2016年专四英语阅读练习

（一）Peoplehavebeenpaintingpicturesforatleast30,000years.Theearliestpictureswerepaintedbypeoplewhohuntedanimals.Theyusedtopaintpicturesoftheanimalstheywantedtocatchandkill.PicturesofthiskindhavebeenfoundonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpain.Nooneknowswhytheywerepaintedthere.Perhapsthepaintersthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemtocatchtheseanimals.Orperhapshumanbeingshavealwayswantedtotellstoriesinpictures.About5,000yearsago,theEgyptiansandotherpeopleintheNearEastbegantousepicturesaskindofwriting.Theydrewsimplepicturesorsignstorepresentthingsandideas,andalsotorepresentthesoundsoftheirlanguage.Thesignsthesepeopleusedbecameakindofalphabet.TheEgyptiansusedtorecordinformationandtotellstoriesbyputtingpicturewritingandpicturestogether.Whenanimportantpersondied,scenesandstoriesfromhislifewerepaintedandcarvedonthewallsoftheplacewherehewasburied.Someofthesepicturesarelikemoderncomicstripstories.IthasbeensaidthatEgyptisthehomeofthecomicstrip.But,fortheEgyptians,picturesstillhadmagicpower.Sotheydidnottrytomaketheirwayofwritingsimple.Theordinarypeoplecouldnotunderstandit.Bytheyear1,000BC,peoplewholivedintheareaaroundtheMediterraneanSeahaddevelopedasimplersystemofwriting.Thesignstheyusedwereveryeasytowrite,andtherewerefewerofthemthanintheEgyptiansystem.Thiswasbecauseeachsign,orletter,representedonlyonesoundintheirlanguage.TheGreeksdevelopedthissystemandformedthelettersoftheGreekalphabet.TheRomanscopiedtheidea,andtheRomanalphabetisnowusedallovertheworld.Thesedays,wecanwritedownastory,orrecordinformation,withoutusingpictures.Butwestillneedpicturesofallkinds:drawing,photographs,signsanddiagrams.Wefindthemeverywhere:inbooksandnewspapers,inthestreet,andonthewallsoftheplaceswhereweliveandwork.Pictureshelpustounderstandandrememberthingsmoreeasily,andtheycanmakeastorymuchmoreinteresting.?1.PicturesofanimalswerepaintedonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpainbecause?_ _?.?A.thehunterswantedtoseethepictures?B.thepainterswereanimallovers?C.thepainterswantedtoshowimagination?D.thepictureswerethoughttobehelpful?2.TheGreekalphabetwassimplerthantheEgyptiansystemforallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPTthat?_.A.theformerwaseasytowrite?B.therewerefewersignsintheformer?C.theformerwaseasytopronounce?D.eachsignstoodforonlyonesound?3.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE?A.TheEgyptiansignslaterbecameaparticularalphabet.?B.TheEgyptianslikedtowritecomic?stripstories.?C.TheRomanalphabetwasdevelopedfromtheEgyptianone.?D.TheGreekscopiedtheirwritingsystemfromtheEgyptians.?4.Inthelastparagraph,theauthorthinksthatpictures?_?.?A.shouldbemadecomprehensible?B.shouldbemadeinteresting?C.areofmuchuseinourlife?D.havedisappearedfromourlife参考答案：1.D) 根据文章第一段第五行“Perhapsthepaintersthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemtocatchtheseanimals.”可知古代人以为在墙上画画会对他们有所帮助，故选项D为正确答案。?2.C) 在做此类题时要注意题干的要求。通过阅读文章第四段很清楚就知道选项C“前者容易发音”在文中没有提及，故为正确答案。?3.A) 可用排除法来做本题。通过阅读文章很清楚选项B和D为错误陈述。选项C“罗马字母是从埃及字母发展而来的”根据文章第四段第四，五句可知为错误论述，因此只有选项A为正确答案。4.C) 文章最后一段讲述了图画在今天的用途，故选项C为正确答案。 （二）Asthemerchantclassexpandedintheeighteenth?centuryNorthAmericanColonies,thesilversmithandthecoppersmithbusinessesrosetoserveit.OnlyafewsilversmithswereavailableinNewYorkorBostoninthelateseventeenthcentury,butintheeighteenthcenturytheycouldbefoundinallmajorcolonialcities.Noothercolonialartisansrivaledthesilversmithsprestige.Theyhandledthemostexpensivematerialsandpossesseddirectconnectionstoprosperouscolonialmerchants.Theirproducts,primarilysilverplatesandbowls,reflectedtheirexaltedstatusandtestifiedtotheircustomersprominence.Silverstoodasoneofthesurestwaystostorewealthatatimebeforeneighborhoodbanksexisted.Unlikethesilvercoinsfromwhichtheyweremade,silverarticleswerereadilyidentifiable.Oftenformedtoindividualspecifications,theyalwayscarriedthesilversmithsdistinctivemarkingsandconsequentlycouldbetracedandretrieved.Customersgenerallysecurethesilverforthesilverobjecttheyordered.Theysavedcoins,tookthemtosmiths,anddiscussedthetypeofpiecestheydesired.Silversmithscompliedwiththeserequestsbymeltingthemoneyinasmallfurnace,addingabitofcoppertoformastrongeralloy,andcastingthealloyinrectangularblocks.Theyhammeredtheseingotstotheappropriatethicknessbyhand,shapedthemandpresseddesignsintothemforadornment.Engravingwasalsodonebyhand.Inadditiontoplatesandbowls,somecustomerssoughtmoreintricateproducts,suchassilverteapots.Theseweremadebyshapingorcastingpartsseparatelyandthensolderingthemtogether.Colonialcoppersmithingalsocomeofageintheearlyeighteenthcenturyandprosperedinnortherncities.Coppersabilitytoconductheatefficientlyandtoresistcorrosioncontributedtoitsattractiveness.ButbecauseitwasexpensiveincolonialAmerica,coppersmithswereneververynumerous.VirtuallyallcopperworkedbySmithswasimportedassheetsorobtainedbyrecyclingoldcoppergoods.Copperwasusedforpracticalitems,butitwasnotadmiredforitsbeauty.Coppersmithsemployedittofashionpotsandkettlesforthehome.Theyshapeditinmuchthesamemannerassilverormelteditinafoundrywithleadortin.Theyalsomixeditwithzinctomakebrassformaritimeandscientificinstruments.?1.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingeighteenthcenturydevelopmentshadstrongimpactonsilversmiths? ?A.Adecreaseinthecostofsilver. ?B.Theinventionofheatefficientfurnaces. ?C.Thegrowingeconomicprosperityofcolonialmerchants. ?D.Thedevelopmentofnewtoolsusedtoshapesilver. ?2.IncolonialAmerica,wheredidsilversmithsusuallyobtainthematerialtomakesilverarticles? ?A.Fromtheirownmines. ?B.Fromimporters. ?C.Fromothersilversmiths. ?D.Fromcustomers.3.ThepassagementionsallofthefollowingasusesforcopperinColonialAmericaEXCEPT?_?.?A.cookingpots?B.scientificinstruments?C.musicalinstruments?D.maritimeinstruments4.Accordingtothepassage,silversmithsandcoppersmithsincolonialAmericaweresimilarinwhichofthefollowingways? ?A.Theamountofsocialprestigetheyhad.?B.Thewaytheyshapedthemetaltheyworkedwith. ?C.Thecostofthegoodstheymade. ?D.Thepracticalityofthegoodstheymade.参考答案：1.C) 根据文章第一句“Asthemerchantclassexpandedintheeighteenth?centuryNorthAmericanColonies,.”可知，随着在十八世纪的北美殖民地商人阶级膨胀起来，也就是说那时的商人财富有了很大的发展，银匠铜匠们有机会发挥他们的专长了，这与选项C正好相符。?2.D) 根据文章第十四、五行“Customersgenerallysecuresobjecttheyordered.Theysavedcoins,tookthemtosmiths,and.”可知顾客要做银器，首先要积攒银币，然后拿到银匠处加工成他们想要的形状。选项D“来自客户”与之相符。3.C) 文章末尾在提到铜的用途时惟独没有提到乐器。?4.B) 根据文章倒数第四行“Theyshapeditinmuchthesamemannerassilverormelteditinafoundrywithleadortin.”可知银匠和铜匠在银器和铜器的塑型方式上是一样的，故选项B为正确答案。 （三）NaturesGiganticSnowPloughOnJanuary10, 1962,anenormouspieceofglacierbrokeawayandtumbleddownthesideofamountaininPeru.Ameresevenminuteslater,whencascadingicefinallycametoastoptenmilesdownthemountain,ithadtakenthelivesof4,000people.Thisdisasterisoneofthemost“devastating”examplesofaverycommonevent:anavalancheofsnoworice.Becauseitisextremelycoldatveryhighaltitudes,snowrarelymelts.Itjustkeepspilinguphigherandhigher.Glaciersareeventuallycreatedwhentheweightofthesnowissogreatthatthelowerlayersarepressedintosolidice.Butmostavalanchesoccurlongbeforethishappens.Assnowaccumulatesonasteepslope,itreachesacriticalpointatwhichtheslightestvibrationwillsenditslidingintothevalleybelow.Evenanavalancheoflightpowercanbedangerous,butthePeruviancatastrophewasparticularlyterriblebecauseitwascausedbyaheavylayerofice.Itisestimatedthattheicethatbrokeoffweighedthreemilliontons.Asitcrasheddownthesteepmountainsidelikeagiganticsnowplough,itsweptuptrees,bouldersandtonsoftopsoil,andcompletelycrushedanddestroyedthesixvillagesthatlayinitspath.Atpresentthereisnowaytopredictoravoidsuchenormousavalanches,but,luckily,theyareveryrare.Scientistsareconstantlystudyingthesmaller,morecommonavalanches,totrytounderstandwhatcausesthem.Inthefuture,perhapsdangerousmassesofsnowandicecanbefoundandremovedbeforetheytakehumanlives.?1.Thefirstparagraphcatchesthereadersattentionwitha?_?.A.firsthandreport?B.dramaticdescription?C.talltale?D.vividworldpicture?2.Inthispassagedevastatingmeans?_?.A.violentlyruinous?B.spectacularlyinteresting?C.stunning?D.unpleasant?3.Thepassageismostlyabout?_?.?A.avalanchesB.glaciersC.PeruD.mountains参考答案：1.A) 文章的第一段就像一个新闻报道，报道了在秘鲁发生的雪崩的灾难性后果，一下子就吸引了读者的注意力。?2.A) 根据语境线索可判断出词义为A。?3.A) 通读全文可知，文章主要是讲述雪崩的形成。Mostofusaretaughttopayattentiontowhatissaidthewords.Wordsdoprovideuswithsomeinformation,butmeaningsarederivedfromsomanyothersourcesthatitwouldhinderoureffectivenessasapartnertoarelationshiptorelytooheavilyonwordsalone.Wordsareusedtodescribeonlyasmallpartofthemanyideasweassociatewithanygivenmessage.Sometimeswecangaininsightintosomeofthoseassociationsifwelistenformorethanwords.Wedontalwayssaywhatwemeanormeanwhatwesay.SometimesourwordsdontmeananythingexceptImlettingoffsomesteam.IdontreallywantyoutopaycloseattentiontowhatImsaying.JustpayattentiontowhatImfeeling.Mostlywemeanseveralthingsatonce.Apersonwantingtopurchaseahousesaystothecurrentowner, ThisstephastobefixedbeforeIllbuy.Theownersays, Itsbeenlikethatforyears.Actually,thestephasntbeenlikethatforyears,buttheunspokenmessageis: Idontwanttofixit.Weputupwithit.Whycantyou?Thesearchforamoreexpansiveviewofmeaningcanbedevelopedofexaminingamessageintermsofwhosaidit,whenitoccurred,therelatedconditionsorsituation,andhowitwassaid.Whenamessageoccurscanalsorevealassociatedmeaning.Letusassumetwocouplesdoexactlythesameamountofkissingandarguing.Butonecouplealwayskissesafteranargumentandtheothercouplealwaysarguesafterakiss.Theorderingofthebehaviorsmaymeanagreatdealmorethanthefrequencyofthebehavior.Afriendsunusuallydocilebehaviormayonlybeunderstoodbynotingthatitwasprecededbysituationsthatrequiredanabnormalamountofassertiveness.Someresponsesmaybedirectlylinkedtoadevelopingpatternofresponsesanddefylogic.Forexample,apersonwhosaysNo!toaserialsofchargeslikeYouredumb, Yourelazy,andYouredishonest,mayalsosayNo!andtrytojustifyhisorherresponseifthenextstatementisAndyouregoodlooking.Wewoulddowelltolistenforhowmessagesarepresented.Thewords, Ifsurehasbeennicetohaveyouover,canbesaidwithemphasisandexcitementorritualistically.Thephrasecanbesaidonceorrepeatedseveraltimes.Andthemeaningsweassociatewiththephrasewillchangeaccordingly.Sometimesifwesaysomethinginfrequentlyitassumesmoreimportance;sometimesthemorewesaysomethingthelessimportanceitassumes.1.Effectivecommunicationisrenderedpossiblebetweentwoconversingpartners,if_.A.theyuseproperwordstocarrytheirideas.B.theybothspeaktrulyoftheirownfeelings.C.theytrytounderstandeachothersideasbeyondwords.D.theyarecapableofassociatingmeaningwiththeirwords.2.Imlettingoffsomesteaminparagraph1means_.A.Imjustcallingyourattention.B.Imjustkidding.C.Imjustsayingtheopposite.D.Imjustgivingoffsomesound.3.Thehouse-ownersexampleshowsthatheactuallymeans_.A.thestephasbeenlikethatforyears.B.hedoesntthinkitnecessarytofixthestep.C.theconditionofthestepisonlyaminorfault.D.thecostinvolvedinthefixingshouldbeshared.4.Someresponsesandbehaviorsmayappearveryillogical,butarejustifiableif_.A.linkedtoanabnormalamountofassertiveness.B.seenasoneshabitualpatternofbehavior.C.takenaspartofanorderingsequence.D.expressedtoaseriesofcharges.5.Thewordritualisticallyinthelastparagraphequalssomethingdone_.A.withouttrueintention.B.light-heartedly.C.inawayofceremony.D.withlessemphasis.答案：DBABCMigrationisusuallydefinedaspermanentorsemipermanentchangeofresidence.Thisbroaddefinition,ofcourse,wouldincludeamoveacrossthestreetoracrossacity.Ourconcerniswithmovementbetweennations,notwithinternalmigrationwithinnations,althoughsuchmovementsoftenexceedinternationalmovementsinvolume.Today,themotivesofpeoplewhomoveshortdistancesareverysimilartothoseofinternationalmigrants.Studentsofhumanmigrationspeakofpushandpullfactors,whichinfluenceanindividualsdecisiontomovefromoneplacetoanother.Pushfactorsareassociatedwiththeplaceoforigin.Apushfactorcanbeassimpleandmildamatterasdifficultyinfindingasuitablejob,orastraumaticaswar,orseverefamine.Obviously,refugeeswholeavetheirhomeswithgunspointedattheirheadsaremotivatedalmostentirelybypushfactors(althoughpullfactorsdoinfluencetheirchoiceofdestination).Pullfactorsarethoseassociatedwiththeplaceofdestination.Mostoftheseareeconomic,suchasbetterjobopportunitiesortheavailabilityofgoodlandtofarm.ThelatterwasanimportantfactorinattractingsettlerstotheUnitedStatesduringthe19thcentury.Ingeneral,pullfactorsadduptoanapparentlybetterchanceforagoodlifeandmaterialwell?beingthanisofferedbytheplaceoforigin.Whenthereisachoicebetweenseveralattractivepotentialdestinations,thedecidingfactormightbeanon?economicconsiderationsuchasthepresenceofrelatives,friends,oratleastfellowcountrymenalreadyestablishedinthenewplacewhoarewillingtohelpthenewcomerssettlein.Considerationsofthissortleadtothedevelopmentofmigrationflow.Besidespushandpullfactors,therearewhatthesociologistscallinterveningobstacles.Evenifpushand/orpullfactorsareverystrongtheystillmaybeoutweighedbyinterveningobstacles,suchasthedistanceofthemove,thetroubleandcostofmoving,thedifficultyofenteringthenewcountry,andtheproblemslikelytobeencounteredonarrival.Thedecisiontomoveisalsoinfluencedbypersonalfactorsofthepotentialmigrant.Thesamepush?pullfactorsandobstaclesoperatedifferentlyondifferentpeople,sometimesbecausetheyareatdifferentstagesoftheirlives,orjustbecauseoftheirvaryingabilitiesandpersonalities.Theprospectofpackingupeverythingandmovingtoanewandperhapsverystrangeenvironmentmayappearinterestingandchallengingtoanunmarriedyoungmanandappallinglydifficulttoaslightlyoldermanwithawifeandsmallkids.Similarly,theneedtolearnanewlanguageandcustomsmayexciteonepersonandfrightenanother.Regardlessofwhypeoplemove,migrationoflargenumbersofpeoplecausesconflict.TheUnitedStatesandotherwesterncountrieshaveexperiencedadjustmentproblemswitheachnewwaveofimmigrants.Thenewestarrivalsareusuallygiventhelowest?paidjobsandareresentedbynativepeoplewhomayhavetocompetewiththemforthosejobs.Ithasusuallytakenseveraldecadesforeachgrouptobeacceptedintothemainstreamofsocietyinthehostcountry.?1.Theauthorthinksthatpullfactors?_?.?A.areallrelatedtoeconomicconsiderations?B.arenotasdecisiveaspushfactors?C.includearangeofconsiderations?D.aremoreimportantthanpushfactors?2.PeoplesdecisionstomigratemightbeinfluencedbyallthefollowingEXCEPT_?.?A.personalities?B.education?C.maritalstatus?D.abilities?3.Thepurposeofthepassageistodiscuss_?.?A.theproblemsofinternationalmigrants?B.themotivesofinternationalmigrants?C.migrationinsidethecountry?D.migrationbetweencountries?1.C) 根据第三段可知pullfactors不仅和economicconsiderations有 关，还和non?economicconsiderations有关，由此可排除选项A。选项B和D在文中没有提 及，故只有C为正确答案。?2.B) 此题为细节题。根据第五段可知惟有education没有提及。3.B) 此题为主旨题。通过阅读该文可知文章主要是讲述促使人们在国际 间移民的因素，这与选项B相符。Whatweknowofprenataldevelopmentmakesallthisattemptmadebyamothertomoldthecharacterofherunbornchildbystudyingpoetry,art,ormathematicsduringpregnancyseemutterlyimpossible.Howcouldsuchextremelycomplexinfluencespassfromthemothertothechild?Thereisnoconnectionbetweentheirnervoussystems.Eventhebloodvesselsofmotherandchilddonotjoindirectly.Anemotionalshocktothemotherwillaffectherchild,becauseitchangestheactivityofherglandsandsothechemistryherblood.Anychemicalchangeinthemothersbloodwillaffectthechildforbetterorworse.Butwecannotseehowalookingformathematicsorpoeticgeniuscanbedissolvedinbloodandproduceasimilarlikingorgeniusinthechild.Inourdiscussionofinstinctswesawthattherewasreaso