大学英语四级考试快速阅读练习集锦.doc

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1、Passage 1Beauty and Body Image in the MediaImages of female bodies are everywhere. Womenand their body partssell everything from food to cars. Popular film and television actresses are becoming younger, taller and thinner. Some have even been known to faint on the set from lack of food. Womens magaz

2、ines are full of articles urging that if they can just lose those last twenty pounds, theyll have it allthe perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career.Why are standards of beauty being imposed on women, the majority of whom are naturally larger and more mature than any of t

3、he models? The roots, some analysts say, are economic. By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits.And its no accident that youth is increasingly promoted, along with thinness, as an essential criterion of beaut

4、y. If not all women need to lose weight, for sure theyre all aging, says the Quebec Action Network for Womens Health in its 2001 report. And, according to the industry, age is a disaster that needs to be dealt with. The stakes are huge. On the one hand, women who are insecure about their bodies are

5、more likely to buy beauty products, new clothes, and diet aids. It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth anywhere between 40 to 100 billion (U.S.) a year selling temporary weight loss (90 to 95% of dieters regain the lost weight).On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to im

6、ages of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls.The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealth

7、y methods of weight controlincluding fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative (泻药) abuse, and self-induced vomiting. The pressure to be thin is also affecting young girls: the Canadian Womens Health Network warns that weight control measures are now being taken by girls as young as 5 an

8、d 6. American statistics are similar.Several studies, such as one conducted by Marika Tiggemann and Levina Clark in 2006 titled “Appearance Culture in Nine- to 12-Year-Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction,” indicate that nearly half of all preadolescent girls wish to be thinn

9、er, and as a result have engaged in a diet or are aware of the concept of dieting. In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 per cent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that 50 to 70 per cent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight. Overall research indicates tha

10、t 90% of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some way.Media activist Jean Kilbourne concludes that, “Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight.”Unattainable BeautyPerhaps mo

11、st disturbing is the fact that media images of female beauty are unattainable for all but a very small number of women. Researchers generating a computer model of a woman with Barbie-doll proportions, for example, found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and her

12、 body would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea ( 慢性腹泻) and eventually die from malnutrition. Jill Barad, President of Mattel (which manufactures Barbie), estimated that 99% of girls aged 3 to

13、10 years old own at least one Barbie doll.Still, the number of real life women and girls who seek a similarly underweight body is epidemic, and they can suffer equally devastating health consequences. In 2006 it was estimated that up to 450, 000 Canadian women were affected by an eating disorder.The

14、 Culture of ThinnessResearchers report that womens magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than mens magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message about how to change a womans bodily appearanceby diet, e

15、xercise or cosmetic surgery.Television and movies reinforce the importance of a thin body as a measure of a womans worth. Canadian researcher Gregory Fouts reports that over three-quarters of the female characters in TV situation comedies are underweight, and only one in twenty are above average in

16、size. Heavier actresses tend to receive negative comments from male characters about their bodies (“How about wearing a sack?”), and 80 per cent of these negative comments are followed by canned audience laughter.There have been efforts in the magazine industry to buck ( 抵制，反抗) the trend. For severa

17、l years the Quebec magazine Coup de Pouce has consistently included full-sized women in their fashion pages and Chtelaine has pledged not to touch up photos and not to include models less than 25 years of age. In Madrid, one of the worlds biggest fashion capitals, ultra-thin models were banned from

18、the runway in 2006. Furthermore Spain has recently undergone a project with the aim to standardize clothing sizes through using a unique process in which a laser beam is used to measure real life womens bodies in order to find the most true to life measurement.EthicsAnother issue is the representati

19、on of ethnically diverse women in the media. A 2008 study conducted by Juanita Covert and Travis Dixon titled “A Changing View: Representation and Effects of the Portrayal of Women of Color in Mainstream Womens Magazines” found that although there was an increase in the representation of women of co

20、lour, overall white women were overrepresented in mainstream womens magazines from 1999 to 2004. Self-Improvement or Self-Destruction?The barrage of messages about thinness, dieting and beauty tells “ordinary” women that they are always in need of adjustmentand that the female body is an object to b

21、e perfected.Jean Kilbourne argues that the overwhelming presence of media images of painfully thin women means that real womens bodies have become invisible in the mass media. The real tragedy, Kilbourne concludes, is that many women internalize these stereotypes, and judge themselves by the beauty

22、industrys standards. Women learn to compare themselves to other women, and to compete with them for male attention. This focus on beauty and desirability “effectively destroys any awareness and action that might help to change that climate.”注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。1. Womens magazines are full of articles

23、 to urge women to _.A) eat less sweet food C) marry a rich husbandB) lose weight D) have at least two kids2. The cosmetic and diet product industries gain profits by _.A) exaggerating the goodness about their productsB) targeting at children and femalesC) presenting an ideal image difficult to achie

24、veD) distributing free samples from home to home3. Canadian Womens health Network warns that weight control measures are now being taken by girls _.A) at age 5 or 6 C) at age 13 or 14B) at age 9 or 10 D) at age 16 or 174. In 2003, Teen magazine reported that _ percent of normal weight girls believe

25、they are overweight.A) 35 to 50 C) 50 to 70B) 50 D) 905. Researchers found that a real woman with Barbie-doll proportions would _.A) suffer from heart disease C) live a more rewarding lifeB) be very popular with males D) die from malnutrition6. Television and movies emphasize that a womans worth can

26、 be judged by _.A) the cosmetics she uses C) the thinness of her bodyB) the jewelry she wears D) the wealth of her husband7. Spain has recently undergone a project to _.A) include full-sized women in its fashion magazinesB) standardize clothing sizesC) ban ultra-thin models from the runwayD) promote

27、 weight loss among men8. In mainstream womens magazines from 1999 to 2004, _ were overrepresented.9. Jean Kilbourne concludes that many women judge themselves by _.10. The focus on _ destroys any awareness and action that might help to change the trend.1-7 BCACDCB8.overall white woman9.the beauty in

28、dustrys standards10.the beauty desirability Passage 2Animals on the MoveIt looked like a scene from “Jaws” but without the dramatic music. A huge shark was lowly swimming through the water, its tail swinging back and forth like the pendulum of a clock。Suddenly sensitive nerve ending in the sharks sk

29、in picked up vibrations of a struggling fish. The shark was immediately transformed into a deadly, efficient machine of death. With muscles taut, the shark knifed through the water at a rapid speed. In a flash the shark caught its victim, a large fish, in its powerful jaws. Then, jerking its head ba

30、ck and forth, the shark tore huge chunks of flesh from its victim and swallowed them. Soon the action was over。Moving to SurviveIn pursuing its prey, the shark demonstrated in a dramatic way the important role of movement, or locomotion, in animals。Like the shark, most animals use movement to find f

31、ood. They also use locomotion to escape enemies, find a mate, and explore new territories. The methods of locomotion include crawling, hopping, slithering, flying, swimming, or walking。Humans have the added advantage of using their various inventions to move about in just about any kind of environme

32、nt. Automobiles, rockets, and submarines transport humans from deep oceans to as far away as the moon. However, for other animals movement came about naturally through millions of years of evolution. One of the most successful examples of animal locomotion is that of the shark. Its ability to quickl

33、y zero in on its prey has always impressed scientists. But it took a detailed study by Duke University marine biologists S. A. Wainwright, F. Vosburgh, and J. H. Hebrank to find out how the sharks did it. In their study the scientists observed sharks swimming in a tank at Marine land in Saint August

34、ine, Fla. Movies were taken of the sharks movements and analyzed. Studies were also made of shark skin and muscle。 Skin Is the KeyThe biologists discovered that the skin of the shark is the key to the animals high efficiency in swimming through the water. The skin contains many fibers that crisscros

35、s like the inside of a belted radial tire. The fibers are called collagen fibers. These fibers can either store or release large amounts of energy depending on whether the fibers are relaxed or taut. When the fibers are stretched, energy is stored in them the way energy is stored in the string of a

36、bow when pulled tight. When the energy is released, the fibers become relaxed。The Duke University biologists have found that the greatest stretching occurs where the shark bends its body while swimming. During the bodys back and forth motion, fibers along the outside part of the bending body stretch

37、 greatly. Much potential energy is stored in the fibers. This energy is released when the sharks body snaps back the other way。As energy is alternately stored and released on both sides of the animals body, the tail whips strongly back and forth. This whip-like action propels the animal through the

38、water like a living bullet。Source of EnergyWhat causes the fibers to store so much energy? In finding the answer the Duke University scientists learned that the sharks similarity to a belted radial tire doesnt stop with the skin. Just as a radial tire is inflated by pressure, so, too, is the area ju

39、st under the sharks collagen “radials”. Instead of air pressure, however, the pressure in the shark may be due to the force of the blood pressing on the collagen fibers。When the shark swims slowly, the pressure on the fibers is relatively low. The fibers are more relaxed, and the shark is able to be

40、nd its body at sharp angles. The animal swims this way when looking around for food or just swimming. However, when the shark detects an important food source, some fantastic involuntary changes take place。The pressure inside the animal may increase by 10 times. This pressure change greatly stretche

41、s the fibers, enabling much energy to be stored。This energy is then transferred to the tail, and the shark is off. The rest of the story is predictable。Dolphin Has Speed RecordAnother fast marine animal is the dolphin. This seagoing mammal has been clocked at speeds of 32 kilometers (20 miles) an ho

42、ur. Biologists studying the dolphin have discovered that, like the shark, the animals efficient locomotion can be traced to its skin. A dolphins skin is made up in such a way that it offers very little resistance to the water flowing over it. Normally when a fish or other object moves slowly through

43、 the water, the water flows smoothly past the body. This smooth flow is known as laminar flow. However, at faster speeds the water becomes more turbulent along the moving fish. This turbulence muses friction and slows the fish down。In a dolphin the skin is so flexible that it bends and yields to the

44、 waviness of the water。The waves, in effect, become tucked into the skins folds. This allows the rest of the water to move smoothly by in a laminar flow. Where other animals would be slowed by turbulent water at rapid speeds, the dolphin can race through the water at record breaking speeds。Other Ani

45、mals Less EfficientNot all animals move as efficiently as sharks and dolphins. Perhaps the greatest loser in locomotion efficiency is the slug. The slug, which looks like a snail without a shell, lays down a slimy trail over which it crawls. It uses so much energy producing the slimy mucus and crawl

46、ing over it that a mouse traveling the same distance uses only one twelfth as much energy。Scientists say that because of the slugs inefficient use of energy, its lifestyle must be restricted. That is, the animals are forced to confine themselves to small areas for obtaining food and finding proper l

47、iving conditions. Have humans ever been faced with this kind of problem?1.According to the passage, a shark can use movement to do something except_。Ato find foodBto avoid being chased by its enemiesCto find a new place to liveDto show its braveness2.Examples of automobiles, rockets and submarines a

48、re used to show that _。Ahumans are the most clever living creatures in the worldBhuman inventions enable us to travel in almost any kind of environmentChumans are very successful in inventing transportation toolsDhumans cant move like other animals in any circumstances3.What is the key to the sharks swift locomotion in water?AThe skin.BThe tail.CThe muscle.DThe jaw。4.Accordin