阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习.doc

阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习一Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:If women are mercilessly（无情地）exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a women is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe （衣柜） packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear. Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability（耐用）. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasnt at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in highheeled shoes.When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of womens clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.1.Designers and big stores always make money_. A) by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry B) because they are capable of predicting new fashions C) by constantly changing the fashions in womens clothing D) because they attach great importance to quality in womens clothing2.To the writer, the fact that women alter their old-fashioned dresses is seen as_. A) a waste of money B) a waste of time C) an expression of taste D) an expression of creativity3.The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the _ of clothing. A) cost B) appearance C) comfort D) suitability4.New fashions in clothing are created for _. A) the commercial exploitation of women B) the womens strength of character C) basic qualities of inconstancy and instability D) an important contribution to society5.By saying the conlusions to be drawn are obvious (Line One, Paragraph Four) the writer means that_. A) womens inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at B) women are better able to put up with discomfort C) men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers D) men are more reasonable in the matter of fashionQuestions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies-and other creatures-learn to do things because certain acts lead to rewards; and there is no reason to doubt that this is true. But it used also to be widely believed that effective rewards, at least in the early stages, had to be directly related to such basic physiological drives（欲望）as thirst or hunger. In other words, a baby would learn if he got food or drink or some sort of physical comfort, not otherwise. It is now clear that this is not so. Babies will learn to behave in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome. Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to reward the babies and so teach them to carry out some simple movements, such as turning the head to one side or the other. Then he noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response with clear signs of pleasure. So he began to study the childrens reponses in situations where no milk was provided. He quickly found that children as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement switch on a display of lights-and indeed that they were capable of learning quite complex turns to bring about this result, for instance, two left or two right, or even to make as many as three turns to one side. Papouseks light display was placed directly in front of the babies and he made the interesting observation that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would smile and bubble（发出咯咯声） when the display came on. Papousek concluded that it was not primarily the sight of the lights which pleased them, it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem, in mastering the skill, and that there exists a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it under intentional control. 6.According to the author, babies learn to do things which_. A) are directly related to pleasure B) will meet their physical needs C) will bring them a feeling of success D) will satisfy their curiosity 7.Papousek noticed in his studies that a baby_. A) would make learned responses when it saw the milk B) would carry out learned movements when it had enough to drink C) would continue the simple movements without being given milk D) would turn its head to right or left when it had enough to drink 8.In Papouseks experiment babies make learned movements of the head in order to _. A) have the lights turned on B) be rewarded with milk C) please their parents D) be praised 9.The babies would smile and bubble at the lights because_. A) the lights were directly related to some basic drives B) the sight fo the lights was interesting C) they need not turn back to watch the lights D) they succeeded in switching on the lights 10.According to Papousek, the pleasure babies get in achieving something is a reflection of _. A) a basic human desire to understand and control the world B) the satisfaction of certain physiological needs C) their strong desire to solve complex problems D) a fundamental human urge to display their learned skillsQuestions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage: A breakthrough（突破）in the provision of energy from the sun for European Economic Community (EEC) could be brought forward by up to two decades, if a modest increase could be provided in the EECs researvh effort in this field, according to the senior EEC scientists engaged in experiments in solar energy at EECs scientific laboratories at Ispra, near Milan. The senior West German scientist in charge of the Communitys solar energy programme, Mr. Joachim Gretz, told journalists that at present levels of research spending it was most unlikely that solar energy would provide as much as 3% of the Communitys energy requirements even after the year 2000. But he said that with a modest increase in the present sums, devoted by the EEC to this work it was possible that the breakthrough could be achieved by the end of the next decade. Mr. Gretz calculates that if solar energy only provided 3% of the EECs needs, this could still produce a saving of about a billion pounds in the present bill for imported energy each year. And he believes that with the possibility of utilizing more advanced technology in this field it might be possible to satisfy a much bigger share of the Communitys future energy needs. At present the EEC spends about $2.6 millions a year on solar research at Ispra, one of the EECs official joint research centres, and another 3 millions a year in indirect research with universities and other independent bodies. 11.The phrase be brought forward in the first sentence of Paragraph One most probably means _. A) be expected B) be advanced C) be completed D）be introduced 12.Some scientists believe that a breakthrough in the use of solar energy depends on_. A) sufficient funding B) advanced technology C) further experiments D) well-equipped laboratories 13.According to Mr.Gretz, the present sum of money will enable the scientists to provide_. A) a little more than 3% of the EECs needs after the year 2000 B) 3% of the EECs needs before the year 2000 C) less than 3% of the EECs needs before the year 2000 D) only 3% of the EECs needs even after the year 2000 14.The total yearly spending of the EEC on solar energy research amounted to _. A) a billion pounds B) almost 3 million dollars C) almost 5 million dollars D) almost 6 million dollars 15.The application of advanced technology to research in solar energy_. A) would lead to a big increase in research funding B) would make it unnecessary to import oil C) would make it possible to meet the future energy needs of the EEC D) would provide a much greater proportion of the Communitys future energy needsQuestions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage: The black robin （知更鸟）is one of the worlds rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about 50 black robins there; in 1977 there were fewer than ten. These are the only black robins left in the world. The island has many other birds, of course, of different kinds, large and small; they seem to multiply very happily. Energetic（有力的，积极的）steps are being taken to preserve the black robin-to guard those remaining and to increase their number. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has been made. The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a reserve, for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organisers say that Little Mangere should then be restocked with the robins food-it eats only one kind of seed-and so renewed for it. Thousands of the required plants are at present being cultivated in New Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience of mankind, so that the wild black robin willl not die out and disappear from the earth in our time at least. In the earths long, long past hundreds of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of success-and died out. In the long, long future there will be many new and different forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themslves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time. Those that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. That is Natures proven method of operation. The rule of selection-the survival of the fittest is the one by which man has himself arrived on the scene. Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. 16.The black robin is dying out mainly because_. A) people have been very careless about its survival B) its only food is becoming exhausted on Little Mangere C) the other birds on the island have destroyed it D) the appeal for money has come at the wrong time 17.The success of other small birds on Little Mangere shows that_. A) the island cannot have very much food left B) something has to die out, they cant all be winners C) the big birds have all been attacking the black robin D) the robin has failed to meet the challenges of life 18.As regards selection and survival, the decisive factor seems to be_. A) the ability to adapt to changed or changing conditions B) the number of wild life reserves that are available C) the concern and generosity（慷慨）of the public D) the size of the home, or the amount of space one has to live in 19.The evidence seems to suggest that_. A) it is a disaster for everyone when one kind of bird dies out B) all creatures are concerned about the survival of others C) Nature expects and accepts the dying out of weaker breeds D) man is to blame when such a thing happens 20.The writers attitude towards the protection of the black robins is _. A) active B) passive C) indifferent D) pessimistic 阅读训练：大学英语四级阅读理解练习二Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:In the warm enclosed water of farm ponds, conditions are very likely to be lethal for fish when insecticides（杀虫剂）are applied in the neighbourhood. As many examples show, the poison is carried in by rains and runoff from surrounding lands. Sometimes the ponds receive not only polluted runoff but also a direct dose as crop-dusting pilots neglect to shut off the duster in passing over a pond. Even without such complication, normal agricultural use subjects fish to far heavier concentrations of chemicals than would be required to kill them. In other words, a marked reduction in the amount used would hardly change the fatal situation, for application of over 0.1 pound per acre to the pond itself are generally considered hazardous. And the poison, once introduced, is hard to get rid of. One pond that had been treated with DDT to remove unwanted shiners（银色小鱼）remained so poisonous through repeated draining and washing that it killed 94% of the sunfish with which it was later stocked. Apparently the chemical remained in the mud of the pond bottom.In some parts of the world the cultivation of fish in ponds provides an indispensable source of food. In such places the use of insecticides without regard for the effects on fish creates immediate problems. In Rhodesia, for example, the young of an import food fish, the Kafue bream（鲷科海鱼）, are killed by exposure to only 0.04 parts per million of DDT in shallow pools. Even smaller die, of many other insecticides would be fatal. The shallow waters in which these fish live are favorable mosquito-breeding places. The problem of controlling mosquitoes and at the same time conserving a fish important in the Central African diet has obviously not been solved satisfactorily.1. The word lethal in the first sentence nearly means _. A) dead B) important C) fatal D) vital2. The authors tone in this passage can be best described as _. A) depressed B) indifferent C) questioning D) objective3._ should be responsible for the presence of insecticides in ponds? A) Rhodesia B) Central Africa C) Conditions of farm ponds D) Human error4. The author states a problem, _ , and relates causes in this passage. A) gives examples B) proposes a solution C) explains his suggestion D) makes speeches5. Which of the following titles best sums up the whole passage? A) The Effect of Insecticides on Fish B) The Water of Farm Ponds C) The Cultivation of Fish as Food D) Saving African Food SuppliesQuestions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:There have been many great inventions, things that changed the way we live in. The first great invention was one that is still very important today一the wheel. This made it easier to carry heavy things and to travel long distances. For hundreds of years after that there were few inventions that had as much effect as the wheel. Then in the early 1800s the world started to change. There was little unknown land left in the world. People did not have to explore much anymore. They began to work instead to make life better. In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made. Among them were the camera, the electric light and the radio. These all became a big part of our life today.The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions. The helicopter in 1909. Movies with sound in 1926. The computer in 1928. And jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new material was first made. Nylon came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wear. The middle part of the 20th century brought new ways to help people get over disease. They worked very well. They made people healthier and let them live longer lives. By the 1960s most people could expect to live to be at least 60. By this time most people had a very good life. Of course new inventions continued to be made. But man now had a desire to explore again. The world was known to man but the stars were not. Man began looking for ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then the United States took a step. Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have made their steps into space. In 1969 man took his biggest step away from earth. Americans first walked on the moon. This is certainly just a beginning though. New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of.6. Camera was invented after _. A) 1850 B) 1950 C) 1800 D) 19007.Why did the wo