专家解析大学英语四级考试历年阅读真题(十一)

　　这篇材料讲的是欧美国家日常用品上环保说明遭到滥用的现象。文章第一段十分精炼地交代了全篇所述的主要内容：消费者正受到环保说明的困扰和误导(Consumers are being confused and misled by……environmental claims);同时透露出这一内容的发布来源。余下的几段对首段的说法进行详细了阐述。这种金字塔结构属于英美报刊文章的典型特点。

　　第二段举出了几个实例说明环保说明遭到滥用的情形，使人对文章所述核心内容有一个感性的认识。一个例子是某德国肥料号称具有“蚯蚓友好性”(a German fertilizer described itself as “earthworm friendly”)，还有某品牌面粉也自称“不会引起污染”(non-polluting)，而一种英国卫生纸也自诩“环境友好性”(environmentally friendlier)。

　　第三段指出进行这一研究的单位：Britain’s National Consumer Council，这是为了体现研究的权威性。而后又说明了该研究机构的资助机构：German and Dutch governments and the European Commission，即德国、荷兰政府和欧盟执行委员会，这是为了说明该项研究的中立性，强调其可信度。

　　第四段引用研究人员的话，对其研究对象做出了总体评价：在告知顾客如何判断商品对环境的影响上，还有很长的路要走(there is a long way to go in……)。之后的几段描述了研究的细节。

　　第五段说明该研究的覆盖范围(10-country)以及初步结论：德英两国的产品滥用环保说明的现象平均最多。第六段说明实际研究的主要商品类别(洗涤剂、杀虫剂和园艺用品)，并指出研究的方式是不做测试，而只是将其与ISO的商标说明进行比照(did not test the claims, but compared them to……)。下一段给出了比照结果：环保说明太过模糊、误导性过强，达不到ISO标准要求(too vague or too misleading to meet ISO standards)。

　　随后的两段分析了这些环保说明的实质，第八、九段引用研究员的话指出许多环保说明空无一物(these symbols mean nothing)，而环保说明的繁杂也使消费者无法判断其真伪(very confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading)。

　　最后一段借Page之口道出了该项研究的目的：促使跨国公司达到ISO要求(have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO)。

　　Passage 4

　　Two hours from the tall buildings of Manhattan and Philadelphia live some of the world’s largest black bears. They are in northern Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, a home they share with an abundance of other wildlife.

　　The streams, lakes, meadows (草地), mountain ridges and forests that make the Poconos an ideal place for black bears have also attracted more people to the region. Open spaces are threatened by plans for housing estates and important habitats (栖息地) are endangered by highway construction. To protect the Poconos natural beauty from irresponsible development, the Nature Conservancy (大自然保护协会) named the area one of America’s “Last Great Places”.

　　Operating out of a century-old schoolhouse in the village of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the conservancy’s bud Cook is working with local people and business leaders to balance economic growth with environmental protection. By forging partnerships with people like Francis Altemose, the Conservancy has been able to protect more than 14,000 acres of environmentally important land in the area.

　　Altemose’s family has farmed in the Pocono area for generations. Two years ago Francis worked with the Conservancy to include his farm in a county farmland protection program. As a result, his family’s land can be protected from development and the Altemoses will be better able to provide a secure financial future for their 7-year-old grandson.

　　Cook attributes the Conservancy’s success in the Poconos to having a local presence and a commitment to working with local residents

　　“The key to protecting these remarkable lands is connecting with the local community,” Cook said. “The people who live there respect the land. They value quiet forests, clear streams and abundant wildlife. They are eager to help with conservation effort.

　　For more information on how you can help the Nature Conservancy protect the Poconos and the world’s other “Last Great Places,” please call 1-888-564 6864 or visit us on the World Wide Web at www.tnc.org.

　　36. The purpose in naming the Poconos as one of America’s “Last Great Places” is to ________.

　　A) gain support from the local community

　　B) protect it from irresponsible development

　　C) make it a better home for black bears

　　D) provide financial security for future generations(B)

　　37. We learn from the passage that ________.

　　A) the population in the Pocono area is growing

　　B) wildlife in the Pocono area is dying out rapidly

　　C) the security of the Pocono residents is being threatened

　　D) farmlands in the Pocono area are shrinking fast(A)