英语四级阅读练习.doc

Reading Comprehension.Directions: In this part, you will read four passages. Each passage is followed by some questions or incomplete statements. For each of them there are four choices marked by a), b), c) and d). You should decide on the best choice.Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage: It is only seventy years since British women got the right to vote. Some people think this is the main reason women are so under-represented in politics, trade unions and big businesses. Other feel it is simply that they are much too busy doing other things, The old saying “a womans place is in the home” may seem out of date to most people, but the old, fixed image of a woman as a supporting wife and caring mother is certainly still usualone only has to watch a few television ads.In 1975 the law did not allow women to be paid less than men doing the same work. Certainly it is usually the case nowadays that women doing the same jobs as men get the same money for doing it; but generally women do not do the same jobs: they do different ones that offer lower salaries. The areas women work in are almost all those of “service: teaching, nursing, catering, and cleaning, jobs that can be seen as an extension(延伸) of the mothering role.Apart from looking after people during the day at work, women often have to take care of a family at home too, which may mean they have less energy to compete in the race for professional development. In almost every field, top positions are more likely to be filed by men. While most teachers are women, for example, most headmasters are not. School cooks are women, head cooks are men and even cleaners tend to be watched over and directed by male caretakers（看管人）。1. Which of the following is true according to the passage? a) Many womens places are still in the home. b) Womens places are no longer in the home. c) Many womens jobs have something to do with TV. d) Womens jobs are less important than before.2. Now women are . a) doing the same jobs as men. b) in need of more new services. c) not doing the same jobs as men. d) paid more attention to than before.3. In Para. 2, Line 5, the word “catering” may mean . a) preparing meals b) writing articles c) running a school d) watching TV programs4. From the passage, we can see that . a) its better for a woman to stay at home b) women need much more education to deal successfully with professional tasks c) there is still a long way for women to go to get equal opportunities d) women should be at the top positions in their working places.5. The writer tells us that . a) women are kept busy all day long b) women usually learn things faster than men c) some women teachers cook better than men d) some women have to do cleaning at nightQuestions 6 to10 are based on the following passage: In most European countries, unemployment (失业) was low for many years after the Second War, and the bitter memories of parents and grandparents who had been out of work for long periods in the 1930s gradually disappeared from peoples minds. But in recent years it has once again become a serious problem.Newspapers usually take the number of people “unemployed” as a percentage of the registered working population. On the basis of these figures alone, they make comparisons with past experience and also between different countries. Such simplified calculations do not take into account technological developments that have made a large number of unskilled jobs unnecessary.When we compare our unemployment figures with those of the 1930s, we must remember that far more women work nowadays, and therefore register as unemployed if they lose their jobs, so governments have a greater task and responsibility.Comparisons between countries are also unreliable because of the percentage of people who are not registered . For example, in West Germany, most young people stay at school until they are18.But, after all, the question a government must always face is: “Many people in this country at this point in time want to work but cannot find jobs”.6. According to the passage, the figures of unemployment given in newspapers are . a) false b) miscalculated c) unfair d) precise7. It is obvious that in the past, many women . a) did not try to find a job b) did only unskilled jobs c) were less paid d) were not likely to lose their job8. The unemployment figure of West Germany is . a) higher than that of many other countries b) lower than that of many other countries c) about average among European countries d) more accurate than that of the other countries9. In the writers opinion, the problem of unemployment a) nothing can be done to solve b) the development of science and technology can solve c) the liberation of women is the center of d) more efforts should be made to solve10. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE ? a) The unemployment rate in most European countries in recent years is high. b) Unemployment did not represent a serious problem in Europe in the 1950s. c) The standard of being registered as “unemployed” is not the same in different countries. d) The unemployment rate is the percentage of a certain countrys population that does not have a job.Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage: I was 10 years old that Saturday in 1963. There was a knock at the door, and after I opened it I was surprised to see a group of five strange men standing there. I quickly shut the door and ran to get father. I had been told many times before not to answer the door unless one of my parents had told me to, and now I understood why: These five men were without a doubt the first fifth of that famous “25 robbers at my door” from the old hide-and-seek rhyme(童谣), and I had almost let them in ! In a semi-panic I said something to my father about a gang (一帮歹徒等) of burglars at the door, and he said ,”Good. They are right on time.” Much to my shock, Dad not only let them in but also shook all of their hands. The men all worked at Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint, Mich, with my father, and they sat where he told them to at our dining room table. Dad then passed out pencils and scrap paper and, from a box he had bought home earlier that day, handed each of them a sheet of paper with a series of math questions on it. “Well start with,” Dad said. The men came for three hours every Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Friday for the next two months. Dad explained that they had taken a test at the factory to be promoted to skilled trades and none had passed the math portion. This test was said to be the reason why there was a very small percentage of African-Americans in any skilled trade at Fisher Body. Dad said he knew they could do the job if they were given a chance. I understood what my father was doing, but it wasnt until many years later that I appreciated it.I remember the absolute joy on my fathers face when he came home and told my mother, “They all passed! They even want John to take the test again. They think he cheated somehow. He scored perfect on the math!”11. The 10-year-old boy shut the door in front of the strangers because . a) his mother told him to do so b) he recognized them as robbers c) he was playing a trick on them d) he thought they must be burglars12. The five strange men turned out be . a) the first fifth of a famous gang b) his fathers students at college c) his fathers fellow workers at the factory d) some immigrants from Africa13. Which of the following statements is true ? a) The boys father helped the five men to prepare for a test . b) The boys father was taking the test together with five men. c) The five men were given a chance to go to college. d) The author did not know what his father was doing until many years later.14. Why did the five men take the math lessons? a) Because they needed to pass a math test to get a job at the factory. b) Because math was part of a test that workers took to get promoted. c) Because their present job involved knowledge of math. d) Because they were required by the factory to take the lessons.15. We may infer from the story that . a) the boys father passed the test too b) the boys father helped John to cheat in the test c) John got all the correct answers in the math test d) John must have cheated in the testQuestions 16 to20 are based on the following passage:A tunnel is being built through a mountain. If it is dug through weak, soft rock, the tunnel may fall in. If the diggers strike water, the tunnel will be flooded . If the rock is too hard, man will not be able to dig through it. Before a tunnel can be built, men must know what they will find. They call in a geologist. He helps plan a tunnel so it can go through rock that is dry and hard, but not too hard.A steel and concrete skyscraper is going up. A skyscraper cannot be built over sand or mud. Sand and mud cannot hold up a building. Before a skyscraper can be built, men must know what lies under the surface of the earth. They call in a geologist.Geologists find the best places to build dams and bridges. They look for the best places to dig wells for water. Geologists help us make wise use of the land. 16. Geologists find the best place to build . a) weak, soft rock b) sand and mud c) land d) dams and bridges17. The story implies that . a) tunnels should not go through mountains b) men can only guess where to build dams and bri