四六级考前阅读突破第八讲：计算数字

我们先做个练习
VIIIA
An election year is one in which all four numbers are evenly divisible by four (1944, 1948, etc.). Since 1840, American presidents elected in years ending in zero have been destined to die in office.
Which of the following was NOT an election year?
A. 1960
B. 1930
C. 1888
D. 1824
根据第一句话中对润年的定义，只要被四整除即可，所以答案为B.

VIIIB
A few government officials even estimate that the war has created more than half a million refugees who need immediate food, clothing, and shelter.Exactly how many refugees are there?
A. Half a million
B. Over half a million
C. We don't know exactly
D. Only a few government officials know the exact figure.
实际上解答此类问题时不需要什么技巧，只需注意有的要求的是精确数字，有的则是粗略值或近似值。所以此题，原文中estimate, 而问题中为exactly, 显然不吻合。故选C.

VIIIC
They are among the 250,000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Negherlands, a group that accounts for 40 percent of the nation's unemployed.
Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected _______.
A. one million people
B. roughly 0.6 million people
C. 250,000 people
D. less than half of the population
此题答案为B.