历年专四阅读题目真题汇总(1996-2001)

.PAGE@;PAGE23历年专四阅读题汇总1996年[25MIN]TEXTAInthepastthirtyyearsmanysocialchangesbaretakenplaceinBritain.Thegreatestofthesehaveprobablybeenintheeconomiclivesofwomen.Thechangeshavebeensignificant,butbecausetraditionandprejudicecanstillhandicapwomenintheirworkingcareersandpersonallives,majorlegislationtohelppromoteequalityofopportunityandpaywaspassedduringthe1970s.Attheheartofwomen'schangedroleinsocietyhasbeentheriseinthenumberofwomenatwork,particularlymarriedwomen.Astechnologyandsocietypermithighlyeffectiveandgenerallyacceptablemethodsoffamilyplanningtherehasbeenadeclineinfamilysize.Womenasaresultareinvolvedinchild-rearingforamuchshortertimeandrelatedtothis,therehasbeenarapidincreaseinthenumberofwomenwithyoungchildrenwhoreturntoworkwhenthechildrenareoldenoughnottoneedconstantcareandattention.Since1951theproportionofmarriedwomenwhoworkhasgrownfromjustoverafifthtoahaft.ComparedwiththeircounterpartselsewhereontheContinent,Britishwomencomprisearelativelyhighproportionoftheworkforce,abouttwo-fifths,butonaveragetheyworkfewerhours,about31aweekThereisstillasignificantdifferencebetweenwomen'saverageearningsandmen's,buttheequalpaylegislationwhichcameintoforceattheendof1975appearstohavehelpedtonarrowthegapbetweenwomen'sandmen'sbasicrates.Asmoreandmorewomenjoinedtheworkforceinthe1960sandearly1970stherewasanincreaseinthecollectiveincomesofwomenasawholeandamajorchangeintheeconomicroleoflargenumbersofhousewives.Familieshavecometorelyonmarriedwomen'searningsasanessentialpartoftheirincomeratherthanas"pocketmoney".Atthesametimesocialroleswithinthefamilyaremorelikelytobeshared,exchangedoraltered.66.Thegeneralideaofthepassageisabout__[A]socialtrendsincontemporaryBritain[B]changesinwomen'seconomicstares[C]equalopportunityandpayinBritain[D]women'sroleswithinthefamily67.Accordingtotheauthor,anincreasingnumberofmarriedwomenareabletoworkbecause__[A]theirchildrennolongerrequiretheircare[B]therearemorejobsavailablenowadays[C]technologyhasenabledthemtofindacceptablejobs[D]theyspendfarlesstimeonchildcarethanbefore.TEXTBNATURE'SGIGANTICSNOWPLOUGHOnJanuary10,1962,anenormouspieceofglacierbrokeawayandtumbleddownthesideofamountaininPeru.Ameresevenminuteslater,whencascadingicefinallycametoastoptenmilesdownthemountain,ithadtakenthelivesof4,000people.Thisdisasterisoneofthemostdevastatingexamplesofaverycommonevent:anavalancheofsnoworice.Becauseitisextremelycoldatveryhighaltitudes,snowrarelymelts.Itjustkeepspilinguphigherandhigher.Glaciersareeventuallycreatedwhentheweightofthesnowissogreatthatthelowerlayersarepressedintosolidice.Butmostavalanchesoccurlongbeforethishappens.Assnowaccumulatesonasteepslope,itreachesacriticalpointatwhichtheslightestvibrationwillsenditslidingintothevalleybelow.Evenanavalancheoflightpowercanbedangerous,butthePeruviancatastrophewasparticularlyterriblebecauseitwascausedbyaheavylayerofice.Itisestimatedthattheicethatbrokeoffweighedthreemilliontons.Asitcrasheddownthesteepmountainsidelikeagiganticsnowplough,itsweptuptrees,bouldersandtonsoftopsoil,andcompletelycrushedanddestroyedthesixvillagesthatlayinitspath.Atpresentthereisnowaytopredictoravoidsuchenormousavalanches,but,lucidly,theyareveryrare.Scientistsareconstantlystudyingthesmaller,morecommonavalanches,totrytounderstandwhatcausesthem.Inthefuture,perhapsdangerousmassesofsnowandicecanbefoundandremovedbeforetheytakehumanlives.68.Thefirstparagraphcatchesthereader'sattentionwitha__[A]first-handreport[B]dramaticdescription[C]talltale[D]vividwordpicture69.Inthispassagedevastatingmeans[A]violentlyruinous[B]spectacularyinteresting[C]stunning[D]unpleasant70.Thepassageismostlyabout__[A]avalanches[B]glaciers[C]Peru[D]mountainsTEXTCIwasborninTuckahoe,TalbotCounty,Maryland.Ihavenoaccurateknowledgeofmyage,neverhavingseenanyauthenticrecordcontainingit.Byfarthelargerpartoftheslavesknowaslittleoftheirageashorsesknowoftheir,anditisthewishofmostmasterswithinmyknowledgetokeeptheirslavesthusignorant.Idonotrememberhavingevermetaslavewhocouldtellofhisbirthday.Theyseldomcomenearertoitthanplanting-time,harvesting,springtime,orfalltime.Alackofinformationconcerningmyownwasasourceofunhappinesstomeevenduringchildhood.Thewhitechildrencouldtelltheirages,IcouldnottellwhyIoughttobedeprivedofthesameprivilege.Iwasnotallowedtomakeanyinquiresofmymasterconcerningit.Heconsideredallsuchinquiriesonthepartofaslaveimproperandimpertinent.ThenearestestimateIcangivemakesmenowbetweentwenty-sevenandtwenty-eightyearsofage.Icometothis,fromheatingmymastersay,sometimeduring1835,Iwasaboutseventeenyearsold.MymotherwasnamedHarrietBailey.ShewasthedaughterofIssacandBetseyBailey,bothcolored,andquitedark.Mymotherwasofadarkercomplexionthaneithermygrandmotherorgrandfather.Myfatherwasawhiteman.HewasadmittedtobesuchbyallIeverheardspeakofmyparentage.Theopinionwasalsowhisperedthatmymaserwasmyfather,butofthecorrectnessofthisopinion,Iknownothing;themeansofknowingwaswithheldfromme.MymotherandIwereseparatedwhenIwasaninfantbeforeIknewherasmymother.Itisacommoncustom,inthepartofMarylandfromwhichIranaway,topartchildrenfromtheirmothersataveryearlyage.Frequently,beforethechildhasreacheditstwelfthmonth,itsmotheristakenfromit,andhiredoutonsomefaintaconsiderabledistanceoff,andthechildisplacedunderthecareofanolderwoman,toooldforfieldlabor.Forwhatthisseparationisdone,Idonotknow,unlessitbetohinderthedevelopmentofthechild'saffectiontowardsitsmother.71.Theauthordidnotknowexactlywhenhewasbornbecause__[A]hedidnotknowwhohismotherwas[B]therewasnowrittenevidenceofit[C]hismasterdidnottellhisfather[D]nobodyonhisfarmknewanythingaboutit72.Inthemid-nineteenthcentury,slavesoften[A]markedtheirbirthdaysbytheseason[B]didnotreallycarehowoldtheywere[C]forgottheexacttimewhentheywereborn[D]pretendednottoknoweachother'sbirthdays73.Theauthor'smothertoldhim[A]hisfatherwasblack[B]hisfatherwaswhite[C]nothingabouthisfather[D]hismasterwashisfather74.Accordingtothepassage,whentheauthorwasveryyounghismother[A]runaway[B]waslightskinned[C]hadseveralchildren[D]wassenttoworkelsewhere75.Theauthorbadnotspentmuchtimewithhis[A]mother[B]master[C]grandfather[D]grandmother76.Theauthorwasmostprobablyraised[A]byhisgrandparents[B]byanoldwomanslave[C]withhismaster'ssupport[D]togetherwithotherchildrenTEXTDPLEASERECYCLETHATBOBSLEDRUN(大雪橇滑道）Forthe1992WinterGames,Frenchorganizersconstructedanewmotorway,parkinglotsandrunsforskiingintheAlps.Environmentalistsscreamed"Disaster!".Thuswarned,theNorwegianshaveadopted"green"adviceandavoidedgreatblotsonthelandscape.Thespeed-skatingwasbuilttolooklikeanoverturnedship,andplacedsoasnottodisturbabirdsanctuary.Dugintoamountainside,thehockeyarenaiswellconcealedandenergyefficient.Thebobsledrunisbuiltoutofwoodnotmetalandhiddenamongtrees.NowonderthepresidentoftheInternationalOlympicCommitteehascalledthesethefirst"GreenGames".Lillehammer'sopeningceremoniesfeaturedagiantOlympicTorchburningbiogasproducedbyrottingvegetation.Duringconstruction,builderswerethreatenedwith$7,500finesforfellingtreesunnecessarily.Ratetreeswerecarefullytransplantedfromhillsides.Foodisbeingservedonpotato-basedplatesthatwillbefed,inturn,topigs.Smokinghasbeenbannedoutdoorsaswellasin,withenforcementbypoliterequests.Environmentalistshavedeclaredpartialvictory,thoughCoca-Cola'splantodecoratethetownwithBannershasbeenscaledback,therearestilltoomanybillboardsforstrictgreentastes.Perhaps,butaftertheGames,athletehousingwillbeconvertedintovacationhomeorshippedtothenorthlandsforstudentdormitories.Bulletswillbepluckedfrombiathlontargetsandrecycledtokeeptheleadfrompoisoninggroundwater.Andthesetrickswon'tbeforgotten.Embarrassedbyenvironmentalprotests,theI.O.C.claimsthatgreenawarenessisnowentrenched-alongwithsportandculture-asapermanentdimensionoftheOlympicCharter.Indeed,Sydneywassuccessfulinbecominghostforthe2000SummerGamesinpartonthestrengthofitsendorsementfromGreenpeace.Aspiringhostcitiesarepickingupthecode.SaltLakeCity,biddingforthe2002Games,mayopttousethebobsledrunthatCalgarybuiltforthe88Games.Afterthat,whocoulddenythatrecyclingisanOlympicmovement?77.Whichofthefollowingcountrieshasnotpaidenoughattentiontothe"green"issues?[A]Norway.[B]France.[C]Arnica.[D]Australia.78.InwhichareadidtheenvironmentalistsfailinLillehammer?[A]Energy.[B]Smoking.[B]Housing.[D]Advertising.79.WhichofthefollowingdescribestheI.O.C.'sattitudetowardstheenvironmentalists'protests?[A]Tryingtocommitthemselves.[B]Showingindifferenceandcontempt.[C]Arguingforpracticaldifficulties.[D]Negotiatingforgradualchanges.80.The2002Gamesmightbeheldin__[A]Oslo[B]Calgary[C]Sydney[D]SaltLakeCity1997年[25MIN]TEXTAUniversityteachingintheUnitedKingdomisverydifferentatbothundergraduateandgraduatelevelsfromthatofmanyoverseascountries.Anundergraduatecourseconsistsofaseriesoflectures,seminarsandtutorialsand,inscienceandengineering,laboratoryclasses,whichintotalaccountsforabout15hoursperweek.Artsstudentsmaywellfindthattheirofficialcontactwithteachersislessthanthisaverage,whilescienceandengineeringstudentsmayexpecttobetimetabledforupto20hoursperweek.Studentsstudyingforaparticulardegreewilltakeaseriesoflecturecourseswhichruninparallelatafixedtimeineachweekandmaylastoneacademictermorthewholeyear.Associatedwitheachlecturecourseareseminars,tutorialsandlaboratoryclasseswhichdrawupon,analyze,illustrateoramplifythetopicspresentedinthelectures.Lectureclassescanvaryinsizefrom20to200althoughlargersizelecturestendtodecreaseasstudentsprogressintothesecondandthirdyearandmoreoptionsbecomeavailable.Seminarsandtutorialsareonthewholemuchsmallerthanlectureclassesandinsomedepartmentscanbeonaone-to-onebasis(thatisonememberofstafftoonestudent).Studentsarenormallyexpectedtoprepareworkinadvanceforseminarsandtutorialsandthiscantaketheformofresearchingatopicfordiscussion,bywritingessaysorbysolvingproblems.Lectures,seminarsandtutorialsareallonehourinlength,whilelaboratoryclassesusuallylasteither2or3hours.Muchemphasisisputonhowtospendasmuchtimeifnotmorestudyingbythemselvesasbeingtaught.IntheUKitisstillcommonforpeopletosaythattheyare"reading"foradegree!Eachstudenthasatutorwhomtheycanconsultonanymatterwhetheracademicorpersonal.Althoughthetutorwillhelp,motivationforstudyisexpectedtocomefromthestudent.66.Accordingtothepassage,scienceandengineeringcoursesseemtobemore__thanartscourses.[A]motivating[B]varied[C]demanding[D]interesting67.Whichofthefollowingisthelengthoflecturesorseminarsortutorials?[A]1hour.[B]2hours.[C]3hours.[D]15hours.68.InBritishuniversitiesteachingandlearningarecarriedonin__[A]avarietyofways[B]laboratoryclasses[C]seminarssandtutorials[D]lecturesandtutorialsTEXTBWhosaidtheonlywaytolearnaboutacountryyoucan'tvisitisbyreadingabook?DanEckberg'stelevisionstudentsatHopkinsHighSchoolUsingcomputers,satellitehookups,andtelephonehotlines,Eckberg'sstudentshavealreadyfollowedateamofcyclists11,500milesacrossthecontinentofAfrica,satonatopMountKillmanjaro,andswelteredIntheSaharaDesert.Thiswinterthey'11interactwithanexpeditionexploringCentralAmericainsearchoftheclassicMayaculture.Youcanjointhem.How?.ByfollowingEckbergandhisclassastheytracktheadventuresofDanandSteveBuettner,twoworld-classbicyclistsfromtheU.S..Startinglastmonththesetwobicyclists,joinedbyarchaeologistsandatechnicalsupportteam,areinteractingwithstudentsviatheInternet,theworldwidecomputernetwork.Fromclassroomorhomecomputer,studentscanmakeresearchproposalstotheBuettnersorthearchaeologistsatthevariousCentralAmericanlocationsthey'vebeenexploringaspartoftheirMayaQuestexpedition."Wehopethatsomeonewillaskaquestionthatcan'treadilybeanswered,"saysHopkinsHavingstudents"discover"whyacivilizationasadvancedastheMayacollapsedinthe9thcenturyisonekeygoalfortheleadersoftheMayaQuestexpedition.Themoreimportantgoalisusinginteractivelearningtodiscoverthecauseofthedeclineandcompareittoissueswefacetoday--naturaldisasters,environmentalproblems,andwar.Tenlessonplans--ontopicsrangingfromtheMayalanguagetotheMayacreationmythhavebeendevelopedfortheinteractiveexpedition."Throughacombinationoflivecall--intelevisionandtheInternet,saysEckberg,"we'rehopingtobuildexcitementandengagementinlearninginourschool."69.DanEckbergandhisstudentslearnaboutAfricaby__[A]readingbooks[B]watchingvideotapes[C]interactingviatheInternet[D]cycling11,500miles70.WhichofthefollowingactivitiesisNOTinvolvedinDanEckbergandIrisstudents'expedition?[A]GoingtovisitvariousCentralAmericanlocations.[B]Gettinginformationthroughelectroniccommunications.[C]DiscussingdifferenttopicsontheMayacivilization.[D]Formingresearchproposalsanddiscoveringtheanswers.TEXTCMostearthquakesoccurwithintheupper15milesoftheearth'ssurface.Butearthquakescananddooccuratalldepthstoabout460miles.Theirnumberdecreasesasthedepthincreases.Atabout460milesoneearthquakeoccursonlyeveryfewyears.Nearthesurfaceearthquakesmayrunashighas100inamonth,buttheyearlyaveragedoesnotvarymuch.Incomparisonwiththetotalnumberofearthquakeseachyear,thenumberofdisastrousearthquakesisverysmall.Theextentofthedisasterinanearthquakedependsonmanyfactors.IfyoucarefullybuildatoyhousewithanErectorset,itwillstillstandnomatterhowmuchyoushakethetable.Butifyoubuildatoyhousewithapackofcards,aslightshakeofthetablewillmakeitfall.AnearthquakeinAgadir,TheUnitedNationshasplayedanimportantpartinreducingthedamagedonebyearthquakes.Ithassentateamofexpertstoallcountriesknowntobeaffectedbyearthquakes.Workingwithlocalgeologistsandengineers,theexpertshavestudiedthenatureofthegroundandthetypeofmostpracticalbuildingcodeforthelocalarea.Iffollowed,thesesuggestionswillmakedisastrousearthquakesalmostathingofthepast.Thereisonetypeofearthquakedisasterthatlittlecanbedoneabout.Thisisthedisastercausedbyseismicseawaves,ortsunamis.(Theseareoftencalledtidalwaves,butthenameisincorrect.Theyhavenothingtodowithtides.)Incertainareas,earthquakestakeplacebeneaththesea.Thesesubmarineearthquakessometimesgiverisetoseismicseawaves.Thewavesarenotnoticeableoutatseabecauseoftheirlongwavelength.Butwhentheyrollintoharbors,theypileupintowallsofwater6to60feethigh.TheJapanesecallthem"tsunamis",meaning"harborwaves",becausetheyreachasizableheightonlyinharbors.Tsunamistravelfairlyslowly,atspeedsupto500milesanhour.Anadequatewarningsystemisinusetowarnallshoreslikelytobereachedbythewaves.Butthisonlyenablespeopletoleavethethreatenedshoresforhigherground.Thereisnowaytostoptheoncomingwave.71.WhichofthefollowingCANNOTbeconcludedfromthepassage?[A]Thenumberofearthquakesiscloselyrelatedtodepth.[B]Roughlythesamenumberofearthquakesoccureachyear.[C]Earthquakesareimpossibleatdepthsover460miles.[D]Earthquakesaremostlikelytooccurnearthesurface.72.ThedestructionofAgadirisanexampleof__[A]faultybuildingconstruction[B]anearthquake'sstrength[C]widespreadpanicinearthquakes[D]ineffectiveinstruments73.TheUnitedNations'expertsaresupposedto__[A]constructstrongbuildings[B]putforwardproposals[C]detectdisastrousearthquakes[D]monitorearthquakes74.Thesignificanceoftheslowspeedoftsunamisisthatpeoplemay__[A]noticethemoutatsea[B]findwaystostopthem[C]bewarnedearlyenough[D]developwarningsystemTEXTDOneofthegoodthingsformeninwomen'sliberationisthatmennolongerhavetopaywomentheold-fashionedcourtesies.Inanarticleonthenewmanners,Ms.Holmessaysthataperfectlyablewomannolongerhastoacthelplesslyinpublicasifshewereamodel.Forexample,shedoesn'tneedhelpgettinginandoutofcars."Womengetinandoutofcarstwentytimesadaywithbabiesanddogs.Surelytheycangetoutbythemselvesatnightjustaseasily."Shealsosaysthereisnoreasonwhyamanshouldwalkontheoutsideofawomanonthesidewalk."Historically,themanwalkedontheinsidesohecaughtthegarbagethrownoutofawindow.Todayamanissupposedtowalkontheoutside.Amanshouldwalkwherehewantsto.Soshouldawoman.If,outofloveandrespect,heactuallywantstotaketheblows,heshouldwalkontheinside-becausethat'swhereattackersareallhidingthesedays."Asfarasmannersareconcerned,IsupposeIhavealwaysasupporterofwomen'sliberation.Overtheyears,outofasenseofrespect,Iimagine,Ihaverefusedtotroublewomenwithoutdatedcourtesies.Itisusuallyeasiertofollowrulesofsocialbehaviorthantodependonone'sowntaste.Butrulesmaybesafelybroken,ofcourse,bythoseofuswiththegiftofnaturalgrace.Forexample,whenamanandawomanareledtotheirtableinarestaurantandthewaiterpullsoutachair,thewomanisexpectedtositinthechair.ThatisaccordingtoMs.AnnClark.Ihavealwaysdoneittheotherway,accordingtomywife.Itcameuponlytheothernight.Ifollowedthehostesstothetable,andwhenshepulledthechairoutIsatonit,quitenaturally,sinceithappenedtobethechairIwantedtositin."Well",mywifesaid,whenthehostesshadgone,"youdiditagain.""Didwhat?"Iasked,utterlyconfused."Tookthechair."Actually,sinceI'dwalkedthroughtherestaurantaheadofmywife,itwouldhavebeenawkward,Ishouldthink,nottohavetakenthechair.Ibadgottherefirst,afterall.Also,ithasalwaysbeenmycustomtogetinacarfirst,andletthewomangetinbyherself.ThisisacourtesyIinsistonasthestrongersex,outofloveandrespect.Intimeslikethese,theremightbeattackershiddenabout.Iwouldbeunsuitabletoputawomaninacarandthenshutthedooronher,leavingheratthemercyofsomebadfellowwhomightbehidinginthebackseat.75.Itcanbeconcludedfromthepassagethat__[A]menshouldwalkontheinsideofasidewalk[B]womenarebecomingmorecapablethanbefore[C]inwomen'sliberationmenarealsoliberated[D]it'ssafetobreakrolesofsocialbehavior76.Theauthorwas"utterlyconfused"becausehe[A]tookthechairoutofhabit[B]wastryingtobepolite[C]wasslowinunderstanding[D]hadforgottenwhathedid77.He"tookthechair"forallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPTthat__[A]hegotothechairfirst[B]hehappenedtoliketheseat[C]hiswifeorderedhimtodoso[D]he'dwalkedaheadofhiswife78.Theauthoralwaysgetsinacarbeforeawomanbecausehe__[A]wantstoprotecther[B]doesn'tneedtohelpher[C]choosestobeimpolitetoher[D]fearsattacksonhim79.Theauthoris__aboutthewholequestionofmannersandwomen'sliberation.[A]joking[B]satirical[C]serious[D]critical80.Whichofthefollowingbeststatesthemainideaofthepassage?[A]Mannersoughttobethrownawayaltogether.[B]Inmannersoneshouldfollowhisownjudgement.[C]Womennolongerneedtobehelpedinpublic.[D]Menarenotexpectedtobecourteoustowomen.1998年SECTIONAREADINGCOMPREHENSION[25MIN]TEXTAPeoplehavebeenpaintingpicturesforatleast30,000years.Theearliestpictureswerepaintedbypeoplewhohuntedanimals.Theyusedtopaintpicturesoftheanimalstheywantedtocatchandkill.PicturesofthiskindhavebeenfoundonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpain.Nooneknowswhytheywerepaintedthere.Perhapsthepainterthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemtocatchtheseanimals.Orperhapshumanbeingshavealwayswantedtotellstoriesinpictures.About5,000yearsagotheEgyptiansandotherpeopleintheNearEastbegantousepicturesasakindofwriting.Theydrewsimplepicturesorsignstorepresentthingsandideas,andalsotorepresentthesoundsoftheirlanguage.Thesignsthesepeopleusedbecameakindofalphabet.TheEgyptiansusedtorecordinformationandtotellstoriesbyputtingpicture-writingandpicturestogether.Whenanimportantpersondied,scenesandstoriesfromhislifewerepaintedandcarvedonthewallsoftheplacewherehewasburied.Someofthesepicturesarelikemodemcomic-strip(连环漫画)stories.IthasbeensaidthatEgyptisthehomeofthecomicstrip.But,fortheEgyptians,picturesstillhadmagicpower.Sotheydidnottrytomaketheirwayofwritingsimple.Theordinarypeoplecouldnotunderstandit.Bytheyear1,000BC,peoplewholivedintheareaaroundtheMediterraneanSeabaddevelopedasimplersystemofwriting.Thesignstheyusedwereveryeasytowrite,andtherewerefewerofthemthanintheEgyptiansystem.Thiswasbecauseeachsign,orletter,representedonlyonesoundintheirlanguage.TheGreeksdevelopedthissystemandformedtheletteroftheGreekalphabet.TheRonmanscopiedtheidea,andtheRomanalphabetisnowusedallovertheworld.Thesedays,wecanwritedownastory,orrecordinformation,withoutusingpictures.Butwestillneedpicturesofallkinds,drawings,photographs,signsanddiagrams.Wefindthemeverywhere:inbooksandnewspapers,inthestreet,andonthewallsoftheplaceswhereweliveandwork.Pictureshelpustounderstandandrememberthingsmoreeasily,andtheycanmakeastorymuchmoreinteresting.66.PicturesofanimalswerepaintedonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpainbecause[A]thehunterswantedtoseethepictures[B]thepainterswereanimallover[C]thepainterswantedtoshowimagination[D]thepictureswerethoughttobehelpful67.TheGreekalphabetwassimplerthantheEgyptiansystemforallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPT[A]theformerwaseasytowrite[B]therewerefewersignsintheformer[C]theformerwaseasytopronounce[D]eachsignstoodforonlyonesound68.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE?[A]TheEgyptiansignslaterbecameaparticularalphabet.[B]TheEgyptianslikedtowritecomic-stripstories.[C]TheRomanalphabetwasdevelopedfromtheEgyptianone.[D]TheGreekscopiedtheirwritingsystemfromtheEgyptians.69.Intheparagraph,theauthorthinksthatpictures__[A]shouldbemadecomprehensible[B]shouldbemadeinteresting[C]areofmuchuseinourlife[D]aredisappearingfromourlifeTEXTBHumanbeingshaveusedtoolsforaverylongtime.Insomepartsoftheworldyoucanstillfindtoolsthatpeopleusedmoretitantwomillionyearsago.Theymadethesetoolsbyhittingonestoneagainstanother.Inthiswaytheybrokeoffpiecesfromoneofthestones.Thesechipsofstonewereusuallysharpononeside.Peopleusedthemforcuttingmeatandskinfromdeadanimalsandalsoformaltingothertoolsoutofwood.Humanbeingsneededtousetoolsbecausetheydidnothavesharpteethlikeothermeat--eatinganimals,suchaslionsandtigers.Toolshelpedpeopletogetfoodmoreeasily.Workingwithtoolsalsohelpedtodevelophumanintelligence.Thehumanbraingrewbigger,andhumanbeingsbegantoinventmoreandmoretoolsandmachines.Thestonechipwasoneoftheflinttoolsthatpeopleused,andperhapsitisthemostimportant.Somescientistssaythatitwasthekeytothesuccessofmankind.Since1960anewkindoftooltinsappeared.Thisisthesiliconchip--alittlechipofsiliconcrystal(硅晶体).Itissmallerthanafinger-nail,butitcanstoremorethanamillion"bits"ofinformation.Itisanelectronicbrain.Everyyearthesechipsgetcleverer,buttheirsizegetssmaller,andtheircostgetsless.Th