2000年06月英语四级试题（阅读）

PartIII 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 51 to 55 are based on the following passage:
Long after the 1998 World Cup was won, disappointed fans were still cursing the disputed refereeing (裁判) decisions that denied victory to their team. A researcher was appointed to study the performance of some top referees.
The researcher organized an experimental tournament (锦标赛) involving four youth teams. Each match lasted an hour, divided into three periods of 20 minutes during which different referees were in charge.
Observers noted down the referees’ errors, of which there were 61 over the tournament. Converted to a standard match of 90 minutes, each referee made almost 23 mistakes, a remarkably high number.
The researcher then studied the videotapes to analyse the matches in detail. Surprisingly, he found that errors were more likely when the referees were close to the incident. When the officials got it right, they were, on average, 17 meters away from the action. The average distance in the case of errors was 12 meters.The research shows the optimum (最佳的) distance is about 20 meters.
There also seemed to be an optimum speed. Correct decisions came when the referees were moving at a speed of about 2 meters per second. The average speed for errors was 4 meters per second.
If FIFA, football’s international ruling body, wants to improve the standard of refereeing at the next World Cup, it should encourage referees to keep their eyes on the action from a distance, rather than rushing to keep up with the ball,the researcher argues.
He also says that FIFA’s insistence that referees should retire at age 45 may be misguided. If keeping up with the action is not so important, their physical condition is less critical.

51. The experiment conducted by the researcher was meant to _______.
A) review the decisions of referees at the 1998 World Cup
B) analyse the causes of errors made by football referees
C) set a standard for football refereeing

52. The number of refereeing errors in the experimental matches was _______.
A) slightly above average B) higher than in the 1998 World Cup
C) quite unexpected D) as high as in a standard match

53. The findings of the experiment show that _______.
A) errors are more likely when a referee keeps close to the ball
B) the farther the referee is from the incident, the fewer the errors
C) the more slowly the referee runs, the more likely will errors occur
D) errors are less likely when a referee stays in one spot

54. The word "officials" (Line 2, Para. 4) most probably refers to _______.
A) the researchers involved in the experiment
B) the inspectors of the football tournament
C) the referees of the football tournament
D) the observers at the site of the experiment

55. What is one of the possible conclusions of the experiment?
A) The ideal retirement age for an experienced football referee is 45.
B) Age should not be the chief consideration in choosing a football referee.
C) A football referee should be as young and energetic as possible.
D)An experienced football referee can do well even when in poor physical condition.

Passage Two
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage:
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states
?a at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the
rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens County have been eut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent--twice the national average.
For advocates (代言人56. From the passage, it can be seen that the author _______.
A) believes the reform has reduced the government’s burden
B) insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
C) is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform
D) considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful

57. Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
A) Because many families are divorced.
B) Because government aid is now rare.
C) Because their wages are low.
D) Because the cost of living is rising.

58. What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that _______.
A) greater efforts should be made to improve people’s living standards
B) 70 percent of the people there have been employed for two years
C) 50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare
D) the living standards of most people are going down

59. From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at _______.
A) saving welfare funds
B) rebuilding the work ethic
C) providing more jobs
D) cutting government expenses

60. According to the passage, before the welfare reform was carried out, _______.
A) the poverty rate was lower
B) average living standards were higher
C) the average worker was paid higher wages
D) the poor used to rely on government aid

United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的61. It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality _______.
A) still judge a man by his clothes
B) hold the uniform in such high regard
C) enjoy having a professional identity
D) will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

62. People are accustomed to think that a man in uniform _______.
A) suggests quality work
B) discards his social identity
C) appears to be more practical
D) looks superior to a person in civilian clothes

63. The chief function of a uniform is to _______.
A) provide practical benefits to the wearer
B) make the wearer catch the public eye
C) inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself
D) provide the wearer with a professional identity

64. According to the passage, people wearing uniforms _______.
A) are usually helpful
B) have little or no individual freedom
C) tend to lose their individuality
D) enjoy greater popularity

65. The best title for this passage would be _______.
A) Uniforms and Society
B) The Importance of Wearing a Uniform
C) Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform
D) Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms

66. Interpersonal relationships are important because _______.
A) they are indispensable to people’s social weel-being
B) they waken people’s desire to exchange resources
C) they help people to cope with life in the information era
D) they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc.

67. Research shows that people’s physical and mental health _______.
A) relies on the social welfare systems which support them
B) has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C) depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D)is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives

68. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word"cushions"(Line 1, Para.2)?
A) Adds up to. B) Does away with.
C) Lessens the effect of. D) Lays the foundation for.

69. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of _______.
A) instrumental support B) informational support
C) social companionship D) the strengthening of&, nbsp;self-respect

70. Social companionship is beneficial in that _______.
A) it helps strengthen our ties with relatives
B) it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes
C) it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable
D) it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles