2016年专四英语阅读练习

（一）

People have been painting pictures for at least30,000 years. The earliest pictu res were painted bypeople who hunted animals. They used to paintpictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill.Pictures of this kind have been fou nd on the walls ofcaves in France and Spain. No one knows why theywere pai nted there. Perhaps the painters thoughtthat their pictures would help them t o catch theseanimals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell st ories in pictures.

About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East bega n to use picturesas kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to repr esent things and ideas, and also torepresent the sounds of their language. Th e signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.The Egyptians used to r ecord information and to tell stories by putting picture writingand pictures tog ether. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life werep ainted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of the se pictures arelike 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 p ower. So they did not try to make their way ofwriting simple. The ordinary pe ople could not understand it.

By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea haddeveloped a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were ver y easy to write, and therewere fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. Th is was because each sign, or letter,represented only one sound in their langua ge. The Greeks developed this system and formedthe letters of the Greek alp habet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet isnow used all over the world.

These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using p ictures. But westill need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find themeverywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where welive and work. Pictures help us to und erstand and remember things more easily, and they canmake 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 follo wing reasonsEXCEPT 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

参考答案：

1. D) 根据文章第一段第五行

“Perhaps the paintersthought that their pictures would help them to catchthes e 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。

（二）

As the merchant class expanded in the eighteenth?century North American C olonies, the silversmith and the coppersmith businesses rose to serve it.Only a few silversmiths were available in New Yorkor Boston in the late seventee nth century, but in theeighteenth century they could be found in all majorcolo nial cities. No other colonial artisans rivaled thesilversmiths’prestige. They h andled the mostexpensive materials and possessed direct connections to pros perous colonial merchants. Theirproducts, primarily silver plates and bowls, re flected their exalted status and testified to theircustomers’ prominence. Silve r stood as one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time beforeneighborhoo d banks existed. Unlike the silver coins from which they were made, silver arti cleswere readily identifiable. Often formed to individual specifications, they always carried the silversmith’s distinctive markings and consequently co uld be traced and retrieved.Customers generally secure the silver for the silv er object they ordered. They saved coins, tookthem to smiths, and discussed the type of pieces they desired. Silversmiths complied with theserequests by melting the money in a small furnace, adding a bit of copper to form a stron ger alloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular blocks. They hammered these ingots to the appropriate thickness by hand, shaped them and pressed desi gns into them for adornment.Engraving was also done by hand. In addition to plates and bowls, some customers soughtmore intricate products, such a s silver teapots. These were made by shaping or casting partsseparately and t hen 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 attractive ness. But because it wasexpensive in colonial America, coppersmiths were ne ver very numerous. Virtually all copperworked by Smiths was imported as sh eets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copperwas used for practical i tems, but it was not admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed it tofashi on pots and kettles for the home. They shaped it in much the same manner a

s silver or melted it in a foundry with lead or tin. They also mixed it with zinc to make brass for maritimeand scientific instruments.?

1.According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth century develop ments 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 Am erica 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 inwhich of the following ways? ?

A. The amount of social prestige they had.?

B. The way they shaped the they worked with. ?

C. The cost of the goods they made. ?

D. The practicality of the goods they made.

参考答案：

1. C) 根据文章第一句

“As the merchant classexpanded in the eighteenth?century North AmericanC olonies,...”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 generallysecures …object they ordered. They saved coins, took th em 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 afoundry 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。

（三）

?

Nature's Gigantic Snow Plough

On January 10,

1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of amountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, whencascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles downthe mountain, it had taken the lives of 4,000 p eople.

This disaster is one of the most“devastating”examples of a very common e vent: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher andhigher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the low erlayers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snowaccumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration willsend it sliding into the valley below.

Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catast rophe wasparticularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice.

It is estimated that the icethat broke off weighed three million tons. As it cra shed down the steep mountainside like agigantic snow plough, it swept up tr

ees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushedand destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.

At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, theyare very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smalle r, more common avalanches, to tryto understand what causes them. In the f uture, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and icecan 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

参考答案：

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。

Most of us are taught to pay attention to what issaid—the words. Words do pr ovide us with someinformation, but meanings are derived from so manyother sources that it would hinder our effectivenessas a partner to a relationship t o rely too heavily onwords alone. Words are used to describe only asmall par t of the many ideas we associate with anygiven message. Sometimes we can gain insight intosome of those associations if we listen for more than words. We don't always say what wemean or mean what we say. Sometimes our wo rds don't mean anything except " I'm letting offsome steam. I don't really wa nt you to pay close attention to what I'm saying. Just payattention to what I' m feeling." Mostly we mean several things at once. A person wanting to purch ase a house says to the current owner,

"This step has to be fixed before I'll buy." Theowner says,

" It's been like that for years." Actually, the step hasn't been like that for year s,but the unspoken message is:

" I don't want to fix it. We put up with it. Why can't you?" Thesearch for a mo re expansive view of meaning can be developed of examining a message inter ms of who said it, when it occurred, the related conditions or situation, and h ow it was said.

When a message occurs can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples doexactly the same amount of kissing and arguing. But one coupl e always kisses after anargument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors maymean a great deal more than the fre quency of the behavior. A friend's unusually docile behavior may only be und erstood by noting that it was preceded by situations that required an abnorm al amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a dev eloping pattern of responses and defy logic. For example, a person who says "No!" to a serials ofcharges 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 niceto have you over," can be said with emphasis and excit ement or ritualistically. The phrase canbe said once or repeated several time s. And the meanings we associate with the phrase willchange accordingly. S ometimes if we say something infrequently it assumes more importance;so metimes the more we say something the less importance it assumes.

1.Effective communication is rendered possible between two conversing par tners, 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 justifiabl

e 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 equals something done___.

A.without true intention.

B.light-heartedly.

C.in a way of ceremony.

D.with less emphasis.

答案：

Migration is usually defined as "permanent orsemipermanent change o f re sidence".

"This broad definition, of course, would include amove across the street or a cross a city. Our concernis with movement between nations, not with intern al mi gration within nations, although suchmovements often exceed internati

onal movem entsin volume. Today, the motives of people who move short dis tances are very s imilar to those ofinternational migrants".

Students of human migration speak of "push" and "pull" factors, which influe nce anindividual's decision to move from one place to another. Push factors are associated with theplace of origin. A push factor can be as simple and mi ld a matter as difficulty in finding a suitable job, or as traumatic as war, or s ever e famine. Obviously, refugees who leave theirhomes with guns pointed at their heads are motivated almost entirely by push factors(although pull fa ctors 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 animportant factor in attracting settlers to the Unit ed States during the 19th century. In general,pull factors add up to an appar en tly better chance for a good life and material well?being thanis offered by t h e place of origin. When there is a choice between several attractive poten tial destinations, the deciding factor might be a non?economic consideratio n such as the presence of relatives, friends, or at least fellow countrymen alr eady establ ished in the new place who are willing to help the newcomers set tle 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". Evenif push and/or pull factors are very strong they still may b e outweighed by interveningobstacles, such as the distance of the move, the tr o uble and cost of moving, the difficulty ofentering 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 potentia l migrant. Thesame push?pull factors and obstacles operate differently on dif fe rent people, sometimesbecause they are at different stages of their lives, o r j ust because of their varying abilities andpersonalities. The prospect of pack in g up everything and moving to a new and perhaps verystrange environme nt may app ear interesting and challenging to an unmarried young manand appallingly diffic ult to a slightly older man with a wife and small kids. Simila rly, the need to learn a new language and customs may excite one person an d frighten another.

Regardless of why people move, migration of large numbers of people cause s confl ict. TheUnited States and other western countries have experienced adjustment p roblems with eachnew wave of immigrants. The newest arrival s are usually given the lowest?paid jobs and areresented by native people wh o may have to compete with them for those jobs. It has usuallytaken several decades for each group to be accepted into the mainstream of society in the hostcountry.?

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 EXCE PT ______?.?

A. personalities?

B. education?

C. marital status?

D. 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economicconsiderations有关，还和non?economicconsiderations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。

What we know of prenatal development makes allthis attempt made by a mo ther to mold thecharacter of her unborn child by studying poetry, art,or math ematics during pregnancy seem utterly impossible. How could such extrem

ely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? Thereis no connect ion between their nervous systems.Even the blood vessels of mother and chil d do notjoin directly. An emotional shock to the mother will affect her child, because it changes theactivity of her glands and so the chemistry her blood. Any chemical change in the mother'sblood will affect the child for better or w orse. But we can not see how a looking formathematics 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 wh atever we inherit must be of some very simple sort rather than any complica ted or very definite kind ofbehavior. It is certain that no one inherits a kno wledge of mathematics. It may be, however,that children inherit more or les s of a rather general ability that we may call intelligence. Ifvery 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 sensiti ve ear, a peculiarstructure of the hands or the vocal organs connections bet ween nerves and muscles that makeit comparatively easy to learn the move ments a musician must execute, and particularly vigorous emotions. If thes e factors are all organized around music, the child may become a musician. The same factors, in other circumstance might be organized about some ot hercenter of interest. The rich emotional equipment might find expression in poetry. The capable fingers might develop skill in surgery. It is not the kno wledge of music that is inherited, thennor even the love of it, but a certain b odily structure that makes it comparatively easy to acquire musical knowled ge and skill. Whether that ability shall be directed toward music orsome other undertaking may be decided entirely by forces in the environment in which a childgrows up.

1. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. Some mothers try to influence their unborn children by studying art and ot her subjectsduring their pregnancy.

B. It is utterly impossible for us to learn anything about prenatal developm ent.

C. The blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly.

D. There are no connection between mother's nervous systems and her unbor n 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 sensiti ve ear, a peculiarstructure 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 the passage?

A. Role of Inheritance.

B. An Unborn Child.

C. Function of instincts.

D. Inherited Talents

【参考答案】

答案：BACDA