康*明–顺丰快递–171080113517
*洁–顺丰快递–171080113553
吕*玉–顺丰快递–171080113623
*萌–顺丰快递–171080113747
邓*婷–顺丰快递–171080113774
徐*静–顺丰快递–445231230693
施*严–顺丰快递–171080113474
谢*苗–顺丰快递–445231230684
*雨–顺丰快递–171080113508
傅*标–顺丰快递–171080113526
宋*威–顺丰快递–171080113544
郭*宇–顺丰快递–171080113580
吴*铃–顺丰快递–171080113599
靳*珍–顺丰快递–445231230708
王*平–顺丰快递–171080113632
*璿–顺丰快递–171080113669
高*梅–顺丰快递–171080113678
*逸–顺丰快递–171080113687
*佳–顺丰快递–171080113701
曹*林–顺丰快递–171080113710
*丽–顺丰快递–171080113729
解*园–顺丰快递–153934067450
彭*诗–顺丰快递–171080113765
*峰–顺丰快递–171080113792
谢*莲–顺丰快递–171080113826
陈*媚–顺丰快递–171080113835
*彦–顺丰快递–171080113880
赵*君–顺丰快递–171080113905
杨*泽–顺丰快递–171080113914
农*凤–顺丰快递–171080113932
陆*宇–顺丰快递–171080113987
李*婷–顺丰快递–171080113996
赵*云–顺丰快递–171080113226
李*凌霄–顺丰快递–171080113235
陈*琳–顺丰快递–171080113244
陈*良–顺丰快递–171080113253
*鑫–顺丰快递–171080113280
石*子–顺丰快递–171080113299
凤*婷–顺丰快递–171080113341
张*君–顺丰快递–171080113369
朱*榕–顺丰快递–171080113378
郑*珠–顺丰快递–171080113387
王*圆–顺丰快递–171080113492
倪*云–顺丰快递–445231230666
*翠–顺丰快递–171080113571
*晨–顺丰快递–171080113614
郝*睿–顺丰快递–445231230657
*萍–顺丰快递–171080113696
*晨–顺丰快递–171080113783
皇*桃–顺丰快递–171080113817
*星–顺丰快递–171080113844
邢*敏–顺丰快递–171080113871
黄*玲–顺丰快递–171080113899
*辉–顺丰快递–171080113969
黄*旭–顺丰快递–445231230639
*琦–顺丰快递–171080113262
麦*清–顺丰快递–171080113271
*涵–顺丰快递–171080113314
廖*羽–顺丰快递–171080113323
*欣–顺丰快递–171080113332
汤*晋–顺丰快递–171080113350
*航–顺丰快递–171080113396
文*莹–顺丰快递–171080113401
李*凤–顺丰快递–171080113429
张*生–顺丰快递–171080113438
郑*清–顺丰快递–171080113447
谢*欣–顺丰快递–171080113641
张*红–顺丰快递–171080113853
许*秋–顺丰快递–171080113923
陈*宣–顺丰快递–171080113941
彭*清–顺丰快递–171080113950
*意–顺丰快递–171080113978
曾*珊–顺丰快递–445231230620
鄢*琴-顺丰快递-153934067423
赵*云-顺丰快递-153934067432
樊*怡-顺丰快递-153934067469
倪*云-顺丰快递-153934067487
李*凌霄-顺丰快递-153934067511
*洁-顺丰快递-153934067520
李*嘉-顺丰快递-153934067618
*可-顺丰快递-153934067627
赵*栋-顺丰快递-153934067645
陈*良-顺丰快递-153934067654
史*娇-顺丰快递-153934067681
*琦-顺丰快递-153934067690
*鑫-顺丰快递-153934067714
石*子-顺丰快递-153934067723
*云-顺丰快递-153934067741
廖*羽-顺丰快递-153934067750
*欣-顺丰快递-153934067778
*滢-顺丰快递-153934067787
凌*琦-顺丰快递-153934067857
凤*婷-顺丰快递-153934067884
汤*晋-顺丰快递-153934067893
傅*标-顺丰快递-153934067927
张*君-顺丰快递-153934067963
朱*榕-顺丰快递-153934068011
邓*煜-顺丰快递-153934068048
李*丹-顺丰快递-153934068190
郑*珠-顺丰快递-153934068215
刘*苹-顺丰快递-153934068242
*航-顺丰快递-153934068251
文*莹-顺丰快递-153934068260
*丹-顺丰快递-153934068288
*行-顺丰快递-153934068367
罗*金-顺丰快递-153934068385
*琳-顺丰快递-153934068394
*素-顺丰快递-153934068418
专四专八资料
2020专四阅读理解练习题
发布时间:2019/9/11 12:04:25 已阅读:14359 来源:原创以下是华大启点为大家整理的2020专四阅读理解练习题,希望能够帮助大家更有效的备考专四考试,更多专四备考内容,欢迎随时关注华大启点微信公众号。
2020专四阅读理解练习题(1)
What we know of prenatal development makes all this attempt made by a mother to mold the character of her unborn child by studying poetry, art, or mathematics during pregnancy seem utterly impossible. How could such extremely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connection between their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly. An emotional shock to the mother will affect her child, because it changes the activity of her glands and so the chemistry her blood. Any chemical change in the mother’s blood will affect the child for better or worse. But we can not see how a looking for mathematics or poetic genius can be dissolved in blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.
In our discussion of instincts we saw that there was reason to believe that whatever we inherit must be of some very simple sort rather than any complicated or very definite kind of behavior. It is certain that no one inherits a knowledge of mathematics. It may be, however, that children inherit more or less of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. If very intelligent children become deeply interested in mathematics, they will probably make a success of that study.
As for musical ability, it may be that what is inherited is an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or the vocal organs connections between nerves and muscles that make it comparatively easy to learn the movements a musician must execute, and particularly vigorous emotions. If these factors are all organized around music, the child may become a musician. The same factors, in other circumstance might be organized about some other center of interest. The rich emotional equipment might find expression in poetry. The capable fingers might develop skill in surgery. It is not the knowledge of music that is inherited, then nor even the love of it, but a certain bodily structure that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowledge and skill. Whether that ability shall be directed toward music or some other undertaking may be decided entirely by forces in the environment in which a child grows up.
1. Which of the following statements is not true?
A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and other subjects during their pregnancy.
B. It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal development.
C. The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.
D. There are no connection between mother’s nervous systems and her unborn child’s.
2. A mother will affect her unborn baby on the condition that ____.
A. she is emotionally shocked
B. she has a good knowledge of inheritance
C. she takes part in all kind of activities
D. she sticks to studying
3. According to the passage, a child may inherit____.
A. everything from his mother
B. a knowledge of mathematics
C. a rather general ability that we call intelligence
D. her mother’s musical ability
4. If a child inherits something from his mother, such as an especially sensitive ear, a peculiar structure of the hands or of the vocal organs, he will ____.
A. surely become musician
B. mostly become a poet
C. possibly become a teacher
D. become a musician on the condition that all these factors are organized around music
5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Role of Inheritance. B. An Unborn Child.
C. Function of instincts. D. Inherited Talents.
答案:BACDA
2020专四阅读理解练习题(2)
Most of us are taught to pay attention to what is said—the words. Words do provide us with some information, but meanings are derived from so many other sources that it would hinder our effectiveness as a partner to a relationship to rely too heavily on words alone. Words are used to describe only a small part of the many ideas we associate with any given message. Sometimes we can gain insight into some of those associations if we listen for more than words. We don’t always say what we mean or mean what we say. Sometimes our words don’t mean anything except “ I’m letting off some steam. I don’t really want you to pay close attention to what I’m saying. Just pay attention to what I’m feeling.” Mostly we mean several things at once. A person wanting to purchase a house says to the current owner, “This step has to be fixed before I’ll buy.” The owner says, “ It’s been like that for years.” Actually, the step hasn’t been like that for years, but the unspoken message is: “ I don’t want to fix it. We put up with it. Why can’t you?” The search for a more expansive view of meaning can be developed of examining a message in terms of who said it, when it occurred, the related conditions or situation, and how it was said.
When a message occurs can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples do exactly the same amount of kissing and arguing. But one couple always kisses after an argument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors may mean a great deal more than the frequency of the behavior. A friend’s unusually docile behavior may only be understood by noting that it was preceded by situations that required an abnormal amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a developing pattern of responses and defy logic. For example, a person who says “No!” to a serials of charges like “You’re dumb,” “You’re lazy,” and “You’re dishonest,” may also say “No!” and try to justify his or her response if the next statement is “And you’re good looking.”
We would do well to listen for how messages are presented. The words, “If sure has been nice to have you over,” can be said with emphasis and excitement or ritualistically. The phrase can be said once or repeated several times. And the meanings we associate with the phrase will change accordingly. Sometimes if we say something infrequently it assumes more importance; sometimes the more we say something the less importance it assumes.
1.Effective communication is rendered possible between two conversing partners, if ___.
A.they use proper words to carry their ideas.
B.they both speak truly of their own feelings.
C.they try to understand each other’s ideas beyond words.
D.they are capable of associating meaning with their words.
2.“I’m letting off some steam” in paragraph 1 means___.
A.I’m just calling your attention.
B.I’m just kidding.
C.I’m just saying the opposite.
D.I’m just giving off some sound.
3.The house-owner’s example shows that he actually means___.
A.the step has been like that for years.
B.he doesn’t think it necessary to fix the step.
C.the condition of the step is only a minor fault.
D.the cost involved in the fixing should be shared.
4.Some responses and behaviors may appear very illogical, but are justifiable if___.
A.linked to an abnormal amount of assertiveness.
B.seen as one’s habitual pattern of behavior.
C.taken as part of an ordering sequence.
D.expressed to a series of charges.
5.The word “ritualistically” in the last paragraph equals something done___.
A.without true intention.
B.light-heartedly.
C.in a way of ceremony.
D.with less emphasis.
答案:DBABC
2020专四阅读理解练习题(3)
Racket, din clamor, noise, whatever you want to call it, unwanted sound is America’s most widespread nuisance. But noise is more than just a nuisance. It constitutes a real and present danger to people’s health. Day and night, at home, at work, and at play, noise can produce serious physical and psychological stress. No one is immune to this stress. Though we seem to adjust to noise by ignoring it, the ear, in fact, never closes and the body still responds—sometimes with extreme tension, as to a strange sound in the night.
The annoyance we feel when faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building up inside us. Indeed, because irritability is so apparent, legislators have made public annoyance the basis of many noise abatement programs. The more subtle and more serious health hazards associated with stress caused by noise traditionally have been given much less attention. Nevertheless, when we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider these symptoms fair warning that other thing may be happening to us, some of which may be damaging to our health.
Of many health hazards to noise, hearing loss is the most clearly observable and measurable by health professionals. The other hazards are harder to pin down. For many of us, there may be a risk that exposure to the stress of noise increases susceptibility to disease and infection. The more susceptible among us may experience noise as a complicating factor in heart problems and other diseases. Noise that causes annoyance and irritability in health persons may have serious consequences for these already ill in mind or body.
Noise affects us throughout our lives. For example, there are indications of effects on the unborn child when mothers are exposed to industrial and environmental noise. During infancy and childhood, youngsters exposed to high noise levels may have trouble falling asleep and obtaining necessary amounts of rest.
Why, then, is there not greater alarm about these dangers? Perhaps it is because the link between noise and many disabilities or diseases has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Perhaps it is because we tend to dismiss annoyance as a price to pay for living in the modern world. It may also be because we still think of hearing loss as only an occupational hazard.
1.In Paragraph 1, the phrase “immune to” are used to mean ___.
A.unaffected by
B.hurt by
C.unlikely to be seen by
D.unknown by
2.The author’s attitude toward noise would best be described as ___.
A.unrealistic
B.traditional
C.concerned
D.hysterical
3.Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
A.Noise is a major problem; most people recognize its importance.
B.Although noise can be annoying, it is not a major problem.
C.Noise is a major problem and has not yet been recognized as such.
D.Noise is a major problem about which nothing can be done.
4.The author condemns noise essentially because it ___.
A.is against the law
B.can make some people irritable
C.is a nuisance
D.in a ganger to people’s health
5.The author would probably consider research about the effects noise has on people to be ___.
A.unimportant
B.impossible.
C.a waste of money
D.essential
答案:ACCDD
2020专四阅读理解练习题(4)
Computers monitor everything in Singapore from soil composition to location of manholes. At the airport, it took just 15 seconds for the computerized immigration system to scan and approve my passport. It takes only one minute to be checked into a public hospital.
By 1998, almost every household will be wired for interactive cable TV and the Internet, the global computer network. Shoppers will be able to view and pay for products electronically. A 24-hour community telecomputing network will allow users to communicate with elected representatives and retrieve information about government services. It is all part of the government’s plan to transform the nation into what it calls the “Intelligent Island”.
In so many ways, Singapore has elevated the concept of efficiency to a kind of national ideology. For the past ten years, Singapore’s work force was rated the best in the world-ahead of Japan and the U.S.-in terms of productivity, skill and attitude by the Business Environment Risk Intelligence service.
Behind the “Singapore miracle” is a man Richard Nixon described as one of “the ablest leaders I have met,” one who, “in other times and other places, might have attained the world stature of a Churchill.” Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore’s struggle for independence in the 1950s, serving as Prime Minister from 1959 until 1990. Today (1995), at 71, he has nominally retired to the office of Senior Minister, where he continues to influence his country’s future. Lee offered companies tax breaks, political stability, cheap labor and strike-free environment.
Nearly 90 percent of Singaporean adults now own their own homes and thanks to strict adherence to the principle of merit, personal opportunities abound. “If you’ve got talent and work hard, you can be anything here,” says a Malaysian-born woman who holds a high-level civil-service position.
Lee likes to boast that Singapore has avoided the “moral breakdown” of Western countries. He attributes his nation’s success to strong family ties, a reliance on education as the engine of advancement and social philosophy that he claims is superior to America’s.
In an interview with Reader’s Digest, he said that the United States has “lost its bearings” by emphasizing individual rights at the expense of society. “An ethical society,” he said, “is one which matches human rights with responsibilities.”
1.What characterizes Singapore’s advancement is its___.
A.computer monitoring.
B.work efficiency.
C.high productivity.
D.value on ethics.
2.From Nixon’s perspective, Lee is___.
A.almost as great as Churchill.
B.not as great as Churchill.
C.only second to Churchill in being a leader.
D.just as great as Churchill.
3.In the last paragraph, “lost its bearings” may mean___.
A.become impatient.
B.failed to find the right position.
C.lost its foundation.
D.grown band-mannered.
4.“You can be anything here”(Paragraph 5) may be paraphrased as___.
A.You can hope for a very bright prospect.
B.You may be able to do anything needed.
C.You can choose any job as you like.
D.You will become an outstanding worker.
5.In Singapore, the concept of efficiency___.
A.has been emphasized throughout the country.
B.has become an essential quality for citizens to aim at.
C.is brought forward by the government in order to compete with America.
D.is known as the basis for building the “Intelligent Island.”
2020专四阅读理解练习题(5)
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the languages he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people. In the same way, when children learn to do all the other things they learn to do without being taught-to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle-compare those performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his own mistakes for himself, let alone correct them. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Soon he becomes dependent on the teacher. Let him do it himself. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.
If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer. Let’s end this nonsense of grades, exams, marks, Let us throw them all out, and let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.
Let them get on with this job in the way that seems sensible to them. With our help as school teachers if they ask for it. The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at school and used for the rest of one’s life is nonsense in a world as complicated and rapidly changing as ours. Anxious parents and teachers say, “But suppose they fail to learn something essential they will need to get in the world?” Don’t worry! If it is essential, they will go out into the world and learn it.
1.What does the author think is the best way for children to learn things?
A.by copying what other people do.
B.by making mistakes and having them corrected.
C.by listening to explanations from skilled people.
D.by asking a great many questions.
2.What does the author think teachers do which they should not do?
A.They give children correct answers.
B.They point out children’s mistakes to them.
C.They allow children to mark their own work.
D.They encourage children to mark to copy from one another.
3.The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are___.
A.not really important skills.
B.more important than other skills.
C.basically different from learning adult skills.
D.basically the same as learning other skills.
4.Exams, grades, and marks should be abolished because children’s progress should only be estimated by___.
A.educated persons.
B.the children themselves.
C.teachers.
D.parents.
5.The author fears that children will grow up into adults while being___.
A.too independent of others.
B.too critical of themselves.
C.incapable to think for themselves.
D.incapable to use basic skills.
2020专四阅读理解练习题(6)
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
"When we reach the station, that will be it! "we cry. "When I’m 18. ""When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz! ""When I put the last kid through college. ""When I have paid off the mortgage!""When I get a promotion.""When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! "
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
"Relish the moment " is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24:"This is the day which the Lord hath made;we will rejoice and be glad in it. " It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. In stead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
2020专四阅读理解练习题(7)
Certainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living creature, especially human beings, have their peculiarities, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that, among other eccentricities, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely edible by gourmets?
For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has subsisted on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients are present.
Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddish brown to sand color and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the creatures are cucumber shaped-hence their name-and because they are typically rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with flexibility, enables them to squeeze into crevices where they are safe from predators and ocean currents.
Although they have voracious appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent and live at a low metabolic rate-feeding sparingly or not at all for long periods, so that the marine organisms that provide their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not for this faculty, they would devour all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence.
But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs, when attacked, it squirts all its internal organs into water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.
1. According to the passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important?
A. It helps them to digest their food.
B. It helps them to protect themselves from danger.
C. It makes it easier for them to move through the mud.
D. It makes them attractive to fish.
2. The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily discusses______.
A. the reproduction of sea cucumbers
B. the food sources of sea cucumbers
C. the eating habits of sea cucumbers
D. threats to sea cucumbers’ existence
3. What can be inferred about the defence mechanisms of the sea cucumber?
A. They are very sensitive to surrounding stimuli.
B. They are almost useless.
C. They require group cooperation.
D. They are similar to those of most sea creatures.
4. Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water?
A. A touch B. Food C. Unusually warm water D. Pollution.
2020专四阅读理解练习题(8)
About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.
The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture writing and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it.
By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.
These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.
1. Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because______.
A. the hunters wanted to see the pictures
B. the painters were animal lovers
C. the painters wanted to show imagination
D. the pictures were thought to be helpful
2. The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that______.
A. the former was easy to write
B. there were fewer signs in the former
C. the former was easy to pronounce
D. each sign stood for only one sound
3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.
B. The Egyptians liked to write comic strip stories.
C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.
D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.
4. In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures ______.
A. should be made comprehensible
B. should be made interesting
C. are of much use in our life
D. have disappeared from our life
2020专四阅读理解练习题(9)
Migration is usually defined as “permanent or semipermanent change o f residence”.
“ This broad definition, of course, would include a move across the street or a cross a city. Our concern is with movement between nations, not with internal mi gration within nations, although such movements often exceed international movem ents in volume. Today, the motives of people who move short distances are very s imilar to those of international migrants”.
Students of human migration speak of “push” and “pull” factors, which influe nce an individual’s decision to move from one place to another. Push factors are associated with the place of origin. A push factor can be as simple and mild a matter as difficulty in finding a suitable job, or as traumatic as war, or sever e famine. Obviously, refugees who leave their homes with guns pointed at their heads are motivated almost entirely by push factors (although pull factors do in fluence their choice of destination).
Pull factors are those associated with the place of destination. Most of thes e are economic, such as better job opportunities or the availability of good lan d to farm. The latter was an important factor in attracting settlers to the Unit ed States during the 19th century. In general, pull factors add up to an apparen tly better chance for a good life and material wellbeing than is offered by th e place of origin. When there is a choice between several attractive potential d estinations, the deciding factor might be a noneconomic consideration such as the presence of relatives, friends, or at least fellow countrymen already establ ished in the new place who are willing to help the newcomers settle in. Consider ations of this sort lead to the development of migration flow.
Besides push and pull factors, there are what the sociologists call “intervenin g obstacles”. Even if push and/or pull factors are very strong they still may b e outweighed by intervening obstacles, such as the distance of the move, the tro uble and cost of moving, the difficulty of entering the new country, and the pro blems likely to be encountered on arrival.
The decision to move is also influenced by “personal factors” of the potential migrant. The same pushpull factors and obstacles operate differently on diffe rent people, sometimes because they are at different stages of their lives, or j ust because of their varying abilities and personalities. The prospect of packin g up everything and moving to a new and perhaps very strange environment may app ear interesting and challenging to an unmarried young man and appallingly diffic ult to a slightly older man with a wife and small kids. Similarly, the need to l earn a new language and customs may excite one person and frighten another.
Regardless of why people move, migration of large numbers of people causes confl ict. The United States and other western countries have experienced adjustment p roblems with each new wave of immigrants. The newest arrivals are usually given the lowestpaid jobs and are resented by native people who may have to compete with them for those jobs. It has usually taken several decades for each group to be accepted into the mainstream of society in the host country.
1. The author thinks that pull factors ______.
A. are all related to economic considerations
B. are not as decisive as push factors
C. include a range of considerations
D. are more important than push factors
2. People’s decisions to migrate might be influenced by all the following EXCEPT ______.
A. personalitiesB. education
C. marital statusD. abilities
3. The purpose of the passage is to discuss ______.
A. the problems of international migrants
B. the motives of international migrants
C. migration inside the country
D. migration between countries
1. C) 根据第三段可知pull factors不仅和economic considerations有 关,还和noneconomic considerations有关,由此可排除选项A。选项B和D在文中没有提 及,故只有C为正确答案。
2. B) 此题为细节题。根据第五段可知惟有education没有提及。
3. B) 此题为主旨题。通过阅读该文可知文章主要是讲述促使人们在国际 间移民的因素,这与选项B相符。
2020专四阅读理解练习题(10)
There are some earth phenomena you can count on, but the magnetic field, someday is not of them. It fluctuates in strength, drifts from its axis, and every few 100,000 years undergo, dramatic polarity reversal—a period when north pole beco mes south pole and south pole becomes north pole. But how is the field generated , and why is it so unstable?
Groundbreaking research by two French geophysicists promises to shed some light on the mystery. Using 80 meters of deep sea sediment core, they have obtained me asurements of magneticfield intensity that span 11 polarity reversals and four million years. The analysis reveals that intensity appears to fluctuate with a clear, welldefined rhythm. Although the strength of the magnetic field varies irregularly during the short term, there seems to be an inevitable long term dec line preceding each polarity reversal. When the poles flip—a process that takes several hundred thousand years—the magnetic field rapidly regains its strength and the cycle is repeated.
The results have caused a stir among geophysicists. The magnetic field is though t to originate from molten iron in the outer core,3,000 kilometers beneath the e arth’s surface. By studying mineral grains found in material ranging from rocks to clay articles, previous researchers have already been able to identify revers als dating back 170 million years, including the most recent switch 730,000 year s ago. How and why they occur, however, has been widely debated. Several theorie s link polarity flips to external disasters such as meteor impacts. But Peter Ol son, a geophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, says this is u nlikely if the French researchers are right. In fact, Olson says intensity that predictably declines from one reversal to the next contradicts 90 percent of the models currently under study. If the results prove to be valid geophysicists wi ll have a new theory to guide them in their quest to understand the earth’s inne r physics. It certainly points the direction for future research.
1. Which of the following titles is most appropriate to the passage?
A. Polarity Reversal: A Fantastic Phenomenon of Nature.
B. Measurement of the Earth’s MagneticField Intensity.
C. Formation of the Two Poles of the Earth.
D. A New Approach to the study of Geophysics.
2. What have the two French geophysicists discovered in their research?
A. Some regularity in the changes of the earth’s magnetic field.
B. Some causes of the fluctuation of the earth’s magnetic field.
C. The origin of the earth’s magnetic field.
D. The frequency of polarity reversals.
3. The French geophysicists’ study is different from currently prevailing theories in ______.
A. its identification of the origin of the earth’s magnetic field
B. the way the earth’s magnetic intensity is measured
C. its explanation of the shift in the earth’s polarity
D. the way the earth’s fluctuation rhythm is defined
4. In Peter Olson’s opinion the French experiment ___ ___.
A. is likely to direct further research in the inner physics of the earth
B. has successfully solved the mystery of polarity reversals
C. is certain to help predict external disasters
D. has caused great confusion among the world’s geophysicists
1. D) 文章主要介绍了两位法国地球物理学家所作的开创性的研究及其在 同行中引起的反响。由此可见D为正确答案。
2. A) 此题为细节题。根据文章第二段第三句可知,经过分析表明,磁场 的密度以清晰的节奏在波动。由此可见A为正确答案。
3. C) 根据文章第二段,两位法国地球物理学家利用80米的深海沉淀物的核心做试验。而 根据文章第三段可知其他科学家是通过研究岩石、粘土等中所发现的金属微粒来论证的。由此可见C为正确答案。
4. A) 根据文章最后两句可知,如果这些结果被证明是对的,那么地球物 理学家在试图认 识地球内部物理现象方面有了新的理论作指导,也就是说这项研究为进一步的研究指明了方向。因此A为正确答案。
2020专四阅读理解练习题(11)
Three English dictionaries published recently all lay claim to possessing a “ne w” feature. The BBC English Dictionary contains background information on 1,000 people and places prominent in the news since 1988; the Oxford Advanced Learner ’s Dictionary: Encyclopedic Edition is the OALD plus encyclopedic entries; the L ongman Dictionary of English Language and Culture is the LDOCE plus cultural inf ormation.
The key fact is that all three dictionaries can be seen to have a distinctly “c ultural” as well as language learning content. That being said, the way in whic h they approach the cultural element is not identical, making direct comparisons between the three difficult.
While there is some common ground between the encyclopedic/cultural entries for the Oxford and Longman dictionaries, there is a clear difference. Oxford lays cl aim to being encyclopedic on content whereas Longman distinctly concentrates on the language and culture of the Englishspeaking world. The Oxford dictionary c an therefore stand more vigorous scrutiny for cultural bias than the Longman pub lication because the latter does not hesitate about viewing the rest of the worl d from the cultural perspectives of the Englishspeaking world. The cultural ob jectives of the BBC dictionary are in turn more distinct still. Based on an anal ysis of over 70 million words recorded from the BBC World Service and National P ublic Radio of Washington over a period of four years, their 1,000 brief encyclo pedic entries are based on people and places that have featured in the news rece ntly. The intended user they have in mind is a regular listener to the World Ser vice who will have a reasonable standard of English and a developed skill in list ening comprehension.
In reality, though, the BBC dictionary will be purchased by a far wider range of language learners, as will the other two dictionaries. We will be faced with a situation where many of the users of these dictionaries will at the very least h ave distinct sociocultural perspectives and may have world views which are tot ally opposed and even hostile to those of the West. Advanced learners form this kind of background will not only evaluate a dictionary on how userfriendly it is but will also have definite views about the scope and appropriateness of the various sociocultural entries.
1. What feature sets apart the three dictionaries discussed in the passage from traditional ones?
A. The combination of two dictionaries into one.
B. The new approach to defining words.
C. The inclusion of cultural content.
D. The increase in the number of entries.
2. The Longman dictionary is more likely to be criticized for cultural prejudice because ______.
A. its scope of cultural entries goes beyond the culture of the Englishspeaking world
B. it pays little attention to the cultural content of the nonEnglishspeaking countries
C. it views the world purely from the standpoint of the Englishspeaking people
D. it fails to distinguish language from culture in its encyclopedic entries
3. It is implied in the last paragraph that, in approaching sociocultural content in a dictionary,social thought should be given to ___ ___.
A. the language levels of its users
B. the number of its prospective purchasers
C. the different tastes of its users
D. the various cultural backgrounds of its users
1. C) 根据文章第一段可知新出版的这三本字典都有一个新的特征(既不 同于以往的特征 )那就是,根据第二段第一句 “The key fact is that all three dictionaries can be seen to have a distinctly “cultural” as well as language learning content”,除 了语言学习的内容外又增加了有关“文化方面”的内容, 因此选项C为正确答案。选项A、B 文章未涉及,选项D不符合题意。
2. C) 根据文章第三段第四至六行 “The Oxford dictionary can there fore stand more vigorous scrutiny for cultural bias than the Longman publication because the latter does not hesitate about viewing the rest of the world from t he cultural perspectives of the Englishspeaking world.”可知, 作者对牛津和朗 曼字典进行了比较。作者认为相对于朗曼字典,牛津字典更能经得起文化偏见方面的推敲, 这是因为朗曼字典只是从英语国家的文化观点去审视其他国家的文化,这正好符合选项C的 内容。选项A、B、D都不符合题意。
3. D) 根据文章最后一段可知,这三本字典会有各种各样的读者来购买, 这些读者的社会文化背景也会是各种各样的,他们中一定有些人生活在世界观与之相反甚至敌视的文化背景下。这些高级学习者不仅可以根据这本字典是否合用来评价它,而且对各种 社会文化词条的内容和准确性都有自己的看法,也就是说字典的编纂者要考虑到这些。选项 D符合以上分析的内容。
2020专四阅读理解练习题(12)
Nature’s Gigantic Snow Plough
On January 10, 1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the mountain, it had taken the lives of 4,000 people.
This disaster is one of the most “devastating”examples of a very common event: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration will send it sliding into the valley below.
Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke off weighed three million tons. As it crashed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough, it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.
At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they are very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try to understand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can be found and removed before they take human lives.
1. The first paragraph catches the reader’s attention with a _____
A. first hand report
B. dramatic description
C. tall tale
D. vivid world picture
2. In this passage "devastating" means ______.
A. violently ruinous
B. spectacularly interesting
C. stunning
D. unpleasant
3. The passage is mostly about ______.
A. avalanches
B. glaciers
C. Peru
D. mountains
1. A) 文章的第一段就像一个新闻报道,报道了在秘鲁发生的雪崩的灾难性后果,一下子就吸引了读者的注意力。
2. A) 根据语境线索可判断出词义为A。
3. A) 通读全文可知,文章主要是讲述雪崩的形成。
2020专四阅读理解练习题(13)
As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenthcentury North American Colonies, the silversmith and the coppersmith businesses rose to serve it. Only a few silversmiths were available in New York or Boston in the late seventeenth century, but in the eighteenth century they could be found in all major colonial cities. No other colonial artisans rivaled the silversmiths’ prestige. They handled the most expensive materials and possessed direct connections to prosperous colonial merchants. Their products, primarily silver plates and bowls, reflected their exalted status and testified to their customers’ prominence. Silver stood as one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time before neighborhood banks existed. Unlike the silver coins from which they were made, silver articles were readily identifiable. Often formed to individual specifications, they always carried the silversmith’s distinctive markings and consequently could be traced and retrieved. Customers generally secure the silver for the silver object they ordered. They saved coins, took them to smiths, and discussed the type of pieces they desired. Silversmiths complied with these requests by melting the money in a small furnace, adding a bit of copper to form a stronger alloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular blocks. They hammered these ingots to the appropriate thickness by hand, shaped them and pressed designs into them for adornment. Engraving was also done by hand. In addition to plates and bowls, some customers sought more intricate products, such as silver teapots. These were made by shaping or casting parts separately and then soldering them together. Colonial coppersmithing also come of age in the early eighteenth century and prospered in northern cities. Copper’s ability to conduct heat efficiently and to resist corrosion contributed to its attractiveness. But because it was expensive in colonial America, coppersmiths were never very numerous. Virtually all copper worked by Smiths was imported as sheets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copper was used for practical items, but it was not admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed it to fashion pots and kettles for the home. They shaped it in much the same manner as silver or melted it in a foundry with lead or tin. They also mixed it with zinc to make brass for maritime and scientific instruments.
1.According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth century developments had strong impact on silversmiths?
A. A decrease in the cost of silver.
B. The invention of heat efficient furnaces.
C. The growing economic prosperity of colonial merchants.
D. The development of new tools used to shape silver.
2.In colonial America, where did silversmiths usually obtain the material to make silver articles?
A. From their own mines.
B. From importers.
C. From other silversmiths.
D. From customers.
3.The passage mentions all of the following as uses for copper in Colonial America EXCEPT ______.
A. cooking pots
B. scientific instruments
C. musical instruments
D. maritime instruments
4.According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar in which of the following ways?
A. The amount of social prestige they had.
B. The way they shaped the metal they worked with.
C. The cost of the goods they made.
D. The practicality of the goods they made.
1. C) 根据文章第一句“As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenthcentury North American Colonies,...”可知,随着在十八世纪的北美殖民地商人阶级膨胀起来,也就是说那时的商人财富有了很大的发展,银匠铜匠们有机会发挥他们的专长了,这与选项C正好相符。
2. D) 根据文章第十四、五行“Customers generally secures …object they ordered. They saved coins, took them to smiths, and...”可知顾客要做银器,首先要积攒银币,然后拿到银匠处加工成他们想要的形状。选项D“来自客户”与之相符。
3. C) 文章末尾在提到铜的用途时惟独没有提到乐器。
4. B) 根据文章倒数第四行“They shaped it in much the same manner as silver or melted it in a foundry with lead or tin.”可知银匠和铜匠在银器和铜器的塑型方式上是一样的,故选项B为正确答案。
2020专四阅读理解练习题(14)
People have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunted animals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they were painted there. Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories in pictures.
About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture writing and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it.
By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.
These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.
1. Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because ___ ___.
A. the hunters wanted to see the pictures
B. the painters were animal lovers
C. the painters wanted to show imagination
D. the pictures were thought to be helpful
2. The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that ___ ___.
A. the former was easy to write
B. there were fewer signs in the former
C. the former was easy to pronounce
D. each sign stood for only one sound
3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.
B. The Egyptians liked to write comicstrip stories.
C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.
D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.
4. In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures ___ ___.
A. should be made comprehensible
B. should be made interesting
C. are of much use in our life
D. have disappeared from our life
1. D)
根据文章第一段第五行“Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals.”可知古代人以为在墙上画画会对他们有所帮助,故选项D为正确答案。
2. C)
在做此类题时要注意题干的要求。通过阅读文章第四段很清楚就知道选项C “前者容易发音”在文中没有提及,故为正确答案。
3. A)
可用排除法来做本题。通过阅读文章很清楚选项B和D为错误陈述。
选项C “罗马字母是从埃及字母发展而来的”根据文章第四段第四,五句可知为错误论述,因此只有选项A为正确答案。
4. C)
文章最后一段讲述了图画在今天的用途,故选项C为正确答案。