1999年06月英语四级试题（阅读）

Part ⅡReading 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.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage: The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by
electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban (禁止) such devices from being used during "critical" stages of light, particularly takeoff and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during takeoff and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable (易受损的) to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio system in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too loud.
21.The passage is mainly about_______.
A) a new regulation for all airlines
B) the defects of electronic devices
C) a possible cause of aircraft crashes
D) effective safety measures for air flight

22.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?
A) They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
B) They may have taken place during takeoff and landing.
C) They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers.
D) They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.

23.Few airlines want to impose a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because_______.
A) they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference
B) the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
C) most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players
D) they have other effective safety measures to fall back on

24.Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane’s computers?
A) Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B) Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C) Because research scientists have not been to produce the same effects in labs.
D) Because sxperts lack adequate equipment to do such research.

25.It can be inferred from the passage that the author_______.
A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers’ use of electronic devices completely
B) Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of cnn(Cable News Network).
C)Turner recently announced that the work "foreign" would no longer be used on cnn news broadcasts.
D)According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependant that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The rise of multinational corporations (跨国公司London replaces New York as the capital of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts (相对应的人London and The Economist, Pubications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of cnn(Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the work "foreign" would no longer be used on cnn news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependant that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.
26.According to the passage, U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened because_______.
A) an unparalleled increase in the number of public relations companies
B) shrinking cultural differences and new communications technologies
C) the decreasing number of multinational corporations in the U.S.
D) increased efforts of other countries in public relations

27.London could soon replace New York as the center of PR because_______.
A) British companies are more ambitious than U.S. companies
B) British companies place more importance on PR than U.S. companies
C) British companies are heavily involved in planning activities
D) four of the world’s top public relations agencies are British28.The word "provincial" (Line 2, Para. 3) most probably means "_______".
A) limited in outlook
B) like people from the provinces
C) rigid in thinking
D) interested in world financial affairs

29.We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry_______.
A) speak at least one foreign language fluently
B) are ignorant about world geography
C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts
D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications

30.What lesson might the PR industry take from Ted Turner of cnn?
A) American PR companies should be more internationallyIndia have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99％Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧Brazil is one of the world’s biggest produceers of soap operas. Globl, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at leastone hour a night.Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a missage towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behaviour and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the instalment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers."This led to an enormous change in
consumption patterns and consumption was in compatible (不相容的Brazil has cut back its population growth_______.
A) by educating its citizens
B) by careful family panning
C) by developing TV programmes
D) by chance

32.According to the passage, many Third World countries_______.
A) haven’t attached much importance to birth control
B) would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate
C) haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population
D) neglected the role of TV plays in family planning

33.The phrase "puts it down to" (Line 1, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to "_______"
A) attributes it to
B) sums it up as
C) finds it a reason for
D) compares it to

34.Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because_______.
A) they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B) they have gradually changed people’s way of life
C) people are drawn to their attractive package
D) they popularize birth control measures

35.What is Martine’s conclusion about Brazil’s population growth?
A) The increase in birth rate will promote consumption.
B) The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C) Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory.
D) A country’s production is limited by its population growth.

37.One aspect of "the universality of toys" lies in the fact that_______.
A) technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys
B) the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of
universities
C) the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys
D) the basic characteristics of toys are the same the world over

38.Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?
A) The craftsmanship in toy39.Regarded as a kind of art form, toys_______.
A) follow a direct line of ascent
B) also appeal greatly to adults
C) are not characterized by technological progress
D) reflect the pace of social progress

40.The author used the example of a rattle to show that_______.
A) in toy