第一章閱讀理解

閱讀理解概述

大學英語四級考試閱讀部分共有四篇短文，考試時間為35分鐘。每篇文章長度在

250~300詞左右，共有20題。考試形式為多項選擇題，要求考生根據文章內容從中選出最

佳答案。閱讀理解占總分的40%,幾乎達到總分的一半。因此，考生對閱理解這一部分應

有足夠的重視。

閱讀理解中的文章所涉及的題材十分廣泛，但大致可分為兩大類。一類是人文社會方面

的，諸如政治、經濟、法律、歷史、地理、文化、教育、人物、家庭、婚姻、倫理、犯罪以

及交通、能源、環境等社會問題。另一類是自然科學方面的，如動植物、生物、醫學、地質、

海洋、天文、空間技術及其它最新科技發展及其成果。就文體而言，包括記敘文、說明文、

議論文等。記敘文記敘過去發生的事件和經歷，包括傳記、游記、報導、回憶錄和故事等。

說明文說明客觀事物和現象的特點和性能。議論文是采用擺事實講道理的方式來論說某一觀

點是否正確，由論點、論據與結論構成。從歷屆四級考題來看，雖然各類題材和文體都有，

但主要還是與科技內容有關的說明文與議論文。

閱讀理解部分主要測試考生以下幾方面的能力：

1.掌握所讀文章的主旨和中心大意；

2.了解說明中心大意的事實和有關細節；

3.根據上下文判斷詞匯和短語的具體含義；

4.既能理解單個句子的意思，又能判斷句與句之間存在的邏輯關系；

5.既能理解字面的意思，也能根據所讀材料進行一定的分析、判斷和推論；

6.領會作者的觀點和態度。

由此可見，要想在閱讀理解這一部分取得較佳成績，考生除了要有一定的詞匯短語及語

法知識作基礎外，還必須具有一定的快速閱讀能力和分析、理解、判斷以及推理的能力。這

些能力是可以通過大量的閱讀實踐和一定的方法指導，逐步得到提高的。

二.閱讀理解題目的類型及解題方法

很多同學在做閱讀理解題時都有這樣的經驗，即使在能讀懂文章的情況下，有時也難免

選錯答案，其中一個重要原因，是沒有把握住閱讀理解題的一些基本特征。四級考試閱讀部

分的題型主要有以下四種類型，各有其出題的目的與解題方法，現分別介紹如下：

1.主旨題

主旨題是閱讀理解中每次必考的問題類型之一，其目的在于考查考生是否能把握所讀文

章的主旨和中心大意。

四級考試中，常見的主旨題有：

*Thebesttitleofthispassageis.

*Themostappropriatetitleforthispassageis.

*Themainpurposeofthepassageis.

*Theauther'spurposeofwritingthispassageisto.

*Themaintheme/topic/pointofthepassageis.

*Themain/central/principle/ideaofthispassageis.

*Thepassageismainlyabout.

*Thepassagecouldbetitled.

*Thepassageillustrates.

*Theauthor'sattitudetoward...is.

*Thetoneofthepassagecanbedescribedas.

*Whatisthemainsubject/topicofthepassage?

*Whatdoesthepassagemainlydiscuss/dealwith?

*Whatisthemainideaexpressedinthispassage?

*Whatistheauthor'smainpoint?

*Whichofthefollowingstatementsbestexpressesthemainideaofthepassage?

*Withwhattopic/subjectisthepassagemainly/primarilyconcerned?

主旨題是有關整篇文章內容的問題，只要抓住了文章的中心思想，就能答好這類問題。

文章的中心思想往往可以通過主題句(TopicSentence)而得以確認。主題句是作者為了簡

明扼要地表達其文章內容而使用的一個句子或者若干個句子,作者用主題句作引導來展開其

論述或對文章進行總結。文章中的其它句子則圍繞著主題句展開，對主題句進行解釋、補充

和說明。主題句一般多出現在文章的開頭部分，但也有出現在文章中段部分或末尾的情況。

有時作者為了強調，甚至句首句末都用了主題句。考生應有較強的主題句意識，閱讀和回答

主旨題時，留心細察，注意可以發現說明中心思想的主題句。

例文：

Howcanyoufindoutwhatisgoingoninsideaperson'sbody?--withoutopeningthepatient

up?RegularX-rayscanshowalot.CATscanscanshowevenmore.Theycangivethree

dimensionalviewofbodyorgans.

WhatisaCATscan?CATstandsforComputerizedAxialTomography(層面X線照相術).

ItisaspecialX-raymachinethatobtainsa360-degreepictureofasmallareaofapatient'sbody.

DoctorsuseX-raystostudyanddiagnosediseasesandinjurieswithinthebody.X-rayscan

locateforeignobjectsinsidethebodyortakepicturesofsomeinternalorgans-ifspecial

substancesaredyedorspecialliquidsareaddedtotheorganstobeX-rayed.

ACATscanner,however,usesabeamofX-raystogiveacross-sectionalviewofaspecific

partofthebody.AfinebeamofX-raysisscannedacrossthebodyandrotatedaroundthepatient

frommanydifferentangles.Acomputeranalyzestheinformationfromeachangleandproducesa

clearcross-sectionalimageonascreen.Thisimageisthenphotographedforlateruse.Several

cross-sections,takenoneafteranother,cangiveclear“photo”oftheentirebodyorofanybody

organs.ThenewestCATsacnnerscanevengiveclearimagesofactive,movingorgansjustasa

fast-actioncameracan“stoptheaction**givingclearimagesofwhatappearsonlymisitlytothe

eye.Andbecauseofthe360-degreepictures,CATscansshow3-dimensionalviewsoforgansina

mannerthatwasonceonlyrevealedduringsurgeryoroutopsy(examiningadeadpatient).

ToomuchexposuretoX-rayscancauseskinburns,cancerorotherdamagetothebody.Yet

CATscansactuallydon'texposethepatienttomoreradiationthanconventionalX-raysdo.CAT

scanscanalsobedonewithoutinjectingdyesintothepatient,sotheyarelessriskythanregular

X-tayprocedures.

CATscansprovideaccurate,detailedinformation.Theycandetectsuchathingbleeding

insidethebrain.Theyarehelpingtosavelives.

Thepassageismainlyabout.

A)howtoavoidexposuretoX-rays

B)thenewestmedicalinvention

C)anewtypeofX-raymachinetosavelives

D）advantagesanddisadvantagesofCATscanners

本文的主題句出現在第二段的第二句"ItisaspecialX-raymachinethatobtainsa

360-degreepictureofasmallareaofapatient5sbody”以及全文的末一句"Theyarehelpingto

savelives,\因此，正確答案應為C）。而A）、B）、D）項均與內容不符。

當然，并非所有的文章都有明確的主題句。在這種情況下，考生應在通讀原文并正確理

解所有細節的基礎上，運用自己的邏輯分析能力、推理和概括的能力，找出文章的中心思想。

上述主旨題中，有一部分是有關作者寫作目的、態度、立場以及文章風格的，這要求考

生在了解文章大意的基礎上，運用各種分析和推理的方法來解答。

2.細節題

細節題在四級統考試題中占有較大的比例，也是難度相對較易的題目。主要測試考生正

確理解字面意義和把握文章細節的能力，同時也需要考生運用綜合和判斷能力。通常是針對

文章中一些具體的信息，如事實、例證、原因、特點、過程、論述等進行提問。常見的提問

形式有：

*Whichofthefollowingstatement/sentenceistrue/NOTtrue?

*WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentioned?

*WhichofthefollowingistrueEXCEPT?

*WhichofthefollowingismentionedEXCEPT?

*WhichofthefollowingisNOTansweredby?

*WhichofthefollowingisNOTconsideredas?

*WhichofthefollowingisNOTincludedinthepassage?

*Whichofthefollowingiscorrectaccordingtothepassage?

*Accordingtothepassage,what/who/when/where/why/how...?

在做此類問題時，考生應首先注意看清題干中是否有“NOT”和“EXCEPT”等詞。經

常有的考生做題心切或細心不夠，沒有看清問題就去做題，只是想當然地把正確的、符合事

實的一項選出，結果當然出錯。

此類題型的四個選擇項所涉及的信息有時集中在一、二個句子里，有時也集中在某一個

段落里，這時候只要返回文章，在文中找到相關的句子，稍作考量和比較，就不難確定正確

選項。但有時候四個選擇項所涉及的信息分散在不同的句子，甚至是不同的段落之中，遇到

這種情況，考生須把四個選項逐一與文中有關信息加以對照，并運用排除法，這樣可節省時

間，增加找出正確答案的機會。

例文：（同上）

WhatisNOTtrueofaCATscanner?

A）Itcanshow3-dimensionalviewsofbodyorgans.

B）Itutilizescomputertechniques.

C）Itmaycauseskinburnsorcancertothepatient'sbody.

D）ItissaferthanregularX-rayprocedures.

A）、B）^D）三項內容在文中都分別談及，A）項可在第四段末句找到：“CATscansshow

3-dimensionalviewsoforgans"0B）項可在第四段第三句找到："Acomputeranalyzesthe

informationfromeachangleandproducesaclearcross-sectionalimageonascreen."D）項可在

第五段末句找到:"CATscanscanalsobedonewithoutinjectingdyesintothepatient,sotheyare

lessriskythanregularX-tayprocedures.wC）項的有關內容可在第五段第一、二句找到，但可

以看到，C）項所談情況不是CATscanner所造成，故答案應選C）。

3.詞匯題

閱讀理解中的詞匯題，主要是為了測試考生考生根據上下文推測詞義的能力。它不同于

詞匯測試部分的詞匯題。后者所考的詞匯，基本上是教學大綱所要求掌握的，而前者所考的

詞匯，常常是超綱詞或熟詞新用。考生要回答的往往不是這個詞的大概意思，也不是它的基

本意思，而是該詞在一定的上下文中特定而確切的含義。閱讀理解中的詞匯題，通常有以下

提問方式：

*Theword"..…”inLine6/inthe5thparagraphprobablymeans.

*Theword"”inthepassagemeans.

*Theword“"roughlyrefersto.

*Theexpression"???..”isclosestto.

*Thewriterusedtheword"…"toindicatethat.

*Theworld"”inthecontextmeans.

*Bysayingthat"..…”theauthormeans.

*Fromthepassageweknowthat”?"isatermreferringto.

*Theword"..…”standsfor.

在做閱讀理解中的詞匯題的時候，考生應注意從上下文中找到推斷詞義的線索，而且也

應該能夠找到。須要注意的倒應該是不要望文生義，而應該根據上下文來確定其具體含義。

例文：(同上)

Thewords“foreignobjecf,inParagraph.3mostprobablymeans.

A)astrangeorganthathasgrowninthebody

B)anewthingthatisunknowntothedoctor

C)aseverelyinjuredpartinsidethebody

D)asubstancethatgetsinsidethebodybychance

根據上下文，我們可以判斷，“foreignobject”應指長在體中的“異物”，對照四個選

項，D)項最接近“異物”的意思。

4.推理題

在閱讀理解的各類題目中，推理性的題目應該說是最困難的一類。考生之所以普遍感到

比較棘手,就在于這類題目的答案無法直接從文章中找到,它要求考生在理解原文的基礎上，

運用自己的思維判斷能力和頭腦中已有的常識，領悟作者的弦外之音，對有關的內容進行符

合邏輯的推理，從而得出作者的真實意圖或觀點。常見的推理型題目主要有：

*Whichofthefollowingcanbe/cannotbeinferredfromthepassage?

*Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat.

*By...theauthorimplies/indicates/suggeststhat.

*Wecanlearnfromthepassagethat.

*Theauthorseemstobeinfavorof/against?

*Itcanbeconcludedthat.

*Thepassageisintendedto.

*Thetoneofthepassage/theauthormaybe.

*Accordingtotheauthor,whatdoesthesentencesuggest?

*Howdoestheauthorfeelabout?

*Intheauthor'sopinion,.

考生在做這類題目時，應當注意，既然是推理題，那這個答案就不應當是原文中直接提

到的內容，而應當是通過表面文字信息推理出來的。如果選項中的問題在文中有直接表述,

那這個選項就一定不是正確答案。做這類題目時，可以利用排除法，將不正確的選項一一排

除，最后得到正確答案。

例文：（同上）

Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat.

A）thepatientcanbeexposedtoaslightamountradiationsafely

B）CATscannerscantakephotosofbodyorgans

C）CATscannersneedcomputerstoanalyzetheinformation

D）CATscannersaremoreexpensivethanregularX-raymachines

B）、C）選項在文中都有直接而明確的描述，不是推論，故應排出在外。D）項意思在文

中雖未提及，但其推論缺乏依據。而A）項意思則可根據第五段內容推論出來，即，人體可

以承受微量的X線輻射而不致使身體受到損害。

做閱讀理解題時，一般來講，要避免這樣一種心態，即，總是想把文章中每一個詞或每

一句話的意義都弄清楚，每一個細節都掌握，否則就心里不踏實，就無法作題。其實并沒有

那個必要。一篇文章二三百字，只有五個問題，不可能覆蓋文中所有細節或每一個句子。只

要抓住文章大意和主要細節，就可以試著做題了。事實上，在做題時，有時候還需回過頭去

看原文，查找所需信息，把問題與原文加以對照比較，才能得出正確答案。因此，考生平時

在做閱讀理解題時，應注意培養自己快速閱讀理解和抓文章大意的能力。

在做閱讀理解題時，是先讀文章后看題呢，還是先看題后讀文章呢？對這個問題，歷來

看法各異，而且，在不同情況下，也確實各有千秋。但總的說來，我們主張考生還是應首先

以較快速度通讀全文，力求對文章大意和主要細節有所了解，然后才做題。在閱讀文章時，

應注意用筆標出文章的主題詞或主題句、邏輯關聯詞、有關時間和地點的詞句、人名、數字

等。在做題的過程中，如有不明確的地方，再回過頭在原文中查找相關信息。這種閱讀方式

和習慣，考生在平時就應當培養，這樣考試時才會感到得心應手一點。

閱讀理解短文（80篇）

Passage1

Researchershaveestablishedthatwhenpeoplearementallyengaged,biochemicalchanges

occurinthebrainthatallowittoactmoreeffectivelyincognitive（認矢口的）areassuchasattention

andmemory.Thisistrueregardlessofage.

Peoplewillbealert（警覺的）andreceptive（接受能力強的）iftheyarefacedwith

informationthatgetsthemtothinkaboutthingstheyareinterestedin.Andsomeonewithahistory

ofdoingmoreratherthanlesswillgointooldagemorecognitivelysoundthansomeonewhohas

nothadanactivemind.

Manyexpertsaresoconvincedofthebenefitsofchallengingthebrainthattheyareputting

thetheorytoworkintheirownlives.<4Theideaisnotnecessarilytolearntomemorizeenormous

amountsofinformation,saysJamesFozard,associatedirectoroftheNationalInstituteonAging.

“Mostofusdon*tneedthatkindofskill.Suchspecifictrainingisoflessinterestthanbeingableto

maintainmentalalertness/*Fozardandotherssaytheychallengetheirbrainswithdifferentmental

skills,bothbecausetheyenjoythemandbecausetheyaresurethattheirrangeofactivitieswill

helpthewaytheirbrainswork.

GeneCohen,actingdirectorofthesameinstitute,suggeststhatpeopleintheiroldageshould

engageinmentalandphysicalactivitiesindividuallyaswellasingroups.Cohensaysthatweare

frequentlyadvisedtokeepphysicallyactiveasweage,butolderpeopleneedtokeepmentally

activeaswell.Thosewhodoaremorelikelytomaintaintheirintellectualabilitiesandtobe

generallyhappierandbetteradjusted."Thepointis,youneedtodoboth,'*Cohensays,

^intellectualactivityactuallyinfluencesbrain-cellhealthandsize.”

1.Peoplewhoarecognitivelyhealthyarethose.

A）whocanrememberlargeamountsofinformation

B）whoarehighlyintelligent

C）whosemindsarealertandreceptive

D）whoaregoodatrecognizingdifferentsounds

2.AccordingtoFozardargument,peoplecanmaketheirbrainsworkmoreefficientlyby

A)constantlydoingmemorywork

B)takingpartinvariousmentalactivities

C)goingthroughspecifictraining

D)makingfrequentadjustments

3.ThefindingsofJamesandotherscientistsintheirwork.

A)remainatheorytobefurtherproved

B)havebeenchallengedbymanyotherexperts

C)havebeengenerallyaccepted

D)arepractisedbytheresearchersthemselves

4.Olderpeoplearegenerallyadvisedto.

A)keepfitbygoinginforphysicalactivities

B)keepmentallyactivebychallengingtheirbrains

C)maintainmentalalertnessthroughspecifictraining

D)maintainabalancebetweenindividualandgroupactivities

5.Whatisthepassagemainlyabout?

A)Howbiochemicalchangesoccurinthehumanbrain.

B)Whypeopleshouldkeepactivenotonlyphysicallybutalsomentally.

C)Howintellectualactivitiesinfluencebrain-cellhealth.

D)Whypeopleshouldreceivespecialmentaltrainingastheyage.

Passage2

Peoplecanbeaddictedtodifferentthings-e.g.,alcohol,drugs,certainfoods,oreven

television.Peoplewhohavesuchanaddiction(癖好;癮)arecompulsive(難以抑制的);i.e.,

theyhaveaverypowerfulpsychologicalneedthattheyfeeltheymustsatisfy.Accordingto

psychologists,manypeoplearecompulsivespenders.Theyfeelthattheymustspendmoney.This

compulsion,likemostothers,isirrational-impossibletoexplainreasonably.Forcompulsive

spenderswhobuyoncredit(賒購)，chargeaccounts(賒購帳戶)areevenmoreexcitingthan

money.Inotherwords,compulsivespendersfeelthatwithcredit,theycandoanything.Their

pleasureinspendingenormousamountsisactuallygreaterthanthepleasurethattheygetfromthe

thingstheybuy.

Thereisevenaspecialpsychologyofbargainhunting.Tosavemoney,ofcourse,most

peoplelookforsales,lowprices,anddiscounts.Compulsivebargainhunters,however,oftenbuy

thingsthattheydon'tneedjustbecausetheyarecheap.Theywanttobelievethattheyarehelping

theirbudgets,buttheyarereallyplayinganexcitinggame.Whentheycanbuysomethingforless

thanotherpeople,theyfeelthattheyarewinning.Mostpeople,expertsclaim,havetworeasons

fortheirbehavior:agoodreasonforthethingsthattheydoandtherealreason.

Itisnotonlyscientists,ofcourse,whounderstandthepsychologyofspendinghabits,but

alsobusinesspeople.Stores,companies,andadvertisersusepsychologytoincreasebusiness:They

considerpeople'sneedsforlove,power,orinfluence,theirbasicvalues,theirbeliefsandopinions,

andsoonintheiradvertisingandsalesmethods.

Psychologistsoftenuseamethodcalled"behaviortherapy(療法)"tohelpindividualssolve

theirpersonalityproblems.Inthesameway,theycanhelppeoplewhofeelthattheyhave

problemswithmoney.

1.Accordingtothepsychologists,acompulsivespenderisonewhospendslargeamountsof

money.

A)andtakesgreatpleasurefromwhatheorshebuys

B)inordertosatisfyhisorherbasicneedsinlife

C)justtomeethisorherstrongpsychologicalneed

D)entirelywithanirrationaleagerness

2.Accordingtothewriter,compulsivebargainhuntersareinconstantsearchofthelowest

possibleprices.

A)becausetheywanttosavemoneytohelptheirbudgets

B)becausetheycanopenlyboastoftheirtriumphoverothersingettingthingsforless

C)andwillnothavemoneyproblemsiftheycankeeptotheirbudgets

D)buttheyseldomadmittheyfeelsatisfiediftheycangetthingsforlessthanothers

3.Whichofthefollowingistrue?

A)Allpeoplespendmoneyforexactlythesamereasonthattheyneedtobuythings.

B)Businesspeopleandadvertiserscanusethepsychologyofmoneytoincreasesales.

C)Businesspeopleunderstandthepsychologyofcompulsivebuyingbetterthanscientists

do.

D)compulsivebargainhuntersdonothaveproblemswithmoney.

4.Thearticleismainlyabout.

A)thepsychologyofmoney-spendinghabits

B)thepurchasinghabitsofcompulsivespenders

C)aspecialpsychologyofbargainhunting

D)theuseofthepsychologyofspendinghabitsinbusiness

5.Fromthepassagewemaysafelyconcludethatcompulsivespendersorcompulsivebargain

hunters.

A)arereallyunreasonable

B)needspecialtreatment

C)arereallybeyondremedies

D)cannevergetanyhelptosolvetheirproblemswithmoney

Passage3

Thereisnodoubtthatacommonlanguageusedthroughouttheworldwoulddomuchto

bringcountriesclosertoeachother.Thoughitisbecomingincreasinglyeasytomovefromplace

toplace,ourinabilitytocommunicatewithoneanothergivesrisetonumerousmisunderstandings

andmakesrealcontactbetweenpeopleofdifferingnationalitiesimpossible.Manyattemptshave

beenmadetoovercomethisproblemandtheyhaveallfailed.Thefearofforeigninfluenceand

dominationrulesouttheuniversalacceptanceofanyoneoftheexistingmajorlanguages.Aware

ofthisdifficulty,manylinguistshaveconstructedartificiallanguageswhichcouldhaveno

possiblepoliticalovertones.Theyhavearguedthatalanguageofthissortwouldperformmuch

thesameserviceasLatindidintheMiddleAges.

Althoughlinguistssucceededinmakingtheirartificiallanguagesextremelysimplesothat

theywouldbeeasytoleam,theireffortsseemeddoomedfromthestart.Thereasonforthisisthat

thereisnorealincentivetolearnanartificiallanguage.Thereisnothingtoguaranteethat

everybodyiswillingtomaketheeffort;thereisnoassurancethatthelearnerwillhaveany

adequatereturnforhistoil.Whenpeopletodayundertaketolearnaforeignlanguage,theyarenot

interestedonlyinspeakingit.Masteryofalanguagemakesavailabletothelearneragreatdealof

worthwhileliteratureandmanycurrentpublications.Thisisthebiggeststumbling-blockofallfor

theartificially-constructedtongue.Havingnoliteratureofitsown,allitcanofferisalimitedof

translations,whicharevaluelessinthemselves.Norcanitacquireanyliterature;foritwouldhave

tobeusedforagreatmanygenerationsbeforethiscouldbecomepossible.Moreover,constantuse

overalongperiodwouldbringintobeingmany'national'dialectsandthelanguagewouldthus

defeatitsownpurpose.

Anotherseriousobjectionisthefactthatalanguageisshapedbyuseandnotbydesign.It

isalivingthingwhichisforevergrowingandchanging.Ittakeshundredsofyearsbeforeitcan

acquirerichnessanddepth.Inanartificiallanguage,however,themeaningsofwordsarerigidly

defined.Inflexibilitymakesforanabsenceofsubtlety,sothatnoreallyfinemeaningcanbe

conveyed.Thoughthisqualitymightbeadmirableforscientificpublications,itgreatlyimpedes

theformationofanysignificantliterature.Latinwasidealinthisrespect,foritwasa'dead'

languagewithaliterature;anartificialoneis'dead'fromthestart.Thismakesitlikelythat

existinglanguagebarrierswillremainwithusforaverylongtime.

1.Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthispassage?

A)LanguageBarriersInCommunication

B)Latin,ADeadButIdealLanguage

C)ArtificialLanguage,ASolutiontoLanguageBarrier

D)ProblemsWithArtificialLanguages

2.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsisnottrue?

A)Althoughitiseasytotravelaroundtheworldnow,realcontactisimpossibleasaresult

ofourinabilitytocommunicate.

B)ToovercomethelanguagebaiTier,peopleallovertheworldwelcomeoneofthemajor

languagestobeuniversal.

C)Peopleareafraidoflosingtheirownlanguagesasaresultofthedominationofmajorforeign

languages.

D)Therearenumerousmisunderstandingsinpeople'scontacts.

3.Theword''doomed*'(Para2,Line2)inthispassagemeans.

A)welcomedB)acclaimed

C)dislikedD)defeated

4.Accordingtothepassage,artificiallanguageshaven'tsucceededinovercominglanguage

barriersmainlybecause.

A)theyaredesignedbutnotshapedinuse.

B)theylackincentivestolearners.

C)theywillbemixedwithnationaldialects.

D)theyhavenoliteratureoftheirown.

5.Accordingtothepassage,theauthor'sattitudetowardsartificiallanguagescanbebest

describedas.

A)optimisticB)sarcastic

C)negativeD)positive

Passage4

In1838thepolicaleconomistMalthouspredictedthatintimemankindwouldfacestarvation,

havingoutgrowntheavailablefoodsupplies.Today,acenturyandahalflater,therearestill

expertswhoforecastthesameglobaldisaster-unlessurgentmeasuresaretakentopreventit.

Bytheendofthepresentcenturytheremaywellbeoverfivethousandmillionpeopleliving

onthisglobe,anincreaseofoverfiftypercentoftoday*5figure.Inordertokeeppacewiththis

increaseinmankindthefarmersoftheworldwouldhavetostepuptheirproductionoffoodbyat

leasttwopercenteveryyear.Sucharateofincreasehasneverbeenmaintainedinanycountryby

conventionalmethodsofagriculture,despitemodernmechanizationandthewidespreaduseof

fertilizer.Therearenolargeworthwhilereservesofpotentialfarmlandremaining,andgoodfertile

landiscontinuallybeingdivertedtoindustrialuse.Moreover,erosionofthesoiltakesaconstant

toll.

Intensiveresearch,carriedoutovermanyyearsinallmannersofclimaticconditions,has

producedarevolutionarymethodofgrowingcropswithoutusinganysoilatall.Hydroponics,as

thistechniqueiscalled,maywellbetheanswertoallourfoodworries.Alreadyithas

accomplishedwondersinproducinghugecrops.Hydroponicswasonceacomplicatiedand

expensivebusiness;nowitiswelloutoftheexperimentalstage.Labourcostsarefarlowerthan

whenmethodsofagricultureareemployed.Infact,itisacompletelyautomaticsystem.Thereis

nohardmanualwork,nodiggingorploughing,andnoweedingtospeakof.Yieldscanbefar

higherthantheyareinsoil.

1.Whichofthefollowingbestsumsupthewholepassage'?

A)Malthus*predictionhasbeenprovedtobecorrectbymodemexperts.

B)Hydroponicsmaybetheanswertotheworldfoodshortageinthefuture.

C)Hydroponicsisanewdevelopmentinagriculture.

D)Conventionalmethodsofagricultureshouldbeimprovedsoastostepupfoodproductionby

twopercenteveryyear.

2.Thephrase"havingoutgrowntheavailablefoodsupplies1'inthefirstparagraphimplies

that.

A)theavailablefoodsupplieswillbeenoughtofeedworldpopulation

B)theearthistooexhaustedtosupportitsincreasingpopulation

C)worldpopulationwillgrowataratefasterthanfoodproduction

D)foodsupplieswillbetoomuchavailableforwouldpopulation.

3Accordingtotheauthor,whatisthemainreasonwhyanincreaseintheproductionoffoodis

notbeachieved?

A)Conventionalmethodsofagriculturearestillprevailingallovertheworld.

B)Modernmechanizationandtheuseoffertilizersarenotwellpopularizedintheworld.

C)Therearenotenoughpotentialfarmalandreservesleft.

D)Landisbeinglostthrougherosionandindustrialization.

4.Whichofthefollwoingstatementsisnottrueofhydroponics?

A)Hydroponicsisconsideredarevolutionarymethodofagriculture.

B)Hydroponicsisstilltoocomplicatedandexpensiveforpracticaluse.

C)Hydroponicshadcreatedwondersinagriculture.

D)Hydroponicshadalreadybeenemployedinfoodproduction.

5.Judgingfromthepassage,themostimportantadvantageofhydroponicsshouldbe

A)higheryieldB)lowerlabourcosts

C)moreautomationD)lesshardmanualwork

Passage5

Inwhatseemsliketheprehistorictimesofcomputerhistory,theearth'spostwarera,there

wasquiteawide-spreadconcernthatcomputerswouldtakeovertheworldfrommanoneday.

Alreadytoday,lessthanfortyyearslater,ascomputersarerelievingusofmoreandmoreofthe

routinetasksinbusinessandinourpersonallives,wearefacedwithalessdramaticbutalsoless

foreseenproblem.Peopletendtobeover-trustingofcomputersandarereluctanttochallengetheir

authority.Indeed,theybehaveasiftheywerehardlyawarethatwrongbuttonsmaybepushed,or

thatacomputermaysimplymalfunction

Obviously,therewouldbenopointininvestinginacomputerifyouhadtocheckallits

answers,butpeopleshouldalsorelyontheirowninternalcomputersandcheckthemachinewhen

theyhavethefeelingthatsomethinghasgonewrong.

Questioningandroutinedouble-checksmustcontinuetobeasmuchapartofgoodbusiness

astheywereinpre-computerdays.Maybeeachcomputershouldcomewiththewarning:forall

thehelpthiscomputermayprovide,itshouldnotbeseenasasubstituteforfundamentalthinking

andreasoningskills.

1.Whatisthemainpurposeofthispassage?

A)Tolookbacktotheearlydaysofcomputers.

B)Toexplainwhattechnicalproblemsmayoccurwithcomputers.

C)Todiscourageunnecessaryinvestmentincomputers.

D)Towarnagainstamentallylazyattitudetowardscomputers.

2.Accordingtothepassage,theinitialconcernaboutcomputerswasthattheymight.

A)changeourpersonallives

B)takecontroloftheworld

C)createunforeseenproblems

D)affectourbusinesses

3.Thepassagerecommendsthosedealingwithcomputersto.

A)bereasonablydoubtfulaboutthem

B)checkalltheiranswers

C)substitutethemforbasicthinking

D)usethemforbusinesspurposesonly

4.Thepassagesuggeststhatthepresent-dayproblemwithregardtocomputersis.

A)challengingB)psychological

C)dramaticD)fundamental

5.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheauthorwoulddisapproveof.

A)investmentincomputers

B)theuseofone'sinternalcomputer

C)double-checkoncomputers

D)completedependenceoncomputersfordecision-making

Passage6

Attentiontodetailissomethingeveryonecanandshoulddo-especiallyinatightjobmarket.

BobCrossley,ahuman-resourcesexpertnoticesthisinthejobapplicationsthatcomecrosshis

deskeveryday."It'samazinghowmanycandidateseliminatethemselves,“hesays.

Resumes(簡歷)arrivewithstains.Somecandidatesdon'tbothertospellthecompany's

namecorrectly.OnceIseeamistake,Ieliminatethecandidate,'1Crossleyconcludes.nIfthey

cannottakecareofthesedetails,w