2003年12月英语四级试题（阅读）
2007-10-18来源:
Part II Reading Comprehension(35 minutes)
Directions: 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 centre.
Passage One Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly
more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago. Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation -- brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things -- and a growing perception that the world is a more
dangerous place. Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope. At the top of the list is nurturing ( 培育 ) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep. Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life. 21. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people's state of mind are______.
A) surprising B) confusing C) illogical D) questionable 22. What does the author mean when he says, "we can't turn the clock back" (Line 1, Para. 3)?
A) It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B) The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C) Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D) It's impossible to forget the past. 23. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.
A) were less isolated physically
B) were probably less self-centered
C) probably suffered less from anxiety
D) were considered less individualistic 24. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.
A) to provide them with a safer environment
B) to lower their expectations for them
C) to get them more involved socially
D) to set a good model for them to follow 25. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A) Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.
B) Children's anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.
C) Children's anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.
D) Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
It is easier to negotiate initial salary requirement because once you are inside, the organizational constraints ( 约束26. According to the passage, before taking a job, a person should _____.
A) demonstrate his capability B) give his boss a good impression
C) ask for as much money as he can D) ask for the salary he hopes to get
A) Prejudice against women still exists in some organizations.
B) If people want what they deserve, they have to ask for it.
C) People should not be content with what they have got.
D) People should be careful when negotiating for a job.
A) unfairness exists in salary increases
B) most people are overworked and underpaid
C) one should avoid overstating one's performance
D) most organizations give their staff automatic pay raises
A) advertise himself on the job market
B) persuade his boss to sign a long-term contract
C) try to get inside information about the organization
D) do something to impress his boss just before merit pay decisions
A) meet his boss at the appropriate time
B) arrive at the negotiation table punctually
C) be good at influencing the outcome of the interaction
D) be familiar with what the boss likes and dislikesBritain , it spells economic hard times.
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer inStoke-on-Trent , announced that it is eliminating 1,000jobs -- one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend" toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television;
Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?
Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette ( 礼节31. The trend toward casual dining has resulted in_____.
A) bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers
B) shrinking of the pottery industry
C) restructuring of large enterprises
D) economic recession in Great Britain
A) Family members need more time to relax.
B) Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.
C) People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.
D) Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation.
A)a retailer of stainless steel tableware B) a dealer in stoneware
C) a pottery chain store D) a producer of fine china
A) the increased value of the pound
B) the economic recession in Asia
C) the change in people's way of life
D) the fierce competition at home and abroad
A) are still a must on certain occasions
B) axe bound to return sooner or later
C) are still being taught by parents at home
D) can help improve personal relationshipsSouth Carolina , killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.
Before Hugo, many new houses built alongSouth Carolina Island should be
able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.
At first sight, the house on Sullivan'sIsland looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble "a large party lantern ( 灯笼36. After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina
A) to be easily reinforced B) to look smarter in design
C) to meet stricter building standards D) to be designed in the shape of cubes
A) it is strengthened by steel rods B) it is made of redwood
C) it is in the shape of a shell D) it is built with timber and concrete
A) withstand peak winds of about200 km /hr
B) anchor stronger pilings deep in the sand
C) break huge sea waves into smaller ones
D) prevent water from rushing into the house
A) to strengthen the pilings of the house
B) to give the house a better appearance
C)to protect the wooden frame of the house
D) to slow down the speed of the swelling water
A) fancy-looking B) waterproof C) easily breakable D) extremely strong
Directions: 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 centre.
Passage One Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly
more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago. Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation -- brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things -- and a growing perception that the world is a more
dangerous place. Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope. At the top of the list is nurturing ( 培育 ) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep. Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life. 21. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people's state of mind are______.
A) surprising B) confusing C) illogical D) questionable 22. What does the author mean when he says, "we can't turn the clock back" (Line 1, Para. 3)?
A) It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B) The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C) Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D) It's impossible to forget the past. 23. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.
A) were less isolated physically
B) were probably less self-centered
C) probably suffered less from anxiety
D) were considered less individualistic 24. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.
A) to provide them with a safer environment
B) to lower their expectations for them
C) to get them more involved socially
D) to set a good model for them to follow 25. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A) Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.
B) Children's anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.
C) Children's anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.
D) Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
It is easier to negotiate initial salary requirement because once you are inside, the organizational constraints ( 约束26. According to the passage, before taking a job, a person should _____.
A) demonstrate his capability B) give his boss a good impression
C) ask for as much money as he can D) ask for the salary he hopes to get
A) Prejudice against women still exists in some organizations.
B) If people want what they deserve, they have to ask for it.
C) People should not be content with what they have got.
D) People should be careful when negotiating for a job.
A) unfairness exists in salary increases
B) most people are overworked and underpaid
C) one should avoid overstating one's performance
D) most organizations give their staff automatic pay raises
A) advertise himself on the job market
B) persuade his boss to sign a long-term contract
C) try to get inside information about the organization
D) do something to impress his boss just before merit pay decisions
A) meet his boss at the appropriate time
B) arrive at the negotiation table punctually
C) be good at influencing the outcome of the interaction
D) be familiar with what the boss likes and dislikes
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in
Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?
Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette ( 礼节31. The trend toward casual dining has resulted in_____.
A) bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers
B) shrinking of the pottery industry
C) restructuring of large enterprises
D) economic recession in Great Britain
A) Family members need more time to relax.
B) Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.
C) People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.
D) Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation.
A)a retailer of stainless steel tableware B) a dealer in stoneware
C) a pottery chain store D) a producer of fine china
A) the increased value of the pound
B) the economic recession in Asia
C) the change in people's way of life
D) the fierce competition at home and abroad
A) are still a must on certain occasions
B) axe bound to return sooner or later
C) are still being taught by parents at home
D) can help improve personal relationships
Before Hugo, many new houses built along
able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.
At first sight, the house on Sullivan's
A) to be easily reinforced B) to look smarter in design
C) to meet stricter building standards D) to be designed in the shape of cubes
A) it is strengthened by steel rods B) it is made of redwood
C) it is in the shape of a shell D) it is built with timber and concrete
A) withstand peak winds of about
B) anchor stronger pilings deep in the sand
C) break huge sea waves into smaller ones
D) prevent water from rushing into the house
A) to strengthen the pilings of the house
B) to give the house a better appearance
C)to protect the wooden frame of the house
D) to slow down the speed of the swelling water
A) fancy-looking B) waterproof C) easily breakable D) extremely strong
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