大学专四阅读理解练习.doc

Passage 1 Reebok executives do not like to hear their stylish athletic shoes called footwear for yuppies (雅皮士少壮高薪职业人士). They contend that Reebok shoes appeal to diverse market segments, especially now that the company offers basketball and childrens shoes for the under-18 set and walking shoes for older customers not interested in aerobics(健身操)or running. The executives also point out that through recent acquisitions they have added hiking boots, dress and casual shoes, and high-performance athletic footwear to their product lines, all of which should attract new and varied groups of customers. Still, despite its emphasis on new markets, Reebok plans few changes in the up market (高档消费人群的) retailing network that helped push sales to $1 billion annually, ahead of all other sports shoe marketers. Reebok shoes, which are priced from $ 27 to $ 85, will continue to be sold only in better specialty, sporting goods, and department stores, in accordance with the companys view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution. In the past few years, the Massachusetts-based company has imposed limits on the number of its distributors (and the number of shoes supplied to stores), partly out of necessity. At times the unexpected demand for Reeboks exceeded supply, and the company could barely keep up with orders from the dealers it already had. These fulfillment problems seem to be under control now, but the company is still selective about its distributors. At present, Reebok shoes are available in about five thousand retail stores in the United States. Reebok has already anticipated that walking shoes will be the next fitness-related craze, replacing aerobics shoes the same way its brightly colored, soft leather exercise footwear replaced conventional running shoes. Through product diversification and careful market research, Reebok hopes to avoid the distribution problems Nike came across several years ago, when Nike misjudged the strength of the aerobics shoe craze and was forced to unload huge inventories of running shoes through discount stores. Yuky 1.Reeboks view that consumers judge the quality of the brand by the quality of its distribution (Line 5, Par2) implies that _.A. the quality of a brand is measured by the service quality of the store selling itB. the quality of a product determines the quality of its distributorsC. the popularity of a brand is determined by the stores that sell itD. consumers believe that first-rate products are only sold by high-quality stores2.What lesson has Reebok learned from Nikes distribution problems?AA company should not sell its high quality shoes in discount stores.BA company should not limit its distribution network.CA company should do follow-up surveys of its products.DA company should correctly evaluate the impact of a new craze on the market.3.Although the Reebok Company has solved the problem of fulfilling its orders, it _.Adoes not want to further expand its retailing networkBstill limits the number of shoes supplied to storesCis still particular about who sells its productsDStill carefully chooses the manufacturers of its products4.Reebok once had to limit the number of its distributors because _.Aits supply of products fell short of demandBtoo many distributors would cut into its profitsCthe reduction of distributors could increase its share of the marketDit wanted to enhance consumer confidence in its products5.One reason why Reeboks managerial personnel dont like their shoes to be called footwear for yuppies is that _.Athey believe that their shoes are popular with people of different age groupsBnew production lines have been added to produce inexpensive shoesCyuppies usually evokes a negative imageDthe term makes people think of prohibitive pricesPassage 1 DDCAA1. 答案:D句意理解及要点暗示题。题干引号中那部分在第二段，答案当然应在第二段，而该段主要论及高档消费群体的零售网只在精品专卖屋、体育用品专卖店及大百货商场销售。2. 答案:D细节推论题。由Nike(耐克)一词确定答案位置在最后一段，市场预测与决策。Nike公司正是由于当时错误地判断了健身鞋流行的强度而导致了老产品(running shoes)的积压而不得不打折销售，这是市场预测不准确所导致的。3. 答案:C细节理解定位题。题干中的“although”与短文第三段倒数第二句之“but”相呼应，答案则应为该句的复述，故C为正确答案。4. 答案:A要点归纳题。根据题干中“limit the number of distributions”确定答案。第三段论及即使产品供不应求时，也要对批发商有所选择，而过去一段时间对批发商数量的限制主要是“out of necessity”(迫不得已)，因为需求量出乎意料地超过了供应能力。5. 答案:A要点推论题。题干中的“managerial personnel”即为第一段的executives，因此可知本题答案在第一段且为该段之主题：目标市场很大，高层领导们当然不希望自己的产品仅供应一些雅皮士。再由下文“childrens shoes for the under-18 set and walking for older customers”更可知其目标消费是多层次的。容易错选的选项B侧重公司的生产策略，故不妥。Passage 2We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 78 hours sleep alternating with some 1617 hours wakefulness and that, broadly speaking, the sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this cycle can be modified. The question is no mere academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls for round-the-clock working of machines. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a reversed routine of sleep and wakefulness, Sleeping during the day and working at night. Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week: a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a. m. one week, 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. the next, and 4 p. m. to 12 midnight the third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently. The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night-shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1957, She found a high incidence of disturbed sleep and other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work. This latter system then appears to be the best long-term policy, but meanwhile something may be done to relieve the strains of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most quickly to the changes of routine. One way of knowing when a person has adapted is by measuring his body temperature. People engaged in normal day-time work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night; when they change to night work the pattern will only adjust gradually back to match the new routine and the speed with which it does so parallels, broadly speaking, the adaptation of the body as a whole, particularly in terms of performance. Therefore, by taking body temperature at intervals of two hours throughout the period of wakefulness it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far, however, such a form of selection does not seem to have been applied in practice. Yuky 1.Why is the question of how easily people can get used to working at night no mere academic one?ABecause few people like to reverse the cycle of sleep and wakefulness.BBecause sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness.CBecause people are required to work at night in some fields of industry.DBecause shift work in industry requires people to change their sleeping habits.2.The main problem of the round-the-clock working system lies inAthe inconveniences brought about to the workers by the introduction of automation.Bthe disturbance of the dally cycle of workers who have to change shifts too frequently.Cthe fact that people working at night are often less effective.Dthe fact that it is difficult to find a number of good night workers.3.It is possible to find out if a person has adapted to the changes of routine by measuring his body temperature becauseAbody temperature changes when the cycle of sleep and wakefulness alternates.Bbody temperature changes when he changes to night shift or back.Cthe temperature reverses when the routine is changed.Dpeople have higher temperatures when they are working efficiently.4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?ABody temperature may serve as an indication of a workers performance.BThe selection of a number of permanent night shift workers has proved to be the best solution to problems of the round-the-clock working system.CTaking body temperature at regular intervals can show how a person adapts to the changes of routine.DDisturbed sleep occurs less frequently among those on permanent night or day shifts.5.It is implied in the last paragraph that a low body temperature indicates that a personAhas just been awake from sleep.Bcan not work night shifts.Cshould go to sleep at once.Dis less productive.Passage 2 CBABD1. 答案:C设题处 举例处设题解析 文章第二段第一、二句提到，在某些自动化要求机器全天运转的企业中，人们要实行轮班，他们从白天工作转入夜晚工作的难易程度越来越成为人们关注的问题，由此可知答案为C。A和D在文中并未提到，而B虽然提到了，但并不能作为为何“人们要适应晚上工作的难易程度不仅仅是学术问题”的原因。2. 答案:B设题处 事实处设题解析 定位于文章第二段最后一句“经常调整轮班方式意味着，一个人刚刚适应一种上班时间，却又不得不改换另一种，以至于他既无法有效地工作，也无法有效地睡觉”，由此可知答案为B。3. 答案:A设题处 因果处设题解析 末段第三句提到，在白天正常工作的人醒着时体温高，夜间体温低。当他们改成夜班制时，体温模式只会逐渐调整以便适应新的工作方式；一般来讲，调整的速度与整个身体在工作表现方面调整同步，由此可知答案为A，而排除B和C(是因为当工作时间改变时，体温只会慢慢调整，以适应新的工作方式，而不能随意调来调去)。虽然文中提到了工作时体温高，但并没有说高效率工作时体温更高，因此排除D。4. 答案:B设题处 事实处设题解析 根据末段第三句和倒数第二句可排除A；而由末段倒数第二句可知C错误；此外，根据第三段第三句可排除D。第三段首句和末段首句中都出现了appears to be(看起来，似乎)，由此可知文中提到挑选很多长期上夜班的工人是最好的解决方法时，并不是完全肯定的，故有答案为B。5. 答案:D设题处 事实处设题解析 最后一段第三句已提到，在白天正常工作的人醒着时体温高，夜间体温低。其隐含义就是：人体温低时工作效率是很低的，由此可知答案为D。Passage 3In Japan, where career opportunities for women are few, where divorce can mean a life of hardship, and where most female names are still formed using a word for child, a womans independence has always come at a steep price. Notions of womens liberation have never taken root among Japanese women. But with scant open conflict, the push for separate burials is quietly becoming one of the countrys fastest growing social trends. In a recent survey by the TBS television network, 20 percent of the women who responded said they hoped to be buried separately from their husbands. The funerary revolt comes as women here annoy at Japans slow pace in providing greater equality between the sexes. The law, for example, still makes it almost impossible for a woman to use her maiden name after marriage. Divorce rates are low by Western standards, meanwhile, because achieving financial independence, or even obtaining a credit card in ones own name, are insurmountable hurdles for many divorced women. Until recently, society enforced restrictions on women even in death. Under Japans complex burial customs, divorced or unmarried women were traditionally unwelcome in most graveyards, where plots are still passed down through the husbands family and descendants must provide maintenance for burial sites or lose them. The woman who wanted to be buried alone couldnt find a graveyard until about 10 years ago, said Haruyo Inoue, a sociologist of death and burial at Japan University. She said that graveyards that did not require descendants, in order to accommodate women, began appearing around 1990. Today, she said, that there are close to 400 of these cemeteries in Japan. That is just one sign of stirring among Japanese women, who are also pressing for the first time to change the law to be able to use their maiden names after marriage. Although credit goes beyond any individual, many women cite Junko Mastubara, a popular writer on womens issues, with igniting the trend to separate sex burials. Starting three years ago, Ms. Matsubara has built an association of nearly 600 women-some divorced, some unhappily married, and some determinedly single who plan to share a common plot curbed out of an ordinary cemetery in the western suburb of Chofu. Yuky1.According to the passage, the sex inequalities that Japanese women endure include EXCEPT _.Athey are forbidden to divorceBthey are restricted from being buried separately from their husbandsCthe law makes it almost impossible for a woman to use her maiden name after marriageDthey hesitate to take part in womens liberation movements2.In this article, the author is mainly concerned with _.A Japanese womens endeavors to win sex equalityB social and governmental obligation in eliminating sex inequalityChow Japanese laws prevent Japanese women from being buried aloneD how to change Japans complex burial customs3.From the fact that divorce can mean a life of hardship for Japanese women, we can infer that _.Amany Japanese women have a bad relationship with their husbandsBmany Japanese women live together with their husband in perfect harmonyCmany Japanese women have a low social statusDits an out-dated custom for Japanese women to be housewives4.According to the passage, which of the following statements about the funeral revolt in Japan is NOT true?AIt comes as the result of Japanese womens dissatisfaction with Japans slow pace in providing greater sex equality.BMore and more Japanese women choose the form of divorce to win the victory of funeral revolt.CJapans complex burial customs make it more difficult for Japanese women to be buried separately.DMore and more Japanese women prefer to be buried separately from their husbands.5.The meaning of the word ignite in the last paragraph is _ .Ato cause to dieBto arouse the passion ofCto make angryDto make gloomPassage 3 AACBB1.A细节理解题。文章开头讲到接受电视台调查的妇女中有20%表示希望能与丈夫分开埋葬(20 percent of the women who responded said they hoped to be buried separately from their husbands)，还提到日本的墓地是由丈夫的家族传下来的，子孙们必须维护好葬址，否则就会丧失墓地(where plots are still passed down through the husbands family and descendants must provide maintenance for burial sites or lose them)，所以B正确；C法律禁止妇女婚后使用娘家姓是文章原句(The law，for example，still makes it almost impossible for a woman to use her maiden name after marriage)；文章一开头就提到，妇女解放的观念从未在日本妇女中扎根(Notions of womens liberation have never taken root among Japanese women)，所以D正确，只有A不符合文意。2. A主旨概括题。作者在这篇文章里主要讨论的是日本妇女通过以争取死后单独埋葬为重点，为争取自己的性别平等地位所做的努力，并没有提及日本社会和政府对于消灭性别不平等的义务。3. C推理题。从离婚对妇女来说意味着艰辛的生活这一事实，可以推理出什么?联系这句话的上下文：在日本，妇女的就业机会极少，离婚对妇女来说意味着艰辛的生活，大多数妇女的名字是用孩子的一个字来取的，妇女的独立总是以极高的代价获得的。因此可以推测出这一事实说明的是日本妇女的社会地位很低。4. B推理判断题。文章提到了葬礼反抗的开始是由于妇女们对日本在提供更多的性别平等方面的缓慢步伐感到不满(The funerary revolt comes as women here annoy at Japans slow pace in providing greater equality between the sexes)；并说到在日本复杂的葬礼习俗下，离婚的或是未结婚的妇女传统上在大多数墓地是不受欢迎的(Under Japans complex burial customs，divorced or unmarried women were traditionally unwelcome in most graveyards)；还说到单独埋葬已经悄然成为日本发展最快的社会时尚 (the push for separate burials is quietly becoming one of the countrys fastest growing social trends)，但文章没有提到妇女们把离婚作为争取胜利的手段。5. B词汇猜测题。问“ignite”在文章中的意思。文章说：很多妇女举Junko Mastubara这位妇女问题的著名作家为例，她“ignite”按性别单独埋葬的趋势。接着又讲到她于三年前建立了一个有大约600名妇女组成的社团，计划在Chofu西郊的一块普通墓地旁共同争取一块墓地，所以“ignite”是“点燃，激起”的意思。Passage 4 Often called the intellectual leader of the animal-rights movement, Regan is the foremost philosopher in this country in the field of the moral status of non-rational animals, says Bob Bryan, former chairman of the N.C. State Philosophy and Religion Department. Regan has lectured from Stockholm to Melbourne about the importance of recognizing animals as part of the evolving field of ethics. His books, The Case for Animal Rights and In Defense of Animal Rights, are widely acknowledged as having cemented the roots of the modem animal-rights movement in academia. To be sure, vegetarianism dates back to Plato and Plutarch. And in America, the first cruelty busts happened in the late 19th century in New York. But society viewed animals largely as properties, until Regan and a handful of other philosophers pushed animal-rights issues into the academic mainstream. Indeed, this academic focus has dramatically altered how Americans approach the ethics of husbandry, some observers say. Once-radical ideas have been firmly woven into society. Regan envisions a type of bill of rights for animals, including the abandonment of pet ownership, elimination of a meat-based diet, and new standards for biomedical research on animals. Essentially, he wants to establish a new kind of solidarity with animals, and stop animal husbandry altogether. In addition to the visible achievements and changes, theres been what I might call an invisible revolution taking place, and that revolution is the seriousness with which the issue of animal rights is taken in the academy and in higher education, Regan says. But with Regan planning to retire in December, a growing number of farmers, doctors, and others are questioning the sustainability of his ideas. Increasingly, Americans who feel their rights have become secondary to animals rights are speaking out against a wave of arson attacks on farmers and pies thrown in the faces of researchers. Radical groups, with sometimes-violent tactics, have been accused of scaring farmers away from speaking up for traditional agrarian values. Indeed, tensions are only rising between animal-righ