历年英语四级阅读全...doc

历年英语四级阅读全解析（2002-2008）2002.1Passage oneQuestions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust. Other authorities, however, think the auto is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future.The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller, safer, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.Regardless of its power source, the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion (拥挤). One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system.When the auto enters the highway system, a retractable (可伸缩的) arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once attached to the rail, the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the cars movements.The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer (蜂鸣器) that will warn him of his coming exit. It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.21.One significant improvement in the future car will probably be _.A) its power sourceB) its driving systemC) its monitoring systemD) its seating capacity（A）22.What is the authors main concern?A) How to render automobiles pollution-free.B) How to make smaller and safer automobiles.C) How to solve the problem of traffic jams.D) How to develop an automated subway system.（C）23.What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?A) A rail.B) An engine.C) A retractable arm.D) A computer controller.（A）24.In an automated highway system, all the driver needs to do is _.A) keep in the right laneB) wait to arrive at his destinationC) keep in constant touch with the computer centerD) inform the system of his destination by phone（D）25.What is the authors attitude toward the future of autos?A) Enthusiastic.B) Pessimistic.C) Optimistic.D) Cautious.（C）这篇材料讲的是未来汽车的问题。第一段先是举出了两种截然相反的观点：“在不久的未来，汽车将会被人类废弃（all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust）”，“在可预见的将来，汽车依然会是城市交通的主要方式（the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future）”。这样本文讨论的侧重点也就呈现出来了这里将要讨论的是汽车的“未来”。下文接续第一段所提的第二个观点，说明未来被人类继续使用的汽车可能会发生的变化。未来的汽车会变得更小，更加安全，也更有经济性，同时不会使用汽油驱动（smaller, safer, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine），污染也会比现在的汽车小得多。以上算是未来汽车相较现在的优点，不过，未来的汽车也依然存在问题，那就是交通拥堵（still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion）。但作者马上提出了解决办法：自动公路系统（automated highway system）。最后的两个大段对这一系统的工作原理进行了解释。汽车进入自动公路系统后，车身上会有一条伸缩臂与铁轨连接，此时汽车的动力便由系统提供电力控制（解决了污染问题），而汽车的操控则转交给中心电脑，由电脑监控汽车所有的运行动作（第四段）。司机所要做的是只是用电话输入指令，告诉系统所要到达的目的地。系统会计算最佳路径，同时保证行进路径的畅通。这时，司机就有时间放松了，因为快要到达目的地的时候系统会自动发出提示（第五段）。这一系统的效率如何呢？它在一个小时内的容量是10000辆汽车，而如今的公路只能容许1500-2000辆汽车通过（will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway）。21. A题目问未来汽车的一项重要发展很可能是A，动力来源。B，驾驶系统。C，监控系统。D，可乘坐人数。第二段对未来汽车的可能发展做了展望：It should become smaller, safer, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present type，这里提到了5种可能的情况，包括大小（smaller），安全性（safer），经济性（more economical），动力来源（not be powered by the gasoline engine），环保（more pollution-free）。四个选项中只有A与其中一种情况一致，本题选A。22. C题目问作者主要关心的问题是什么。A，如何实现汽车无污染。B，如何制造更小更安全的汽车。C，如何解决交通拥堵问题。D，如何发展一套自动地铁系统。上一题考查了第二段，那么这一题应该考查第二段以后的内容了。第三段指出the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion，即未来汽车依然会存在交通拥堵问题。此后的两段全部围绕如何解决交通问题展开，说明了一种新的公路系统如何可以解决这一问题。这样 的话，本题的答案应该是C。A和B在第二段中都提到了，但只是一笔带过，没有继续论述。D有一定迷惑性，要注意D说的是subway系统，而不是文章所着 力说明的highway系统。D这个选项应该是源于第四段which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically这句，但这里仅是把highway系统的一项装置（rail）和subway（地铁）的装置进行对比而已（which指代前面的 rail，is similar to是“与相似”，power做动词讲，指为地铁列车提供电力。全句意思就是“与那些在地铁里为列车提供电力的rail一样”）。23. A题目问在自动公路系统中，是什么为汽车提供电力。A，一根铁轨。B，一台发动机。C，一支可伸缩的机械臂。D，一个电脑控制器。文章讲到自动公路系统的动力问题是在第四段。第四段一共三句话，第一句讲的是汽车进入系统后，会从车身伸出一条可伸缩的机械臂，搭在一根铁轨上。第二句讲 的是与铁轨连接后，汽车就交由公路系统提供电力作为动力。第三句讲的是汽车的控制问题，讲的是汽车的操控完全交予电脑。从这三句话可以看出，机械臂是从汽 车车身伸出的，不会提供电力，仅起到一个连接铁轨的作用。铁轨通过机械臂为汽车提供电力，并开始以电力作为动力，与发动机无关了。电脑只起控制汽车的作 用，与动力无关。这样，本题应该选A。24. D题目问在自动公路系统中，司机所要做的只有什么。A，保持正确的行进路线。B，等待最后到达终点。C，随时与电脑中心保持联系。D，用电话把行车目的地告知系统。文章的最后一段讲到了司机在自动公路系统中应做哪些事情。首先是电话通知系统其行车目的地（The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system），此后电脑会计算最佳行车路线并为该车保留行车路段（The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway）。最后司机所要做的就是等待到达终点了。从这里可以看出，司机需要做的事情是电话通知系统其行车目的地，D的说法与此相符。B的说法在文中虽然也可以找到，但等待本身不能算是实质的事情。如果不输入目的地，而只是等待的话，永远也到不了要去的地方。25. C题目问作者对汽车未来的态度是怎样的。A，热情的。B，悲观的。C，乐观的。D，谨慎的。作者在开头首先介绍了两种关于汽车未来的观点，一是汽车将会被人废弃，二是汽车依然会是城市交通的主要方式。此后，作者的论述一直以第二个观点为前提展开。可见作者首先是看好汽车在未来世界的地位的。作者的观点至少不是悲观的。第二段对未来汽车的变化进行了展望，作者认为汽车会朝向更小、更安全、更环保等方面发展。这一观点应该说是乐观的。第三段指出了未来汽车发展的问题所在，但马上提出了解决方法，最后两段具体描述了这一方法。虽有问题，但可以解决，这里体现的还是乐观的态度。Enthusiastic是热情的、充满激情的意思，所表达的情绪非常热烈，显然并不符合文章的基调。Cautious所体现的态度应该是乐观方面与悲观方面等量齐观，同等重视，与文意同样不符。综上，C最为合适。Passage TwoQuestions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long been accused of killing farm animals. They are officially classified as harmful and farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them.Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of pursuing a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox they kill it or a hunter shoots it.People who take part in hunting think of as a sport; they wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict codes of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox hunting. But over the last couple of decades the number of people opposed to fox hunting, because they think it is brutal (残酷的), has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to pass off without some kind of confrontation (冲突) between hunters and hunt saboteurs (阻拦者). Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly saboteurs interfere with the hunt by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the foxs smell, which the dogs follow.Noisy confrontations between hunters and saboteurs have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as the pursuit of foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox hunting face a much bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party Member of the Parliament, Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.26.Rich people in Britain have been hunting foxes _.A) for recreationB) in the interests of the farmersC) to limit the fox populationD) to show off their wealth（A）27.What is special about fox hunting in Britain?A) It involves the use of a deadly poison.B) It is a costly event which rarely occurs.C) The hunters have set rules to follow.D) The hunters have to go through strict training.（C）28.Fox hunting opponents often interfere in the game _.A) by resorting to violenceB) by confusing the fox huntersC) by taking legal actionD) by demonstrating on the scene（B）29.A new law may be passed by the British Parliament to _.A) prohibit farmers from hunting foxesB) forbid hunting foxes with dogsC) stop hunting wild animals in the countrysideD) prevent large-scale fox hunting（B）30.It can be inferred from the passage that _.A) killing foxes with poison is illegalB) limiting the fox population is unnecessaryC) hunting foxes with dogs is considered cruel and violentD) fox-hunting often leads to confrontation between the poor and the rich（C）这篇材料讲的是猎狐运动的兴衰。前三段可以看做是一个部分，主要论述猎狐运动的源起和特点。后两段的主要内容则是反猎狐运动的兴起。开头从狐狸与农民的关系讲起，讲到狐狸自古就被认为是家畜杀手，从而被正式归为对人类有害的动物，农民们通过射杀和毒杀的方式不遗余力地减少狐狸的数量（farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them）。从这一段可以看到，狐狸因对人类有害而遭到灭杀，这可以说猎狐运动得以兴起的缘由之一。第二段开始介绍猎狐运动的特点，而把这一内容与上文连接起来的就是第二段第一句话。猎狐，也就是一群经过特殊训练的狗在乡村追踪狐狸，骑马的男女跟在狗群的后面。狗群捉住狐狸以后便会把它们咬死，或由猎手用枪击毙（When the dogs eventually catch the fox they kill it or a hunter shoots it）。参与猎狐的人们把猎狐当作是一种运动，他们因此会身穿特殊的制服，红帽白裤，遵循严格的行为规则（follow strict codes of behavior）。而拥有马匹和定期打猎是很烧钱的，所以大多数猎手都是富翁。第四段开始讲反对猎狐运动，讲到反对者的人数在过去二十年内猛增（the number of people opposed to fox hunting has risen sharply），反对的原因就是：残忍（because they think it isbrutal）。反对者与猎手的冲突几乎在每次猎狐运动中都会发生（it is rare for a hunt to pass off without some kind ofconfrontation），那么反对者通常会采取哪些行动呢？少数会升级为暴力事件，但多数情况下，反对者会采取误导骑手和祛除狐狸留下的气味等方式（misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the foxs smell）。这种冲突只不过是对正在进行的猎狐运动的阻挠，运动本身还是可以继续。然而近年来猎狐运动本身开始面临严重的威胁。最后一段讲到，工党某议员正在促使议会两院通过一项新的法律，宣布驱使猎狗猎杀野生动物为非法（trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal）。如果这项法律获得通过，那么像狐狸这样的野生动物在英国就将受到保护（wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain）。26. A题目问英国的富人进行猎狐运动的目的是什么。A，为了消遣。第三段第一句话：People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport，这一句道出了参与猎狐的人对猎狐本身的看法sport，一种运动。运动与竞技体育不同，其本身即是一种娱乐消遣。因此A的说法是对的。B，为了保护农民的利益。看第二段第一句：Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population， 农民为了控制狐狸的数量，会召集当地的猎户去猎杀狐狸。这应该是猎狐运动的缘起，自此后，很多人就模仿猎户的行为，最终使猎狐成为一种运动。可以说，富人 们参与猎狐纯粹是为了消遣，而不是为了农民的利益。二者之间的联系仅仅是：农民为了自己的利益召集猎人猎狐，富人模仿猎狐者，使猎狐本身成为一种富人自己 的消遣运动。C，为了限制狐狸的数量。限制狐狸的数量符合农民的利益，与富人无关。D，为了显示他们的富有。这个选项与But owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy一句有关。此句意思比较易懂：拥有马匹和定期狩猎是相当费钱的，因此大多数猎手都是有钱人。这里仅仅说明参与猎狐的条件之一：有钱；不能从中推导出猎狐是为了炫富。27. C题目问英国猎狐的特别之处是什么。A，会使用一种致命毒药。这一说法在文中确实提到了：farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them，农民们为了减少狐狸的数量会采用射杀或毒杀等等手段。需要注意的是农民的自发行为并不是狩猎运动，而是一种自卫行为，它与为了生计（猎户）和为了消遣（富人）的猎杀行为是不一样的。因此，严格的说，A的说法指的并不是猎狐运动，不符合题意。B，这是一种花销昂贵的运动，较少发生。“花销昂贵”在文中可以找到相应的注脚：owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive；但注意这里的一个单词regularly，“定期的”，既然是定期举行，显然不是rarely了，B错误。C，猎手们制定了需要遵守的规则。这句话也可以在文中找到相应的内容：follow strict codes of behavior；Codes of behavior，是行为规范的意思,也就是C所说的规则。C是对的。D，猎手必须经过严格的训练。这句话来源于follow strict codes of behavior，是在考查对code的理解。Code有密码的意思，另有“法规”之意。可见这里没有“训练”的意思。28. B题目问反对猎狐者经常通过什么方式干预猎狐运动。A，诉诸暴力。B，扰乱猎狐者。C，采取法律行动。D，在猎狐现场示威。文章讲到反对猎狐者干预猎狐运动是在最后两段，而通过什么具体方式干预猎狐则是倒数第二段的内容。这一段大致讲到了三种方式，一是violence，二是misleading riders，三是disturbing the trail of the foxs smell。根据文中交代，violence的发生频率是sometimes（有时），而后二者是mostly（大部分）。题目问的often（经常），那么显然应该指的是后二者。B与第二项意思一致，应该选择B。29. B题目问英国议会可能会通过一项新法律，这项法律A，禁止农民猎狐。B，禁止使用猎犬猎狐。C，禁止在乡村猎杀野生动物。D，防止大规模的猎狐运动。文章提到英国议会可能通过与猎狐有关的法律是在最后一段的后半部分：Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain，从这里可以看出，出台这项法律的目的是要make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal使“驱狗猎杀野生动物”变为非法。这里有两个限定条件，一，猎杀对象是野生动物；二，猎杀方式是驱狗猎杀。四个选项中，A和D没有涉及这两条，可以排除。B涉及狩猎方式和对象，方式是驱狗狩猎，对象是狐狸。狩猎方式与文中的限定条件一致，狐狸属于野生动物，也符合对象条件，因此B是正确的。C则缺少了驱狗狩猎这一狩猎方式，是不对的。30. C题目问从文章中可以推断出什么。A，毒杀狐狸是非法的。文中讲到毒杀只有一处，farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them。这是在讲述猎狐运动的缘起时提到的，文章没有介绍毒杀行为是否违法，也无从推断出这个结论。B，限制狐狸数量是没有必要的。第二段讲到Farmers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population，意思是农民们召集猎手来限制狐狸的数量，其原因是狐狸伤害家畜。从这个意义上说，限制狐狸数量有一定必要性。当然，这个推理也许有些牵强，但按照B的说法，推理出限制狐狸数量没有必要就是完全无中生有了。C，驱狗猎杀狐狸被认为是残忍和暴力的。反对猎狐者认为猎狐是brutal（残忍的），驱狗猎狐属于猎狐的一种，当然也是残忍的，所以这个选项的说法正确。D，猎狐经常会引发穷人与富人之间的冲突。文中倒数第二段提到了confrontation，冲突双方也交代得很清楚：between hunters and huntsaboteurs，猎手与反对猎杀者。根据文意，猎手一般属于富人；但反对猎杀者是否代表穷人呢？答案是不一定。所以D的说法不正确。Passage ThreeQuestions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs, coupled with the aging of the baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the nations elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change poses profound questions for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. “In addition to the doctors, were going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers,” says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern Californias (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学).Lawyers can specialize in “elder law,” which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. “Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money,” one professor says.Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria.” So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she lied it. She says, “I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying.”31.“. Old is suddenly in” (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means “_”.A) America has suddenly become a nation of old peopleB) gerontology has suddenly become popularC) more elderly professors are found on American campusesD) American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students（B）32.With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit _.A) from the adoption of the “elder law”B) from rendering special services to the elderlyC) by enriching their professional knowledgeD) by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests（B）33.Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?A) Retirees are more generous in spending money.B) They can employ more gerontologists.C) The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.D) There are more elderly people working than before.（C）34.Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage?A) Retirees who are business-minded.B) The volunteer workers in retirement homes.C) College graduates with an MBA or law degree.D) Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology.（D）35.It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of Americas elderly population _.A) will provide good job opportunities in many areasB) will impose an unbearable burden on societyC) may lead to nursing home abuse and age discriminationD) will create new fields of study in universities（A）这篇材料讲的是美国大学老年学专业的兴起。第一大段主要论述老龄化现象与老年学专业流行的关系。第二段具体论述老年学专业的学生如何受益于老龄化现象。最后一段是一个具体的例子。第一段开头先是指出与老龄有关的专业受到越来越多学生的青睐，而后言简意赅地给出了原因：人口老龄带来了职业机遇（the graying of America means jobs）。作者从头讲起，称人口老龄化现象不可避免。随着生育高峰一代的老去，在之后的50年间，美国的老年人口将会大幅度增加。到2050年，25%的人口将会超过65岁，而1995年只有14%（25percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995）。人口老龄化在普通人看来一般意味着社会问题，作者也指出了这一点（The change poses profound questions forgovernment and society），但随后就抛出自己的独特观点：老龄化也会给某些领域带来职业机遇。某位老年学教授也称，老年人不仅需要医生，也需要更多的社会学家、生物学家等等等等。比如，律师们可以专攻“老年法律”，其受诉范围从信托、不动产到疗养院虐待、年龄歧视(Lawyers can specialize in “elder law,” whichcovers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and agediscrimination)，可以说十分广阔。商人们则在老年人市场看到了巨大的商业机遇，因为生育高峰一代足有7400万人，而且很有可能是人类历史上最富有的退休老人群体。老龄化给这些领域带来了职业机遇，学生们自然会对老年学趋之若鹜。作者援引老年学教授的话说，一位MBA或者法律专业的毕业生，如果具备了老年学专业知识，那就将获得源源不断的财富。作者在最后一段举了一个学生的例子。Santos曾是生物专业的学生，但与细菌打交道让她感到厌倦（Shebegan college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria）。在听了一堂老年学专业的课以后，她发现那才是她喜欢的。她说，她帮助退休老人做一些志愿工作，并对此感到十分满意。31. B题目问Old is suddenly in是什么意思。A，美国已经突然间变成了一个老年人的国家。B，老年学突然变得流行起来。C，更多的老年教授在美国大学里任教。D，美国大学已经意识到招收年长学生的需要。首先分析一下这个句子，old肯定不是指老年人，否则应该加上the，构成the old；另外要注意到old采用了首字母大写，可见是一个有特指的名词，观察四个选项，“老年学”是一个专有名词，可能性较大。句尾的in肯定不是作介 词，表示“在里面”的意思，否则in后面应该连接宾语。in的另外一个意思是Currently fashionable，“当前流行的”，可能性较大。结合上下文可知，Old is suddenly in的原因是the graying ofAmerica means jobs，美国人的老去意味着工作机会，也就是说，因为美国人的老龄化带来了很多工作机遇，所以Old is suddenly in。把四个选项代入这个因果句，只有B最为合适，同时这个句子也是全文论述的核心。32. B题目问随着美国人的老龄化，律师将会受益于A，老年法的实行。B，向老年人提供特别的法律服务。C，扩大他们的专业知识。D，赢得老年人的信任，去为他们谋取利益。这道题问的完全是有关律师的，这样就可以缩小我们的观察范围。文中讲到律师一共两处，第一处是在第一段末，were going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers，意思是我们需要更多的特别律师。第二处是在第二段初，Lawyers can specialize in “elder law,” which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination，意思是律师可以专攻老年法律，这种法律涵盖从信托、房地产到疗养院虐待、年龄歧视等许多事务。从这两句话可以理出这样一个逻辑顺序：因为老年人的增多，各种与老年人相关的法律事务也相应增多，如果一个律师专攻老年学的话，他就可以向老年人提供范围相当广泛的法律服务。四个选项中，B的意思与此最为接近。A的说法也有一定道理，但是深究起来，一个不能向老年人提供法律服务的律师（意即没有专攻老年学）是无法从中受益的。C和D可以轻易排除。33. C题目问商人为什么能够在逐渐壮大的老年市场上赚钱。A，退休老人在花钱上更为大方。B，他们可以雇佣更多的老年学家。C，老年人具