英语四级阅读试题库含答案解析.doc

英语四级阅读题库含答案解析1.Passage OneGlobal warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21 st century,but regardless of whether it is or isn t we won t do much about it. We will argue overit and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoidit. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely theyare to be observed.Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth, ” as if merely recognizing itcould put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don t know enough torelieve global warming, and without major technological breakthroughs we can t domuch about it.From 2003 to 2050, the world s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1billion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, totalenergy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. butthat s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economicgrowth unless we condemn the world s poor to their present poverty and freezeeveryone elses living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouseemissions more than double by 2050.No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personalfreedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back globalwarming. Still, politicians want to show they re “doing something. ”Consider the KyotoProtocol (京都议定书 ). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn t. But ithasn t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories (签字国) didn t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the onlysolution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development programmight find ways of breaking dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem whenit s really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don t solve theengineering problem, we re helpless.57. What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?A) It may not prove an environmental B) It is an issue requiring world widecrisis at all. commitments.C) Serious steps have been taken to avoid D) Very little will be done to bring it underor stop it. control.58. According to the author s understanding, what is Al Gore s view on global warming?A) It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of.B) It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.C) It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.D) It is an area we actually have little knowledge about.59. Green house emissions will more than double by 2050 because of _.A) economic growth C) wasteful use of energyB) the widening gap between the rich and D) the rapid advances of science andpoor technology60. The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, _.A) politicians have started to do something to better the situationB) few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy useC) reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warmingD) international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems61. What is the message the author intends to convey?A) Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.B) The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technologyC) The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.D) People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.Passage TwoSomeday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan theWebsites you ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your creditcard purchase or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.In fact, it s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who wouldwatch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketingcompany, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you neverintended to be seen the 21 st century equivalent of being caught naked.Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it s important to reveal yourself tofriends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. Thedigital bread crumbs ( 碎 屑 ) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers toreconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simpleGoogle search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a worldwhere you simple cannot keep a secret.The key question is: Does that matter?When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned aboutlosing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent ofrespondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me. ”But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans changeany behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount attollbooths (收费 站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobilemovements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economistAlessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personalinformation like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-offcoupon (优惠券).But privacy does matter at least sometimes. It s like health: When you have it, youdon t notice it. Only when it s gone do you wish you d done more to protect it.62. What does the author mean by saying “the 21 st century equivalent of being caughtnaked ”(Lines 3-4, Para.2)?A) People s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.B) In the 21 st century people try every means to look into others secrets.C) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.63. What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?A) Friends should open their hearts to C) There should be a distance eveneach other. between friends.B) Friends should always be faithful to D) There should be fewer disputeseach other. between friends.64. Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simple cannot keep a secret ”(Line 5, Para.3)?A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.C) There are always people who are curious about others affairs.D) Many search engines profit by revealing people s identities.65. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.C) They rely more and more on electronic D) They talk a lot but hardly do anythingdevices. about it.66. According to the passage, privacy is like health in that _.A) people will make every effort to keep it woman.B) its importance is rarely understood There are many reasons forC) it is something that can easily be lostD) people don t cherish it until they lose itthis-typically, men take more risks thanwoman and are more likely to drink andsmoke but perhaps more importantly,men don t go to the doctor.“Men aren t seeing doctors as often2.Passage Oneas they should, ” says Dr. Gullotta, “ThisQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the is particularly so for the over-40s,whenfollowing passage.diseases tend to strike. ”If you are a male and you are readingGullotta says a healthy man shouldthis ,congratulations: you are a visit the doctor every year or two. Forsurvivor .According to statistics .you are those over 45,it should be at least once amore than twice as likely to die of skin year.cancer than a woman ,and nine times Two months ago Gullotta saw amore likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you50-year-old ma who had delayed doingmake it to the end of your natural term,anything about his smoker s cough for aabout 78 years for men in Australia, you year.will die on average five years before a“When I finally saw him it had alreadyspread and he has since died from lung Regular check-ups for men wouldcancer ” he says, “Earlier detection and inevitably place strain on the public purse,treatment may not have cured him, but it Cartmill says. ” But prevention is cheaperwould have prolonged this life ” in the long run than having to treat theAccording to a recent survey, 95%of diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost is farwomen aged between 15 and early 40s greater: it is called premature death. ”see a doctor once a year, compared to 57.Why does the author congratulate his70% of men in the same age group. male readers at the beginning of the“A lot of men think they are invincible passage?（不可战胜的）” Gullotta says “They only A. They are more likely to survive seriouscome in when a friend drops dead on the diseases today.golf course and they think ” Geez, if it B. Their average life span has beencould happen to him. considerably extended.Then there is the ostrich approach, ” C. They have lived long enough to readsome men are scared of what might be this article.there and would rather not know, ” says D. They are sure to enjoy a longer andDr. Ross Cartmill. happier live.“Most men get their cars serviced 58.What does the author state is the mostmore regularly than they service their important reason men die five yearsbodies, ” Cartmill says .He believes most earlier on average than women?diseases that commonly affect men could A. men drink and smoke much more thanbe addressed by preventive check-ups. womenB. men don t seek medical care as often disease because of fearas women 61. What does Cartmill say about regularC. men aren t as cautions as women in check-ups for men?face of danger A.They may increase public expensesD. men are more likely to suffer from fatal B.They will save money in the long rundiseases C.They may cause psychological strains on59. Which of the following best completes menthe sentence “Geez, if it could happen to D.They will enable men to live as long ashim (line2,para,8)? womenA. it could happen to me, too Passage TwoB. I should avoid playing golf Questions 62 to 66 are based on theC. I should consider myself lucky following passage.D. it would be a big misfortune High-quality customer service is60what does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by preached( 宣扬) by many ,but actually“the ostrich approach ”(line q para.9) keeping customers happy is easier saidA. a casual attitude towards one s health than doneconditions Shoppers seldom complain to theB. a new therapy for certain psychological manager or owner of a retail store, butproblems instead will alert their friends, relatives,C. refusal to get medical treatment for fear co-workers, strangers-and anyone whoof the pain involved will listen.D. unwillingness to find out about one s Store managers are often the last tohear complaints, and often find out only include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满when their regular customers decide t 了 的 ) shelves, overloaded racks,frequent their competitors, according to a out-of-stock items, long check-out lines,study jointly conducted by Verde group and rude salespeople.and Wharton school During peak shopping hours, some“ Storytelling hurts retailers and retailers solved the parking problems byentertains consumers, ” said Paula getting moonlighting （业余兼职的） localCourtney, President of the Verde group. ” police to work as parking attendants.the store loses the customer, but the Some hired flag wavers to directshopper must also find a replacement. ” customers to empty parking spaces. ThisOn average, every unhappy customer guidance eliminated the need forwill complain to at least four other, and customers to circle the parking lotwill no longer visit the specific store for endlessly, and avoided confrontationevery dissatisfied customer, a store will between those eyeing the same parkinglose up to three more due to negative space.reviews. The resulting “snowball effect ” Retailers can relieve the headaches bycan be disastrous to retailers. redesigning store layouts, pre-stockingAccording to the research, shoppers sales items, hiring speedy andwho purchased clothing encountered the experienced cashiers, and having salesmost problems. ranked second and third representatives on hand to answerwere grocery and electronics customers. questions.The most common complaints Most importantly, salespeople shouldbe diplomatic and polite with angry them.customers. C Few customers believe the service will“ Retailers who re responsive and be improved.friendly are more likely to smooth over D Customers have no easy access to storeissues than those who aren t so friendly. ” managers.said Professor Stephen Hoch. “ Maybe 63. What does Paula Courtney imply bysomething as simple as a greeter at the saying “ the shopper must also find astore entrance would help. ” replacement ” (Line 2, Para. 4)?Customers can also improve future A New customers are bound to replaceshopping experiences by filing complaints old ones.to the retailer, instead of complaining to B It is not likely the shopper can find thethe rest of the world. Retailers are same products in other stores.hard-pressed to improve when they have C Most stores provide the sameno idea what is wrong. D Not complaining to the manager causes注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答 the shopper some trouble too.62. Why are store managers often the last 64. Shop owners often hire moonlightingto hear complaints? police as parking attendants so thatA Most customers won t bother to shoppers_complain even if they have had unhappy A can stay longer browsing in the storeexperiences. B won t have trouble parking their carsB Customers would rather relate their C won t have any worries about securityunhappy experiences to people around D can find their cars easily after shopping65. What contributes most to smoothingover issues with customers?A Manners of the salespeopleB Hiring of efficient employeesC Huge supply of goods for saleD Design of the store layout.66. To achieve better shoppingexperiences, customers are advised to_.A exert pressure on stores to improvetheir serviceB settle their disputes with stores in adiplomatic wayC voice their dissatisfaction to storemanagers directlyD shop around and make comparisonsbetween stores3. The January fashion show, called Future Fashion , exemplified howfar green design has come. Organ