2021年大学专四阅读理解练习

Passage1

Reebokexecutivesdonotliketoheartheirstylishathleticshoescalled"footwearforyuppies(雅皮士·少壮高薪职业人士)".TheycontendthatReebokshoesappealtodiversemarketsegments，especiallynowthatthecompanyoffersbasketballandchildren'sshoesfortheunder-18setandwalkingshoesforoldercustomersnotinterestedinaerobics(健身操)orrunning.Theexecutivesalsopointoutthatthroughrecentacquisitionstheyhaveaddedhikingboots，dressandcasualshoes，andhigh-performanceathleticfootweartotheirproductlines，allofwhichshouldattractnewandvariedgroupsofcustomers.

Still，despiteitsemphasisonnewmarkets，Reebokplansfewchangesintheupmarket(高档消费人群)retailingnetworkthathelpedpushsalesto$1billionannually，aheadofallothersportsshoemarketers.Reebokshoes，whicharepricedfrom$27to$85，willcontinuetobesoldonlyinbetterspecialty，sportinggoods，anddepartmentstores，inaccordancewiththecompany'sviewthatconsumersjudgethequalityofthebrandbythequalityofitsdistribution.

Inthepastfewyears，theMassachusetts-basedcompanyhasimposedlimitsonthenumberofitsdistributors(andthenumberofshoessuppliedtostores)，partlyoutofnecessity.AttimestheunexpecteddemandforReebok'sexceededsupply，andthecompanycouldbarelykeepupwithordersfromthedealersitalreadyhad.Thesefulfillmentproblemsseemtobeundercontrolnow，butthecompanyisstillselectiveaboutitsdistributors.Atpresent，ReebokshoesareavailableinaboutfivethousandretailstoresintheUnitedStates.

Reebokhasalreadyanticipatedthatwalkingshoeswillbethenextfitness-relatedcraze，replacingaerobicsshoesthesamewayitsbrightlycolored，softleatherexercisefootwearreplacedconventionalrunningshoes.Throughproductdiversificationandcarefulmarketresearch，ReebokhopestoavoidthedistributionproblemsNikecameacrossseveralyearsago，whenNikemisjudgedthestrengthoftheaerobicsshoecrazeandwasforcedtounloadhugeinventoriesofrunningshoesthroughdiscountstores.Yuky1.

Reebok'sviewthat"consumersjudgethequalityofthebrandbythequalityofitsdistribution"(Line5，Par

2)impliesthat______.A.thequalityofabrandismeasuredbytheservicequalityofthestoresellingitB.thequalityofaproductdeterminesthequalityofitsdistributorsC.thepopularityofabrandisdeterminedbythestoresthatsellitD.consumersbelievethatfirst-rateproductsareonlysoldbyhigh-qualitystores2.

WhatlessonhasReeboklearnedfromNike'sdistributionproblems?A

Acompanyshouldnotsellitshighqualityshoesindiscountstores.B

Acompanyshouldnotlimititsdistributionnetwork.C

Acompanyshoulddofollow-upsurveysofitsproducts.D

Acompanyshouldcorrectlyevaluatetheimpactofanewcrazeonthemarket.3.

AlthoughtheReebokCompanyhassolvedtheproblemoffulfillingitsorders，it______.A

doesnotwanttofurtherexpanditsretailingnetworkB

stilllimitsthenumberofshoessuppliedtostoresC

isstillparticularaboutwhosellsitsproductsD

Stillcarefullychoosesthemanufacturersofitsproducts4.

Reebokoncehadtolimitthenumberofitsdistributorsbecause______.A

itssupplyofproductsfellshortofdemandB

toomanydistributorswouldcutintoitsprofitsC

thereductionofdistributorscouldincreaseitsshareofthemarketD

itwantedtoenhanceconsumerconfidenceinitsproducts5.

OnereasonwhyReebok'smanagerialpersonneldon'tliketheirshoestobecalled"footwearforyuppies"isthat______.A

theybelievethattheirshoesarepopularwithpeopleofdifferentagegroupsB

newproductionlineshavebeenaddedtoproduceinexpensiveshoesC

"yuppies"usuallyevokesanegativeimageD

thetermmakespeoplethinkofprohibitivepricesPassage1DDCAA1.答案:D句意理解及要点暗示题。题干引号中那某些在第二段，答案固然应在第二段，而该段重要论及高档消费群体零售网——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)一词拟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强度而导致了老产品(runningshoes)积压而不得不打折销售，这是市场预测不精确所导致。

3.答案:C细节理解定位题。题干中“although”与短文第三段倒数第二句之“but”相呼应，答案则应为该句复述，故C为对的答案。

4.答案:A要点归纳题。依照题干中“limitthenumberofdistributions”拟定答案。第三段论及虽然产品供不应求时，也要对批发商有所选取，而过去一段时间对批发商数量限制重要是“outofnecessity”(迫不得已)，由于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“managerialpersonnel”即为第一段executives，因而可知本题答案在第一段且为该段之主题：目的市场很大，高层领导们固然不但愿自己产品仅供应某些雅皮士。再由下文“children'sshoesfortheunder-18setandwalkingforoldercustomers”更可知其目的消费是多层次。容易错选选项B侧重公司生产方略，故不当。Passage2

Weallknowthatthenormalhumandailycycleofactivityisofsome7～8hours'sleepalternatingwithsome16～17hours'wakefulnessandthat，broadlyspeaking，thesleepnormallycoincideswiththehoursofdarkness.Ourpresentconcerniswithhoweasilyandtowhatextentthiscyclecanbemodified.

Thequestionisnomereacademicone.Theease，forexample，withwhichpeoplecanchangefromworkinginthedaytoworkingatnightisaquestionofgrowingimportanceinindustrywhereautomationcallsforround-the-clockworkingofmachines.Itnormallytakesfromfivedaystooneweekforapersontoadapttoareversedroutineofsleepandwakefulness，Sleepingduringthedayandworkingatnight.Unfortunately，itisoftenthecaseinindustrythatshiftsarechangedeveryweek：apersonmayworkfrom12midnightto8a.m.oneweek，8a.m.to4p.m.thenext，and4p.m.to12midnightthethirdandsoon.Thismeansthatnosoonerhashegotusedtooneroutinethanhehastochangetoanother，sothatmuchofhistimeisspentneitherworkingnorsleepingveryefficiently.

Theonlyrealsolutionappearstobetohandoverthenightshifttoanumberofpermanentnightworkers.Aninterestingstudyofthedomesticlifeandhealthofnight-shiftworkerswascarriedoutbyBrownin1957，Shefoundahighincidenceofdisturbedsleepandotherdisordersamongthoseonalternatingdayandnightshifts，butnoabnormaloccurrenceofthesephenomenaamongthoseonpermanentnightwork.

Thislattersystemthenappearstobethebestlong-termpolicy，butmeanwhilesomethingmaybedonetorelievethestrainsofalternatedayandnightworkbyselectingthosepeoplewhocanadaptmostquicklytothechangesofroutine.Onewayofknowingwhenapersonhasadaptedisbymeasuringhisbodytemperature.Peopleengagedinnormalday-timeworkwillhaveahightemperatureduringthehoursofwakefulnessandalowoneatnight；whentheychangetonightworkthepatternwillonlyadjustgraduallybacktomatchthenewroutineandthespeedwithwhichitdoessoparallels，broadlyspeaking，theadaptationofthebodyasawhole，particularlyintermsofperformance.Therefore，bytakingbodytemperatureatintervalsoftwohoursthroughouttheperiodofwakefulnessitcanbeseenhowquicklyapersoncanadapttoareversedroutine，andthiscouldbeusedasabasisforselection.Sofar，however，suchaformofselectiondoesnotseemtohavebeenappliedinpractice.Yuky1.

Whyisthequestionof"howeasilypeoplecangetusedtoworkingatnight"nomereacademicone?A

Becausefewpeopleliketoreversethecycleofsleepandwakefulness.B

Becausesleepnormallycoincideswiththehoursofdarkness.C

Becausepeoplearerequiredtoworkatnightinsomefieldsofindustry.D

Becauseshiftworkinindustryrequirespeopletochangetheirsleepinghabits.2.

Themainproblemoftheround-the-clockworkingsystemliesinA

theinconveniencesbroughtabouttotheworkersbytheintroductionofautomation.B

thedisturbanceofthedallycycleofworkerswhohavetochangeshiftstoofrequently.C

thefactthatpeopleworkingatnightareoftenlesseffective.D

thefactthatitisdifficulttofindanumberofgoodnightworkers.3.

ItispossibletofindoutifapersonhasadaptedtothechangesofroutinebymeasuringhisbodytemperaturebecauseA

bodytemperaturechangeswhenthecycleofsleepandwakefulnessalternates.B

bodytemperaturechangeswhenhechangestonightshiftorback.C

thetemperaturereverseswhentheroutineischanged.D

peoplehavehighertemperatureswhentheyareworkingefficiently.4.

WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrue?A

Bodytemperaturemayserveasanindicationofaworker'sperformance.B

Theselectionofanumberofpermanentnightshiftworkershasprovedtobethebestsolutiontoproblemsoftheround-the-clockworkingsystem.C

Takingbodytemperatureatregularintervalscanshowhowapersonadaptstothechangesofroutine.D

Disturbedsleepoccurslessfrequentlyamongthoseonpermanentnightordayshifts.5.

ItisimpliedinthelastparagraphthatalowbodytemperatureindicatesthatapersonA

hasjustbeenawakefromsleep.B

cannotworknightshifts.C

shouldgotosleepatonce.D

islessproductive.Passage2CBABD1.答案:C[设题处]举例处设题[解析]文章第二段第一、二句提到，在某些自动化规定机器全天运转公司中，人们要实行轮班，她们从白天工作转入夜晚工作难易限度越来越成为人们关注问题，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，但并不能作为为什么“人们要适应晚上工作难易限度不但仅是学术问题”因素。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“经常调节轮班方式意味着，一种人刚刚适应一种上班时间，却又不得不改换另一种，以至于她既无法有效地工作，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，在白天正常工作人醒着时体温高，夜间体温低。当她们改成夜班制时，体温模式只会逐渐调节以便适应新工作方式；普通来讲，调节速度与整个身体——在工作体现方面——调节同步，由此可知答案为[A]，而排除[B]和[C](是由于当工作时间变化时，体温只会慢慢调节，以适应新工作方式，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，因而排除[D]。4.答案:B[设题处]事实处设题[解析]依照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，依照第三段第三句可排除[D]。第三段首句和末段首句中都浮现了appearstobe(看起来，似乎)，由此可知文中提到挑选诸多长期上夜班工人是最佳解决办法时，并不是完全必定，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，由此可知答案为[D]。Passage3InJapan，wherecareeropportunitiesforwomenarefew，wheredivorcecanmeanalifeofhardship，andwheremostfemalenamesarestillformedusingawordforchild，awoman'sindependencehasalwayscomeatasteepprice.

Notionsofwomen'sliberationhavenevertakenrootamongJapanesewomen.Butwithscantopenconflict，thepushforseparateburialsisquietlybecomingoneofthecountry'sfastestgrowingsocialtrends.InarecentsurveybytheTBStelevisionnetwork，20percentofthewomenwhorespondedsaidtheyhopedtobeburiedseparatelyfromtheirhusbands.

ThefuneraryrevoltcomesaswomenhereannoyatJapan'sslowpaceinprovidinggreaterequalitybetweenthesexes.Thelaw，forexample，stillmakesitalmostimpossibleforawomantousehermaidennameaftermarriage.DivorceratesarelowbyWesternstandards，meanwhile，becauseachievingfinancialindependence，orevenobtainingacreditcardinone'sownname，areinsurmountablehurdlesformanydivorcedwomen.Untilrecently，societyenforcedrestrictionsonwomenevenindeath.UnderJapan'scomplexburialcustoms，divorcedorunmarriedwomenweretraditionallyunwelcomeinmostgraveyards，whereplotsarestillpasseddownthroughthehusband'sfamilyanddescendantsmustprovidemaintenanceforburialsitesorlosethem.

"Thewomanwhowantedtobeburiedalonecouldn'tfindagraveyarduntilabout10yearsago,"saidHaruyoInoue，asociologistofdeathandburialatJapanUniversity.Shesaidthatgraveyardsthatdidnotrequiredescendants，inordertoaccommodatewomen，beganappearingaround1990.Today，shesaid，thattherearecloseto400ofthesecemeteriesinJapan.ThatisjustonesignofstirringamongJapanesewomen，whoarealsopressingforthefirsttimetochangethelawtobeabletousetheirmaidennamesaftermarriage.

Althoughcreditgoesbeyondanyindividual，manywomenciteJunkoMastubara，apopularwriteronwomen'sissues，withignitingthetrendtoseparatesexburials.Startingthreeyearsago，Ms.Matsubarahasbuiltanassociationofnearly600women--somedivorced，someunhappilymarried，andsomedeterminedlysinglewhoplantoshareacommonplotcurbedoutofanordinarycemeteryinthewesternsuburbofChofu.Yuky1.

Accordingtothepassage，thesexinequalitiesthatJapanesewomenendureincludeEXCEPT______.A

theyareforbiddentodivorceB

theyarerestrictedfrombeingburiedseparatelyfromtheirhusbandsC

thelawmakesitalmostimpossibleforawomantousehermaidennameaftermarriageD

theyhesitatetotakepartinwomen'sliberationmovements2.Inthisarticle，theauthorismainlyconcernedwith______.A

Japanesewomen'sendeavorstowinsexequalityBsocialandgovernmentalobligationineliminatingsexinequalityC

howJapaneselawspreventJapanesewomenfrombeingburiedaloneDhowtochangeJapan'scomplexburialcustoms3.

FromthefactthatdivorcecanmeanalifeofhardshipforJapanesewomen，wecaninferthat______.A

manyJapanesewomenhaveabadrelationshipwiththeirhusbandsB

manyJapanesewomenlivetogetherwiththeirhusbandinperfectharmonyC

manyJapanesewomenhavealowsocialstatusD

it'sanout-datedcustomforJapanesewomentobehousewives4.

Accordingtothepassage，whichofthefollowingstatementsaboutthefuneralrevoltinJapanisNOTtrue?A

ItcomesastheresultofJapanesewomen'sdissatisfactionwithJapan'sslowpaceinprovidinggreatersexequality.B

MoreandmoreJapanesewomenchoosetheformofdivorcetowinthevictoryoffuneralrevolt.C

Japan'scomplexburialcustomsmakeitmoredifficultforJapanesewomentobeburiedseparately.D

MoreandmoreJapanesewomenprefertobeburiedseparatelyfromtheirhusbands.5.

Themeaningoftheword"ignite"inthelastparagraphis"______".A

tocausetodieB

toarousethepassionofC

tomakeangryD

tomakegloomPassage3AACBB1.[A]细节理解题。文章开头讲到接受电视台调查妇女中有20%表达但愿能与丈夫分开埋葬(20percentofthewomenwhorespondedsaidtheyhopedtobeburiedseparatelyfromtheirhusbands)，还提到日本坟场是由丈夫家族传下来，子孙们必要维护好葬址，否则就会丧失坟场(whereplotsarestillpasseddownthroughthehusband'sfamilyanddescendantsmustprovidemaintenanceforburialsitesorlosethem)，因此B对的；C法律禁止妇女婚后使用娘家姓是文章原句(Thelaw，forexample，stillmakesitalmostimpossibleforawomantousehermaidennameaftermarriage)；文章一开头就提到，妇女解放观念从未在日本妇女中扎根(Notionsofwomen'sliberationhavenevertakenrootamongJapanesewomen)，因此D对的，只有A不符合文意。2.[A]主旨概括题。作者在这篇文章里重要讨论是日本妇女通过以争取死后单独埋葬为重点，为争取自己性别平等地位所做努力，并没有提及日本社会和政府对于消灭性别不平等义务。3.[C]推理题。从离婚对妇女来说意味着艰辛生活这一事实，可以推理出什么?联系这句话上下文：在日本，妇女就业机会很少，离婚对妇女来说意味着艰辛生活，大多数妇女名字是用孩子一种字来取，妇女独立总是以极高代价获得。因而可以推测出这一事实阐明是日本妇女社会地位很低。4.[B]推理判断题。文章提到了葬礼反抗开始是由于妇女们对日本在提供更多性别平等方面缓慢步伐感到不满(ThefuneraryrevoltcomesaswomenhereannoyatJapan'sslowpaceinprovidinggreaterequalitybetweenthesexes)；并说到在日本复杂葬礼习俗下，离婚或是未结婚妇女老式上在大多数坟场是不受欢迎(UnderJapan'scomplexburialcustoms，divorcedorunmarriedwomenweretraditionallyunwelcomeinmostgraveyards)；还说到单独埋葬已经悄然成为日本发展最快社会潮流(thepushforseparateburialsisquietlybecomingoneofthecountry'sfastestgrowingsocialtrends)，但文章没有提到妇女们把离婚作为争取胜利手段。5.[B]词汇猜测题。问“ignite”在文章中意思。文章说：诸多妇女举JunkoMastubara这位妇女问题知名作家为例，她“ignite”按性别单独埋葬趋势。接着又讲到她于三年前建立了一种有大概600名妇女构成社团，筹划在Chofu西郊一块普通坟场旁共同争取一块坟场，因此“ignite”是“点燃，激起”意思。Passage4

Oftencalledtheintellectualleaderoftheanimal-rightsmovement，Regan"istheforemostphilosopherinthiscountryinthefieldofthemoralstatusofnon-rationalanimals"，saysBobBryan，formerchairmanoftheN.C.StatePhilosophyandReligionDepartment.ReganhaslecturedfromStockholmtoMelbourneabouttheimportanceofrecognizinganimalsaspartoftheevolvingfieldofethics.Hisbooks，TheCaseforAnimalRightsandInDefenseofAnimalRights，arewidelyacknowledgedashavingcementedtherootsofthemodemanimal-rightsmovementinacademia.

Tobesure，vegetarianismdatesbacktoPlatoandPlutarch.AndinAmerica，thefirstcrueltybustshappenedinthelate19thcenturyinNewYork.Butsocietyviewedanimalslargelyasproperties，untilReganandahandfulofotherphilosopherspushedanimal-rightsissuesintotheacademicmainstream.Indeed，thisacademicfocushasdramaticallyalteredhowAmericansapproachtheethicsofhusbandry，someobserverssay.Once-radicalideashavebeenfirmlywovenintosociety.

Reganenvisionsatypeof"billofrights"foranimals，includingtheabandonmentofpetownership，eliminationofameat-baseddiet，andnewstandardsforbiomedicalresearchonanimals.Essentially，hewantstoestablishanewkindofsolidaritywithanimals，andstopanimalhusbandryaltogether."Inadditiontothevisibleachievementsandchanges，there'sbeenwhatImightcallaninvisiblerevolutiontakingplace，andthatrevolutionistheseriousnesswithwhichtheissueofanimalrightsistakenintheacademyandinhighereducation,"Regansays.

ButwithReganplanningtoretireinDecember，agrowingnumberoffarmers，doctors，andothersarequestioningthesustainabilityofhisideas.Increasingly，Americanswhofeeltheirrightshavebecomesecondarytoanimals'rightsarespeakingoutagainstawaveofarsonattacksonfarmersandpiesthrowninthefacesofresearchers.Radicalgroups，withsometimes-violenttactics，havebeenaccusedofscaringfarmersawayfromspeakingupfortraditionalagrarianvalues.Indeed，tensionsareonlyrisingbetweenanimal-rightsactivistsandgroupsthathavetraditionallyusedthelandwithaneyetowardanimals'overallwelfare，nottheir"right"tobehappyortolivelonglives.

ThecontroversyaroundReganisheightenedbythefactthathe'snopacifist.Hesayshebelievesit'sOKtobreakthelawforagreaterpurpose.Hecallsitthe"greater-evildoctrine"，theideathatthere'smoralhierarchytocrime."Ithinkthatyoucanwinincourt，andthat'swhatItellpeople,"Regansays."Idon'tbelievethatyoushouldrunandhide."Theshiftinthelevelofrespecthasbeen"seismic"，hesays."Contrarytowhatalotofpeoplethink，therereallyhasbeenarecognitionthattherearesomethingsthathumanbeingsshouldnotbepermittedtodotoanimals.Wherethehumanhearthasgrownisintherecognitionofwhatistobeprohibited."Yuky1.Reganiscalledtheintellectualleaderoftheanimal-rightsmovementbecauseA

heisaphilosopherinthefieldofanimal-rightsprotection.B

hehelpstomakeanimal-rightsmovementanacademicsubject.C

hehaswrittenmanybooksonhowtoprotectanimalrights.D

heprovesthatanimalsocietieshavetheirmoralstandardsashumansocietiesdo.2.

AllofthefollowingarementionedasRegan'sconceptsofanimalrightsmovementEXCEPTA

animalshavesomebasicrightslikepeople.B

peopleshouldreassesstheirrelationshiptoanimals.C

animalsshouldnotbetakentobepropertiestopeople.D

thewaymoralityistaughtintheacademiccircleshouldbechanged.3.

Whatisthe"invisiblerevolution"mentionedinthethirdparagraph?A

Academiabeginstotakeanimal-rightsmovementseriouslyB

Violenceshouldsometimesbeusedtoprotectanimalrights.C

Anattempthasbeenmadetostopanimalhusbandryaltogether.D

Thebillofrightsforanimalshasbeenwrittenintothelaw.4.

WelearnfromthepassagethatReganA

isaprofessorattheUniversityofMelbourne.B

consentstotheemploymentofviolenceinanimalprotection.C

isavegetarianwhoisfairlyfamiliarwithPlato'sphilosophy.D

isthefirstmanwhoisfullyconvincedthatanimalshaverights.5.

ReganobviouslybelievesthattheprospectofanimalrightsmovementisA

gloomy.B

bright.C

uncertain.D

doomed.Passage4BDABB1答案:B[设题处]因果处设题[解析]文中第一段提到，Regan经常被称作动物保护运动知识领袖，依照Bryan说法，在为非理性动物确立道德地位方面，Regan是20世纪哲学先驱。她处处游说，阐述将动物保护作为一种新兴道德领域。她书被广泛以为给当代动物保护运动奠定了学术基本，由此可知答案为[B]。2.答案:D[设题处]观点处设题[解析]依照文章第三段第一句“在Regan看来，应当制定一种动物“权利法案”，涉及放弃养宠物做法、取消以肉类为主用餐方式、为使用动物进行生物医学研究确立新原则”，因此排除[A]和[C]；由第三段第二句“从主线上说，Regan规定与动物确立一种新牢固关系，彻底停止畜牧业”可知[B]错误，故答案为[D]。3.答案:A[设题处]引言处设题[解析]定位于文章第三段最后一句“她说，除了看得见成就和变化外，一场革命正在发生，我称之为看不见革命，即学术界和高等教诲界对待动物权利问题非常认真”，由此可知答案为[A]。4.答案:B[设题处]事实处设题[解析]最后一段前两句提到，环绕Regan争议由于下列一种事实而变得更激烈：她不是一种和平运动者，她以为为了实现更大目(指动物保护)犯法也没关系，由此可知答案为[B]。依照第一段第一、二句可排除[A]；又由第二段第一、二句可排除[C]；此外，依照第一段可知[D]错误。5.答案:B[设题处]观点处设题[解析]定位于最后一段后半某些，在Regan看来，(人们对于动物)尊重限度已发生了主线变化，与诸多人看法不同，人们已经真正结识到：她们对动物已经不能为所欲为了，人们思想变化体当前她们懂得哪些事不能做，由此可知答案为[B]。Passage5Foralongtime，researchershavetriedtonaildownjustwhatshapesus--orwhat，atleast，shapesusmost.Andovertheyears，they'vehadalotofexclamationmoments.Firstitwasourparents，particularlyourmothers.Thenitwasourgenes.Nextitwasourpeers，whoshowuplastbutholdgreatsway.Andallthoseideasweregoodones--butonlyasfarastheywent.Somewhere，therewasasortoftemperamentaldarkmatterexertinganinvisiblegravitationalpullofitsown.Moreandmore，scientistsareconcludingthatthisunexplainedforceisoursiblings.Fromthetimeweareborn，ourbrothersandsistersareourcollaboratorsandco-conspirators，ourrolemodelsandcautionarytales.Theyareourscolds，protectors，goads，tormentors，playmates，counselors，sourcesofenvy，objectsofpride.Theyteachushowtoresolveconflictsandhownotto；howtoconductfriendshipsandwhentowalkawayfromthem.Sistersteachbrothersaboutthemysteriesofgirls；brothersteachsistersaboutthepuzzleofboys.Ourspousesarrivecomparativelylateinourlives；ourparentseventuallyleaveus.Oursiblingsmaybetheonlypeoplewe'lleverknowwhotrulyqualifyaspartnersforlife.

"Siblings,"saysfamilysociologistKatherineConger，"arewithusforthewholejourney."Withinthescientificcommunity，siblingshavenotbeenwhollyignored，butresearchhasbeenlimitedmostlytodiscussionsofbirthorder．Oldersibsweresaidtobestrivers；youngeronesrebels；middlekidsthelostsouls．Thestereotypeswerebroad，ifnotentirelyuntrue，andtherethediscussionmostlyended．Butallthat’schangin9．AtresearchcentersintheU．S．，Canada，Europeandelsewhere，investigatorsarelaunchingawealthofnewstudiesintothesiblingdynamic，lookingatwaysbrothersandsisterssteeroneanotherint0—orawayfrom--riskybehaviorhowtheyformaprotectivebuffer(减震器)againstfamilyupheaval；howtheyeducateoneanotherabouttheoppositesex；howallsiblingscompeteforfamilyrecognitionandcometoterms--orblows--oversuchimpossiblychargedissuesasparentalfavoritism．Fromthatresearch，scientistsaregainingintriguinginsightsintothepeoplewebecomeasadults．Doesthemanagerwhorunsaharmoniousofficecallonthepeacemakingskillslearnedinthefamilyplayroom?DoesthestudentstrugglingwithaprofessorwhoplaysfavoritessummonupthecopingskillsacquiredfromdealingwithasisterwhowasDaddy’sgirl?Dohusbandsandwivesbenefitfromtheinter—gendernegotiationstheywagedwhentheirmostimportantpartnersweretheirsistersandbrothers?Allthatisunderinvestigation．“Siblingshavejustbeenofftheradarscreenuntilnow，”saysConger．Buttodayseriousworkisrevealingexactlyhowourbrothersandsistersinfluenceus．Yuky1．Thebeginningofthepassageindicatesthat

A．researchershavefoundoutwhatshapesus．

B．ourpeeristhelastfactorinfluencingus．

C．whatresearchersfoundcontributesinalimitedway．

D．whatresearchersfoundisgoodandtrustworthy．2．Inthethirdparagraph，theauthortriestodemonstratethatoursiblings

A．offerusmuchusefulinformation．

B．havegreatinfluencesonus．

C．aretheoneswholoveuscompletely．

D．accompanyusthroughoutourlife．3．Inscientificcommunity，previousresearchonsiblings

A．mostlyfocusedonthesiblingorder．

B．studiedthecharacteristicsofthekids．

C．studiedthematterinabroadsense．

D．wasn’tbelievableandthediscussionended．4．WhichofthefollowingisNOTsiblingdynamic?

A．Abrothercautionshissisteragainstgettingintotrouble．

B．Sistershavequarrelswitheachother．

C．Siblingscompeteforparentalfavoritism．

D．Olderkidsinafamilytryhardtoachieve．5．Fromthelastparagraph，wecanconcludethat

A．managerslearnedmanagementskillsfromthefamilyplayroom．

B．spouseslearnednegotiationskillsfromtheirsiblings．

C．studiesonsiblingsareundertheway。

D．studiesonsiblingsneedthoroughinvestigation．Passage5CBADC1．[C]细节判断题。第1段指出了研究人员研究什么塑造咱们，并获得了某些成果，最后一句“但这仅仅是就当前研究而言”表白当前研究局限性，C表达了这个含义。由第1段可知，研究者还在摸索究竟是什么塑造了咱们，故A错误；该段倒数第2句提到虽然咱们同龄人浮现得最晚，但是影响却最深刻，故B也错了；trustworthy在文中没有根据，故排除D。2．[B]段落大意题。第3段讲到了兄弟姐妹在咱们生活中扮演各种角色对咱们生命影响，故选B；A“提供应咱们有用信息”属段落细节，不是作者在第3段想要阐明问题；C“完完全全爱咱们人”过于绝对且在文中找不到相应信息点；D“随着咱们毕生”只是影响咱们一种方面，故D也可排除。3．[A]细节判断题。依照scientificcommunity定位到第4段首句。由该句but转折处可知答案应为A。第2句提到年长、年小、中间孩子共有定式，并没有对她们个性特性进行研究，故B排除；最后一句说这种定式很普遍，但并不意味着从广义上来研究兄弟姐妹对咱们影响，故C排除；D在文中没有根据。4．[D]细节判断题。依照siblingdynamic定位到第5段。本题可用排除法。A、B相应steerawayfromriskybehavior；C在该段提及，也属siblingdynamic。D在第4段有提到，但不属于siblingdynamic。5．[C]细节推断题。末段倒数第3旬提到Allthatisunderinvestigation，C与此同义，为对的答案。A、B只是该段中个别例证；最后一句提到要进一步研究兄弟姐妹是如何影响咱们，D项表述与原文有出入。Passage6

Bythe1980s，accordingtointernationalbutadmittedlyinconsistentdefinitionsofliteracy，aboutsevenoutoftenadultsintheworldwereconsideredliterate.Theincreaseinliteracyfromancienttimestothepresenthasnotbeenastoryofunbrokenprogress.Theabilityofpeoplewithinagivensocietytoreadandwritehasbeeninfluencedbyanumberoffactors，includingeconomicwell-being，theavailabilityofmaterialtoread，theamountofeducationavailable，andthebasicmatteroftheusefulnessofreading.

Ofthesefactors，usefulnesshasprobablybeenthemostdecisive.Inancientsocieties，aspeoplesettledintostablepatternsofagricultureandtrade，itbecameusefulforsomeofthemtoreadandwriteinordertokeeprecords，totransactbusiness，andtomeasureamountsofland，animals，goods，materials，andproduce.Sincealleconomicaspectsofasocietywerecloselytiedtotheoperationsofgovernment，literarybecameusefulandevennecessaryforthekeepingofrecordsbyofficials.TheresponsibilitiesofcitizenshipledtoafairlyhighlevelofliteracyinancientGreeceandRome，butinadditiontothat，therealsogrewanappreciationofgoodliterature，poetry，drama，history，andphilosophy.

DuringtheearlyMiddleAges，withthegeneralbreakdownofsocietyinEuropeandthedecreaseofcommerce，literarybecamelargelyconfinedtothechurch.ButinthelateMiddleAges，intheperiodoftheRenaissance，thegreatexpansionofcommerceandbankingledtoarevivalinliteracyforthesamereasonthathadcausedittoincreaseintheancientworldusefulness.

Withtheinventionoftheprintingpressandinexpensivepaperlateinthe15thcenturytherewasforthefirsttimeagreatavailabilityofreadingmaterialforamuchgreaternumberofpeople.Religiousreformerswereamongthefirsttoutilizethesituation，quicklygettingtranslationsoftheBibleandeducationaltractsandbookletsintothehandsofmanypeople.

Thebroadenedreligiousenlighte