15篇英语四级选词填空专题题目

Since the nineteenth century, there has been a growing belief that the schools can be used for a wide range of practical purposes, including the solving of social problems that were once considered a more appropriate concern for the family or the church. 47 was first used as a tool for social engineering in 48 to “Americanize”immigrants and to “civilize”Indian children. Since then we have continued to lay new burdens on the 49 . In the sixties, the “war on poverty” placed great emphasis on education, in the belief that the culture of the poor, not their lack of money, was the source of their problem. If drug problem spreads, we 50 start drug-education programs. When the teenage pregnancy rate 51 up, the schools are expected to 52 it through effective sex education. And when young drivers cause too many accidents, we rely on the schools to teach them to drive 53 .

There is little evidence that these and similar programs have had much effect and a good deal of evidence that they have not, but our 54 in education as cure-all(万能药) persists anyway. Other societies, of course, have used the schools to 55 attitudes and behavior, but they have done so together with sweeping changes in other social institutions at the same time. The faith that the schools alone can bring about social change is distinctively American and there seems to be very 56 proof for this faith.

PASSAGE 2

Over 32 billion has been paid out to winners since the first UK national lottery draw in 1994. With such huge sums of money at stake it is perhaps no surprise that something like 70 percent of UK adults play the lottery on a 47 basis. They can even choose to play daily as the company which runs the UK National Lottery,

Camelot, operates multiple games. Of course, there is a more serious side to the lottery. The UK government collects around 12 percent tax on lottery revenues and ensures a further slice of the money goes to good 48 . These include 49 in health, education, the environment, the arts, sport and national heritage.

With all these positive 50 for lottery revenue, it might be hard to imagine a downside to the lottery. But there are some very vocal 51 to the national game. Some feel that any form of gambling is wrong whilst others choose to 52 the way the lottery revenue is spent.

Another area of 53 is over the level of support and advice given to new lottery winners. Just how are people meant to 54 the huge sums of money that the lottery jackpots now offer? Well, with over 2,100 newly-created millionaires, some manage better than others. For every story of successful investment and charitable giving there is more 55 story of careless spending. We shouldn’t forget the story of John McGuinness, who invested a large part of his? 10 million win in a newly formed football team and who is now facing bankruptcy and financial 56 .

PASSAGE 3

There are two factors which 47 an individual’s intelligence. The first is the sort of brain he is born with. Human brains differ 48 , some being more capable than others. But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with, an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has 49 to learn. So the second factor is what happens to individual---the sort of environment in which he is brought up. If an individual is handicapped (不利) environmentally, it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is 50 .

The importance of environment in determining an individual’s intelligence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins, Peter and Mark. Being 51 , the twins had identical brains at birth, and their growth 52 were the same. When the twins were three months old, their parents died, and they were places in separate foster (抚养) homes. Peter was 53 by parents of low intelligence in an 54 community with poor educational opportunities. Mark was reared in the home of well-to-do parents who had been to college. He was read as a child, sent to good schools, and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually. This environmental 55 continued until the twins were in their late teens, when they were given tests to measure their intelligence. Mark’s I.Q. was 125, twenty-five points higher than the 56 and fully forty points higher than his identical brother. Given

equal opportunities, the twins, having identical brains, would have tested at roughly the same level.

The ability to laugh at your own weaknesses and blunders(失误) has long been recognized as a sign of maturity. And yet this one of the most difficult 47 of your sense of humor to develop.

Oscar Wilde once offered a 48 insight about the way we live our lives when he said that “Life is too important to be taken 49 .” I don’t think he meant you don’t have to take your responsibilities, promises, work, etc. He didn’t mean that it’s OK to live life with no 50 . I think he meant that the quality of our life suffers when we 51 everything in a serious manner. We are no longer vivid, cheerful and spontaneous as when we were kids when we take everything so seriously.

I think the key here is to take your work and your duties seriously, but take yourself 52 in the process. Otherwise, you will lose many 53 that a cheerful attitude and humor can offer.

There’s a liberating quality that most people 54 when they get to the point that they can laugh at themselves. We get to caught up in our anxieties, embarrassments, frustrations and upsets that we carry them around with us throughout the day. But when we find a way to laugh at them, they lost their emotional grip on us and 55 into the background. We feel at peace with the incident, even though it was very 56 at the moment.

PASSAGE 5

Climate, more than any other single factor, determines the distribution of life on the Earth. Climatic boundaries establish the limits within which 47 can survive. Plants, even more than animals, must be well adapted to climate in order to 48 . They cannot move about or take shelter but must be equipped to endure whatever weather 49 are likely to occur. In harsh conditions, for example, low growing plants and a few flowering 50 all hug the ground for shelter from icy winds.

Animals, despite their ability to move about and find shelter, are just as much influenced by 51 as plants are. Creatures such as the camel and the penguin are so 52 specialized that they have an 53 limited distribution. Others, such as bears, are flexible enough to adapt to a broad range of climates. Organisms in ocean are just as 54 to climatic changes as land animals. Reef corals (礁珊瑚) can survive only in clear warm seawater. Certain sea plants are so sensitive to changes in their environment that their presence can be taken as an index of sea temperature. Human beings are among the least 55 of all animals and can live almost anywhere. Their clothes and their homes act as a sort of “ miniature climate” that can be 56 with them everywhere.

PASSAGE 6

Years ago, doctors often said that pain was a normal part of life. In particular, when older patients 47 of pain, they were told it was a natural part of aging and they would have to learn to live with it.

Times have changed. Today, we take pain 48 . Indeed, pain is now considered the fifth vital sign, as important as blood pressure, temperature, breathing rate and pulse in 49 a person’s well-being. We know that chronic(慢性的) pain can disrupt(扰乱) a person’s life, causing problems that 50 from missed work to depression.

That’s why a growing number of hospitals now depend upon physicians who 51 in pain medicine. Not only do we evaluate the cause of the pain, which can help us treat the pain better, but we also help provide comprehensive therapy for depression and other psychological and social 52 related to chronic pain. Such comprehensive therapy often 53 the work of social workers, psychiatrists (心理医生) and psychologists, as well as specialists in pain medicine.

This modern 54 for pain management has led to a wealth of innovative treatments which are more effective and with fewer side effects than ever before. Decades ago, there were only a 55 number of drugs available, and many of them caused 56 side effects in older people, including dizziness and fatigue. This created a double-edged sword: the medications helped relieve the pain but caused other problems that could be worse than the pain itself.

PASSAGE 7

Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times, but I could hardly 47 to know my way around the continent. Moreover, my knowledge of foreign languages was 48 to little college French.

I hesitated. How would I, unable to speak the language, 49 unfamiliar with local geography or transportation systems, set up 50 and do research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable 51 I sat down to write a letter begging off. Halfway through, a thought ran through my mind: you can’t learn if you don’t try. So I accepted the assignment.

There were some bad 52 .But by the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. And ever since, I have never hesitated to head for even the most remote of places, without guides or even 53 bookings, confident that somehow I will manage.

The point is that the new, the different, is almost by definition 54 . But each time you try something you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you.

I’ve learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a 55 . And I know I’ll go on doing such things. It’s not because I’m braver or more daring than others. I’m not. But I’ll accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can 56 wonders.

PASSAGE 8

A friend of mine once asked me a question: “Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?”Her question was a good one. It 47 me of something I was taught as a youngster-life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s 48 true. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others, thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be. It’s not and it won’t.

One of the nice things about 49 to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by 50 us to do the very best we can with what we have. We know it’s not “life’s job” to make everything perfect; it’s our own 51 .

The fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because everyone has 52 strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions, and everyone has those times that they feel they are 53 of life or unfairly treated.

The fact that life isn ’t fair doesn ’

t mean we shouldn ’t do everything in our power to 54 our own lives or the world as a whole. On the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we do recognize that life isn ’t fair, however, we feel 55 for others and for ourselves. And it is a heartfelt 56 that delivers loving kindness to everyone it touches.

When you have to meet someone from a different culture, be prepared. If you understand cultural differences, you ’ll be a better communicator---even before you open your mouth!

In many Western cultures, men stand up before they are 47 to someone important. Standing up shows politeness and 48 . After that, someone will usually offer to shake hands. But in the East, 49 introductions often begin and end with bowing rather than shaking hands.

Now, let ’s look at the simple introduction of shaking hands. Americans like a 50 handshake. But the French 51 a light, short handshake. If you shake a Frenchmen ’s hand the American way, he may think you ’re uncultured.

People in Eastern European countries and some Latino cultures prefer shorter handshakes, too. Hugging after shaking hands is also a common introduction. Don ’t be scared or 52 if you meet someone in Brazil and he gives you a hug. If you 53 this gesture, you friendship may not start well!

The 54 customs for eye contact vary between cultures, too. Westerners appreciate regular eye contact during conversations. Refusing to look a Westerner in the eye may be understood as lack of trust, or maybe 55 . But in some African countries, too much eye contact can offend or sometimes have romantic meanings. Some people in Middle Eastern countries may appear to have their eyes half-closed while talking to you. Although it might seem like they ’re tired or bored, such behavior is normal and should not be taken 56 .

PASSAGE 10

It is difficult to imagine what life would be like without memory. The meanings of thousands of everyday 47 , the bases for the decisions we make, and the roots of our habits and skills are to be found in our past experiences, which are brought into the 48 by memory.

Memory can be defined as the capacity to keep information available for later use. It includes not only “remembering” things like arithmetic or historical facts, but also involves any change in the way an animal 49 behaves. Memory is involved when a rat gives up eating grain because he has sniffed something 50 in the grain pile. Memory is also involved when a six-year-old child learns to 51 a baseball bat.

Memory exists not only in humans and animals but also in some physical 52 and machines. Computers, for example, contain 53 for storing data for later use. It is interesting to compare the memory-storage 54 of a computer may hold up to 100,000 “words”ready for instant use. An average U. S. teenager probably recognizes the meaning of about 100, 000 words of English. However, this is but a 55 of the total amount of information which the teenager has stored. Consider, for example, the number of faces and places that the teenager can recognize on 56 .

PASSAGE 11

If an animal is moved form its home in the tropics to a cold climate, it will die if it is not kept warm. And animals 47 to cold climates will die if they are moved to the tropics. Many plants, too, will die if they are removed from the place where they normally grow and are transplanted into an 48 soil. Almost every species is adapted to life in a particular place by its organs and their functions and by permanent habits. The specialized adaptation has great advantages, for it 49 many organisms to survive under different conditions. It also has disadvantages, for it means that the life of most species is controlled by 50 conditions.

Living things are not scattered over the earth 51 ; most species have definite habits for living places. Ecology is the study of how organisms live in their environment. This means finding out how an organism 52 and reproduces in certain surroundings. By environment we mean not only the soil and the climate but

the living things of the same species and other species, plant or animal. Most living things are 53 to their environment. Some can alter certain features of their environment to 54 themselves; a beaver, for example, can make ponds by building dams; many birds and insects can build 55 nests to provide shelter for their young. But these skills are restricted and highly specialized. Most organisms must adapt their bodies to fitting in with their places where they can live 56

with the least effort.

PASSAGE 12

Most people think of sharks as huge, powerful, frightening predators, ready at any moment to use their sharp teeth to attack swimmers. There are a lot of wrong ideas about sharks.

First , there are about 350 47 of shark, and not all of them are large. They range in 48 from the dwarf shark, which can be only six inches long and cen be held in the hand, to the whale shark, which can be more than 5 feet long.

The second 49 of shark concerns its terrible teeth whose number and type can vary greatly among the different species of shark. A shark can have from one to seven 50 of teeth at the same time, and some types of shark can have several hundred teeth in each jaw. It is true that the cruel and predatory species do have

51 sharp teeth used to 52 and cut their victim apart, many other types of shark, however, have teeth more 53 to holding than to cutting.

Finally, not all sharks are predatory annimals ready to 54 out at humans. In fact, only 12 of the 350 species of shark have been known to attack human, and a shark seldom 55 humans unless is made angry. The types of shark that have the worst record with humans are the tiger shark, the bull shark, and the great white shark. However, for most species of shark, even some of the largest types, there are no 56 instances of attacks on humans.

PASSAGE 13

The old fashioned general store is fast disappearing. This is, perhaps, a pity, because shopping today seems to lack that personal element which existed when the shopkeeper knew all his 47 customers personally. He could, for instance, remember which 48 of tea Mrs. Smith usually bought or what sort of washing powder Mrs. Jones 49 .

A prosperous general store might have employed four or five assistants, and so there were very few problems in management as far as the 50 was concerned. But now that the supermarket has 51 the general store, the job of the manager has changed completely. The modern supermarket manager has to cope with personnel of as many as a hundred, apart from all the other everyday problems of running a large business.

Every morning the manager must, like the commander of an army division, carry out an 52 of his store to make sure that everything is ready for the business of the day. He must see that everything is running 53 . He will have to give advice and make decisions as problems 54 ; and he must know how to get his huge personnel to work efficiently with their 55 responsibilities. No matter what he has to do throughout the day, however, the supermarket manager must be ready for any 56 that may happen. They say in the trade that you are not really an experienced supermarket manager until you have dealt with a flood, a fire, a birth and a death in you store.

PASSAGE 14

There are over 4 billion people in the word, and they display a wide variety of skin colors, hair colors, limb-to-trunk ratios, and other characteristics, such as distinctive nose, lip, and eyelid forms. These physical 47 have resulted from the adaptations that human groups have made to the environments in which they lived. For example, populations in tropical and subtropical areas tend to have dark skin, which 48 them against 49 rays from the sun. Populations in high altitudes tend to have large lung capacity, which 50 breathing easier for them. Populations in very cold 51 tend to have relatively short limbs, which 52 them to conserve body heat.

Confronted with this vast range of 53 types, scientists have tried for decades to create some kind of conceptual order by dividing the human species into races and subraces. The classification that has won broadest acceptance in the past 54 the human species into three major categories: the Caucasoids (高加索人)，with fair skin

and straight or wavy hair; the Mongoloids (蒙古人)，with yellowish skin and a distinctive fold around the eyes; and the Negroids(黑人)，with dark skin and woolly hair. However, there are many people who cannot be neatly fitted into this classification. The Indians of Asia have Caucasoid features but dark skin. The native people of Australia have dark skin, but their wavy hair Is often blond. There are also many millions of people whose ancestry(祖先) is so mixed that they cannot 55

be fitted into one of the main 56 .

PASSAGE 15

Flying over a desert area in an airplane, two scientists looked down with 47 eyes at trees and bushes. After an hour’s 48 one of the scientists wrote in his book, “ Look here for 49 metal.” Scientists in another airplane, flying over a mountain region, sent a 50 to other scientists on the ground, “ Gold possible”. Walking across hilly ground, four scientists reported, “This ground should be searched for metals.” From an airplane over a hilly wasteland a scientist sent back by radio one word, “Uranium.”

None of the scientists had X-ray eyes; they had no 51 power for looking down below the earth’s surface. They were merely putting to use one of the newest methods of 52 minerals in the ground----using trees and plants as 53 that certain minerals may lie beneath the ground on which the trees and plants are growing. This newest method of searching for minerals in 54 on the fact that minerals deep in the earth may 55 the kind of bushes and trees that grow on the surface.

At Watson Bar Greek, a brook six thousand feet high in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, a mineral search group gathered bags of tree seeds. Boxes were filled with small branches from the trees. Roots were dug and put into boxes. Each bag and box was 56 marked. In a scientific laboratory the parts of the forest trees were burned to ashes and tested. Each small part was examined to learn whether there were minerals in it.