For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. coupled with the aging of the baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the nation’s elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change poses profound questions for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. “In addition to the doctors, we’re going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers,”says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学).
Lawyers can specialize in “elder law,”which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. “Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money,” one professor says.
Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria.” So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she lied it. She says, “I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying.”
31. “…Old is suddenly in” (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means “______________”.
A) America has suddenly become a nation of old people
B) gerontology has suddenly become popular
C) more elderly professors are found on American campuses
D) American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students
32. With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit _________________.
A) from the adoption of the “elder law”
B) from rendering special services to the elderly
C) by enriching their professional knowledge
D) by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests
33. Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?
A) Retirees are more generous in spending money.
B) They can employ more gerontologists.
C) The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.
D) There are more elderly people working than before.
34. Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage?
A) Retirees who are business-minded.
B) The volunteer workers in retirement homes.
C) College graduates with an MBA or law degree.
D) Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology.
35. It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America’s elderly population ________.
A) will provide good job opportunities in many areas
B) will impose an unbearable burden on society
C) may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination
D) will create new fields of study in universities
The decline in moral standards —which has long concerned social analysts —has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.
The fact the ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation’s moral climate, says this ethics (伦理学) professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.
But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. “The thought that ‘I’m in it for me’ has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness,” Ms. Elshtain says.
Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today’s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.
In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.
The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament (挽歌) for some nonexistent “golden age,” Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful (一厢情愿的) longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.
Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. “Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that cant’be bought.”
36. Professor Elshtain is pleased to see that Americans _____________.
A) have adapted to a new set of moral standards
B) are longing for the return of the good old days
C) have realized the importance of material things
D) are awakening to the lowering of their moral standards
37. The moral decline of American society is caused manly by ________________.
A) its growing wealth
B) the self-centeredness of individuals
C) underestimating the impact of social changes
D) the prejudice against women and minorities
38. Which of the following characterizes the traditional communities?
A) Great mobility. C) Emphasis on individual effort.
B) Concern for one’s neighbors. D) Ever-weakening social bonds.
39. In the 1950s, classroom violence _______________.
A) was something unheard of C) attracted a lot of pubic attention
B) was by no means a rare occurrence D) began to appear in alalysts’ data
40. According to Elshtain, the current moral decline may be reversed _________________.
A) if people can return to the “golden age”
B) when women and mean enjoy equal rights
C) when people rid themselves of prejudice
D) if less emphasis is laid on material things
31. B 32. B 33. C 34. D 35. A 36. D 37. B 38. B 39. A 40. D
2洛基英语，中国在线英语教育领导品牌 2007.12阅读第一篇 Passage One Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year. As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface. A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?”“No,”she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.” I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided”by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it. Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience. While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices. 注意：此部分试题请*考试&大在答题卡2上作答。 57. What do we learn from the first paragraph? A) A lot of distractions compete for children’s time nowadays. B) Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities. C) Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time. D) Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing. 58. What did the author say about her own writing experience? A) She was constantly under pressure of writing more. B) Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. C) She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. D) Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
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
Passage1 Reading leadership literature, you’d sometimes think that everyone has the potential to be an effective leader. 读领导文学，你有时会认为每个人都有可能成为一个有效的领导者。 I don’t believe that to be true. In fact, I see way fewer truly effective leaders than I see people stuck in positions of leadership who arc sadly incompetent and seriously misguided about their own abilities. 我不相信这是真的。事实上，我认为真正有效的领导者的方式比我看到的人都陷在领导的职位上，遗憾的是他们自己的能力不称职，严重误导了他们。 Part of the reason this happens is a lack of honest self-assessment by those who aspire to（追求）leadership in the first place. 对产生这种现象的原因一部分是由那些渴望缺乏诚实的自我评估（追求）放在首位的领导 We've all met the type of individual who simply must take charge. Whether it's a decision-making session, a basketball game, or a family outing, they can't help grabbing the lead dog position and clinging on to it for dear life. They believe they're natural born leaders. 我们都遇到了个人的类型，他们必须负责。无论是决策会议，篮球比赛，还是家庭外出，他们都不能不抓住领导的狗的地位，并紧紧抓住它，因为亲爱的生命。他们相信他们是天生的领袖。 Truth is, they're nothing of the sort. True leaders don't assume that it's their divine（神圣的）right to take charge every time two or more people get together. Quite the opposite. A great leader will assess each situation on its merits, and will only take charge when their position, the situation, and/or the needs of the moment demand it. 事实是，他们没有什么样的。真正的领导者不认为这是他们的神圣（神圣的）负责每次两个或两个以上的人在一起吧。恰恰相反。一个伟大的领导者会对每一个情况进行评估，并在他们的位置、情况和/或需要的情况下，只会负责。 Many business executives confuse leadership with action. They believe that constant motion somehow generates leadership as a byproduct. Faced with any situation that can’t be solved by the sheer force of activity, they generate a dust cloud of impatience. Their one leadership tool is
大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案（四） 十六 Trees shoul d 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 d oing it unnecessarily than from l eaving the tree to grow in its own way. First, pruning may be d one to make sure that trees have a d esired 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
2019年12月大学英语四级阅读真题及答案 2015年12月大学英语四级阅读真题及答案 【参考答案】 36、N。 saw 第一空显然缺少谓语，优先考虑动词，结合语义并根据Late November and December能够推出应选择过去式动词，故答案锁定saw。 37、F。 decades 根据two，首选复数名词，结合语义，“ for the first time in the two decades”，二十年来头一次。 38、H。 globally 句子为主系表结构，不缺主要成分，所以首选副词和形容词，根据语义，ever表示“一直以来地、向来地”，“十一月向来是世界范围内最温暖的一个月。” 39、D。 chances 缺少主语，并且谓语是are，所以首选复数形式的名词，结合前文Enjoy the snow now，“享受现在的雪吧”，因为“时机是好的”。 40、J。 occurs 空格前方有主语，且是单数形式，而后面由when引导的时间状语从句的时态是一般现在时，所以主句谓语锁定第三人称单数形式的动词，只能选择occurs。 41、A。 specific空格左为定冠词the，空格右为名词，中间只能选形容词，选择“特定的”符合语义。 42、B。 associated 空格左为be动词，右边为介词with，中间只能是形容词或动词的过去分词形式，be associated with表示“与…有联系”，符合原意。
43、G。 experiences 空格左为主语southern Africa，空格内应该为动词的第三人称单词形式，结合语义，选G，“南非经历着干燥的天气。 44、M。 reduce 空格左为情态动词，空格内必须为动词原形，填reduce“减少”符合原题。 45、K。 populations 空格与左边的large fish 共同构成动词support的宾语，只能选一个名词来作为名词词组，故选K，“大量的鱼群”。 【参考答案及解析】 61题，定位到第一段最后一句“varies by culture”，所以答案选A——They are culture-related。 62题，由题干的大写名词Russian定位到第二段和第三段。第二段的“Russian， for example， began to wake up about a half-hour later each day”这个句是干扰句，起得晚不一定睡得早，所以答案推不出“他们比其他地方的人睡得更久”。然后看到第三段“Russia’s other late nights and early mornings generally coincided with public holidays”，所以答案为C——They don’t sleep much on holidays。 63题，题干问的是欧洲人缺乏睡眠的major cause主要原因是什么，由题干的大写名词Europeans’ loss定位到倒数第二段的“compared to Germans， Italians， and the French， who stayed up around an hour and a half later on various days throughout the summer to watch the Cup”，原文的Germans，Italians， and the French就是题干中“Europeans”的同义改写，而他们stayed up就是为了to watch the Cup，所以说他们缺乏睡眠的原因便是C选项——The World Cup。
大学英语四级选词填空和快速阅读复习攻略 选词填空: 首先:预览选项，了解词义并把选项分为四大类词性:名词n，动词v，形容词a，副词ad，在每个选项后作词性的简要标记; 其次:精读全文开头，把握文章主题，并以三个空或一个段落为一个单位，利用前后文判断每空的词性; 第三:把对应词性的选项逐一带回原文，含义通顺，时态、主谓搭配一致的为正确选项。 记背选词填空选项的重点范围: 1.历年曾经考过的复合式听写的单词 2.历年曾经考过的完形填空的选项，仔细阅读态度题的选项 3.历年曾经考过的真题中的高频词汇 快速阅读: 建议做题方法:读题干并确定关键词(中心词)--去原文中定位关键词--分析定位句--分析题干--确定答案。 首先用“打包”方法对付乱序: 把整组题全部一次性吃透，然后去原文从头到尾定位。否则，考生如果按顺序逐题解答，时间会严重不足，最好是文章一遍看下来，能找到所有的信息。此外，考生应该注意定位原文的过程中，一定要脑、眼和手并用:眼是肯定要用的，不用脑会导致忽视同义转换，不用手(笔)会使我们处于走马观花的状态，然后会怀疑自己是不是漏掉了信息而不停地看。 其次:“吃透”题干，准确判断关键词(中心词)至关重要。如果没吃透题干，就无法准确判断关键词或中心词，就可能对原文中的重要信息没感觉。一般来说，题干关键词或中心词为实词以及一些数字、专有名词等。 最后，在解题的先后顺序上，采用先易后难的策略。采用由易到难的解题策略，可以提升考生的解题信心。对于那些答题线索较少的题干细节信息，考生可留在最后再解答。在解答这类较难的题目时，考生可快速阅读原文中仍未选过的段落的主题句(通常为第一句、第二句或最后一句)，之后根据段落大意与题干中的细节信息进行匹配。
大学英语四级阅读理解试题40篇之一（含答案） There are three kinds of goals: short-term,medium-range and long-term goals. Short-range goals are those that usually deal with current activities,which we can apply on a daily basis.Such goals can be achieved in a week or less,or two weeks,or possible months.It should be remembered that just as a building is no stronger than its foundation ,out long-term goals cannot amount to very munch without the achievement of solid short-term goals.Upon completing our short-term goals,we should date the occasion and then add new short-term goals that will build on those that have been completed. The intermediate goals bukld on the foundation of the short-range goals.They might deal with just one term of school or the entire school year,or they could even extend for several years.Any time you move a step at a time,you should never allow yourself to become discouraged or overwhelmed. As you complete each step,you will enforce the belief in your ability to grow adn succeed.And as your list of completion dates grow,your motivation and desire will increase. Long-range goals may be related to our dreams of the future. They might cover five years or more. Life is not a static thing.We should never allow a long-term goal to limit us or our course of action. 1.Our long-term goals mean a lot______. A.if we complete our short-range goals B.if we cannot reach solid short-term goals C.if we write down the dates D.if we put forward some plans 2.New short-term goals are bulid upon______. A.two years B.long-term goals C.current activities D.the goals that have been completed 3.When we complete each step of our goals ,______. A.we will win final success B.we are overwhelmed C.we should build up confidence of success D.we should strong desire for setting new goals 4.Once our goals are drawn up,_______. A.we should stick to them until we complete them B.we may change our goals as we have new ideas and opportunities C.we had better wait for the exciting news of success D.we have made great decision 5.It is implied but not stated in the passage that ______. A.those who habe long-term goals will succeed B.writing down the dates may discourage you C.the goal is only a guide for us to reach our desination D.every should have a goal 答案：adcbc 大学英语四级阅读理解试题40篇之二（含答案） 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
英语四级阅读试题及答案详解1 Reading is thought to be a kind of conversation between the reader and the text. The reader puts questions, as it were, to the text and gets answers. In the light of these he puts __1__ questions, and so on. For most of the time this “conversation” goes on below the level of consciousness. At times, however, we become __2__ of it. This is usually when we are running into difficulties, when mismatch is occurring between __3__ and meaning. When successful matching is being experienced, our question of the text continues at the unconscious level. Different people __4__ with the text differently. Some stay very close to the words on the page, others take off imaginatively from the words, interpreting, criticizing, analyzing and examining. The former represents a kind of comprehension which is __5__ in the text. The latter represents __6__ levels of comprehension. The balance between these is important, especially for advanced readers. There is another conversation which from our point of view is __7__ important, and that is to do not with what is read but with how it is read. We call this a “process” conversation as __8__ to a “content” conversation. It is concerned not with meaning but with the __9__ we employ in reading. If we are an advanced reader our ability to hold a
2012年6月英语四级考试作文及答案 Part I Writing (30minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minu tes to write a short essay entitled Excessive Packaging following the outline given below. You should write at least 120 words but no more tha n 180 words. 1.目前许多商品存在过度包装的现象 2.出现这一现象的原因 3.我对这一现象的看法和建议 On Excessive Packagi ng In con temporary society, it has become a trend for many products or items to be excessively packaged. In the mean while, an in creas ing nu mber of customers find it more expensive to purchase these goods. Taking a look around, we can find a great many examples in supermarkets: excessive packages of food, clothes and gifts. It is evident that the causes of this phenomenon are diverse. In the first place, some customers' psychological need is the root cause. These packages bring the sense of beauty, arouse people's enthusiasm to buy, and help manufacturers to promote sale. In the second place, it is these packages that enable shops to build up a foundation for advertising. As a matter of fact, industries in mounting numbers have come to realize the n ecessity of packagi ng for sale. However, as a customer, I am convinced that quality of goods is of great importanee. Thus, we should educate, advocate and encourage our friends, classmates and acqua intan ces to buy goods without excessive packages. (170 words) 2011.06 Part I Writi ng (30 minu tes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minu tes to write a short essay on the topic of Online Shopping. You should write at least 120 words following the outl ine give n below: 1.现在网上购物已成为一种时尚 2.网上购物有很多好处，但也有不少问题 3.我的建议 On li ne Shopp ing 答案解析 Part I Writi ng 标准版 Doing Shopp ing On li ne With the developme nt of the Intern et, shopp ing is no Ion ger a tiri ng thi ng. Just click your mouse to choose the articles you like, and the purchase is done. You don't even have to step out of the room. It seems all easy and quick. However, people's opinions vary on this trend. Somebelieve that on line shopping is time and money sav ing. With ple ntiful select ion optio ns, they can buy whatever they like at any time convenient. Still others insist that mis-purchasing alone is annoying eno ugh, not to men ti on the credibility of the sellers and the safety of their acco un ts.
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
第一篇 Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it? It wouldn’t besurprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because youcouldn’t reproduce it in most of the US either. What does it take to make aSilicon Valley? It’s the rightpeople. If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from SiliconValley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley. You only needtwo kinds of people to create a technology hub （中心）:rich people and nerds （痴迷科研的人）. Observationbears this out. Within the US, towns have become startup hubs if and only ifthey have both rich people and nerds. Few startups happen in Miami, forexample, because although it’s full of rich people, it has few nerds. It’s notthe kind of place nerds like. WhereasPittsburg has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people. Thetop US Computer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, andCarnegie-Mellon. MIT yielded Route 128. Stanford and Berkeley yielded SiliconValley. But what did Carnegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh? And whathappened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list. I grew up inPittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both. Theweather is terrible, particularly in winter, and there’s no interesting oldcity to make up for it, as there is in Boston. Rich people don’t want to livein Pittsburgh or Ithaca. So while there are plenty of hackers （电脑迷）who could start startups, there’s no one to invest in them. Do you reallyneed the rich people? Wouldn’t it work to have the government invest the nerds?No, it would not. Startup investors are a distinct type of rich people. Theytend to have