专四阅读理解附带答案

Most of us are taught to pay attention to what is said—thewords. Words do provide us with some information, butmeanings are derived from so many other sources that itwould hinder our effectiveness as a partner to a rela tionshipto rely too heavily on words alone. Words are used todescribe only a small part of the many ideas we a ssociatewith any given message. Sometimes we can gain insight intosome of those associations if we listen for more than words.We don’t always say what we mean or mean what we say. Sometimes our words don’t meana nything except “I’m letting off some steam. I don’t really want you to pay close attention towhat I’m saying. J ust pay attention to what I’m feeling.” Mostly we mean several things atonce. A person wanting to purchase a house says to the current owner, “This step has to befixed before I’ll buy.” The owner says,

“It’s been like that for years.” Actually, the step hasn’tbeen like that for years, but the unspoken message is: “ I don’t want to fix it. We put up withit. Why can’t you?” The search for a more expansive view of meaning c an be developed ofexamining a message in terms of who said it, when it occurred, the related conditions orsitu ation, and how it was said.

When a message occurs can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples doexactly the same am ount of kissing and arguing. But one couple always kisses after anargument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors maymean a great deal more than the frequency of the behavior. A fr iend’s unusually docilebehavior may only be understood by noting that it was preceded by situations that requi red anabnormal amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a developingpattern of resp onses and defy logic. For example, a person who says “No!” to a serials ofcharges like “You’re dumb,” “You’re lazy,” and “You’re dishonest,” may also say “No!” and tryto justify his or her response if the next stat ement is “And you’re good looking.”

We would do well to listen for how messages are presented. The words,

“If sure has been niceto have you over,” can be said with emphasis and excitement or ritualistically. The phras e canbe said once or repeated several times. And the meanings we associate with the phrase willchange accordi ngly. Sometimes if we say something infrequently it assumes more importance;sometimes the more we say so mething the less importance it assumes.

1.Effective communication is rendered possible between two conversing partners, if ___.

A.they use proper words to carry their ideas.

B.they both speak truly of their own feelings.

C.they try to understand each other’s ideas beyond words.

D.they are capable of associating meaning with their words.

2.“I’m letting off some steam” in paragraph 1 means___.

A.I’m just calling your attention.

B.I’m just kidding.

C.I’m just saying the opposite.

D.I’m just giving off some sound.

3.The house-owner’s example shows that he actually means___.

A.the step has been like that for years.

B.he doesn’t think it necessary to fix the step.

C.the condition of the step is only a minor fault.

D.the cost involved in the fixing should be shared.

4.Some responses and behaviors may appear very illogical, but are justifiable if___.

A.linked to an abnormal amount of assertiveness.

B.seen as one’s habitual pattern of behavior.

C.taken as part of an ordering sequence.

D.expressed to a series of charges.

5.The word “ritualistically” in the last paragraph equals something done___.

A.without true intention.

B.light-heartedly.

C.in a way of ceremony.

D.with less emphasis.

We can begin our discussion of “population as global issue”with what most persons mean when they discuss “t hepopulation problem”: too many people on earth and a toorapid increase in the number added each year. The f acts arenot in dispute, It was quite right to employ the analogy thatlikened demographic growth to “a long, thin powder fuse thatburns steadily and haltingly until it finally reaches the chargeand explodes.”

To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, itis necessary to u nderstand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparativelyrecent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history, we find thatpopulations have been virtually stable or growing very s lightly for most of human history. Formost of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. There w as high fertility inmost places, but this was usually balanced by high mortality. For most of human history, it w asseldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, while infancy and childhoodwere especially ris ky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because deathrates could exceed their birthrates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of historywas how to prevent extinction of the human race. This pattern is important to notice. Not only does it put the current problems of demographicgrowth into a hist orical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase inpopulation in recent years is not a sudden e nthusiasm for more children, but an improvementin the conditions that traditionally have caused high mortality .

Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth whichextended from about 8,000 BC.till approximately AD.

1650. In the first period of some 9600years, the population increased from some 8 million to 500 million in 16 50. Between 1650 andthe present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it isestimated that by the year 2000 there will be 6.2 billion people throughout the world. One wayto appreciate t his dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame tosomething that is more managea ble. Between 8000BC and 1650, an average of only 50,000persons was being added annually to the world’s po pulation each year. At present, this numberis added every six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually.

1.Which of the following demographic growth pattern is most suitable for the long thin powderfuse analogy?

A.A virtually stable or slightly decreasing period and then a sudden explosion of population.

B.A slow growth for a long time and then a period of rapid, dramatic increase.

C.Too many people on earth and a few rapid increase in the number added each year.

D.A long period when death rates exceeds birthrates and then a short period with higherfertility and lower mort ality.

2.During the first period of demographic history, societies were often in danger of extinctionbecause___.

A.only one in ten persons could live past 40.

B.there was higher mortality than fertility in most places.

C.it was too dangerous to have babies due to the poor conditions.

D.our ancestors had little enthusiasm for more children.

3.Which statement is true about population increase?

A.There might be an increase of 2.2 billion persons from now to the year 2000.

B.About 50,000 babies are born every six hours at present.

C.Between 8000 BC and the present, the population increase is about 80,000,000 personseach year.

D.The population increased faster between 8000BC and 1650 than between 1650 and thepresent.

4.The author of the passage intends to___.

A.warn people against the population explosion in the near future.

https://www.wendangku.net/doc/612439829.html,pare the demographic growth pattern in the past with that after 1650.

C.find out the cause for rapid increase in population in recent years.

D.present us a clear and complete picture of the demographic growth.

5.The word “demographic” in the first paragraph means___.

A.statistics of human.

B.surroundings study.

C.accumulation of human.

D.development of human.

24)

Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning totalk does not learn by being corrected all the tim e; ifcorrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices athousand times a day the difference between the lang uageshe uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit,he makes the necessary changes to make his la nguage likeother people. In the same way, when children learn to do allthe other things they learn to do withou t being taught-towalk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle-compare those performances with those of more skille dpeople, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance tofind out his own mistakes for himself, let alone correct them. We do it all for him. We act as ifwe thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct itunless he was made to. Soon he becomes depend ent on the teacher. Let him do it himself. Lethim work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what t his word says, what answeris to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.

If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answerbook. Let him corr ect his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routinework? Our job should be to help the ch ild when he tells us that he can’t find the way to getthe right answer. Let’s end this nonsense of grades, exams, marks, Let us throw them all out,and let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn, how to measuretheir own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.

Let them get on with this job in the way that seems sensible to them. With our help as schoolteachers if they as k for it. The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at schooland used for the rest of one’s life is no nsense in a world as complicated and rapidly changingas ours. Anxious parents and teachers say,

“But suppose they fail to learn something essentialthey will need to get in the world?”Don’t worry! If it is esse ntial, they will go out into theworld and learn it.

1.What does the author think is the best way for children to learn things?

A.by copying what other people do.

B.by making mistakes and having them corrected.

C.by listening to explanations from skilled people.

D.by asking a great many questions.

2.What does the author think teachers do which they should not do?

A.They give children correct answers.

B.They point out children’s mistakes to them.

C.They allow children to mark their own work.

D.They encourage children to mark to copy from one another.

3.The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are___.

A.not really important skills.

B.more important than other skills.

C.basically different from learning adult skills.

D.basically the same as learning other skills.

4.Exams, grades, and marks should be abolished because children’s progress should only beestimated by___.

https://www.wendangku.net/doc/612439829.html,cated persons.

B.the children themselves.

C.teachers.

D.parents.

5.The author fears that children will grow up into adults while being___.

A.too independent of others.

B.too critical of themselves.

C.incapable to think for themselves.

D.incapable to use basic skills.

23)

Chinese Americans today have higher incomes than Americansin general and higher occupational status. The Chinese haverisen to this position despite some of the harshestdiscrimination and violence faced by any immig rants to theUnited States in the history of this country. Long confined toa narrow range of occupations they suc

ceeded in thoseoccupations and then spread out into other areas in lateryears, when opportunities finally opene d up for them. Todaymuch of the Chinese prosperity is due to the simple fact that they work more and have mo re(usually better) education than others. Almost one out of five Chinese families has three ormore income earn ers compared to one out of thirteen for Puerto Ricans, one out of ten amongAmerican Indians, and one out of e ight among Whites. When the Chinese advantages inworking and educational are held constant, they have no a dvantage over other Americans.That is in a Chinese Family with a given number of people working and with a given amount ofeducation by the head of the family, the income is not only about average for such families,an d offer a little less than average.

While Chinese Americans as a group are prosperous and well-educated Chinatowns are pocketsof poverty, and illiteracy is much higher among the Chinese than among Americans in general.Those paradoxes are due to sha rp internal differences. Descendants of the Chinese Americanswho emigrated long ago from Toishan Province have maintained Chinese values and haveadded acculturation to American society with remarkable success. M ore recent Hong KongChinese are from more diverse cultural origins, and acquired western values and styles i n HongKong, without having acquired the skills to proper and support those aspirations in theAmerican econo my. Foreign-born Chinese men in the United States are one-fourth lowerincomes than native-born Chinese eve n though the foreign-born have been in the UnitedStates an average of seventeen years. While the older Hong Kong Chinese work tenaciously tosustain and advance themselves, the Hong Kong Chinese youths often react with resentmentand antisocial behavior, including terrorism and murder. The need to maintain tourism inChina town causes the Chinese leaders to mute or downplay these problems as much aspossible.

1.According to the passage, today, Chinese Americans owe their prosperity to___.

A.their diligence and better education than others.

B.their support of American government.

C.their fight against discriminations.

D.advantages in working only.

2.The passage is mainly concerned with___.

A.chinese Americans today.

B.social status of Chinese Americans today.

C.incomes and occupational status of Chinese Americans today.

D.problems of Chinese Americans today.

3.Chinatowns are pockets of poverty, as is probably associated with___.

A.most descendants of Chinese Americans are rebelling.

B.most descendants of Chinese Americans are illiterate.

C.sharp internal difference between Chinese coming from different cultural backgrounds.

D.only a few Chinese Americans are rich.

4.Which of the following statements is not true according to this article

A.As part of the minority, Chinese Americans are still experiencing discrimination in Americantoday.

B.Nowadays, Chinese Americans are working in wider fields.

C.Foreign-born Chinese earn lower income than native-born Chinese Americans with the similaradvantages in the U.S.

D.None of the above.

5.According to the author, which of the following can best describe the older Hong KongChinese and the youn ger

A.Tenacious; rebellion.

B.Conservative; open-minded.

C.Out-of-date; fashionable.

D.Obedient; disobedient.

22)

Computers monitor everything in Singapore from soilcomposition to location of manholes. At the airport, it to okjust 15 seconds for the computerized immigration system toscan and approve my passport. It takes only one minute tobe checked into a public hospital.

By 1998, almost every household will be wired for interactivecable TV and the Internet, the global computer n etwork.Shoppers will be able to view and pay for productselectronically. A 24-hour community telecomputing network will allow users to communicatewith elected representatives and retrieve information about governme nt services. It is all partof the government’s plan to transform the nation into what it calls the “Intelligent Islan d”.

In so many ways, Singapore has elevated the concept of efficiency to a kind of nationalideology. For the past t en years, Singapore’s work force was rated the best in the world-aheadof Japan and the U.S.-in terms of produc tivity, skill and attitude by the Business EnvironmentRisk Intelligence service.

Behind the “Singapore miracle” is a man Richard Nixon described as one of “the ablest leadersI have met,” on e who,

“in other times and other places, might have attained the world statureof a Churchill.” Lee Kuan Yew led Sing apore’s struggle for independence in the 1950s, servingas Prime Minister from 1959 until 1990. Today (1995), at 71, he has nominally retired to theoffice of Senior Minister, where he continues to influence his country’s fu ture. Lee offeredcompanies tax breaks, political stability, cheap labor and strike-free environment.

Nearly 90 percent of Singaporean adults now own their own homes and thanks to strictadherence to the princip le of merit, personal opportunities abound.

“If you’ve got talent andwork hard, you can be anything here,” says a Malaysian-born woman who holds a hig h-levelcivil-service position.

Lee likes to boast that Singapore has avoided the “moral breakdown” of Western countries. Heattributes his nat ion’s success to strong family ties, a reliance on education as the engine ofadvancement and social philosophy that he claims is superior to America’s.

In an interview with Reader’s Digest, he said that the United States has “lost its bearings” byemphasizing indiv idual rights at the expense of society. “An ethical society,” he said,

“is onewhich matches human rights with responsibilities.”

1.What characterizes Singapore’s advancement is its___.

https://www.wendangku.net/doc/612439829.html,puter monitoring.

B.work efficiency.

C.high productivity.

D.value on ethics.

2.From Nixon’s perspective, Lee is___.

A.almost as great as Churchill.

B.not as great as Churchill.

C.only second to Churchill in being a leader.

D.just as great as Churchill.

3.In the last paragraph, “lost its bearings” may mean___.

A.become impatient.

B.failed to find the right position.

C.lost its foundation.

D.grown band-mannered.

4.“You can be anything here”(Paragraph 5) may be paraphrased as___.

A.You can hope for a very bright prospect.

B.You may be able to do anything needed.

C.You can choose any job as you like.

D.You will become an outstanding worker.

5.In Singapore, the concept of efficiency___.

A.has been emphasized throughout the country.

B.has become an essential quality for citizens to aim at.

C.is brought forward by the government in order to compete with America.

D.is known as the basis for building the “Intelligent Island.”

21)

At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances

are that you don’t act on your impulse, but let it pass instead. You know that to commit the acti on is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject. One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is topic that Americans talk about constantly. It’s not taboo to talk about fat; it’s taboo to be fat. The “in” look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U.S., thin is “in”, fat is “out”.

It’s not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed with staying slim and “in shape”. The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the sole reason for America’s fascination with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people’s bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to d isease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising.

1.From the passage we can infer taboo is__.

A.a strong desire to do something strange or terrible.

B.a crime committed on impulse.

C.behavior consi dered unacceptable in society’s eyes.

D.an unfavorable impression left on other people.

2.Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude “being fat” __ in American society.

A.will always remain a taboo.

B.is not considered a taboo by most people.

C.has long been a taboo.

D.may no longer be a taboo some day.

3.The topic of fat is __ many other taboo subjects.

A.the same as

B.different from

C.more popular than

D.less often talked about than.

4.In the U.S., thin is “in”, fat is “out”, this means__.

A.thin is “inside”, fat is “outside”.

B.thin is “diligent”, fat is “lazy”.

C.thin is “youthful”, fat is “spiritless”.

D.thin is “fashionable”, fat is “unfashionable”.

5.Apart from this new understanding of the correlation between health and exercise, the main reason the passage gives for why so many Americans are exercising regularly is__.

A.their changed life-style.

B.their eagerness to stay thin and youthful.

C.their appreciation of the importance of exercise.

D.the encouragement they have received from their companies

20)

The discovery of the Antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called “the heroic age of Antarctic exploration”. By their tremendous heroism, men such

as Shakleton, Scott, and Amundsen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. Modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the endurance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable and hardly comparable. Few realize that this Antarctic continent is almost equal in size to South America, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. The coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the maping of the whole of the interior presents a formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. Once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the largest treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, and almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. Such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the Antarctic wastes.

The polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air-fields for the future inter-continental air services by making these areas as light as day. Present flying routes will be completely changed, for the Antarctic refueling bases will make flights from Australia to South America comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey.

The climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer Admiral Byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. Some of his parties were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the Antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all countries could live there safely. Byrd even affirms that it is probably the most healthy climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilize this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree, with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sickness and diseases from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown. There exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the latter keep indefinitely without any signs of deterioration; it may even be that later generations will come to regard the Antarctic as the natural storehouse for the whole world.

Plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a “dead continent” now promises to be a most active center of human life and endeavor.

1.When did man begin to explore the Antarctic

A.About 100years ago.

B.In this century.

C.At the beginning of the 19th century.

D.In 1798.

2.What must the explorers be, even though they have modern equipment and techniques

A.Brave and tough

B.Stubborn and arrogant.

C.Well-liked and humorous.

D.Stout and smart.

3.The most healthy climate in the world is___.

A.in South America.

B.in the Arctic Region.

C.in the Antarctic Continent.

D.in the Atlantic Ocean.

4.What kind of metals and minerals can we find in the Antarctic

A.Magnetite, coal and ores.

B.Copper, coal and uranium.

C.Silver, natural gas and uranium.

D.Aluminum, copper and natural gas.

5.What is planned for the continent

A.Building dams along the coasts.

B.Setting up several summer resorts along the coasts.

C.Mapping the coast and whole territory.

D.Setting up permanent bases on the coasts.

19)

The discovery of the Antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called “the heroic age of Antarctic exploration”. By their tremendous heroism, men such as Shakleton, Scott, and Amundsen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. Modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the endurance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable and hardly comparable. Few realize that this Antarctic continent is almost equal in size to South America, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. The coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the maping of the whole of the interior presents a formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. Once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the largest treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, and almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. Such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the Antarctic wastes.

The polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air-fields for the future inter-continental air services by making these areas as light as day. Present flying routes will be completely changed, for the Antarctic refueling bases will make flights from Australia to South America comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey.

The climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer Admiral Byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. Some of his parties were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the Antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all countries could live there safely. Byrd even affirms that it is probably the most healthy climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilize this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree, with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sickness and diseases from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown. There exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the latter keep indefinitely without any signs of deterioration; it may even be that later generations will come to regard the Antarctic as the natural storehouse for the whole world.

Plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a “dead continent” now promises to be a most active center of human life and endeavor.

1.When did man begin to explore the Antarctic?

A.About 100years ago.

B.In this century.

C.At the beginning of the 19th century.

D.In 1798.

2.What must the explorers be, even though they have modern equipment and techniques?

A.Brave and tough

B.Stubborn and arrogant.

C.Well-liked and humorous.

D.Stout and smart.

3.The most healthy climate in the world is___.

A.in South America.

B.in the Arctic Region.

C.in the Antarctic Continent.

D.in the Atlantic Ocean.

4.What kind of metals and minerals can we find in the Antarctic?

A.Magnetite, coal and ores.

B.Copper, coal and uranium.

C.Silver, natural gas and uranium.

D.Aluminum, copper and natural gas.

5.What is planned for the continent?

A.Building dams along the coasts.

B.Setting up several summer resorts along the coasts.

C.Mapping the coast and whole territory.

D.Setting up permanent bases on the coasts.

18)

Without regular supplies of some hormones our capacity tobehave would be seriously impaired; without others we wouldsoon die. Tiny amounts of some hormones can modify moodsand actions, our inclination to eat or dr ink, our aggressivenessor submissiveness, and our reproductive and parentalbehavior. And hormones do more t han influence adultbehavior; early in life they help to determine the developmentof bodily form and may even determine an individual’sbehavioral capacities. Later in life the changing outputs of some endocrine glands and thebody’s changing sensitivity to some hormones are essential aspects of the phenomena ofaging. Communication within the body and the consequent integration of behavior were consideredthe exclusive prov ince of the nervous system up to the beginning of the present century. Theemergence of endocrinology as a sep arate discipline can probably be traced to the experimentsof Bayliss and Starling on the hormone secretion. Thi s substance is secreted from cells in theintestinal walls when food enters the stomach; it travels through the blo odstream andstimulates the pancreas to liberate pancreatic juice, which aids in digestion. By showing thatspeci al cells secret chemical agents that are conveyed by the bloodstream and regulate distanttarget organs or tissues . Bayliss and starling demonstrated that chemical integration couldoccur without participation of the nervous s ystem.

The term “hormone” was first used with reference to secretion. Starling derived the term fromthe Greek hormo ne, meaning “to excite or set in motion. The term “endocrine” was introducedshortly thereafter “Endocrine” is used to refer to glands that secret products into thebloodstream. The term “endocrine” contrasts with “exocrine ”, which is applied to glands thatsecret their products though ducts to the site of action. Examples of exocrine g lands are thetear glands, the sweat glands, and the pancreas, which secrets pancreatic juice through a ductinto t he intestine. Exocrine glands are also called duct glands, while endocrine glands are calledductless.

1.What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

A.To explain the specific functions of various hormones.

B.To provide general information about hormones.

C.To explain how the term “hormone” evolved.

D.To report on experiments in endocrinology.

2.The passage supports which of the following conclusions?

A.The human body requires large amounts of most hormones.

B.Synthetic hormones can replace a person’s natural supply of hormones if necessary.

C.The quantity of hormones produced and their effects on the body are related to a person’sage.

D.The short child of tall parents very likely had a hormone deficiency early in life.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that before the Bayliss and Starling experiments, mostpeople believed tha t chemical integration occurred only___.

A.during sleep.

B.in the endocrine glands.

C.under control of the nervous system.

D.during strenuous exercise.

4.The word “liberate” could best be replaced by which of the following?

A.Emancipate

B.Discharge

C.Surrender

D.Save

5.According to the passage another term for exocrine glands is___.

A.duct glands

B.endocrine glands

C.ductless glands

D.intestinal glands.

17)

The discovery of the Antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called “the heroic age of Antarctic exploration”. By their tremendous heroism, men such as Shakleton, Scott, and Amundsen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. Modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the endurance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable and hardly comparable. Few realize that this Antarctic continent is almost equal in size to South America, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. The coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the maping of the whole of the interior presents a formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. Once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the largest treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, and almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. Such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the Antarctic wastes.

The polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air-fields for the future inter-continental air services by making these areas as light as day. Present flying routes will be completely changed, for the Antarctic refueling bases will make flights from Australia to South America comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey.

The climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer Admiral Byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. Some of his parties were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the Antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all countries could live there safely. Byrd even affirms that it is probably the most healthy climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilize this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree, with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sickness and diseases from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown. There exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the latter keep indefinitely without any signs of deterioration; it may even be that later generations will come to regard the Antarctic as the natural storehouse for the whole world.

Plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a “dead continent” now promises to be a most active center of human life and endeavor.

1.When did man begin to explore the Antarctic?

A.About 100years ago.

B.In this century.

C.At the beginning of the 19th century.

D.In 1798.

2.What must the explorers be, even though they have modern equipment and techniques?

A.Brave and tough

B.Stubborn and arrogant.

C.Well-liked and humorous.

D.Stout and smart.

3.The most healthy climate in the world is___.

A.in South America.

B.in the Arctic Region.

C.in the Antarctic Continent.

D.in the Atlantic Ocean.

4.What kind of metals and minerals can we find in the Antarctic?

A.Magnetite, coal and ores.

B.Copper, coal and uranium.

C.Silver, natural gas and uranium.

D.Aluminum, copper and natural gas.

5.What is planned for the continent?

A.Building dams along the coasts.

B.Setting up several summer resorts along the coasts.

C.Mapping the coast and whole territory.

D.Setting up permanent bases on the coasts.

16)

A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors—or of people very different from our own—can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offer us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.

In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros—as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martines—depicted these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.

In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues are unholy.

1.More can be learned about a culture from a study of art history than general history because art history__.

A.show us the religious and emotions of a people in addition to political values.

B.provide us with information about the daily activities of people in the past.

C.give us an insight into the essential qualities of a time and a place.

D.all of the above.

2.Art is subjective in that__.

A.a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it.

B.it can easily rouse our anger or sadness about social problems.

C.it will find a ready echo in our hearts.

D.both B and C.

3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.Unlike Francisco Goya, Pablo and several Mexican artists expressed their political opinions in their paintings.

B.History books often reveal the compilers’ political views.

C.Religious art remained in Europe for centuries the only type of art because most people regarded the Bible as the Holy Book.

D.All the above mentioned.

4.The passage is mainly discussing__.

A.the difference between general history and art history.

B.The making of art history.

C.What can we learn from art.

D.The influence of artists on art history.

5.In may be concluded from this passage that__.

A.Islamic artists have had to create architectural decorations with images of flowers or geometric forms.

B.History teachers are more objective than general history.

C.It is more difficult to study art history than general history.

D.People and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to popularize the Bible.

15)

Recent research has claime d that an excess of positive ions in the air can have an ill effect on people’s physical or psychological health. What are positive ions? Well, the air is full of ions, electrically charged particles, and generally there is a rough balance between the positive and the negative charged. But sometimes this balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of positive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorm, earthquakes when winds such as the Mistral, Hamsin or Sharav are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibres, or from TV sets, duplicators or computer display screens.

When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals are also affected, particularly before earthquakes, snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation, rats to flee from their burrows, dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California.

Conversely, when large numbers of negative ions are present, then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea, close to waterfalls or fountains, or in any place where water is sprayed, or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea, or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls.

To increase the supply of negative ions indoors, some scientists recommend the use of ionisers: small portable machines, which generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course, there are the detractors, other scientists, who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves, or on others, of a negative rich or poor environment. After all it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.

1.What effect does exceeding positive ionization have on some people?

A.They think they are insane.

B.They feel rather bad-tempered and short-fussed.

C.They become violently sick.

D.They are too tired to do anything.

2.In accordance with the passage, static electricity can be caused by___.

https://www.wendangku.net/doc/612439829.html,ing home-made electrical goods.

B.wearing clothes made of natural materials.

C.walking on artificial floor coverings.

D.copying TV programs on a computer.

3.A high negative ion count is likely to be found___.

A.near a pound with a water pump.

B.close to a slow-flowing river.

C.high in some barren mountains.

D.by a rotating water sprinkler.

4.What kind of machine can generate negative ions indoors?

A.Ionisers.

B.Air-conditioners.

C.Exhaust-fans

D.Vacuum pumps.

5.Some scientists believe that___.

A.watching animals to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than depending on seismography.

B.the unusual behavior of animals cannot be trusted.

C.neither watching nor using seismographs is reliable.

D.earthquake

14)

Once it was possible to define male and female roles easily by the division of labor. Men worked outside the home and earned the income to support their families, while women cooked the meals and took care of the home and the children. These roles were firmly fixed for most people, and there was not much opportunity for women to exchange their roles. But by the middle of this century, men’s and women’s roles were becomin g less firmly fixed.

In the 1950s, economic and social success was the goal of the typical American. But in the 1960s a new force developed called the counterculture. The people involved in this movement did not value the middle-class American goals. The counterculture presented men and women with new role choices. Taking more interest in childcare, men began to share child-raising tasks with their wives. In fact, some young men and women moved to communal homes or farms where the economic and childcare responsibilities were shared equally by both sexes. In addition, many Americans did not value the traditional male role of soldier. Some young men refused to be drafted as soldiers to fight in the war in Vietnam.

In terms of numbers, the counterculture was not a very large group of people. But its influence spread to many parts of American society. Working men of all classes began to change their economic and social patterns. Industrial workers and business executives alike cut down on “overtime” work so that they could spend more leisure time with their families. Some doctors, lawyers, and teachers turned away from high paying situations to practice their professions in poorer neighborhoods.

In the 1970s, the feminist movement, or women’s liberation, produced additional economic and social changes. Women of all ages and at all levels of society were entering the work force in greater numbers. Most of them still took traditional women’s jobs as public school teaching, nursing, and secretarial work. But some wome n began to enter traditionally male occupations: police work, banking, dentistry, and construction work. Women were asking for equal work, and equal opportunities for promotion.

Today the experts generally agree that important changes are taking place in the roles of men and women. Naturally, there are difficulties in adjusting to these transformations.

1.Which of the following best express the main idea of Paragraph 1?

A.Women usually worked outside the home for wages.

B.Men and women’s roles were easily e xchanged in the past.

C.Men’s roles at home were more firmly fixed than women’s.

D.Men and women’s roles were usually quite separated in the past.

2.Which sentence best expresses the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A.The first sentence.

B.The second and the third sentences.

C.The fourth sentence.

D.The last sentence.

3.In the passage the author proposes that the counterculture___.

A.destroyed the United States.

B.transformed some American values.

C.was not important in the United States.

D.brought people more leisure time with their families.

4.It could be inferred from the passage that___.

A.men and women will never share the same goals.

B.some men will be willing to exchange their traditional male roles.

C.most men will be happy to share some of the household responsibilities with their wives.

D.more American households are headed by women than ever before.

5.The best title for the passage may be ___.

A.Results of Feminist Movements

B.New influence in American Life

C.Counterculture and Its consequence

D.Traditional Division of Male and Female Roles.

13)

I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness. Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It

is a deeper, more abiding emotion.

Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.

I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.

Ask a bachelor why he resis ts marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he’s honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.

Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out ever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

1.Which of the following is true?

A.Fun creates long-lasting satisfaction.

B.Fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness.

C.Happiness is enduring whereas fun is short-lived.

D.Fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness.

2.To the author, Hollywood stars all have an important role to play that is to __.

A.rite memoir after memoir about their happiness.

B.tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun.

C.teach people how to enjoy their lives.

D.bring happiness to the public instead of going to glamorous parties.

3.In the author’s opinion, marriage___.

A.affords greater fun.

B.leads to raising children.

C.indicates commitment.

D.ends in pain.

4.Couples having infant children___.

A.are lucky since they can have a whole night’s sleep.

B.find fun in tucking them into bed at night.

C.find more time to play and joke with them.

D.derive happiness from their endeavor.

5.If one get the meaning of the true sense of happiness, he will__.

A.stop playing games and joking with others.

B.make the best use of his time increasing happiness.

C.give a free hand to money.

D.keep himself with his family.

27）

Which 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 of workers 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 suburbs of Mexico City took 542 lives, just a month before the unfortunate event at Bhopal.

Some experts have discussed these accidents and used each accident to illustrate a particular danger. Thus the Texas City explosion was caused by tons of ammonium nitrate（硝酸铵）,which is safe unless stored in great quantity. 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 danger on 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.

1.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.

2.Chemical accidents are usually important enough to be reported as news because ____.

A.they are very rare

B.they often cause loss of life

C.they always occur in big cities

D.they arouse the interest of all the readers

3.According to passage, the chemical accident that caused by the fault of management happened at ____.

A.Texas city

B.Flixborough

C.Seveso

D.Mexico City

4.From the passage we know that ammonium nitrate is a kind of ____.

A.natural gas, which can easily catch fire

B.fertilizer, which can't be stored in a great quantity

C.poisonous substance, which can't be used in overcrowded areas

D.fuel, which is stored in large tanks

5.From the discussion among some experts we may coclude that ____.

A.to avoid any accidents we should not repair the facilities in chemical industry

B.the local authorities should not be concerned with the production of the chemical industry

C.all these accidents could have been avoided or controlled if effective measure had been taken

D.natural gas stored in very large tanks is always safe

28）

What we know of prenatal development makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unborn child by studying poetry, art, or mathematics during pregnancy seem utterly impossible. How could such extremely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connection between their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly. An emotional shock to the mother will affect her child, because it changes the activity of her glands and so the chemistry her blood. Any chemical change in the mother’s blood will affect the child for better or worse. But we can not see how a looking for mathematics or poetic genius can be dissolved in blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.

In our discussion of instincts we saw that there was reason to believe that whatever we inherit must be of some very simple sort rather than any complicated or very definite kind of behavior. It is certain that no one inherits a knowledge of mathematics. It may be, however, that children inherit more or less of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. If very intelligent children become deeply interested in mathematics, they will probably make a success of that study.

As for musical ability, it may be that what is inherited is an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or the vocal organs connections between nerves and muscles that 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 a certain bodily structure that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowledge and skill. Whether that ability shall be directed toward music or some other undertaking may be decided entirely by forces in the environment in which a child grows up.

1. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during their pregnancy.

B. It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal development.

C. The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.

D. There are no connection between mother’s nervous systems and her unborn child’s.

2. A mother will affect her unborn baby on the condition that ____.

A. she is emotionally shocked

B. she has a good knowledge of inheritance

C. she takes part in all kind of activities

D. she sticks to studying

3. According to the passage, a child may inherit____.

A. everything from his mother

B. a knowledge of mathematics

C. a rather general ability that we call intelligence

D. her mother’s musical ability

4. If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or of the vocal organs, he will ____.

A. surely become musician

B. mostly become a poet

C. possibly become a teacher

D. become a musician on the condition that all these factors are organized around music

5. 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.

29）

The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’t go.

But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; c ollege students interfere with each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the intense competition for admission to graduate school. Other find no stimulation in their studies, and drop out—often encouraged by college administrators.

Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves—they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that is a condemnation of the students as a whole, and doesn’t explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can’t absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either.

Some adventuresome educators and watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school. We may have been looking at all those surveys and statistics upside down, it seems, and through the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences. Perhaps college doesn’t make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things—may it is just the other way around, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal,

quick-learning people are merely the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But contrary evidence is beginning to mount up.

1.According to the author, ___.

A.people used to question the value of college education.

B.people used to have full confidence in higher education.

C.all high school graduates went to college.

D.very few high school graduates chose to go to college.

2.In the 2nd paragraph, “those who don’t fit the pattern” refer to___.

A.high school gra duates 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 th ey don’t go to college.

30）

Racket, din clamor, noise, whatever you want to call it, unwanted sound is America’s most widespread nuisance. But noise is more than just a nuisance. It constitutes a real and present danger to people’s health. Day and night, at home, at work, and at play, noise can produce serious physical and psychological stress. No one is immune to this stress. Though we seem to adjust to noise by ignoring it, the ear, in fact, never closes and the body still responds—sometimes with extreme tension, as to a strange sound in the night.

The annoyance we feel when faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building up inside us. Indeed, because irritability is so apparent, legislators have made public annoyance the basis of many noise abatement programs. The more subtle and more serious health hazards associated with stress caused by noise traditionally have been given much less attention. Nevertheless, when we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider these symptoms fair warning that other thing may be happening to us, some of which may be damaging to our health.

Of many health hazards to noise, hearing loss is the most clearly observable and measurable by health professionals. The other hazards are harder to pin down. For many of us, there may be a risk that exposure to the stress of noise increases susceptibility to disease and infection. The more susceptible among us may experience noise as a complicating factor in heart problems and other diseases. Noise that causes annoyance and irritability in health persons may have serious consequences for these already ill in mind or body.

Noise affects us throughout our lives. For example, there are indications of effects on the unborn child when mothers are exposed to industrial and environmental noise. During infancy and childhood, youngsters exposed to high noise levels may have trouble falling asleep and obtaining necessary amounts of rest.

Why, then, is there not greater alarm about these dangers? Perhaps it is because the link between noise and many disabilities or diseases has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Perhaps it is because we tend to dismiss annoyance as a price to pay for living in the modern world. It may also be because we still think of hearing loss as only an occupational hazard.

1.In Paragraph 1, the phrase “immune to” are used to mean ___.

A.unaffected by

B.hurt by

C.unlikely to be seen by

D.unknown by

2.The author’s attitude toward noise would best be described as ___.

A.unrealistic

B.traditional

C.concerned

D.hysterical

3.Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A.Noise is a major problem; most people recognize its importance.

B.Although noise can be annoying, it is not a major problem.

C.Noise is a major problem and has not yet been recognized as such.

D.Noise is a major problem about which nothing can be done.

4.The author condemns noise essentially because it ___.

A.is against the law

B.can make some people irritable

C.is a nuisance

D.in a ganger to people’s health

5.The author would probably consider research about the effects noise has on people to be ___.

A.unimportant

B.impossible.

C.a waste of money

D.essential

31）

Before the mid 1860’s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for anima l drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s and into the 1890’s. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860’s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last beg an to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of “premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together.

1. The autho r refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860’s as “limited” because ____

A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next

B. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations

C. passengers preferred stagecoaches

D. railroad travel was quite expensive

2. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded?

A. They developed competing routes.

B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.

C. They began to specialize in private investment.

D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them.

3. Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17?

A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.

B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.

C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.

D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.

4. The word “subsidy”in line 27 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. persuasion

B. financing

C. explanation

D. penalty

32）

Certainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living creature, especially human beings, have their peculiarities, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that, among other eccentricities, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely edible by gourmets?For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has subsisted on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients are present.Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddishbrown to sandcolor and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the creatures are cucumbershaped—hence their name—and because they are typically rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with flexibility, enables them to squeeze into crevices where they are safe from predators and ocean currents.

Although they have voracious appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent and live at a low metabolic rate—feeding sparingly or not at all for long periods, so that the marine organisms that provid their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not for this faculty, they would devour all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence.

But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs, when attacked, it squirts all its internal organs into water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.

1. According to the passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important?

A. It helps them to digest their food.

B. It helps them to protect themselves from danger.

C. It makes it easier for them to move through the mud.

D. It makes them attractive to fish.

2. The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily discusses ____.

A. the reproduction of sea cucumbers

B. the food sources of sea cucumbers

C. the eating habits of sea cucumbers

D. threats to sea cuc umbers’ existence

3. What can be inferred about the defence mechanisms of the sea cucumber?

A. They are very sensitive to surrounding stimuli.

B. They are almost useless.

C. They require group cooperation.

D. They are similar to those of most sea creatures.

4. Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water?

A. A touch.

B. Food.

C. Unusually warm water.

D. Pollution.

答案：

26）DBABC

25）ABADA

24）ABDBC

23）ACCCA

22）DABAB

21）CDBCB

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Passage 1 Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own. Then, in the country one can really get away from the noise and hurry of busy working lives. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the countr y. If one likes garden, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has got the reward together with those who have shared the secret of Nature. Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. 1. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. People who love Nature prefer to live outside the city. B. All the people who work in London prefer to live in the country. C. Some people enjoying city life prefer to work and live inside London. D. Many nature lovers, though working in London, prefer to live outside. 2. With the same money needed for ________, one can buy a little house with a garden in the country. A. getting a small flat with a garden B. having a small flat with a garden C. renting a small flat without a garden D. buying a small flat without a garden 3. When the garden is in blossom, the one ________ has been rewarded. A. living in the country B. having spent time working in the garden. C. having a garden of his own. D. having been digging, planting and watering 4. People who think happiness lies in the city life would feel that ________ if they had to live outside London. A. their life was meaningless B. their life was invaluable C. they didn’t deserve a happy life D. they were not worthy of their happy life 5. The underlined phrase “get away from” in the 3rd paragraph refers to ________. A. deal with B. do away with C. escape from D. prevent from 很多在伦敦工作的人喜欢住在伦敦郊外，然后每天乘火车、汽车和公交车去上班或上学。这也就意味着他们不得不早出晚归。

专四阅读理解

4) For a long time, researchers have tried to nail down just what shapes us--or what, at least, shapes us most. And over the years, they've had a lot of exclamation moments. First it was our parents, particularly our mothers. Then it was our genes. Next it was our peers, who show up last but hold great sway. And all those ideas were good ones--but only as far as they went. Somewhere, there was a sort of temperamental dark matter exerting an invisible gravitational pull of its own. More and more, scientists are concluding that this unexplained force is our siblings. From the time we are born, our brothers and sisters are our collaborators and co-conspirators, our role models and cautionary tales. They are our scolds, protectors, goads, tormentors, playmates, counselors, sources of envy, objects of pride. They teach us how to resolve conflicts and how not to; how to conduct friendships and when to walk away from them. Sisters teach brothers about the mysteries of girls; brothers teach sisters about the puzzle of boys. Our spouses arrive comparatively late in our lives; our parents eventually leave us. Our siblings may be the only people we'll ever know who truly qualify as partners for life. "Siblings," says family sociologist Katherine Conger, "are with us for the whole journey." Within the scientific community, siblings have not been wholly ignored, but research has been limited mostly to discussions of birth order．Older sibs were said to be strivers；younger ones rebels；middle kids the lost souls．The stereotypes were broad，if not entirely untrue，and there the discussion mostly ended． But all that’s changin9．At research centers in the U．S．，Canada，Europe and elsewhere，investigators are launching a wealth of new studies into the sibling dynamic，looking at ways brothers and sisters steer one another int0—or away from--risky behavior how they form a protective buffer(减震器)against family upheaval；how they educate one another about the opposite sex；how all siblings compete for family recognition and come to terms--or blows--over such impossibly charged issues as parental favoritism． From that research，scientists are gaining intriguing insights into the people we become as adults．Does the manager who runs a harmonious office call on the peacemaking skills learned in the family playroom? Does the student struggling with a professor who plays favorites summon up the coping skills acquired from dealing with a sister who was Daddy’s girl? Do husbands and wives benefit from the inter—gender negotiations they waged when their most important partners were their sisters and brothers? All that is under investigation．“Siblings have just been o ff the radar screen until now，”says Conger．But today serious work is revealing exactly how our brothers and sisters influence us．1．The beginning of the passage indicates that A．researchers have found out what shapes us．B．our peer is the last factor influencing us． C．what researchers found contributes in a limited way． D．what researchers found is good and trustworthy．2．In the third paragraph, the author tries to demonstrate that our siblings A．offer us much useful information． B．have great influences on us． C．are the ones who love us completely． D．accompany us throughout our life． 3．In scientific community, previous research on siblings A．mostly focused on the sibling order． B．studied the characteristics of the kids． C．studied the matter in a broad sense． D．wasn’t believable and the discussion ended． 4．Which of the following is NOT sibling dynamic? A．A brother cautions his sister against getting into trouble． B．Sisters have quarrels with each other． C．Siblings compete for parental favoritism． D．Older kids in a family try hard to achieve． 5．From the last paragraph，we can conclude that A．managers learned management skills from the family playroom． B．spouses learned negotiation skills from their siblings． C．studies on siblings are under the way。 D．studies on siblings need thorough investigation． 5) What comes to mind when you hear the word--diversity? Issues of race or gender may spring to mind．Equal rights? Or minority issues? I encourage people to look at a much wider definition of the word．1 would tend to say diversity is “differentness” in any form．A good example of this kind of diversity has been experienced by every person who ever left behind the comforts of home and moved into uncharted territory．Issues of diversity are informed not only by your cultural background and context，but also by your religion，age，field of work，family situation，personality，and countless other factors that make us unique．Diversity affects everyone．