专四阅读.doc

Practice threePart I Reading comprehension 25min. In this section there are several passages followed by twenty questions or unfinished statements, each with suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the correct answer. Text A Did you know that all human beings have a comfort zone regulating the distance they stand from someone when they talk? This distance varies in interesting ways among people of different cultures. Creeks, other of the Eastern Mediterranean, and many of those from South America normally stand quite close together when they talk, often moving their face even closer as they warm up in a conversation. North America find this awkward and often back away a few inches. Studies have found that they tend to feel most comfortable at about 21 inches apart. In much of Asia and Africa, there is even more space between two speakers in conversation, this greater space subtly lends an air of dignity and respect. This matter of space is nearly always unconscious, but it is interesting to observe.This different applies also to the closeness with which people sit together, the extent which they lean over one another in conversation, how they move as they argue or make an emphatic point. In the United States, for example, people try to keep their bodies apart even in a crowded elevator; in Pairs they take it as it comes!Although North Americans have a relatively widecomfort zone for talking, they communicate a great deal with their hands not only with gesture but also with touch. They put a sympathetic hand on a persons shoulder to demonstrate warmth of feeling or an arm around him in sympathy; they nudge a man in the ribs to emphasize a funny story; they part an arm in reassurance or stroke a childs head in affection, they readily take someones arm to help him across a street or direct him along an unfamiliar route. To many peopleespecially those from Asia or the Moslem countriessuch bodily contact is unwelcome, especially if advertently done with left hand.( The left hand carries no special significance in the U.S. Many Americans are simply left handed and use that hand more. )1. In term of bodily distance, North Americans _.A) are similar to South American B) stand farther apart C) feel ill at ease when too close D) move nearer during conversation2. For Asian, the comfort zone _.A) is deliberately determinedB) measures 21 inchesC) varies according to statusD)implies esteem3. It can be inferred from the passage that in a crowed elevator, a Frenchman _.A) would behave in the same way as an American would B) Would make no particular effort to distance himself C) Would be afraid of bodily contactD) Would do his best to leave4. When Americans tell a joke, they often _.A) part people on the headB) give people a hugC) dig people in the ridsD) touch people on the arm5. The passage mainly concern _.A) distance and bodily contactB) body languageC) cultural differences between the East and the WestD) varieties of distance when people talk with each other Text B Cultural is the sum total of all the traditions, customs, beliefs, and ways of life of given group of human beings. In this sense, every group has a cultural, however savage, undeveloped, or uncivilized it may seem to us. To the professional anthropologist, there is no intinsic superiority of one cultural over another, just as to the professional linguist there is no intrinsic hierarchy among language. People once thought of the language of backward group as savage, undeveloped forms of speech, consisting largely of grunts and groan. While it is possible that language in general began as a series of grunt and groans, it is a fact established by the study of back-ward language that no spoken tongue answers that description today. Most language of uncivilized groups are, b y our most severe standards, extremely complex, dedicate, and ingenious pieces of machinery for the transfer of ideas. They fall behind our Western language not in their sound pattern or grammatical structures which usually are fully adequate for all language needs, but only in their speakers. Even in this department, however, two things are to be noted: 1. All language seem to possess the machinery for vocabulary expansion, either by putting together words already in existence or by borrowing them from other language and adapting then to their own system. 2. The object and activities requiring names and distinctions in backward language, while different from ours, are often surprisingly numerous and complicated. A Western language distinguishes merely between two degree of remoteness ( this and that); some language of the American Indian distinguish between what is close to the speaker, or to the person addressed, or removed from both, or out of sight, or in the past, or in the future. This study of language, in turn, casts a new light upon the claim of the anthropologist that all cultural are to be viewed independenttly and without ideas of rank or hierarchy.6. The definition of cultural is mentioned here to _.A) indicate the theme of the passageB) explain why every group has a cultural of his ownC) introduce the similarity of non-superiority in culture and languageD) start up the speech7. The language of the so-called undeveloped or uncivilized group fall behind the Western language in _.A) their discourse organizationB) their grammatical structureC) their phonetic systemD) the size of their lexicon8. This and that is mentioned in the third paragraph to indicate _.A) that there is no superiority of one language over anotherB) the inadequacy of the Western languageC) the complexity of some American Indian languageD) the backwardness of the Western language9. We can infer from the passage that _.A) all language are fully developedB) the linguists did better jobs than the anthropologistsC) the evidences discovered by linguists reinforced the assumption of the anthropologistsD) the prejudice of the professional linguists prevent them from arriving at the correct conclusionText C One of the major problem of nuclear energy is the inability of scientists to discover a safe way to dispose of the radioactive wastes which occur throughout the nuclear process. Many of these wastes remain dangerously active for tens of thousands of years, while others have a life span closer to a quarter of a million years. Various methods have been used to date, but all have revealed weaknesses, forcing scientists to continue their search. The nuclear process involves several stages, with the danger of radioactivity constantly present. Fuel for nuclear reactors comes from uranium ore, which， when mined，spontaneously produces radioactive substance as by-products. This characteristic of uranium ore went undetected for a long, resulting in the deaths, due to cancer, of hundreds of Uranium miners. The United States attempted to bury of its radioactive waste material in containers made of steel covered in concrete and capable of holding a million gallons. For a long time it was believed that the nuclear waste problem had been solved, until some of these tanks leaked, allowing the radioactive wastes to seep into the environment. Canada presently stores its nuclear waste in underwater tanks, with the long-term effects largely unknown.However, plans are under consideration for above-ground storage of spent fuel from reactors. These plan include the building of three vast concrete containers, which would be two stories them in underground caverns, or placing hot containers in the Antarctic region, where they would melt the ice, thereby sinking down about a mile. This idea has since been abandoned because of the possible adverse effect on the ic sheets.10. It is implied in the passage that the primary difficulty in seeking a safe way to dispose of nuclear wastes is caused by_.A) the nuclear process involving the danger of radioactivity at its every stageB) fuel for nuclear reactors producing dangerous wastesC) the weakness scientists have found in every previous methodsD) the nature of nuclear wastes together with their lengthy life span11. According to the passage, scientists failed to_.A) discover the characteristic of unclear processB) discover the nature of uranium oreC) save the life of uranium minersD) store nuclear wastes in underwater tanks12. The best title for the passage might be_.A) Nuclear Energy and Public SafetyB) Uranium Ore and Its CharacteristicC) Scientific Approach to Dispose of Nuclear WastesD) Nuclear Process and Its WastesText D It is an inescapable fact that to most people there comes a time when failing powers of mind of body make it impossible for them to manage their daily lives without some sort of help, and despite the weakened sense of family solidarity, this help is still forthcoming in many cases from children, other relative, or occasionally friends. When an old person or old couple gives up an independent home and becomes part of another household, it does not mean that all the problem of old age are automatically solved; the problem are different, not so pressing perhaps, and their solution lies more with the younger relative than with the older people themselves.Caring for the age, wherever they may be living, requires skill as well as goodwill. Much advice is now available for those caring for young children and babies, and there are numerous books to help mothers in bringing up their families, but as far as i know little has been written about the day-to-day care of old people. Fortunately the first essentials, sympathy and affection, are very often to be found, and will carry relative, friend and old people a long way, but not the whole way; without these two virtues the work of caring for the old can be burdensome and unrewarding.Probably the first thing for anyone to learn who has old people to care for is the need to allow them the utmost freedom of action, to realize that their personality is still individual and that social significance is essential to happiness. It is all too easy to take the attitude that the old are past doing anything and to encourage resting and doing nothing. This is mistaken kindness, though it may be an easy way of satisfying the conscience compared with the more exacting way of continual encouragement to be active, to go out, to find worthwhile occupation. The latter course, however, is much more likely to promote happiness and to forestall the troubles which may arise later on, from infirmity and apathy. Wherever they live, old men and woman must have at least one room to themselves. They prefer to be partially independent by having a gas or electric fire, with a ring, and access to running water. This means that they can get up and make their tea at whatever time they like and not have to depend on someone else to wait on them. An old person should expect to spend a great deal of time alone and not to be always sitting in the room as the rest of the family.The old person should also have regular household chores in her charge. Many old people feel that they are on sufferance, in the way, in their relatives house, but this is not so when they are able to take over some share of the work or to mind the children when the parents go out.Besides being made to feel of value in the household, old people should be encouraged to take interest in affairs outside. They should go out everyday if it is reasonably fine and if their exercise can becombined with some useful purpose, so much the better: a litter shoping may be done or a book changed at the library.13. People, when too old to manage their daily lives, usually can get help from children and other relative_.A) because of the strong sense of family solidarityB) though the sense of family solidarity has been weakenedC) even if they insist on living independentlyD) so they prefer to live in another household14. The author states that_.A) the work of caring for the old is highly rewarding though very burdensomeB) much more is to be written about the day-to -day care of old peopleC) tactful help is exactly what the old needD) the virtues of sympathy and affection are something but not everything15. Those who care for the old must do all the following EXCEPT_.A) handle them cleverly and sympatheticallyB) allow them considerable independenceC) prevent them spending long time alone in the roomD) find them a regular share of houseworkText EThe noble and more perfect a thing is, the later and shower it is in becoming mature. A man reaches the mature stage of his reasoning powers and mental faculties hardly before the age of twenty-eight; a woman at eighteen. And then, too, in the case of woman, it is only reason of a sortvery mean in its dimensions. That is why women remain children their whole life long; never seeing anything but what is quite close to them, sticking fast to the present moment, taking appearance for readily, and preferring trifles to matters of the first importance. For it is by virtue of his reasoning faculty that man dose not live in the present only, like the brute, but looks about him and the future; and this is the origin of prudence, as well as of that care and anxiety which so many people exhibit. Both the advantage and the disadvantage which this involves, are shared in by the woman to a smaller extent because of her weaker power of reasoning. She may, in fact, be described as intellectually shortsighted, because, while she has an immediate understanding of what lied quite close to her, her field of vision is narrow and dose not reach to what is remote; so that things which are absent, or past, or to come, have much less effect upon women that upon men, this is the reason why women are more inclined to be extravagant and sometimes carry their desire to a length that borders upon madness. In their hearts, women think it is mens business to earn money and theirs to spend it if possible during their husbands life, but, at any rate, after his death. The very fact that their husband hands them over his earning for purposes of housekeeping, strengthens them in this belief.However many disadvantages all this may involves, there is at least this to be said in its favor, that the woman lives more in the present than the man, and that, if the present is at all tolerate, she enjoys it more eagerly. This is the source of that cheerfulness which is peculiar to women, fitting her to amuse man in his hours of recreation, and in case of need, to comfort him when he is borne down by the weight of his cares.16. According to the passage, the major difference between a mans and a womans intellect is that_. A) men mature much later than woman B) women have a broader view of thingsC) women are more cheerful than menD) mans intellect is nobler than that of woman 17. The cause of womens cheerfulness is that_.A) men do not challenge their intellectB) they are not responsible by their very natureC) they live more in the presentD) they reach mature stage too fast18. According to the passage, what is the origin of mans prudence?A) They live more in they past.B) They live more in the present. C) They live more in the future.D) They live at all times.19. According to the passage, this belief of the last sentence in the first paragraph refers to_.A) mans intellect is nobler than that of womanB) men earn money and woman spend itC) womens duty is to comfort their husbandsD) women are inclined to be extravagant20) the authors attitude toward women can best be described as that of_.A) ContemptB) SympathyC) MercyD) WorryPart closeDirection: Decide which of the choice below would best complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blank.Increasingly, over the pat ten years, peopleespecially young people have become aware of the need to change their eating (21)_, because (22)_ of the food they eat, particularly processed foods, is not good (23)_ the health. (24)_, there has been a growing (25)_ in natural foods: foods which do not (26)_ chemical additives and which have not been (27)_ by