专四阅读详解【锲而不舍事竟成】

1、星期4 ThursdaySlow and steady wins the race. 锲而不舍事竟成。学习内容题 材词 数建议时间错误统计做题备忘Text A历史现象3995分钟/5Text B日常生活5406.5分钟/5Text C教育培养5507分钟/5Text D科学技术4236.5分钟/5今日练习Text AHorse thieves, cattle rustlers, bank robbers, train and stagecoach robbers, highwaymen, murderers, these were but some of the criminals who i

2、nfested(遍布于) the American frontier during the 19th century. In English legend Robin Hood can be considered a bandit, but the outlaws of the Old West were far more violent men and women without any scruples when it came to taking property or life.The careers of many outlaws have been glamorized throu

3、gh fictional accounts of their deeds and their exploits have been the basis for many movie scripts.The era of the American outlaw lasted about 100 years roughly from 1800 until 1900. There had been lawlessness during the colonial era. Frontiers have always attracted misfits, failures, and renegades(

4、背教者) who hope to profit by being beyond the reach of government. In the years just before the Revolutionary War, gangs of horse thieves in the back country of South Carolina were broken up by organized bands of farmers called Regulators.As frontier settlement expanded rapidly after the Revolution, m

5、ore opportunities for criminals opened. Two common types of bandits were highwaymen and river pirates. Highwaymen accosted(搭讪) people who traveled on foot or horseback, while river pirates preyed upon the boat traffic on the Ohio, Mississippi, and other rivers. Some bandits engaged in both.Criminali

6、ty in the West gathered momentum(势头) with the gold rushes to California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and other states. Stagecoaches and trains carrying gold and money became prime targets for bands of outlaws. Bank robberies emerged after the California Gold Rush of 1849 and as prosperity found its way

7、to frontier towns. The first stage robbery was recorded in 1851, and the first train robbery happened in 1866.After the Civil War there was the growth of the cattle kingdom in Texas and neighboring states. Cattle rustling and horse theft turned into significant operations. Range wars bred a great am

8、ount of violence. Cattlemen fought over land and water rights, and they fought with great bitterness against sheep farmers. In Texas, range wars were fought over the use of barbed wire to fence grazing land.By the end of the 19th century, the frontier era was past. Major crime shifted to the cities.

9、 Ethnic gangs had existed in the slums for decades, preying mostly on their fellow immigrants. With the arrival of Prohibition in the 1920s, an impetus(推动力)was given to the formation of organized crime as it exists today.1. At the beginning of the passage the author indicates thatA Robin Hood was as

10、 cruel as a bandit.B the story of Robin Hood has never been documented.C the criminals in Americas Old West were extremely cruel.D the Western countries used to be infested with bandits.2. We can infer from the passage that the careers of some outlawsA are materials of many fictions. B have been glo

11、rified in some movies. C are criticized by people in our time. D have been recorded.3. What happened immediately after the American Revolution?A The number of crimes was less than that after frontier settlement.B Major criminal behaviors took a new turn.C The number of criminals largely increased.D

12、Crimes shifted from the land to the sea.4. According to paragraph 5 and 6, which of the following is INCORRECT?A The gold rushes brought about more opportunities for crimes. B Banks gained their prosperity in frontier towns after 1849.C After the Civil War, thieves turned to steal cattle and horses.

13、D In Texas, cattlemen had to fight for the access to land and water. 5. Modern crime is characterized by A unlimited violence. B great diversity.C unimaginable cruelty. D careful planning.Text BOnce upon a time, in the “Dominion OF New Haven,” it was illegal to kiss your children on Sunday. Or make

14、a bed or cut your hair or eat mince pies or cross a river unless you were a clergyman riding your circuit. If you lived in Connecticut in 1650, there was no mistaking Sunday for just another shopping day; regardless of whether youd go to hell for breaking the Sabbath(安息日), you could certainly go to

15、jail. Centuries later, the sense that Sunday is special is still wired in us, a miniature sabbatical(休假)during which to peel off the rest of the week and savor ritual, religious or otherwiseThe idea that rest is a right has deep roots in our history. Blue laws were a gift as much as a duty, a comman

16、d to relax and reflect. America does not readily sit still, even for a day. The Civil War and a demand for news brought the Sunday paper into being; industrialization inspired progressives to argue that libraries and museums should open on Sundays so working people could elevate themselves. Major le

17、ague baseball held its first Sunday game in 1892. Over time, Sunday has gone from a day we could do only a very few things to the only day we can do just about anything we want. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan, Albert Schweitzer said which raise a question for our times: what do we

18、lose if Sunday becomes just like any other day? Lawmakers in Virginia got to spend part of their summer break debating that question, thanks to a mistake they made last winter when they unintentionally revived a “day of rest” rule: hotels and hospitals and nuclear power plant would have had to give

19、workers a weekend day off or be fined $500. After a special legislative session was convened to fix the error, Virginias workers, like the rest of us, are once more potentially on call 24/7. Social conservatives may want to honor the Fourth Commandment, but businesses want the income, states need th

20、e tax revenues, and busy families want the flexibility.With progress, of course, comes backlash from those who desperately want to preserve the old ways. Mom-and-pop liquor stores (夫妻酒店) in New York fought to keep the Blue laws to have more time with their families. Chich-Fil-A, a chain of more than

21、 1,100 restaurants in 37 states, closes on Sundays because its founder, Truett Cathy, promised employees time to “worship, spend time with family and friends or just plain rest from the work week”, says the chains website. “Made sense then, still makes sense now.” Pope John Paul even wrote a letter

22、in defense of Sunday: “When Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes merely part of a weekend,” he wrote, “people stay locked within a horizon so limited that they can no longer see the heavens.”In an age with no free time, we buy it through hard choices. Do we skip church so we can sleep in

23、 or skip soccer so we can go to church or find a family ritual cook together, read together, a Parcheesi challenge that we treat as sacred? That way, at least some part of Sunday faces in a different direction, whether toward heaven or toward one another.6. People in Connecticut in 1650A could go sh

24、opping on Sundays.B should not make mistakes on Sundays.C would go to hell for not having the Sabbath.D would be imprisoned for breaking the Sabbath.7. Centuries gone, the sense of SundayA has changed completely.B still stay the same.C has been rooted in our mind.D is more or less forgotten by us.8.

25、 According to the passage, a “day of rest” rule of Virginia A was abandoned at last.B finally let workers enjoy a weekend day off.C finally approved by the Virginia government.D gained support from all kinds of business.9. According to the passage, the Fourth Commandment probablyA allowed people to

26、have a day off in a week.B went against the Blue laws.C was supported by businessmen.D was not feasible.10. Which is the best title of the passage?A Dominion of New Haven B Blue LawsC On the Seventh Day We Rested? D SundayText CBy the time Laszlo Polgars first baby was born in 1969 he already had fi

27、rm views on child-rearing. An eccentric citizen of communist Hungary, he had written a book called Bring up Genius and one of his favourite sayings was “Geniuses are made, not born”. An expert on the theory of chess, he proceeded to teach little Zsuzsa at home, spending up to ten hours a day on the

28、game. Two more daughters were similarly hot-housed. All three obliged their father by becoming world-class players. The youngest, Judit, is currently ranked 13th in the world, and is by far the best female chess player of all time.Would the experiment have succeeded with a different trio of children

29、? If any child can be turned into a star, then a lot of time and money are being wasted worldwide on trying to pick winners！America has long held “talent searches”, using test results and teacher recommendations to select children for advanced school courses, summer schools and other extra tuition.

30、This provision is set to grow. In his state-of-the-union address in 2006, President George Bush announced the “American Competitiveness Initiative”, which, among much else, would train 70,000 high-school teachers to lead advanced courses for selected pupils in mathematics and science. Just as the su

31、perpowersspace race made Congress put money into science education, the thought of China and India turning out hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists is scarring America into prodding its brightest to do their best. The philosophy behind this talent search is that ability is innate; that

32、it can be diagnosed with considerable accuracy; and that it is worth cultivating.In America, bright children are ranked as “moderately”, “highly”, “exceptionally” and “profoundly” gifted. The only chance to influence innate ability is thought to be in the womb or the first couple of years of life. H

33、ence the fad for “teaching aids” such as videos and flashcards for newborns, and “whale sounds” on tape which a pregnant mother can strap to her belly. And in Japan there is a widespread belief that all children are born with the same innate abilities and should therefore be treated alike. All are t

34、aught together, covering the same syllabus at the same rate until they finish compulsory schooling. Those who learn quickest are expected then to teach their classmates. In China, extra teaching is provided, but to a self-selected bunch. “Childrens palaces” in big cities offer a huge range of after-

35、school classes. Anyone can sign up; all that is asked is excellent attendance.Statistics give little clue as to which system is best. The performance of the most able is heavily affected by factors other than state provision. Mr. Polgar thought any child could be a prodigy given the right teaching,

36、an early start and enough practice. At one point he planned to prove it by adopting three baby boys from a poor country and trying his methods on them. (His wife vetoed the scheme.) Some say the key to success is simply hard graft. Judit, the youngest of the Polgar sisters, was the most driven, and

37、the most successful; Zsofia, the middle one, was regarded as the most talented, but she was the only one who did not achieve the status of grand master. “Everything came easiest to her,” said her older sister. “But she was lazy.” 11. In Laszlo Polgars opinion, A bring up Genius is the ultimate guide

38、 for parents.B he himself is an eccentric citizen of communist Hungray.C Judit is the most talented among his three children.D proper trainings are more important than innate abilities. 12. The “American Competitiveness Initiative” policy was launched to A select brilliant pupils for advanced course

39、s.B train teachers for selected talents.C surpass other superpowers to win the space race.D appeal to Congress to put money into science education.13. The author thinks that A China and India had cultivated more engineers and scientists than the USAB Japanese talents usually help others rather than

40、improving themselves.C even children with lower IQ can take advanced courses in China.D government policies have great influence on talents-performance.14. Polgar believes that every child could become genius ifA trained properly from an early age. B provided with extra teaching.C spend on enough ti

41、me and money. D paid enough attention to .15. Which of the following statement is CORRECT?A Its hard to judge the most effective way to produce talents.B Mr. Polgar tried his method on three children adopted.C Diligence is proved to be the prerequisite of becoming a talent.D All the Polgar children

42、are grand masters of chess.Text DSome of the old worries about artificial intelligence were closely linked to the question of whether computers could think. The first massive electronic computers, capable of rapid computation and little or no creative activity, were soon dubbed “electronic brains”.

43、A reaction to this terminology quickly followed: To put them in their place, computers were called “high-speed idiots”, an effort to protect human vanity. But not everyone realized the implication of the high-speed idiot tag. It has not been pointed out often enough that even the human idiot is one

44、of the most intelligent life forms on earth. If the early computers were even that intelligent, it was already a remarkable state of affairs.One consequence of speculation about the possibility of computer thought was that we were forced to examine with new care the idea of thought in general. It so

45、on became clear that we were not sure what we meant by such terms as thought and thinking. We tend to assume that human beings think, some more than others, though we often call people thoughtless or unthinking. Dreams cause a problem, partly because they usually happen outside our control. They are

46、 obviously some type of mental experience, but are they a type of thinking? And the question of non-human life forms adds further problems. Many of us would maintain that some of the higher animals dogs, cats, apes and so on are capable of at least basic thought, but what about fish and insects? It

47、is certainly true that the higher mammals show complex brain activity when tested with the appropriate equipment. If thinking is demonstrated by evident electrical activity in the brain, then many species are capable of thought. Once we have formulated clear ideas on what thought is in biological cr

48、eatures, it will be easier to discuss the question of thought in artifacts. And what is true of thought is also true of the many other mental processes. One of the immense benefits of a research is that we are being forced to scrutinize, with new rigor, the working of the human mind.It is already cl

49、ear that machines have superior mental abilities to many life forms. No fern or oak tree can play chess as well as the simplest digital computer; nor can frogs weld car bodies as well as robots. It seems that, viewed in terms of intellect, the computer should be set well above plants and most animal

50、s. Only the higher animals can compete with computers with regard to intellect and even then with diminishing success.16. Artificial “intelligence” in the past was related to A the ability to think.B the high speed of computers.C the capacity of computation.D the solution of problems man met with.17

51、. According to the passage, the term “high-speed idiot” for the early computersA actually overrates the early computers intelligence.B reveals that people think highly of the early computers.C is exactly what the early computers deserve.D shows that the early computers were worthy of our pride.18. T

52、he second paragraph attempts to tell us that A mental abilities are characteristic of human only.B we are still uncertain about the difference between thought and thinking.C all animal species are in fact capable of thought.D we need to research further to get an appropriate definition of thought.19

53、. According to the passage, computers mental abilities A are inferior to humans. B are superior to humans. C have proved objective and effective.D almost keep pace with humans.20. The authors attitude towards computers intellect can best be described as A positive. B ambiguous. C negative. D hostile

54、.词汇难句语境词汇Text A1. infested v.遍布于；（禽兽、害虫）大量出没于2. without any scruples 毫无顾忌3. glamorize v.使美化4. frontier n.拓荒地5. misfit n.不适应环境的人6. renegade n.背教者；叛徒7. accost v.搭讪8. criminality n.犯罪行为9. momentum n.势头，动力10. impetus n.推动力；促进，刺激Text B1. miniature a.小规模的n.微小模型；缩图2. savor v.欣赏，品味n.滋味；趣味3. ritual n.惯例；仪式a.

55、仪式的，祭典的 4. elevate vt.使提高修养；举起；提升的职位5. convene v.召开，召集；集合6. horizon n.范围，眼界；地平线Text C1. oblige their father 不负父望2. trio n.三人组3. state-of-the-union address 国情咨文演说4. prod its brightest to do their best 激励最优秀的人才尽展其能5. fad n.一时流行的狂热6. compulsory schooling义务教育7. prodigy n.奇才，天才（尤指神童）Text D1. computation

56、n.计算2. dub v.把称为，给取绰号；封为爵士3. vanity n.空虚；无用；自大4. speculation n.思考，思索；猜测5. mammal n.哺乳动物6. formulate v.确切地阐述；构想，规划7. artifact n.人工制品，人造体8. weld v.&n.焊接9. in terms of 就而言，按照难句突破Text A1. In English legend Robin Hood can be considered a bandit, but the outlaws of the Old West were far more violent m

57、en and women without any scruples when it came to taking property or life.【分析】并列复合句。but连接两个并列的分句，后一分句中包含when引导的时间状语从句。【译文】英国传奇故事中罗宾汉被认为是个土匪。然而这些古老西部的歹徒们在抢劫生命和财产的时候，却更加的暴戾，毫无顾忌。2. In the years just before the Revolutionary War, gangs of horse thieves in the back country of South Carolina were broken up by organized bands of farmers called Regulators.【分析】简单句。句首介词短语in the years作状语；句中的in the of South Carolina作定语修饰thieves；句末的called Regulators是过去分词结构作farmers的定语。【译文】独立战争前几年，在南卡罗来纳州的落后乡村，一群盗马贼被一群训练有素的、由农民组成的称作“Regulators”（管理者）的团体彻底击败。Text B1. If you l