历年专四阅读题目真题汇总

历年专四阅读题汇总年[25MIN]TEXTAInthepastthirtyyearsmanysocialchangesbaretakenplaceinBritain.Thegreatestofthesehaveprobablybeenintheeconomiclivesofwomen.Thechangeshavebeensignificant,butbecausetraditionandprejudicecanstillhandicapwomenintheirworkingcareersandpersonallives,majorlegislationtohelppromoteequalityofopportunityandpaywaspassedduringthe1970s.Attheheartofwomen'schangedroleinsocietyhasbeentheriseinthenumberofwomenatwork,particularlymarriedwomen.Astechnologyandsocietypermithighlyeffectiveandgenerallyacceptablemethodsoffamilyplanningtherehasbeenadeclineinfamilysize.Womenasaresultareinvolvedinchild-rearingforamuchshortertimeandrelatedtothis,therehasbeenarapidincreaseinthenumberofwomenwithyoungchildrenwhoreturntoworkwhenthechildrenareoldenoughnottoneedconstantcareandattention.Since1951theproportionofmarriedwomenwhoworkhasgrownfromjustoverafifthtoahaft.ComparedwiththeircounterpartselsewhereontheContinent,Britishwomencomprisearelativelyhighproportionoftheworkforce,abouttwo-fifths,butonaveragetheyworkfewerhours,about31aweekThereisstillasignificantdifferencebetweenwomen'saverageearningsandmen's,buttheequalpaylegislationwhichcameintoforceattheendof1975appearstohavehelpedtonarrowthegapbetweenwomen'sandmen'sbasicrates.Asmoreandmorewomenjoinedtheworkforceinthe1960sandearly1970stherewasanincreaseinthecollectiveincomesofwomenasawholeandamajorchangeintheeconomicroleoflargenumbersofhousewives.Familieshavecometorelyonmarriedwomen'searningsasanessentialpartoftheirincomeratherthanas"pocketmoney".Atthesametimesocialroleswithinthefamilyaremorelikelytobeshared,exchangedoraltered.Thegeneralideaofthepassageisabout__[A]socialtrendsincontemporaryBritain[B]changesinwomen'seconomicstares[C]equalopportunityandpayinBritain[D]women'sroleswithinthefamilyAccordingtotheauthor,anincreasingnumberofmarriedwomenareabletoworkbecause__[A]theirchildrennolongerrequiretheircare[B]therearemorejobsavailablenowadays[C]technologyhasenabledthemtofindacceptablejobs[D]theyspendfarlesstimeonchildcarethanbefore.TEXTBNATURE'SGIGANTICSNOWPLOUGHOnJanuary10,1962,anenormouspieceofglacierbrokeawayandtumbleddownthesideofamountaininPeru.Ameresevenminuteslater,whencascadingicefinallycametoastoptenmilesdownthemountain,ithadtakenthelivesof4,000people.Thisdisasterisoneofthemostdevastatingexamplesofaverycommonevent:anavalancheofsnoworice.Becauseitisextremelycoldatveryhighaltitudes,snowrarelymelts.Itjustkeepspilinguphigherandhigher.Glaciersareeventuallycreatedwhentheweightofthesnowissogreatthatthelowerlayersarepressedintosolidice.Butmostavalanchesoccurlong

beforethishappens.Assnowaccumulatesonasteepslope,itreachesacriticalpointatwhichtheslightestvibrationwillsenditslidingintothevalleybelow.Evenanavalancheoflightpowercanbedangerous,butthePeruviancatastrophewasparticularlyterriblebecauseitwascausedbyaheavylayerofice.Itisestimatedthattheicethatbrokeoffweighedthreemilliontons.Asitcrasheddownthesteepmountainsidelikeagiganticsnowplough,itsweptuptrees,bouldersandtonsoftopsoil,andcompletelycrushedanddestroyedthesixvillagesthatlayinitspath.Atpresentthereisnowaytopredictoravoidsuchenormousavalanches,but,lucidly,theyareveryrare.Scientistsareconstantlystudyingthesmaller,morecommonavalanches,totrytounderstandwhatcausesthem.Inthefuture,perhapsdangerousmassesofsnowandicecanbefoundandremovedbeforetheytakehumanlives.Thefirstparagraphcatchesthereader'sattentionwitha__first-handreport[C]talltalefirst-handreport[C]talltaleInthispassagedevastatingmeansviolentlyruinous[C]stunningThepassageismostlyabout__avalanches [B]glaciersdramaticdescription[D]vividwordpicturespectacularyinteresting[D]unpleasantPeru[D]mountainsTEXTCIwasborninTuckahoe,TalbotCounty,Maryland.Ihavenoaccurateknowledgeofmyage,neverhavingseenanyauthenticrecordcontainingit.Byfarthelargerpartoftheslavesknowaslittleoftheirageashorsesknowoftheir,anditisthewishofmostmasterswithinmyknowledgetokeeptheirslavesthusignorant.Idonotrememberhavingevermetaslavewhocouldtellofhisbirthday.Theyseldomcomenearertoitthanplanting-time,harvesting,springtime,orfalltime.Alackofinformationconcerningmyownwasasourceofunhappinesstomeevenduringchildhood.Thewhitechildrencouldtelltheirages,IcouldnottellwhyIoughttobedeprivedofthesameprivilege.Iwasnotallowedtomakeanyinquiresofmymasterconcerningit.Heconsideredallsuchinquiriesonthepartofaslaveimproperandimpertinent.ThenearestestimateIcangivemakesmenowbetweentwenty-sevenandtwenty-eightyearsofage.Icometothis,fromheatingmymastersay,sometimeduring1835,Iwasaboutseventeenyearsold.MymotherwasnamedHarrietBailey.ShewasthedaughterofIssacandBetseyBailey,bothcolored,andquitedark.Mymotherwasofadarkercomplexionthaneithermygrandmotherorgrandfather.Myfatherwasawhiteman.HewasadmittedtobesuchbyallIeverheardspeakofmyparentage.Theopinionwasalsowhisperedthatmymaserwasmyfather,butofthecorrectnessofthisopinion,Iknownothing;themeansofknowingwaswithheldfromme.MymotherandIwereseparatedwhenIwasaninfantbeforeIknewherasmymother.Itisacommoncustom,inthepartofMarylandfromwhichIranaway,topartchildrenfromtheirmothersataveryearlyage.Frequently,beforethechildhasreacheditstwelfthmonth,itsmotheristakenfromit,andhiredoutonsomefaintaconsiderabledistanceoff,andthechildisplacedunderthecareofanolderwoman,toooldforfieldlabor.Forwhatthisseparationisdone,Idonotknow,unlessitbetohinderthedevelopmentofthechild'saffectiontowardsitsmother.Theauthordidnotknowexactlywhenhewasbornbecause__

[A]hedidnotknowwhohismotherwas[B]therewasnowrittenevidenceofit[C]hismasterdidnottellhisfather[D]nobodyonhisfarmknewanythingaboutitInthemid-nineteenthcentury,slavesoften[A]markedtheirbirthdaysbytheseason[B]didnotreallycarehowoldtheywere[C]forgottheexacttimewhentheywereborn[D]pretendednottoknoweachother'sbirthdaysTheauthor'smothertoldhim[A]hisfatherwasblack [B]hisfatherwaswhite[C]nothingabouthisfather [D]hismasterwashisfatherAccordingtothepassage,whentheauthorwasveryyounghismotherrunaway[B]waslightskinned[C]hadseveralchildren [D]wassenttoworkelsewhereTheauthorbadnotspentmuchtimewithhismother[B]masterTheauthorwasmostprobablyraisedmother[B]masterTheauthorwasmostprobablyraisedbyhisgrandparentswithhismaster'ssupportTEXTD[C]grandfather [D]grandmotherbyanoldwomanslavetogetherwithotherchildrenPLEASERECYCLETHATBOBSLED RUN（大雪橇滑道）Forthe1992WinterGames,Frenchorganizersconstructedanewmotorway,parkinglotsandrunsforskiingintheAlps.Environmentalistsscreamed"Disaster!".Thuswarned,theNorwegianshaveadopted"green"adviceandavoidedgreatblotsonthelandscape.Thespeed-skatingwasbuilttolooklikeanoverturnedship,andplacedsoasnottodisturbabirdsanctuary.Dugintoamountainside,thehockeyarenaiswellconcealedandenergyefficient.Thebobsledrunisbuiltoutofwoodnotmetalandhiddenamongtrees.NowonderthepresidentoftheInternationalOlympicCommitteehascalledthesethefirst"GreenGames".Lillehammer'sopeningceremoniesfeaturedagiantOlympicTorchburningbiogasproducedbyrottingvegetation.Duringconstruction,builderswerethreatenedwith$7,500finesforfellingtreesunnecessarily.Ratetreeswerecarefullytransplantedfromhillsides.Foodisbeingservedonpotato-basedplatesthatwillbefed,inturn,topigs.Smokinghasbeenbannedoutdoorsaswellasin,withenforcementbypoliterequests.Environmentalistshavedeclaredpartialvictory,thoughCoca-Cola'splanto decoratethetownwithBannershasbeenscaledback,therearestilltoomanybillboardsforstrictgreentastes.Perhaps,butaftertheGames,athletehousingwillbeconvertedintovacationhomeorshippedtothenorthlandsforstudentdormitories.Bulletswillbepluckedfrombiathlontargetsandrecycledtokeeptheleadfrompoisoninggroundwater.Andthesetrickswon'tbeforgotten.Embarrassedbyenvironmentalprotests,theI.O.C.claimsthatgreenawarenessisnowentrenched-alongwithsportandculture-asapermanentdimensionoftheOlympicCharter.Indeed,Sydneywassuccessfulinbecominghostforthe2000SummerGamesinpartonthestrengthofitsendorsementfromGreenpeace.Aspiringhostcitiesarepickingupthecode.SaltLakeCity,biddingforthe2002Games,mayopttousethebobsledrunthatCalgarybuiltforthe88Games.Afterthat,whocoulddenythatrecyclingisanOlympicmovement?Whichofthefollowingcountrieshasnotpaidenoughattentiontothe"green"issues?Norway.[B]France.[C]Arnica.[D]Australia.InwhichareadidtheenvironmentalistsfailinLillehammer?Energy. [B]Smoking. [B]Housing.[D]Advertising.WhichofthefollowingdescribestheI.O.C.'sattitudetowardstheenvironmentalists'protests?Tryingtocommitthemselves. [B]Showingindifferenceandcontempt.Arguingforpracticaldifficulties.[D]Negotiatingforgradualchanges.The2002Gamesmightbeheldin__[A]Oslo[B]Calgary[C]Sydney [D]SaltLakeCity年[25MIN]TEXTAUniversityteachingintheUnitedKingdomisverydifferentatbothundergraduateandgraduatelevelsfromthatofmanyoverseascountries.Anundergraduatecourseconsistsofaseriesoflectures,seminarsandtutorialsand,inscienceandengineering,laboratoryclasses,whichintotalaccountsforabout15hoursperweek.Artsstudentsmaywellfindthattheirofficialcontactwithteachersislessthanthisaverage,whilescienceandengineeringstudentsmayexpecttobetimetabledforupto20hoursperweek.Studentsstudyingforaparticulardegreewilltakeaseriesoflecturecourseswhichruninparallelatafixedtimeineachweekandmaylastoneacademictermorthewholeyear.Associatedwitheachlecturecourseareseminars,tutorialsandlaboratoryclasseswhichdrawupon,analyze,illustrateoramplifythetopicspresentedinthelectures.Lectureclassescanvaryinsizefrom20to200althoughlargersizelecturestendtodecreaseasstudentsprogressintothesecondandthirdyearandmoreoptionsbecomeavailable.Seminarsandtutorialsareonthewholemuchsmallerthanlectureclassesandinsomedepartmentscanbeonaone-to-onebasis(thatisonememberofstafftoonestudent).Studentsarenormallyexpectedtoprepareworkinadvanceforseminarsandtutorialsandthiscantaketheformofresearchingatopicfordiscussion,bywritingessaysorbysolvingproblems.Lectures,seminarsandtutorialsareallonehourinlength,whilelaboratoryclassesusuallylasteither2or3hours.Muchemphasisisputonhowtospendasmuchtimeifnotmorestudyingbythemselvesasbeingtaught.IntheUKitisstillcommonforpeopletosaythattheyare"reading"foradegree!Eachstudenthasatutorwhomtheycanconsultonany matterwhetheracademicorpersonal.Althoughthetutorwillhelp,motivationforstudyisexpectedtocomefromthestudent.Accordingtothepassage,scienceandengineeringcoursesseemtobemore__thanartscourses.[A]motivating [B]varied [C]demanding [D]interestingWhichofthefollowingisthelengthoflecturesorseminarsortutorials?[A]1hour. [B]2hours. [C]3hours. [D]15hours.InBritishuniversitiesteachingandlearningarecarriedonin__[A]avarietyofways[B]laboratoryclasses[C]seminarssandtutorials [D]lecturesandtutorialsTEXTBWhosaidtheonlywaytolearnaboutacountryyoucan'tvisitisbyreadingabook?DanEckberg'stelevisionstudentsatHopkinsHighSchoolknowbetter.They'reseeingcountriesandlearningaboutcultureswiththeaidofelectroniccommunications.Usingcomputers,satellitehookups,andtelephonehotlines,Eckberg'sstudentshavealreadyfollowedateamofcyclists11,500milesacrossthecontinentofAfrica,satonatopMountKillmanjaro,andswelteredIntheSaharaDesert.Thiswinterthey'11interactwithanexpeditionexploringCentralAmericainsearchoftheclassicMayaculture.Youcanjointhem.How?.ByfollowingEckbergandhisclassastheytracktheadventuresofDanandSteveBuettner,twoworld-classbicyclistsfromtheU.S..Startinglastmonththesetwobicyclists,joinedbyarchaeologistsandatechnicalsupportteam,areinteractingwithstudentsviatheInternet,theworldwidecomputernetwork.Fromclassroomorhomecomputer,studentscanmakeresearchproposalstotheBuettnersorthearchaeologistsatthevariousCentralAmericanlocationsthey'vebeenexploringaspartoftheirMayaQuestexpedition."Wehopethatsomeonewillaskaquestionthatcan'treadilybeanswered,"saysHopkinsHighSchoolstudentBarryAnderson,"andthroughtheonlineactivities,ananswerwillbefound--adiscovery!"Havingstudents"discover"whyacivilizationasadvancedastheMayacollapsedinthe9thcenturyisonekeygoalfortheleadersoftheMayaQuestexpedition.Themoreimportantgoalisusinginteractivelearningtodiscoverthecauseofthedeclineandcompareittoissueswefacetoday--naturaldisasters,environmentalproblems,andwar.Tenlessonplans--ontopicsrangingfromtheMayalanguagetotheMayacreationmyth---havebeendevelopedfortheinteractiveexpedition."Throughacombinationoflivecall--intelevisionandtheInternet,saysEckberg,"we'rehopingtobuildexcitementandengagementinlearninginourschool."DanEckbergandhisstudentslearnaboutAfricaby__[A]readingbooks [B]watchingvideotapes[C]interactingviatheInternet [D]cycling11,500milesWhichofthefollowingactivitiesisNOTinvolvedinDanEckbergandIrisstudents'expedition?[A]GoingtovisitvariousCentralAmericanlocations.Gettinginformationthroughelectroniccommunications.DiscussingdifferenttopicsontheMayacivilization.Formingresearchproposalsanddiscoveringtheanswers.TEXTCMostearthquakesoccurwithintheupper15milesoftheearth'ssurface.Butearthquakescananddooccuratalldepthstoabout460miles.Theirnumberdecreasesasthedepthincreases.Atabout460milesoneearthquakeoccursonlyeveryfewyears.Nearthesurfaceearthquakesmayrunashighas100inamonth,buttheyearlyaveragedoesnotvarymuch.Incomparisonwiththetotalnumberofearthquakeseachyear,thenumberofdisastrousearthquakesisverysmall.Theextentofthedisasterinanearthquakedependsonmanyfactors.IfyoucarefullybuildatoyhousewithanErectorset,itwillstillstandnomatterhowmuchyoushakethetable.Butifyoubuildatoyhousewithapackofcards,aslightshakeofthetablewillmakeitfall.AnearthquakeinAgadir,Morocco,wasnotstrongenoughtoberecordedondistantinstruments,but

itcompletelydestroyedthecity.Manystrongerearthquakeshavedonecomparativelylittledamage.Ifabuildingiswellconstructedandbuiltonsolidground,itwillresistanearthquake.Mostdeathsinearthquakeshavebeenduetofaultybuildingconstructionorpoorbuildingsites.Athirdandveryseriousfactorispanic.Whenpeoplerushoutintonarrowstreets,moredeathswillresult.TheUnitedNationshasplayedanimportantpartinreducingthedamagedonebyearthquakes.Ithassentateamofexpertstoallcountriesknowntobeaffectedbyearthquakes.Workingwithlocalgeologistsandengineers,theexpertshavestudiedthenatureofthegroundandthetypeofmostpracticalbuildingcodeforthelocalarea.Iffollowed,thesesuggestionswillmakedisastrousearthquakesalmostathingofthepast.Thereisonetypeofearthquakedisasterthatlittlecanbedoneabout.Thisisthedisastercausedbyseismicseawaves,ortsunamis.(Theseareoftencalledtidalwaves,butthenameisincorrect.Theyhavenothingtodowithtides.)Incertainareas,earthquakestakeplacebeneaththesea.Thesesubmarineearthquakessometimesgiverisetoseismicseawaves.Thewavesarenotnoticeableoutatseabecauseoftheirlongwavelength.Butwhentheyrollintoharbors,theypileupintowallsofwater6to60feethigh.TheJapanesecallthem"tsunamis",meaning"harborwaves",becausetheyreachasizableheightonlyinharbors.Tsunamistravelfairlyslowly,atspeedsupto500milesanhour.Anadequatewarningsystemisinusetowarnallshoreslikelytobereachedbythewaves.Butthisonlyenablespeopletoleavethethreatenedshoresforhigherground.Thereisnowaytostoptheoncomingwave.WhichofthefollowingCANNOTbeconcludedfromthepassage?Thenumberofearthquakesiscloselyrelatedtodepth.Roughlythesamenumberofearthquakesoccureachyear.Earthquakesareimpossibleatdepthsover460miles.Earthquakesaremostlikelytooccurnearthesurface.ThedestructionofAgadirisanexampleof__[B]anearthquake'sstrength

[D]ineffectiveinstrumentsfaultybuildingconstruction[B]anearthquake'sstrength

[D]ineffectiveinstruments[C]widespreadpanicinearthquakesTheUnitedNations'expertsaresupposedto__[B]putforwardproposals[D]monitorearthquakes[B]putforwardproposals[D]monitorearthquakes[C]detectdisastrousearthquakesThesignificanceoftheslowspeedoftsunamisisthatpeoplemay__[A]noticethemoutatsea [B]findwaystostopthem[C]bewarnedearlyenough [D]developwarningsystemTEXTDOneofthegoodthingsformeninwomen'sliberationisthatmennolongerhavetopaywomentheold-fashionedcourtesies.Inanarticleonthenewmanners,Ms.Holmessaysthataperfectlyablewomannolongerhastoacthelplesslyinpublicasifshewereamodel.Forexample,shedoesn'tneedhelpgettinginandoutofcars."Womengetinandoutofcarstwentytimesadaywithbabiesanddogs.Surelytheycangetoutbythemselvesatnightjustaseasily."Shealsosaysthereisnoreasonwhyamanshouldwalkontheoutsideofawomanonthesidewalk."Historically,themanwalkedontheinsidesohecaughtthegarbagethrownoutofawindow.Todayamanissupposedtowalkontheoutside.Amanshouldwalkwherehewantsto.Soshouldawoman.If,outofloveandrespect,heactuallywantstotaketheblows,heshouldwalkontheinside-becausethat'swhereattackersareallhidingthesedays."Asfarasmannersareconcerned,IsupposeIhavealwaysasupporterofwomen'sliberation.Overtheyears,outofasenseofrespect,Iimagine,Ihaverefusedtotroublewomenwithoutdatedcourtesies.Itisusuallyeasiertofollowrulesofsocialbehaviorthantodependonone'sowntaste.Butrulesmaybesafelybroken,ofcourse,bythoseofuswiththegiftofnaturalgrace.Forexample,whenamanandawomanareledtotheirtableinarestaurantandthewaiterpullsoutachair,thewomanisexpectedtositinthechair.ThatisaccordingtoMs.AnnClark.Ihavealwaysdoneittheotherway,accordingtomywife.Itcameuponlytheothernight.Ifollowedthehostesstothetable,andwhenshepulledthechairoutIsatonit,quitenaturally,sinceithappenedtobethechairIwantedtositin."Well",mywifesaid,whenthehostesshadgone,"youdiditagain.""Didwhat?"Iasked,utterlyconfused."Tookthechair."Actually,sinceI'dwalkedthroughtherestaurantaheadofmywife,itwouldhavebeenawkward,Ishouldthink,nottohavetakenthechair.Ibadgottherefirst,afterall.Also,ithasalwaysbeenmycustomtogetinacarfirst,andletthewomangetinbyherself.ThisisacourtesyIinsistonasthestrongersex,outofloveandrespect.Intimeslikethese,theremightbeattackershiddenabout.Iwouldbeunsuitabletoputawomaninacarandthenshutthedooronher,leavingheratthemercyofsomebadfellowwhomightbehidinginthebackseat.Itcanbeconcludedfromthepassagethat__menshouldwalkontheinsideofasidewalkwomenarebecomingmorecapablethanbeforeinwomen'sliberationmenarealsoliberatedit'ssafetobreakrolesofsocialbehaviorTheauthorwas"utterlyconfused"becausehetookthechairoutofhabit [B]wastryingtobepolite[C]wasslowinunderstanding [D]hadforgottenwhathedidHe"tookthechair"forallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPTthat__[A]hegotothechairfirst [B]hehappenedtoliketheseat[C]hiswifeorderedhimtodoso [D]he'dwalkedaheadofhiswifeTheauthoralwaysgetsinacarbeforeawomanbecausehe__[A]wantstoprotecther[B]doesn'tneedtohelpher[C]choosestobeimpolitetoher[D]fearsattacksonhimTheauthoris__aboutthewholequestionofmannersandwomen'sliberation.[A]joking [B]satirical [C]serious[D]criticalWhichofthefollowingbeststatesthemainideaofthepassage?[A]Mannersoughttobethrownawayaltogether.Inmannersoneshouldfollowhisownjudgement.Womennolongerneedtobehelpedinpublic.Menarenotexpectedtobecourteoustowomen.年SECTIONA READINGCOMPREHENSION [25MIN]TEXTAPeoplehavebeenpaintingpicturesforatleast30,000years.Theearliestpictureswerepaintedbypeoplewhohuntedanimals.Theyusedtopaintpicturesoftheanimalstheywantedtocatchandkill.PicturesofthiskindhavebeenfoundonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpain.Nooneknowswhytheywerepaintedthere.Perhapsthepainterthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemtocatchtheseanimals.Orperhapshumanbeingshavealwayswantedtotellstoriesinpictures.About5,000yearsagotheEgyptiansandotherpeopleintheNearEastbegantousepicturesasakindofwriting.Theydrewsimplepicturesorsignstorepresentthingsandideas,andalsotorepresentthesoundsoftheirlanguage.Thesignsthesepeopleusedbecameakindofalphabet.TheEgyptiansusedtorecordinformationandtotellstoriesbyputtingpicture-writingandpicturestogether.Whenanimportantpersondied,scenesandstoriesfromhislifewerepaintedandcarvedonthewallsoftheplacewherehewasburied.Someofthesepicturesarelikemodemcomic-strip（连环漫画）stories.IthasbeensaidthatEgyptisthehomeofthecomicstrip.But,fortheEgyptians,picturesstillhadmagicpower.Sotheydidnottrytomaketheirwayofwritingsimple.Theordinarypeoplecouldnotunderstandit.Bytheyear1,000BC,peoplewholivedintheareaaroundtheMediterraneanSeabaddevelopedasimplersystemofwriting.Thesignstheyusedwereveryeasytowrite,andtherewerefewerofthemthanintheEgyptiansystem.Thiswasbecauseeachsign,orletter,representedonlyonesoundintheirlanguage.TheGreeksdevelopedthissystemandformedtheletteroftheGreekalphabet.TheRonmanscopiedtheidea,andtheRomanalphabetisnowusedallovertheworld.Thesedays,wecanwritedownastory,orrecordinformation,withoutusingpictures.Butwestillneedpicturesofallkinds,drawings,photographs,signsanddiagrams.Wefindthemeverywhere:inbooksandnewspapers,inthestreet,andonthewallsoftheplaceswhereweliveandwork.Pictureshelpustounderstandandrememberthingsmoreeasily,andtheycanmakeastorymuchmoreinteresting.PicturesofanimalswerepaintedonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpainbecause[A]thehunterswantedtoseethepicturesthepainterswereanimalloverthepainterswantedtoshowimaginationthepictureswerethoughttobehelpfulTheGreekalphabetwassimplerthantheEgyptiansystemforallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPT[A]theformerwaseasytowrite [B]therewerefewersignsintheformer[C]theformerwaseasytopronounce [D]eachsignstoodforonlyonesoundWhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE?[A]TheEgyptiansignslaterbecameaparticularalphabet.TheEgyptianslikedtowritecomic-stripstories.TheRomanalphabetwasdevelopedfromtheEgyptianone.TheGreekscopiedtheirwritingsystemfromtheEgyptians.Intheparagraph,theauthorthinksthatpictures__[A]shouldbemadecomprehensible [B]shouldbemadeinteresting[C]areofmuchuseinourlife [D]aredisappearingfromourlifeTEXTBHumanbeingshaveusedtoolsforaverylongtime.Insomepartsoftheworldyoucanstillfindtoolsthatpeopleusedmoretitantwomillionyearsago.Theymadethesetoolsbyhittingonestoneagainstanother.Inthiswaytheybrokeoffpiecesfromoneofthestones.Thesechipsofstonewereusuallysharpononeside.Peopleusedthemforcuttingmeatandskinfromdeadanimalsandalsoformaltingothertoolsoutofwood.Humanbeingsneededtousetoolsbecausetheydidnothavesharpteethlikeothermeat--eatinganimals,suchaslionsandtigers.Toolshelpedpeopletogetfoodmoreeasily.Workingwithtoolsalsohelpedtodevelophumanintelligence.Thehumanbraingrewbigger,andhumanbeingsbegantoinventmoreandmoretoolsandmachines.Thestonechipwasoneoftheflinttoolsthatpeopleused,andperhapsitisthemostimportant.Somescientistssaythatitwasthekeytothesuccessofmankind.Since1960anewkindoftooltinsappeared.Thisisthesiliconchip--alittlechipofsiliconcrystal（硅晶体）.Itissmallerthanafinger-nail,butitcanstoremorethanamillion"bits"ofinformation.Itisanelectronicbrain.Everyyearthesechipsgetcleverer,buttheirsizegetssmaller,andtheircostgetsless.Theyareusedinwatches,calculatorsandintelligentmachinesthatwecanuseinmanyways.Inthefuturewewillnotneedtoworkwithtoolsintheoldway.Machineswilldoeverythingforus.Theywilleventalkandplaygameswithus.Peoplewillhaveplentyofsparetime.Butwhatwilltheydowithit?Humanbeingsusedstonechipsformorethantwomillionyearn,buthumanlifechangedverylittleinthattime.Wehaveusedsiliconchipsforonlyafewyears,butlifeischangingfastereveryday.Whatwilllifebeliketwentyyearsfromnow?Whatwilltheworldbeliketwomillionyearsfromnow?Thestonechipisthoughttobethemostimportanttoolbecauseit__[A]wasoneofthefirsttools[B]developedhumancapabilities[C]ledtotheinventionofmachines[D]wascrucialt