英语阅读练习4级

ThreeEnglishdictionariespublishedrecentlyalllayclaimtopossessinga“newnfeature.TheBBCEnglish

Dictionarycontainsbackgroundinformationon1,000peopleandplacesprominentinthenewssince1988;

theOxfordAdvancedLearner'sDictionary:EncyclopedicEditionistheOALDplusencyclopedicentries;the

LongmanDictionaryofEnglishLanguageandCultureistheLDOCEplusculturalinformation.

Thekeyfactisthatallthreedictionariescanbeseentohaveadistinctly“cultural"aswellaslanguage

learningcontent.Thatbeingsaid,thewayinwhichtheyapproachtheculturalelementisnotidentical,

makingdirectcomparisonsbetweenthethreedifficult.

Whilethereissomecommongroundbetweentheencyclopedic/culturalentriesfortheOxfordand

Longmandictionaries,thereisacleardifference.Oxfordlaysclaimtobeingencyclopediconcontent

whereasLongmandistinctlyconcentratesonthelanguageandcultureoftheEnglishspeakingworld.The

OxforddictionarycanthereforestandmorevigorousscrutinyforculturalbiasthantheLongmanpublication

becausethelatterdoesnothesitateaboutviewingtherestoftheworldfromtheculturalperspectivesofthe

Englishspeakingworld.TheculturalobjectivesoftheBBCdictionaryareinturnmoredistinctstill.Based

onananalysisofover70millionwordsrecordedfromtheBBCWorldServiceandNationalPublicRadioof

Washingtonoveraperiodoffouryears,their1,000briefencyclopedicentriesarebasedonpeopleand

placesthathavefeaturedinthenewsrecently.Theintendedusertheyhaveinmindisaregularlistenerto

theWorldServicewhowillhaveareasonablestandardofEnglishandadevelopedskillinlistening

comprehension.

Inreality,though,theBBCdictionarywillbepurchasedbyafarwiderrangeoflanguagelearners,as

willtheothertwodictionaries.Wewillbefacedwithasituationwheremanyoftheusersofthesedictionaries

willattheveryleasthavedistinctsocioculturalperspectivesandmayhaveworldviewswhicharetotally

opposedandevenhostiletothoseoftheWest.Advancedlearnersformthiskindofbackgroundwillnotonly

evaluateadictionaryonhowuserfriendlyitisbutwillalsohavedefiniteviewsaboutthescopeand

appropriatenessofthevarioussocioculturalentries.

1.Whatfeaturesetsapartthethreedictionariesdiscussedinthepassagefromtraditionalones?

A.Thecombinationoftwodictionariesintoone.

B.Thenewapproachtodefiningwords.

C.Theinclusionofculturalcontent.

D.Theincreaseinthenumberofentries.

2.TheLongmandictionaryismorelikelytobecriticizedforculturalprejudicebecause.

A.itsscopeofculturalentriesgoesbeyondthecultureoftheEnglishspeakingworld

B.itpayslittleattentiontotheculturalcontentofthenonEnglishspeakingcountries

C.itviewstheworldpurelyfromthestandpointoftheEnglishspeakingpeople

D.itfailstodistinguishlanguagefromcultureinitsencyclopedicentries

3.Itisimpliedinthelastparagraphthat,inapproachingsocioculturalcontentinadictionary,social

thoughtshouldbegivento.

A.thelanguagelevelsofitsusers

B.thenumberofitsprospectivepurchasers

C.thedifferenttastesofitsusers

D.thevariousculturalbackgroundsofitsusers

1.C）根据文章第一段可知新出版的这三本字典都有一个新的特征（既不同于以往的特

征）那就是，根据第二段第一句"Thekeyfactisthatallthreedictionariescanbeseentohavea

distinctly“cultural”aswellaslanguagelearningcontenf,除了语言学习的内容外又增加了有关“文

化方面”的内容，因此选项C为正确答案。选项A、B文章未涉及，选项D不符合题意。

2.C）根据文章第三段第四至六行'TheOxforddictionarycanthereforestandmorevigorous

scrutinyforculturalbiasthantheLongmanpublicationbecausethelatterdoesnothesitateaboutviewingthe

restoftheworldfromtheculturalperspectivesoftheEnglishspeakingworld.”可知，作者对牛津和

朗曼字典进行了比较。作者认为相对于朗曼字典，牛津字典更能经得起文化偏见方面的推

敲，这是因为朗曼字典只是从英语国家的文化观点去审视其他国家的文化，这正好符合选

项C的内容。选项A、B、D都不符合题意。

3.D）根据文章最后一段可知，这三本字典会有各种各样的读者来购买，这些读者的社

会文化背景也会是各种各样的，他们中一定有些人生活在世界观与之相反甚至敌视的文化

背景下。这些高级学习者不仅可以根据这本字典是否合用来评价它，而且对各种社会文化

词条的内容和准确性都有自己的看法，也就是说字典的编纂者要考虑到这些。选项D符合

以上分析的内容。

About5,000yearsago,theEgyptiansandotherpeopleintheNearEastbegantousepicturesaskindof

writing.Theydrewsimplepicturesorsignstorepresentthingsandideas,andalsotorepresentthesounds

oftheirlanguage.Thesignsthesepeopleusedbecameakindofalphabet.

TheEgyptiansusedtorecordinformationandtotellstoriesbyputtingpicturewritingandpictures

together.Whenanimportantpersondied,scenesandstoriesfromhislifewerepaintedandcarvedonthe

wallsoftheplacewherehewasburied.Someofthesepicturesarelikemoderncomicstripstories.Ithas

beensaidthatEgyptisthehomeofthecomicstrip.But,fortheEgyptians,picturesstillhadmagicpower.So

theydidnottrytomaketheirwayofwritingsimple.Theordinarypeoplecouldnotunderstandit.

Bytheyear1,000BC,peoplewholivedintheareaaroundtheMediterraneanSeahaddevelopeda

simplersystemofwriting.Thesignstheyusedwereveryeasytowrite,andtherewerefewerofthemthanin

theEgyptiansystem.Thiswasbecauseeachsign,orletter,representedonlyonesoundintheirlanguage.

TheGreeksdevelopedthissystemandformedthelettersoftheGreekalphabet.TheRomanscopiedthe

idea,andtheRomanalphabetisnowusedallovertheworld.

Thesedays,wecanwritedownastory,orrecordinformation,withoutusingpictures.Butwestillneed

picturesofallkinds:drawing,photographs,signsanddiagrams.Wefindthemeverywhere:inbooksand

newspapers,inthestreet,andonthewallsoftheplaceswhereweliveandwork.Pictureshelpusto

understandandrememberthingsmoreeasily,andtheycanmakeastorymuchmoreinteresting.

1.PicturesofanimalswerepaintedonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpainbecause.

A.thehunterswantedtoseethepictures

B.thepainterswereanimallovers

C.thepainterswantedtoshowimagination

D.thepictureswerethoughttobehelpful

2.TheGreekalphabetwassimplerthantheEgyptiansystemforallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPT

that.

A.theformerwaseasytowrite

B.therewerefewersignsintheformer

C.theformerwaseasytopronounce

D.eachsignstoodforonlyonesound

3.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE?

A.TheEgyptiansignslaterbecameaparticularalphabet.

B.TheEgyptianslikedtowritecomicstripstories.

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“Perhapsthepaintersthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemto

catchtheseanimals.”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。

PARTHTREECLOSE

Decidewhichofthechoicesgivenbelowwouldbestcompletethepassageifinsertedinthe

correspondingblanks.Markthebestchoice.foreachblankonAnswerSheetTwo.

Mostworthwhilecareersrequiresomekindofspecializedtraining.Ideally,therefore,thechoiceofa(n)

(31)_shouldbemadeevenbeforethechoiceofacurriculuminhighschool.Actually,(32)_most

personsmakeseveraljobchoicesduringtheirworkinglive,partly(33)_economicandindustrial

changesandpartlytoimprovetheirpositions.The"oneperfectjob"doesnotexist.Youngpeopleshould

therefore(34)_intoabroadflexibletrainingprogramthatwill(35)____themforafieldof(36)_rather

thanforasinglejob.

Unfortunatelymanyyoungpeople,knowing(37)_abouttheoccupationalworldorthemselvesforthat

matter,choosetheirlifework(38)_ahit-or-missbasis.Some(39)____fromjobtojob.Others(40)____to

workinwhichtheyareunhappyand(41)_theyarenotfitted.

Onecommonmistakeischoosinganoccupationfor(42)_realorimaginedprestige.Toomany

high-schoolstudents-ortheirparentsforthem_choosetheprofessionalfield,(43)___boththerelatively

smallproportionofworkvacanciesintheprofessionsandtheextremelyhigheducationalandpersonal(44)

____.Theimaginedorrealprestigeofaprofessionora"white-collar"jobis(45)_goodreasonfor

choosingitasalife'swore(46)theseoccupationsarenotalwayswellpaid.Sincealargeproportionof

jobsareinmechanicalandmanualwork,themajorityofyoungpeopleshouldgiveserious(47)____tothese

fields.

Beforemakingan"occupationalchoice,apersonshouldhaveageneralideaofwhathewants(48)_

lifeandhowhardheiswillingtoworktogetit.Somepeopledesiresocialprestige,othersintellectual

satisfaction.Somewantsecurity;othersarewillingtotake(49)_forfinancialgain.Eachoccupational

choicehasitsdemandsaswellasits(50)_.

31.A.academy

B.occupation

C.guidance

D.identification

32.A.therefore

B.so

C.though

D.however

33.A.incaseof

B.for

C.becauseof

D.to

34.A.enter

B.participate

C.involve

D.join

35.A.leave

B.fit

C.require

D.fix

36.A.careers

B.professions

C.prospects

D.work

37.A.few

B.little

C.much

D.less

38.A.with

B.by

C.on

D.at

39.A.flow

B.wander

C.jump

D.drift

40.A.stick

B.turn

C.adhere

D.subscribe

41.A.towhich

B.that

C.forwhich

D.what

42.A.its

B.their

C./

D.the

43.A.tohavedisregarded

B.todisregard

C.disregarding

D.disregard

44.A.preparations

B.requirements

C.specifications

D.preferences

45.A.such

B.no

C.very

D.so

46.A.Moreover

B.Otherwise

C.Nevertheless

D.Still

47.A.priority

B.regulation

C.assessment

D.consideration

48.A.outof

B.towards

C.for

D.fromover

49.A.advantage

B.patience

C.risks

D.turns

50.A.awards

B.rewards

C.prizes

D.bonuses

31.⑻【解析】首句指出“大多数重要的职业都需要一定的专业培训”，故此空应指对“职业”

的选择，选B。

32.[D]【解析】根据上下文出现的两个对应副词Ideally（理想地），ActuaHy（实际上）可知两句

存在对立关系.含有转折意义，故选Do

33.[C]【解析】前半句陈述现象，后半句分析原因，故选C。

34.[A]【解析】根据句意“因此，年轻人应该……广泛灵活的培训计划”,可知enterinto”加入,

参加”符合句意。

35.[B]【解析】由后文的“一个领域的工作”和“某项工作”，可知年轻人参加培训的目的是

为了“适应”工作.因此B为答案。fitsb.for意为“使适合”。

36.⑼【解析】所填的词应与job对等呼应，故选D。

37.[B]【解析】由Unfortunately可知空格处应填表否定意义的词，knowlittleabout表示"对……

知之甚少”，

38.[C]【解析】OHabasis"在……的基础上”。

39.Q］【解析】Some…Others…描述了两种现象，根据上下文和一般常识推测此处应表示“不

断跳槽”的意思。driftfromjobtojob表示“从一个工作跳到另一个工作”。

4O.［A］【解析】others…则为另一种现象，应与drift相反，即死抱着不喜欢的工作，故选A。

41.［C］【解析】and提示空格处要填的词应与inwhich对等.befittedfor为固定搭配，which

引导从句，介词提前.故选C。

42.［A］【解析】空格处须填入的代词指代的是anoccupation故用its。

43.［C］【解析】本空要填disregard的某种形式.空格前半句话已有主语和谓语，又由于该

句主语是动词disregard的逻辑主语.表主动.故用现在分词.选C»

44.回【解析】专业性职业领域对教育和个人能力要求相对较高，requirements"要求”符合

旬意。

45.⑻【解析】前两句讲选择职业时的常见错误，此处句意顺承上文，应填入否定词，

表示有声誉的职业和白领职业并不能成为择业的原因，故8正确。

46JA］【解析】空格后面一句话继续对这样的选择予以否定.表达的是一种递进关系，有

逗号隔开，选A。

47.［D］【解析】空格所在的句子与前面的句子构成因果关系(since).故空格处填入的词大意

思应为“考虑，思考”，选D。

48.［A］【解析】由hewants与life可知，是“从生活中想得到的”之义.故选A。

能不能表达“从生活中想得到”的意思，D没有这个说法

49.［C］【解析】由•些人希望有安全感和另一些人想得到金钱上的回报，可推知填入的

词应与security“安全"相反，故选C。takerisks"冒风险"。

50.［B］【解析】这里讲到的是“职业选择”的两个方面，填入的词应与

demands对等.故选B。

四、

InthedaysimmediatelyfollowinghurricaneAndrew"sdeadlyvisittoSouth

Florida,AllstateInsurancehastilydispatchedmorethan2,000extraclaim

adjusterstothedevastatedareatoassistthe200stationedthere.Manyofthe

reservesarrivedinconvoysofmotorhomes.Othersflewinfromasfarawayas

AlaskaandCalifornia.Sincethestormhadknockedouttelephonelines,Allstate

rushedtosetupitsowncommunicationssystem.Allatateexpectstopayout

1.2billiontocovermorethan121,000damageclaimsasaresultofAndrew.

Alltold,U.S.propertyandcasualtyinsurershavebeenhitwithmorethan8

billioninAndrew-relatedclaims,makingthehurricanethemostcostlysingle

calamitytostriketheindustrysincetheSanFranciscoearthquakeandfirein

1906(cost:6billion,afterinflation).Withclaimscontinuingtopourin,Andrew

threatenstotakeapainfultollonthealreadybatteredproperty-casualty

insuranceindustryandits100millionpolicy-holders.Thefinalbill,analysts

predict,islikelytotop10billion.Whilemostwell-capitalizedinsurersare

expectedtoweatherthestorm,lessanchoredfirmsareindangerofbeing

blownaway,leavingU.S.consumersstuckwiththetab.SaysSeanMooney,

seniorresearcherattheInsuranceInformationInstitute:H"ltwilltakeyears

beforetheindustrydigsitselfoutfromthewreckageleftbyAndrew.Some

[companies]willbeburiedbyit."”

HurricaneAndrewisthelatestinastringofmishapstoplaguetheAmerican

insuranceindustrythisyear.InAprilanoverflowingChicagoRiverfloodedthe

city*'sdowntowndistrict,costinginsurers300millioninclaims.Amonthlater,

LosAngeleswasrockedbytheworstcivilianriotintheU.S.sincetheCivilWar.

Theinsurancetoll:1billion.ThencameaseriesofmajorhailstormsinTexas,

FloridaanKansas.Theycostinsurersacombined700million.Andtwoweeks

afterAndrew,anotherlethalhurricane,Iniki,smashedintoHawaii,causing1.4

billionindamages.Inall,propertyandcasualtyinsurershavepaidoutarecord

13billioninclaimssofarthisyear,farsurpassingtheprevioushighof7.6billion

in1989,theyearofHurricaneHugoandCalifornia"sBayAreaearthquake.Just

asinthatyear,whenthosecatastropheswerefollowedbysubstantialincreases

ininsurancepremiums,insurersarealreadylobbyingforraterelief.

16.Accordingtothepassage,""AllstateInsurance""mostlikelyrefersto

A.oneofthepropertyandcasualtyinsurersintheU.S.

B.theonlyinsurancecompanyresponsibleforthedamageclaimsby

Andrew

C.theinsuranceindustryasawhole

D.thebiggestinsurancecompanyintheU.S.

17.Asisstatedinthesecondparagraph,theresultofHurricaneAndrewis

likelyto.

A.leadtoinflationthroughouttheU.S.

B.makethelargestinsurerssufferthemost

C.puttheindustryinSoughFloridaoutofaction

D.causeinsurerswithinsufficientfundstogobankrupt

18.Usingcontextclues,wemayinferthatstuckwiththetab""most

probablymeans____.

A.”"caughtinthehurricane"'1

B.”"exposedtonaturaldisasters""

C.""trappedinfinancialdifficulties"”

D.''"extremelyvulnerabletofurtherdamages"

19.Theendofthepassageimpliesthat,tocompensatefortheirhugeloss,

theinsurerswill____.

A.resorttoaverybigincreaseininsurancepremiums

B.askforsubsidiesfromthefederalgovernment

C.reducetheirinsurancecoveragethereafter

D.requireahigherinterestratefromthebank

20.Themainpurposeofthepassageisto.

A.showtheseveredamagesandheavylossescausedbyHurricaneAndrew

B.suggestthatU.S.insurersarevirtuallyunabletocoverthedamage

claimsanymore

C.tellaboutthedifficultsituationfacedbytheinsurersthroughouttheU.S.

D.provethatdisasterstendtocauseeverworseningdevastationastime

goeson

答案：ADCAC

五、

Theconceptof"environment"iscertainlydifficultandmayevenbe

misunderstood;butwehavenohandysubstitute.Itseemssimpleenoughto

distinguishbetweentheorganismandthesurroundingenvironmentandto

separateforcesactingonanorganismintothosethatareinternalandbiological

andthosethatareexternalandenvironmental.Butinactualpracticethis

systembreaksdowninmanyways,becausetheorganismandtheenvironment

areconstantlyinteractingsothattheenvironmentismodifiedbytheorganism

andviceversa（反之亦然）.

Inthecaseofman,thedifficultieswiththeenvironmentalconceptareeven

morecomplicatedbecausewehavetodealwithmanasananimalandwithman

asabearer（持有者）ofculture.Ifwelookatmanasananimalandtrytoanalyze

theenvironmentalforcesthatareactingontheorganism,wefindthatwehave

todealwiththingslikeclimate,soil,plants,andsuch-likefactorscommontoall

biologicalsituations;butwealsofind,always,veryimportantenvironmental

influencesthatwecanonlyclassas"cultural",whichmodifythephysicaland

biologicalfactors.butman,asweknowhim,isalwaysabearerofculture;and

ifwestudyhumanculture,wefindthatit,inturn,ismodifiedbythe

environmentalfactorsofclimateandgeography.Wethuseasilygetintogreat

difficultiesfromthenecessityofviewingculture,atonemoment,asapartofthe

manand,atanothermoment,asapartoftheenvironment.

11.Whichofthefollowingwordscanbestdescribethepopular

understandingof"environment"astheauthorseesit?

[A]Elaborate.

[B]Prejudiced.

[C]Faultless.

[D]Oversimplifid.

12.Accordingtotheauthortheconceptof"environment"isdifficultto

explainbecause.

[A]itdoesn'tdistinguishbetweentheorganismandtheenvironment

[B]itinvolvesbothinternalandexternalforces

[C]theorganismandtheenvironmentinfluenceeachother

[D]therelationshipbetweentheorganismandtheenvironmentisunclear

13.Inanalyzingtheenvironmentalforcesactingonmantheauthor

suggeststhat.

[A]biologicalfactorsarelessimportanttotheorganismthancultural

factorstoman

[B]manandotheranimalsaremodifiedequallybytheenvironmental

forces

[C]manismodifiedbytheculturalenvironmentaswellasbythenatural

environment

[D]physicalandbiologicalfactorsexertmoreinfluenceonotherorganisms

thanonman

14.Asforculture,theauthorpointsoutthat.

[A]itdevelopssidebysidewithenvironmentalfactors

[B]itisalsoaffectedbyenvironmentalfactors

[C]itisgenerallyacceptedtobepartoftheenvironment

[D]itisaproductofman'sbiologicalinstincts

15.Inthispassage,theauthorisprimarilyconcernedwith.

[A]theinterpretationoftheterm“environment”

[B]thediscussiononorganismsandbiologicalenvironment

[C]thecomparisonbetweeninternalandexternalfactorsinfluencingman

[D]theevaluationofman'sinfluenceonculture

六、

PartIIReadingComprehension

(35minutes)

Directions:Thereare4passagesinthispart.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinished

statements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebest

choiceandmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecenter.

PassageOne

Questions21to25arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Dogsaresocialanimalsandwithoutpropertraining,theywillbehavelikewildanimals.Theywillsoilyour

house,destroyyourbelongings,barkexcessively,fightotherdogsandevenbiteyou.Nearlyallbehavior

problemsareperfectlynormaldogactivitiesthatoccuratthewrongtimeorplaceoraredirectedatthe

wrongthing.Thekeytopreventingortreatingbehaviorproblemsislearningtoteachthedogtoredirectits

normalbehaviortooutletsthatareacceptableinthedomesticsetting.

Oneofthebestthingsyoucandoforyourdogandyourselfistoobediencetrainit.Obediencetraining

doesnlsolveallbehaviorproblems,butitisthefoundationforsolvingjustaboutanyproblem.Trainingpens

upalineofcommunicationbetweenyouandyourdog.Effectivecommunicationisnecessarytoinstructyour

dogaboutwhatyouwantittodo.

Trainingisalsoaneasywaytoestablishthesocialrankorder.Whenyourdogobeysasimplerequestof

"comehere,sit,nitisshowingobedienceandrespectforyou.Itisnotnecessarytoestablishyourselfastop

dogorleaderofthepack(群)byusingextrememeasure.Youcanteachyourdogitssubordinate(从属的)

rolebyteachingittoshowsubmissiontoyou.Mostdogsloveperformingtricksforyoutopleasantlyaccept

thatyouareincharge.

Trainingshouldbefunandrewardingforyouandyourdog.Itcanenrichyourrelationshipandmakeliving

togethermoreenjoyable.Awell-traineddogismoreconfidentandcanmoresafelybeallowedagreater

amountoffreedomthananuntrainedanimal.

21.Behaviorproblemsofdogsarebelieveto.

A)bejustpartoftheirnature

B)worseninmodernsociety

C)occurwhentheygowild

D)presentathreattothecommunity

22.Theprimarypurposeofobediencetrainingisto.

A)teachthedogtoperformclevertricks

B)makethedogawareofitsowner'sauthority

C)providethedogwithoutletsforitswildbehavior

D)enablethedogtoregainitsnormalbehavior

23.Effectivecommunicationbetweenadoganditsowneris.

A)essentialtosolvingthedog!sbehaviorproblems

B)thefoundationfordogstoperformtasks

C)agoodwaytoteachthedognewtricks

D)anextrememeasureinobediencetraining

24.Whydopetdogsloveperformingtricksfortheirmasters?

A)Toavoidbeingpunished.

B)Toshowtheiraffectionfortheirmasters.

C)Towinleadershipofthedogpack.

D)Toshowtheirwillingnesstoobey.

25.Whenadoghasreceivedeffectiveobediencetraining,itsowner.

A)cangivethedogmorerewards

B)willenjoyabetterfamilylife

C)cangivethedogmorefreedom

D)willhavemoreconfidenceinhimself

PassageTwo

Questions26to30arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Engineeringstudentsaresupposedtobeexamplesofpracticalityandrationality,butwhenitcomestomy

collegeeducationIamanidealistandafool.InhighschoolIwantedtobeanelectricalengineerand,of

course,anysensiblestudentwithmyaimswouldhavechosenacollegewithalargeengineeringdepartment,

famousreputationandlotsofgoodlabsandresearchequipment.ButthafsnotwhatIdid.

Ichosetostudyengineeringatasmallliberal-arts(文科)universitythatdoesn'tevenofferamajorin

electricalengineering.Obviously,thiswasnotapracticalchoice;Icamehereformorenoblereasons.I

wantedabroadeducationthatwouldprovidemewithflexibilityandavaluesystemtoguidemeinmycareer.

Iwantedtoopenmyeyesandexpandmyvisionbyinteractingwithpeoplewhowerenlstudyingscienceor

engineering.Myparents,teachersandotheradultspraisedmeforsuchasensiblechoice.TheytoldmeI

waswiseandmaturebeyondmy18years,andIbelievedthem.

IheadedofftocollegesureIwasgoingtohaveanadvantageoverthosestudentswhowenttobig

engineering'factories”wheretheydidn'tcareifyouhavevaluesorwereflexible.Iwasgoingtobea

completeengineer:technicalgeniusandsensitivehumanist(人文学者)allinone.

NowPmnotsosure.Somewherealongthewaymynobleidealscrashedintoreality,asallnobleideals

eventuallydo.Afterthreeyearsofstrugglingtobalancemath,physicsandengineeringcourseswith

liberal-artscourses,Ihavelearnedtherearereasonswhyfewengineeringstudentstrytoreconcile(协调)

engineeringwithliberal-artscoursesincollege.

Therealitythathasblockedmypathtobecomethetypicalsuccessfulstudentisthatengineeringandthe

liberalartssimplydonTmixaseasilyasIassumedinhighschool.Individuallytheysh叩eapersoninvery

differentways;togethertheythreatentoconfuse.Thestruggletoreconcilethetwofieldsofstudyisdifficult.

26.Theauthorchosetostudyengineeringatasmallliberal-artsuniversitybecausehe.

A)wantedtobeanexampleofpracticalityandrationality

B)intendedtobeacombinationofengineerandhumanist

C)wantedtocoordinateengineeringwithliberal-artscoursesincollege

D)intendedtobeasensiblestudentwithnobleideals

27.Accordingtotheauthor,byinteractingwithpeoplewhostudyliberalarts,engineeringstudentscan

A)balanceengineeringandtheliberalarts

B)receiveguidanceintheircareers

C)becomenobleidealists

D)broadentheirhorizons

28.Intheeyesoftheauthor,asuccessfulengineeringstudentisexpected.

A)tohaveanexcellentacademicrecord

B)tobewiseandmature

C)tobeimaginativewithavaluesystemtoguidehim

D)tobeatechnicalgeniuswithawidevision

29.Theauthor'sexperienceshowsthathewas.

A)creative

B)ambitious

C)unrealistic

D)irrational

30.Theword,ltheynintogethertheythreatentoconfuse.n(Line3,Para.5)refersto.

A)engineeringandtheliberalarts

B)realityandnobleideals

C)flexibilityandavaluesystem

D)practicalityandrationality

PassageThree

Questions31to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

PriscillaOuchida's“energy-efficient"houseturnedouttobeahorribledream.Whensheandherengineer

husbandmarriedafewyearsago,theybuilta$100,000,three-bedroomhomeinCalifornia.Tightlysealedto

preventairleaks,thehousewasequippedwithsmalldouble-paned(双层玻璃的)windowsandseveral

otherenergy-savingfeatures.Problemsbeganassoonasthecouplemovedin,however.Priscilla'seyes

burned.Herthroatwasconstantlydry.Shesufferedfrom