四级篇章阅读理解

1、篇章阅读理解专项扫雷训练Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)Section BDirection: There are 2 passages in this section, each passage is followed by some question or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C), D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the co

2、rresponding letter on Answer sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage 1Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states at least in getting people off welfare. Its estimated that

3、more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens Country poverty rate still remains at

4、more than 30 percent twice the national average.For advocates(代言人)for the poor, thats an indication much more needs to be done.More people are getting jobs, but its not making their lives any better, says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.A cen

5、ter analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves

6、 almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin(毒素)that was poisoning the family, says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climates in low-income communities. Its beginning to r

7、ebuild the work ethic(道德观),which is much more important.”Mr. Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked, then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.From the passage, it can be seen that the author .believes the reform has reduced th

8、e governments burdeninsists that welfare reform is doing little good for the pooris overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reformconsiders welfare reform to be fundamentally successfulWhy arent people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?Because many families are divorced.Because governm

9、ent aid is now rare.Because their wages are low.Because the cost of living is rising.What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that .greater efforts should be made to improve peoples living standards70 percent of the people there have been employed for two years50 percent of the popu

10、lation no longer relies on welfarethe living standards of most people are going downFrom the passage we know that welfare reform aims at .saving welfare fundsrebuilding the work ethicproviding more jobscutting government expensesAccording to the passage before the welfare reform was carried out, .th

11、e poverty rate was loweraverage living standards were higherthe average worker was paid higher wagesthe poor used to rely on government aidPassage 2 Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Today, there are many avenues open to those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly

12、 all require some break in ones career in order to attend school full time.Part-time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. Additionally, such programs

13、require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on ones career and family time.Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible and accommodating is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method, which allows the student

14、s the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals, which are so necessary in todays world. The time required to study many be set aside at the students convenience with due regard to all lifes other requirements. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning

15、 courses from virtually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. Tutorial assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subje

16、ct evaluation tool with every subject. This precludes the requirement for a student to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance-learning program is the equivalence of the distance-learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the cour

17、se on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance-learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learn

18、ing program has a place not only for the individual students but also the corporation or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Sponsoring distance learning programs for their emp

19、loyees gives the business the advantage of retaining career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of part time education?It requires some break in ones career.It tends to las

20、t too long for many people to complete a degree program.It affects ones career.D .It gives the student less time to share with the family.Which of the following is NOT an advantage of distance learning?The student may choose his or her own pace.The student may study at any time to his or her conveni

21、ence.They can pursue their chosen career while studying.Their tutorial assistance comes through regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, etc.What benefit will distance learning program bring to a business?Recruitment of more talented people.Good image of the business.Better cooperation with un

22、iversities.Further training of employees and business growth.Good distance learning program have the following characteristic EXCEPT .distance learning course is the same as students taking courses in campusthe result diploma or degree should be same as on campus studyprofessor-student relationship

23、is strictly one to one all through the courseincludes subject evaluation toolWhat benefit will distance learning bring to an employee of a business?Professional growth.Good relationship with the employer.Good impression on the employer.Higher salary.Passage 3 Questions 57 to 61 are based on the foll

24、owing passage.More and more, the operations of our businesses, governments, and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap substantial rewards. Even worse, a number of p

25、eople who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get away without punishment.Its easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the computer is doing, but even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not only unpunished but with a glowing recommendat

26、ion from his former employers.Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it s disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may have

27、 been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.For example, a certain keypunch operator complained of having to stay overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case, dissatisfied employees of the thief

28、 tipped off the company that was being robbed.Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail, computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All t

29、oo often, their demands have been met.Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result if the public found out that their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the thought of a criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled the most confidential records righ

30、t under the noses of the companys executives, accountants, and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to continue his crimes elsewhere.It can be concluded from the passage that .it is still impossible to detect computer crimes todaycomputer cr

31、imes are the one of most serious problem in the operation of financial institutionscomputer criminals can escape punishment because they cant be detectedpeople commit computer crimes at the request of their companyIt is implied in the third paragraph that .many more computer crimes go undetected tha

32、n are discoveredthe rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problemmost computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimesmost computer criminals who are caught blame their bad luckWhich of the following is mentioned in the passage?A strict law against computer crimes must be en

33、forced.Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information.Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation.Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes.The underlying reason for the computer criminals to get recommendations he needs is that_.they have

34、skills formidably difficult for others to masterthe employers are afraid that they would take avenge if punishedthe employers are much afraid of bringing the public into disbelief towards them through thecriminals words in open courtthose who commit crimes do not mean badWhat may happen to computer

35、criminals once they are caught?With bad reputation they can hardly find another job.They will be denied access to confidential records.They may walk away and easily find another job.They must leave the country or go to jail.Passage 4Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Tearem apart!

36、 Kill the fool! Murder the referee （裁判）!These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But lets not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been wri

37、tten about the way word affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations（含义）maycause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words .Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms

38、.The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent is “adversary; “enemy; “one who opposes your interests. Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. At such times, winning may dominate ones intellect, and every action, no matter how gross, may be consid

39、ered justifiable. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a players request for a time out for a glove change because he did not considered then wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed. “Are they wet enough now?.In the heat

40、of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have alsowitnessed a player reacting to his opponents international and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as

41、hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated （ 提升）the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an exam

42、ple to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent with “associate could be an ideal way to start. The dictionary meaning of the term “associate is “colleague; “friend ; “companion. Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “ass

43、ociate rather than “opponent.Which of the following statements best expresses the authors view?Aggressive behavior in sports can have serious consequencesThe words people use can influence their behaviorUnpleasant words in sports are often used by foreign athletesUnfair judgments by referees will le

44、ad to violence on the sports fieldHarsh words are spoken during games because the players .are too eager to winare usually short-tempered and easily offendedcannot afford to be polite in fierce competitiontreat their rivals as enemiesWhat did the handball player do when he was not allowed a time out

45、 to change his gloves?He refused to continue the gameHe angrily hit the referee with a ballHe claimed that the referee was unfairHe wet his gloves by across his T-shirtAccording to the passage, players, in a game, may .deliberately throw the ball at anyone illegally blocking their waykeep on screami

46、ng and shouting throughout the gamelie down on the ground as an act of protestkick the ball across the court with forceThe author hopes to have the current situation in sports improved by .calling on players to use on the courtraising the referees sense of responsibilitychanging the attitude of play

47、ers on the sports fieldregulating the relationship between players and refereesPassage 5 Question 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.Brazil has become one of the developing worlds great successes at reducing population growth but more by accident than design. While countries such as India h

48、ave made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.Brazils population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on

49、 average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas （通俗电视连续居lj ） and installment （分期付款） plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important,

50、 although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the worlds biggest producers of soap operas. Globl, Brazils most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characte

51、rs living the high life in big cities.Although they have never really tried to work in a misusage towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working, says Martine. They sent this image to all parts of Br

52、azil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible （不相容的

53、） with unlimited reproduction, says Martine.According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth.by educating its citizensB. by careful family panningC. by developing TV programmesD. by chanceAccording to the passage, many Third World countries.havent attached much importance to birth

54、 controlwould soon join Brazil in controlling their birth ratehavent yet found an effective measure to control their populationneglected the role of TV plays in family planning The phrase puts it down to （Line 1, Para. 3） is closest in meaning to .attributes it toB. sums it up asfinds it a reason fo

55、rD. compares it toSoap operas have helped in lowering Brazils birth rate because.they keep people sitting long hours watching TVthey have gradually changed peoples way of lifepeople are drawn to packagethey popularize birth control measuresWhat is Martines conclusion about Brazils population growth?

56、The increase in birth rate will promote consumption.The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory.D. A countrys production is limited byits population growth.Passage 6Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Is the

57、re enough oil beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge （保护区） （ANWR） to help secure Americas energy future ? President Bush certainly thinks so. He has argued that tapping ANWRs oil would help ease Californias electricity crisis and provide a major boost to the countrys energy independence. But no

58、 one knows for sure how much crude oil lies buried beneath the frozen earth with the last government survey, conducted in 1998, projecting output anywhere from 3 billion to 16 billion barrels.The oil industry goes with the high end of the range, which could equal as much as 10% of U.S. consumption f

59、or as long as six years. By pumping more than 1 million barrels a day from the reserve for the next two three decades, lobbyists claim, the nation could cut back on imports equivalent to all shipments to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. Sounds good. An oil boom would also mean a multibillion-dollar windf

60、all（意夕卜之财）in tax revenues, royalties（开米权使用费）and leasing fees for Alaska and the Federal Government. Best of all, advocates of drilling say, damage to the environment would be insi gnificant. “Weve never had a document case of oil rig chasing deer out onto the pack ice. says Alaska State Representati