大学英语四级仔细阅读精选练习题
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练习题一
Newspapers often tell us of floods in some parts of the United States.
Nearly every year on the great central drainages heavy rains and melting snow cause the waters to pour out the mountains and plains, to turn brooks into torrents, and to swell quiet streams into wild uncontrolled rivers. From Cairo to New Orleans, and from Pittsburgh to Paducah, the cry "River rising!" is a familiar yet fearful voice. . . When the rivers sometimes become too high or too swift to be controlled communities are flooded, families flee from their homes, croplands are washed out, and transportation comes to a halt. Hunger, disease, and death follow the wild waters.
Although given less publicity, the agricultural damage done by the many smaller, more frequent floods usually far exceeds the losses caused by the very grand ones. In the Central States, ditches and drains cause the flows from spring rains and melting snow to run far more rapidly than in the days before white men settled on the land. Once, excess spring flood waters emptied into lakes and swampy lands, there to be detained for slow release into stream and rivers. Now, systematic drainage has actually eliminated these natural reservoirs.
In the more rolling sections of the East, spring runoff was formerly absorbed and held temporarily in the porous soils beneath the unbroken expanse of forest. When large areas were converted to farm use, removal of the forest and the practice of up-and-down hill plowing deprived the soils of much of their ability to catch and store water.
The effects of eliminating the natural forest cover are shown in the gullied farm lands and widened stream channels found in some densely settled areas. Partly because the stream channels are more or less filled with material washed down from the uplands, and partly because storm runoff has increased, the channels are today no longer able to carry all the flow from heavy rains. This explains why the streams overtop banks far more often than in the days before settlement.
26. The best title for the selection would be______.
A. River Rising! River Rising! B. Forests and Floods
C. Flooding in the U. S. D. The Results of Flooding
27. All of the following cause floods EXCEPT______.
A. heavy rain B. melting snow
C. increasing storm runoff D. porous soil
28. The author states that______.
A. lakes and swamps once acted like natural reservoirs
B. up-and-down hill plowing catches and stores water
C. stream channels are the best carriers of water
D. floods are easily prevented and controlled
29. According to the selection, streams overtop their banks partly because______.
A. material from higher land is washed into them
B. ditches and drains lead into them
C. rivers become too swift
D. snow melts more rapidly nowadays
30. The floods which are given most publicity______.
A. cause no damage
B. cause the most damage
C. cause less agricultural damage than the many smaller, more frequent floods
D. far exceed the smaller, more frequent floods in agricultural loss
答案： 26. C 27. D 28. A 29. A 30. C
练习题二
The world has become a world of cities. With the present rate of urban growth(3. 8% in the Third World) , the majority of the population of the world will be living in cities by the year 2000. This will transform the rural-urban equation which has marked the history of mankind up to now and will call for new example and a great deal of innovation to face this phenomenon.
This being so, one must accept the fact that for some years to come, no policy will be capable of stopping or reversing the present migratory trend from the rural areas to the cities in the Third World. In Africa, the urban population will reach 330 million people by the end of the century as against 150 million in 1995.
The number of people living in shanty-towns (贫富窟) will inevitably increase in spite of the efforts to improve housing conditions. Africa alone needs to build 12 million housing units between now and the year 2000 to meet its most basic needs. In an ILO study, M. S. V. Sethuraman estimates that in 70 Third "World cities the proportion of people living in shanty-towns varies from 15% to 70% and that about US $ 116 billion is required to give minimum comfort to these people by the turn of the century—less than US $ 10 billion per year.
The world population is growing at a rate of about 90 million people per year, with the Third World accounting for 80 million of them. The pressure on cities can only go on increasing. The urban population of the developing countries will exceed 2 billion people by the year 2000 and since the main reason for the high demographic (人口统计的) growth is poverty, the additional population will be mostly made of people of very limited means.
21. If the urban population of the developing countries exceeds 2 billion people by the year 2000, the main problem the additional people will face is______.
A. housing B. food
C. poverty D. limited land
22. According to the passage, "about US $116 billion is required to give minimum comfort to these people by the turn of the century—less than US $ 10 billion per year. " Do you think which year was the article written by saying "less than $ 10 billion per year" by the turn of the century?
A. 1985. B. 1990.
C. 1988. D. 2000.
23. The mankind should face the phenomenon that the world has become a world of cities with______.
A. a lot of difficulties
B. efforts to improve housing condition
C. pressure of the basic needs
D. new models and a great deal of transformation of ideas and methods
24. In Africa, people in cities will be______by the end of the century.
A. almost twice as much as in 1985 B. doubled than that in 1985
C. over twice as much as in 1985 D. 300 million
25. In spite of the efforts to improve housing condition, the number of people living in shanty-towns will increase because______.
A. houses in shanty-towns are cheap
B. shanty-towns could provide people with minimum comfort
C. no policy will be capable of stopping or changing the present immigrant tendency from the rural areas to the cities in the Third World
D. the Third Word population is growing at a rate of about 80 million people per year
答案：21. C 22. C 23. D 24. C 25. C
练习题三
Happiness can be described as a positive mood and a pleasant state of mind. According to recent polls (民意测验) sixty to seventy percent of Americans consider themselves to be moderately happy and one in twenty persons feels very unhappy. Psychologists have been studying the factors that contribute to happiness. It is not predictable nor is a person in an apparently ideal situation necessarily happy. The ideal situation may have little to do with his actual feelings.
A good education and income are usually considered necessary for happiness. Though both may contribute, they are only chief factors if the person is seriously undereducated or actually suffering from lack of physical needs.
The rich are not likely to be happier than the middle-income group or even those with very low incomes. People with college educations are somewhat happier than those who did not graduate from high school, and it is believed that this is mainly because they have more opportunity to control their lives. Yet people with a high income and a college education may be less happy than those with the same income and no college education.
Poor health does not rule out happiness except for the severely disabled or those in pain. Learning to cope with a health problem can contribute to happiness. Those with a good sex life are happier in general, but those who have a loving, affectionate relationship are happier than those who rely on sex alone. Love has a higher correlation with happiness than any other factor.
It should be noted that people quickly get used to what they have, and they are happiest when they feel they are increasing their level no matter where it stands at a given time.
Children whose parents were happily married have happier childhoods are not necessarily happier adults.
The best formula for happiness is to be able to develop the ability to tolerate frustration, to have a personal involvement and commitment, and to develop self-confidence and self-esteem.
21. It can be inferred from the passage that______.
A. happiness is predictable
B. a person in an apparently ideal situation must be happy
C. the rich are likely to be happier than the middle-income group
D. happiness is not necessarily connected to one's situation in society
22. People with college education______.
A. are not happier than those who have only an education at high school
B. are much happier than those who did not graduate from high school
C. have less opportunity to control their lives
D. have more opportunity to control their lives
23. According to the article, happiness is greatly dependent upon______.
A. a happy childhood
B. great wealth
C. a feeling that conditions are becoming for the better
D. a college degree
24. Which of the following is most likely to contribute to happiness? A. Being exceptionally good-looking.
B. Having a loving, affectionate relationship.
C. Having a good paying job.
D. Meeting lots of people.
25. Which of the following attitudes or feelings is most likely to be found in happy people?
A. Having self-esteem.
B. Being sure of keeping everything they already have.
C. Never being jealous.
D. Knowing how to be charming.
答案： 21. D 22. D 23. C 24. B 25. A
练习题四
Agriculture is the number one industry in the United States and agricultural products are the country's leading export. American farmers manage to feed not only the total population of the United States, but also millions of other people throughout the rest of the world. Corn and soybean exports alone account for approximately 75 percent of the amount sold in world markets.
This productivity, however, has its price. Intensive cultivation exposes the earth to the damaging forces of nature. Every year wind and water remove tons of rich soil from the nation's croplands.
Each field is covered by a limited amount of topsoil, the upper layer of earth which is richest in the nutrients and minerals necessary for growing crops. Ever since the first farmers arrived in the Midwest almost 200 years ago，cultivation and, consequently, erosion have been decreasing the supply of topsoil. In the 1830s, nearly two feet of rich, black top soil covered the Midwest. Today the average depth is only eight inches, and every decade another inch is blown or washed away. This erosion is steadily decreasing the productivity of valuable cropland. A United States Agricultural Department survey states that if erosion continues at its present rate, corn and soybean yields in the Midwest may drop as much as 30 percent over the next 50 years.
So far, farmers have been able to compensate for the loss of fertile topsoil by applying more chemical fertilizers to their fields; however, while this practice has increased crop yields, it has been devastating for ecology. Agriculture has become one of the biggest polluters of the nation's precious water supply. Rivers, lakes, and underground reserves of water are being filled in and poisoned by soil and chemicals carried by drainage from eroding fields. Furthermore, fertilizers only replenish the soils they do not prevent its loss.
26. The last sentence in the first paragraph gives an example to show_______.
A. that American farmers manage to feed the total population of the U. S.
B. the leading position of the U. S. farming in the world
C. how important American people consider their farming
D. that many people in the world rely on the export of the agricultural products of the U. S. A.
27. In order to compensate for the loss of fertile topsoil, farmers have been_______.
A. planting less corn and soybean B. putting fertilizers on their fields
C. preventing soil erosion D. decreasing the supply of top soil
28. At the present rate, approximately how many years later the black top soil now covering the Midwest will completely be blown or washed away?
A. 120 years later. . B. 80 years later.
C. 50 years later. D. 100 years later.
29. "This practice" in Paragraph 4 refers to_______.
A. that farmers have lowered the yield of corn and soybean
B. that farmers have expanded croplands
C. that farmers have applied more chemical fertilizers
D. that the top soil has been decreased greatly
30. All of the following are statements about the disadvantages of fertilizers EXCEPT that
A. they replenish the soil B. they do not prevent the loss of soil
C. they are destroying the ecology D. they pollute the nation's water supply
答案： 26. D 27. B 28. B 29. C 30. A
练习题五
In many traditional societies a woman's role is restricted to that of mother (for the continuation of the race) , and she is confined to family and household activities, including help out in the field and market. In some ethnic(种族的) communities in Indonesia, even today, women are supposed to do the hard labor in the rice fields, while men take it easy in their coffee shops.
When I visited the island of Timor in eastern Indonesia in 1987, I was told by friends that in the interior of the islands, where roads are still non-existent,villagers traveled to market either on foot or on horseback. It was a common sight to see the husband riding a horse, with his wife walking behind him carrying a heavy bundle of produce on her head to the market. On the island of Alor, also in eastern Indonesia, I met an old man aged about 80 years, proudly boasting to me that he had nine wives. "But you are a Catholic," I said to him. "How could you have nine wives?" He smiled, and said: "I married only once in church, but the other eight wives I married according to our traditional laws. " In many ethnic communities in Indonesia the good woman or wife is one who obey her husband, who does not go around gossiping, who cleans her home and cooks good food for the family, who is diligent in the field, who does not visit friends too much, and who gives birth of lots of children, especially boys.
In Indonesia many years ago the wives of government workers or members of the armed forces were organized into women's organizations. The leadership of these women's organizations was set up according to the hierarchical positions of the members' husbands. For example, the organization of women of personnel of a government ministry would automatically have as its chairperson the wife of the minister at the national level, and the chairperson of the provincial organization would be the wife of the governor, and so on to the lower administrative levels. It is amazing how a woman who may have an interest in being a leader nevertheless automatically becomes a chairperson because of the official position of her husband. When the husband is no longer minister or governor, she also automatically loses her position. Many of these women have complained to me that they feel this is a straitjacket(约束物) imposed on them, but they feel they have to accept the role for the sake of safeguarding their husbands' careers.
26. In some ethnic districts in Indonesia women should_______.
A. do household activities B. give birth of children
C. do the hard labor in the fields D. all of the above
27. In the 2nd paragraph "roads" means_______.
A. some roads B. high ways
C. country roads D. heavy roads
28. What does the question "How could you have nine wives?" imply?
A. The old man is too old to have nine wives.
B. The old man shouldn't have had nine wives.
C. The old man could marry only once because he is member of the Church of Rome.
D. The old man could have only a wife for he is a Christian.
29. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
A. Women's organizations were set up in the government administrative levels and the armed forces.
B. The head of the women's organization of a province must be the wife of the governor.
C. All the leaders of the woman's organizations enjoyed their roles.
D. The wife of a governor loses her leading position for the sake of her husband. 30. The closest restatement of the last sentence in,the 3rd paragraph is______.
A. many women would hate to be the chairperson without considering their husband's careers
B. many governors' wives complain they have to accept the chairperson roles
C. many women are forced to become the leaders of women's organizations in order to protect their husband's profession
D. many governors' wives feel it necessary to accept the roles
答案：26. D 27. B 28. C 29. C 30. C
练习题六
The future population will be older than today, and this in turn will change the patterns of social demands. However, Mexico will still be far from the "aging societies" that will most likely prevail (占优势 ) in the industrialized countries. In less than 25 years, the country will have to add almost as much infrastructure as it has already built up to now, simply to maintain services and production at the current levels. This will be a tremendous challenge, although a similar one was faced successfully in the recent past, when available infrastructure was doubled in two decades or so. It is no wonder that much has been said about the need to reduce or preferably halt Mexico's population control which is taken for granted as both good and necessary. It has also gained supporters in the developing world, and Mexico is no exception. But the arguments about population are complicated, as the following discussion illustrates.
Even if Mexico's population reaches 125 million by the year 2010, its population density is still smaller than the 1985 population density of some 50 countries. By international standards Mexico will still not be overpopulated by the year 2010. If wealth is generated by people, the more individuals there are, the greater the wealth that potentially could be generated. Why should Mexico control its population at density levels below those of the richer countries if more population represents the possibility of generating more wealth?
On the other hand, it is often pointed out that once sustainability(支撑力) limits are near or are reached, there are decreasing productivity gains (or,perhaps more accurately, increasing productive losses) , and people become a cost rather than an asset. If we assume that there are sustainability limits and that we are close to reaching these limits at a world level, then it is appropriate to check population growth.
21. According to the passage, the population argument is focused on_______.
A. whether more people are a property or a cost
B. whether Mexico should control its population growth or not
C. whether the density of population in Mexico is large or small
D. what the standard international sustainability limit is
22. Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph?
A. Mexico has stepped into an aging society.
B. It is not necessary for Mexico to control its population.
C. Mexico population is younger than that of developed countries.
D. It is not necessary for Mexico to develop its infrastructure.
23. By "infrastructure"(Para. 2) the author means_______.
A. buildings
B. the basic framework of a country, such as schools, services, etc.
C. social demands
D. services and production
24. It may be inferred from the 3rd paragraph that_______.
A. it isn't necessary for Mexico to control its population growth
B. population is likely to grow at a slower pace than in the past
C. the more people there are, the greater the wealth people could generate
D. Mexico should control its population growth because she belongs to the developing countries
25. To check population growth is necessary when_______.
A. there are decreasing productivity gains
B. there are increasing productivity losses
C. we are close to reaching the sustainability limits at a world level
D. people become a cost
答案：21. B 22. C 23. B 24. A 25. C
练习题七
There is evidence that the usual variety of high blood pressure is, in part, a familial disease. Since families have similar genes as well as similar environments, familial diseases could be due to shared genetic influences, to shared environmental factors, or to both. For some years, the role of one
environment factor commonly shared by families, namely dietary salt (i.e., sodium chloride), has been studied at Brookhaven National Laboratory. These studies suggest that long excess salt intake can lead to high blood pressure in man and animals. Some individuals, however, and some rats consume large amounts of salt without developing high blood pressure. No matter how strictly all environmental factors were controlled in these experiments, some salt-fed animals never developed hypertension whereas a few rapidly developed very severe hypertension followed by early death. These marked variations were interpreted to result from differences in genetic constitution.
By mating long successive generations of those animals that failed to develop hypertension from salt intake, a resistant strain (the " R" strain) has been evolved in which consumption of large quantities of salt fails to influence the blood pressure significantly. In contrast, by mating only animals that quickly develop hypertension from salt, sensitive strain (the "S" strain) has also been developed.
The availability of these two strains permits investigations possible. They provide a plausible laboratory model on which to investigate some clinical aspects of the human hypertension. More important, there might be the possibility of developing methods by which genetic susceptibility (敏感性) of human beings to high blood pressure can be defined without waiting for its appearance. Radioactive sodium 22 was an important "tool" in working out the characteristics of the sodium chloride metabolism.
21. The study of the effects of salt on high blood pressure was carried out_______.
A. as members of the same family tend to use similar amounts of salt
B. to explore the long-term use of a sodium based substance
C. because it was proven that salt caused high blood pressure
D. because of the availability of chemically pure salt and its derivatives
22. The main difference between "S" and "R" rats is their_______.
A. need for sodium 22 B. rate of mating
C. reaction to salt D. type of blood
23. We can infer from the article that sodium 22 can be used to_______.
A. control high blood pressure
B. cure high blood pressure caused by salt
C. tell the "S" rats from the "R" rats
D. determine what a sodium chloride metabolism is like
24. The most beneficial results of the research might be_______.
A. development of diets free of salt
B. an early cure for high blood pressure
C. control of genetic agents that cause high blood pressure
D. the early identification of potential high blood pressure victims
25. Which of the statements best relates the main idea of this article?
A. When salt is added rats and human beings react similarly.
B. The near future will see a cure for high blood pressure.
C. The medical field is desperately in need of research.
D. A tendency toward high blood pressure may be a her
练习题八
"Culture shock" occurs as a result of total immersion (浸没) in a new culture. It happens to "people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad. " Newcomers may be anxious because they do not speak the language, know the customs, or understand people's behavior in daily life. The visitor finds that "yes" may not always mean "yes", that friendliness does not necessarily mean friendship, or that statements that appear to be serious are really intended as jokes. The foreigner may be unsure as to when to shake hands, when to start conversations, or how to approach a stranger. The notion of "culture shock" helps explain feelings of bewilderment and disorientation. Language problems do not account for all the frustrations that people feel. When one is deprived of everything that was once so familiar, such as understanding a transportation system, knowing how to register for university classes, or knowing how to make friends, difficulties in coping with the new society may arise.
"... when an individual enters a strange culture, he or she is like fish out of water, " Newcomers feel at times that they do not belong to and feel alienated from the native members of the culture. When this happens visitors may want to reject everything about the new environment and may glorify and exaggerate the positive aspects of their own culture. Conversely visitors may scorn their native country by rejecting its values and instead choosing to identify with (if only temporarily) the value of the new country. This may occur as an attempt to over-identify with the new culture in order to be accepted by the people in it.
26. The expression "he or she is like fish out of water" suggests_______.
A. people away from their cultures can hardly survive in a new culture
B. a fish can not survive without water
C. people away from their culture experience mental isolation
D. people away from their culture have difficulties in their studies
27. In order to identify with the new environment, some people may_______.
A. give an exaggerated picture of their own country
B. criticize the positive aspects of their own country
C. abandon their original beliefs
D. accept a temporary set of values
28. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the author?
A. Homesickness results in culture shock.
B. A typical symptom of culture shock is confusion.
C. Culture shock is the explanation of anxiety.
D. Culture shock happens to foreign students only.
29. Newcomers may worry about
A. their ignorance of the alien customs
B. their knowledge of "yes" in the native language
C. their understanding of friendship
D. their control of their behavior
30. When the foreign visitor is immersed in new problems he finds hard to cope with, he is most likely to feel_______.
A. uninsured B. deprived
C. alienated D. disappointed
26. C 27. B 28. B 29. A 30. C
练习题九
When we analyze the salt salinity(盐浓度) of ocean waters, we find that it varies only slightly from place to place. Nevertheless, some of these small changes are important. There are three basic processes that cause a change in oceanic salinity. One of these is the subtraction of water from the ocean by means of evaporation. In this manner, the salinity is increased, since the salt stays behind. If this is carried to the extreme, of course, white salt would be left behind; this, by the way, is how much of the table salt we use is actually obtained.
The opposite of evaporation is precipitation, such as rain, by which water is added to the ocean. Here the ocean is being diluted (稀释) so that the salinity is decreased. This may occur in areas of high rainfall or in coastal regions where rivers flow into the ocean. Thus salinity may be increased by the subtraction of water by evaporation, or decreased by the addition of fresh water by precipitation.
Normally, in hot regions where the sun is very strong, the ocean salinity is somewhat higher than it is in other parts of the world where there is not as much evaporation. Similarly, in coastal regions where rivers dilute the sea, salinity is somewhat lower than in other oceanic areas.
A third process by which salinity may be altered is associated with the formation and melting of sea ice. When seawater is frozen, the dissolved materials are left behind.. In this manner, seawater directly beneath freshly formed sea ice has a higher salinity than it did before the ice appeared. Of course, when this ice melts, it will tend to decrease the salinity of the surrounding water.
In the Weddell Sea, the densest water in the ocean is formed as a result of this freezing process, which increases the salinity of cold water. This heavy water sinks and is found in the deeper portion of the oceans of the world.
26. This passage mainly tells us about_______.
A. the analysis of the salinity of ocean waters
B. the causes of the variation in oceanic salinity
C. the importance of the changes in oceanic salinity
D. the different forms of salts in ocean waters
27.It can be known from the passage that increase in the salinity of ocean water is caused
by______.
A. melting of sea ice B. precipitation
C. evaporation D. supplement of salt
28.Which of the following is not the cause of the decrease in the oceanic salinity?
A. Precipitation. B. Rain and snow.
C. Formation of ice. D. Addition of water by rivers.
29.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Oceanic salinity has great effect on sea life.
B. Many factors combine to cause changes in oceanic salinity.
C. The movement of the water is related to the amount of salt.
D. The temperature of the water has much to do with the oceanic salinity.
30.The purpose of mentioning the Weddell Sea is_______.
A. to give an example of cold-water salinity
B. to point out the location of deep waters
C. to make a comparison between hot-water salinity and cold-water salinity
D. to show that the water in the Weddell Sea varies in salinity from place to place
参考答案：26. B 27. C 28. C 29. D 30. A
练习题十
When we analyze the salt salinity(盐浓度) of ocean waters, we find that it varies only slightly from place to place. Nevertheless, some of these small changes are important. There are three basic processes that cause a change in oceanic salinity. One of these is the subtraction of water from the ocean by means of evaporation. In this manner, the salinity is increased, since the salt stays behind. If this is carried to the extreme, of course, white salt would be left behind; this, by the way, is how much of the table salt we use is actually obtained.
The opposite of evaporation is precipitation, such as rain, by which water is added to the ocean. Here the ocean is being diluted (稀释) so that the salinity is decreased. This may occur in areas of high rainfall or in coastal regions where rivers flow into the ocean. Thus salinity may be increased by the subtraction of water by evaporation, or decreased by the addition of fresh water by precipitation.
Normally, in hot regions where the sun is very strong, the ocean salinity is somewhat higher than it is in other parts of the world where there is not as much evaporation. Similarly, in coastal regions where rivers dilute the sea, salinity is somewhat lower than in other oceanic areas.
A third process by which salinity may be altered is associated with the formation and melting of sea ice. When seawater is frozen, the dissolved materials are left behind.. In this manner, seawater directly beneath freshly formed sea ice has a higher salinity than it did before the ice appeared. Of course, when this ice melts, it will tend to decrease the salinity of the surrounding water.
In the Weddell Sea, the densest water in the ocean is formed as a result of this freezing process, which increases the salinity of cold water. This heavy water sinks and is found in the deeper portion of the oceans of the world.
26. This passage mainly tells us about_______.
A. the analysis of the salinity of ocean waters
B. the causes of the variation in oceanic salinity
C. the importance of the changes in oceanic salinity
D. the different forms of salts in ocean waters
27.It can be known from the passage that increase in the salinity of ocean water is caused
by______.
A. melting of sea ice B. precipitation
C. evaporation D. supplement of salt
28.Which of the following is not the cause of the decrease in the oceanic salinity?
A. Precipitation. B. Rain and snow.
C. Formation of ice. D. Addition of water by rivers.
29.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Oceanic salinity has great effect on sea life.
B. Many factors combine to cause changes in oceanic salinity.
C. The movement of the water is related to the amount of salt.
D. The temperature of the water has much to do with the oceanic salinity.
30.The purpose of mentioning the Weddell Sea is_______.
A. to give an example of cold-water salinity
B. to point out the location of deep waters
C. to make a comparison between hot-water salinity and cold-water salinity
D. to show that the water in the Weddell Sea varies in salinity from place to place
参考答案：26. B 27. C 28. C 29. D 30. A
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