英语四级阅读练习+答案精讲+译文word版本.doc

英语四级阅读练习+答案精讲+译文精品文档Aldous Huxley was a most unfortunate man.When he died in 1963 he must have expired in the confident belief that the event would be given wide coverage in the press the next day.After all,his career had not been without distinction.Where he made his big mistake was in dying on the same day that John F.Kennedy was assassinated.As a result Huxley got about three column inches at the bottom of page 27. In the same way the death of Victor Farris has gone widely unnoticed because he foolishly shuffled off this mortal coil at the same time as Mr.Konstantin Chernenko.Now,as you all know,Victor Farris was the chap who invented the paper clip.The paper milk carton too.And paper clips and milk cartons will be in use long after everyone has forgotten the name of the comrade who came between Andropov and whatever this new bloke is called. The same goes for the inventor of the supermarket trolley who died in Switzerland a few months ago.Fell off his trolley,so to speak.For all I know,he may be a household name in his own canton and they are putting up a statue of home wheeling his trolley,and are going to commemorate him on one of those ever-so-tasteful Swiss postage stamps we used to collect when we were younger and wiser,but I doubt if his name will be remembered outside the borders of his small country.Personally I forgot it within minutes of reading of his decease. Not that it matters.Somehow it is hard to imagine things like paper clips and supermarket trolleys having had a named inventor.Its like discovering that at a particular moment of history a particular person invented the spoon,or the chair, or socks.One assumes that these everyday objects just happened,or evolved through natural selection. It isnt necessarily so.I read only the other day that Richard invented the handkerchief.Almost everything else was invented either by Leonardo da Vinci(scissors,bicycles,helicopters,and probably spoons,socks and the Rubik cube as well)or by Benjamin Franklin(lightning-conductor,rocking-chair,bifocals)or else by Joseph Stalin(television). Its quite possible that Leonardo or Benjamin Franklin or Stalin also invented the supermarket trolley.Certainly it has been invented more than once.Hardly was Herr Edelweiss(or whatever the Swiss chap was called)in his grave,than news came of the death of Sylvan N.Goodman at the age of 86.Sylvan also invented the supermarket trolley or,as the Los Angeles Times report calls it,the shopping cart. Be that as it may,Herr Edelweiss or Sylvan Goodman,or both,did a grand job and made supermarket shopping far less hellish than it would otherwise be.The next step will be to get the trolleys out of the shops and into the streets.You could put an engine in the front and call it a car.Or give it big wheels and a canopy and call it a pram.The possibilities are endless. 1.It can be inferred from the passage that Herr Edelweiss. A.was remembered by the people all over world B.made a lot of money from his invention C.was not very famous D.was a business partner of Sylvan Goodman 2.The author writes this article in order to illustrate that. A.the names of the people who invented the most useful things are usually forgotten B.everyday objects are invented and evolve through natural selection C.many everyday objects are invented more than once D.many famous people have passed away without being noticed 3.Who probably invented spoons? A.Leonardo da Vinci. B.Benjamin Franklin. C.Victor Farris. D.A person unknown. 4. By stating that Leonardo da Vinci invented helicopters, the author means . A. he really did it B. he is a military scientist C. he painted in one of his masterpieces a helicopters D. people turn to ascribe inventions to him but they are wrong 5.What can be inferred about Aldous Huxley? A.His death was not reported by the press. B.He was a famous inventor. C.He made a very big mistake in his late years. D.He died on the same day as John F.Kenneddy. Vocabulary 1.canopy n. 天篷 2.pram n. 婴儿车 长难句解析 【解析】“the same goes”解析为同样的事情也发生，例:The same goes for our classmates.同样的事情也发生在我的同学身上。 who 引导的定语从句修饰inventor。 【译文】同样的事情也发生在超市手推车发明者的身上，他就在几个月以前死于瑞士。 【解析】a household name 应译为“家喻户晓的名字”，2个“and”连接3个并列句。“for all I know”作(禁止)语，译为“据我所知”。 【译文】据我所知，在他的家乡他的名字家喻户晓，人们甚至为纪念他的手推车为他造了塑像，还将他印在了我们曾经收集过的非常有意义的瑞士邮票上了。 答案与详解 【短文大意】正是由于发明家们的伟大作品，我们的生活才得以更加美好，但是，由于各种原因，他们的名字却并不为人们熟知。生活中有许多看似平常的东西其实都是发明家的杰作。 1. C推断题。虽然文中第三段对他进行了详细的介绍，但是直到第六段才第一次出现Herr Edelweiss这个名字，根据上下文可以看出他是瑞士人，刚刚去世。因为他发明了supermarket trolley，在他的家乡人们以塑像和发行邮票的方式纪念他，但即便如此作者怀疑if his name will be remembered outside the borders of his small country，而作者自己也在几分钟后忘掉了他的名字。由此可以推断出Herr Edelweiss was not very famous。Edelweiss并不是Sylvan Goodman的商业伙伴，但他们都发明了超级市场的手推车。 2. A主旨题。作者在文中提到了几位人们所不熟悉的发明家，如Victor Farris，Herr Edelweiss，和sylvan Goodman，他们发明了像paper clips，milk cartons，和supermarket trolleys等非常有用的日常物品，但是他们的名字常常不为人所知；人们更不曾记得是谁发明了scissors，bicycles，spoons.，因此文章的主旨是称赞那些默默无闻的发明家，A是最佳选项。 3. D推断题。本题的关键是对文中第五段第三句的理解，不能按照字面意思理解成Leonardo da Vinci 发明了剪子、自行车、直升飞机、勺子、袜子和骰子，本杰明富兰克林发明了避雷针、摇椅和两用眼镜，斯大林发明了电视机，作者的本意是说人们只记得一些著名人物，却根本不知道是谁发明了这些重要的日常用品。 4. D细节题。达芬奇不可能发明直升飞机。答案应为D。人们只是喜欢把他想像成发明了很多东西的人. 5. D推断题。从文中第一段我们可以得知Aldous Huxley很有名(his career had not been without distinction)，但文中并没说他是个发明家；他的不幸之处是dying on the same day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated，报纸以大量篇幅报道肯尼迪遇刺，Huxley的死讯只出现在报纸第27版的末尾部分，因此D为正确选项。 More and more, the operations of our business, governments, and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap substantial rewards. Even worse, a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get away without punishment. Its easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the computer is doing, but even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not only unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers. Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But its disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may have been the victims of uncommonly bad luck. For example, a certain keypunch operator complained of having to stay overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case, dissatisfied employees of the thief tipped off the company that was being robbed. Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail, computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too often, their demands have been met. Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result if the public found out their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the thought of a criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled the most confidential records right under the noses of the companys executives, accountants, and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to continue his crimes elsewhere. 1.It can be concluded from the passage that . A. it is still impossible to detect computer crimes today B. computer crimes are the one of most serious problem in the operation of financial institutions C. computer criminals can escape punishment because they cant be detected D. people commit computer crimes at the request of their company 2.It is implied in the third paragraph that . A. many more computer crimes go undetected than are discovered B. the rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problem C. most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimes D. most computer criminals who are caught blame their bad luck 3.Which of the following is mentioned in the passage? A. A strict law against computer crimes must be enforced. B. Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information. C. Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation. D. Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes. 4. The underlying reason for the computer criminals to get recommendations he needs is that . A. they have skills formidably difficult for others to master B. the employers are afraid that they would take avenge if punished C. the employers are much afraid of bringing the public into disbelief towards them through the criminals words in open court D. those who commit crimes do not mean bad 5.What may happen to computer criminals once they are caught? A. With bad reputation they can hardly find another job. B. They will be denied access to confidential records. C. They may walk away and easily find another job. D. They must leave the country or go to jail. Vocabulary 1.reap n. 收获 2.get away 逃脱 3.glowing adj. 热情洋溢的 4.recommendation n. 推荐信 5.statistics n. 统计数字 6.disturbing adj. 令人忧虑的 7.keypunch v. 打孔 8.tip off 泄露 9.transaction n. 交易 10.juggle v. 玩戏法，篡改 11.confidential adj. 绝密的 12.depart v. 离开 长难句解析 【解析】这个长句是由“but”连接的两个句子组成，第一个句子“if”引导条件状语从句，第二个句子中的“even if”引导递进关系的条件状语从句。 【译文】如果人们不去检查计算机正在做什么，那么计算机犯罪是很难被发现的，但是即使犯罪被发现，这种犯罪者也可能逃脱惩罚甚至会受到以前雇主的高度褒扬和推荐。 【解析】“that”引导宾语从句，和“company”一起构成“tipped off”的双宾语。“tip off”，“提示，警告”。【译文】另一种情形，实施计算机犯罪的不满意的雇工警告雇主他们的公司将被抢劫。 【解析】“of”后的句子都做“thought”的定语。 【译文】他们想到，计算机犯罪者可能会在法庭鼓吹他们是如何在公司行政人员、会计、以及安全保卫人员的鼻子底下篡改公司机密记录的。鉴于这种想法，他们(公司高层)犹豫了。 答案与详解 【短文大意】本文主要讲述计算机犯罪很难被发现，即使一旦被发现，也不会像其它犯罪一样，被流放或进监狱，反而常常是得到原雇主的褒扬和推荐，从而找到另外一份好工作。 1.B推断题。首先根据第二段可知，A是错误的，因为计算机犯罪不是不能发现的。C“用计算机犯罪的罪犯可以逃脱惩罚，因为他们不会被发现”，D“利用计算机犯罪的人是应他们公司的要求这样做的”都是错误的，文中没有提到。只有B，“计算机犯罪是金融机构里最严重的问题”是在文中第一段中暗示了的。因此选B。 2.A推断题。文章的第三段指出，“究竟有多少计算机犯罪，我们没有确切的统计数字，令人不安的是很多计算机犯罪是偶然中被发现的，而不是系统的检查或者通过其他安全防范措施而发现的。”这说明A是正确的：没有被发现的计算机犯罪比被发现的计算机犯罪要多得多。 3.D细节题。A是“应该建立一套严格的反计算机犯罪的法律”，B“公司应该对绝密的材料进行严格的控制”，C“公司为了维护其声誉，应该对计算机犯罪严加防范”，文中都没有提到。只有D在文中最后两段中有所表述。公司出于对自己声誉的考虑，往往对计算机犯罪含糊其辞，遮遮掩掩。 4.C细节题。雇主对计算机犯罪者的宽容可能有各种原因。A、B、C、D所说的情形，在现实中都可以出现，但文中提到的只有C项，参见末段。 5.C细节题。答案在文中的倒数第二段中：计算机犯罪分子和其他犯罪分子不同的是，他们不仅不会流亡国外，或者自杀或者进监狱，而且还往往得到原雇主的褒扬和推荐，从而找到另外一份好工作。 参考译文 企业、政府以及金融机构的运作越来越多地被存在于计算内存中的信息所控制。只要够聪明，任何人为了个人目的而修改了这些信息都可以获得丰厚的奖励，更糟的是，许多从事这类活动并被抓住的人却已大摇大摆的逃脱了惩罚。 如果人们不去检查计算机正在做什么，那么计算机犯罪是很难被发现的，但是即使犯罪被发现，犯罪者也可能逃脱惩罚甚至会受到以前雇主的高度褒扬和推荐。 当然，我们没有未被发现的罪犯的统计数字。但是，当我们谈到我们所了解的仅仅是被偶然发现而不是系统监测或其他安全程序发现的罪犯有多少时，我们还是会感到很不安，那些被抓住的计算机罪犯只是意外霉运的牺牲者罢了。 例如，某个打孔操作员抱怨不得不加班为额外的卡片打孔。调查表明，那些额外的卡片是用作非法交易的。另一种情形，实施计算机犯罪的心怀不满的雇工警告雇主他们的公司将被抢劫。 不同于其他（那些必须离开国家，自杀或进监狱的）违法者，计算机罪犯有时可以逃脱惩罚，不仅要求不被控诉而且还索取推荐或其他好处，而他们的要求通常都会得到满足。 为什么会这样呢？因为公司行政人员害怕公众发现他们的计算机被误用从而对两公司造成很坏的公众影响。他们想到，计算机犯罪者可能会在法庭鼓吹他们是如何在公司行政人员、会计、以及安全保卫人员的鼻子底下篡改公司机密记录的。鉴于这种想法，他们(公司高层)犹豫了。因此，另一个计算机罪犯带着他需要的推荐信离开了，继续他的罪恶职业。Among the more colorful characters of Leadvilles golden age were H.A.W.Tabor and his second wife,Elizabeth McCourt,better known as “Baby Doe”.Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West.Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont.With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homes tead in Kansas.Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking,or perhaps he was lured by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines.At any rate,a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch,which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.”he said. As it turned out,it was silver,not lead,that was to make Leadvilles fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself,so he opened a general store,which sold everything from boots to salt,flour,and tobacco.It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners,in other words,to supply them with food and supplies,or “grub”, while they looked for ore,in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered.He did this for a number of years,but no one that he aided ever found anything of value. Finally one day in the year 1878,so the story goes,two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way.These were persistent, however,and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself.One more time wont make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers.the two miners took $17 worth of supplies,in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings.They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig.After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver.Tabor bought the shares of the other two men,and so the mine belonged to him alone.This mine,known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made 1 300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment. Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000.This turned out to be even morefabulous than the Pittsburgh,yielding $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time.Leadville grew.Tabor became its first mayor,and later became lieutenant governor of the state. 1.Leadville got its name for the following reasons EXCEPT. A.because Tabor became its leading citizen B.because great deposits of lead is expected to be found there C.because it could bring good fortune to TaborD.because it was renamed 2.The word “grubstake” in paragraph 2 means. A.to supply miners with food and supplies B.to open a general store C.to do ones contribution to the development of the mine D.to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine,if one was discovered 3.Tabor made his first fortune. A.by supplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest in the findings B.because he