity epidemic(肥胖病)that now affects developing as well as developed nations，diabetes can increase the risk of heart disease，kidney disease and other conditions that can shorten life.Studies show that lifestyle changes incorporating healthy diets low in sugar and physical activity call be as effective as medications in keeping blood sugar levels in check.56.What does the author mean by sayin9“acting on those strategies will take individual and political will”(Line 4-5，para.1)?A.Both politicians and individuals wish to put the strategies into practice.B. Conducting those strategies needs to consider both personal and official will.C.Carrying out those strategies needs both individual and govemmental support.D.Either individual or government can carry out those strategies.57.What have high.income countries done to smoking?A. Banned smoking in the public and reduced tobacco taxes.B.Banned public smoking and established tobacco taxes.C. Dropped smoking rates and banned smoking in public.D. Dropped smoking rates and lowered tobacco taxes.58.What is the authors suggestion to sodium consumption?A.Eat lemons instead of excessive salt to cut down sodium consumption.B.Take in as less salt as possible for the sake of health.C. Take in at least 800mg of salt every day.D.Never take in salt but citric acid to keep fit.59.What carl you learn about hypertension from the passage?A. Moderate amount of alcoholis good for blood pressure contr01.B.American people have a less opportunity to develop hypertension.C.Regular blood pressure monitoring can reduce the risk of diabetes.D.Controlling blood pressure properly can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.60.What should we do to address diabetes?A.Keep a low.sugar diet.B.Take physical exercise.C. Receive drug treatment.D. All of the above.56.What does the author mean by saying“acting on those strategies will take individual and political will”(Line4.5，para.1)?作者说引号中的这句话是什么意思?A.Both politicians and individuals wish to put the strategies into practice.政府和个人都希望将这些策略投入使用。
英语四级阅读理解考试题及答案
英语四级阅读理解考试题及答案英语四级阅读理解考试题及答案英语四级阅读理解考试题及答案篇1Trees should only be pruned when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , fortunately,the number of such reasons is small. Pruning involves the cutting away of obergrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow inits own way.First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut diseaed or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thuscause wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air.One result of pruning is that an open wound isleft on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but itis a wound that will heal. Often there is a race between the healing and the desease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce which has been pruned smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hurs and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually without interference from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts yu make will bleed. Ifthis does happen,it is, of course,impossible to paint them properly.1.．Why should pruning be done?A．To make the tree grow taller. B．To improve the shape of the tree.C．to get rid of the small ranches . D．To make the small branches thicker.2.．Trees bee unhealthy if the gardener__________.A. giving a tree a special shape and adefinite heightB. removing small side branches and making atree look less thickC. allowing too many branches to grow in themiddleD. having a tree surrounded by many othertrees3.．Why is a special material painted on the tree?A．To help a wound to dry. B．to cover a rough surface.C．To make a wound smooth. D．To prevent disease entering a wound.4.．A good gardener prunes a tree _________ .A．several times throughout the year B．as quickly as possibleC．occasionally when necessary D．regularly every winter5.．What was the author’s p urpose whenwritingthis passage?A．To discuss different methods of pruning.B．To introduce some mon knowledge of pruning.C．To explain how trees developdisease.D．To give practical instruction for pruning atree.英语四级阅读理解考试题及答案篇21. According to the report,______. A) many short sleepers need less sleep by nature B) many short sleepers are obliged to reduce their nightly sleeptime because they are busy with their work C) long sleepers sleep a longer period of time during the day D) many long sleepers preserve their sleeping habit formed during their childhood2. Many “short sleepers” are likely to hold the view that _____. A) sleep is a withdrawal from the reality B) sleep interferes with their sound judgement C) sleep is the least expensive item on their routine program D) sleep is the best way to deal with psychological troubles3. It is stated in the third paragraph that short sleepers _____. A) are ideally vigorous even under the pressures of life B) often neglect the consequences of inadequate sleep C) do not know how to relax properlyD) are more unlikely to run into mental problems4. When sometimes they cannot enjoy adequate sleep, the long sleepers might ____. A) appear disturbed B) bee energetic C) feel dissatisfied D) be extremely depressed5. Which of the following is Not included in the passage? A) If one sleeps inadequately, his performance suffers and his memory is weakened B) The sleep patterns of short sleepers are exactly the sane as those shown by many mental patients C) Long and short sleepers differ in their attitudes towards sleep D) Short sleepers would be better off with more rest【答案及详解】答案：DCBAB 贝克尔和哈特曼报道说，“睡眠少的人”在未进入少年期之前，其正常睡眠时间大致与所需要的时间差不多。
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英语四级阅读练习及答案Passage One:As the horizons of science have expended, two main groups of scientists have emerged. One is the pure scientist, the other, applied scientist.The pure or theoretical scientist does original research in order to understand the basic laws of the nature that govern our world. The applied scientist adapts this knowledge to practice problems. Neither is more important than the others, however, for the groups are very much related.Sometimes, however, the applied scientist finds the “problems” for the theoretical scientist to work on. Let’s take a particular problem of the aircraft industry: heat-resistant metals. Many of the metals and alloys that perform satisfactorily in car cannot be used in ajet-propelled (喷气推进式) plane, New alloys must be used, because the jet engine operates at a much higher temperature than an automobile engine. The turbine wheel (涡轮) in a turbojet (涡轮喷气发动机) must withstand temperatures as high as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, so air craft designers have to turn to the research metallurgist for the development of metals and alloys that would dothe job in jet-propelled planes.Diving scientists into two groups-pure and applied-is only one broad way of classifying them, however. When scientific knowledge was very limited, there was no need for men to specialize. Today, with the great body of scientific knowledge, scientists specialize in many different fields. Within each field, there is even further subdivision. And, with finer and finer subdivisions, the various sciences have become more and more interrelated until no branch is entirely independent of the others. Many new specialties-geophysics and biochemistry, for example-have resulted from combining the knowledge of two or more science.1.The applied scientistA) does original research to the basic laws of natureB) applied the result of research to practical problemsC) provides the basic knowledge for the pure scientistD) is not interested in practical problems2. The example given in the third paragraph illustrates howA) pure science operates independently of applied scienceB) the applied scientist discover the basic laws of natureC) applied science defines all the areas in which basic research is doneD) applied science suggests problems for the basic scientist3. Finer and finer subdivision in the field of science has resulted inA) the loss of the need for specialistsB) greater interdependence of each scienceC) greater dependence of each scienceD) the need for only one classification if scientists4. Geophysics and biochemistry are .A) examples of new specialties resulting from combing sciencesB) totally dependent sciencesC) among the oldest sciences known to manD) both B)and C)5. “The horizons of science have expanded,”(para 1) means thatA) scientists can see further out into spaceB) science has developed more field of human endeavorC) the horizon changes size from year to yearD) scientists have made a machine for enlarging the horizonPassage Two:Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the friendship for granted, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with only a number ofpeople, we are usually friends with only a very few. For example, the average among students is about 6 per person. In all the cases of friendly relationship, two people like one another and enjoy being together, but beyond that, the degree of intimacy between them and the reasons for their shared interest vary enormously .As we get to know people we take into account things like ages ,race, economic condition, social position, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of prime importance, it is more difficult to get on with people when there is a marked difference in age and background. Some friendly relationships can be kept on argument and discussion, but it is usually for close friends to have similar ideas and beliefs, to have attitude and interests in common—they often talk about “being on the same wavelength”. It generally takes time to reach this point. And the more intimately involved people become, the more they rely on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to break an promise. Equally, friends have to learn to put up with annoying habits and to tolerant differences of opinion.In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the association between two people. But the supporting and understanding of each other that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a powerful bond,which can overcome differences in background and break down of age, class and race.6.According to the author, .A) all those who get on well with each other are friendsB) friends are closer than people who just get on well with each otherC) everyone understand clearly how to make friendsD) every students has 6 friends7. When we make friends, we consider such things as age, race and background becauseA) it is not easy to have a friendly relationship with people when there is a marked difference in age and backgroundB) the degreed of friendship between people and the reason for their shared interests can vary greatlyC) friends need to know all these thingsD) these are the most important factors to make friends8. In paragraph 2 , “being on the same wavelength” means.A) using the same frequency while talkingB) keeping the same friendly relationship as other people doC) having similar ideas, beliefs, attitudes and interestsD) having the same background9. Which of the following is not implied or directly stated in thepassage?A) Even friends may have differences of opinionsB) Friends never argue with each otherC) It generally takes time for people to become close friends.D) Someone’s habits may annoy his friends.10. To strengthen friendly relationship, peopleA) must hold friendship ceremoniesB) have to eliminate differences in backgroundC) should make friends with those who are of the same age and the same raceD) should support and understand each other through shared experiences and emotionsPassage Three:The movement toward centralization of authority in state departments of education has in some cases created friction with communities, which regard this modern policy as usurpation(篡夺,夺取)of their rights. Constitutionally, there can be no doubt that the state has a right to prescribe(指示)to the local districts in any degree which it will. Legislatures(立法机构)have been given power by State Constitutions which make them the most importantpolicy-making agent for education in a state. Legislatures establish the framework(机构)for education; they make direct appropriations for education; they create educational institutions; and they determine whether of not certain educational programs are to be authorized, expanded, decreased, or eliminated(废除). The Legislature usually authorizes a State education department to administer its policies. It may, however, provide for a state board of education to advise it regarding policy and to administer the educational program. The central agency may define the extent of the local district and may determine in detail what shall be done within this district. While this is the constitutional right of the state, the practical fact is that the local district conducts its schools in very large measure according to its own desires, and local officers often talk upon state supervision as indefensible interference11. About the centralization of authority in state department of education, some communities feel that .A) their rights are improvedB) their rights are ignoredC) their rights are violatedD) their rights are protected12. According to the article, which of the following rights are NOT belong to the state?A) The right to administer entrance examination.B) The right to expand or decrease educational programs.C) The right to budget school programsD) The right to created educational institutions.13. What does the Legislature usually do in administering Policies?A) It administers policies by itself.B) It authorizes a State education department administer its policies.C) It is authorized by a State education department to administer its policies.D) It authorizes a state board of education to administer the educational program.14. Which of the following is NOT true about actual educational situation?A) The local district has a lot of control over its schoolsB) The central agency may extend the extent of the local districtsC) State supervision is not always welcome to local districts.D) Local officers forbid State supervision if they think it is a kind of interference15. which of the following titles can best summarize the article?A) The Legislature Administers its PoliciesB) The Centralization of Authority in State Department ofEducationC) The Role of the State in EducationD) The Rights of the Local DistrictsPassage Four:Some people believed that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: those international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was the recent incident of tragedy involving murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by mi-nor national contests.One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey(曲棍球)dinal, There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the loser objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disal lowed and their opponents’ victory was unfair. The presidentof the Federation(联合会)said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disorder. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player plopped it into the basket. It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive(行为过分的)patriotism(爱国心).16. The author thinks that in recent years Olympic gameshave .A) showed little international friendshipB) greatly encouraged international brotherhoodC) created goodwill between the nationsD) created only misunderstanding and hatred17. What did the manager mean by saying “This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the Int ernational Hockey Federation are finished”?A) This is not a standard hockey matchB) The Federation would not exist any longer after this match was overC) His team would not enter the game in three yearsD) The unfair decisions ruined both hockey and the Federation.18. The basketball match showed thatA) the Russian team should not have taken advantage of the last three seconds.B) aggressive patriotism was displayed in the incident.C) The appeal jury was too ineffective in making a decisionD) the American team should have taken the first place.19. The author gives 2 examples in the 2nd and the 3rd paragraphs is in order to show thatA) contests often end in disorderB) no contest is fair in Olympic GamesC) competition discourages international friendshipD) unfair decisions are common in sports20. Which statement best summarizes this passage?A) Athletes should compete as individualsB) The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.C) Any team that has disrespectful behavior should be suspended.D) Different teams often have disputes when fighting for the first place.Passage Five:Urban life has always involved a balancing of opportunities and rewards against dangers and stress; its motivating force is, in the broadest sense, money. Opportunities to make money mean competition and competition is stressful; it is often at its most intense in the largest cities, where opportunities are greatest. The presence of huge numbers of people inevitably involves more conflict, more traveling, the overloading of public services and exposure to those deviants and criminals who are drawn to the rich pickings of great cities. Crime has always flourished in the relative anonymity of urban life, but today’s ease of movement makes its control more difficult than ever; there is much evidence that itsextent has a direct relationship to the size of communities. City dwellers may become trapped in their homes by the tear of crime around them.As a defence against these developments, city dwellers tend to use various strategies to try and reduce the pressures upon themselves: contacts with other people are generally made brief and impersonal; doors are kept locked; telephone numbers may beex-directory; journeys outside the home are usually hurried, rather than a source of pleasure of pleasure. There are other are other strategies, too, which are positively harmful to the individual, for example, reducing awareness through drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, all these defensive forms of behavior are harmful to society in general; they cause widespread loneliness and destroy the community’s concern for its members. Lack of informal social contact and indifference to the misfortunes of others, if they are not personally known to oneself, are amongst the major causes of urban crime.Inner areas of cities tend to be abandoned by the more successful and left to those who have done badly in the competitive struggle or who belong to minority groups; these people are then geographically trapped because so much economic activity has migrated to the suburbs and beyond.Present-day architecture and planning have enormously worsened the human problems of urban life. Old established neighborhoods have been ruthlessly swept away, by both public and private organizations, usually to be replaced by huge, ugly, impersonal structures, People have been forced to leave their familiar homes, usually to be rehoused in tower blocks which are drab(单调乏味的), inconvenient, and fail to provide any setting for human interaction or support. This destruction of established social structures is the worst possible approach to the difficulties of living in a town or city. Instead, every effort should be made to conserve the human scale of the environment, and to retain familiar landmarks.21. According to the author, living in a city causes stress because there are so many people who are .A) In need of helpB) naturally aggressiveC) likely to commit crimeD) anxious to succeed22. The author thinks that crime is increasing cities because .A) criminals are difficult to trace in large populationsB) people do not communicate with their neighborsC) people feel anonymous thereD) the trappings of success are attractive to criminals23. According to the article, what is the worst problem facing people living in cities?A) Crime.B) Finding somewhere to live.C) Social isolation.D) Drugs and alcoholism.24. The majority of people who live in inner cities do so because they .A) have been forced by circumstances to do soB) have turned against societyC) dislike having to travel far to workD) don’t like the idea of living in the suburbs25. Architectural changes have affected city life by .A) forcing people to live on top of each otherB) making people move to the suburbsC) giving the individual a say in planningD) dispersing long-established communitiesPassage Six:People do not travel for pleasure on the roads and trains leading into cities on weekday mornings; they are commuting. Commuters represent the exact opposite of Robert Louis Stevenson’s view of traveling that “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake.” Commuters travel because they have to; the destination is the only thing that matters.Commuting is modern. Up until the 1950’s most workers lived in the shadow of their workplace and within earshot of its whistle or hooter; people walked or cycled to work, even going home for their lunch. As cities grow and as the pressure on city center property increases, so ever more people have had to move further away from their place of work. The suburbs grow and this results in the awful rush hours, many of which tail back to the suburbs themselves, To ease the commuter congestion city governments build new roads, especially ring roads, but these generate more traffic, adding to the traffic jams and bad health. San Francisco introduced BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit) to take the pressure off its roads, but after an initial positive response the scheme was overtaken by the sheer magnitude of commuter growth.Trains and subway systems are little better. In Tokyo “pushers” are employed to squeeze commuters into carriages, in London and New York the underground systems are near capacity and unpleasant toride. In Paris petty crime on the Metro (地铁) is widespread. In Soweto the trains are so crowded that commuters hang on the outside of the “back only” trains. Th e associated health hazards are rivaled by those caused by traffic accidents and the stress-related diseases created by the tension in all forms of commuting.The bigger the city, the larger the daily commuting public and the longer the distances traveled. Many commuters see neither their house nor their children in daylight for almost six months of the year. In a large city like London the average daily time spent commuting to and from work is almost two hours. As a working day is eight hours or less, this means that the average commuter really “works” in excess of a six day week. Cities which try to alleviate the lot of the commuter are those which are most worth living in, but it is a hard and uphill task to do anything constructive. Special “Kiss and Ride” metro stations surround Washington, but are as little used as the “Ride-On” buses. People appear to prefer the traffic jams on the Beltway.Although most people dislike the unpleasant “dead time” of commuting, some people turn it to their advantage. J. M. Keynes wrote his General Theory en route from London to Cambridge, and there are classes in French, business studies, bridge and chess (among other topics) on commuter trains into the London main-linestations. Other people, especially those who can afford the comfort of first-class tickets, catch up on their reading, do the preparation for the day’s work, use their computers or the train telephones, or listen to music Others take the view that commuting should make you fit. They walk, run, cycle, row, sail, skate and skate-board into work.26. San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit scheme .A) took a long time to become successfulB) was eagerly awaitedC) could not cope with the numbers of passengersD) has been a big success27. As a solution to the rise in the number of commuters, trains and subways are .A) more effective than new roadsB) not as effective as new roadsC) rather more effective than new roadsD) scarcely any more effective than new roabs28. It is more pleasant to live in cities which .A) are small enough for people not to need to commuteB) encourage commutingC) have efficient public transport systemsD) improve conditions for commuters29. Washington’s metro trains are .A) less popular than its busesB) more popular than its busesC) as popular as its busesD) as unpopular as its buses30. The majority of travelers .A) don’t enjoy wasting their time commutingB) make the most of the time they spend commutingC) keep fit while commutingD) exercise their minds while commutingPassage Seven:One phase of the business cycle is the expansion phase. This phase is two-fold one, including recovery and prosperity. During the recovery period there is ever-growing expansion of existing facilities, and new facilities for production are created. More businesses are created and older ones expanded. Improvements of various kinds are made. There is an ever increasing optimism about the future of economic growth.Much capital is invested in machinery or "heavy" industry. More labor is employed. More raw materials are required. As one part of the economyDevelops, other parts are affected. For example, a great expansion in automobiles results in an expansion of the steel, glass and rubber industries. Roads are required, thus the cement and machinery industries are stimulatedDemand for labor and materials results in greater prosperity for workers and supplest of raw materials, including the various segments of the population. This prosperity period may continue to rise and rise without an apparent end. However, a time comes when this phase reaches a peak and stops spiraling upwards. This is the end of the expansion phase.31. We may assume that in the next paragraph the author will discuss____.A. cyclical industriesB.union demandsC. the higher cost of livingD.economic decline period32. The title below that best expresses the idea of this passage is_____A The Recovery Stage B. Attain prosperityC.an Expanding societyD. the Period of GoodTimes33. Prosperity in one industry_____A. reflects itself in many other industriesB. will spiral upwardsC. will end abruptlyD. will help all segments of society except the farm34 Which of the fooling industries will probably be a good indicator of the period of expansion?A. Foodstuffs.B.Machine toolsC.Cosmetics D Farming35. During the period of prosperity, people regard the future _____.A. cautiouslyB. in a confident mannerC.indffferently D in a happy moodPassage Eight:On average, American kids ages 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school, eight hours more than they did in 1981. They also did more household work and participated in more such organized activities as soccer and ballet (芭蕾舞). Involvement in sports, in particular, rose almost 50% from 1981 to 1997: boys now spend an average offour a week playing sports; girls log half that time. All in all, however, children’s leisure time dropped from 40% of the day in 1981 to 25%.“Children are affected by the same time crunch (危机) that affects their parents,” says Sandra Hofferth, who headed the recent study of children’s timetable. A chief reason, she says, is that more mothers are working outside the home. (Nevertheless, children in both double-income and “male breadwinner” households spent comparable amounts of time interacting with their parents, 19 hours and 22 hours respectively. In contrast, children spent only 9 hours with their single mothers.)All work and no play could make for some very messed-up kids. “Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about himself,” says T. Berry Brazelton, professor at Harvard Medical school. Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their relationships with their peers, but kids ages 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week engaged in it.The children sampled spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing “free time” watching television. But that, believe it or not, was one of the findings parents might regard as good news. If they’re spending less time in front of the TV set, however, kids aren’treplacing it with reading. Despite efforts to get kids more interested in books, the children spent just over an hour a week reading. Let’s face it, who’s got the time?36. By mentioning “the same time crunch” (Line 1, Para.2) Sandra Hofferth means .A) children have little time to play with their parentsB) both parents and children suffer from lack of leisure timeC) both parents and children have trouble managing their timeD) children are not taken good care of by their working parents37. According to the author, the reason given by Sandra Hofferth for the timecrunch is .A) partially true B) quite convincingC) rather confusing D) totally groundless38. According to the author a child develops better if .A) he has plenty of time reading and studyingB) he is free to interact with his working parentsC) he is left to play with his peers in his own wayD) he has more time participating in school activities39. The author is concerned about the fact that Americankids .A) are involved less and less in household workB) are spending more and more time watching TVC) are engaged in more and more structured activitiesD) are increasingly neglected by their working mothers40. We can infer from the passage that .A) most parents believe reading to be beneficial to childrenB) efforts to get kids interested in reading have been fruitfulC) most children will turn to reading with TV sets switched offD) ex tracurricular activities promote children’s intelligenceKey:1-5. BDBAB 6-10 BACBD 11-15. CABDC 16-20 ADBCB21-25 DACAD 26-30 CDDDA 31-35 DDABB 36-40BACCA（注：范文素材和资料部分来自网络，供参考。