大学英语四级考试阅读经典真题练习.pdf

大学英语四级考试阅读经典真题练习89-cet4Part II Reading Comprehension(35 minutes)Passage OneQuestions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.More than 30,000 drivers and front seat passengers are killed or seriously injured each year.At thespeed of only 30 miles per hour it is the same as falling from a third-floor windows.Wearing a seat beltsaves lives;it reduces your chance of death or serious injury by more than half.Therefore drivers or front seat passengers over 14 in most vehicles must wear a seat belt.If you donot,you could be fined up to 50.it will not be up to the drivers to make sure you wear your belt.Butit will be the drivers responsibility to make sure that children under 14 do not ride in the front unlessthey are wearing a seat belt of some kind.However,you do not have to wear a seat belt if you reversing your vehicle;or you are making alocal delivery or collection using a special vehicle;or if you have a valid niedical certificate whichexcuses you from wearing it.Make sure these circumstances apply to you before you decide not towear you seat belt.Remember you may be taken to court for not doing so,and you may be fined if youcannot prove to the court that you have been excused from wearing it.21.This text is taken f r om.A)a medical magazine B)a police report C)a legal document D)a governmentinformation booklet22.Wearing a seat belt in a v e h i c l e.A)reduces road accidents by more than half B)saves lives while driving at a speed up to 30miles per hourC)reduces the death rate in traffic accidents D)saves more than 15,000 lives eachyear23.It is the drivers responsibility to.A)make the front seat passenger wear a seat belt B)make the front seat children under 14wear a seat beltC)stop children riding in the front seat D)wear a seat belt each time he drives24.According to the text,which of the following people riding in the front dos not have to wear aseat belt?A)Someone who is backing into a parking space.B)Someone who is picking up the children from the local school.C)Someone who is delivering invitation letters.D)Someone who is under 14.25.For some people,it may be bet t er.A)to wear a seat belt for health reasons B)not to wear a seat belt fbrhealth reasonsC)to get valid medical certificate before wearing a seat belt D)to pay a fine rather than weara seat beltPassage TwoQuestions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.If you want to stay young,sit down and have a good think.This is the research finding of a teamof Japanese doctors,who say that most of our brains are not getting enough exercise-and as a result,we are ageing unnecessarily soon.Professor Taiju Matsuzawa wanted to find out why otherwise healthy farmers in northern Japanappeared to be losing their ability to think and reason at a relatively early age,and how the process ofageing could be slowed down.With a team of colleagues at Tokyo National University,he set about measuring brain volumes ofa thousand people of different ages and varying occupations.Computer technology enabled the researchers to obtain precise measurements of the volume of thefront and side sections of the brain,which relate to intellect(智能)and emotion,and determine thehuman character.(The rear section of the brain,which controls functions like eating and breathing,does not contract with age,and one can continue living without intellectual or emotional faculties.)Contraction of front and side partsas cells die off-was observed I some subjects in their thirties,but it was still not evident in some sixty-and seventy-year-olds.Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple remedy to the contraction normallyassociated with age-using the head.The findings show in general terms that contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in thecountry than in the towns.Those least at risk,says Matsuzawa,are lawyers,followed by universityprofessors and doctors.White collar workers doing routine work in government offices are,however,as likely to have shrinking brains as the farm worker,bus driver and shop assistant.Matsuzawas findings show that thinking can prevent the brain from shrinking.Blood mustcirculate properly in the head to supply the fresh oxygen the brain cells need.The best way tomaintain good blood circulation is through using the brain,“he says,“Think hard and engage inconversation.Dont rely on pocket calculators.”26.The team of doctors wanted to find out.A)why certain people age sooner han ohers B)how b nake pa)ple Ive bngerC)the size of certain peoples brains D)which people are mostintelligent27.On what are their research findings based?A)A survey of farmers in northern Japan.B)Tests performed on a thousand oldpeople.C)The study of brain volumes of different people D)The latest development of computertechnology.28.The doctors test show that.A)our brains shrink as we grow olderB)the front section of the brain does not shrinkC)sixty-year-olds have the better brains than thirty-year-oldsD)some peoples brains have contracted more than other peoples29.The word“subjects“in Paragraph 5means.A)something b be nsidered B)bnnches of knowledge iudiedC)persons chosen to be studied in an experiment D)any member of a state except thesupreme ruler30.According to the passage,which people seem to age slower than the others?A)Lawyers.B)farmers.C)Qerks.D)Slop cssistants.Passage Three Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.On June 17,1744,the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the SixNations.The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College.In a letter the next daythe refused the offer as follows:We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges,and that thecosts of living of our young men,while with you,would be very expensive to you.We are convincedthat you mean to do us good by your proposal;and we thank you heartily.But you must know thatdifferent nations have different ways of looking at things,and you will therefore not be offended ifyour ideas of this kind of education happen not t be the same as yours.We have had some experience ofit.Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces:theywere taught all your sciences;but,when they came back to us,they were bad runners,ignorant of everymeans of living in the woods.they were totally good for nothing.We are,however,not the less obliged by your kind offer,though we refuse to accept it;and,toshow our grateful sense of it,if the gentlemen of Virginia will send up a dozen of their sons,we willtake care of their education,teach them in all we know,and make men of them.31.The passage is about.A)the talk between the Indians and the officials B)the colleges of northernprovincesC)the educational values of the Indians D)the problems of the Americans in themid-eighteenth century32.The Indians chief purpose in writing the letter seems to be to.A)politely refuse a friendly offer B)express their opinion on equaltreatmentC);how heir pide D)dcribe hdian aistoms33.According to the letter,the Indians believed that.A)it would be better for their boys to receive some schoolingB)they were being insultedby the offerC)they knew more about science than the officials D)they had a better way of educatingyoung men34.Different from the officials view of education,the Indians t h o u g h t.A)young women should also be educated B)they had different goals ofeducationC)they taught different branches of science D)they should teach the sons of theofficials first35.The tone of the letter as a whole is best described as.A)aigry B)peasant C)poite D)hquiringPassage FourQuestions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.In what now seems like the prehistoric times of computer history,the earths postwar era,therewas quite a wide-spread concern that computers would take over the world from man one day.Alreadytoday,less than forty years later,as computers are relieving us of more and more of the routine tasks inbusiness and in our personal lives,we are faced with a less dramatic but also less foreseen problem.People tend to be over-tinsting of computers and are reluctant to challenge their authority.Indeed,theybehave as if they were hardly aware that wrong buttons may be pushed,or that a computer may simplymalfunction(失误).Obviously,there would be no point in investing in a computer if you had to check all its answers,but people should also rely on their own internal computers and check the machine when they have thefeeling that something has gone wrong.Questioning and routine double-checks must continue to be as much a part of good business asthey were in pre-computer days.Maybe each computer should come with the warning:for all the helpthis computer may provide,it should not be seen as a substitute for fundamental thinking and reasoningskills.36.What is the main purpose of this passage?A)lb look back to the early days of computers.B)To explain what technical problems may occur with computers.C)lb discourage unnecessary investment in computers.D)Tb warn against a mentally lazy attitude towards computers.37.According to the passage,the initial concern about computers was that they mi ght.A)(hange our personal Ives B)ake ntrol of he vorldC)create unf)reseen poblems D)dfect our busnesses38.The passage recommends those dealing with computers to.A)be easonably doubful bout hem B)(heck dl heir aiswersC)substitute hem f)r baic hinking D)u hem 6r buaness puposes ong39.The passage suggests that the present-day problem with regard to computers is.A)challenging B)pchological C)dnmatic D)findamental40.It can be inferred from the passage that the author would disapprove of.A)hvestment h computers B)he us of onds hternal computerC)double-check on computers D)complete dependence on computers fordecision-making90-1-cet4Part II Reading Comprehension(35 minutes)Passage OneQuestions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.Oceanography has been defined as“The application of all sciences to the study of the sea”.Before the nineteen century,scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between.Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings,but he was reluctant to go tosea to further his work.For most people the sea was remote,and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers orothers who earned a living from the sea,there was little reason to ask many questions about it,let aloneto ask what lay beneath the surface.The first time that question“Whal is at the bottom of the oceans?”had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable fromEurope to America was proposed.The engineers had to know the depth profile(起伏形状)of the routeto estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned,in 1853,forinformation on this matter.In the 1840s,Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages duringwhich soundings(测声)were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Later,some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of theSea.The cable was laid,but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable.At theearly attempts,the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered inliving growths,a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeperparts of the sea.Within a few years oceanography was under way.In 1872 Thomson led a scientific expedition(考察)，which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea.Theirclassification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report,the last volumebeing published in 1895.21.The proposal to lay a telegraph cable from Europe to America made oceanographic studiestake on.A)ai academic apect B)a mlitary apectC)a business aspect D)an international aspect22.It was that asked Maury for help in oceanographic studies.A)he American Nivy B)me early htercontinental tavelersC)those who earned a living from the sea D)the company which proposed to lay anundersea cable23.The aim of the voyages Maury was responsible for in the 1840s was.A)to make some sounding experiments in the oceans B)to collect samples of sea plantsand animalsC)to estimate the length of cable that was needed D)to measure the depths of the twooceans24.“Defied”in the 5th paragraph probably means“A)doubedB)9 ve poof t)C)(hallengedD)jgreed t)25.This passage is mainly about.A)the beginnings of oceanography B)the laying of the first underseacableC)the investigation of ocean depths D)the early intercontinentalcommunicationsPassage Two Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate,and each coursewhich he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree.In many Americanuniversities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester.Atypical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks;while attending a university astudent will probably attend four or five courses during each semester.Normally a student wouldexpect to take four years attending two semesters each year.It is possible to spread the period of workfor the degree over a longer period.It is also possible for a student to move between one university andanother during his degree course,thougli this is not in fact done as a regular practice.For every course that he follows a student is given a grade,which is recorded,and the record isavailable for the student to show to prospective employers.All this imposes a constant pressure andstrain of work,but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs.Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm.The effective word ofmaintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities.Anystudent who is thought to have broken the rules,for example,by cheating has to appear before astudent court.With the enormous numbers of students,the operation of the system does involve acertain amount of activity.A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respectedand it will be of benefit to him later in his career.26.Normally a student would at least attend classes each week.A)36 B)20 C)12 D)1527.According to the first paragraph an American student is a l l o we d.A)to live in a different university B)to take a particular course in a differentuniversityC)to live at home and drive to classes D)to get two degrees from two differentuniversities28.American university students are usually under pressure of work b e c a u s e.A)their academic performance will affect their future careers B)they are heavily involved instudent affairsC)they have to observe university discipline D)they want to run for positionsof authority29.Some students are enthusiastic for positions in student org