阅读理解 〉 《专业四级阅读测试1》
英语专业四级阅读理解考试题及答案解析
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英语专业四级阅读理解考试题及答案解析英语专业四级阅读理解考试题及答案解析韩愈说过这样一句话:“业精于勤荒于嬉,行成于思毁于随””。
天才就是无止境刻苦勤奋的努力。
成绩优与良;才思浓与淡,都是由勤奋注定的。
以下是店铺为大家搜索整理的英语专业四级阅读理解考试题及答案解析,希望对正在关注的您有所帮助!As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenth?century North American Colonies, the silversmithand the coppersmith businesses rose to serve it.Only a few silversmiths were available in New Yorkor Boston in the late seventeenth century, but in theeighteenth century they could be found in all majorcolonial cities. No other colonial artisans rivaled thesilversmiths’ prestige. They handled the mostexpensive materials and possessed direct connections to prosperous colonial merchants. Theirproducts, primarily silver plates and bowls, reflected their exalted status and testified to theircustomers’ prominence. Silver stood as one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time beforeneighborhood banks existed. Unlike the silver coins from which they were made, silver articleswere readily identifiable. Often formed to individual specifications, they always carried thesilversmith’s distinctive markings and consequently could be traced and retrieved.Customers generally secure the silver for the silver object they ordered. They saved coins, tookthem to smiths, and discussed the type of pieces they desired. Silversmiths complied with theserequests by melting the money in a small furnace, adding a bit of copper to form a strongeralloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular blocks. They hammered these ingots to theappropriate thickness by hand, shaped them and pressed designs into them for adornment.Engraving was alsodone by hand. In addition to plates and bowls, some customers soughtmore intricate products, such as silver teapots. These were made by shaping or casting partsseparately and then soldering them together. Colonial coppersmithing also come of age in theearly eighteenth century and prospered in northern cities. Copper’s ability to conduct heatefficiently and to resist corrosion contributed to its attractiveness. But because it wasexpensive in colonial America, coppersmiths were never very numerous. Virtually all copperworked by Smiths was imported as sheets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copperwas used for practical items, but it was not admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed it tofashion pots and kettles for the home. They shaped it in much the same manner as silver ormelted it in a foundry with lead or tin. They also mixed it with zinc to make brass for maritimeand scientific instruments.?1、According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth century developments had strongimpact on silversmithsA. A decrease in the cost of silver.B. The invention of heat efficient furnaces.C. The growing economic prosperity of colonial merchants.D. The development of new tools used to shape silver.2.In colonial America, where did silversmiths usually obtain the material to make silver articles? ?A. From their own mines.B. From importers.C. From other silversmiths.D. From customers.3.The passage mentions all of the following as uses for copper in Colonial America EXCEPT ______A. cooking potsB. scientific instrumentsC. musical instrumentsD. maritime instruments4.According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar inwhich of the following waysA. The amount of social prestige they had.B. The way they shaped the metal they worked with. ?C. The cost of the goods they made.D. The practicality of the goods they made.参考答案:1. C) 根据文章第一句“As the merchant classexpanded in the eighteenth?century North AmericanColonies,...”可知,随着在十八世纪的北美殖民地商人阶级膨胀起来,也就是说那时的商人财富有了很大的发展,银匠铜匠们有机会发挥他们的.专长了,这与选项C正好相符。
阅读理解 〉 《专业四级阅读测试1》
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阅读理解《专业四级阅读测试1》测试类别:阅读理解试题级别:专四英语试题级别:专四英语Nobody‟s Watching MeI am a foot taller than Napoleon and twice the weight of Twiggy; on my only visit to a beautician, the woman said she found my face a challenge. Yet despite these social disadvantages I feel cheerful, happy, confident and secure.I work for a daily newspaper and so get to a lot of places I would otherwise never see. This year I went to Ascot to write about the people there. I saw something there that made me realize the stupidity of trying to conform,of trying to be better than anyone else. There was a small, plump woman, all dressed up—— huge hat, dress with pink butterflies, long white gloves. She also had a shooting stick. But because she was so plump, when she sat on the stick it went deep into the ground and she couldn‟t pull it out. She tugged and tugged, tears of rage in her eyes. When the final tug brought it out, s he crashed with it to the ground.”I saw her walk away. Her day had been ruined. She had made a fool of herself in public— she had impressed nobody. In her own sad, red eyes she was a failure.I remember well when I was like that, in the days before I learned that nobody really cared what you do . . . I remember the pain of my first dance, something that is always meant to be a wonderful occasion for a girl . . . There was a fashion then for diamante (人造钻石) ear-rings, and I wore them so often practicing for the big night that I got two great sores on my ears and had to put sticking-plaster on them. Perhaps it was this that made nobody want to dance with me. Whatever it was, there I sat for four hours and 43 minutes. When I came home, I told my parents that I had a marvelous time and that my feet were sore from dancing. They were pleased at my success and they went to bed happily, but l went to my room and tore the bits of sticking-plaster off my ears and felt forlorn and disconsolate.The beautician found the writer’s face a `challenge’, which means____.A. she thought it was a challenge to have such a face repairedB. she thought it was a challenge to deal with such a faceC. the writer‟s face challenged the beautician‟sD. it was a challenge to find the writer‟s faceIn the second paragraph, the word `plump’ can be replaced by which word?A. Heavy.B. Slim.C. Ugly.D. Stout.According to the writer, what was the main reason for the failure ofher first dance?A. She was too shy and kept quiet.B. She was not attractive.C. She wore diamante earring.D. She was not in fashion.The Virus HuntersThe mouth of the Amazon River has long been a starting place for hunters going to the jungles of Brazil. In recent years it has been, too, the headquarters for a middle-aged American couple who hunt the smallest living things and perhaps the most deadly——viruses. Dr Causey and his wife have discovered more new types and more old ones in new places than all of the other search teams.Dr. Causey insists that the couple‟s success is due more to the number of viruses in the forests of the Amazon than to the skill he and his wife have developed during their eighteen years of work in Brazil.“We have found the loveliest diseases right in our backyard,” he told me one day as we walked through a light rain along a jungle trail.“Oh, these viruses are here all right. There is in the jungle a great poolof disease which is carried in the blood of animals and birds. Some of the diseases can be caught by people. It may be that we shall find that the jungle is a great center of virus disease and that it overflows from here to other parts of the world. It may be that birds carry the viruses to far countries. It may be that some viruses which presently reproduce in man without making him ill, may change and become deadly to him.…Viruses waiting for a disease,‟ they are sometimes called. This is just an idea, you understand. We do not know, but it is important that we find out, and the first step in finding out is to learn what viruses there are in the jungles.”There is a Brazilian story about the beginn ing of the world which goes: “When God was making the world hetried to keep everything in balance. When he made a desert, he provided it with some green places. When he made a land that was beautiful, he gave it storms and other terrible things caused by the weather. Where the earth was rich below the surface, it was also made hard to live on, where the land could be farmed, the weather was made too hot or too cold or too dry. Where there was enough water, God made it so that there should sometimes be too much water.“But in one place God made a land that was rich, where everything grew easily. Where it was not too hot and certainly not too cold, where animals were plentiful and fruit hung from the trees all the year round.”“The angels looked at this loveliness and were jealous of man. They askedGod if this was not too beautiful, too much like heaven, this valley of the Amazon.” And God said, “True, this land looks like heaven, but wait until you see what happens to man when he tries to live in it.”When Dr. Causey said, “We have found the loveliest diseases right inour backyard,” he meant____.A. new viruses have just been discoveredB. his discovery was a bit frighteningC. he and his wife were surrounded by harmful virusesD. his job was exciting“Viruses waiting for a disease” refers to____.A. those viruses carried in the blood of animalsB. some viruses which are at present harmless to manC. the viruses that reproduce in man without making him illD. the still-not-yet-discovered viruses in the jungleWhen the author cited the Brazilian legend he was____.A. trying to add a little humorB. trying to illustrate his earlier pointC. simply jokingD. being religiousThe year 1400 opened with more peacefulness than usual in England. Only a few months before, Richard II, weak, wicked, and treacherous,had been deposed(废黜),and Herry IV declared king in his stead. But it was only a seeming peacefulness, lasting for but a little while; for though King Herry proved himself a just and a merciful man——as justice and mercy went with the men of iron of those days——and though he did not care to shed blood needlessly, there were many noble families who had been benefited by King Richard during his reign, and who had lost somewhat of their power and prestige from the coming in of the new king.Among these were a number of great lords who had been degraded from their former titles and estates, from which degradation King Richard had lifted them. They planned to fall upon King Herry and his followers and to massacre(屠杀)them during a great tournament(中世纪的马上比武大会) which was being held at Oxford. And they might have succeeded had not one of their own members betrayed them.But Herry did not appear at the lists; whereupon, knowing that he had been lodging at Windsor with only a few attendants, the conspirators marched there against him. In the meantime, the king had been warned of the plot, so that instead of finding him in the royal castle, they discovered through their scouts that he had hurried to London, and that he was marching against them at the head of a considerable army. So nothing was left but flight. One and another, they were all caught and some killed. Those few who found friends faithful and bold enough to afford them shelter dragged those friends down in their own ruin.Why did the nobles wish to kill Herry?A. Herry had taken away power given to them by Richard.B. Herry was weak, wicked, and treacherous.C. Herry had needlessly killed members of their families.D. Herry had killed King Richard.How did King Herry find out about the plot?A. His scouts discovered it.B. He saw the conspirators coming.C. One of the conspirators told him.D. He found a copy of the conspirators‟plan.What does the author seem to think of King Herry?A. He was the best king England had ever had.B. He was unfair and cowardly.C. He was just as evil as King Richard.D. He was a better ruler than King Richard.Although the United States cherishes the tradition it is a nation of small towns and wide open spaces, only one in every eight Americans now lives on a farm. The recent population trend has been a double one, toward both urbanization and suburbanization. Metropolitan areas have grown explosively in the past decade, and nearly half this increase has been in the suburbs. With the rapid growth of cities has come equally rapid decentralization. The flight of Americans from the central city to the suburbs constitutes one of the greatest migrations of modern times; quite residential sections outside cities have become conglomerations of streets, split-level houses, and shopping centers.This spurt of suburban expansion, however, does not alter the basic fact that the United States has become one of the most urban nations on the face of the earth. Census Bureau figures show that the rural population has been shrinking steadily since 1830. When the United States became a nation it had no large cities at all; today some fifty cities have population of more than 258,000. Mammoth complexes of cities are developing in the area of the East Coast and the east north-central states, on the Pacific and Gulf coasts, and near the shores of the Great Lakes. Some sociologists now regard the entire 600-mile stretch between Boston and Washington D.C.——an area holding a fifth of the country‟s population——as one vast city or, as they call it, megalopolis.The author says that trends are toward the____.A. growth of cities and shrinking of suburban areasB. growth of both rural and suburban areasC. growth of urban and suburban areasD. growth of suburban areas and shrinking of citiesDecentralization is best defined as ____.A. movement from the central city to rural areasB. movement from the central city to the suburbsC. disorderly expansion of the central cityD. shrinking of metropolitanOne aspect of the recent population trend is the____.A. development of complexes of citiesB. increasingly great distance between citiesC. transformation of cities into suburbsD. growth of many small townsA need for beauty, lightness, corrosion resistance, or other specific propertiesmust be present before plastic can be considered as competitors of brick, window glass, cement, cast iron, or steel, since volumetric prices are so low for thelast substance and for wood. It is not particularly unfortunate that plastics do not appear economical for every use. There is no reason why industry should want to replace wood, brick, concrete, and metals when the latter are adequate andinexpensive. Too much has been written about the coming “Plastics and Light Metal Age,” which is prophesized as the successor to the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. In the historical sequence of these earlier periods, there is logic in the quantitative sense; one age gave way to another when the use of anew material exceeded in quantity that of its predecessor. For the plastics andlight metals, however, a different picture presents itself; less than 3,000,000 tons of all these materials are being produced annually, while steel productionexceeded 90,000,000 tons last year and will probably not recede to less than 60,000,000 tons for many years. This is still the Iron Age or rather the Steel Age.The writer considers that the Bronze Age succeeded the Stone Age because____.A. there was a scarcity of wood and other building materialsB. bronze was less expensive than stoneC. stone was no longer availableD. more bronze than stone came into useThe writer regards the change to a “Plastic and Light Metal Age” in the near future as____.A. necessaryB. desirableC. improbableD. logicalThe title that best expresses the idea of this passage is____.A. New Uses for PlasticsB. How One Age Succeeds AnotherC. Advantages of PlasticsD. Limitations on the Use of Plastics。
阅读理解《专业阅读测试》答案解析
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阅读理解《专业四级阅读测试1》答案解析NO.1The beautician found the writer’s face a `challenge’, which means____.she thought it was a challenge to have such a face repairedshe thought it was a challenge to deal with such a facethe writer’s face challenged the beautician’sit was a challenge to find the writer’s face正确答案: she thought it was a challenge to deal withsuch a face题目辨析: 从文中不难分析出,作者是个丑女人。
脸丑,对于美容师来说,如何进行美化是一种挑战。
C、D两项可先排除。
A项由于使用了repair一词,过分了,不能选。
因此B项才是正确的。
word?Heavy.Slim.Ugly.Stout.正确答案: Heavy.题目辨析: 第二段描述了一个矮小,plump的女人,plump本义是“丰满的”,文中提到“But because she was soplump,when she sat on the stick it went deep intothe gr ound and she couldn’t pull it out.”说明此女人很重,因此选A项。
D项stout指强壮的,胖的,用来修饰女人不雅。
first dance?She was too shy and kept quiet.She was not attractive.She wore diamante earring.She was not in fashion.正确答案: She was not in fashion.题目辨析: 最后一段中作者谈到“Perhaps it was this thatmade nobody want to dance wi th me.”it指她未戴流行的diamante,而戴了sticking plaster,所以她不时尚。
专业四级英语试题及答案
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专业四级英语试题及答案一、听力理解(共20分)1. What is the man's major?A. Computer ScienceB. English LiteratureC. Mechanical EngineeringD. International Relations2. When does the woman plan to leave for the airport?A. At 6:00 a.m.B. At 7:30 a.m.C. At 8:00 a.m.D. At 9:00 a.m.3. Why is the woman upset?A. She missed her appointment.B. She lost her wallet.C. She broke her phone.D. She failed her exam.4. What is the main topic of the lecture?A. Climate changeB. Renewable energyC. Fossil fuelsD. Biodiversity5. What does the man suggest doing?A. Visiting the museumB. Going to the cinemaC. Attending a concertD. Having dinner together二、阅读理解(共30分)Passage 16. According to the passage, what is the primary reason for the increase in the number of tourists?A. Improved transportationB. Lower travel costsC. Greater leisure timeD. Enhanced marketing efforts7. What does the author suggest about the impact of tourism on local economies?A. It can be both positive and negative.B. It can lead to environmental degradation.C. It can cause social problems.D. It can result in cultural homogenization.Passage 28. What is the main argument of the article?A. The importance of physical exercise.B. The benefits of mental health.C. The relationship between diet and health.D. The role of sleep in overall well-being.9. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to improve sleep quality?A. Limiting caffeine intake.B. Establishing a regular sleep schedule.C. Engaging in strenuous exercise before bed.D. Creating a comfortable sleep environment.Passage 310. What is the author's purpose in writing this article?A. To inform readers about a new medical breakthrough.B. To persuade readers to adopt a healthier lifestyle.C. To discuss the ethical implications of genetic research.D. To critique the current state of medical research funding.11. What does the study mentioned in the article suggest about the effects of stress?A. It can lead to a decline in cognitive function.B. It can cause physical health problems.C. It can result in emotional distress.D. It can contribute to the development of chronic diseases.三、词汇与语法(共20分)12. Although he had been working for hours, he still felt________ to continue.A. energetic enoughB. too energeticC. energetic tooD. enough energetic13. The company has decided to ________ its employees' salaries by 5% next year.A. riseB. raiseC. liftD. increase14. She ________ the book on the table, but she couldn't find it anywhere.A. should have leftB. could have leftC. must have leftD. might have left15. ________ the heavy rain, the match had to be postponed.A. Owing toB. Due toC. Because ofD. As a result of四、完形填空(共15分)16. The ________ of the old factory has brought many changes to the neighborhood.A. constructionB. destructionC. renovationD. abandonment17. The ________ of the project was delayed due to the lack of funding.A. implementationB. executionC. initiationD. completion18. The ________ of the new policy has been met with mixed reactions from the public.A. announcementB. introductionC. proposalD. enforcement19. The ________ of the team's success can be attributed to their hard work and dedication.A. achievementB. accomplishmentC. attainmentD. realization20. Despite the ________ of the evidence, the defendant maintained his innocence.A. clarityB. ambiguityC. complexityD. obscurity五、写作(共15分)21. Write an essay on the topic "The Role of Technology in Modern Education." You should write at least 300 words. Your essay should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use appropriate examples and reasons to support your points.听力理解答案:1. B2. C3. B4. A5. D阅读理解答案:6. C7. A8. D9. C10. B11. D词汇与语法答案:12. A13. B14. C15. A完形填空答案:16.。
英语专业四级考试阅读理解
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英语专业四级考试阅读理解Passage 1Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a great ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy - ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness--that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what--at last--I have found.With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long toalleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.1. In the first paragraph, Russel says that _________.A. he has travelled over a great ocean for the three passions.B. the result of his search is despair.C. he longs for love and never despairs.D. he has pity for the suffering of mankind and often feels anguish.2. In the second paragraph, Russel thinks that he has found in his search for love all the following except _______.A. happinessB. the vision of the hellC. solitudeD. relief from loneliness3. Whenever Russel thinks of the suffering of mankind, he _______.A. feels humiliatedB. becomes overjoyedC. feels he will be embraced by GodD. feels anguish and suffers too.4. In line 3, “hither and thither”meansA. everywhereB. now and thenC. from time to timeD. upward5. The best title for this passage is _____.A. Human SufferingB. I Found Joy and LoveC. Three Kinds of LifestylesD. What I Have Lived ForPassage 2Artificial light in winter means we no longer have to go to bed when it gets dark. We can also get up before it is light. This means we can have a summer sleep pattern all year round.Animals sleep more during winter than summer. Researchers in America wanted to find out whether humans might want to do the same on a winter day without artificial light. People observed in the research did sleep longer, usually up to 11 hours. However, winter sleep seems to be interrupted by periods of quiet ‘wakefulness’ like those experienced in meditation.These were found to be very restful. The study found that modern humans are not getting enough sleep.6. The topic of the passage is _____ .A. artificial lightB. natural lightC. human sleepD. animal sleepPassage 3Throughout the history of life, there have been many major upheavals in which whole groups of animals were replaced by others. Perhaps the most famous was the replacement of the dinosaurs by the mammals 65 million years ago. Another major change occurred 150 million years earlier, when the dinosaurs took over the position of dominance that had been held for80 million years by mammal-like reptiles.What triggered these great upheavals? Scientific thinking about the various factors that might have been responsible for such replacements has undergone some significant changes of its own. At times, for example, scientists have suggested thatmammals caused the extinction of the dinosaurs by eating their eggs or by competing for the same food resources. Now, however, most people are convinced that the mammals played only a minor role, if any, and that, instead, environmental change was primarily responsible. The mammals apparently sat around for 150 million years in the Mesozoic undergrowth until, with the extinction of the dinosaurs, they had their opportunity to radiate into the available niches.7. What is the main idea of the passage?A. Mammals caused the extinction of dinosaurs by eating their eggs.B. Some species of animals have been replaced by others due to radical environmentalchanges.C. Scientific theories about the reasons for the extinction of certain reptiles have changed overthe years.D. Mammals and dinosaurs competed for the same food source.Passage 4According to the World Bank the Kingdom of Bhutan is the second poorest country in the world(A), but there is no unemployment (B), no begging and almost no crime.Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the ‘Dragon King’, is the world’s youngest hereditary ruler, but he says that the country is more democratic than any other in the region. He travels round Bhutan, showing himself to the people and listening to their opinions. Although this is a very old country the monarchy is quite new; until this century it was theocracy run by Buddhistpriests. There is still a very strong religious feeling and there are 1,300 monasteries in a nation of only 1 million people.Bhutan allows only 2,000 tourists a year, but no multinational companies even though it is very short of capital(C). It takes no help from the USA or Russia. Students who go abroad to study must spend 6 months when they return in remote villages to ‘rediscover their roots’before going back into Bhutanese society.Although the people are poor they are content. The atmosphere is relaxed and traditional have hardly changed since the Middle Ages. Archery is t he country’s major sport and folk dances are the main forms of entertainment.8. Which of the following is untrue?A. Bhutan is one of the poorest countries in the world.B. There is no unemployment in Bhutan.C. Bhutan is short of financial aids.D. The people of Bhutan are not at all satisfied with their life.Passage 5In the Atlantic some 574 ships were sunk between 1939 and 1945.(A) High though this figure is, together with the complementary loss of over twenty thousand seamen, it must be seen in relation to the fact that merchant ships made seventy-five thousand crossings, sailing in two thousand two hundred convoys (D). Indeed, at peak periods on the Atlantic, there were no less than seven hundred ships at sea at the same time. To visualize such a heterogeneous fleet of steamships in transit at any given moment across the great ocean is a succinct way of appreciating how the picture had changed in the century since the Britannia thrashed her lonely course over three thousand empty miles. (B) Now on the great steamship lanes, no ship islikely to be alone for long. Radio and radar have both ‘shortened in’the world. The sense of wonder has, generally speaking, left the Atlantic and gone elsewhere perhaps into space.9. Which is not true according to the passage?A. About 100 ships were sunk each year in the Atlantic during the period from 1939 to 1945.B. When Britannia first sailed the Atlantic no other ship could be seen on the ocean.C. There were as many as 700 ships crossing the Atlantic at any time.D. A total of 2,200 ships sailed across the Atlantic during that period of time.。
专业英语四级(阅读)模拟试卷1(题后含答案及解析)
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专业英语四级(阅读)模拟试卷1(题后含答案及解析)题型有:1.4 million children out of the picture altogether. Equally worryingly, the consultation insists that any new poverty measure must resonate with the public. The latest British Social Attitudes survey shows just how widespread negative views of vulnerable groups in society are, but also makes clear that much of this shift in public opinion has been caused by current and previous government policies. So, should we expect better measures of child poverty as a result of the consultation? Not better for the children growing up in low-income families for sure. And given the broader costs to society of child poverty, not better for anyone else—except, perhaps, a government that we suspect may be trying to avoid being held to account.1.What will NOT lead vulnerable families to poverty according to the first paragraph?A.Sharp decline in tax credits.B.A three-year freeze in child benefit.C.Increasing unemployment benefits.D.The adoption of RPI instead of CPI.正确答案:D解析:细节题。
最新英语专四考试阅读理解考试题及答案
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最新英语专四考试阅读理解考试题及答案最新英语专四考试阅读理解考试题及答案鸟欲高飞先振翅,人求上进先读书。
以下是店铺为大家搜索整理的最新英语专四考试阅读理解考试题及答案,希望对正在关注的您有所帮助!Racket, din clamor, noise, whatever you want to call it, unwanted sound is America's most widespread nuisance. But noise is more than just a nuisance. It constitutes a real and present danger to people's health. Day and night, at home, at work, and at play, noise can produce serious physical and psychological stress. No one is immune to this stress. Though we seem to adjust to noise by ignoring it, the ear, in fact, never closes and the body still responds—sometimes with extreme tension, as to a strange sound in the night.The annoyance we feel when faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building up inside us. Indeed, because irritability is so apparent, legislators have made public annoyance the basis of many noise abatement programs. The more subtle and more serious health hazards associated with stress caused by noise traditionally have been given much less attention. Nevertheless, when we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider these symptoms fair warning that other thing may be happening to us, some of which may be damaging to our health. Of many health hazards to noise, hearing loss is the most clearly observable and measurable by health professionals. The other hazards are harder to pin down. For many of us, there may be a risk that exposure to the stress of noise increases susceptibility to disease and infection. The more susceptible among us may experience noise as a complicatingfactor in heart problems and other diseases. Noise that causes annoyance and irritability in health persons may have serious consequences for these already ill in mind or body.Noise affects us throughout our lives. For example, there are indications of effects on the unborn child when mothers are exposed to industrial and environmental noise. During infancy and childhood, youngsters exposed to high noise levels may have trouble falling asleep and obtaining necessary amounts of rest.Why, then, is there not greater alarm about these dangers? Perhaps it is because the link between noise and many disabilities or diseases has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Perhaps it is because we tend to dismiss annoyance as a price to pay for living in the modern world. It may also be because we still think of hearing loss as only an occupational hazard.1. In Paragraph 1, the phrase "immune to" are used to mean ___.A.unaffected byB.hurt byC.unlikely to be seen byD.unknown by2. The author's attitude toward noise would best be described as ___.A.unrealisticB.traditionalC.concernedD.hysterical3. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?A.Noise is a major problem; most people recognize itsimportance.B.Although noise can be annoying, it is not a major problem.C.Noise is a major problem and has not yet been recognized as such.D.Noise is a major problem about which nothing can be done.4. The author condemns noise essentially because it ___.A.is against the lawB.can make some people irritableC.is a nuisanceD.in a ganger to people's health5. The author would probably consider research about the effects noise has on people to be ___.A.unimportantB.impossible.C.a waste of moneyD.essential参考答案:ACCDD。
专四阅读真题及答案
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专四阅读真题及答案真题SECTION A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are three passages followed by tenmultiple choice questions. For each multiple choice question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer and mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE(1)When I was twenty-seven years old, I was a mining-broker's clerk in San Francisco, and an expert in all the details of stock traffic. I was alone in the world, and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but these were setting my feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the prospect. My time was my own after the afternoon board, Saturdays, and I was accustomed toputting it in on a little sail-boat on the bay. One day I ventured too far, and was carried out to sea. Just at nightfall, when hope was about gone, I was picked up by a small ship which was bound for London. It was a long and stormy voyage, and they made me work my passage without pay, as a common sailor. When I stepped ashore in London my clothes were ragged and shabby, and I had only a dollar in my pocket. This money fed and sheltered me twenty-four hours. During the next twenty-four I went without food and shelter.(2)About ten o'clock on the following morning, dirty and hungry,I was dragging myself along Portland Place, when a child that was passing, towed by a nurse-maid, tossed a big pear -minus one bite - into the gutter. I stopped, of course, and fastened my desiring eye on that muddy treasure. My mouth watered for it, my stomach craved it, my whole being, begged for it. But every time I made a move to get it some passing eye detected my purpose, and of course I straightened up then, and looked indifferent and pretended that I hadn't been thinking about the pear at all. This same thing kept happening and happening, and I couldn't get the pear.(3)I was just getting desperate enough to brave all the shame, and to seize it, when a window behind me was raised, and a gentleman spoke out of it, saying: "Step in here, please."(4)I was admitted by a man servant, and shown into a sumptuous room where a couple of elderly gentlemen were sitting. They sent away the servant, and made me sit down. They had just finished their breakfast, and the sight of the remains of it almost overpowered me. I could hardly keep my wits together in the presence of that food, but as I was not asked to sample it, I had to bear my trouble as best as I could.(5)Now, something had been happening there a little before, which I did not know anything about until a good many days afterwards, but I will tell you about it now. Those two old brothers had been having a pretty hot argument a couple of days before, and had ended by agreeing to decide it by a bet, which is the English way of settling everything.(6)You will remember that the Bank of England once issued two notes of a million pounds each, to be used for a special purpose connected with some public transaction with a foreign country. For some reason or other only one of these had been used and canceled; the other still lay in the vaults of the Bank. Well, the brothers, chatting along, happened to get to wondering what might be the fate of a perfectly honest and intelligent stranger who should be turned adrift in London without a friend, and with no money but that million-pound bank-note, and no way to account for his being in possession of it. Brother A said he would starve to death; Brother B said he wouldn't. Brother A said he couldn't offer it at a bank or anywhere else, because he would be arrested on the spot. So they went on disputing till Brother B said he would bet twenty thousand pounds that the man would live thirty days, anyway, on that million, and keep out of jail, too. Brother A took him up. Brother B went down to the Bank and bought that note. Then he dictated a letter, which one of his clerks wrote out in a beautiful round hand, and then the two brothers sat at the window a whole day watching for the right man to give it to. (7)I finally became the pick of them.41. In Para. 1, the phrase "set my feet" probablymeans___________. A. put me aside B. start my journey C. prepare me D. let me walk42. It can be concluded from Para. 2 that___________.A. the man wanted to maintain dignity though starvedB. the man could not get a proper chance to eat the pearC. the man did not reallywant the pear since it was dirty D. it was very difficult for the man to get the pear43. Compared with Brother A, Brother B was more ___________ towards the effect of the one-million-pound bank-note on a total stranger. A. neutral B. negative C. reserved D. positivePASSAGE TWO(1)The concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some languages, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons—that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let's look at a few of them.The dove(2)The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war.(3)There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that the devil can turn himself into anybird except for a dove. In Christian art, the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ's head.(4)But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949.The rainbow(5)The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union ofyin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain.Mistletoe(6)This plant was sacred in many cultures, generally representing peace and love. Most people know of the tradition ofkissing under the mistletoe at Christmas time, which probably comes from Scandinavian mythology. The goddess Freya's son was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, so, in honour of him, she declared that it would always be a symbol of peace. It was often hung in doorways as a sign of friendship.(7)The ancient Druids believed that hanging mistletoe in your doorway protected you from evil spirits. Tribes would stop fighting for a period of time if they found a tree with mistletoe. But you will never see mistletoe in a Christian church - it is banned because of its associations with pagan religion and superstition.The olive branch(8)The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympic Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol.The ankh(9)The ankh is an ancient symbol which was adopted by the hippie movement in the 1960s to represent peace and love. It was found in many Asian cultures, but is generally associated with ancient Egypt. It represented life and immortality. Egyptians were buried with an ankh, so that they could continue to live in the "afterworld". The symbol was also found along the sides of the Nile, which gave life to the people.They believed that the ankh could control the flow of the river and make sure that there was always enough water.44. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A. Concept of Peace. B. Origin of Peace Symbols. C. Popular Peace Symbols. D. Cultural Difference of Peace.45. The rainbow represents the connection between human beings and their gods in all the following countriesEXCEPT___________. A. Sweden B. Greece C. Finland D. China46. In North Europe mistletoe was often hung in doorways to indicate___________. A. friendship B. love C. kinship D. honour47. The origin of the ankh can date back to___________. A. the Nile B. the "afterworld" C. the hippie movement D. ancient EgyptPASSAGE THREE(1)Two sides almost never change: That you can manipulate people into self-sufficiency and that you can punish them into good citizenship.(2)The first manifests itself in our tireless search for the magical level at which welfare grants are big enough to meet basic needs but small enough to make low-paid work attractive. The second has us looking to the criminal justice system to cure behavior that is as much as anything the result of despair.(7)Not only can we never find the "perfect" punishment, our search for optimum penalties is complicated by our desire for fairness: to let the punishment fit the crime. The problem is that almost any punishment - even the disgrace of being charged with a crime - is sufficient to deter the middle class, while for members of the underclass, probation may be translated as "I beat it."(8)So how can you use the system - welfare or criminal justice - to produce the behavior we want? The answer, I suspect is: You can't.(9)We keep trying to use welfare and prison to change people -to make them think and behave the way we do - when the truth is the incentives work only for those who already think the way we do: who view today's action with an eye on the future.(10)We will take lowly work (if that is all that's available) because we believe we can make bad jobs work for us. We avoid crime not because we are better people but because we see getting caught as afuture-wrecking disaster. We are guided by a belief that good thingswill happen for us in the future if we take proper care of the present. Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe we are in control of our lives.(11)And we have trouble understanding that not everybodybelieves as we believe. The welfare rolls, the prisons and the mean streets of our cities are full of people who have given up on their(3)The welfare example is well known. We don't want poor people to live in squalor or their children to be malnourished. But we alsodon't want to subsidize the indolence of people who are too lazy to work. The first impulse leads us to provide housing, food stamps, medical care and a cash stipend for families in need. The second gets us to think about "workforce".(4)We've been thinking about it for two reasons: the "nanny" problems of two high-ranking government officials (who hired undocumented foreigners as household helpers, presumably because they couldn't find Americans to do the work) and President Clinton's proposal to put a two-year limit on welfare.(5)Maybe something useful will come of Clinton's idea, but I'm not all that hopeful. It looks to me like one more example of trying to manipulate people into taking care of themselves.(6)On the criminal justice side, we hope to make punishmenttough enough to discourage crime but not so tough as to clog our prisons with relatively minor offenders. Too short a sentence, we fear, will create contempt for the law. Too long a sentence will take up costly space better used for the violent and unremorseful.(7)Not only can we never find the "perfect" punishment, our search for optimum penalties is complicated by our desire for fairness: to let the punishment fit the crime. The problem is that almost any punishment - even the disgrace of being charged with a crime - is sufficient to deter the middle class, while for members of the underclass, probation may be translated as "I beat it."(8)So how can you use the system - welfare or criminal justice - to produce the behavior we want? The answer, I suspect is: You can't.(9)We keep trying to use welfare and prison to change people - to make them think and behave the way we do - when the truth is the incentives work only for those who already think the way we do: who view today's action with an eye on the future.(10)We will take lowly work (if that is all that's available) because we believe we can make bad jobs work for us. We avoid crime not because we are better people but because we see getting caught as a future-wrecking disaster. We are guided by a belief that good thingswill happen for us in the future if we take proper care of the present. Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe we are in control of our lives.(11)And we have trouble understanding that not everybody believes as we believe. The welfare rolls, the prisons and the mean streets of our cities are full of people who have given up on their future. Without hope for the future, hard work at a low-paid job makes no sense. Working hard in school, or pleasing a boss, or avoiding pregnancy makes no sense. The deadly disease is hopelessness. The lawlessness and poverty are only the obvious symptoms.(12)I'm not advocating that we stop looking for incentives to move poor people toward self-sufficiency or that we stop punishing people for criminal behavior. There will always be some people who need help and some who deserve to be in jail.(13)All I'm saying is that the long-term answer both to welfare and the crime that plagues our communities is not to fine tune the welfare and criminal justice systems but to prevent our children from getting the disease of despair.(14)If we encourage our young people to believe in the future, and give them solid evidence for believing, we'll find both crime and poverty shrinking to manageable proportions.48. What is the author's attitude towards Clinton's proposal to welfare? A. Pessimistic. B. Optimistic. C. Suspicious. D. Sarcastic.49. It can be inferred from Para. 7 that optimum penaltiesare___________to the underclass. A. useless B. hopeless C. frightening D. humiliating50. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?A. Lawlessness and Poverty.B. Criminal Justice System.C. Welfare Grants.D. Disease of Despair.SECTION B SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONSIn this section there are five short answer questions based on the passages in Section A. Answer the questions with NO more than TEN words in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE51. In Para. 4, what does the man mean by saying "I had to bear my trouble"?52. What can be inferred from the last sentence of the passage?PASSAGE TWO53. Why does the UN use the olive branch in its symbol?PASSAGE THREE54. According to the author, what balance should we keep in welfare?55. What does the author mean by saying "Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe we are in control of our lives" (Para. 10)?参考答案PART V READING COMPREHENSION41-50: BADBD ADCBD51.Keep wits together in the presence of that food.52.The author was given the million-pound bank-note.53.It symbolizes peace and unity.54.Meeting basic needs and making low-paid work.55.Good things will happen by taking care of the present.。
专业英语四级(文化类阅读理解)模拟试卷1(题后含答案及解析)
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专业英语四级(文化类阅读理解)模拟试卷1(题后含答案及解析) 题型有: 5. READING COMPREHENSIONPART V READING COMPREHENSION (25 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.Sometimes you have to travel very far to gain perspective on things in your own country. Recently, I taught a UNICEF-sponsored course in Malang, Indonesia, on educational innovation. My audience consisted of teachers, administrators, teacher trainers, and high-ranking officials from the Indonesian Ministry of Education. Unlike in the United States, the public school system in Indonesia, as in many other countries, is run by a centralized ministry. Not only does this government department develop the curriculum for schools, it also employs curriculum officers who write the textbooks for the curriculum areas. Thus, the powerful Indonesian Ministry of Education controls essentially all aspects of education in the country. During my presentation about schools that have sustained meaningful innovation in the United States, I noticed a rising buzz coming from the audience. The people’s expressions of concern and the emotion in their voices was clear, but it wasn’t until their questions were translated that I understood the reason for this agitation. Their comments went something like this: “Tell us, Steve, why your country is moving in the direction of more and more tests for your children? Our system has been doing that for years and we have decided to move to a freer, more creative process. We invite people like you to help us untangle ourselves from all of that testing and the centralized control that goes with it. What is going on in America anyway?”Maybe it was the heat of the equatorial climate; maybe it was my own temperature rising from anxiety. Whatever the source, I started to feel quite feverish, and it was at this point that the metaphor of the flu popped into my mind. I told my Indonesian colleagues that in the United States, we periodically fall victim to a kind of “educational flu.” When we are overtaken in the international education arena (in the recent Programme for International Student Assessment, the United States ranked 15th out of 32 countries surveyed), our politicians and educational administrators get feverish. They start to manufacture lots of standardized tests and devise very severe consequences for students and teachers when test results do not meet expectations. Like a rising fever, these steps are a clear indication that we are coming down with our educational flu. Brilliant or not, this analogy was enough to get me through that difficult point in my lecture. The next day, things got worse. Again, like one falling victim to the flu, I began to feel out of step with the rest of the world. I picked up a regional newspaper and found that Thailand was also moving away from a hierarchical system and standardized tests and toward a more creative education program for children. When I came home, I readthat a similar move is taking shape in China where inventiveness, not the traditional national test, is moving to center stage. Thus, I was confronted with a real paradox: Some of the Asian societies well known for rigid bureaucracies are looking for ways to break free, while my country, renowned for its creativity and supposedly child-centered approach to education, is busily sewing itself into a thick hide of conformity and control. Why are the different cultures moving in such opposite directions?1.It can be inferred from the passage that______.A.The author did not know much about the schools in the U.S.B.The author does not speak Indonesian.C.The author likes the Indonesian school system.D.The author teaches in universities only.正确答案:B解析:推理题。
专四英语阅读题
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专四英语阅读题专四英语阅读题下面是店铺给大家提供的.专业四级的英语阅读题及答案,欢迎大家参考练习!第一篇:What we know of prenatal development makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unborn child by studying poetry, art, or mathematics during pregnancy seem utterly impossible. How could such extremely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connection between their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly. An emotional shock to the mother will affect her child, because it changes the activity of her glands and so the chemistry her blood. Any chemical change in the mother's blood will affect the child for better or worse. But we can not see how a looking for mathematics or poetic genius can be dissolved in blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.In our discussion of instincts we saw that there was reason to believe that whatever we inherit must be of some very simple sort rather than any complicated or very definite kind of behavior. It is certain that no one inherits a knowledge of mathematics. It may be, however, that children inherit more or less of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. If very intelligent children become deeply interested in mathematics, they will probably make a success of that study.As for musical ability, it may be that what is inherited is an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or the vocal organs connections between nerves and muscles that makeit comparatively easy to learn the movements a musician must execute, and particularly vigorous emotions. If these factors are all organized around music, the child may become a musician. The same factors, in other circumstance might be organized about some other center of interest. The rich emotional equipment might find expression in poetry. The capable fingers might develop skill in surgery. It is not the knowledge of music that is inherited, then nor even the love of it, but a certain bodily structure that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowledge and skill. Whether that ability shall be directed toward music or some other undertaking may be decided entirely by forces in the environment in which a child grows up.1. Which of the following statements is not true?A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during their pregnancy.B. It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal development.C. The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.D. There are no connection between mother's nervous systems and her unborn child's.2. A mother will affect her unborn baby on the condition that ____.A. she is emotionally shockedB. she has a good knowledge of inheritanceC. she takes part in all kind of activitiesD. she sticks to studying3. According to the passage, a child may inherit____.A. everything from his motherB. a knowledge of mathematicsC. a rather general ability that we call intelligenceD. her mother's musical ability4. If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or of the vocal organs, he will ____.A. surely become musicianB. mostly become a poetC. possibly become a teacherD. become a musician on the condition that all these factors are organized around music5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?A. Role of Inheritance.B. An Unborn Child.C. Function of instincts.D. Inherited T alents第二篇:The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become "better" people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don't go.But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don't fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other's experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the intense competition for admission to graduate school. Other find no stimulation in their studies, and drop out—often encouraged by college administrators.Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves—they are spoiled and they are expecting too much.But that is a condemnation of the students as a whole, and doesn't explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can't absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either.Some adventuresome educators and watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school. We may have been looking at all those surveys and statistics upside down, it seems, and through the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences. Perhaps college doesn't make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things—may it is just the other way around, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learning people are merely the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But contrary evidence is beginning to mount up.1.According to the author, ___.A.people used to question the value of college education.B.people used to have full confidence in higher education.C.all high school graduates went to college.D.very few high school graduates chose to go to college.2.In the 2nd paragraph, "those who don't fit the pattern" refer to___.A.high school graduates who aren't suitable for collegeeducation.B.college graduates who are selling shoes and driving taxis.C.college students who aren't any better for their higher education.D.high school graduates who failed to be admitted to college.3.The dropout rate of college students seems to go up because___.A.young people are disappointed with the conventional way of teaching at college.B.many people are required to join the army.C.young people have little motivation in pursuing a higher education.D.young people don't like the intense competition for admission to graduate school.4.According to the passage, the problems of college education partly originate in the fact that___.A.society cannot provide enough jobs for properly trained graduates.B.High school graduates do not fit the pattern of college education.C.Too many students have to earn their own living.D.College administrators encourage students to drop out.5.In this passage the author argues that___.A.more and more evidence shows college education may not be the best thing for high school graduates.B.College education is not enough if one wants to be successful.C.College education benefits only the intelligent, ambitious, and quick-learning people.D.Intelligent people may learn quicker if they don't go tocollege.>>>>>>参考答案<<<<<<第一篇:BACDA第二篇:BCCAA。
专四试题及答案2024
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专四试题及答案2024一、听力理解(共20分)1. 短对话理解(共5分)- 根据所听对话,选择正确答案。
- 例:What is the man going to do?- A. Go to the library.- B. Go to the cinema.- C. Go to the concert.- 答案:A2. 长对话理解(共5分)- 根据所听对话,回答以下问题。
- 例:What is the main topic of the conversation?- 答案:The main topic is the upcoming holiday plans.3. 新闻听力(共5分)- 根据所听新闻,选择正确答案。
- 例:What is the news report mainly about?- A. A new policy.- B. A natural disaster.- C. A sports event.- 答案:B4. 听力填空(共5分)- 根据所听短文,填写空缺的单词或短语。
- 例:The project was completed on _______.- 答案:schedule二、阅读理解(共30分)1. 快速阅读(共10分)- 阅读文章,判断下列句子是否正确。
- 例:The article mainly discusses the benefits of exercise.- 答案:True2. 深度阅读(共20分)- 阅读文章,回答以下问题。
- 例:What is the author's opinion on the issue?- 答案:The author believes that the issue requires a balanced approach.三、词汇与语法(共20分)1. 词汇选择题(共10分)- 选择最合适的词填空。
- 例:The _______ of the new policy was met with mixed reactions.- A. introduction- B. conclusion- C. exclusion- 答案:A2. 语法填空(共10分)- 根据句子结构,填写正确的语法形式。
(完整版)大学英语专业四级阅读理解模拟试题(含答案)(01)
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PART V READING COMPREHENSION [25 MIN]In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.TEXT AWe can begin our discussion of "population as global issue" with what most persons mean when they discuss "the population problem": too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute, It was quite right to employ the analogy that likened demographic growth to "a long, thin powder fuse that burns steadily and haltingly until it finally reaches the charge and explodes."To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history, we find that populations have been virtually stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. There was high fertility in most places, but this was usually balanced by high mortality. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, while infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birthrates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race.This pattern is important to notice. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high mortality.Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8,000 BC.till approximately AD. 1650. In the first period of some 9600 years, the population increased from some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and the present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it is estimated that by the year 2000 there will be 6.2 billion people throughout the world. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000BC and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world's population each year. At present, this number is added every six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually.1.Which of the following demographic growth pattern is most suitable for the long thin powder fuse analogy?A.A virtually stable or slightly decreasing period and then a sudden explosion of population.B.A slow growth for a long time and then a period of rapid, dramatic increase.C.Too many people on earth and a few rapid increase in the number added each year.D.A long period when death rates exceeds birthrates and then a short period with higher fertility and lowermortality.2.During the first period of demographic history, societies were often in danger of extinction because___.A.only one in ten persons could live past 40.B.there was higher mortality than fertility in most places.C.it was too dangerous to have babies due to the poor conditions.D.our ancestors had little enthusiasm for more children.3.Which statement is true about population increase?A.There might be an increase of 2.2 billion persons from now to the year 2000.B.About 50,000 babies are born every six hours at present.C.Between 8000 BC and the present, the population increase is about 80,000,000 persons each year.D.The population increased faster between 8000BC and 1650 than between 1650 and the present.4.The author of the passage intends to___.A.warn people against the population explosion in the near future.pare the demographic growth pattern in the past with that after 1650.C.find out the cause for rapid increase in population in recent years.D.present us a clear and complete picture of the demographic growth.5.The word "demographic" in the first paragraph means___.A.statistics of human.B.surroundings study.C.accumulation of human.D.development of human.TEXT BChinese Americans today have higher incomes than Americans in general and higher occupational status. The Chinese have risen to this position despite some of the harshest discrimination and violence faced by any immigrants to the United States in the history of this country. Long confined to a narrow range of occupations they succeeded in those occupations and then spread out into other areas in later years, when opportunities finally opened up for them. Today much of the Chinese prosperity is due to the simple fact that they work more and have more (usually better) education than others. Almost one out of five Chinese families has three or more income earners compared to one out of thirteen for Puerto Ricans, one out of ten among American Indians, and one out of eight among Whites. When the Chinese advantages in working and educational are held constant, they have no advantage over other Americans. That is in a Chinese Family with a given number of people working and with a given amount of education by the head of the family, the income is not only about average for such families, and offer a little less than average.While Chinese Americans as a group are prosperous and well-educated Chinatowns are pockets of poverty, and illiteracy is much higher among the Chinese than among Americans in general. Those paradoxes are due to sharp internal differences. Descendants of the Chinese Americans who emigrated long ago from Toishan Province have maintained Chinese values and have added acculturation to American society with remarkable success. More recent Hong Kong Chinese are from more diverse cultural origins, and acquired western values and styles in Hong Kong, without having acquired the skills to proper and support those aspirations in the American economy. Foreign-born Chinese men in the United States are one-fourth lower incomes than native-born Chinese even though the foreign-born have been in the United States an average of seventeen years. While the older Hong Kong Chinese work tenaciously to sustain and advance themselves, the Hong Kong Chinese youths often react with resentment and antisocial behavior, including terrorism and murder. The need to maintain tourism in Chinatown causes the Chinese leaders to mute or downplay these problems as much as possible.6.According to the passage, today, Chinese Americans owe their prosperity to___.A.their diligence and better education than others.B.their support of American government.C.their fight against discriminations.D.advantages in working only.7.The passage is mainly concerned with___.A.chinese Americans today.B.social status of Chinese Americans today.C.incomes and occupational status of Chinese Americans today.D.problems of Chinese Americans today.8.Chinatowns are pockets of poverty, as is probably associated with___.A.most descendants of Chinese Americans are rebelling.B.most descendants of Chinese Americans are illiterate.C.sharp internal difference between Chinese coming from different cultural backgrounds.D.only a few Chinese Americans are rich.9.Which of the following statements is not true according to this articleA.As part of the minority, Chinese Americans are still experiencing discrimination in American today.B.Nowadays, Chinese Americans are working in wider fields.C.Foreign-born Chinese earn lower income than native-born Chinese Americans with the similar advantagesin the U.S.D.None of the above.10.According to the author, which of the following can best describe the older Hong Kong Chinese and theyoungerA.Tenacious; rebellion.B.Conservative; open-minded.C.Out-of-date; fashionable.D.Obedient; disobedient.TEXT CA controversy erupted in the scientific community in early 1998 over the use of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid ) fingerprinting in criminal investigations. DNA fingerprinting was introduced in 1987 as a method to identify individuals based on a pattern seen in their DNA, the molecule of which genes are made. DNA is present in every cell of the body except red blood cells. DNA fingerprinting has been used successfully in various ways, such as to determine paternity where it is not clear who the father of a particular child is. However, it is in the area of criminal investigations that DNA fingerprinting has potentially powerful and controversial uses.DNA fingerprinting and other DNA analysis techniques have revolutionized criminal investigations by giving investigators powerful new tools in the attempt to trove guilt, not just establish innocence. When used in criminal investigations, a DNA fingerprint pattern from a suspect is compared with a DNA fingerprint pattern obtained from such material as hairs or blood found at the scene of a crime. A match between the two DNA samples can be used as evidence to convict a suspect.The controversy in 1998 stemmed form a report published in December 1991 by population geneticists Richard C. Lewontin of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and Daniel L. Hartl called into question the methods to calculate how likely it is that a match between two DNA fingerprints might occur by chance alone. In particular, they argued that the current method cannot properly determine the likelihood that two DNA samples will match because they came from the same individual rather than simply from two different individuals who are members of the same ethnic group. Lewontin and Hartl called for better surveys of DNA patterns methods are adequate.In response to their criticisms, population geneticists Ranajit Chakraborty of the University of Texas in Dallas and Kenneth K.Kidd of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., argued that enough data are already available to show that the methods currently being used are adequate. In January 1998, however, the federal Bureau of Investigation and laboratories that conduct DNA tests announced that they would collect additional DNA samples form various ethnic groups in an attempt to resolve some of these questions. And, in April, a National Academy of Sciences called for strict standards and system of accreditation for DNA testing laboratories.11.efore DNA fingerprinting is used, suspects____.A.would have to leave their fingerprints for further investigationsB.would have to submit evidence for their innocenceC.could easily escape conviction of guiltD.cold be convicted of guilt as well12.DNA fingerprinting can be unreliable when ____.A.the methods used for blood- cell calculation are not accurateB.two different individuals of the same ethnic group may have the same DNA fingerprinting patternC.a match is by chance left with fingerprints that happen to belong to two different individualsD.two different individuals leave two DNA samples.13.To geneticists like Lewontin and Hartl, the current method ____.A.is not so convincing as to exclude the likelihood that two DNA samples can never come from twoindividualsB.is arguable because two individuals of the same ethnic group are likely to have the same DNA pattern.C.Is not based on adequate scientific theory of geneticsD.Is theoretically contradictory to what they have been studying14.The attitude of the Federal Bereau of Investigation shows that ____.A.enough data are yet to be collected form various ethnic groups to confirm the unlikelihood of two DNAsamples coming from two individual membersB.enough data of DNA samples should be collected to confirm that only DNA samples form the same personcan matchC.enough data are yet to be collected from various ethnic groups to determine the likelihood of two differentDNA samples coming form the same personD.additional samples from various ethnic groups should be collected to determine that two DNA samples areunlikely to come from the same person15.National Academy of Sciences holds the stance that ____.A.DNA testing should be systematizedB.Only authorized laboratories can conduct DNA testingC.The academy only is authorized to work out standards for testingD.The academy has the right to accredit laboratories for DNA testingTEXT DMost of us are taught to pay attention to what is said—the words. Words do provide us with some information, but meanings are derived from so many other sources that it would hinder our effectiveness as a partner to a relationship to rely too heavily on words alone. Words are used to describe only a small part of the many ideas we associate with any given message. Sometimes we can gain insight into some of those associations if we listen for more than words. We don't always say what we mean or mean what we say. Sometimes our words don't mean anything except " I'm letting off some steam. I don't really want you to pay close attention to what I'm saying. Just pay attention to what I'm feeling." Mostly we mean several things at once. A person wanting to purchase a house says to the current owner, "This step has to be fixed before I'll buy." The owner says, " It's been like that for years." Actually, the step hasn't been like that for years, but the unspoken message is: " I don't want to fix it. We put up with it. Why can't you?" The search for a more expansive view of meaning can be developed of examining a message in terms of who said it, when it occurred, the related conditions or situation, and how it was said.When a message occurs can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples do exactly the same amount of kissing and arguing. But one couple always kisses after an argument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors may mean a great deal more than the frequency of the behavior.A friend's unusually docile behavior may only be understood by noting that it was preceded by situations that required an abnormal amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a developing pattern of responses and defy logic. For example, a person who says "No!" to a serials of charges like "You're dumb," "You're lazy," and "You're dishonest," may also say "No!" and try to justify his or her response if the next statement is "And you're good looking."We would do well to listen for how messages are presented. The words, "If sure has been nice to have you over," can be said with emphasis and excitement or ritualistically. The phrase can be said once or repeated several times. And the meanings we associate with the phrase will change accordingly. Sometimes if we say something infrequently it assumes more importance; sometimes the more we say something the less importance it assumes.16.Effective communication is rendered possible between two conversing partners, if ___.A.they use proper words to carry their ideas.B.they both speak truly of their own feelings.C.they try to understand each other's ideas beyond words.D.they are capable of associating meaning with their words.17."I'm letting off some steam" in paragraph 1 means___.A.I'm just calling your attention.B.I'm just kidding.C.I'm just saying the opposite.D.I'm just giving off some sound.18.The house-owner's example shows that he actually means___.A.the step has been like that for years.B.he doesn't think it necessary to fix the step.C.the condition of the step is only a minor fault.D.the cost involved in the fixing should be shared.19.Some responses and behaviors may appear very illogical, but are justifiable if___.A.linked to an abnormal amount of assertiveness.B.seen as one's habitual pattern of behavior.C.taken as part of an ordering sequence.D.expressed to a series of charges.20.The word "ritualistically" in the last paragraph equals something done___.A.without true intention.B.light-heartedly.C.in a way of ceremony.D.with less emphasis.答案: 1-5 ABADA 6-10 ACCCA 11-15 CBABB 16-20 DBABC。
英语专业四级阅读测试题
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XX年英语专业四级阅读测试题知识本身没有告诉人怎样运用它,运用的方法乃在书本之外。
这是一门技艺,不经实验就不能学到。
以下是为大家搜索的xx年英语专业四级阅读测试题,希望能给大家带来帮助!更多精彩内容请及时关注我们!At some time in your life you may have a strong desireto do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse, but let it pass instead. You know that to mit the action is wrong in some way andthat other people will not aept your behavior.Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo(禁忌的) behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can bee perfectly aeptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Deathand Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have bee more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject.One of the newest taboos in American society is thetopic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talkabout fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most panies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and suess. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U. S. , thin is "in", fat is "out".It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have bee obsessed (着迷) with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the sole reason for America's obsession with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the courseof the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily bee weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid sucha fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising every day.1. From the passage we can infer taboo is .A. a strong desire to do something strange or terribleB. a crime mitted on impulseC. behavior considered unaeptable in society's eyesD. an unfavorable impression left on other people2、Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude "being fat".A. will always remain a tabooB. is not considered a taboo by most peopleC. has long been a tabooD. may no longer be a taboo some day3、The topic of fat ismany other taboo subjects.A. the same asB. different fromC. more popular thanD. less often talked about than4、In the U. S. , thin is "in", fat is "out", this means.A. thin is "inside", fat is "outside"B. thin is "diligent", fat is "lazy"C. thin is "youthful", fat is "spiritless"D. thin is "fashionable", fat is "unfashionable"5、The main reason the passage gives for why so many Americans are exercising regularly is.A. their changed life-styleB. their eagerness to stay thin and youthfulC. their appreciation of the importance of exerciseD. the encouragement they have received from their panies1. C2. D3. B4. D5. B。
2023年专四阅读理解
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专四阅读理解预热(1)People have been paintingpictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunt edanimals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of thiskind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they werepainted there. Perhaps the painters t hought that their pictures would help them to catch theseanimals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories in pictures.About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures askind of writing. T hey drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also torepresent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind ofalphabet.The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture writing andpictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life w ere paintedand carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like moderncomic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for theEgyptians, pictures still had ma gic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple.The ordinary people could not understand it.By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed asimpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer ofthem than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only onesound in their language. The Greeks developed this syst em and formed the letters of the Greekalphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we stillneed pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: inbooks and newspapers, in the st reet, and on the walls of the places where we live and work.Pictures help us to understand and remember things m ore easily, and they can make a storymuch more interesting.1. Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because ______.A. the hunters wanted to see the picturesB. the painters were animal loversC. the painters wanted to show imaginationD. the pictures were thought to be helpful2. The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that ______.A. the former was easy to writeB. there were fewer signs in the formerC. the former was easy to pronounceD. each sign stood for only one sound3. Which of the following statements is TRUEA. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.B. The Egyptians liked to write comic?strip stories.C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.4. In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures ______.A. should be made comprehensibleB. should be made interestingC. are of much use in our lifeD. have disappeared from our life专四阅读理解预热(2)As the merchant class expandedin the eighteenth century in North American Colonies, the silversmith and the cop persmithbusinesses rose to serve it. Only a few silversmiths were available in New York or Boston in the lateseven teenth century, but in the eighteenth century they could be found in all major colonial cities.No other colonial artisans rivaled the silversmiths’ prestige. They handled the most expensivematerials and possessed direct connectio ns to prosperous colonial merchants. Their products,primarily silver plates and bowls, reflected their exalted status and testified to their customers’prominence.Silver stood as one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time before neighborhoodbanks existed. Unlike the silve r coins from which they were made, silver articles were readilyidentifiable. Often formed to individual specificati ons, they always carried the silversmith’s distinctivemarkings and consequently could be traced and retrieved. Customers generally secure the silverfor the silver object they ordered. They saved coins, took them to smiths, and discussed the typeof pieces they desired. Si lversmiths complied with these requests by melting the money in a smallfurnace, adding a bit of copper to form a stronger alloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular blocks.They hammered these ingots to the appropriate thickness by hand, shaped them and presseddesigns into them for adornment. Engraving was also done by hand. In addition to plates andbowls, some customers sought more intricate products, such as silver teapots. These were madeby sh aping or casting parts separately and then soldering them together. Colonial coppersmith alsocome of age in the ea rly eighteenth century and prospered in northern cities. Coppers ability toconduct heat efficiently and to resist corrosion contributed to its attractiveness. But because it wasexpen sive in colonial America, coppersmiths were never very numerous. Virtually all copper workedby Smiths was imp orted as sheets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copper was usedfor practical items, but it was not admi red for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed it to fashion potsand kettles for the home. They shaped it in much the s ame manner as silver or melted it in afoundry with lead or tin. They also mixed it with zinc to make brass for mari time and scientificinstruments.1.According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth century developments had strongimpact on silvers mithsA. A decrease in the cost of silver.B. The invention of heat efficient furnaces.C. The growing economic prosperity of colonial merchants.D. The development of new tools used to shape silver.2.In colonial America, where did silversmiths usually obtain the material to make silver articlesA. From their own mines.B. From importers.C. From other silversmiths.D. From customers.3.The passage mentions all of the following as uses for copper in Colonial America EXCEPT ______.A. cooking potsB. scientific instrumentsC. musical instrumentsD. maritime instruments4.According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar in whichof the follow ing waysA. The amount of social prestige they had.B. The way they shaped the metal they worked with.C. The cost of the goods they made.D. The practicality of the goods they made专四阅读理解预热(3)On January 10,1962, anenormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mereseven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the mountain; it hadtaken the l ives of 4,000 people.This disaster is one of the most “devastating”examples of a very common event: an avalanche ofsnow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keepspiling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of thesnow is so greatthat the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before thishappen s. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightestvibration will send it slidi ng into the valley below.Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularlyterrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke offweighed three million tons. As it cra shed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough,it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the sixvillages that lay in its path.At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they arevery rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try tounderstand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can befound and removed before they take human lives.1. The first paragraph catches the reader's attention with a _____.A. First hand reportB. dramatic descriptionC. tall taleD. vivid world picture2. In this passage "devastating" means ______.A. violently ruinousB. spectacularly interestingC. stunningD. unpleasant3. The passage is mostly about ______.A. avalanchesB. glaciersC. PeruD. Mountains专四阅读理解预热(4)Three English dictionariespublished recently all lay claim to possessing a “ne w” feature. The BBC English Dic tionary containsbackground information on 1,000 people and places prominent in the news since 1988; theOxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: Encyclopedic Edition is the OALD plus encyclopedic entries;the Longman Dictionary of English La nguage and Culture is the LDOCE plus cultural information.The key fact is that all three dictionaries can be seen to have a distinctly “cultural” as well aslanguage learning content. That being said, the way in which they approach the cultural element isnot identical, making direct compa risons between the three difficult.While there is some common ground between the encyclopedic/cultural entries for the Oxford andLongman dictio naries, there is a clear difference. Oxford lays claim to being encyclopedic oncontent whereas Longman distinctly concentrates on the language and culture of the English-speaking world. The Oxford dictionary can therefore stan d more vigorous scrutiny for cultural biasthan the Longman publication because the latter does not hesitate about viewing the rest of theworld from the cultural perspectives of the English-speaking world. The cultural objectives of theBBC dictionary are in turn more distinct still. Based on an analysis of over 70 million words recordedfrom t he BBC World Service and National Public Radio of Washington over a period of four years,their 1,000 brief ency clopedic entries are based on people and places that have featured in thenews recently. The intended user they hav e in mind is a regular listener to the World Ser vice whowill have a reasonable standard of English and a develope d skill in listening comprehension.In reality, though, the BBC dictionary will be purchased by a far wider range of language learners,as will the other two dictionaries. We will be faced with a situation where many of the users of thesedictionaries will at the very le ast have distinct socio-cultural perspectives and may have world viewswhich are tot ally opposed and even hostileto those of the West. Advanced learners form this kindof background will not only evaluate a dictionary on how u ser-friendly it is but will also have definiteviews about the scope and appropriateness of the various socio-cultural entries.1. What feature sets apart the three dictionaries discussed in the passage from traditional ones?A. The combination of two dictionaries into one.B. The new approach to defining words.C. The inclusion of cultural content.D. The increase in the number of entries.2. The Longman dictionary is more likely to be criticized for cultural prejudice because ______.A. its scope of cultural entries goes beyond the culture of the English-speaking worldB. it pays little attention to the cultural content of the non-English-speaking countriesC. it views the world purely from the standpoint of the English-speaking peopleD. it fails to distinguish language from culture in its encyclopedic entries3. It is implied in the last paragraph that, in approaching socio-cultural content in a dictionary, socialthought should be given to ___ ___.A. the language levels of its usersB. the number of its prospective purchasersC. the different tastes of its usersD. the various cultural backgrounds of its users专四阅读理解预热(5)There are some earth phenomenayou can count on, but the magnetic field, someday is not of them. It fluctuates in strength, driftsfrom its axis, and every few 100,000 years undergo, dramatic polarity reversal—a period whenNorth Pole becomes South Pole and South Pole becomes North Pole. But how is the fieldgenerated, and why is it so unstable?Groundbreaking research by two French geophysicists promises to shed some light on themystery. Using 80 meter s of deep sea sediment core, they have obtained measurements ofmagnetic-field intensity that span 11 polarity rev ersals and four million years. The analysis revealsthat intensity appears to fluctuate with a clear, well-defined rhyt hm. Although the strength of themagnetic field varies irregularly during the short term, there seems to be an inevit able long termdecline preceding each polarity reversal. When the poles flip—a process that takes several hundredthousand years—the magnetic field rapidly regains its strength and the cycle is repeated.The results have caused a stir among geophysicists. The magnetic field is though t to originatefrom molten iron in the outer core,3000 kilometers beneath the earth's surface. By studyingmineral grains found in material ranging from rocks to cla y articles, previous researchers havealready been able to identify reversals dating back 170 million years, includin g the most recentswitch 730,000 year s ago. How and why they occur, however, has been widely debated. Severalt heories link polarity flips to external disasters such as meteor impacts. But Peter Olson, ageophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, says this is unlikely if the Frenchresearchers are right. In fact, Olson says intensi ty that predictably declines from one reversal to thenext contradicts 90 percent of the models currently under study . If the results prove to be validgeophysicists will have a new theory to guide them in their quest to understand the earth's innerphysics. It certainly points the direction for future research.1. Which of the following titles is most appropriate to the passage?A. Polarity Reversal: A Fantastic Phenomenon of Nature.B. Measurement of the Earth's Magnetic-Field Intensity.C. Formation of the Two Poles of the Earth.D. A New Approach to the study of Geophysics.2. What have the two French geophysicists discovered in their research?A. Some regularity in the changes of the earth's magnetic field.B. Some causes of the fluctuation of the earth's magnetic field.C. The origin of the earth's magnetic field.D. The frequency of polarity reversals.3. The French geophysicists' study is different from currently prevailing theories in ______.A. its identification of the origin of the earth's magnetic fieldB. the way the earth's magnetic intensity is measuredC. its explanation of the shift in the earth's polarityD. the way the earth's fluctuation rhythm is defined4. In Peter Olson's opinion the French experiment ______.A. is likely to direct further research in the inner physics of the earthB. has successfully solved the mystery of polarity reversalsC. is certain to help predict external disastersD. has caused great confusion among the world's geophysicists专四阅读理解预热(6)Migration is usually defined as"permanent or semi-permanent change o f residence"."This broad definition, of course, would include a move across the street or a cross a city. Ourconcern is with mov ement between nations, not with internal migration within nations, althoughsuch movements often exceed internat ional movements in volume. Today, the motives of peoplewho move short distances are very similar to those of int ernational migrants".Students of human migration speak of "push" and "pull" factors, which influence an individual'sdecision to move f rom one place to another. Push factors are associated with the place of origin. Apush factor can be as simple and mild a matter as difficulty in finding a suitable job, or as traumaticas war, or sever e famine. Obviously, refugees who leave their homes with guns pointed at theirheads are motivated almost entirely by push factors (although pul l factors do in fluency theirchoice of destination).Pull factors are those associated with the place of destination. Most of these are economic, such asbetter job oppor tunities or the availability of good land to farm. The latter was an important factorin attracting settlers to the Unite d States during the 19th century. In general, pull factors add upto an apparently better chance for a good life and m aterial well-being than is offered by the placeof origin. When there is a choice between several attractive potential destinations, the decidingfactor might be a non-economic consideration such as the presence of relatives, friends, or at leastfellow countrymen already established in the new place who are willing to help the newcomerssettle in. Considerations of this sort lead to the development of migration flow.Besides push and pull factors, there are what the sociologists call "intervening obstacles". Even ifpush and/or pull factors are very strong they still may b e outweighed by intervening obstacles,such as the distance of the move, th e trouble and cost of moving, the difficulty of entering thenew country, and the problems likely to be encountered on arrival.The decision to move is also influenced by "personal factors" of the potential migrant. The samepush-pull factors and obstacles operate differently on different people, sometimes because they areat different stages of their lives, o r just because of their varying abilities and personalities. Theprospect of packing up everything and moving to a n ew and perhaps very strange environmentmay app ear interesting and challenging to an unmarried young man and appallingly difficult to aslightly older man with a wife and small kids. Similarly, the need to learn a new language andcustoms may excite one person and frighten another.Regardless of why people move, migration of large numbers of people causes conflict. The UnitedStates and other western countries have experienced adjustment problems with each new wave ofimmigrants. The newest arrivals are usually given the lowest paid jobs and are resented by nativepeople who may have to compete with them for th ose jobs. It has usually taken several decadesfor each group to be accepted into the mainstream of society in the h ost country.1. The author thinks that pull factors ______.A. are all related to economic considerationsB. are not as decisive as push factorsC. include a range of considerationsD. are more important than push factors2. People's decisions to migrate might be influenced by all the following EXCEPT ______.A. personality’sB. educationC. marital statusD. abilities3. The purpose of the passage is to discuss ______.A. the problems of international migrantsB. the motives of international migrantsC. migration inside the countryD. migration between countries专四阅读理解预热(7)What we know of prenataldevelopment makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unbo rn childby studying poetry, art, or mathematics during pregnancy seem utterly impossible. How couldsuch extrem ely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connectionbetween their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.An emotional shock to the mother will affect her c hild, because it changes the activity of her glandsand so the chemistry her blood. Any chemical change in the mot her’s blood will affect the child forbetter or worse. But we can not see how a looking for mathematics or poetic genius can bedissolved in blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.In our discussion of instincts we saw that there was reason to believe that whatever we inheritmust be of some ver y simple sort rather than any complicated or very definite kind of behavior. Itis certain that no one inherits knowle dge of mathematics. It may be, however, that children inheritmore or less of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. If very intelligent childrenbecome deeply interested in mathematics, they will probably make a su ccess of that study.As for musical ability, it may be that what is inherited is an especially sensitive ear, a peculiarstructure of the hand s or the vocal organs connections between nerves and muscles that make itcomparatively easy to learn the movem ents a musician must execute, and particularly vigorousemotions. If these factors are all organized around music, t he child may become a musician. Thesame factors, in other circumstance might be organized about some other ce nter of interest. Therich emotional equipment might find expression in poetry. The capable fingers might develop s kill insurgery. It is not the knowledge of music that is inherited, then nor even the love of it, but acertain bodily str ucture that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowledge and skill.Whether that ability shall be direct ed toward music or some other undertaking may be decidedentirely by forces in the environment in which a child grows up.1. Which of the following statements is not true?A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects duringtheir pregnancy.B. It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal development.C. The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.D. There are no connection between mother’s nervous systems and her unborn child’s.2. A mother will affect her unborn baby on the condition that ____.A. she is emotionally shockedB. she has a good knowledge of inheritanceC. she takes part in all kind of activitiesD. she sticks to studying3. According to the passage, a child may inherit____.A. everything from his motherB. a knowledge of mathematicsC. a rather general ability that we call intelligenceD. her mother’s musical ability4. If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiarstructure of the hand s or of the vocal organs, he will ____.A. surely become musicianB. mostly become a poetC. possibly become a teacherD. become a musician on the condition that all these factors are organized around music5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?A. Role of Inheritance.B. An Unborn Child.C. Function of instincts.D. Inherited Talents.1. It is not who rules us __ is important, but how he rules us.A. whatB. thatC./D. which2. More than one student___ ever been to the Great Wall.A. haveB. hasC. hadD. was3. As you worked late last night, you __ have come this morning.A. needn'tB. shouldn'tC. can'tD. mustn't4. If only the committee __ the regulations and put them into effect as possible.A. approveB. will approveC. can approveD. would approve5. We were to__ the school bus to get to the museum, but it was broken, so we had to take thesubway.A. takeB. have takenC. to be takingD. to have been taking6. The policeman declared that the blow on the victim's head __ from behind.A. should have been madeB. must have been madeC. would have been madeD. ought to have been made7. It is not his illness___ much as idleness that ruined him so much.A. thatB. asC. soD. very8. The teacher told us nothing __ difficult if we put our hearts into it.A. isB. wasC. will beD. were9. Whether or not the next plan will yield any positive results __ to be seen.A. remainB. remainsC. is remainedD. have remained10. She could not have believed it, but that she___ it.A. had seenB. seeC. sawD. would see11. A dark suit is preferable __ a light one for evening wear.A. toB. thanC. forD. against12. He knows little of physics, and __ of math.A. even moreB. still lessC. no lessD. still more13. Which of the following adverbs can NOT be used to complete "it is___ too difficult"?A. ratherB. muchC. farD. quite14. Which of the following is INCORRECT?A. We know what each other thinks.B. They know one another's weak points.C. None of the books is interesting:D. He didn't stay there so long as she.15. "I was going to see the film, but he reminded me of seeing it before." The sentence means thatA. he reminded me to see the film, and I would go to see it.B. I was about to see the film, but he reminded me that I had seen it before.C. I wouldn't remember to see the film if he didn't remind me.D. I forget that I have seen the film before if he didn't remind me.16. Get to the point, don't __ about the bush.A. beatB. hitC. blowD. strike17. He holds that education should place more __ on logic thinking, and education of emotion is oflittle use.A. importanceB. significanceC. stressD. emphasis18. Tom wasn't paid because he was the __ secretary of the association.A. honorableB. honorC. honoredD. honorary19. Her letter was in such a casual scrawl, and in such pale ink, that it was __A. unintelligibleB. vagueC. ambiguousD. illegible20. Because of the___ of its ideas, the book was in wide circulation both at home and abroad.A. originalityB. subjectivityC. generalityD. ambiguity21. The juvenile delinquent was released in ___ of his good behavior.A. caseB. wayC. viewD. event22. People who live in small towns often seem more friendly than those living in __ populatedareas.A. denselyB. intenselyC. abundantlyD. extremely23. If you find this item too difficult to ____, it is advisable to leave as it is and move on to thenext one.A. work outB. work onC. work forD. work at24. We are doing this work in the ___ of reforms in the economic, social and cultural spheres.A. contextB. contestC. pretextD. texture25. In our team, no person ___ Tom could finish this tough task in such a short time.A. better thanB. rather thanC. other thanD. more than26. The city is an important railroad __ and industrial and convention center.A. conjunctionB. networkC. junctionD. link27. A qualified teacher should have good manners and __ knowledge.A. extensiveB. expansiveC. intensiveD. expensive28. It is reported that many people were hurt when the two busesA. bumpedB. crashedC. collidedD. struck29. Californians and New Englanders speak the same language and __ by the same federal laws.A. standB. conformC. abideD. sustain30. The meeting was ___ over by the mayor to discuss the tax raise in the city.A. presumedB. propelledC. presidedD. pricked[B]【译文】谁来管理我们并不重要, 重要的是他如何管理我们。
英语专业四级阅读1
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Text 1When television is good, nothing is better. But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there without anything to distract you and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland. You see a procession of game shows, violence participation show, blood and thunder, murder, Westerns, gangsters, and cartoons. And endless commercial. And most of all, boredom. True, you will see a few things you enjoy. But they will be very, very few.Is there no room on television to teach, to inform, to uplift, to enlarge the capacities of our children? Is there no room for programs to deepen the children's understanding of children in other lands? Is there no room for a children's news show explaining something about the world for them at their level of understanding? Is there no room for the great literature of the past, the traditions of freedom? There are some fine children's shows, but they are drowned out by cartoons, violence, and more violence. Must these be your trademarks? Search your conscience and see whether you cannot offer more to children whose future you guard so many hours each day.There are many people in this country, and you must serve all of them. You are probably correct if you say that, given a choice between a Western and a symphony, more people will watch the Western. I like Western too--but a steady diet for the whole country is obviously not in the public interest. We all know that people would more often prefer to be entertained than stimulated or informed. But your obligations are not satisfied if you look only to popularity as a test of what to broadcast. You are not only in show business; you are free to communicate ideas as well as to give relaxation. You must provide a wide range of choices. It is not enough to satisfy the people's desires-you must also serve the nation's real needs. The people own the air. For every hour that the people give you-you owe them something. I intend to see that your debt is paid with interest.1.The attitude of the author in the passage is_____.A.expectationB. determinationC. rageD. despair2.The author seems to be addressing to________.A.parentsB. television producersC. television viewersD. government officials3.The author is, in effect, saying that________.A. the public, not the producers, should make decisions about TV programsB. all the children's shows are worthlessC. violence participation shows should be bannedD. TV producers share the public responsibility for programming4.Which of the following statement is true, according to the passage? producers try to do the right thing, but they fail.B.There are a lot of enjoyable TV programs at present.C.The viewers do not necessarily know what is good for them.D.It is right that popularity is the only test of what to broadcast.5.The author's main idea in the third paragraph is based on a contrast between___.A.ideas and desiresB. popularity and show businessC. stimulation and relaxationD. education and entertainment。
专业四级英语试题及答案
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专业四级英语试题及答案一、听力理解(共20分)1. 根据所听对话或短文,选择正确答案。
A. 选项AB. 选项BC. 选项CD. 选项D[样例题目]根据对话内容,下列哪项是正确的?A. 他们计划去看电影。
B. 他们决定去图书馆。
C. 他们正在讨论作业。
D. 他们打算去公园。
[样例答案]B2. 根据所听短文,完成下列信息填空。
[样例题目]根据短文内容,填写以下信息:- 短文中提到的主要人物是________。
- 事件发生的时间是________。
[样例答案]- 主要人物:John Smith- 事件发生时间:2023年3月15日二、阅读理解(共30分)1. 阅读下列短文,回答后面的问题。
[短文内容][此处为短文正文][样例问题]根据短文内容,以下哪项是正确的?A. 选项AB. 选项BC. 选项CD. 选项D[样例答案]C2. 阅读下列短文,选择最佳标题。
A. 选项AB. 选项BC. 选项CD. 选项D[样例答案]B三、词汇与语法(共20分)1. 选择适当的单词或短语填空。
[样例题目]In the _______ of the meeting, he made an important announcement.A. presenceB. absenceC. silenceD. chaos[样例答案]A2. 根据句子结构,选择正确的语法形式。
[样例题目]If she _______ earlier, she would have caught the train.A. leavesB. leftC. is leavingD. had left[样例答案]D四、完形填空(共15分)[样例题目]阅读下面的短文,从所给选项中选择最佳答案填空。
[此处为短文正文][样例选项]A. 选项AB. 选项BC. 选项CD. 选项D[样例答案]1. B2. A3. D...10. C五、翻译(共15分)1. 将下列句子从中文翻译成英文。
大学英语专业四级阅读理解模拟试题(含答案)(01)(可编辑修改word版)
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PART V READING COMPREHENSION [25 MIN]In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.TEXT AWe can begin our discussion of "population as global issue" with what most persons mean when they discuss "the population problem": too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute, It was quite right to employ the analogy that likened demographic growth to "a long, thin powder fuse that burns steadily and haltingly until it finally reaches the charge and explodes."To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history, we find that populations have been virtually stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. There was high fertility in most places, but this was usually balanced by high mortality. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, while infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birthrates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race.This pattern is important to notice. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high mortality.Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8,000 BC.till approximately AD. 1650. In the first period of some 9600 years, the population increased from some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and the present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it is estimated that by the year 2000 there will be 6.2 billion people throughout the world. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000BC and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world's population each year. At present, this number is added every six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually.1.Which of the following demographic growth pattern is most suitable for the long thin powder fuse analogy?A.A virtually stable or slightly decreasing period and then a sudden explosion of population.B.A slow growth for a long time and then a period of rapid, dramatic increase.C.Too many people on earth and a few rapid increase in the number added each year.D.A long period when death rates exceeds birthrates and then a short period with higher fertility and lowermortality.2.During the first period of demographic history, societies were often in danger of extinction because .A.only one in ten persons could live past 40.B.there was higher mortality than fertility in most places.C.it was too dangerous to have babies due to the poor conditions.D.our ancestors had little enthusiasm for more children.3.Which statement is true about population increase?A.There might be an increase of 2.2 billion persons from now to the year 2000.B.About 50,000 babies are born every six hours at present.C.Between 8000 BC and the present, the population increase is about 80,000,000 persons each year.D.The population increased faster between 8000BC and 1650 than between 1650 and the present.4.The author of the passage intends to .A.warn people against the population explosion in the near future.pare the demographic growth pattern in the past with that after 1650.C.find out the cause for rapid increase in population in recent years.D.present us a clear and complete picture of the demographic growth.5.The word "demographic" in the first paragraph means .A.statistics of human.B.surroundings study.C.accumulation of human.D.development of human.TEXT BChinese Americans today have higher incomes than Americans in general and higher occupational status. The Chinese have risen to this position despite some of the harshest discrimination and violence faced by any immigrants to the United States in the history of this country. Long confined to a narrow range of occupations they succeeded in those occupations and then spread out into other areas in later years, when opportunities finally opened up for them. Today much of the Chinese prosperity is due to the simple fact that they work more and have more (usually better) education than others. Almost one out of five Chinese families has three or more income earners compared to one out of thirteen for Puerto Ricans, one out of ten among American Indians, and one out of eight among Whites. When the Chinese advantages in working and educational are held constant, they have no advantage over other Americans. That is in a Chinese Family with a given number of people working and with a given amount of education by the head of the family, the income is not only about average for such families, and offer a little less than average.While Chinese Americans as a group are prosperous and well-educated Chinatowns are pockets of poverty, and illiteracy is much higher among the Chinese than among Americans in general. Those paradoxes are due to sharp internal differences. Descendants of the Chinese Americans who emigrated long ago from Toishan Province have maintained Chinese values and have added acculturation to American society with remarkable success. More recent Hong Kong Chinese are from more diverse cultural origins, and acquired western values and styles in Hong Kong, without having acquired the skills to proper and support those aspirations in the American economy. Foreign-born Chinese men in the United States are one-fourth lower incomes than native-born Chinese even though the foreign-born have been in the United States an average of seventeen years. While the older Hong Kong Chinese work tenaciously to sustain and advance themselves, the Hong Kong Chinese youths often react with resentment and antisocial behavior, including terrorism and murder. The need to maintain tourism in Chinatown causes the Chinese leaders to mute or downplay these problems as much as possible.6.According to the passage, today, Chinese Americans owe their prosperity to .A.their diligence and better education than others.B.their support of American government.C.their fight against discriminations.D.advantages in working only.7.The passage is mainly concerned with .A.chinese Americans today.B.social status of Chinese Americans today.C.incomes and occupational status of Chinese Americans today.D.problems of Chinese Americans today.8.Chinatowns are pockets of poverty, as is probably associated with .A.most descendants of Chinese Americans are rebelling.B.most descendants of Chinese Americans are illiterate.C.sharp internal difference between Chinese coming from different cultural backgrounds.D.only a few Chinese Americans are rich.9.Which of the following statements is not true according to this articleA.As part of the minority, Chinese Americans are still experiencing discrimination in American today.B.Nowadays, Chinese Americans are working in wider fields.C.Foreign-born Chinese earn lower income than native-born Chinese Americans with the similar advantagesin the U.S.D.None of the above.10.According to the author, which of the following can best describe the older Hong Kong Chinese and theyoungerA.Tenacious; rebellion.B.Conservative; open-minded.C.Out-of-date; fashionable.D.Obedient; disobedient.TEXT CA controversy erupted in the scientific community in early 1998 over the use of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid ) fingerprinting in criminal investigations. DNA fingerprinting was introduced in 1987 as a method to identify individuals based on a pattern seen in their DNA, the molecule of which genes are made. DNA is present in every cell of the body except red blood cells. DNA fingerprinting has been used successfully in various ways, such as to determine paternity where it is not clear who the father of a particular child is. However, it is in the area of criminal investigations that DNA fingerprinting has potentially powerful and controversial uses.DNA fingerprinting and other DNA analysis techniques have revolutionized criminal investigations by giving investigators powerful new tools in the attempt to trove guilt, not just establish innocence. When used in criminal investigations, a DNA fingerprint pattern from a suspect is compared with a DNA fingerprint pattern obtained from such material as hairs or blood found at the scene of a crime. A match between the two DNA samples can be used as evidence to convict a suspect.The controversy in 1998 stemmed form a report published in December 1991 by population geneticists Richard C. Lewontin of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and Daniel L. Hartl called into question the methods to calculate how likely it is that a match between two DNA fingerprints might occur by chance alone. In particular, they argued that the current method cannot properly determine the likelihood that two DNA samples will match because they came from the same individual rather than simply from two different individuals who are members of the same ethnic group. Lewontin and Hartl called for better surveys of DNA patterns methods are adequate.In response to their criticisms, population geneticists Ranajit Chakraborty of the University of Texas in Dallas and Kenneth K.Kidd of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., argued that enough data are already available to show that the methods currently being used are adequate. In January 1998, however, the federal Bureau of Investigation and laboratories that conduct DNA tests announced that they would collect additional DNA samples form various ethnic groups in an attempt to resolve some of these questions. And, in April, a National Academy of Sciences called for strict standards and system of accreditation for DNA testing laboratories.11.efore DNA fingerprinting is used, suspects .A.would have to leave their fingerprints for further investigationsB.would have to submit evidence for their innocenceC.could easily escape conviction of guiltD.cold be convicted of guilt as well12.DNA fingerprinting can be unreliable when .A.the methods used for blood- cell calculation are not accurateB.two different individuals of the same ethnic group may have the same DNA fingerprinting patternC.a match is by chance left with fingerprints that happen to belong to two different individualsD.two different individuals leave two DNA samples.13.To geneticists like Lewontin and Hartl, the current method .A.is not so convincing as to exclude the likelihood that two DNA samples can never come from twoindividualsB.is arguable because two individuals of the same ethnic group are likely to have the same DNA pattern.C.Is not based on adequate scientific theory of geneticsD.Is theoretically contradictory to what they have been studying14.The attitude of the Federal Bereau of Investigation shows that .A.enough data are yet to be collected form various ethnic groups to confirm the unlikelihood of two DNAsamples coming from two individual membersB.enough data of DNA samples should be collected to confirm that only DNA samples form the same personcan matchC.enough data are yet to be collected from various ethnic groups to determine the likelihood of two differentDNA samples coming form the same personD.additional samples from various ethnic groups should be collected to determine that two DNA samples areunlikely to come from the same person15.National Academy of Sciences holds the stance that .A.DNA testing should be systematizedB.Only authorized laboratories can conduct DNA testingC.The academy only is authorized to work out standards for testingD.The academy has the right to accredit laboratories for DNA testingTEXT DMost of us are taught to pay attention to what is said—the words. Words do provide us with some information, but meanings are derived from so many other sources that it would hinder our effectiveness as a partner to a relationship to rely too heavily on words alone. Words are used to describe only a small part of the many ideas we associate with any given message. Sometimes we can gain insight into some of those associations if we listen for more than words. We don't always say what we mean or mean what we say. Sometimes our words don't mean anything except " I'm letting off some steam. I don't really want you to pay close attention to what I'm saying. Just pay attention to what I'm feeling." Mostly we mean several things at once. A person wanting to purchase a house says to the current owner, "This step has to be fixed before I'll buy." The owner says, " It's been like that for years." Actually, the step hasn't been like that for years, but the unspoken message is: " I don't want to fix it. We put up with it. Why can't you?" The search for a more expansive view of meaning can be developed of examining a message in terms of who said it, when it occurred, the related conditions or situation, and how it was said.When a message occurs can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples do exactly the same amount of kissing and arguing. But one couple always kisses after an argument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors may mean a great deal more than the frequency of the behavior.A friend's unusually docile behavior may only be understood by noting that it was preceded by situations that required an abnormal amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a developing pattern of responses and defy logic. For example, a person who says "No!" to a serials of charges like "You're dumb," "You're lazy," and "You're dishonest," may also say "No!" and try to justify his or her response if the next statement is "And you're good looking."We would do well to listen for how messages are presented. The words, "If sure has been nice to have you over," can be said with emphasis and excitement or ritualistically. The phrase can be said once or repeated several times. And the meanings we associate with the phrase will change accordingly. Sometimes if we say something infrequently it assumes more importance; sometimes the more we say something the less importance it assumes.16.Effective communication is rendered possible between two conversing partners, if .A.they use proper words to carry their ideas.B.they both speak truly of their own feelings.C.they try to understand each other's ideas beyond words.D.they are capable of associating meaning with their words.17."I'm letting off some steam" in paragraph 1 means .A.I'm just calling your attention.B.I'm just kidding.C.I'm just saying the opposite.D.I'm just giving off some sound.18.The house-owner's example shows that he actually means .A.the step has been like that for years.B.he doesn't think it necessary to fix the step.C.the condition of the step is only a minor fault.D.the cost involved in the fixing should be shared.19.Some responses and behaviors may appear very illogical, but are justifiable if .A.linked to an abnormal amount of assertiveness.B.seen as one's habitual pattern of behavior.C.taken as part of an ordering sequence.D.expressed to a series of charges.20.The word "ritualistically" in the last paragraph equals something done .A.without true intention.B.light-heartedly.C.in a way of ceremony.D.with less emphasis.答案:1-5 ABADA 6-10 ACCCA 11-15 CBABB 16-20 DBABC。
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阅读理解 《专业四级阅读测试 1》 》 测试类别:阅读理解 试题级别:专四英语 试Байду номын сангаас级别:专四英语
Nobody’s Watching Me I am a foot taller than Napoleon and twice the weight of Twiggy; on my only visit to a beautician, the woman said she found my face a challenge. Yet despite these social disadvantages I feel cheerful, happy, confident and secure. I work for a daily newspaper and so get to a lot of places I would otherwise never see. This year I went to Ascot to write about the people there. I saw something there that made me realize the stupidity of trying to conform,of trying to be better than anyone else. There was a small, plump woman, all dressed up—— huge hat, dress with pink butterflies, long white gloves. She also had a shooting stick. But because she was so plump, when she sat on the stick it went deep into the ground and she couldn’t pull it out. She tugged and tugged, tears of rage in her eyes. When the final tug brought it out, she crashed with it to the ground.” I saw her walk away. Her day had been ruined. She had made a fool of herself in public— she had impressed nobody. In her own sad, red eyes she was a failure. I remember well when I was like that, in the days before I learned that nobody really cared what you do . . .I remember the pain of my first dance, something that is always meant to be a wonderful occasion for a girl . . . There was a fashion then for diamante (人造钻石) ear-rings, and I wore them so often practicing for the big night that I got two great sores on my ears and had to put sticking-plaster on them. Perhaps it was this that made nobody want to dance with me. Whatever it was, there I sat for four hours and 43 minutes. When I came home, I told my parents that I had a marvelous time and that my feet were sore from dancing. They were pleased at my success and they went to bed happily, but l went to my room and tore the bits of sticking-plaster off my ears and felt forlorn and disconsolate. The beautician found the writer’s face a `challenge’, which means. A. she thought it was a challenge to have such a face repaired B. she thought it was a challenge to deal with such a face C. the writer’s face challenged the beautician’s D. it was a challenge to find the writer’s face In the second paragraph, the word `plump’ can be replaced by which word? A. Heavy.
tried to keep everything in balance. When he made a desert, he provided it with some green places. When he made a land that was beautiful, he gave it storms and other terrible things caused by the weather. Where the earth was rich below the surface, it was also made hard to live on, where the land could be farmed, the weather was made too hot or too cold or too dry. Where there was enough water, God made it so that there should sometimes be too much water. “But in one place God made a land that was rich, where everything grew easily. Where it was not too hot and certainly not too cold, where animals were plentiful and fruit hung from the trees all the year round.” “The angels looked at this loveliness and were jealous of man. They asked God if this was not too beautiful, too much like heaven, this valley of the Amazon.” And God said, “True, this
The Virus Hunters The mouth of the Amazon River has long been a starting place for hunters going to the jungles of Brazil. In recent years it has been, too, the headquarters for a middle-aged American couple who hunt the smallest living things and perhaps the most deadly——viruses. Dr Causey and his wife have discovered more new types and more old ones in new places than all of the other search teams. Dr. Causey insists that the couple’s success is due more to the number of viruses in the forests of the Amazon than to the skill he and his wife have developed during their eighteen years of work in Brazil. “We have found the loveliest diseases right in our backyard,” he told me one day as we walked through a light rain along a jungle trail. “Oh, these viruses are here all right. There is in the jungle a great pool of disease which is carried in the blood of animals and birds. Some of the diseases can be caught by people. It may be that we shall find that the jungle is a great center of virus disease and that it overflows from here to other parts of the world. It may be that birds carry the viruses to far countries. It may be that some viruses which presently reproduce in man without making him ill, may change and become deadly to him.‘Viruses waiting for a disease,’ they are sometimes called. This is just an idea, you understand. We do not know, but it is important that we find out, and the first step in finding out is to learn what viruses there are in the jungles.” There is a Brazilian story about the beginning of the world which goes: “When God was making the world he