四级 新题型四级选词填空练习题 1

Unit Eight

Passage 2

When a person feels low, blue, or down in the clumps, it usually means he has been hurt, disappointed, or saddened by something that causes a confused and listless feeling. There is 11 a type of music called "the blue", a low, mournful, sad sound to 12 these universal human feelings.

Depression is another name for this mood. Feeling depressed is a normal and natural 13 to experiences of loss, failure, and undeserved bad luck. Indeed, it has been pointed out that without depression, we would 14 much of the world's great tragic literature, music, and art.

In some cases, however, depression becomes something more than just 15 feelings of blues or letdown. A large number of people suffer from what psychiatrists call "depressive illness. " Depressive illness is more 16 and lasts longer than common listless feelings. Sometimes a serious 17 of depression can begin with the loss of a loved one or a change of job. Many times, in very

18 cases, there doesn't seem to be any circumstance serious enough to have caused the depression.

Some psychiatrists suggest that the key feature in depression is change. The person becomes different from the way before the onset of his depression. He may even become the opposite of his usual self. There are many examples: the businessman who becomes a wanderer, the mother who wants to 19 her children and herself. Instead of seeking satisfaction and pleasure, the depressed person 20 it.

world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in 16 because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings 17 between people from cultures that treat time differently.

Promptness is valued 18 in American life, for example. If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the U. S. no one would think of keeping a business 19 waiting for an hour, it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is 20 to make a short

apology. If he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.

A. highly

B. engagement

C. customary

D. social

E. inform

F. invitation

G. advance

H. absence

I. heavily J. associate K. expected L. assumes

M. habitual N. arise O. communicates

Unit Eleven

Passage 2

Personality is, to a large extent, inherent—A-type parents, usually bring about A-type children. But the environment must also have a 11 effect, wince if competition is important to the parents it is likely to become a major 12 in the lives of their children.

One place where children soak up A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools 13 the " win at all costs" moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current 14 for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows. Being 15 keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying; "cheers, we conquer!"

By far the worst form of competition in schools is the extreme 16 on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to 17 on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat 18 , but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.

Obviously, it is neither 19 nor desirable that all A youngsters change into B's. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to 20 a child's personality to his possible future employment. It is top management.

A. enough

B. fit

C. emphasis

D. practical

E. innumerable

F. concentrate

G. adopt

H. questionable

I. profound J. factor K. too L. substance

M. passion N. emotion O. fix

UNIT 12

Passage 2

As the 11 of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body. Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often 12 to be. A certain amount of stress is 13 to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor 14 and ill health.

The amount of stress a person can 15 depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are 16 prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of 17 difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so 18 , but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued 19 to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot 20 stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could) , we need to find ways to deal with it.

A. cancel

B. pace

C. extreme

D. automatically

E. remove

F. vital

G. performance

H. supposed

I. rate J. exposure K. achievement L. unusual

M obviously N withstand O harsh

Unit Thirteen

Passage 2

What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who 11 life, people and excitement. Do you prefer greys and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You 12 to be a pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us, among other 13 , that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up—we are born with our preference. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

Colors do 14 our moods—there is no doubt about it. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is 15 .A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the 16 of more suicides than any other bridge in the area—until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell 17 ; perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

Light and 18 colors make people not only happier but more active. It is

an 19 fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer 20 when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A. bright

B. scene

C. wholly

D. favor

E. facts

F. depressing

G. accidents

H. interfere

I. established J. incidents K. disgusting L. sharply

M. enjoys N. tend O. influence

Unit Fourteen

Passage 2

Women are also underrepresented in the administration and this is because there are so few women 11 professors. In 1985, Regent Beryl Milburn produced a report blasting the University of Texas System administration for not 12 women. The University was rated among the lowest for the system. In a 1587 update, Milburn 13 and praised the progress that was made and called for even more 14

One of the positive results from her study was a system-wide program to inform women of available administrative jobs. College of Communication Associate Dean, Patricia Witherspoon, said it is important that woman be 15 when it comes to relocating if they want to 16 in the ranks.

Although a woman may face a chilly 17 on campus, many times in order for her to succeed, she must rise above the problems around her and concentrate on her work.

Until women make up a greater 18 of the senior positions in the University and all academia, inequalities will exist. "Women need to spend their energies and time doing scholarly activities that are important here at the University. " Spirduso said. "If they do that they will be 19 in this system. If they spend their time in little groups mourning the sexual discrimination that they think exists here, they are 20 wasting valuable study time. "

A. full

B. recalled

C. improvement

D. rise

E. encouraging

F. flexible

G. recognized

H. idly

I. ratio J. persuading K. movable L. possibly

M. successful N. climate O. percentage

Unit Fifteen

Passage 2

In October 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards began its work to set new standards

of accomplishment for the teaching profession and to improve the 11 of education available to all children in the United States.

Teachers are 12 to students and their learning. They must act on the belief that all students can learn. They must recognize 13 differences in their students and adjust their practice 14 . They must know that their mission extends beyond developing

the cognitive capacity of their students. They must be 15 with their students' self-concept, with their motivation, and with the development of character.

Teachers must know the subjects they teach and how to teach them. They must 16 specialized knowledge of how to convey a subject to students. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. They must call on 17 methods to meet their goals, knowing and being able to 18 a variety of instructional skills. Teachers must think systematically about their practice and learn from experience, seeking the 19 of others and drawing on education research and scholarship to improve their practice.

As members of learning communities, teachers contribute to school effectiveness by collaborating with other professionals. They take ___20 of

community resources, cultivating knowledge of their school's community as a powerful resource for learning.

A. employ

B. advice

C. quantity

D. committed

E. command

F. consulted

G. manual

H. approximately

I. concerned J. advantage K. multiple L. accordingly

M. individual N. embrace O. quality

Unit Sixteen

Passage 2

If you are looking for information, library shelves are a good place to start. But if you need up-to-the-minute data or have specialized needs, you may find a computerized database more useful, less expensive, and less time 11 .A database, a file of information on one subject or family of subjects, can be stored and 12 in a computer's memory. The speed of the computer then 13 you to recall any item in this file almost 14

The three main types of databases are statistical, bibliographic, and full text. Statistical databases store 15 amounts of numerical data, such as wage and price indexes, census information, foreign 16 rates and bond prices. Bibliographic databases store references to and summaries of articles in periodicals and newspapers. Full-text databases offer the complex texts of such 17 as newspaper, magazine, and journal articles.

Thousands of databases exist today, and their numbers are growing. Many companies have their in-house database, which is 18 to employees through computer terminals or microcomputers. In addition, several hundred commercial databases are now available to the 19 , with literally millions of items of information readily obtainable. These databases 20 specific fields, such as law and financial forecasting, or general information, such as sports and weather data.

A. exchange

B. public

C. instantly

D. cover

E. enables

F. consuming

G. remained

H. materials

I. hide J. intensively K. vast L. communication

s

M. exhausting N. accessible 0. maintained

Unit Seventeen

Passage 2

No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world, but 11 suggest the figure is over 450 million. The number of disabled people in

India 12 is probably more than double the total population of Canada.

In the United Kingdom, about one in ten people have some disability. Disability is not just something that happens to other people: as we get older, many of us will become less 13 , hard of hearing or have failing eyesight. Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life. Some people are born with disabilities. Many others become disabled as they get older. There are many 14 disabling diseases. The longer time goes on, the worse they become. Some people are disabled in accidents. Many others may have a period of disability in the form of a mental illness. All are affected by people's attitude towards them.

Disabled people face many 15 barriers. Next time you go shopping or to work or to visit friends, imagine how you would 16 if you could not get up steps, or on to buses and trains. How would you cope if you could not see where you were going or could not hear the traffic? But there are other barriers; 17 can be even harder to break down and ignorance 18 represents by far the greatest barrier of all. It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciate what the severely disabled go

Growth of trade will depend greatly on availability of energy sources. There may still be a trillion barrels of recoverable oil in the Middle East. But the oil crisis of 1974 has 11 to renewed interest in coal and to a search for

12 sources of energy. Solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy will play a large role in the years to come.

Solar energy is available in 13 forms. Buildings can be heated and cooled by direct use of solar radiation, crops and trees, which are the most efficient converters of sunlight into energy, can be grown for their energy potential, wastes can be burned as 14 , sunlight can be converted into DC (direct current) electricity, electric power can be 15 from the sun-warmed surface waters of the ocean, and lastly, solar radiation can be converted into heat that will drive electric power generators. Serious problems still remain as to 16 and storage of solar energy.

Geothermal energy is the energy contained within the earth. Heat is abundantly available deep in the earth's core and is constantly being produced. However, this heat is usually located at too deep a level for 17 exploitation. In short, very little is known on the use of geothermal energy, and it has 18 been exploited.

Nuclear energy is produced in nuclear power plants. At these plants atoms of uranium are split, thus 19

masses of energy. Another source of energy

under development is the nuclear fusion of certain atoms of hydrogen. This could eventually 20 natural gas as a source of energy.

A. rarely

B. transformation

C. fuel

D. replace

E. led

F. alternative

G. commercial

H. briefly

I. derived J. various K. relieving L. releasing

M. transportation N. financial O. described

UNIT 21

Like most parents, geologist Brain Atwater worries about his daughter's safety. But these days, he has an unusual concern; The public school she 11 in Seattle has unreinforced brick walls, a 12 being easy to collapse during earthquakes. The same 13 of walls crushed hundreds of thousands of people during the 1976 Tangshan quake in China.

A decade ago, Atwater would have paid little notice to schoolroom walls. But over the last several years, he and other scientists have found 14 signs that the Pacific Northwest has experienced giant quakes in the distant past and that the area may be headed for a destructive shock in the near future.

At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December, researchers discussed the 15 uncovered evidence of quake potential in the Pacific Northwest. While some remain unconvinced that huge earthquakes—with magnitudes of 8 or higher—do indeed 16 this region, a growing number consider such shocks a serious possibility.

What's worrisome, they say, is that northwestern cities such as Portland, Seattle and Vancouver have not prepared for earthquakes of this magnitude, which could shake the region's 17 centers with enough force to make the recent San Francisco area damage seem 18 in comparison.

"I think it's quite true to say that nothing has really been designed with one of these earthquakes in mind," says seismologist Paul Somerville of Woodward. At the meeting, Somerville and his colleagues 19 estimates of the degree of shaking. Portland and Seattle would suffer during such a 20 earthquake.

A. massive

B. recently

C. construction

D. displayed

E. relatively

F. attends

G. type

H. strike

I. structure J. participates K. excessive L. mild

M. disturbing N. population 0. presented

Unit Twenty-Two

Passage 2

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, migrations have taken place within 11 countries; the cities with their industries have attracted people away from the country. The possibility of earning a fixed 12 in a factory or office was more attractive than the possibility of staying on the farm and having one's work 13 by frost, storms, or droughts. Furthermore, the

development of agricultural machinery made it possible for fewer people to do the same 14 of work.

Thus, at the same time when the industrial revolution made it possible to produce goods more 15 and more quickly in

been known to man for at least 3,000 years, but has 12 into common use only in 13 times. Until quite recently it was considered as a medicine and as a luxury for the very rich only.

Sugar is, then, 14 to our civilization. But what 15 is it? Of course, most of us recognize sugar immediately as the sweet material which we put in coffee or cakes. This common form of sugar is derived from two plants: the sugar cane (a type of grass which grows to a height of twenty feet) and the sugar beet (which grows under ground). But there are in fact many types of sugar, and the chemist recognizes hundreds of different 16 , each coming from a different source.

About 90% of the sugar is produced as food. Only 10% is used in industry for 17 other than food production. Yet sugar has great possibilities for use as the basis of chemicals. It can even be used for making plastics. In the future these potential uses will certainly be developed more than in the past.

There are many reasons why we should 18 the production of sugar. Most important is that it is one of the most highly concentrated of energy foods.

Thus sugar cane and beet produce an average of 7,000,000 calories per acre. In this way they have the advantage over potatoes which give only 4, 000, 000, while the 19 for wheat and beans is 2 ,000,000 each. So three acres of land growing wheat, beans and potatoes give only 20 more energy than one acre

of sugar.

A. slightly

B. intention

C. reason

D. modern

E. strongly

F. figure

G. come

H. significant

I. exactly J. increase K. proposals L. turn

M. purposes N. varieties O. serious

Unit Twenty-Eight

Passage 2

The birth of computers has brought with it a new set of opportunities for mischief and crime. Today, computers are easy to come by and many people know how computer technology 11 . More importantly, the growing use of computer networks can multiply the violation of security, making large numbers of people more vulnerable than would be the case if they were using 12 , stand-alone computers.

What's more, computer experts agree that—despite recent widespread publicity-computer viruses are 13 one of the many computer security problems facing the nation.

The U. S. Defense Advanced Research Project Agency has requested that the Research Council's Science and Technology Board 14 the security problems posed by computer technology, see what 15 may already exist, review research efforts 16 at avoiding security problems in the future, and evaluate existing policies 17 to computer security. The study committee will examine the 18 of security for a broad spectrum of users, including the business, national security, and academic communities, as well as the 19 public.

David. Clark, senior research scientist, Laboratory for Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will chair the 20 of experts in

electronic security, net-work security, computer law, software engineering ? and operating systems. The committee will also include computer users from the defense and banking industries.

A. only

B. works

C. solutions

D. general

E. issue

F. fundamentally

G. universal

H. assess

I. aimed J. single K. committee L. generates

M. relevant N. question O. community

Unit Twenty-Nine

Passage 2

Leonardo da Vinci was the first man to suggest that growing trees add a new ring in their trunks each year. The

11 in these rings relates to the physical conditions which the tree experiences. Thus, trees grown in a 12 area and time each develop a pattern or configuration of their rings.

This 13 was of little significance until Andrew E. Douglas began to study tree rings in Arizona in 1900. Using a technique called cross dating, he was able to employ tree rings to the study of archaeological sites and date the ruins with 14 . Some were as old as 6700 B. C. ! This study of tree rings is called dendrochronology.

In time the cross dating was 15 by a carbon 14 process. This approach measured the amount of carbon 14 radiating from a

seem to have had almost no rights at all. They could not vote, or even sign 12 . Their marriages were arranged by their

parents, and once they were married they could not 13 property. Most of the time they were never given responsible jobs. It is 14 to think that, as far as we know, most women were happy with this situation.

Today the position is quite different. Women can now vote, and choose their own husbands. In 1970 a law was 15 to give them an equal share of property in the case of divorce, and in the same year the Equal Pay Act gave them the right to equal pay with men for work of equal value.

Yet despite these changes, there is no doubt that there are still great differences in 16 between men and women. Many

employers —maybe even the majority —seem to ignore the Equal Pay Act, and the average working woman is likely to earn only about half what a man earns for the same job. Most women who do work still do 17 jobs. Only a small proportion of the country's workers are in fact women. This small percentage is partly because of a-shortage of nurseries. If there were 18 nurseries, up to twice as many women might well go out to work. There is also great 19 in education. Only a quarter of all university students are women. And at present boys' schools are 20 much better than girls' schools.

Unit Forty-Six

Passage 2

Most people have heard of Shakespeare and probably know something of the plays that he wrote. However, not everybody knows much about the life of this remarkable man, except 11 that he was born in the market town of Stratford-upon —Avon and that he married a woman called Anne Hathaway. We know nothing of his school life. We do not know, for example, how long it lasted, but we 12 that he attended the local grammar school, where the 13 subject taught was Latin.

Nothing certain is known of what he did between the time he left school and his 14 for London. According to a local legend, he was beaten and even put in prison for stealing rabbits and deer from the estate of a neighboring landowner, Sir Thomas Lucy. It is said that because of this he was forced to run away from his 15 place. A different legend says that he was apprenticed to a Stratford butcher, but did not like the life and for this reason 16 to leave Stratford.

Whatever caused him to leave the town of his birth, the world can be 17 that he did so. What is certain is that he set his foot on the roadjto 18 when he arrived in London. It is said that at first he was without money or friends there, but that he earned a little by taking care of the horses of the gentlemen who attended the plays at the theatre. In time, as he became a 19 figure to the actors in the theatre, they stopped and spoke to him. They found his conversation so brilliant that finally he was invited to 20 their company.

A. fame

B. graceful

C. join

D. perhaps

E. forecast

F. departure

G. somehow

H. presume

I. native J. familiar K. decided L. meaningful

M. principal N. grateful O. rejection

Unit Forty-Seven

Passage 2

Sylvester and I are watching television advertisements because we need information for a class 11 project. We have to

discuss realism and distortion in television advertising, and so we are looking for examples of distortions and falsehoods in television commercials. The question we are asking is, "Is the commercial 12 to life, or does it 13 an unreal picture of the product?"

Sylvester is keeping track of the distortions, and he already has quite a long list. He says that all housewives seem to live in lovely homes, dress beautifully, and love their household chores. They smile and 14 about floor waxes and 15 display their dirty 16 , dusty tabletops, and dirty ovens. In addition, he had never seen men doing housework. Sylvester thinks that this view of family life is filled with distortions.

I am keeping track of the people who appear in the advertisements. I have found handsome men courting the All-American Girl, and they are always 17 brand X toothpaste or brand Y cologne. I see teenagers and children surrounded by their

friends, having 18 times at parties and at school, and they are usually enjoying large harmonious family A. unselected B. desired C. undoubtedly D. used

E. contracts

F. passed

G. statue

H. strange

I. sufficient J. inequality K. own L. status

M. unsuspiciously N. concluded O. unskilled