2008年大学四级英语标准阅读练习一

　　Cancer is feared by everyone. And this fear is reaching epidemic(流行性) proportions. Not the disease itself — there is no such thing as a cancer epidemic. Except for lung cancer, mostly caused by cigarette smoking ,the incidence rates are leveling off, and in the case of some kinds of cancer are decreasing. But the fear of cancer is catching, and the country stands at risk of an anxiety, The earth itself is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen(致癌物). The ordinary, more or less scientific statement that something between 80 and 90 percent of all cancers are dun to things in the environment is taken to mean that none of us will be safe until the whole environment is “cleaned up.” This is not at all the meaning.
　　The 80-percent calculation is based on the unthinkable differences in the incidence of cancer in various societies around the world — for example, the high proportion of liver cancer in Africa and the Far East, stomach cancer in Japan, breast cancer in Western Europe and North America, and the relatively low figures for breast cancer in Japan and parts of Africa and for liver cancer in America. These data indicate there may be special and specific environmental influences, largely based on personal life-style, that determine the incidence of various forms of cancer in different communities — but that is all the data suggest. The overall incidence of cancer, counting up all the cases, is probable roughly the same everywhere.
　　1．Which of the following is closest to meaning to the phrase “leveling off”?
　　A)Became very popular
　　B)Reached its lowest level in popularity
　　C)Stopped being popular
　　D)Stopped increasing its popularity
　　2．According to the passage, the incidence of cancer is generally believed _____.
　　A)to be based on inactive life style
　　B)to be due to anxiety
　　C)to result from environmental influences
　　D)to be caused by heavy smoking
　　3．It can be inferred from the passage that the writer’s opinion about the relationship between cancer and environment is_____.
　　A)positive
　　B)negative
　　C)neutral
　　D)approving
　　4．According to the passage, the writer seems to feel that_____.
　　A)cancer risk is on the rise
　　B)the whole earth resembles a huge carcinogen
　　C)the risk of catching cancer is not so great as most people conceive
　　D)cancer can be cured sooner or later
　　5．Which of the following would be the best TITLE for the passage?
　　A)Cancer and Environment
　　B)The Fear Caused by Cancers
　　C)Data on Cancer Incidence
　　D)Cancer and its Investigation