英语专业四级阅读理解高分特训100篇-第3章 英语专业四级标准阅读篇(社会生活类)【圣才出品】
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英语专业四级阅读理解⾼分特训100篇-第4章英语专业四级能⼒提升篇(商业经济类)【圣才出品】商业经济类(Passage 83~88)Passage 83 题材:商业经济类字数:476 建议⽤时:6.5分钟The global financial crisis of 2008 hit consumers hard. Two years later, and they're still reeling. Spending is down across the board, and even the more affluent are watching their pennies. In this fearful climate, retailers are applying ever more scientific and psychological tactics to lure them back. This was made clear to me on a memorable day in 2010 when I visited the laboratory outside of Chicago of one of the world's largest consumer goods manufacturers.After driving for nearly two hours, I reached my destination: a huge, imposing warehouse, with no outward sign, and a vast parking lot full of cars. A friendly receptionist checked my identity, had me sign all sorts of paperwork, and directed me through a door labeled Control Room. It was massive, and resembled images I've seen of NASA's operations area—row upon row of people staring intently at hundreds of screens, only they were monitoring shoppers pushing carts around the aisles of a supermarket that had been designed to test their responses to different marketing strategies. “Take a careful look at this lady,” said one of the monitors, pointing to a middle-aged woman on the screen. “She's about to enter our latest speed-bump area. It's designed to have her spend 45 seconds longer in this section, which can increase her average spend by as much as 73%. I call it the zone of seduction.”This particular section of the market was different from the usual aisle. For astart, it had different floor tiles—a type of pattern conveying a sense of quality. And instead of the cart gliding imperceptibly across nondescript carpet, it made a ringing sound, causing the shopper to instinctively slow down. The shopper's speed was displayed at the top of the screen, and as soon as she entered the zone, her pace noticeably slowed.Over several months of experimenting with signs, the team noticed that using a dollar sign in front of the price decreases our likelihood of making the purchase. The dollar sign is a symbol of cost, rather than gain. Removing the sign helps the consumer escape the harsh reality of outstanding bills and longer-term financial concerns. No doubt the larger cart and the changed floor tiles also played their part, but what was most surprising was our need to hoard. A pronouncement allowing only three cans per customer can seal a deal.The next time you go grocery shopping, take a look at the signs, the type of floor, and even the carts. Everything has been designed with an eye towards getting you to grab those three cans of something that was not on your list. The more attention you pay to the details, the more aware you'll become of how you're being manipulated. One thing is for certain; whoever made those three cans will be watching you just as closely.1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _______.A. the affluent are more thrifty than the average peopleB. there is lack of consumer confidence after the financial crisisC. consumers tend to increase their savings for bad yearsD. retailers are expect to reduce prices to promote sales2. Which of the following statements is TRUE of the laboratory?A. The warehouse is similar to NASA in terms of size.B. Shoppers of many supermarkets were monitored.C. The scenes in the laboratory were awesome.D. A middle-aged woman was picked out randomly.3. We can infer from the passage that shoppers _______.A. should realize the marketing strategies of manufacturersB. may be tempted to buy things they didn't intend toC. are under constant supervision of manufacturesD. should watch their wallets when going shopping4. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?A. The Appeal to Your Stocking Instinct.B. Retailers' Marketing Tactics and Performance.C. What Your Supermarket Knows About You.D. The Impact of the Recession on Consumers.5. What does t he word “imperceptibly” (Paragraph Three)probably mean?6. Which was a little unexpectedly effective in sealing a deal?「⽂章⼤意」本⽂围绕零售商针对消费者⼼理采取的营销策略进⾏说明。
英语专业四级考试阅读理解训练(二)Passage OneI lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head. Now I am thirty two. I can vaguely remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is. It would be wonderful to see again, but a calamity can do strange things to people. It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind. I believe in life now. I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, otherwise. I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes. I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left.Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality. The more readily a person is able to make these adjustments, the more meaningful his own private world becomes. The adjustment is never easy. I was bewildered and afraid. But I was lucky. My parents and my teachers saw something in me--a potential to live, you might call it--which I didn't see, and they made me want to fight it out with blindness.The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. That was basic. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life. When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in thesweeping, intricate pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit.It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance. It had to start with the most elementary things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was mocking me and I was hurt. "I can't use this." I said. "Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around." The words stuck in my head. "Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball. At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to learn my limitations. It was no good to try for something I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress.1. We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _____.A. the author lost his sight because of a car crash.B. the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen.C. the disaster made the author appreciate what he had.D. the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see.2. What's the most difficult thing for the author?A. How to adjust himself to reality.B. Building up assurance that he can find his place in life.C. Learning to manage his life alone.D. To find a special work that suits the author.3. According to the context, "a chair rocker on the front porch" in paragraph 3 means that the author ____.A. would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his lifeB. was paralyzed and stayed in a rocking chairC. would lose his will to struggle against difficultiesD. would sit in a chair and stay at home4. According to the passage, the baseball and encouragement offered by the man____.A. hurt the author's feelingB. gave the author a deep impression.C. directly led to the invention of ground ball.D. inspired the author.5. According to the passage, which of the following is CORRECT?A. The author set goals for himself but only invited failure most of the time.B. The author suggested not trying something beyond one's ability at the beginning.C. The bitterness of failure prevented the author from trying something out of reach.D. Because of his limitations, the author tried to reach one goal at a time.Passage TwoI have known very few writers, but those I have known, and whom I respected, confess at once that they have little idea where they are going when they first set pen to paper. They have a character, perhaps two; they are in that condition of eager discomfort which passes for inspiration; all admit radical changes of destination once the journey has begun; one, to my certain knowledge, spent nine months on a novel about Kashmir, then reset the whole thing in the Scottish Highlands. I never heard of anyone making a "skeleton", as we were taught at school. In the breaking and remaking, in the timing, interweaving, beginning afresh, the writer comes to discern things in his material which were not consciously in his mind when he began.This organic process, often leading to moments of extraordinary self-discovery, is of an indescribable fascination. A blurred image appears, he adds a brushstroke and another, and it is gone; but something was there, and he will not rest till he has captured it. Sometimes the’ yeast within a w riter outlives a book he has written. I have heard of writers who read nothing but their own books, like adolescents they stand before the mirror, and still cannot fathom the exact outline of the vision beforethem. For the same reason, writers talk interminably about their own books, winkling out hidden meanings, superimposing new ones, begging response from those around them.Of course a writer doing this is misunderstood: he might as well try to explain a crime or a love affair. He is also. Incidentally, an unforgivable bore. This temptation to cover the distance between himself and the reader, to study his image in the sight of those who do not know him, can be his undoing: he has begun to write to please.A young English writer made the pertinent observation a year or two back that the talent goes into the first draft, and the art into the drafts that follow. For this reason also the writer, like any other artist, has no resting place, no crowd or movement in which he may take comfort, no judgment from outside which can replace the judgment from within. A writer makes order out of the anarchy of his heart; he submits himself to a more ruthless discipline than any critic dreamed of, and when he flirts with fame, he is taking time off from living with himself, from the search for what his world contains at its inmost point.1. The writers that the author is familiar with confess that they would _____.A. work out the ending of a novel in advanceB. follow the writing methods learned at schoolC. remodel the main character in writingD. make changes to the stories they first construct2. According to the passage, the process of writingA. depends on skillful planning.B. is predictable and methodological.C. depends on the writers' experiences.D. is disorderly and unsystematic.3. The word "undoing" in the third paragraph probably suggests ___.A. successB. happinessC. failureD. sorrow4. According to the passage, the writer has no resting place becauseA. he is not clear about what he will write at the beginning.B. he should constantly edit his work to make it perfect.C. he has to face a lot of responses given by readers.D. he should add brushstrokes to the appearing blurred images.5. Which of the following statements about writers is TRUE according to the last paragraph?A. They have little ideas before they start writing.B. Their talent goes into all their drafts.C. It does harm to their writing when they flirt with fame.D. They try to increase communication with readers.。
专业英语四级(社会生活类阅读理解)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.Made was a tall, handsome 22-year-old Balinese man who was in love with one girl but expected to marry another. His stepmother had arranged everything —he would wed a distant relation and bring the two families closer together. Made had two choices. He could either marry the girl he did not love, or he could go against the wishes of his parents and be expelled from his village. Actually he had another choice, one which none of his family foresaw. One day his friends found him slumped in a coma on his bed after he had consumed two litres of a powerful insecticide. For more than 60 years the tropical Indonesian island of Bali has been portrayed to the outside world as a heavenly paradise where a strong culture and sense of community protect its inhabitants from the rigors of the modern world. It is an image supported by many millions of dollars from the international hotel community which provides luxury accommodation and facilities for nearly a million foreign visitors now travelling annually to the holiday island. Yet behind the marketing hype lies another story —one which exists in stark contrast to the sun, sand and sea “dream”. The truth is that the lives of Bali’s 2.7 million local inhabitants are often marked by poverty, suffering and family strife. Ketut is a 22-year-old maid who works part-time for an expatriate resident in Ubud, in the centre of the island. Her husband works as a driver for a white-water rafting company which provides day trips to tourists. “Sometimes I have no money for my baby because my husband gambles all his wages.” The husband’s father, unfamiliar with Western support systems, combats his son’s behaviour by calling in the dukun, a spiritual “healer” who makes offerings to the “bad” spirits at play in his mind.1.You would expect to find this passage in______.A.a newspaperB.an advertisementC.a travel brochureD.a book正确答案:A解析:推理题。
大学英语专业四级阅读理解模拟试题(含答案)(03)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 AThe 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. Butdisappointed 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 lookingat 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 college education.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 to college.TEXT BWhat we know of prenatal development makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unbornchild 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 make it 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 acertain 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.6.Which of the following statements is not true?A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during theirpregnancy.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.7. 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 studying8.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 ability9.If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of thehands 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 music10.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 TalentsTEXT CWhich is safer-staying at home, traveling to work on public transport, or working in the office? Surprisingly, each of these carries the same risk, which is very low. However, what about flying compared to working in the chemical industry? Unfortunately, the former is 65 times riskier than the latter! In fact, the accident rate ofworkers in the chemical industry is less than that of almost any of human activity, and almost as safe as staying at home.The trouble with the chemical industry is that when things go wrong they often cause death to those living nearby. It is this which makes chemical accidents so newsworthy. Fortunately, they are extremely rare. The most famous ones happened at Texas City (1947),Flixborough (1974), Seveso (1976), Pemex (1984) and Bhopal (1984).Some of these are always in the minds of the people even though the loss of life was small. No one died at Seveso, and only 28 workers at Flixborough. The worst accident of all was Bhopal, where up to 3,000 were killed. The Texas City explosion of fertilizer killed 552. The Pemex fire at a storage plant for natural gas in the suburbsof Mexico City took 542 lives, just a month before theunfortunate event at Bhopal.Some experts have discussed these accidents and used each accident to illustrate a particular danger. Thus the T exas City explosion was caused by tons of ammonium nitrate(硝酸铵),which is safe unless stored in greatquantity. The Flixborough fireball was the fault of management, which took risks to keep production going during essential repairs. The Seveso accident shows what happens if the local authorities lack knowledge of the dangeron their doorstep. When the poisonous gas drifted over the town, local leaders were incapable of taking effective action. The Pemex fire was made worse by an overloaded site in an overcrowded suburb. The fire set off a chain reaction os exploding storage tanks. Yet, by a miracle, the two largest tanks did not explode. Had these caught fire, then 3,000 strong rescue team and fire fighters would all have died.11.Which of the following statements is true?A.Working at the office is safer than staying at home.B.Traverlling to work on public transport is safer than working at the office.C.Staying at home is safer than working in the chemical industry.D.Working in the chemical industry is safer than traveling by air.12..Chemical accidents are usually important enough to be reported as news because ____.A.they are very rareB.they often cause loss of lifeC.they always occur in big citiesD.they arouse the interest of all the readers13.According to passage, the chemical accident that caused by the fault of management happened at ____.A.Texas cityB.FlixboroughC.SevesoD.Mexico City14.From the passage we know that ammonium nitrate is a kind of ____.A.natural gas, which can easily catch fireB.fertilizer, which can't be stored in a great quantityC.poisonous substance, which can't be used in overcrowded areasD.fuel, which is stored in large tanks15.From the discussion among some experts we may coclude that ____.A.to avoid any accidents we should not repair the facilities in chemical industryB.the local authorities should not be concerned with the production of the chemical industryC.all these accidents could have been avoided or controlled if effective measure had been takenD.natural gas stored in very large tanks is always safeTEXT DWhat 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 emotionalshock 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 make it 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 acertain 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.16.Which of the following statements is not true?A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during theirpregnancy.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.17. 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 studying18.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 ability19.If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of thehands 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 music20.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【参考答案】答案: 1-5 BCCAA 6-10 BACDA11-15 DBABC 16-20 BACDA。
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.。
社会生活类(Passage 25~30)Passage 25 题材:社会生活类字数:385 建议用时:4.5分钟Strikes and demonstrations in Germany, Britain and France helped to make the shorter working week a union priority. Employers gave way because in Germany sweating capital investment had traditionally been the way German managers sustained high productivity.In Britain, there was a certain cynicism in agreeing to a reduced working weekas British workers have always opted for extensive overtime to make up low basic wages. A nominal 35-hour week merely allowed more overtime.Working with union leaders such as Ron Todd and Bill Jordan in Britain and Hans Mayr, the wily IG Metall leader, in Germany, I found that there was one big gap in the movement for a 35-hour week. The Swedish union movement refused categorically to join the campaign.Given that in the 1980s—as today—95% of the Swedish workforce is unionized, the absence of the Swedish metalworkers’ union left a large hole in the European campaign. The Swedish thought that focusing on nominal weekly working hours was fatuous.The Swedish metal union believed that the distribution of working time should focus on annual holidays, family leave and on rigidly enforced limits on overtime that would be unacceptable to any self-respecting British shop steward. For the Swedish unions, working hours should help support Volvo, Saab, Electrolux andother companies faced with the growing challenge of globalization.To prescribe a rigid working week as the solution to European labor market problems just did not make sense to the calm, consensual approach that had allowed Swedish capitalism to flourish while delivering the best version of “social Europe” on offer in the continent.At the time, it appeared frustrating to see this breach in solidarity. But today, the Swedish refusal to make a totem out of the 35-hour week appears more than justified. Sweden has maintained both full employment and record levels of trade union membership. By contrast, in Germany and France, where the 35-hour week was introduced, the continuing high level of unemployment and the lack of movement and energy in the labor market have contributed to the biggest slump in trade union membership ever seen in both countries.1. The reason why in the end the 35-hour week has been gotten through in Germany is that _____.A. facing vast stri kes and demonstrations, German managers couldn’t deny thelongstanding fact of overworking employees for high profits.B. German workers devoted themselves to striking and demonstrating againstthe former longer workingweek.C. the new working rule has been approved in most of European countries.D. the new working rule would definitely improve the rate of employment.2. In the 7th paragraph, what does “breach in solidarity” refer to?A. “Social Europe”.B. Prosperity in Sweden.C. Swedish noninvolvement.D. The 35-hour week.3. Which statement is true according to the passage?A. Swedish workers hardly dissented from its government in its working weekproblem.B. Until today there have been 95% of the Swedish metalworkers that areunionized.C. Those British managers who have self-respects are considered to oppose arigid enforcement of limits onovertime.D. Under the challenge of globalization, some major Swedish companies haveturned to annual holidays andfamily leave for help.4. In the second paragra ph, what does “nominal” mean here?5. What is the author’s attitude towards the 35-hour week?「文章大意」本文主要围绕工人罢工和游行是否真正争取到了权利展开论述。
英语专业四级阅读真题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 answe匚Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO.TEXT AWhat is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine or any other science? We all know that science plays an important role in the societies in which we live・Many people believe, however, that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first of these is the application of the machines, products and systems of applied knowledge that scientists and technologists develop・ Through technology, science improves the structure of society and helps man to gain increasing control over his environment.The second aspect is the application by all members of society of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work.What arc these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is full of curiosity - he wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually directs his attention towards problems which he notices have no satisfactory explanation, and his curiosity makes him look for underlying relationships even if the data available seem to be unconnected. Moreover, he thinks he can improve the existing conditions and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves.He is a good observer, accurate, patient and objective and applies logical thought to the observations he makes. He utilizes the facts he observes to the fullest extent. For example, trained observers obtain a very large amount of information about a star mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum.He is skeptical - he does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available - and therefore rejects authority as the sole basis for truth. Scientists always check statements and make experiments carefully and objectively to verify them.Furthermore, he is not only critical of the work of others, but also of his own, since he knows that man is the least reliable of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to disturb objective investigation.Lastly, he is highly imaginative since he often has to look for relationships in data which arc not only complex but also frequently incomplete. Furthennore, he needs imagination if he wants to make hypotheses of how processes work and how events take place・These seem to be some of the ways in which a successful scientist or technologist thinks and acts.81 • Many people believe that science helps society to progress through _________ ・A.applied knowledge.B.more than one aspect.C.technology only.D.the use of machines.82.Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about curiosity?A.It gives the scientist confidence and pleasure in work.B.It gives rise to interest in problems that arc uncxplainccLC.It leads to efforts to investigate potential connections・D.It encourages the scientist to look for new ways of acting・83.According to the passage, a successful scientist would not _________ ・A.easily believe in unchecked statements.B.easily criticize others1 research work・C.always use his imagination in work・D.always use evidence from observation. 84・ What does the passage mainly discuss?A.Application of technology・B.Progress in modem society.C.Scientists* ways of thinking and acting・D.How to become a successful scientist・85・ What is the author's attitude towards the topic?A.Gitical.B. Objective.C. Biased.D. Uiclear.TEXTBOver the past several decades, the U.S., Canada, and Europe have received a great deal of media and even research attention over unusual phenomena and unsolved mysteries. These include UFOs as well as sightings and encounters with n nonhuman creatures n such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monste匚Only recently has Latin America begun to receive some attention as well. Although the mysteries of the Aztec, Mayan, and Inca civilizations have been known for centuries, now the public is also becoming aware of unusual, paranormal phenomena in countries such as Peru.The Nazca "lines” of Peru were discovered in the 1930s・ These lines are deeply carved into a flat, stony plain, and form about 300 intricate pictures of animals such as birds, a monkey, and a lizard. Seen at ground level, the designs are a jumbled senseless mess. The images are so large that they can only be viewed at a height of 1,000 feet ・ meaning from an ciircraft. Yet there were no aircraft in 300 B.C., when it is judged the designs were made・ Nor were there then, or are there now, any nearby mountain ranges from which to view them・So how and why did the native people of Nazca create these marvelous designs? One answer appeared in 1969, when the German researcher and writer Erich von Danikcn proposed that the lines were drawn by extraterrestrials as runways for their aircraft. The scientific community did not take long to scoffat and abandon von Daniken's theory. Over the years several other theories have been put forth, but none has been accepted by the scientific community.Today there is a new and heightened interest in the Nazca lines. It is a direct result of the creation of the Internet. Currently there arc over 60 sites dedicated to this mystery from Latin America^ past, and even respected scientists have joined the discussion through e-mail and chat rooms.Will the Internet help explain these unsolved mysteries? Perhaps it is a step in the right direction.86.Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?tin America has long received attention for unusual phenomena・B.Public attention is now directed towards countries like Peru.C.Public interest usually focuses on North America and Europe.D.Some ancient civilizations have unsolved mysteries.87.According to the passage, the Nazca lines were found _________ ・A.n iwuntains.B. n iones・ C・ on aiimals. D. on a plain・88.We can infer from the passage that the higher the lines are seen, the _______ the images they present・A・ snaller B. hrger C. clearer D・ brighter89.There has been increasing interest in the Nazca lines mainly because of _________ ・A.the participation of scientists・B. the emergence of the Internet.C. the birth of new theories・D. the interest in the Internet.90.The author is ___ about the role of the Internet in solving mysteries.A.oiutiousB. pessimisticC. urcertain D・ optimisticTEXTCGraduation speeches are a bit like wedding toasts. A few are memorable. The rest tend to trigger such thoughts as, u Why did I wear such uncomfortable shoes?11But graduation speeches are less about the message than the messenger. Every year a few colleges and universities in the US attract attention because theyve managed to book high-profile speakers. And, every year, the media report some of these speakers1 wise remarks.Last month, the following words of wisdom were spread:M You really haven f t completed the circle of success unless you can help somebody else move forward.'1 (Oprah Winfrey, Duke University)・"There is no way to stop change; change will come. Go out and give us a future worthy of the world we all wish to create together/ (Hillary Clinton, New York University).”This really is your moment・History is yours to bend.H(Joe Biden, Wake Forest University).Of course, the real H get H of the graduation season was first lady Michelle Obama f s appearance at the University of California, Merced. "Remember that you are blessed/ she told the class of 2009, "Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back... As advocate and activist Marian Wright Edelman says, 'Service is the rent we pay for living ・・・ it is the true measure, the only measure of success?1Calls to service have a long, rich tradition in these speeches. However, it is possible for a graduation speech to go beyond cliche and say something truly compelling. The late writer David Foster Wallaces 2005 gniduation speech at Kenyon College in Ohio talked about how to truly care about other people・ It gained something of a cult after it was widely circulated on the Internet. Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs1address at Stanford University that year, in which he talked about death, is also considered one of the best in recent memory.But when you're sitting in the hot sun, fidgety and freaked out, do you really want to be lectured about the big stuff? Isn't that like trying to maintain a sniile at your wedding reception while some relative gives a toast that amounts to M marriage is hard work”? You know het right;you just don't want to think about it at that particular moment. In fact, as is the case in many major life moments, you can't really manage to think beyond the blisters your new shoes are causing.That may seem anticlimactic. But it also gets to the heart of one of life's greatest, saddest truths: that our most "memorable” occasions may elicit the fewest memories. It's probably not something most graduation speakers would say, but it's one of the first lessons of growing up.91.According to the passage, most graduation speeches tend to recall ___ memories.A.great B・ tivial C. uiforgettable D・ uiimaginative92.n But graduation speeches are less about the message than the messenger11 is explained ____ ・A・ in the final paragraph. B. in the last but one paragraph・C. in the first paragraph.D. in the same paragraph・93.The graduation speeches mentioned in the passage are related to the following themes EXCEPT ________ .A.dsith.B. success・ C・ ©rvice. D. generosity.94.It is implied in the passage that at great moments people fail to _______ .A.remain clear-headed・B. keep good manners・C.remember others* words.D. recollect specific details.95.What is H one of the first lessons of growing up”?A.Attending a graduation ceremony.B・ Listening to graduation speeches.C・ Forgetting details of memorable events.D.Meeting high-profile graduation speakers・TEXTDCultural rules determine every aspect of food consumption. Who eats together defines social units・ For example, in some societies, the nuclear family is the unit that regularly eats together. The anthropologist Mary Douglas has pointed out that, for the English, the kind of meal and the kind of food that is served relate to the kinds of social links between people who are eating together. She distinguishes between regular meals, Sunday meals when relatives may come, and cocktail parties for acquaintances. The food served symbolizes the occasion and reflects who is present. For example, only snacks are served at a cocktail party. It would be inappropriate to serve a steak or hamburgers・ The distinctions among cocktails, regular meals, and special dinners mark the social boundaries between those guests who are invited for drinks, those who are invited to dinner, and those who come to a family meal. In this example, the type of food symbolizes the category of guest and with whom it is e aten•In some New Guinea societies, the nuclear family is not the unit that eats togethe匚The men take their meals in a mens house, separately from their wives and children. Women prepare and eat their food in their own houses and take the husbanefs portion to the men's house・ The women cat with their children in their own houses. This pattern is also widespread among Near Eastern societies.Eating is a metaphor that is sometimes used to signify marriage・In many New Guinea societies, like that of the Lesu on the island of New Ireland in the Pacific and that of the Trobriand Islanders, marriage is symbolized by the couple's eating together for the first time. Eating symbolizes their new status as a married couple・In U・S・society, it is just the reverse. Acouple may go out to dinner on a first date.Other cultural rules have to do with taboos against eating certain things. In some societies, members of a clan, a type of kin (family) group, are not allowed to eat the animal or bird that is their totemic ancesto匚Since they believe themselves to be descended from that ancestor, it would be like eating that ancestor or eating themselves.There is also an association between food prohibitions and rank, which is found in its most extreme form in the caste system of India. A caste system consists of ranked groups, eachwith a different economic spccialization. In India, there is an association between caste and the idea of pollution. Members of highly ranked groups can be polluted by coming intoconUict with the bodily secretions, particularly saliva, of individuals of lower-ranked castes ・ Because of the fear of pollution, Brahmans and other high-ranked individuals will notshare food with, not eat from the same plate as, not even accept food from an individualfrom a low-ranking caste・96.According to the passage, the English make clear distinctions between _______ ・A.people who eat together.B.the kinds of food served.C.snacks and hamburgers・D.family members and guests・97.According to the passage, who will NOT eat together?A.The English.B.Americans on their first date.C.Men and women in Near Eastern societies.D.Newly-weds on the island of New Ireland・98.According to the passage, eating together indicates all the following EXCEPT _______ ・A. the type of food.B. social relations.C・ mirital status. D. family ties.99.The last paragraph suggests that in India ___ decides how people eat.A. polutionB. bodC. culture D・ social status100.Which of the following can best serve as the topic of the passage?A. Different kinds of food in the world・B・ Relations between food and social units.C.Symbolic meanings of food consumption.D.Culture and manners of eating・2009年英语专业四级阅读真题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 f B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. Mark your answers on Answer Sheet Two.TEXT ADo you realize that every time you take a step, the bones in your hip are subjected to forces between four and five times your body weight? When you are running, this force is increased further still・ What happens if through disease a hip-joint ceases to be able to resist such forces? For many years hip-joints and other body joints have been replaceable either partially or completely. It is after all a simple ball and socket joint; it has certain loads imposed on it; it needs reliability over a defined life; it must contain materials suitable for the working environment. Any engineer will recognize these as characteristic of a typical engineering problem, which doctors and engineers have worked together to solve, in order to bring a fresh lease of life to people who would otherwise be disabled.This typifies the way in which engineers work to help people and create a better quality of life. The fact that this country has the most efficient agricultural industry in the world is another good example. Mechanical engineers have worked with farmers and biologists to produce fertilizers, machinery and harvesting systems・This team effort has now produced crops uniformly waist high or less so that they are better suited to mechanical harvesting. Similar advances with other crops have released people from hard and boring jobs for more creative work, whilst machines harvest crops more efficiently with less waste. Providing more food for the rapidly increasing population is yet another role for the mechanical enginee匚81.According to the passage, when would most weight be imposed on hip-joints?A.When one is walking. B・ When one is running.C. When one is standing・D. When one is lying down.82.Engineers regard the replacement of hip-joints as a(n) ____ P roblem.A.mechanicalB. medicalC. healthD. agricultural83.According to the passage, how do engineers contribute to increasing efficiency of the agricultural industry?A.By working with farmers.B.By working in teams.C.By growing crops of the same height.D.By making agricultural machinery.84.According to the context, "This team effort,H in Paragraph Two refers toA.mechanical engineers.B.doctors and engineers.C・ biologists, doctors and fanners.D. farmers, biologists and engineers・TEXTBNowadays, a cellphone service is available to everyone, everywhere・ Probably thousands of people have already been using it, but I just discovered it, so I'm going to claim it and also name it: Fake Foning.The technology has been working well for me at the office, but there are infinite applications. Virtually in any public space・Say you work at a big university with lots of talky faculty members buzzing about. Now, sayyou need to use the restroom. The trip down the hall will take approximately one hour, because a person can't walk into those talky people without getting pulled aside for a question, a bit of gossip, a new read on a certain line of Paradise Lost.So, a cellphone・ Any cellphone・ Just pick it up. Don't dial. Just hold that phone to your face and start talking. Walk confidently down the hall engaged in fake conversation, making sure to tailor both the topic and content to the person sUmding before you whom you are trying to evade・For standard colleague avoidance, I suggest fake chatting about fake business:n Yes, Pm glad you called, because we really need to hammer out the details・ What's that? Yes, I read Page 12, but if you look at the bottom of 4, I think you can see the problem begins right there.HBe animated. Be engaged in your fake fone conversation・ Make eye contact with the people passing, nod to them, gesture keen interest in talking to them at a later time, point to your phone, shrug and move on.Shoppers should consider fake foning anytime they spot a talky neighbor in the produce department pinching (丿]J手捏)unripe peaches・ Without your phone at your face, you'd be in for a 20-minute speech on how temble the world is.One important caution about fake foning. The other day I was fake foning my way past a colleague, and he was actually following me to get my attention. I knew he wanted to ask about a project I had not yet finished・ I was trying to buy myself some time, so I continued fake foning with my doctor. H So I don't need the operation? Oh, doctor, that is the best news.11 And then: Brrrrrrng! Brrrrrmg! Brrrrrmg! My phone started ringing, right there while it was planted on my face. My colleague looked at me, and I at him, and naturally I gasped・"What is the matter with this thing?11 I said, pulling the phone away to look at it, and then putting it back to my ear.*'Hello? Are you still there?"Oops.85.Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?A.Cellphone service is popular among people.B.Cellphone has much use in office・C・ Fake foning is a new cellphone service.D. Fake foning is a new discovery.86.What is fake foning?A.A strategy to avoid people.B.A device newly produced・C・ A service provided everywhere・D. A skill of communication.87.In the authors opinion, in order to make fake foning look real one has to _______ ・A.talk about interesting matters.B.behave politely to people passing by.C・ hold the phone while walking.D. appear absorbed in conversation.8& What does the last example show?A.One effective way is to fake fonc one's docto匚B.One has to be careful while fake fonine.C・ Fake foning may not deceive people・D. Fake foning is always quite successful.89.After his phone suddenly began ringing, the author _______ ・A. immediately started talking to the calle匚B・ immediately started talking to his colleague・C.put the phone away and stopped talking.D.continued with his fake conversation.90.What is the tone of the passage?A. Critical.B. Humorous.C. Serious.D. Unclear.TEXTCIt was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final touch on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. I wanted to save it, but my cursor had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else iodo, I yanked (用力》孟拉)the batteiy out.Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a delicate and crucial undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it infonned me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. Then, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD.I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs. But no Windows CD in there・ I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Centre・ My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it annoying to make small talk with someone when I don r t know what continent thcyTc standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather wc'vc been having when there was a monsoon at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point.°My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD.""So you f re having a problem with your Windows Setup CD.n She has apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention・It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician・ Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper, a human shield for the technicians・ Her sole duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels.To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows1creator, Microsoft・This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place・ She was calm and resolutely polite.When my voice hit a certain decibel(分贝),I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician.,f You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don f t need it,n he explained cheerfu lly."Windows came preinstalled on your computer!H"But I do need it."H Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your c-mail, your documents, your photos.n It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache・"You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive.11He sounded delighted・・'And it's not covered by the warranty (产品保证书)!” The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full.I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place Fd heard about.A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his.91.Why did the author shut down her computer abruptly?A.She had saved what she had written.B.She couldnt move the cursor.C.The computer refused to work.D.The computer offered to repair itself.92.Which of the following is the author's opinion about the woman at the Global Support Centre?A.She sounded helpful and knowledgeable・B.She was there to make callers frustrated・C.She was able to solve her computer problem.D.She was quick to pass her along to a technician.93.According to the passage, the solution offered by the technician was ________ ・A.effective. B・ economicaL C・ unpracticaL D. unacceptable・94.was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache" in the last but one paragraph means that ________ ・A.the technician^ proposal would make things even worse.B・ the technician's proposal could eventually solve the problem・C.files stored on her computer were like a safe・D.erasing the entire system was like curing a headache.95.It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the Global Support Centre and the local repair shop lie in all the following EXCEPT _______ ・A. efficiency.B.】ocation. C・ setup CDs・ D. attitude・TEXT DNot long ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mail slot. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I was relatively certain, did not live with us. The envelope wasn't sealed, so I opened it. The inside of the card was blank. Ed, my husband, explained that the card was both from and to the newspaper deliveryman. His name was apparently Raoul, and Raoul wanted a holiday tip. We were meant to put a check inside the card and then drop the envelope in the mail・ When your services are rendered at 4 a.m., you can't simply hang around, like a hotel bellboy expecting a tip. You have to be direct・So I wrote a nice holiday greeting to this man who, in my imagination, fires The New YorkTimes from his bike aimed at our front door, causing more noise with mere newsprint than most people manage with sophisticated black market fireworks.With a start, I realized that perhaps the reason for the 4 a.m. wake-up noise was not ordinary rudeness but carefully executed spite: I had not tipped Raoul in Christmases past. I honestly hadn't realized I was supposed to. This was the first time he'd used the card tactic. So I got out my checkbook・Somewhere along the line, holiday tipping went from an optional thank-you for a year of services to a Mafia-style protection racket (收取保护费的黑社会组织).Several days later, I was bringing our garbage bins back from the curb when I noticed an envelope taped to one of the lids. The outside of the envelope said MICKEY. It had to be another tip request, this time from our garbage collcctor. Unlike Raoul, Mickey hadn't enclosed his own Christmas card from me. In a way, I appreciated the directness. M I know you don't care how merry my Christmas is, and that's fine/ the gesture said. M I want $30, or III 'forget1 to empty your garbage bin some hot summer day.”I put a check in the envelope and taped it back to the bin. The next morning, Ed noticed that the envelope was gone, though the trash hadn't yet been picked up: "Someone stole Mickey's tip!" Ed was quite certain・ He made me call the bank and cancel the check.But Ed had been wrong. Two weeks later, Mickey left a letter from the bank on our steps. The letter informed Mickey that the check, which he had tried to cash, had been cancelled. The following Tuesday morning, when Ed saw a truck outside, he ran out with his wallet. ”Are you Mickey?"The man looked at him with scorn. "Mickey is the garbageman. I am the recycling/" Not only had Ed insulted this man by hinting that he was a garbageman, but he had obviously neglected to tip him. Ed ran back inside for more funds. Then he noticed that the driver of the truck had been watching the whole transaction. He peeled off another twenty and looked around, waving bills in the ai匚"Anyone else?”Had we consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute, this embarrassing breach of etiquette 仔L节)could have been avoided・ Under u trash/rccycling collectors” in the institute's Holiday Tipping Guidelines, it says: H$10 to $30 each.” You may or may not wish to know that your pet groomer, hairdresser, mailman and UPS guy all expect a holiday tip.96.The newspaper deliveryman put a blank card inside the envelope because _________ ・A.he forgot to write a few words on it.B.he wanted the couple to send it back.C.he used it to ask for a Christmas tip.D.he was afraid of asking for a tip in person.97.From the passage, we learn that the author _________ ・A.didn't like Raoufs way of delivering the paper.B.didn't realize why Raoul delivered the paper that way.C・ didn't know that Raoul came very early in the morning.D・ didn't feel it necessary to meet Raoul when he came・98.According to the passage, the author felt ___ to give Raoul a holiday tip.A. excited B・ delighted C. embarrassed D. forced99.Which of the following is CORRECT about Mickey, the garbage collector?。
教育文化类(Passage 77~82)Passage 77 题材:教育文化类字数:560 建议用时:8分钟College students are more stressed out than ever before—at least according to the latest findings of a large, national survey that has been conducted annually for the last 25 years. The survey includes more than 200,000 students attending nearly 300 colleges and asks them to rate how their own mental health stacks up with their classmates’—for example, is it “above average” or in the “highest 10%”?This somewhat unusual methodology typically results in the statistical Lake Woebegon effect in which most people tend to overestimate themselves in relation to others (it refers to the fictional Lake Woebegon, where “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average”). But the most recent results indicate that fewer and fewer freshmen feel like they are in top form in terms of coping with stress.A quarter century ago, nearly 70% of freshmen put themselves in the top 100% of mentally stable people in their class; today only 52% rate themselves that highly, down 3 points since last year. Studen ts’ self-esteem, however, is still strong: a full 71% of freshmen put themselves in the top 10% in terms of academic abilities.It’s hard to know what these numbers actually mean: obviously, it’s not mathematically possible for 52% or 71% of people to be in the top 10% of anything. And, as I explored earlier, people’s attempts to compare themselves with others are skewed(倾斜)in various ways. Nevertheless, the finding is in line with previousresearch, which found that almost haft of all college studentswho seek counseling now have a major mental illness. That’s more than double the rate seen 10 years ago.So what’s going on? Obviously, the economy and high unemployment rate make for a scary time to be in college, potentially facing terrifying levels of debt—that alone could account for the increase in stress.Secondly, a much more rigorous large study recently found that empathy among college students had declined 40% since 2000—and since caring relationships are essential to mental and physical health, a decline in empathy could also produce a decline in mental health and coping.My final point brings us back to my earlier post on a Stanford study that looked at the psychological effects of comparing ourselves to others. It found that the way people tend to conceal their negative emotions while broadcasting their happy ones makes the rest of us feel somehow “less than”—as though all our friends and neighbors have better lives than we do. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter seem to have made these comparisons even more harmful by providing the perfect venue through which people can continually present a perfect version of themselves.This phenomenon, too, might tie into why the new survey, “The American Freshman= National Norms,” found that students are feeling less confident about their level of emotional and mental stability. If all the students around you are desperately trying to put on a happy face—and you perceive that face as a truereflection of their inner selves, even as you work to hide your own sadness—well, it’s not surprising that so many students might be getting a bit stressed out.Instead, if students were encouraged to feel safe expressing their honest emotions, even about their fears and failures, everyone might feel more connected, happier—and, yes, healthier.1. As it is used in the first paragraph, the phrase “stacks up with” has the closest meaning to ______.A. affectsB. estimatesC. comments onD. compares with.2. What is true about the result of the survey?A. It didn’t manif est the typical Lake Woebegon effect.B. The typical Lake Woebegon effect wasn’t expected.C. The students underestimated themselves.D. The students overestimated themselves.3. It was also found in previous research that _______A. almost half of all college students have to seek counseling.B. almost half of all college students have some mental illness.C. more and more students become mentally unstable.D. more and more students develop strong self-esteem4. The author points out that, while the students are trying to hide their ownsadness, they tend to believe that other students ________.A. are similarly stressed out.B. are happy with their lives.C. seldom reveal their negative feelings.D. often refuse to face their inner selves.5. What do social media sites like Facebook and Twitter enable people to do according to the author?「文章大意」最近一项大型全国调查的发现显示,大学生现在的精神压力比以前任何时候都要大;在应付压力方面,觉得自己处于最佳状态的大一新生越来越少。
雕塑的基本特征中西方雕塑发展的区别?答:中西方雕塑在其发展脉络中表现出了迥然不同的审美风范。
由于中西方不同的文化心理造成的。
西方雕塑艺术有其特定的门类规则和创作方法,而中国的雕塑表现出与绘画艺术的密切结合,中西雕塑艺术为什么会呈现出不同的艺术形态呢?主要是在地理环境、文化源流、哲学品质等方面对雕塑艺术的影响。
一、地理环境的影响东方雕塑中国的地大物博决定了中国的雕塑显示了题材广泛的特点,但其封闭性也着重的显现出;但宗教雕塑中的神与人互相融合,因而自商周以来,宗法制就成为社会组织的重要纽带。
这种封建宗法制和礼乐文化,形成了雕塑功能上的封闭性特征,雕塑不是被埋入地下作为陪葬,就是被放置在帝王的陵墓前作为仪卫。
雕塑成为宗法制度的一种附属,失去其独立的美学品格。
西方雕塑也在地理差别中培育了欧洲人不同的民族个性、不同的文化,在客观上形成了文化的多样性。
古希腊的神祗与人同形同性,自上而下为“神系”,加之有地理环境等因素形成了城邦与城邦间的联盟和城邦内奴隶制下的民主制。
因此其雕塑以人体、人像为主题,这与古希腊“人,乃万物之尺度”的观念有着文化上的必然联系。
与中国的陵墓雕塑和宗教雕塑不同,西方的大量的人像雕塑放置于广场和街道,从而显示出雕塑艺术功能的公共性特征。
二、思维模式的差异对比中西文化的思维模式就会发现,中国传统艺术的思维模式追求合二为一,把宇宙视为一个统一的整体,是综合的一元论;而西方传统艺术思维模式则以分析为手段,把世界视为不同的部分,追求一分为二,是解析的二元论。
在中西思维模式发展过程中,西方的文化又形成了重视逻辑推理的思维模式,它结合古希腊的科学主义和理想主义,为雕塑艺术的典范奠定了重要基础;中国的文化则形成了强调直观意向的思维方式,它通过直觉来直接体验、感悟并把握对象。
这种思维方式超越了逻辑、概念而更长于悟性,这种所谓的“豁然贯通”、“点石成金”,也形成了与西方注重分析、偏于抽象的思维模式的不同文化特质。
社会生活类(Passage 62~70)Passage 62 题材:社会生活类字数:440 建议用时:6分钟Every year thousands of people are arrested and taken to court for shop-lifting. In Britain alone, about HK$3,000,000’s worth of goods are stolen from shops eve week. This amounts to something like HK$150 million a year, and represents about 4 per cent of the shop’s total stock. As a result of this “shrinkage” as the shops call it,the honest public has to pay higher prices.Shop-lifters can be divided into three main categories: the professionals, the deliberate amateurs, and the people who just can’t help themselves. The professionals do not pose much of a problem for the store detectives, who, assisted by closed circuit television, two-way mirrors and various other technological devices, can usually cope with them. The professionals tend to go for high value goods in parts of the shops where security measures are tightest. And, in any case, they account for only a small percentage of the total losses due to shop-lifting.The same applies to the deliberate amateur who is, so to speak, a professional in training. Most of themget caught sooner or later, and they are dealt with severely by the courts.The real problem is the person who gives way to a sudden temptation and is in all other respects an honest and law-abiding citizen. Contrary to what one would expect, this kind of shop-lifter is rarely poor. He does not steal because he needs the goods and cannot afford to pay for them. He steals because he simply cannotstop himself. And there are countless others who, because of age, sickness or plain absent-mindedness, simply forget to pay for what they take from the shops. When caught, all are liable to prosecution, and the decision whether to send for the police or not is in the hands of the store manager.In order to prevent the quite incredible growth in shop-lifting offences, some stores, in fact, are doing their best to separate the thieves from the confused by prohibiting customers from taking bags into the store. However, what is most worrying about the whole problem is, perhaps, that it is yet another instance of the innocent majority being penalized and inconvenienced because of the actions of a small minority. It is the aircraft hijack situation in another form. Because of the possibility of one passenger in a million boarding an aircraft with a weapon, the other 999,999 passengers must subject themselves to searches and delays. Unless the situation in the shops improves, in ten years’ time we may all have to subject ourselves to a body-search every time we go into a store to buy a tin of beans!1. The third group of people steal things because they _______A. are mentally ill.B. are quite absent-minded.C. can not resist the temptation.D. can not afford to pay for goods.2. According to the passage, law-abiding citizens _______A. can possibly steal things because of their poverty.B. can possibly take away goods without paying.C. have never stolen goods from the supermarkets.D. are difficult to be caught when they steal things.3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the main types of shop-lifting?A. A big percentage of the total losses are caused by the professionals.B. The deliberate amateurs will be punished severely if they get caught.C. People would expect that those who can’t help themselves are poor.D. The profes sionals don’t cause a lot of trouble to the store detectives.4. The aircraft hijack situation is used in order to show that _______A. “the professionals do not pose much of a problem for the stores.”B. some people “simply forget to pay for what they take from the shops”.C. “the honest public has to pay higher prices.”D. the third type of shop-lifters are dangerous people.5. Why does the honest public have to pay higher prices when they go to the shops?「文章大意」本文主要围绕商店的扒手这一主题展开。
第一段提到商店扒手每年窃取大量的商品,商店的商品减少。
由于这,诚实的公民不得不付出高额昂的代价。
接下来三段主要介绍了三类商店扒手:职业扒手、故意的“业余”扒手、还有一些情不自禁的人。
商店店主们在采取一些措施以防止东西被盗走,这虽然有一点效果,但是却给那些诚实的大多人带来不便。
答案详解1.C 根据第四段第一句“The real problem is the person who gives way to a suddentemptation and is in all other respects an honest and law-abiding citizen.”可知这类人偷东西是因为他们gives way to a sudden temptation(诱惑),而在其他方面他们是honest and law-abiding citizen(诚实遵纪的公民)。
由此可知本题的正确答案为C。
2.B 第四段提到这一类shop-lifter is rarely poor.,也就是说他们并不穷,他们或许是因为年老、体弱健忘而拿了东西忘记付钱,所以本题应选B。
3.A 由文章第二段的最后一句“...they account for only a small percentage of thetotal losses due to shop-lifting….”可知职业扒手给商店造成的损失很少即只是small percentage,A与原文意思正好相反,因此本题应该选A。