英语四级阅读2.pdf

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1、Passage 1Making Friends in FamilyWHEN Joan gave birth to the first boy in her family in three generations,she and her husbandwere ecstatic.So were her parents.Joan expected her older sister,Sally,to be just as delighted.Joan had always worshiped Sally-the beauty and the star of the familyand rejoice

2、d in herachievements.But since the babys arrival,the sisters have become distant.Joan feels hurt that Sally seemscompletely uninterested in little Andrew.Sally,who had no children,claims that her younger sister“acts as if no one ever had a baby before*.Neither Sally nor Joan understands that the sud

3、den reversal in their family roles is the real causeof the current chill.Joan has finally outdone her dominant older sister-and Sally doesnt like it!Their distance may be temporary,but it shows that childhood rivalry（竞 争）isnt always outgrown.It can remain a strong ingredient in sibling（兄 弟 姐 妹）relat

4、ionships throughout life.In a study at the University of Cincinnati,65 men and women between ages 25 and 93 were askedhow they felt about their brothers and sisters.Nearly 75 percent admitted harboring rivalrousfeelings.In a few cases,these emotions were sufficiently intense to have affected their e

5、ntire lives.Many adult brothers and sisters are close,supportive and affectionateyet still need to compete.Two brothers I know turn into killers when on opposite sides of a tennis net.Off the court,they arethe best of friends.My own younger sister never fails to tell me when Ive put on weight.Howeve

6、r,shes a terrible cook and that pleases me;I outdo myself when she comes to dinner.Happily,despite these small failings,we have been an important resource for one another.In between the intensely rivalrous and the generally supportive siblings lie those who relate in anirritable manner that no frien

7、dship should survive.Some brothers and sisters stay at arms length,but always stop short ot ending ties completely.Why do these puzzling,unproductive,oftenpainful relationships persist?In part because the bonds forged in childhood remain powerful even after siblings have grown upand gone their separ

8、ate ways.These relationships are so intimate that the participants share acloseness unlike any other.But along with the affection contributing to that closeness,there isroom for anger,jealousy and resentment.Stephen Bank,a family therapist and co-author with Michael D.Kahn of The Sibling Bond,explai

9、ns why:1There are few adults who dont believe deep down that a sibling got more ofsomething than they did-parental love,advantages,brains,looks.It could be true,but it reallydoesnt matter,If,as adults,theyre successful enough to feel on an equal footing,siblings can giveeach other a great deal.If no

10、t,unresolved feelings can distort their relationships.The need for parental love is as instinctive as breathing,and the struggle to keep it all for yourselfbegins with the birth of a younger sister or brother.According to Bank,when the rivalry betweenadult siblings achieves neurotic（精 神 病 的）proporti

11、ons,it can usually be traced back either tomarked parental favoritism or to one siblings conviction that the other is superior.A study of adult sisters,described in the book Sisters by Elizabeth Fishel,points up how importantit is for parents to treat their children even-handedly.Those sisters who r

12、eported the bestrelationships were the ones who said there had been no favoritism,no parental comparisons andno pitting of one child against another.Social scientists who have studied adult sibling relationships say it is common for them to blowhot and cold.Situations that might be expected to bring

13、 them together-the birth of a child,theillness or death of a parentare well known for reviving old rivalries.Instead of uniting in their concern for an ill parent,siblings often quarrel bitterly over whoprovides the most care,financial support or affection,according to Victor Cicirelli,a PurdueUnive

14、rsity Psychologist.And probate（遗 嘱 检 验）lawyers say the bitterest quarrels erupt whensiblings have to divide a parents personal property.The break between Jill and Patty might have been closed by now if Jills husband hadnt been soquick to take his wifes side.nIf spouses want to be constructive when s

15、iblings quarrel,they needto remain emotionally neutral,Bank advises.Its a line to be supportive,provided theyremember the goal is to help their mates be more objective and not inflame feelings furthe匚 As they get older,many adults say they wish they were on better terms with brothers or sisters.Inth

16、e next breath,however,they add that its probably impossible.We always get hung up on thesame old sore points1 is a familiar lament（悲 伤）.That neednt be true,says Bank.Almost any relationship can be improved if people are willingto put energy into making it more satisfying.People must recognize that t

17、heir childhood rivalries are left over from a struggle that was verylikely the fault of neither.If they can see that,it will help them to stop feeling guilty or blamingeach other the way they did at age twelve.Siblings often hesitate to disclose long-concealed feelings of anger or jealousy,inferiori

18、ty or guilt.But after these feelings are brought out,there*s a much better chance to improve the relationship.Speaking out honestly about rivalrous feelings is the first step/*says Bank.nBut its essential toget beyond accusations and talk positively about what each might do to improve things.Peopleo

19、ften dont let their siblings know how much they care.Bank adds.Dont be afraid to say,I reallylove you,“he advises.And show your affection a hug,a compliment or a thoughtful gift canheal a lot of wounds.nWhen siblings can get past their rivalries,they may find they are bound by closer,longer-lastingt

20、ies than those with any other person in their lives.Im deeply thankful that my sister and I arefriends,although weve also seen each other through rough times in ways no one else could.Someday,she may be the only person I know who remembers a long-ago Christmas or laughs atthe same jokes.I dont think

21、 Ill even mind if she tells me Im putting on weight.1.According to the passage,competition between siblings plays a powerful role in the siblingrelationships in ones entire life.2.When siblings have grown up,they will easily forget their childhood rivalries and be on betterterms with each other.3.Th

22、e way parents treat their children affects,to a great extent,sibling relationships.4.The author and her sister are friendly with each other because their parents always treat themeven-handedly.5.There are little rivalries between the siblings who are close,supportive and affectionate.6.Parental favo

23、ritism and a belief that the other is superior may trigger childhood competitionwhich may last even at adulthood.7.It is beneficial to sibling relationships if a husband shows support to his wife when she quarrelswith her sistei:8.Sallys attitude when Joan had a baby i s.9.Self-disclosure brings the

24、 opportunities to better t h e.10.The more you put on the relationship,the more satisfying it will be.Passage 2No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world,but 1 1 suggest the figureis over 450 million.The number of disabled people in India 12 is probably more than double the

25、total population of Canada.In the United Kingdom,about one in ten people have some disability.Disability is not justsomething that happens to other people:as we get older,many of us will become less 13,hard ofhearing or have failing eyesight.Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of l

26、ife.Some people are bom withdisabilities.Many others become disabled as they get older.There are many 14 disabling diseases.The longer time goes on,the worse they become.Some people are disabled in accidents.Manyothers may have a period of disability in the form of a mental illness.All are affected

27、by peoplesattitude towards them.Disabled people face many 15 barriers.Next time you go shopping or to work or to visit friends,imagine how you would 16 if you could not get up steps,or on to buses and trains.How wouldyou cope if you could not see where you were going or could not hear the traffic?Bu

28、t there areother barriers;17 can be even harder to break down and ignorance 18 represents by far the greatestbarrier of all.It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciate what the severelydisabled go through,so it is important to 19 attention to these barriers and show that it is th

29、eindividual person and their ability,not their disability,which 20A.inevitablyB.evaluationsC.estimatesD.manageE.aloneF.countsGprejudiceH.physicalI.mobileJ.indifferentlyK.withdrawL.progressiveM.regularN.accountsO.drawPassage 3The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women.During t

30、he twentieth centurythere has been a remarkable shortening of the proportion of a womans life spent in caring for thechildren.A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in hermiddle twenties?and would be likely to have seven or eight children,of whom four or five

31、livedtill they were five years old.By the time the youngest was fifteen,the mother would have been inher early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years,during which custom,opportunityand health made it unusual for her to get paid work.Today women marry younger and have fewerchildren.U

32、sually a woman*s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five years and islikely to take paid work until retirement at sixty.Even while she has the care of children,her workis lightened by household appliances and convenience foods.This important change in womens life-pattern has only recen

33、tly begun to have its full effect onwomens economic position.Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity,and most of them took a full-time job.However,when they married,they usually left work at onceand never returned to it.Today the school leaving age is sixteen,many girls

34、stay at school afterthat age,and though women tend to marry younger,more married women stay at work at leastuntil shortly before their first child is born.Very many more afterwards return to full-or-part-timework.Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage,with the husband accepting agre

35、ater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life,and with both husband and wife sharingmore equally in providing the money,and running the home,according to the abilities andinterests of each of them.21.According to the passage,it is now quite usual for women t o.A.stay at home after leavin

36、g school B.marry men younger than themselvesC.start working again later in life D.marry while still at school22.We are told that in an average family about 1 9 0 0.A.many children died before they lived to more than fiveB.seven or eight children lived to be more than fiveC.the youngest child would b

37、e fifteenD.four or five children died when they were five23.Many girls,the passage claims,are now likely to_.A.give up their jobs for good after they are marriedB.leave school as soon as they canC.marry so that they can get a jobD.continue working until they are going to have a baby24.One reason why

38、 a woman today may take a job is that s h e.A.is younger when her children are old enough to look after.themselvesB.does not like children herselfC.need not worry about food for her childrenD.can retire from family responsibilities when she reaches sixty25.Nowadays,a husband tends t o.A.play a great

39、er part in looking after the childrenB.help his wife by doing much of the houseworkC.feel dissatisfied with his role in the familyD.take a part-time job so that he can help in the homePassage 4When blood is sent to the lungs by the heart,it has come back from the cells in the rest of the body.So the

40、 blood that goes into the wall of an air sac(JI)contains much dissolved carbon dioxide butvery little oxygen.At the same time,the air that goes into the air sac contains much oxygen butvery little carbon dioxide.You have learned that dissolved materials always diffuse(扩 散)from where there is more of

41、 themto where there is less.Oxygen from the air dissolves in the moisture on the lining of the air sacand diffuses through the lining into the blood.Meanwhile,carbon dioxide diffuses from the bloodinto the air sac.The blood then flows from the lungs back to the heart,which sends it out to allother p

42、arts of the body.Soon after air goes into an air sac,it gives up some of its oxygen and takes in some carbon dioxidefrom the blood.To keep diffusion going as it should,this carbon dioxide must be gotten rid of.Breathing,which is caused by movements of the chest,forces the used air out of the air sac

43、s inyour lungs and brings in fresh air.The breathing muscles are controlled automatically so that youbreathe at the proper rate to keep your air sacs supplied with fresh air.Ordinarily,you breathe about twenty-two times a minute.Of course,you breathe faster when youare exercising and slower when you

44、 are resting.Fresh air is brought into your lungs when youbreathe in,or inhale,while used air is forced out of your lungs when you breathe out,or exhale.26.In the respiratory process,only one of the following actions takes place:it isA.the diffusion of blood through capillary walls into air sacsB.th

45、e diffusion of carbon dioxide through capillary and air sac walls into the bloodC.the diffusion of oxygen through the air sac and capillary walls into the bloodD.the exchange of nitrogen within air sacs27.The number of times per minute that you breathe i s.A.independent of your rate of exerciseB.fix

46、ed at twenty-two times per minuteC.influenced by your age and sexD.controlled automatically by an unspecified body mechanism28.The process by which carbon dioxide and oxygen are transferred does not depend onA.the presence of nitrogen in the bloodB.breathing musclesC.the flow of bloodD.the moisture

47、in the air sac linings29.The authors style in this passage can best be described as-.A informal and matter of fact B.impersonalC.personal P-matter of fact and formal30.Which of the following words can replace the word exhale”？A.Breathe out.B.Breathe in.C.Diffuse.D.Exchange.参 考 答 案：Unit SeventeenI.Y

48、2.N 3.Y 4.NG 5.N 6.Y 7.N 8.uninterested 9.sibling relationship 10.energyII.C 12.E 13.1 14.L 15.H 16.D 17.G 18.A 19.O 20.F 21.C 22.A 23.D 24.A 25.B 26.C 27.D 28.A 29.A 30.AUnit EighteenPassage 1Informing the WorldEvery day,the news of the world is relayed to people by over 300 million copies of daily

49、 papers,over 400 million radio sets,and over 150 million television sets.Additional news is shown bymotion pictures,in theatres and cinemas all over the world.As more people learn what theimportant events of the day are,fewer are still concerned exclusively with the events of their ownhousehold.As t

50、he English writer John Donne put it nearly four hundred years ago,Mno man is anisland.This idea is more appropriate today than it was when Donne lived.In short,wherever helives,a man belongs to some society;and we are becoming more and more aware that whateverhappens in one particular society affect