2008年12月英语四级阅读理解真题与答案详解

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

Section A

Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

A bookless life is an incomplete life. Books influence the depth and breadth of life. They meet the natural 47______ for freedom, for expression, for creativity and beauty of life. Learners, therefore, must have books, and the right type of book, for the satisfaction of their need. Readers turn 48______ to books because their curiosity concerning all manners of things, their eagerness to share in the experiences of others and their need to 49______ from their own limited environment lead them to find in books food for the the mind and spirit. Through their reading they find a deeper significance to life as books acquaint them with life in the world as it was and it is now. They are presented with a 50______of human experiences and come to 51______ other ways of thought and living. And while 52______ their own relationships and responses to readers often find that the 53______ in their stories are going through similar adjustments, which help to clarify and give significance to their own.

Books provide 54______ material for readers' imagination to grow. Imagination is a valuable quality and a motivating power, and stimulates achievement. While enriching their imagination, books 55______ their outlook, develop a fact-finding attitude and train them to use leisure

56______. The social and educational significance of the readers' books cannot be overestimated in an academic library.

Section B

Passage one

Question 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

If you’re a male and you’re reading this , congratulations : you’re a survivor. According to statistics, you’re more than twice as likely to d ie of skin cancer than a woman ,and nine times more likely to die of AIDS . Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78years for men in Australia , you’ll die on average five years before a woman.

There’re many reasons for this ---typically , men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke—but perhaps more importantly , men don’t go to the doctor.

“men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should ,” says Dr.Gullotta . “this is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike .”

Gullotta say a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two . For those over 45,it should be at least once a year .

Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his s moker’s cough for a year .

“when I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer ,” he says. “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him but it would have prolonged his life .”

According to a recent survey ,95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor

once a year , compared to 70% of men in the same age group.

“A lot of men think they’re invincible (不可战胜的),” Gullatta says . “they only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and t hey think ,’Geez,if it could happen to

him ,……’ ”

Then there’s the ostrich approach .”Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know ,” says Dr.Ross Cartmill.

“most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies ,” Garmill says .He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.

Regular check-us for men would inevitably lace strain on the public purse , Cartmill says . “but prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the disease . Besides , the ultimate cost is far greater :it’s called premature death .”

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答

57．Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage ?

A)They are more likely to survive serious diseases today

B）Their average life span has been considerably extended

C)They have lived long enough to read this article

D)They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life

58.What does the author state is the most important reason men die five years earlier on average than women ?

A)men drink and smoke much more than women

B)men don’t seek medical care as often as women

C)men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger

D)men are more likely to suffer from fatal disease

59.Which of the following best completes the sentence “Geez ,if it could happen to him, ...”(line 2, para.8)

A)it could happen to me ,too

B）I should avoid playing golf

C)I should consider myself lucky

D)it would be a big misfortune

60. what does Dr.Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach “(Line 1 ,Para 9)

A)A cause attitude towards one’s health conditions

B)A new therapy for certain psychological problems

C)Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved

D)Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear

61.What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men ?

A)They may increase public expense

B)They will save money in the long run

C)They may cause psychological strain s on men

D)They will enable men to live as long as women

Passage two

Question 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

High-quality customer service is preached by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done.

Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store ,but instead will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers and anyone who will listen.

Store managers are often the last to hear complaints,and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to study jointly conducted by

V erde Group and Wharton School.

“storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers” said Paula Courtney, President of the V erde Group. “The store losers the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement”

On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.

According to the research, shopper who purchased clothing encountered the most problem Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.

The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered shelves over loaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.

During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting (业余兼职的) local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly , and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.

Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers , and having sales representatives on hand to answer question .

Most importantly , salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers .

“Retailers who’er responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly , “ said professor Stephen Hoch .” Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the s tore entrance would help .“

Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer , instead of complaining to the rest of the world . Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they hace no idea what is wrong.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

62. Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?

A)Most customers won’t bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.

B)Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them.

C)Few customers believe the service will be improved

D) customers have no easy access to store managers

63.what does Paula Courtney imply by saying”... the shopper must also find a replacement”(Line 2,Pra.4)

A)New customers are bound to replace old ones

B)It is not likely the shopper can find the same products on oter stores.

C)Most stores provide the same kind of service

D) Not complaining to the manager cause the shopper some trouble too.

64. Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shopper___.

A)can stay longer browsing in the store

B)won’t have trouble parking their cars

C) won’t have any worries about security

D) can find their cars easily after shopping

65.What contributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?

A)Manners of the salespeople

B)Hiring of efficient employees

C)Huge supply of goods for sale

D)Design of store layout

66.To achieve better shopping experiences , customers are advised to___

A)exert pressure on store to improve their service

B)settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic way

C)voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly

D)shop around and make comparisons between stores

答案：

47．F 本空应该填入名词。根据后一句“因此，学习者必须拥有书本，而且应该是恰当的书本，以满足他们的需要”可以判断，本句应该是“人们对书本有天然的需要”，故填入[F]desire。

48．K 空格前为动词turn，空格后为介词to，turn to是固定搭配，所以中间分隔的单词应该是副词。选项中有三个副词，根据意思应填入[K]naturally，意思为“读者自然会转向书本”。49．H 根据空格前后的介词判断应该填入动词构成不定式。结合下文意思，应填入[H]escape，escape from是固定搭配，意为“逃离”。整句话的意思为“他们与他人分享经验的渴望，以及他们逃离自身有限环境的需要，指引他们到书本中寻找思想和灵魂的食粮”。50．G 空格前为不定冠词a，应填入名词。空格后有连词and，表示并列关系，因此要填入的名词的意思应根据and后的表达来判断。and后有other ways(其他形式)，故空格处应填入[G]diversity(多样化)。

51．N 空格处应填入动词构成不定式，并和后面的宾语构成搭配。动词中只有[N]respect(尊敬)符合句意。本句的意思为“他们会看到人类经验的多样性，并开始尊重其他思维方式和生活方式”。

52．I 本题考查非谓语动词。由于主句成分完整，所以空格应该填入非谓语动词，并与空格后的名词词组构成动宾结构。选项中有两个-ing形式的非谓语动词，从意思上判断应该填入[I]establishing(建立)，指“在建立他们自己和生活的关系以及对生活的回应时”。

53．B 本空应填入从句的主语，故应选择名词。根据空格后的stories判断填入的名词应该与故事有关联，所以应填入[B]character(角色)。本句的意思为“读者往往发现故事中的角色会经历相似的调整，有助于他们理清和寻求自身的意义”。

54．A本空应填入形容词，修饰material。正确答案为[A]abundant(充足的)。本句的意思为“书本提供充足的材料让读者展开想象”。

55．O 本空应填入动词。根据下文的宾语outlook(视野)，应填入[O]widen(拓宽)。

56．M 空格前为名词leisure(空闲时间)，该句结构完整，因此应填入副词。根据句意，应填入[M]properly (恰当地)。整句话的意思为“当他们有了丰富的想象力的时候，书本会拓宽他们的视野，培养一种寻找事实的态度，并训练他们恰当地利用空闲时间”。

Section B

Passage One

57．A推理题。定位到文章第一段，文章第一段讲述了男性往往比女性更容易患病早亡，并列举了一些数据。因此如果男性读者能够读到第一段，便是有幸躲过严重疾病的人。对应的正确答案为[A]，即因为他们现在更有可能在经历了严重的疾病之后活下来。[B]和[D]选项错误在于文章并没有提及寿命的延长；[C]为强干扰性选项，错在仅重复了文章首句的字面意思，而没有深入理解作者的意图。

58．B 细节题。定位到文章第二段最后一句话。原文中的more importantly对应题干中的most important reason。本题考查的是对比关系，答案选[B]“男人不像女人一样频繁地求助于医疗”。文章第二段提到men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke，但是注意本题问的是the most important reason，由破折号及其后的but perhaps more importantly，可以轻松排除[A]和[C]；而选项[D]的内容在原文中与题干内容是并列关系，而非因果关系。

59．A推理题。本题考查对句子隐含意思的理解。根据原文的意思，可以判断本句是条件关系，因此可以判断“如果会在他身上发生”，后面省略的应该是“也会在我身上发生”，故[A]选项为正确答案。该题属于四级阅读中并不多见的把句子补充完整的考法，其实质是考查考生对句子意思的推断性理解。

60．D 语义题。根据题干信息定位到原文第九段。语义题的做法是根据相邻的句子判断所考查单词、词组或句子的意思。ostrich approach后面的句子对这个词组进行了解释，[D]选项与其构成同义替换，即原文中的scared of对应选项中的fear，would rather not know对应unwillingness to find out(不愿意发现)，所以选[D]。

61．B 细节题。对应文章最后一段。[B]选项与原文最后一段中Cart mill的话构成了同义替换，即save money对应cheaper。[A]选项与原文意思相反；[C]选项中psychological(心理的)一词原文并未提及；[D]选项根据原文意思无法推出。该题考查的是转折关系，四级考查转折关系时，答案往往出现在转折词之后。

Passage Two

62．B 细节题。本题考查因果关系。根据题干信息定位到文章第三段，而答案出现在文章第二段，原文的二、三段构成了一组因果关系。正确答案为[B]“人们宁愿向身边的人提及他们的不愉快经历”，其中，“身边的人”对应原文中的“朋友、亲戚、同事和陌生人”。[A]选项意思与原文相反；[C]和[D]选项均为原文没有提及的信息。

63．D 推理题。题干明确指出了本题的定位点在第四段第二行。原句意思为“顾客也必须去寻找相应的替代”。前半句说“商店失去了顾客”，所以前后分句分别从商店和顾客的角度指出了不投诉的后果。题目的难点在于对replacement指代内容的理解。[A]选项的错误在于认为replacement所指的内容是顾客，原文中顾客是施动者，即顾客去寻找替代，而[A]选项中顾客变成了受动者，即被替代的对象，因此指代错误。[B]和[C]选项错在原文只谈及了顾客要找相应的替代，但是并没有指出究竟是否能找到，所以[B]和[C]无法从原文推出。64．B 细节题。定位到文章第八段第一句话：…some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants”，因此答案为[B]选项“不再有停车的麻烦”。本题只要定位准确，[A]、[C]、[D]选项可以直接排除。

65．A细节题。题干中有最高级most，对应原文倒数第三段的more importantly。原文的信息为diplomatic(世故的，练达的)和polite(礼貌的)，[A]选项中的manners正好归纳了这两个单词，所以答案选[A]。本题与64题考查的都是定位能力。

66．C 细节题。定位到文章最后一段，题干信息better shopping experience与原文中的improved shopping experience对应。答案为[C]选项“直接向商店经理提出不满”，对应原文中的filing complaint to the retailer。[A]选项中的exert pressure(施加压力)原文中无对应信息；[B]选项对应倒数第三段，为非定位点信息；[D]选项原文并未提及。