英语四级考题之选词填空练习.doc

Passage OneStatuses are marvelous human inventions that _us to get along with one another and to _ where we “fit” in society. As we go about our everyday lives, we mentally _ to place people in terms of their statuses. For example, we must judge whether the person in the library is a reader or a librarian, whether the telephone caller is a friend or a salesman, whether the _person on our property is thief or a meter reader, and so on. The statuses we assume often vary with the people we _, and change throughout life. Most of us can, at very high speed, assume the statuses that _situations require. Much of social _consists of identifying and selecting among appropriate _and allowing other people to assume their statuses in relation to us. This means that we fit our actions to those of other people based on a constant mental process of appraisal and interpretation. Although some of us find the task more difficult than others, most of us perform it rather_. A status has been compared to ready-made clothes. Within certain _, the buyer can choose _ and fabric. But an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince. We must choose from among the clothing presented by our society. Furthermore, our choice is limited to a size that will fit, as well as by our pocketbook. Having made a choice within these limits we can have certain _made, but apart from minor adjustments, we tend to be limited to what the stores have on their racks. Statuses too come ready made, and the _ of choice among them is limited. A limits B alterations C attempt D style E unfamiliar F range G encounter H effortlessly I various J enable K interaction L determine M statuses Passage Two Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always _such people, but I also explain that theres big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these_are dreaming of wealth and_, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. “Youve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.” The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying_. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never_. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no _ at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didnt even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual type writer and felt like a_ writer. After a year or so, however, I still hadnt gotten a _ and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasnt going to be one of those people who die_ , What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test-even though it meant living with _ and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. A genuine B individuals C break D fame E rewarded F encourage G prospects H affair I uncertainty J wonderingPassage ThreeIt is everyone agrees, a huge task that the child performs when he learns to speak, and the fact that he does so in so short a period of time _ explanation. Language learning begins with listening. Individual children_ greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken _ some time before they can speak, though the word obey is hardly _as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by _ and by making questioning noises. Any attempt to trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to _ difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative of delight, _ sociability, and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the babys _to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyments, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their repertoire（能发出的全部声音）. This self-imitation leads on to deliberate _ of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. A gesture B instructions C vary D considerable E distress F imitation G challenges H accurate I intentionPassage FourThe fridge is considered a_. It has been so since the 1960s when packaged food first appeared with the label:” store in the refrigerator.”In my fridgeless Fifties childhood, I was fed well and healthy. The milkman came daily, the grocer, the butcher, the baker, and the ice-cream man _ two or three times a week. The Sunday meat would last until Wednesday and surplus bread and milk became all kinds of cakes. Nothing was wasted, and we were never troubled by rotten food. Thirty years on, food deliveries have_, fresh vegetables are almost _ in the country.The invention of the fridge_ comparatively little to the art of food_. A vast way of well-tried techniques already existed-natural cooling, drying, smoking, salting, sugaring, bottlingWhat refrigeration did _ was marketingmarketing hardware and electricity, marketing soft drinks, marketing dead bodies of animals around the globe in search of a good price._ , most of the worlds fridges are to be found, not in the tropics where they might prove useful, but in the wealthy countries with mild temperatures where they are climatically almost unnecessary. Every winter, millions of fridges hum away_, and at vast_, busily maintaining an artificially-cooled space inside an artificially-heated house, while outside, nature the desired temperature free of charge.The fridges effect upon the environment has been_ , while its contribution to human happiness has been_. If you dont believe me, try it yourself, invest in a food cabinet and turn off your fridge next winter. You may miss the hamburgers, but at least youll get rid of that terrible hum. A delivered B evident C ceased D insignificant E contributed F preservationG necessity H expense I continuously J provides K unobtainable L promote M consequentlyPassage FiveAfter the_ earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll could have been much worse.More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By_, as earthquake of similar_ that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.Injuries and deaths were _less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the citys highways. In addition, changes made to the _codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the citys buildings and highways, making them more_ to quakes._ the good new, civil engineers arent resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater _ to cities where earthquakes often take place.In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet _materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the _of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures _ like living organisms to an earthquakes vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to_ in the opposite direction.The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.A despite B comparison C impact D security E resistant F construction G flexible H violent I relatively J shift K respond L intensityPassage SixThe human brain _10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousand connections. Such _ numbers used to discourage us and cause us to _the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability, but now that we have grown used to moving forward at such a pace we can be less sure. Quite soon, in only 10 or 20 years perhaps, we will be able to _a machine as _ as the human brain, and if we can we will. It may then take us a long time to render it intelligent by loading in the right software or by altering the architecture but that too will happen.I think it certain that in_ , not centuries, machines of silicon will arise first to _and then _their human ancestors. Once they exceed us they will be_ of their own design. In a real sense they will be able to reproduce themselves. Silicon will have ended carbons long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest_ in the known universe.As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost _through economies of scale we may use them to expand our_, first on earth through their ability to _environments, harmful to ourselves. Thus, deserts may bloom and the ocean beds be mined. Further ahead, by a _ of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, the construction of a vast, man-created world in space, home to thousands or millions of people, will be within our power.A enormous B capable C decades D declines E rival F withstand G dismiss H frontiers I intelligence J complex K exceed L combination M contains N assemble Passage SevenIn bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the childs acquisition（学会）of each new skill-the first spoken words, the first _steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often _to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child: This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural _ for life and his _ to find out new things for himself.Patents vary greatly in their degree of _ towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are _ over time of coming home at night or _for meals. In general, the controls _ represent the needs of the parents and the _of the community as much as the childs own happiness.As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, _is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than_”. If they are not _ and do not practise what they preach（说教）, their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some _ fooled.A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents _and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.A tempting B values C severe D sincere Eextent F enthusiasm G principles H consistency I independent J punctuality K imposed L desire M strictness N precept Passage EightPsychologists take _ views of how external rewards, from warm praise to cold cash, affect _and creativity. Behaviorists, who study the relation between actions and their_, argue that rewards can improve performance at work and school. Cognitive researchers, who study various aspects of mental life, _that rewards often destroy creativity by encouraging dependence on _ and gifts from others.The latter view has gained many supporters, especially among educators. But the careful use of small monetary（金钱的）rewards _ creativity in grade-school children, suggesting that properly presented inducements（刺激）indeed _ inventiveness, according to a study in the June Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.“If kids know theyre working for a reward and can focus on a relatively _task, they show the most creativity,” says Robert Eisenberger of the University of Delaware in Newark. “But its easy to kill creativity by giving rewards for poor performance or creating too much _ for rewards.”A teacher who _ draws attention to rewards or who hands out high grades for ordinary achievement ends up with uninspired students, Eisenberger holds. As an example of the latter point, he notes growing efforts at major universities to tighten grading standards and _ failing grades. In earlier grades, the use of so-called token economies, in which students handle challenging problems and receive performance-based points toward valued rewards, shows promise in raising effort and creativity, the Delaware psychologist claims.A maintain B Opposing C motivation D restore E approval F sparks G consequences H challenging I Continually J anticipation K aidPassage NineThe typical pre-industrial family not only had a good many children, but numerous other dependents as well-grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. Such extended families were suited for survival in slow paced _1_ societies. But such families are hard to _2_. They are immobile industrialism demanded masses of workers ready and able to move off the land in pursuit of jobs, and to move again whenever necessary. Thus the extended family _3_ shed its excess weight and the so-called nuclear family emerged-a stripped-down, portable family unit _4_ only of parents and a small set of children. This new style family, far more _5_ than the traditional extended family, became the standard model in all the industrial counties. Super-industrialism, however, the next stage of eco-technological development, _6_ even higher mobility. Thus we may expect many among the people of the future to carry the streamlining process, a step further by remaining children, cutting the family down to its more _7_ components, a man and a woman. Two people, perhaps with matched careers, will prove more efficient at navigating through education and social status, through job changes and geographic relocations, than the ordinarily child-cluttered family. A _8_ may be the postponement of children, rather than childlessness. Men and women today are often torn in _9_ between a commitment to career and a commitment to children. In the future, many _10_ will sidestep this problem by deferring the entire task of raising children until after retirement. A)transplant B)solution C)gradually D)transport E)elemental F)conflict G)continually H)mobile I)couples J)agricultural K)including L)compromiseM)requires N)primary O)consistingPassage TenVideoconferencing is nothing more than a television set or PC monitor with a camera Through the videoconferencing, not only your voice but also your face, the surroundings and any other graphic and physical _1_ can be captured and transmitted through the communication system with or without wires. Of course, when you go into the details, the technology involved is very _2_ and the subject matter littered with jargon. Such as ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) or the _3_ behind bandwidth, latency and isochrony which are used to explain how videoconferencing works.Good people communication is _4_ in any business, and the more interaction you can achieve, the more likely it is that your _5_ will be the right ones. Videoconferencing not only allows you to speak to people in different locations, but also note _6_ expressions and gestures that let you know what the other person is really thinking. Meetings are made more _7_ by sharing documents and computer applications that a simple telephone cannot _8_._9_, organizations are discovering the competitive advantages and the power of videoconferencing. With advances in performance, economical pricing, the ability to _10_ essential meeting tools and connectivity to global telephone networks and standardized videoconferencing protocols, videoconferencing is now a practical reality for any organization. A) fortunately B) effective C) images D) articulate E) facial F) manage G) decisions H) connect I) advanced J) integrate K) progressive L) conceptsM）pictures N) increasingly O) importantPassage Eleven Nowadays, is it possible to tell a persons class just by looking at him? Physical details _1_ tell us about health, diet and type of work done. A hundred years ago the working class very often looked unhealthy, small and were either too thin or too fat. The upper classes were often _2_, sporting types who were used to a good diet and looked healthy. Today living and working conditions have improved, and such _3_ would no lon