专家解析大学英语四级考试历年阅读真题(十五)

　　作者在最后一段主张孩子们应该通过印刷媒介交流信息。此段一共三句话，把它们逐一分析透彻，答案也就显而易见了。Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access。首先找到主谓宾的大体结构，主语是通过印刷媒介交流，谓语是allows for ，allow本意是允许，在这里是指“使……可以发生”，宾语是control，控制。“控制”是对什么的控制呢?social information，社会信息、知识。后面是一个从句，to which children have access可以改变句序来理解：which children have access to。宾语与宾语从句合起来的意思就是“儿童能够接触到的信息的控制”。整个句子的大意则是通过印刷媒介交流可以控制儿童能够接触到的信息。符合这个意思的是D，而A与此正好相反。

　　Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced。这一句的结构比上一句要清晰一些。主语是阅读与写作;谓语involve，涉及;宾语是“复杂的象征符号”。后面的从句对符号做了解释：必须记忆和练习。这句话所要表达的意思是：阅读与写作涉及很多复杂的要素，是需要不断记忆和练习(实践)才能掌握的。

　　Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials。根据上一句所述的道理，儿童们必须循序渐进，先读简单的材料，待其完全理解掌握了这些资料，再学习更为复杂的资料。

　　这两句话中没有提到培养孩子兴趣的问题，B可以排除。至于C的说法，文中有关阅读与写作的论述所要表达的核心观点是先易后难，循序渐进，与增加机会无关。这道题选择D。

　　35. What does the author think of the change in today’s children?

　　A) He feels amused by cheir premature behavior.

　　B) He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note.

　　C) He considers it a positive development.

　　D) He seems to be upset about it.

　　这道题问作者对如今发生在孩子们身上的变化是如何看待的。

　　A，他觉得孩子们的早熟行为十分有趣。

　　B，他觉得这是一个值得注意的现象。

　　C，他认为这是一种积极的进步。

　　D，他似乎为此充满忧虑。

　　本题考查对全篇材料的理解，必须结合全文的各种信息，寻找文章中流露出作者态度的地方，最后做出判断。第二段中As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school，这里把自己和现在的小孩进行对比，暗含现在的小孩不应该这么小就感到“depressed”的意思，应该说对孩子们身上的变化是持否定态度的。

　　第四段作者提出：Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say，似乎对儿童的变化是好是坏没有做出评判，但再看最后一段最后一句话Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials，这里赫然使用了must这样带有强烈肯定色彩的词，可见作者的态度并不像第四段说的那样，而是对孩子们身上发生的变化持有明显的否定态度，说他为这种现象感到忧虑也不为过。

　　四个题支中D表达了作者的这种态度。B似乎也有道理，但不如D准确、具体，所以还是应该选择D。

　　Passage Four

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

　　“Opinion” is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn’t attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most to attach great importance to it. “I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours,” and “Everyone’s entitled to his opinion,” are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another’s opinion is likely to be branded intolerant.

　　Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another’s opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend “What do you think of the new Ford cars?” And he may reply, “In my opinion, they’re ugly.” In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. For it’s obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, “It’s pointless to argue about matters of taste.”

　　But consider this very different use of the term, a newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case. Obviously the justices did not shale their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes, they stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation.

　　Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence.

　　Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others.