Part ⅡReading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage 1
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban (禁止) such devices from being used during "critical" stages of light, particularly take off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers. Experts know that portable devices emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable (易受损的) to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio system in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud.
21.The passage is mainly about_______.
A) a new regulation for all airlines
B) the defects of electronic devices
C) a possible cause of aircraft crashes
D) effective safety measures for air flight
22.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?
A) They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B) They may have taken place during take off and l a nding.
C) They were proved to have been caused by the passengers' portable computers.
D) They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
23.Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because_______.
A) they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B) the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C) most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D) they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
24.Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane's computers?
A) Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B) Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C) Because research scientists have not been to produce the same effects in labs.
D) Because sxperts lack adequate equipment to do such research.
25.It can be inferred from the passage that the author_______.
A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers' use of electronic devices completely
B) has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C) hasn't formed his own opinion on this problem
D) regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
Passage 2
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The rise of multinational corporations (跨国公司), global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.
Surprisingly,since modern PR was largely an American invention,the U.S.leader ship in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries.Ten years ago, for example, the world's top five public relations agencies were American owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate (公司的) planning activities, compared to about one third of U.S. companies, It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital
of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts (相对应的人)in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson Marshall's U.S. employees kno w two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their enployees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journlal. Orerseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, Pubications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of
CNN(Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the work "foreign" would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependant that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.
26.According to the passage, U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened because_______.
A) an unparalleled increase in the number of public relations companies
B) shrinking cultural differences and new communications technologies
C) the decreasing number of multinational corporations in the U.S.
D) increased efforts of other countries in public relations
27.London could soon replace New York as the center of PR
because_______.
A) British companies are more ambitious than U.S. companies
B) British companies place more importance on PR than U.S. companies
C) British companies are heavily involved in planning activities
D) four of the world's top public relations agencies are British-owned
28.The word "provincial" (Line 2, Para. 3) most probably means "_______".
A) limited in outlook
B) like people from the provinces
C) rigid in thinking
D) interested in world financial affairs
29.We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry_______.
A) speak at least one foreign language fluently
B) are ignorant about world geography
C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts
D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications
30.What lesson might the PR industry take from Ted Turner of CNN?
A) American PR companies should be more internationally minded.
B) The American PR industry should develop global communications technologies.
C) People working in PR should be more fluent in foreign languages.
D) People involved in PR should avoid using the word "foreign".
Passage 3
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth but more by accident that design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99％a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93％a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and instalment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globl, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at leastone hour a night.Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a missage towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behaviour and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the instalment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers.
"This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was in compatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction." says Martine.
31.According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population
growth_______.
A) by educating its citizens
B) by careful family panning
C) by developing TV programmes
D) by chance
32.According to the passage, many Third World countries_______.
A) haven't attached much importance to birth control
B) would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate
C) haven't yet found an effective measure to control their population
D) neglected the role of TV plays in family planning
33.The phrase "puts it down to" (Line 1, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to "_______"
A) attributes it to
B) sums it up as
C) finds it a reason for
D) compares it to
34.Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil's birth rate
because_______.
A) they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B) they have gradually changed people's way of life
C) people are drawn to their attractive package
D) they popularize birth control measures
35.What is Martine's conclusion about Brazil's population growth?
A) The increase in birth rate will promote consumption.
B) The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C) Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory.
D) A country's production is limited by its population growth.
Passage 4
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to five children something to do.
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined,boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all part of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japanand among the Arctic (北极的) peoples, generally
the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use.The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent (进步). The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓)used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.
36.The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that_______.
A) their social roles are rigidly determined
B) most boys would like to follow their fathers' professions
C) boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers
D) they like challenging activities
37.One aspect of "the universality of toys" lies in the fact that_______.
A) technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys
B) the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities
C) the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys
D) the basic characteristics of toys are the same the world over
38.Which of the following is the author's view on the historical development of toys?
A) The craftsmanship in toy making has remained essentially unchanged.
B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.
C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.
D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child's character.
39.Regarded as a kind of art form, toys_______.
A) follow a direct line of ascent
B) also appeal greatly to adults
C) are not characterized by technological progress
D) reflect the pace of social progress
40.The author used the example of a rattle to show that_______.
A) in toy making there is a continuity in the use of materials
B) even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology
C) it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into toy making
D) even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time
Part II Reading Comprehension
21.C 22.D 23.B 24.C 25.A 26.D 27.B 28.A 29.C 30.A 31.D 32.C 33.A 34.B 35.B 36.A 37.D 38.B 39.C 40.D
大学英语四级阅读理解（1）We find that bright children are rarely held back by mixed-ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming(把......按能力分班) pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade! Besides, it is rather unreal to grade people just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed-ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning. In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to cope with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyse and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher. Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is appropriate. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. An advanced pupil can do advanced work: it does not matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every
最牛英语口语培训模式：躺在家里练口语，全程外教一对一，三个月畅谈无阻！ 洛基英语，免费体验全部在线一对一课程：（报名网址） 【阅读练习】 Until the 1980s, the American homeless population comprised mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U. S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient(变化无常的) and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems —both legal and educational —for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers. Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis, But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly.One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the “throwaway”youths who have been cast of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education. 1. It is implied in the first paragraph that ____. A) the writer himself is homeless, even in his eighties B) many older homeless residents are going on strike in 25 cities C) there is a serious shortage of academic facilities D) homeless children are denied the opportunity of receiving free education 2. The National Coalition for the homeless believes that the number of homeless children is _____. A) 350,000 B) 1,500,000 C) 440,000 D) 110,000 3. One part of the homeless population is difficult to estimate. The reason might well be ____. A) the homeless children are too young to be counted as children B) the homeless population is growing rapidly
CET4 2015年6月份英语四级真题（CET4）
未得到监考老师指令前，不得翻阅该试题册! Part 1 Writing (30 minutes) (请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and them comment on this kind of modern life. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. THIS MODERN LIFE: WORK HOME PLAY SLEEP 请用黑色签字笔在答题卡1指定区域作答作文题，在试题册上的作答无效。
Part II Listening Comprehension (30minutes) Section A Directions: In this section, you will bear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each questions there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B),C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer sheet 1 with a single line through the center. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答 1. A) He is pleased to sit on the committee C) He will tell the woman his decision later B) He is willing to offer the woman a hand D) He would like to become a club member 2. A) Their planned trip to Vancouver is obviously overpriced B) They should borrow a guide book instead of buying one C ) The guide books in the library have the latest information D) The library can help order guide books about Vancouver 3. A) He regrets having taken the history course B) He finds little interests in history books
洛基英语，中国在线英语教育领导品牌 综合题，请根据题目给出的内容，来回答下面给出的试题。An unidentified wit once said, "laugh, and the world laughs with you. Snore, and you sleep alone." Yet snoring is far from a laughing matter, as those unfortunates with good hearing, who are rightly subjected to the sounds of the snoring disorder, will testify. It has been estimated that one of eight Americans snores; this means that there are approximately 21 million people --- women as well as men - who render an unpleasant sound when they are asleep. And assuming that each snorer disturbs the sleep of at least one other person, it necessarily follows that there are 21 million unhappy listeners. While a sleeping person breathes, either in or out, several structures in his nose and throat generate the snoring. The sounds, coming from the soft palate and other soft structures of the throat, are caused by vibratory responses to inflowing and outflowing air. When the soft tissues of the mouth and throat come close to the lining of the throat, the vibrations that occur are caused by the position of the tongue. In short, the noise made by snoring can be compared to the noise when breezes flutter a flag on a pole. The frequency of the vibrations depends on the size, density, and elasticity of the affected tissues and on the force of the air flow. Although it is usually the process of in haling or exhaling through the mouth that cause snoring, short snores come from the nose of an open-mouthed sleeper. In all fairness to snorers, however, it should be emphasized that snoring is an involuntary out which stops as the offender is awakened. 请根据上面给出的内容，来回答下面的单项选择题（下列每小题备选答案中，只有一个符合题意的正确答案。每小题0分，共5题。）16. If each snorer disturbs the sleep of one other person,the number of Americans that are unfortunately subjected the sound of the snores will be _____. A ：one out of five B ：one out of eight C ：eight out of one hundred D ：one out of eighteen 请选择答案：A:B:C:D:17. The snoring is caused by _____. A ：the soft palate and other structures of the throat B ：the inflwoing and outflwoing air through the nose C ：the inflowing and outflowing air throught mouth D ：the vibrations as a result of the inflwoing and outflowing air 请选择答案：A:B:C:D:18. If a person produces short snores,most probably he has _____. A ：a soft palate B ：a big nose
PART Ⅱ READING COMPREHENSION ［25 MIN.］ In this section there are four passages followed by fifteen questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the correct answer.Mark your choice on your ANSWER SHEET. TEXT A As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe－sun baked brick plastered with mud. Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people, along with storerooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them “pueblos”, which is Spanish for town.The people of the pueblos raised what are called “the three sisters”—corn, beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain. The way of life of less settled groups was simpler and more strongly influenced by nature. Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as small rabbits and snakes. In the Far North the ancestors of today’s Inuit hunted seals, walruses, and the great whales. They lived right on the frozen seas in shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow. When summer came, they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou. The Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Sioux tribes, known as the Plains Indians, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. They hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was used to make their clothing and covering of their tents and tipis. 16. What does the passage mainly discuss? A. The architecture of early American Indian buildings. B. The movement of American Indians across North America. C. Ceremonies and rituals of American Indians. D. The way of life of American Indian tribes in early North America. 17. It can be inferred from the passage that the dwellings of the Hopi and Zuni were ___ A. very small B. highly advanced C. difficult to defend D. quickly constructed TEXT B Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth’s surface. But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.[JP] The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an erect set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done
Passage 1 By the time the Olympics begin in Atlanta this summer, the business world will have spent more than $ 1 billion to link their names and products to the Olympic Games. There are 10 Worldwide Sponsors, 10 Centennial Olympic Partners, about 20 regular sponsors and more than a hundred licensees. The Atlanta Games will boast an “official" scouring pad and timepiece, two official game shows, and three official vehicles: a family car, an import minivan and a luxury sedan. But what exactly do these companies reap for their huge investment At the very least, they command tickets to the most popular events, invitations to the best parties and prime hotel rooms. But most of all, according to US Postal Service, it is purchasing the right to spend money. And the right to spend money is expensive. The biggest backers, Olympic sponsors like Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Mcdonald's and Xerox, commit up to $ 40 million. But, getting the rights to the Olympic rings is only half the battle. The other half is the challenge to sort of wrap their product brands around that image. Often that means TV time. And at roughly $ 400 000 per 30-second spot, some of the biggest sponsors have already locked up every commercial slot in their product categories that NBC has to sell. Not everyone is convinced that the Games are worth the price of business admission. The biggest and most conspicuous naysayer is Nike. Its spokesman says:“If I see a Reebok official who may not be in the best shape firing the starting pistol and Carl Lewis wearing Nike shoes, I'm going to go with Carl because that's the authentic link." Nike's strategy is hard to argue with - instead of sponsoring the Olympics, it sponsors Olympians. Yet even Nike wants a piece of the Atlantic action. Along with some other nonsponsors, Nike is trying to dot downtown Atlanta with billboards. Advertisement, it's another Olympic event. 1. By “official vehicles", the author means . A. automobiles for Olympic officials B. automobiles used in official occasion C. automobiles that the Olympic participants must drive D. automobiles that allowed to bear the Olympic symbol 2. Which of the following is not an Olympic sponsor A. US Postal Service. B. Nike. C. Coca-Cola. D. Mcdonald's 3. The last sentence of this passage indicates . A. businesses trying to get publicity is a part of the Olympic Games B. what the Olympic non-sponsors do is of no interest to the Olympic organizers C. that businesses must try very hard to earn money from the Olympic Games as if they were themselves competing in the Games D. that those who fail to sponsor the Olympics this time will try very hard the next time 4. Which of the following is NOT implied in the passage A. Companies use their Olympic sponsorship to promote sales of their products. B. To provide sportswear for Carl Lewis is a more effective advertisement than to provide suits for Olympic officials. C. NBC makes great profits from selling advertising time to companies eager to impress potential customers during the Olympic Games. D. Nike looks down upon the Olympic Games. 5. Which of the following can best sum up the passage A. Businesses want to profit from the Olympics. B. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
《四级样卷》与历年CET4翻译部分全真题 （说明： 1. 翻译属新题型，在CET4中的应用始于2006年6月，本文档包括了自 有翻译题以来所有考过的题和此前国家四、六级考委会公布的一套样 卷，与老师、同学们共享。 2. 考点分析纯属个人观点，仅供参考。因本文档初次编辑在2008年9、 10月份，后来虽然所有的考题都收录了，但在第二部分“考点分析” 中，自2008年12起之后的考题都没有进行考点分析。特此说明） 第一部分《四级样卷》与历年真题 1.《四级样卷》 87. The substance does not dissolve in water _______________ (不管是否加热). 88. Not only _______________ (他向我收费太高), but he didn’t do a good repair job either. 89. Your losses in trade this year are nothing _______________(与我的相比). 90. On average, it is said, visitor spend only _______________(一半的钱) in a day in Leeds as in London. 91. By contrast, American mothers were more likely ________________ (把孩子的成功归 因于) natural talent. [答案] 87. whether (it is) heated or not 88. did he charge me too much / did he overcharge me 89. compared with mine / in comparison with mine 90. half as much (money) 91. to attribute their children’s success to 2. 2006年6月真题 87. Having spent some time in the city, he had no trouble __________ (找到去历史博物馆的路). 88. __________ (为了挣钱供我上学), Mother often takes on more work than is good for her. 89. The professor required that __________ (我们交研究报告) by Wednesday. 90. The more you explain, __________ (我愈糊涂). 91.Though a skilled worker, __________ (他被公司解雇了) last week because of the economic crisis. [答案] 87.(in) finding the way to the history museum 88. In order to finance my education 89. we (should) hand in our research report 90. the more confused I am
专业四级考试阅读理解模拟练习试题 As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America were building with adobe －sun baked brick plastered with mud. Their homes looked remarkably1 like modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people, along with store rooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense2 against enemies. They were really villages in themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them pueblos3 , which is Spanish for town. The people of the pueblos raised what are called the three sisters - corn, beans, and squash. They made excellent pottery4 and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain.
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