四级阅读理解训练

Passage one

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

A few years ago a young mother watched her husband diaper (给„换尿布) their firstborn son. “You do not have to be unhappy about it,” she protested. “You can talk to him and smile a little.” The father, who happened to be a psychologist, answered firmly, “He has nothing to say to me, and I have nothing to say to him.”

Psychologists now know how wrong that father was. From the moment of birth, a baby has a great deal to say to his parents, and they to him. But a decade or so ago, these experts were describing the newborn as a primitive creature who reacted only by reflex, a helpless victim of its environment without capacity to influence it. And mothers accepted the truth. Most thought (and some still do) that a new infant could see only blurry (模糊的) shadows, that his other senses were undeveloped, and that all he required was nourishment, clean diapers, and a warm bassinet.

Today university laboratories across the country are studying newborns in their first month of life. As a result, psychologists now describe the new baby as perceptive, with remarkable learning abilities and an even more remarkable capacity to shape his or her environment including the attitudes and actions of his parents. Some researchers believe that the neonatal period may even be the most significant four weeks in an entire lifetime.

Far from being helpless, the newborn knows what he likes and rejects what he doesn’t. He shuts out unpleasant sensations by closing his eyes or averting his face. He is a glutton for novelty. He prefers animate things over inanimate and likes people more than anything.

When a mere nine minutes old, an infant prefers a human face to a head-shaped outline. He makes the choice despite the fact that, with delivery room attendants masked and gowned, he has never seen a human face before. By the time he’s twelve hours old, his entire body moves in precise synchrony (同时发生) to the sound of a human voice, as if he were dancing. A non-human sound, such as a tapping noise, brings no such response.

57. The author points out that the father diapering his first-born son was wrong because________.

A) he believed the baby was not able to hear him

B) he thought the baby didn’t have the power of speech C) he was a psychologist unworthy of his profession D) he thought the baby was not capable of any response 58. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A) A new infant can see only blurry shadows. B) A new infant’s senses are undeveloped

C) All a new infant requires is nourishment, clean diapers, and a warm bassinet. D) A new infant is actually able to influence his or her environment 59. What does the sentence “He is a glutton for novelty” probably mean?

A) The newborn is greedy for new food. B) The newborn tends to overeat.

C) The newborn always loves things that are new to him.

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D) The newborn’s appetite is a constant topic in novels.

60. According to the passage, it’s groundless to think that newborns prefer________.

A) a human face to a head-shaped outline B) animate things to inanimate ones C) human voice to non-human sounds D) nourishment to a warm bassinet 61. What is the passage mainly discussing about?

A) What people know about newborns.

B) How wrong parents are when they handle their babies.

C) How much have newborns progressed in about a decade’s time.

D) Why the first month of life is the most significant four weeks in a lifetime.

Passage Two

Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof cottages around a church; a drive through a narrow village street lines with thatched cottages painted pink or white; the sight in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.

Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practiced in the British Isles (英论诸岛). Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too.

Thatching is a solitary (独自的) craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practiced toady has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, maintaining and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.

In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often reluctant to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to import the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat.

62. Which of the following remains a unique feature of the English countryside?

A) Narrow streets lined with pink or white houses. B) Rolling hills with pretty farm buildings. C) Cottages with thatched roofs.

D) Churches with cottages around them. 63. What do we know about thatching as a craft?

A) It is a collective activity.

B) It is practiced on farms all over England. C) It is quite different from what it used to be.

D) It is in most cases handed down among family members. . Thatched houses are still preferred because of ________.

A) their style and comfort B) their durability C) their easy maintenance D) their cheap and ready-made materials 65. People in developing countries also live under thatch because ________.

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A) thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction B) thatched roof houses are the cheapest

C) thatch is an effective defense against the heat

D) they like thatched houses better than other buildings 66. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A) thatched cottages in England have been passed down from ancient times B) thatching is a building craft first created by the English people C) the English people have a special liking for thatched houses D) most thatched cottages in England are located on hillsides

87. It was essential that _______________(我们在月底前签订合同).

88. ____________________ (不管任务多么艰巨), we must fulfill it in time.

. The price of beer_________________(从50美分到4美元不等) per liter during the summer season.

90. The manager would rather his daughter __________________(不在一个办公室内工作). 91. Over a third of the population was estimated __________________(无法获得) to the health service.

Answers:

Section B (20%) 57-61 D D C D A 62-66 C D A B A 87. we sign the contract by the end of the month

88. No matter how hard the task is/ However hard the task is/No matter how hard the task may

be/However hard the task may be . ranges/varies from 50 cents to $4 90. did not work in the same office 91. to have no access

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Model Test 2

Passage one

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events. They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Negative events like “serious illness of a family member” were high on the list, but so were some positive life-changing events, like marriage. When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not reflect how you deal with stress—it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you handle these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy.

By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe. And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports. Somehow, the research got boiled down to a memorable message. Women’s magazines ran headlines like “Stress causes illness!” If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events.

But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous, many—like the death of a loved one—are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription for staying away from opportunities as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move.

The notion that all stress makes you sick also ignores a lot of what we know about people. It assumes we’re all vulnerable and passive in the face of adversity. But what about human initiative and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental vigor than they had before. We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom, and physical and mental strain.

57. The result of Holmes-Rahe’s medical research tells us ________.

A) the way you handle major events may cause stress B) what should be done to avoid stress C) what kind of event would cause stress D) how to cope with sudden changes in life

58. The studies on stress in the early 1970’s led to ________.

A) widespread concern over its harmful effects

B) great panic over the mental disorder it could cause C) an intensive research into stress-related illnesses D) popular avoidance of stressful jobs

59. The score of the Holmes-Rahe test shows ________.

A) how much pressure you are under

B) how positive events can change your life C) how stressful a major event can be

D) how you can deal with life-changing events

60. Why is “such simplistic advice” (Line 1, Para. 3) impossible to follow?

A) No one can stay on the same job for long. B) No prescription is effective in relieving stress.

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C) People have to get married someday.

D) You could be missing opportunities as well.

61. According to the passage people who have experienced ups and downs may become ____.

A) nervous when faced with difficulties B) physically and mentally strained

C) more capable of coping with adversity D) indifferent toward what happens to them

Passage Two

Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

My father’s reaction to the bank building at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York city was immediate and definite: “You won’t catch me putting my money in there!” he declared, “Not in that glass box!”

Of course, my father is a gentleman of the old school, a member of the generation to whom a good deal of modern architecture is upsetting, but I am convinced that his negative response was not so much to the architecture as to a violation of his concept of the nature of money.

In his generation money was thought of as a real commodity (实物) that could be carried, or stolen. Consequently, to attract the custom of a sensible man, a bank had to have heavy walls, barred windows, and bronze doors, to affirm the fact, however untrue, that money would be safe inside. If a building’s design made it appear impenetrable, the institution was necessarily reliable, and the meaning of the heavy wall as an architecture symbol dwelt in the prevailing attitude toward money.

But the attitude toward money has, of course, changed. Excepting pocket money, cash of any kind is now rarely used; money as a tangible commodity has largely been replaced by credit. A deficit (赤字) economy, accompanied by huge expansion, has led us to think of money as product of the creative imagination. The banker no longer offers us a safe: he offers us a service in which the most valuable element is the creativity for the invention of large numbers. It is in no way surprising, in view of this change in attitude, that we are witnessing the disappearance of the heavy walled bank.

Just as the older bank emphasized its strength, this bank by its architecture boasts of imaginative powers. From this point of view it is hard to say where architecture ends and human assertion (人们的说法) begins.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

62. The main idea of this passage is that_____________. .

A) money is not as valuable as it was in the past

B) changes have taken place in both the appearance and the concept of banks C) the architectural style of the older bank is superior to that of the modern bank D) prejudice makes the older generation think that the modern bank is unreliable 63. How do the older generation and the younger one think about money? _____________

A) The former thinks more of money than the latter.

B) The younger generation values money more than the older generation.

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C) Both generations rely on the imaginative power of bankers to make money.

D) To the former money is a real commodity but to the latter the means of producing more money.

. The word “tangible” (Line 2, Para. 4 ) refers to something _____________.

A) that is precious B) that is usable

C) that can be touched D) that can be reproduced

65. According to this passage, a modern banker should be_____________. .

A) ambitious and friendly B) reliable and powerful

C) sensible and impenetrable D) imaginative and creative

66. It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s attitude towards the new trend in banking is _____________. .

A) cautious B) regretful C) positive D) hostile

Part VI Translation (5 minutes)

87. If you think you are fit for the position, you can _________________________.(在本周内在

线提交简历)

88. You _____________________________ (本来不必进行) all those calculations. We have a

computer to do that sort of thing.

. Susan looks so slim now, I think she ____________________________ (她一定很努力地减

肥了)

90. The supermarket sells various kinds of things, ________________________（从衣物食品到

电脑游戏）

Henry has prepared a party for his girlfriend,______________________________ (结果却被告之

她到时候不能来了)

Section B (20%) ：

57-61 C A A D C 62-66 B D C D C

Part VI Translation (5%)

87: submit your resume on line within this week 88: needn’t have done

: must have made a great effort to lose weight / must have endeavored to lose weight 90: ranging from clothes and food to computer games 91: only to be told that she couldn’t come by then

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