阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习一
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
If women are mercilessly（无情地）exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a women is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe （衣柜）packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability（耐用）. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in highheeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.
1.Designers and big stores always make money_______.
A) by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry
B) because they are capable of predicting new fashions
C) by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing
D) because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing
2.To the writer, the fact that women alter their old-fashioned dresses is seen as________.
A) a waste of money
B) a waste of time
C) an expression of taste
D) an expression of creativity
3.The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the _______ of clothing.
A) cost
B) appearance
C) comfort
D) suitability
4.New fashions in clothing are created for ________.
A) the commercial exploitation of women
B) the women's strength of character
C) basic qualities of inconstancy and instability
D) an important contribution to society
5.By saying "the conlusions to be drawn are obvious" (Line One, Paragraph Four) the writer means that________.
A) women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at
B) women are better able to put up with discomfort
C) men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers
D) men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies--and other creatures--learn to do things because certain acts lead to "rewards"; and there is no reason to doubt that this is true. But it used also to be widely believed that effective rewards, at least in the early stages, had to be directly related to such basic physiological "drives"（欲望）as thirst or hunger. In other words, a baby would learn if he got food or drink or some sort of physical comfort, not otherwise.
It is now clear that this is not so. Babies will learn to behave in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome.
Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to "reward" the babies and so teach them to carry out some simple movements, such as turning the head to one side or the other. Then he noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response with clear signs of pleasure. So he began to study the children's reponses in situations where no milk was provided. He quickly found that children as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement "switch on"
a display of lights--and indeed that they were capable of learning quite complex turns to bring about this result, for instance, two left or two right, or even to make as many as three turns to one side.
Papousek's light display was placed directly in front of the babies and he made the interesting observation that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would "smile and bubble（发出咯咯声）" when the display came on. Papousek concluded that it was not primarily the sight of the lights which pleased them, it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem, in mastering the skill, and that there exists a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it under intentional control.
6.According to the author, babies learn to do things which________.
A) are directly related to pleasure
B) will meet their physical needs
C) will bring them a feeling of success
D) will satisfy their curiosity
7.Papousek noticed in his studies that a baby_______.
A) would make learned responses when it saw the milk
B) would carry out learned movements when it had enough to drink
C) would continue the simple movements without being given milk
D) would turn its head to right or left when it had enough to drink
8.In Papousek's experiment babies make learned movements of the head in order to _______.
A) have the lights turned on
B) be rewarded with milk
C) please their parents
D) be praised
9.The babies would "smile and bubble" at the lights because________.
A) the lights were directly related to some basic "drives"
B) the sight fo the lights was interesting
C) they need not turn back to watch the lights
D) they succeeded in "switching on" the lights
10.According to Papousek, the pleasure babies get in achieving something is a reflection of _______.
A) a basic human desire to understand and control the world
B) the satisfaction of certain physiological needs
C) their strong desire to solve complex problems
D) a fundamental human urge to display their learned skills
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
A breakthrough（突破）in the provision of energy from the sun for European Economic Community (EEC) could be brought forward by up to two decades, if a modest increase could be
provided in the EEC's researvh effort in this field, according to the senior EEC scientists engaged in experiments in solar energy at EEC's scientific laboratories at Ispra, near Milan.
The senior West German scientist in charge of the Community's solar energy programme, Mr. Joachim Gretz, told journalists that at present levels of research spending it was most unlikely that solar energy would provide as much as 3% of the Community's energy requirements even after the year 2000. But he said that with a modest increase in the present sums, devoted by the EEC to this work it was possible that the breakthrough could be achieved by the end of the next decade.
Mr. Gretz calculates that if solar energy only provided 3% of the EEC's needs, this could still produce a saving of about a billion pounds in the present bill for imported energy each year. And he believes that with the possibility of utilizing more advanced technology in this field it might be possible to satisfy a much bigger share of the Community's future energy needs.
At present the EEC spends about $2.6 millions a year on solar research at Ispra, one of the EEC's official joint research centres, and another 3 millions a year in indirect research with universities and other independent bodies.
11.The phrase "be brought forward" in the first sentence of Paragraph One most probably means _______.
A) be expected
B) be advanced
C) be completed
D）be introduced
12.Some scientists believe that a breakthrough in the use of solar energy depends on_______.
A) sufficient funding
B) advanced technology
C) further experiments
D) well-equipped laboratories
13.According to Mr.Gretz, the present sum of money will enable the scientists to provide_______.
A) a little more than 3% of the EEC's needs after the year 2000
B) 3% of the EEC's needs before the year 2000
C) less than 3% of the EEC's needs before the year 2000
D) only 3% of the EEC's needs even after the year 2000
14.The total yearly spending of the EEC on solar energy research amounted to _______.
A) a billion pounds
B) almost 3 million dollars
C) almost 5 million dollars
D) almost 6 million dollars
15.The application of advanced technology to research in solar energy_______.
A) would lead to a big increase in research funding
B) would make it unnecessary to import oil
C) would make it possible to meet the future energy needs of the EEC
D) would provide a much greater proportion of the Community's future energy needs Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:
The black robin （知更鸟）is one of the world's rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about 50 black robins there; in 1977 there were fewer than ten. These are the only black robins left in the world. The island has many other birds, of course, of different kinds, large and small; they seem to multiply very happily.
Energetic（有力的，积极的）steps are being taken to preserve the black robin-to guard those remaining and to increase their number. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has been made. The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a "reserve", for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organisers say that Little Mangere should then be restocked with the robin's food--it eats only one kind of seed--and so renewed for it. Thousands of the required plants are at present being cultivated in New Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience of mankind, so that the wild black robin willl not die out and disappear from the earth in our time at least.
In the earth's long, long past hundreds of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of success--and died out. In the long, long future there will be many new and different forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themslves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time. Those that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. That is Nature's proven method of operation.
The rule of selection--"the survival of the fittest" is the one by which man has himself arrived on the scene.
Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins.
16.The black robin is dying out mainly because________.
A) people have been very careless about its survival
B) its only food is becoming exhausted on Little Mangere
C) the other birds on the island have destroyed it
D) the appeal for money has come at the wrong time
17.The success of other small birds on Little Mangere shows that________.
A) the island cannot have very much food left
B) something has to die out, they can't all be winners
C) the big birds have all been attacking the black robin
D) the robin has failed to meet the challenges of life
18.As regards selection and survival, the decisive factor seems to be________.
A) the ability to adapt to changed or changing conditions
B) the number of wild life reserves that are available
C) the concern and generosity（慷慨）of the public
D) the size of the home, or the amount of space one has to live in
19.The evidence seems to suggest that________.
A) it is a disaster for everyone when one kind of bird dies out
B) all creatures are concerned about the survival of others
C) Nature expects and accepts the dying out of weaker breeds
D) man is to blame when such a thing happens
20.The writer's attitude towards the protection of the black robins is _________.
A) active
B) passive
C) indifferent
D) pessimistic
阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习二
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
In the warm enclosed water of farm ponds, conditions are very likely to be lethal for fish when insecticides（杀虫剂）are applied in the neighbourhood. As many examples show, the poison is carried in by rains and runoff from surrounding lands. Sometimes the ponds receive not only polluted runoff but also a direct dose as crop-dusting pilots neglect to shut off the duster in passing over a pond. Even without such complication, normal agricultural use subjects fish to far heavier concentrations of chemicals than would be required to kill them. In other words, a marked reduction in the amount used would hardly change the fatal situation, for application of over 0.1 pound per acre to the pond itself are generally considered hazardous. And the poison, once introduced, is hard to get rid of. One pond that had been treated with DDT to remove unwanted shiners（银色小鱼）remained so poisonous through repeated draining and washing that it killed 94% of the sunfish with which it was later stocked. Apparently the chemical remained in the mud of the pond bottom.
In some parts of the world the cultivation of fish in ponds provides an indispensable source of food. In such places the use of insecticides without regard for the effects on fish creates immediate problems. In Rhodesia, for example, the young of an import food fish, the Kafue bream（鲷科海鱼）, are killed by exposure to only 0.04 parts per million of DDT in shallow pools. Even smaller die, of many other insecticides would be fatal. The shallow waters in which these fish live are favorable mosquito-breeding places. The problem of controlling mosquitoes and at the same time conserving a fish important in the Central African diet has obviously not been solved satisfactorily.
1. The word "lethal" in the first sentence nearly means ________.
A) dead
B) important
C) fatal
D) vital
2. The author's tone in this passage can be best described as ________.
A) depressed
B) indifferent
C) questioning
D) objective
3.________ should be responsible for the presence of insecticides in ponds?
A) Rhodesia
B) Central Africa
C) Conditions of farm ponds
D) Human error
4. The author states a problem, ________ , and relates causes in this passage.
A) gives examples
B) proposes a solution
C) explains his suggestion
D) makes speeches
5. Which of the following titles best sums up the whole passage?
A) The Effect of Insecticides on Fish
B) The Water of Farm Ponds
C) The Cultivation of Fish as Food
D) Saving African Food Supplies
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
There have been many great inventions, things that changed the way we live in. The first great invention was one that is still very important today一the wheel. This made it easier to carry heavy things and to travel long distances. For hundreds of years after that there were few
inventions that had as much effect as the wheel. Then in the early 1800's the world started to change. There was little unknown land left in the world. People did not have to explore much anymore. They began to work instead to make life better. In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made. Among them were the camera, the electric light and the radio. These all became a big part of our life today.
The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions. The helicopter in 1909. Movies with sound in 1926. The computer in 1928. And jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new material was first made. Nylon came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wear. The middle part of the 20th century brought new ways to help people get over disease. They worked very well. They made people healthier and let them live longer lives. By the 1960's most people could expect to live to be at least 60. By this time most people had a very good life. Of course new inventions continued to be made. But man now had a desire to explore again. The world was known to man but the stars were not. Man began looking for ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then the United States took a step. Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have made their steps into space. In 1969 man took his biggest step away from earth. Americans first walked on the moon. This is certainly just a beginning though. New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of.
6. Camera was invented after ________.
A) 1850
B) 1950
C) 1800
D) 1900
7.Why did the world start to change in the early 1800's?
A) Because there were few inventions that had as much effect as the wheel for hundreds of years.
B) Because there was little unknown land left in the world.
C) Because people did not have to explore much anymore.
D) Because people began to work to make life better instead of exploring unknown world
8. In Paragraph Two, the word "they" in the sentence "they worked very well" refer to_______.
A) helicopters, computers, jet planes, nylon
B) new ways to help people get over disease
C) new materials
D) people
9. Why did man have a desire to explore again?
A) Man wanted to move to other stars.
B) Other countries wanted to catch up with the Americans.
C) Other countries wanted to follow the Russians.
D) Going into space is a dream for man to realize.
10. The possible title for the passage might be _________.
A) Great Invention of the 20th Century
B) How Wheels, Cameras and Computers Were Invented?
C) People's Attitudes towards Inventions
D) Great Inventions Influence Our Way of Living
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is opened. For many of us the "cashless society" is not on the horizon-it's already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to record or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer-analyzed marking reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazines publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
11. According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to _________.
A) withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes
B) obtain more convenient services than other people do
C) enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper
D) cash money wherever he wishes to
12. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that _________.
A) in the future all the Americans will use credit cards
B) credit cards are mainly used in the United States today
C) nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
D) it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before
13. If computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, what
will businessmen do?
A) They will fire some employees and raise the work efficiency.
B) They will arrange for different employees to do different jobs according to their abilities and performance.
C) They will assign more work for the employees to do.
D) They will allow the personnel to do whatever work they want to do.
14. The phrase "ring up sales" in Line Two, Paragraph Two, most probably means ________ .
A) make an order of goods
B) record sales on a cash register
C) call the sales manager
D) keep track of the goods in stock
15. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A) Approaches to the commercial use of computers.
B) Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
C) Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.
D) Advantages of credit cards in business.
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:
Ours has become a society of employees. A hundred years or so ago only one out of every five Americans at work was employed. Today only one out of five is not employed but working for himself. And when 50 years ago "being employed" meant working as a factory labourer or as a farmhand, the employee of today is increasingly a middle-class person with a substantial formal education, holding a professional or management job requiring intellectual and technical skills. Indeed, two things have characterized American society during these last 50 years: middle-class and upper-class employees have been the fastest-growing groups in our working population-growing so fast that the industrial worker, that oldest child of the Industrial Revolution, has been losing in numerical importance despite the expansion of industrial production.
Yet you will find little if anything written on what it is to be an employee. You can find a great deal of very dubious advice on how to get a job or how to get a promotion. You can also find a good deal of work in a chosen field, whether it be the mechanist's trade or bookkeeping （会计）. Every one of these trades requires different skills, sets different standards, and requires a different preparation. Yet they all have employeeship（雇员身份）in common. And increasingly, especially in the large business or in government, employeeshipis more important to success than the special professional knowledge or skill. Certainly more people fail because they do not know the requirements of being an employee than because they do not adequately possess the skills of their trade; the higher you climb the ladder, the more you get into administrative or executive work, the greater the emphasis on ability to work within the organization rather than
on technical abilities or professional knowledge.
16. It is implied that 50 years ago __________.
A) 80% of American working people were employed in factories
B) 20% of American intellectuals were employees
C) the percentage of intellectuals in the total work force was almost the same as that of industrial workers
D) the percentage of intellectuals working as employees was not so large as that of industrial workers
17. According to the passage, with the development of modern industry, __________.
A) factory labourers will overtake intellectual employees in number
B) there are as many middle-class employees as factory labourers
C) employers have attached great importance to factory labourers
D) the proportion of factory labourers in total employee population has decreased
18. The word "dubious" in Line Two, Paragraph Two，most probably means __________.
A) valuable
B) useful
C) doubtful
D) helpful
19. According to the writer, professional knowledge or skill is __________.
A) less important than awareness of being a good employee
B) as important as the ability to deal with public relation
C) more important than employer--employee relations
D) as important as the ability to co-operate with others in the organization
20. From the passage it can be seen that employeeship helps one ________ .
A) to be more successful in his career
B) to solve technical problems
C) to be more specialized in his field
D) to develop his professional skill
阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习三
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
The science of. meteorology is concerned with the study of the structure, state, and behavior of the atmosphere. The subject may be approached from several directions, but the scene cannot be fully approached from any one vantage point (有利的地位). Different views must be integrated to give perspective to the whole picture.
One may consider the condition of the atmosphere at a given moment and attempt to predict changes from that condition over a period of a few hours to a few days ahead. This approach is covered by the branch of the science called synoptic meteorology（天气学）.
Synoptic meteorology is the scientific basis of the technique of weather forecasting by means of the preparation and analysis of weather maps and aerological diagram （高空气象图）. The practical importance of the numerous applications of weather forecasting cannot be overestimated . In serving the needs of shipping, aviation, agriculture, industry, and many other interests and fields of human activity with accurate weather warnings and professional forecast advice, great benefits are obtained in the form of the saving of human life and property and in economic advantages of various kinds. One important purpose of the science of meteorology is constantly to strive, through advanced study and research, to increase our knowledge of the atmosphere with the aim of improving the accuracy of weather forecasts.
The tools needed to advance our knowledge in this way are the disciplines of mathematics and physics applied to solve meteorological problems. The use of these tools forms that branch of the science called dynamic meteorology.
1.Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the third paragraph of the passage?
A) A problem is examined and possible solutions are given.
B) A procedure is explained and its importance is emphasized.
C) Two contrasting views of a problem are presented.
D) Recent scientific advancements are outlined in order of importance.
2. The author implies that increased accuracy in weather forecasting will lead to _______.
A) a higher number of professional forecasters
B) less-specialized forms of synoptic meteorology
C) more funds given to meteorological research
D) greater protection of human life
3.In the last sentence of the passage, the phrase "these tools" refer to ________.
A) weather forecasts
B) economic advantages
C) mathematics and physics
D) meteorological problems
4.The best title for the passage is _______.
A) Approaches to the Science of Meteorology
B) New Advances in Synoptic Meteorology
C) The limitations of Meteorological Forecasting
D) The Basics of Dynamic Meteorology
5.Which of the following is referred to by the author as a field whose needs are served by weather
forecasting?
A) Teaching.
B) Transportation.
C) Medical service
D) Boxing.
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
Much attention has been given in the media to the so-called information superhighway which is supposed to use computer and telecommunication technology to completely change the way Americans will do business and receive information and entertainment at home in the future. There have been countless newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio discussions, meetings and conferences about it. However, according to a public opinion poll, most Americans say they have never heard of it.
The people who conducted the poll didn't actually talk to most Americans, of course, but they did talk to 1255 individuals, and they say the result has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. But even if it's off by three percentage points, it's still amazing. Two-thirds of Americans do not recall having heard of the information superhighway. And, even among the 34% who have heard of it，most say that they have little understanding of what it is. But even though most of those who have heard of it don't know what it is, six out of ten of them say that they are for it.
It seems very odd that people can admit that they don't know what something is and yet say they are for it, or against it, for that matter. It generally works out better when you find things out, rather than this business of linking something before finding out what it is. This is the way they know anything about it or not.
Unfortunately, this is the way political leadership works today: the so- called leaders read the polls to find out what the people want and here's the poll telling us that the people are ready to say what they want without knowing the first thing about it. This is the blind leading the blind. No wonder things are the way they are.
6. According to the passage, which of the following media covers the information superhighway?
A) Television series
B) Newspaper cartoons
C) Speeches at the meetings
D) Concerts
7．________ don't really know what the information superhighway is.
A) Most Americans
B) Two-thirds of Americans
C) All Americans
D) More than half Americans
8. What point is the writer of the article trying to make about the American people?
A) They do not know the information superhighway though they pretend to.
B) They say they agree with the leaders before they know who the leaders are.
C) They don't know much about telecommunication technology though they say they do.
D) They express an opinion on something before they know anything about it.
9. The passage is a criticism of _________ in the U.S. .
A) the mass media
B) the information superhighway
C) the political leadership
D) the general public
10. The expression " the blind leading the blind" in the last paragraph means ________.
A) the ignorant leaders are taken in by the mass media
B) both the media and Americans are blind
C) ill-informed leaders are leading ignorant people
D) both the people and the leaders are taken in by the media.
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
Taste is such a subjective matter that we don't usually conduct preference tests for food. The most you can say about anyone's preference, is that it's one person's opinion. But because the two big cola companies-Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola are marketed so aggressively, we have wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty. We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-Cola Classic（传统型）or Pepsi fans: find your brand in a blind tasting.
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi, Diet (低糖的) Coke, or Diet Pepsi. These were people who thought they' d have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand.
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers. Then we fed them four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other. We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi, then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants' choices with what mere guess-work could have accomplished.
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand. In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials. The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 of 27 identified all four samples correctly.
While both groups did better than chance would predict, nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times. Two people got all four samples wrong. Overall, half of the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so fatigue（疲劳）, or taste burnout, was not a factor. Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price.
11. According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to _______.
A) find out the role taste preference plays in a person's drinking
B) reveal which cola is more to the liking of the drinkers
C) show that a person' s opinion about taste is mere guess-work
D) compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks
12. The statistics recorded in the preference tests show _________.
A) Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people's two most favorite drinks
B) there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi
C) few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi
D) people's tastes differ from one another
13. It is implied in the first paragraph that ________.
A) the purpose of taste tests is to promote the sale of colas
B) the improvement of quality is the chief concern of the two cola companies
C) the competition between the two colas is very strong
D) blind tasting is necessary for identifying fans
14. The word 'burnout" in Line Four, Paragraph Five, refers to the state of ________.
A) being seriously burnt in the skin
B) being unable to burn for lack of fuel
C) being badly damaged by fire
D) being unable to function because of excessive use
15. The author's purpose in writing this passage is to ________.
A) show that taste preference is highly subjective
B) argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy
C) emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other
D) recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control of colas
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:
Lincoln was a strong executive who saved the government, saved the United States. He was a President who understood people and when time came to make decisions he was willing to take the responsibility and make those decisions no matter how difficult they were. He knew how to treat people and how to make a decision stick and that's why he is regarded as such a great Administrative.
Carl Sandburg and a lot of others have tried to make something out of Lincoln that he wasn't. He was a decent man, a good politician, and a great President, and they've tried to build up things that he never even thought about. I'll bet a dollar and a half that if you read Sandburg's mouth and mind that never even occurred to him. He was a good man who was in the place where he ought to have been at the time important events were taking place, but when they write about him as though he belongs in the pantheon（众神庙）of the gods, that's not the man he really was. He was the best kind of ordinary man and when I say that he was an ordinary man, I mean that as a high praise, not deprecation（贬低）. That's the highest praise you can give a man. He's one of the people and becomes distinguished in the service that he gives other people. He was one of the people, and he wanted to stay that way. And he was that way until the day he died. One of the reasons he was assassinated（暗杀）was because he didn't feel important enough to have proper guards around him at Ford's Theatre.
16. According to the passage, Lincoln was __________.
A) a man belonging in the pantheon of the gods
B) deified（神化）by all the people
C) as ordinary as all the other people
D) a responsible person
17. What's the author's comment on Carl Sandburg's biography of Lincoln?
A) It's objective.
B) It is unfair to Lincoln.
C) It sang high praise of Lincoln.
D) It's too exaggerating.
18. What's the author's attitude toward Lincoln?
A) Admiring
B) Indifferent
C) Critical
D) Kind
19. Which of the following titles suits the passage best?
A) Lincoln一an Ordinary Man
B) Lincolna一Great Politician
C) Lincoln's Biography by Carl Sandburg
D) How was Lincoln Assassinated?
20. In the author's opinion,"an ordinary man"___________.
A) is a mediocre（平庸的）person
B) can never become distinguished
C) indicates deprecation
D) can be used to praise a person
阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习四
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
Anybody over 70 who was brought up in a country village or town finds the social customs of young people today strangely familiar. In the 1800's or 1890's, it was normal to have boys and girls pair off in a more or less stable fashion, and such pairing often ended in marriage.
Why have the younger people reverted so sharply to the ways of an earlier era and simpler society? There seems to be no clear-cut answer. The cause of the change has often been considered to be the Second World War, but this reversion was well under way before 1939. The new social customs may be related to the Great Depression（经济大萧条）when a boy putting out money for a girl on dance, movies, or the like wanted to be sure of some return on his investment. It is also true that the fiercely competitive social life of the twenties meant that a popular girl had a very good time indeed.
But the majority of girls were not popular. They dreaded being neglected in parties. It may be that the less popular girls were the ones who slowly created the present democratic system, under which any girl with a steady（情侣）is just as well off as any other girl with a steady. Since each boy wants a steady, too, and since the number of boys and girls are about equal, everybody seems better off （较自在，较幸福）at present. On the other hand, girls would insist that the new system was created by the boys who are aggressive, possessive, and jealous of all rivals.
1. The practice of going steady （仅与同一异性经常约会）is similar to a custom first popular ________.
A) after the Second World War
B) before 1900
C) in the 1920's
D) during the Depression
2. According to the article, the question "Why have our young people reverted so sharply to the ways of an earlier era and simpler society?"
A) can not be answered definitely
B) can be answered definitely
C) cannot be answered
D) is definitely answered in the article
3. The Second World War cannot be regarded as the cause of the change because ________.
A) the Second World War began before 1939
B) the custom of going steady started before 1939
C) the Second World War changed American customs
D) during the War, going steady was difficult
4. According to the author, going steady may have been revived during the Great Depression because ________.
A) social life became more competitive
B) boys could not afford to take girls to dances
C) girls became more independent
D) the practice was regarded by young men as a wise investment
5.According to the author, the custom of going steady is better for ________.
A) boys
B) the majority
C) girls
D) both boys and girls
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
It remains to be seen whether the reserves of raw materials would be sufficient to supply a world economy which would have grown by 500%. South-East Asia alone would have an energy consumption five times greater than that of Westen Europe in 1970. Incidentally, if the underdeveloped countries started using up petrol at the same rate as the industrialised areas, then world reserves would already be exhausted by 1985.
All this only goes to show just how important it is to set up a plan to conserve and divide up fairly natural resources on a world-wide scale.
This is a matter of life and death because world population is exploding at an incredible rate. By the middle of the next century population will expand every year by as much as it did in the first 1500 years after Christ. In the southern, poor, parts of the globe, the figures are enough to make your hair stand on end. Even supposing that steps are taken to stabilise（稳定）world population in the next 50 years, the number of inhabitants per square kilometre will increase by from 4 in the United States to 140 in South-East Asia. What can we do about it?
In the first hypothesis（假设）we do nothing. By the year 2000, the southern parts of the world then have a population greater than the total world population today. Calcutta would have 60 million inhabitants. It is unthinkable.
Alternatively（或）, we could start acting right now to bring births under control within 15 years so that population levels off. Even then the population in the southern areas would not stop growing for 75 years.
6.World petrol reserves will be used up by 1985 if _________.
A) Western European consumption continues to expand
B) South-East Asia does not limit its consumption
C) underdeveloped countries start to use petrol at the same rate as Western Europe
D) world population continues to expand
7.The author thinks that we should ________.
A) do nothing
B) act now
C) wait 10 years
D) wait 20 years
8.Should we take the effective measures immediately, the world's population _________.
A) would not stop growing for 75 years
B) would stop growing in about 15 years' time from now
C) could stabilise in about 75 years' time
D) could stabilise in 35 years' time
9.The author suggests in the passage that _________.
A) there will certainly not be enough raw materials for the world economy in the year 2000
B) world petrol supplies will have been exhausted by 1985
C) we need to use natural resources carefully and divide them up equally
D) to slow down the economic growth in developed countries might be a possible solution to the problem
10.The purpose of the author in writing this piece is to _________.
A) urge people to start taking action right away
B) tell people about the surprising rate of population growth
C) describe the problem the world will be faced with
D) give an account of the relationship between population growth and industry
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
One of the most interesting paradoxes（逆说）in America today is that Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, is now engaged in serious debate about what a university should be, and whether it is measuring up.
Like the Roman Catholic（天主教的）Church and other ancient institutions, it is asking-still in private rather than in public-whether its past assumptions about faculty, authority, admissions,
courses of study, are really relevant to the problems of the 1980's.
Should Harvard-or any other university-be an intellectual sanctuary（圣坛）, apart from the political and social revolution of the age, or should it be a laboratory for experimentation with these political and social revolutions, or even an engine of the revolution? This is what is being discussed privately in the big houses of faculty members around the Harvard Yard.
The issue was defined by Walter lippmann, a distinguished Harvard graduate, several years ago.
"If the universities are to do their work, " he said, "they must be independent and they must be disinterested--- They are places to which men can turn for judgements which are unbiased by special interest. Obviously, the moment the universities fall under political control, or under the control of private interest, or the moment they themselves take a hand in politics and the leadership of government, their value as independent and disinterested sources of judgement is weakened --- "
This is part of the argument that is going on at Harvard today. Another part is the argument among the students that a university is the keeper of our ideals and morals, and should not be "disinterested" but activist in bringing the nation's ideals and actions together.
Harvard's men of today seem more troubled and less sure about personal, political and acadimic purpose than they did at the beginning. They are not even clear about how they should debate and resolve their problems, but they are struggling with them privately, and how they come out is bound to influence American university and political life in the 1980's.
11.The issues in the debates on Harvard's goals are whether the universities should remain independent of society and its problems, and whether they should ________.
A) fight for freedom
B) overcome the widespread drug dependency（依赖）
C) take an active part in solving society's problems
D) support our old and established institutions
12.In regard to their goals and purposes in life, the author believes that Harvard men are becoming _______.
A) more sure about them
B) less sure about them
C) more hopeful of reaching a satisfactory answer
D) completely disappointed at ever reaching a satisfactory answer
13.A "paradox" is ________.
A) an unusual situation
B) a parenthetical（插入成分的）expression
C) an abnormal condition
大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案.
————————————————————————————————作者：————————————————————————————————日期： 2
3 大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案（四） 十六 Trees should only be pruned when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , fortunately,the number of such reasons is small. Pruning involves the cutting away of obergrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way. First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut diseaed or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air. One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but itis a wound that will heal. Often there is a race between the healing and the desease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce which has been pruned smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hurs and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually without interference from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts yu make will bleed. If this does happen,it is, of course,impossible to paint them properly. 1.Pruning should be done to ______. a.make the tree grow taller
2017年大学英语四级快速阅读技巧 2017年大学英语四级的3个试题特点 大学英语四级的试题特点1. 题干中的细节信息往往反映文章的主旨和段落主题。通过快速地阅读题干中的若干细节信息，考生可以迅速了解原文的主旨大意。 大学英语四级的试题特点2. 题干提供的细节信息中往往暗含一些说明文或议论文所必需的逻辑关系，考生可以利用这种关系预先对一些表达进行排序，这对于解答信息匹配题有着非常重要的意义。 大学英语四级的试题特点3. 提干提供的信息表达中通常包括如下三类：能够指示开头段的词，如overview, introduction, initiation, main idea, definition 等;能够指示结尾段的词，如future, solution, conclusion, suggestion, summary 等;能够帮助考生回原文定位的特殊词，如rate, ration, proportion, percentage, number, figure, statistical demographics 等。 4.有些试题题干中的细节信息往往会和原文的其他某一题目联系密切，考生可通过先解答原文的其他题目来获得解答题目的线索和提示性信息。 2017年英语四级快速阅读的6个解题技巧 快速阅读的解题技巧(1) 判定词性时可以重点分析动词的时态，即哪几个是一般时，哪几个是过去时又或者是过去分词。 因为根据样题，它对考生不做选项改写要求，所以我们可以根据上下文时态对应的原则，给自己进一步缩小选择范围。
如果选项中出现指代词时，往往该选项不能放在首句，要注意指代成立的条件。 快速阅读的解题技巧(3) 如果选项中出现一组反义词时，往往有一个是干扰选项，它注重考察的是对于文章框架结构的理解，要求考生理解整篇文章的语境色彩。 快速阅读的解题技巧(4) 如果选项中出现一组近义词时，往往也有一个是干扰选项，它注重考察的是词汇的精确理解，要求考生分析清楚其细微的区别。 快速阅读的解题技巧(5) 如果选项为连词时，要关注上下句内在的逻辑关系。常见的逻辑关系有：因果，并列平行，递进，强对比，前后意思一致等。 快速阅读的解题技巧(6) 要有总体观，不必按顺序作题。先把自己最有把握的词选出，然后删除该选项，为吃不准的选项缩小选择范围。 2017年快速判定英语四级文章主题3个技巧 快速判定主题的技巧(1) 读文章时重点关注文章的首段和首末句。按照西方人习惯性的思维方式和写作习惯，他们惯用的是演绎法：即文章一开始先扔出自己的核心观点，然后具体一步步论证。 根据统计，每一段的第一句、第二句和最后一句话为本段的主题句的概率分别为50%、20%、20%，三句话成为主题句的概率超过九成，当然也就成为我们阅读的重中之重。
大学英语四级阅读理解试 题及答案一 It was last revised on January 2, 2021
大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案（一） 一 There are three kinds of goals: short-term,medium-range and long-term goals. Short-range goals are those that usually deal with current activities,which we can apply on a daily goals can be achieved in a week or less,or two weeks,or possible should be remembered that just as a building is no stronger than its foundation ,out long-term goals cannot amount to very munch without the achievement of solid short-term completing our short-term goals,we should date the occasion and then add new short-term goals that will build on those that have been completed. The intermediate goals bukld on the foundation of the short-range might deal with just one term of school or the entire school year,or they could even extend for several time you move a step at a time,you should never allow yourself to become discouraged or overwhelmed. As you complete each step,you will enforce the belief in your ability to grow adn as your list of completion dates grow,your motivation and desire will increase. Long-range goals may be related to our dreams of the future. They might cover five years or more. Life is not a static should never allow a long-term goal to limit us or our course of action. long-term goals mean a lot__. we complete our short-range goals we cannot reach solid short-term goals we write down the dates we put forward some plans short-term goals are bulid upon__. years goals activities goals that have been completed we complete each step of our goals ,__. will win final success are overwhelmed should build up confidence of success should strong desire for setting new goals our goals are drawn up,__. should stick to them until we complete them may change our goals as we have new ideas and opportunities had better wait for the exciting news of success have made great decision is implied but not stated in the passage that ___. who habe long-term goals will succeed down the dates may discourage you
大学英语四级快速阅读技巧 15分钟做完，先看小标题（现只看2-3个，多了也记不住），再通过1-7 小题的题干的名词、动词找出原句来做， 特别注意： 做题顺序，先看文章标题，直到文章主要内容，然后看第一小题，在小题部分的定位词先圈出来，在回原文找。找到第一小题后，再看第二小题。看一个题，作一个；不要把文章看完再做题，或题看完再读文章。 特别注意：比较容易定位的词是： A. 不能用中心思想词定位，因为整篇文章都说的是它。 B. 时间、数字、地点、大写字母的单词容易定位。 C. 比较长，难的名词容易定位，好找。 D. 定位词找2-3个就行，多了也记不住。最好是位置不同的两个词。 一般判断N0和NG的标准如下: NO题: (l)信息与原文相反 (2)将原文信息张冠李戴 (3)将原文中不确定的或未经证实的内容作为正确的或客观的来表述 (4)改变原文的条件、范围、频率、可能性等 NG题: (l)无中生有 (2)以个别代替整体，即将原文所举例子的特殊现象推广为普遍现象 (3)随意比较原文中提到的两个事物 (4)将原文具体化，即题目中涉及的范围小于原文涉及的范围 (5)原文中作者或某个人物的目标、目的、愿望、誓言等内容，在题目中作为客观事实陈述 Promote Learning and Skills for Young People and Adults This goal places the emphasis on the learning needs of young people and adults in the context of lifelong learning. It calls for fair access to learning programs that are appropriate, and mentions life skills particularly.
大学英语四级阅读理解（1）We find that bright children are rarely held back by mixed-ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming(把......按能力分班) pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade! Besides, it is rather unreal to grade people just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed-ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning. In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to cope with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyse and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher. Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is appropriate. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. An advanced pupil can do advanced work: it does not matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every
大学英语四级阅读40篇(1) 2/40 The economy of the United states after 1952 was the econnomy of a well-fed,almost fully employed people. Despit occasional alarms, the country escaped any postwar depression and lived in a state of boom. A n economic survey of the year 1955, a typical year of the 1950’s, may be typical as illustrating the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was value at 10 percent above that of 1954 (1955 output was estimated at 392 billion dollars). The production of manufacturers was about 40 percent more than it had averaged in the years immediately following World War 2. The country’s business spent about 30billion dollars for new factories and machinery. National income available for spending was almost a third greater than it had been it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about 700 million dollars a day ,or about twenty-five million dollars every hour , all round the clock. Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted jobs but could not find them . Only agriculture
大学英语四级阅读理解试题 Many people believe the glare from snow causes snowblindnenss. Yet, dark glasses or not , they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes,and even snowblindness,when exposed to several hours of "snow light" . The United States Army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snowblindness in troops in a snow- covered , a man's eyes frequently find nothing to foucs on in a broad expanse of barren snow-covered terrain. So his gaze continually shifts and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of tsomething to look at. Finding nothing, hour after hour, the eyes never sotp searching and the eyeballs become sore and the eye muscles ache. Nature offsets this irritation by producing more and fluid which covers the eyeball. The fluid coversthe eyeball in increasing quantity until vision blurs, then is obsured,and the result is total, even though temporary,snowblindness. Experiments led the Army to a simple method of overcoming this problem. Scouts ahead of a main body of troops are
大学英语四级考试中快速阅读的答题技巧 一：测试目的 快速阅读，顾名思义，它的目的在于测试考生单位时间当中的阅读量，其实四级对速度的考查是近几 年一直延续的一种结果。在2002年的时候，我们四级阅读平均每一篇文章阅读量是284个单词，2003年6月，每篇文章阅读量是300个单词。2005年一月份和六月份，平均阅读量是320到333个单词。这说明 一点，四级考试委员会对阅读速度这个能力早就有一个延续性的逐步的提高。同时，在解答题目方面，快 速阅读并不强调一定要像精读文章那样通篇认真研究，相反，快速阅读题目更强调测试考生在实践语言环 境中查询有效信息的能力，这也反映出四六级考试试图提升考生实际应用能力的改革方向。 二：测试形式 快速阅读要求考生在15分钟内完 成一篇1100字左右的文章和后面的10道题。前面7个题是判断正误（包括NOT GIVEN），后3个是填空题填根据阅读的理解，填三到四个单词（答案基本都是原文中出现的原词）。快速阅读的文章一般分为小标题+题目和无小标题+题目两种类型。这反映出四级考试从单纯的模仿托福的形式转向托福和雅思学习的融合。该题型需要通过略读和寻读法，乃至文章逻辑关系、标点符/号等方面的综合运用，实现对随后的题目有效的判断和填写。 三：基本要求 1.快速阅读的文章基本都是专业题材的文章，很多考生可能会觉得很陌生，但是对于CET-4 的快速阅读开始来说，只要求考生对题目所提到的信息在原文中能够找到即可，只是有时需要简 单的同义词替换 2.略读（Skimming）和寻读（Scanning）的能力在大学英语四级考试中显得尤为重要 3.快速阅读要求考生的阅读速度是每分钟110-140词
大学英语四级2017年6月阅读理解汇总 17.6.1 The method for making beer has changed over time. Hops (啤酒花)，for example, which give many a modem beer its bitter flavor, are a (26)_______ recent addition to the beverage. This was first mentioned in reference to brewing in the ninth century. Now, researchers have found a (27)_______ingredient in residue (残留物）from 5,000-year-old beer brewing equipment. While digging two pits at a site in the central plains of China, scientists discovered fragments from pots and vessels. The different shapes of the containers (28)_______ they were used to brew, filter, and store beer. They may be ancient “beer-making tools,”and the earliest (29_______ evidence of beer brewing in China, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To (30)_______ that theory, the team examined the yellowish, dried (31)_______ inside the vessels. The majority of the grains, about 80%, were from cereal crops like barley (大麦),and about 10% were bits of roots, (32)_______lily,which would have made the beer sweeter, the scientists
As the pace of life continues to increase ,we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift,being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body. Stress is an natural part of everyday lift and there is no way to avoid it. In fact ,it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be .A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation adn give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health. The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress,and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress,in whatever form,we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to stress,that health becomes endangered.Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress.Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could),we need to find ways to deal with it. 1.People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____. a.they do not know how to enjoy themselves b.they do not believe that relaxation is important for health c.they are travelling fast all the time d.they are becoming busier with their work 2.According to the writer ,the most important character for a good manager is his ________. a.not fearing stress b.knowing the art of relaxation c.high sense of responsibility d.having control over performance 3.Which of the follwing statements is ture? a.We can find some ways to avoid stress b.Stress is always harmful to people
大学英语四级考试快速阅读技巧 一.测试目的 快速阅读，顾名思义，它的目的在于测试考生单位时间当中的阅 读量，其实四级对速度的考查是近几年一直延续的一种结果。同时， 在解答题目方面，快速阅读并不强调一定要像精读文章那样通篇认真 研究，相反，快速阅读题目更强调测试考生在实践语言环境中查询有 效信息的能力，这也反映出四六级考试试图提升考生实际应用能力的 改革方向。 二.测试形式 快速阅读要求考生在15 分钟内完成一篇1100字左右的文章和后面的 10 道题。前面 7 个题是判断正误（包括NG），后 3 个是填空题填根据阅读的理解，填三到四个单词( 答案基本都是原文中出现的原 词)。快速阅读的文章一般分为小标题+题目和无小标题+题目两种类型。该题型需要通过略读和寻读法，乃至文章逻辑关系、标点符号等方面的综合运用，实现对随后的题目有效的判断和填写。 三.基本要求 1. 快速阅读的文章基本都是专业题材的文章，很多考生可能会觉得 很陌生，但是对于 CET-4 的快速阅读开始来说，只要求考生
对题目所提到的信息在原文中能够找到即可，只是有时需要简 单的同义词替换。 2. 略读（ Skimming）和寻读（ Scanning ）的能力在大学英语四级考试中显得尤为重要。 3. 快速阅读要求考生的阅读速度是每分钟 110-140 词。 四.快速阅读方法 1.推测（prediction） 阅读正文前，就标题（如果有标题的话）来合理推测资料的 大概内容，也可在读了一段之后预测下段内容。这对快速理解和 整体把握文章内容以及推测出生词的词义范围有积极的意义。 2.读关键词句（key words and topic sentences） 在对文章的整体内容有了基本认识的基础上，我们学会抓主 要的词句，找出段落中的主题句，从而正确领会文章的主要内容。3.略读(skimming) 略读又称跳读 (reading and skipping)或浏览(glancing)，是一种专门的，非常实用的快速阅读技能。 所谓略读，是指以尽可能快的速度阅读，如同从飞机上鸟瞰(bird ’s eye view ) 地面上的明显标志一样，迅速获取文章大意或中心思想。换句话说，略读是要求读者有选择地进行阅读，可跳过某些细节，以求抓住文章的大概，从而加快阅读速度。据统计，训练有素的略读者(skimmer) 的阅读速度可以达到每分钟 3000 到 4000 个词。
英语四级阅读理解练习题及解析(1) 【阅读练习】 What is it about Americans and food? We love to eat,but we feel 1 about it afterward. We say we want only the bes t, but we strangely enjoy junkfood. We’re 2 with health an d weight loss but face an unprecedented epidemic of obes ity(肥胖). Perhaps the 3 to this ambivalence(矛盾情 结) lies in our history. The first Europeans cameto this con tinent searching for new spices but went in vain. The first cash crop(经济作 物)wasn’t eaten but smoked. Then there was Prohibition, i ntended to prohibit drinking butactually encouraging more 4 ways of doing it. The immigrant experience, too, has been one of inharmon y. Do as Romans do meanseating what “real Americans” e at, but our nation’s food has come to be 5 by imports—piz za,say, or hot dogs. And some of the country’s most treas ured cooking comes from people whoarrived here in shack les.
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Work-life balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress Finding work-life balance in today’s frenetically (疯狂) paced world is no simple task. Spend more time at work than at home, and you miss out on a rewarding personal life. Then again, when you face challenges in your personal life, such as caring for an aging parent or coping with marital problems, concentrating on your job can be difficult. Whether the problem is too much focus on work or too little, when your work life and your personal life feel out of balance, stress — along with its harmful effects — is the result. The good news is that you can take control of your work-life balance — and give yourself the time to do the things that are most important to you. The first step is to recognize how the world of work has changed. Then you can evaluate your relationship to work and apply some specific strategies for striking a healthier balance. How work invades your personal life There was a time when employees showed up for work Monday through Friday and worked eight- to- nine-hour days. The boundaries between work and home were fairly clear then. But the world has changed and, unfortunately, the boundaries have blurred for many workers. Here’s why: ●Global economy. As more skilled workers enter the global labor market and companies outsource or move more jobs to reduce labor costs, people feel pressured to work longer and produce more just to protect their jobs. ●International business. Work continues around the world 24 hours a day for some people. If you work in an international organization, you might be on call around the clock for troubleshooting or consulting. ●Advanced communi cation technology. Many people now have the ability to work anywhere — from their home, from their car and even on vacation. And some managers expect this.
大学英语四级阅读理解模拟题 The most frightening words in the English language are, "Our computer is down. " You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, "I' m sorry, I can' t sell you a ticket. Our computer is down. " "If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket. " "I can' t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so. " I looked down on the computer and every passenger .was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the black screen. Then I asked her, "What do all you people do?" "We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with us or not. " "So when it goes down, you go down with it. " "That' s good, sir. " "How long will the computer be down?" I wanted to know. "I have no idea. Sometimes it' s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There' s no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it' s down it won' t answer us. "