1997年01月英语四级试题（阅读）

Part III Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Direction: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B) C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage:
Statuses are marvelous human inventions that enable us to get along with one another and to determine where we “fit” in society. As we go about our everyday lives, we mentally attempt to place people in terms of their statuses. For example, we must judge whether the person in the library is a reader or a librarian, whether the telephone caller is a friend or a salesman, whether the unfamiliar person on our property is thief or a meter reader, and so on.
The statuses we assume often vary with the people we encounter, and change throughout life. Most of us can, at very high speed, assume the statuses that various situations require. Much of social interaction consists of identifying and selecting among appropriate statuses and allowing other people to assume their statuses in relation to us. This means that we fit our actions to those of other people based on a constant mental process of appraisal and interpretation. Although some of us find the task more difficult than others, most of us perform it rather effortlessly.
A status has been compared to ready-made clothes. Within certain limits, the buyer can choose style and fabric. But an American is not free to choose the costume （服装） of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince. We must choose from among the clothing presented by our society. Furthermore, our choice is limited to a size that will fit, as well as by our pocketbook （钱包）. Having made a choice within these limits we can have certain alterations made, but apart from minor adjustments, we tend to be limited to what the stores have on their racks. Statuses too come ready made, and the range of choice among them is limited.
51. In the first paragraph, the writer tells us that statuses can help us ________.
A) determine whether a person is fit for a certain job
B) behave appropriately in relation to other people
C) protect ourselves in unfamiliar situations
D) make friends with other people

52. According to the writer, people often assume different statuses ________.
A) in order to identify themselves with others
B) in order to better identify others
C) as their mental processes change
D) as the situation changes

53. The word “appraisal” (Line 5, Para.2) most probably means “__________”.
A) involvement
B) appreciation
C) assessment
D) presentation

54. In the last sentence of the second paragraph, the pronoun “it” refers to “________”.
A) fitting our actions to those of other people appropriately
B) identification of other people’s statuses
C) selecting one’s own statuses
D) constant mental process

55. By saying that “an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince” (Line 2-3, Para.3), the writer means ________.
A) different people have different styles of clothes
B) ready-made clothes may need alterations
C) statuses come ready made just like clothes
D) our choice of statuses is limited

Passage Two
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage:
Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”
The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20 -year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer（自由撰稿者）New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual type writer and felt like a genuine writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering, What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
56. The passage is meant to _________.
A) warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience
B) advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer
C) show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to pursue wealth and fame
D) encourage young people to pursue a writing career

57. What can be concluded from the passage?
A) Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.
B) A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort.
C) Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation.
D) The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

58. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?
A) He wasn’t able to produce a single book.
B) He hadn’t seen a change for the better.
C) He wasn’t able to have a rest for a whole years.
D) He found his dream would never come true.

59. “…People who die wondering, What if?” (Line 3, Para.3) refers to “those __________”.
A) who think too much of the dark side of life
B) who regret giving up their career halfway
C) who think a lot without making a decision
D) who are full of imagination even upon death

60. “Shadowland” in the last sentence refers to _______.
A) the wonderland one often dreams about
B) the bright future that one is looking forward to
C) the state of uncertainty before one’s final goal is reached
D) a world that exists only in one’s imagination

62. The third paragraph is mainly about ______.
A) the development of babies’ early forms of language
B) the difficulties of babies in learning to speak
C) babies’ strong desire to communicate
D) babies’ intention to communicate

63. The author’s purpose in writing the second paragraph is to show that children ______.
A) usually obey without asking questions
B) are passive in the process of learning to speak
C) are born cooperative
D) learn to speak by listening

64. From the passage we learn that _______.
A) early starters can learn to speak within only six months
B) children show a strong desire to communicate by making noises
C) imitation plays an important role in learning to speak
D) children have various difficulties in learning to speak

65. The best for this passage would be ______.
A) How Babies Learn to Speak
B) Early Forms of Language
C) A Huge Task for Children
D) Noise Making and Language Learning

University of Delaware in Newark. “But it’s easy to kill creativity by giving rewards for poor performance or creating too much anticipation for rewards.”
A teacher who continually draws attention to rewards or who hands out high grades for ordinary achievement ends up with
uninspired students, Eisenberger holds. As an example of the latter point, he notes growing efforts at major universities to tighten grading standards and restore failing grades.
In earlier grades, the use of so-called token economies, in which students handle challenging problems and receive
performance-based points toward valued rewards, shows promise in raising effort and creativity, the Delaware psychologist
claims.
66. Psychologists are divided with regard to their attitudes toward ______.
A) the choice between spiritual encouragement and monetary rewards
B) the amount of monetary rewards for student’ creativity
C) the study of relationship between actions and their consequences
D) the effects of external rewards on students’ performance

67. What is the response of many educators to external rewards for their students?
A) They have no doubts about them.
B) They have doubts about them.
C) They approve of them.
D) They avoid talking about them.

68. Which of the following can best raise students’ creativity according to Robert Eisenberger?
A) Assigning them tasks they have not dealt with before.
B) Assigning them tasks which require inventiveness.
C) Giving them rewards they really deserve.
D) Giving them rewards they anticipate.

69. It can be inferred from the passage that major universities are trying to tighten their grading standards because they believe ______.
A) rewarding poor performance may kill the creativity of students
B) punishment is more effective than rewarding
C) failing uninspired students helps improve their overall academic standards
D) discouraging the students’ anticipation for easy rewards is a matter of urgency

70. The phrase “token economies” (Line 1, Para.5) probably refers to ________.
A) ways to develop economy
B) systems of rewarding students
C) approaches to solving problems
D) methods of improving performance