历年英语四级考试阅读理解部分11

　　1999年1月

　　Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Direction: 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 center.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

　　The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched(草盖的)roof cottages around a church; a drive through a narrow village street lines with thatched cottages painted pink or white; the sight in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.

　　Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practiced in the British Isles(英论诸岛). Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too.

　　Thatching is a solitary(独自的)craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practiced toady has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, maintaining and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.

　　In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often reluctant to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to import the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat.

　　21. Which of the following remains a unique feature of the English countryside?

　　A) Narrow streets lined with pink or white houses.

　　B) Rolling hills with pretty farm buildings.

　　C) Cottages with thatched roofs.

　　D) churches with cottages around them.

　　22. What do we know about thatching as a craft?

　　A) It is a collective activity.

　　B) It is practised on farms all over England.

　　C) It is quite different from what it used to be.

　　D) It is in most cases handed down among family members.

　　23. Thatched houses are still preferred because of _________.

　　A) their style and comfort

　　B) their durability

　　C) their easy maintenance

　　D) their cheap and ready-made materials

　　24. People in developing countries also live under thatch because ________.

　　A) thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction

　　B) thatched roof houses are the cheapest

　　C) thatch is an effective defense against the heat

　　D) they like thatched houses better than other buildings

　　25. We can learn from the passage that _________.

　　A) thatched cottages in England have been passed down from ancient times

　　B) thatching is a building craft first created by the English people

　　C) the English people have a special liking for thatched houses

　　D) most thatched cottages in England are located on hillsides

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:

　　President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to an important truth today-that business institutions have more prestige(威望)in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions posses this great prestige?

　　One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society. Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected. Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.

　　Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly(垄断)of power. In contrast to one, all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits. Theoretically, if one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers’ dollar, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.

　　A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which si a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe, then, that competition is as important, or even more important, that democracy in preserving freedom.

　　Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternative to social rank based on family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic(贵族的)idea of inherited privilege.

　　26. The statement “The business of America is business” probably means “________”.

　　A) The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce

　　B) Business problems are of great importance to the American government

　　C) Business is of primary concern to Americans

　　D) America is a great power in world business

　　27. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only ________.

　　A) when given equality of opportunity

　　B) through doing business

　　C) by protecting their individual freedom

　　D) by way of competition

　　28. Who can benefit from business competition?

　　A) Honest businessmen.

　　B) Both businessmen and their customers.

　　C) People with ideals of equality and freedom.

　　D) Both business institutions and government.

　　29. Government is believed to differ strikingly from business in that government is characterized by ________.

　　A) its absolute control of power

　　B) its function in preserving personal freedom

　　C) its role in protecting basic American values

　　D) its democratic way of exercising leadership

　　30. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes _________.

　　A) Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries

　　B) in many countries success often depends on one’s social status

　　C) American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries

　　D) businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

　　The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money.

　　Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago a brand of bread was offer to dieters(节食者)with the message that there were fewer calories(热量单位，大卡)in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic(适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf.

　　On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising.

　　Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision.

　　31. Advertising can persuade the consumer to buy worthless products by _________.

　　A) stressing their high quality

　　B) convincing him of their low price

　　C) maintaining a balance between quality and price

　　D) appealing to his buying motives

　　32. The reason why the bread advertisement is misleading is that ________.

　　A) thin slices of bread could contain more calories

　　B) the loaf was cut into regular slices

　　C) the bread was not genuine bread

　　D) the total number of calories in the loaf remained the same

　　33. The passage tells us that _______.

　　A) sometimes advertisements really sell what the consumer needs

　　B) advertisements occasionally force consumers into buying things they don’t need

　　C) the buying motives of consumers are controlled by advertisements

　　D) fire insurance is seldom a worthwhile investment

　　34. It can be inferred from the passage that a smart consumer should _________.

　　A) think carefully about the benefits described in the advertisements

　　B) guard against the deceiving nature of advertisements

　　C) be familiar with various advertising strategies

　　D) avoid buying products that have strong emotional appeal

　　35. The passage is mainly about ________.

　　A) how to make a wise buying decision

　　B) ways to protect the interests of the consumer

　　C) the positive and negative aspects of advertising

　　D) the function of advertisements in promoting sales

　　Passage Four

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:

　　So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible.”

　　Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity: It can be seen and observed.

　　Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.

　　If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest(探索)for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”

　　When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfil them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.

　　36. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that _______.

　　A) it is one of the most difficult school courses

　　B) students spend endless hours in reading

　　C) reading tasks are assigned with little guidance

　　D) too much time is spent in teaching about reading

　　37. The teaching of reading will be successful if ________.

　　A) teachers can improve conditions at school for the students

　　B) teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading

　　C) teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading

　　D) teachers can make their teaching activities observable

　　38. The word “scrutiny” (Line 3, Para.3) most probably means “_________”.

　　A) inquiry

　　B) observation

　　C) control

　　D) suspicion

　　39. According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when _________.

　　A) children become highly motivated

　　B) teacher and learner roles are interchangeable

　　C) teaching helps children in the search for knowledge

　　D) reading enriches children’s experience

　　40. The main idea of the passage is that _________.

　　A) teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read

　　B) teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible

　　C) reading ability is something acquired rather than taught

　　D) reading is more complicated than generally believed

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