TEM4阅读专项(寒假作业)

TEM4专四阅读理解专项练习A Wise ManHe was a funny looking man with a cheerful face and a good-natured talker. He was described by his student, the great philosopher Plato, as "the best and most just and wisest man." Yet, this same man was condemned to death for his beliefs.The man was the Greek philosopher, Socrates, and he was condemned for not believing in the recognized god and for corrupting young people. The second charge stemmed from his association with numerous young men who came to Athens from all over the civilized world to study under him.Socrates' method of teaching was ask question and, by pretending not to know the answers, to press his students into thinking for themselves. His teachings had influence, Socrates himself never wrote a word.Socrates encouraged new ideas and free thinking in the young, and this was frightening to the conservative people. They wanted him silenced. Yet, many were probably surprised that he accepted death so readily.Socrates had the right to ask for a lesser penalty, and he probably could have won over enough of the people who had previously condemned him. But Socrates, as a firm believer in law, reasoned that it was proper to submit to the death sentence. So, he calmly accepted his fate and drank a cup of poison hemlock in the presence of his grief-stricken friends and students.In the first paragraph, the word yet is used to introduce _____.A. contrastB. a sequence.C. emphasis.D. an example.Socrates was condemned to death because he _____.A. firmly believed in law.B. was a philosopher.C. published outspoken articles.D. advocated original opinions.By mentioning that Socrates himself never wrote anything, the writer implies that _____.A. it was surprising that Socrates was so famous.B. Socrates was not so learned as he is reputed to have been.C. Socrates used the work of his students in teaching.D. that authorities refused to publish Socrates' works.Socrates accepted the death penalty to show _____.A. his belief in his students.B. his contempt for conservatives.C. his recognition of the legal system.D. that he was not afraid of death.①was condemned to death: 被判为死刑②stem from: 产生于;源自于③penalty n. 刑法,处罚④hemlock n. 芹叶钩吻,一种伞状类毒草植物⑤grief-stricken adj. 万分悲痛的----------------------------------------------第２篇及上期題解In England, along a stretch of the northeast coast which gently curves from Northumberland to the estuary of the river Tees, there was a spot, typical of many on that coast, where sea-coal collected richly and effortlessly. This coal was a coarse powder, clean and brilliant. It seemed to bear little resemblance to the large, filthy lumps put on the fire. Although it was coal, it was perfectly clean and it was silently deposited at high tide in a glittering carpet a kilometer long for the local community to gather up.The gear needed for sea-coaling expeditions was a curious and traditionally proven assortment which never varied from community to community along the entire northeast coastline. Sacks were essential to put the coal in, and string to tie the neck of each sack when it was full. A wooden rake was used to scrape the coal from the beach. The only alternative to the rake was a flat piece of board held in the hand. A flat, broad shovel to lift the raked coal into the bag, completed the portable hardware.But the most crucial item of equipment was a bicycle, a special kind of rusty, stripped-down model which was the symbol of the sea-coaling craft. A lady's bike was no good because it lacked a crossbar, and that was an essential element in transporting sea-coal. One full sack could be slung through the triangular frame of a man's bike, another over the crossbar and, sometimes even a third on top of that. The beauty of this was that it not only enabled one to move the sea-coal from place to place, but the pressure of the metal bar against the full, wet sacks forced excess water out of the coal while it was being wheeled home. On a good day, the path to the beach was generally a double snailtrack of water that had been forced from each end of a trail of coal sacks.The difference between the two types of coal was that _____.A) sea coal burnt better B) sea coal was cheaperC) sea coal was more finely-grained D) sea coal came in big pieceCertain equipment was used because _____.A) the people were very traditional B) it could be made by the communities themselvesC) it had proved to be practical D) the communities had curious habitsWhich piece of equipment was not vital to sea-coal collecting?A) A rake. B) A sack. C) A lady's bike. D) A piece of string.By using the bicycle _____.A) the collectors could ride home B) the coal could be moved easily over the sandC) the collectors could sell more coal D) excess liquid could be removed上期正確答案是ＡＤＤＣ需要提到的是第三題:文章第三段最後一句表明蘇格拉底是那麽的著名,那麽有影響力,但從未寫過書.這並不是因爲他沒有學識,或借用學生的作品,也不表示作者對此表示驚訝.那麽,必然是當局對他不滿,因而禁止他出版自己的作品. ----------------------------------------------第３篇及上期題解Greeks, others of the Eastern Mediterranean, and many of those from South America normally stand quite close together when they talk, often moving their faces even closer as they warm up in a conversation.North Americans find this awkward and often back away a few inches. Studies have found that they tend to feel most comfortable at about 21 inches apart. In much of Asia and Africa there is even more space between two speakers in conversation. This greater space subtly lends an air of dignity and respect.This difference applies also to the closeness with which people sit together, the extent to which they lean over one another in conversation, how they move as they argue or make emphatic point. In the United States, for example, people try to keep their bodies apart even in a crowded elevator; in Paris they take it as it comes!Although North Americans have a relatively wide "comfort zone" for talking, they communicate a great deal with their hands - not only with gesture but also with touch. They put a sympathetic hand on a person's shoulder to demonstrate warmth of feeling or an arm around him in sympathy; they nudge a man in the ribs to emphasize a funny story; they pat anarm in reassurance or stroke a child's head in affection; they readily take someone's arm to help him across a street or direct him along an unfamiliar route. To many people - especially those from Asia or the Moslem countries - such bodily contact is unwelcome, especially if inadvertently done with the left hand. (The left hand carries no special significance in the U.S. Many Americans are simply left-handed and use that hand more.)In terms of bodily distance, North Americans _____.A) are similar to South Americans B) stand farthest apartC) feel ill at ease when too close D) move nearer during conversationsFor Asians, the comfort zone _____.A) is deliberately determined B) measures 21 inchesC) varies according to status D) implies esteemThe passage mainly concerns _____.A) distance and bodily contact B) body languageC) East and West cultural differences D) hand signals上期正確答案是: ＣＣＣＤ----------------------------------------------第４篇及上期題解Do Insects Think?In a recent book entitled The Psychic Life of Insects, Professor Bouvier says that we must be careful not to credit the little winged fellow with intelligence when they behave in what seems like an intelligent manner. They may be only reacting. I would like to confront the Professor with an instance of reasoning power on the part of an insect which cannot be explained away in any other manner.During the summer of 1899, while I was at work on my doctoral thesis, we kept a female wasp at our cottage. It was more like a child of our own than a wasp, except that it looked more like a wasp than a child of our own. That was one of the ways we told the difference.It was still a young wasp when we got it (thirteen or fifteen years old) and for some time we could not get it to eat or drink, it was so shy. Since it is female we decided to call it Miriam, but soon the children's nickname for it―Pudge―became a fi xture, and “Pudge” it was from that time on.One evening I had been working late in my laboratory fooling around with some gin and other chemicals, and in leaving the room I tripped over a nine of diamonds which someone had left lying on the floor and knocked over my card index which contained the names and addresses of all the larvae worth knowing in North America. The cards went everywhere.I was too tired to stop to pick them up that night, and went sobbing to bed, just as mad as I could be. As I went, however, I noticed the wasp was flying about in circles over the scattered cards. “Maybe Pudge will pick them up”, I said half laughingly to myself, never thinking for one moment that such would be the case.When I came down the next morning Pudge was still asleep over in her box, evidently tired out. And well she might have been. For there on the floor lay the cards scattered all about just as I had left them the night before. The faithful little insect had buzzed about all night trying to come to some decision about picking them up and arranging them in the boxes for me, and then had figured out for herself that, as she knew practically nothing of larvae of any sort except wasp larvae, shewould probably make more of a mess of rearranging them than if she had left them on the floor for me to fix. It was just too much for her to tackle, and, discouraged, she went over and lay down in her box, where she cried herself to sleep.If this is not an answer to Professor Bouvier's statement that insects have no reasoning power, I do not know what is.Professor Bouvier believes that insects _____.A) do not have intelligence B) behave in an intelligent awayC) are capable of reasoning D) are more intelligent than we thoughtOn the evening the author fell over, someone _____.A) had moved his card index B) had been playing card gamesC) had knocked over his boxes containing cards D) had looked at his collection of diamondsWhen he came to the laboratory the next morning, the author _____.A) saw that his cards had already been rearranged B) realized that the wasp had been trying to helpC) found evidence of the wasp's intelligence D) found his index cards still scattered about the roomThe author's account of his wasp's intelligence _____.A) in imaginary B) is convincing C) firmly proves his point of view D) is valuable for insect study上期正確答案是: ＣＤＡ----------------------------------------------第５篇及上期題解If you are buying a property in France, whether for a permanent or a holiday home, it is important to open a French bank account. Although it is possible to exist on traveller’s cheques, Eurocheques and credit cards issued by British banks, the fees for these services can be expensive.The simplest way to pay regular bills, such as electricity, gas or telephone, particularly when you are not in residence, is by direct debit (a sum with drawn from an account) from your French account.To open a current account, you will need to show your passport and birth certificate and to provide your address in the United Kingdom. You will be issued with a cheque book within weeks of opening the account. In France it is illegal to be overdrawn. All accounts must be operated in credit. However, there are no bank charges.Note that cheques take longer to clear in France than in Brain, and can only be stopped if stolen or lost.The easiest way to transfer money from a British bank account to a French one is by bank transfer: simply provide your British bank with the name, address and number of your French bank account. The procedure takes about a week and costs between ￡5 and ￡40 for each transaction, depending on your British bank.Alternatively, you can transfer money via a French bank in London. You can also send a sterling cheque (allow at least 12 days for the cheque to the cleared), Eurocheques or traveller’s cheques.Finally, it is a good idea to make a friend of your French bank manager. His help can prove invaluable.If you buy a property in France, you can save money by _______.A. having a French bank accountB. transferring money from BritainC. cashing traveller’s cheques or EurochequesD. using credit cards issued by British banksOne advantage French banks have over British banks is that _______.A. you may take out more money than is in the accountB. the interest rates on bank accounts are higherC. cheques are dealt with more rapidlyD. you do not have to pay for servicesThe swiftest way to send money from England to France is _______.A. to forward an English cheque to your French bankB. to go to a French bank in LondonC. to use a cashier’s chequeD. to arrange a bank transferThe best title for this passage is _______.A. How to Open a French Bank AccountB. The Difference between Banking in Britain and FranceC. The Way to Transfer Money from Britain to FranceD. A Guide to Banking in France上期答案:ＡＤＢＣ----------------------------------------------第６篇及上期題解Does a drink a day keep heart attacks away? Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption-say, one or two beers, glasses of wine or cocktails daily-helps to prevent coronary heart disease. Last week a report in the New England Journal of Medicine added strong new evidence in support of that theory. More important, the work provided the first solid indication of how alcohol works to protect the heart.In the study, researchers from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School compared the drinking habits of 340 men and women who had suffered recent heart attacks with those of healthy people of the same age and sex. The scientists found that people who sip one to three drinks a day are about half as likely to suffer heart attacks as nondrinkers are. The apparent source of the protection: those who drank alcohol had higher blood levels of high-density lipoproteins, the so-called good cholesterol, which is known to repel heart disease.As evidence has mounted, some doctors have begun recommending a daily drink for patients of heart diseases. But most physicians are not ready to recommend a regular happy hour for everyone. The risks of teetotalling are nothing compared with the dangers of too much alcohol, including high blood pressure, strokes and liver troubles-not to mention violent behaviour and traffic accidents. Moreover, some studies suggest that even moderate drinking may increase the incidence of breast and colon cancer. Until there is evidence that the benefits of a daily dose of alcohol out weigh the risks, most people won't be able to take a doctor's prescription to the neighbourhood bar or liquor store.The medical article quoted in the passage demonstrates _______.A) the way in which alcohol can help the heart B) how a couple of cocktails daily can stop heart problemsC) why alcoholic drinks are dangerous to one's health D) that reports on the advantages of alcohol were misfounded Experiments showed that nondrinkers had _______.A) larger amounts of good cholesterol B) smaller amounts of good cholesterolC) higher blood pressure D) lower blood pressureAccording to the passage, moderate drinking _______.A) is recommended by most doctors for heart patients B) should be allowed on prescriptionC) is still not medically advisable D) is not related to liver problemsThe main theme of this passage is _______.A) the change in recent drinking habits B) the connection between cancer and alcoholC) whether moderate drinkers outlive nondrinkers D) whether alcohol may be good for your health上期答案:ＡＤＤＤ----------------------------------------------第７篇及上期题解Run, Rabbits, RunFrom Greenwich to The Mall is good sport for allIn its 13 years, the London Marathon has acquired a pedigree of excellence. That excellence is not just the awesome energy of the best runners and the smoothness of the organization, but also the quality of determination shown by all the competitors, male and female, able-bodied and disabled. When more than 26 000 gather at Greenwich tomorrow morning, only a few will be in the running to win the big prize money. The success of this event is that most of the athletes would be prepared to pay serious money just for the privilege of running the 26 miles 385 yards to The Mall past the most famous urban scenery in the world.The London Marathon has become one of Britain’s leading sports events. “Since 1981, something like 45 million has been raised in individual sponsorship for charities.” Tomorrow hundreds of thousands of people will line t he route to cheer and to gasp in sympathetic participation. Millions will watch on television. Although they will be excited by the struggle for first place, they will also identify with the ordinary person trying to fulfil his or her physical potential. Many spectators will wonder whether next year they could complete the historic distance. That show athletic dreams are born.If the London Marathon and the growth in interest in physical fitness have transformed the lives of many adults, it is also important that children should have the opportunity to fulfil their ability in individual competitive sports.Team games should be an essential ingredient of physical education in the national curriculum. However, coexisting with the playing of team games there should be an equal emphasis on the importance of individual competitive sports at all levels in schools.The Government must be careful that in insisting on the value of team games in schools, it does not ignore the value of individual activities, which are practised throughout the world and form the basis of the Olympic Games. Many of the runners in the London Marathon tomorrow have found courage, fulfillment and fitness training for the event. These are qualities that schoolchildren can, and should, acquire through a variety of demanding individual activities in physical education.In order to enter the Marathon, participants must _________.A) pay an entrance fee B) assemble in one specific areaC) be able to run 26 miles, 385 yards D) compete for the right to take partThe main attraction of the Marathon for non-participants is _________.A) the amount of money raised for charity B) the chance to take part the following yearC) witnessing the contestants’ determination D) a conce rn with the race’s historyAccording to the passage, which of the following is true?A) Individual sports are as important as team games. B) Individual sports are more important than team games.C) Individual sports are less important than team games. D) It is hard to say which is less or more important.上期答案:ＡＢＣＤ----------------------------------------------第８篇及上期题解No Stopping Him: the Fast Man with a Fast CarOn the track, the form embodies power, each curve and line is moulded for speed.For the man at the wheel is the fastest athlete in the world today: Linford Christie, European, Commonwealth and World champion, who has just taken Delivery of his new car, the latest version of the Toyota Supra.It is a conspicuously fast car. The result perfectly matches Christie's own character, and shares his inability to compromise when it comes to delivering performance.The Supra, priced a few pence short of £39 000, is rumoured to be capable of 180 mph, but the speed is artificially limited to 155 mph. From a standing start, it can reach 60 mph in under five seconds.The Supra might raise Christie's profile with the police, but if he is pulled over nowadays it is usually by an officer seeking a chat and an autograph rather than anything more official. After an incident in 1988 when he was stopped, he prosecuted the police and won £30 000 compensation for wrongful arrest.Safety is high on the list of supra extras, with driver and passenger airbags; anti-lock braking; electronic traction control to avoid wheel-spin; side-impact door beams; and a steering column that collapses to protect the driver in all accident. Then there is the six-speed gearbox; cruise control; air-conditioning; alarm and immobiliser.Christie, the British athletics team captain since 1990, will enjoy the comfort of the Supra during a hectic few weeks this June and July when he visits Sheffield, Wales, Gateshead, Wrexham, Edinburgh, Crystal Palace, and then Gateshead again, as his season builds towards the Commonwealth Games in August and the world Cup in September.The Supra is a suitable car for Linford Christie because _______.A) it is an expensive model B) it has high standardsC) it helps promote sports D) it is very safeOn the subject of speed, the car can travel _______.A) at a maximum of 180 mph B) at the same speed as the previous modelC) at a maximum of 155 mph D) faster than the previous modelNowadays if Christie is stopped by the police it is _______.A) because he drives very fast B) because he is not a thoughtful driverC) often for informal reasons D) due to what happened in 1988According to the writer the Supra's most outstanding feature is its _______.A) six-speed gearbox B) alarm system C) air conditioning D) safety features第７篇答案:ＡＣＡ----------------------------------------------第９篇及上期题解Time for All Good Men to Come to the Aid of the Mangel-WurzelI am going to mobilise public opinion sufficiently to bring to the very top of the nation's conservation agenda the severely endangered species I have in mind. I think all I ask now, is that the mangel-wurzel be not allowed to die out.The mangel has been a great friend to the traditional British farmer. It is the easiest of crops to grow and is seemingly resistant to any disease. There is a price to be paid in that it is a delicate crop that cannot be lifted by machine or it will be bruised and rot, so has to be hauled by hand which is expensive. But why, just because it is a sensitive soul, should it be allowed to pass away? I have now grown five crops and each has been better than the previous one. I had high hopes that we might achieve that happy state, where the mangels were so huge it took two men to lift one. But my dreams lie shattered across the desks of the seed merchants who insist there is no mangel seed to be found.Things have been on the decline for some years. A catalogue from the 1920s listed more than 30 varieties, yet the most I have ever been offered is a choice of two. This year there is no choice at all. The next question that arises is how I am going to break this to the livestock, and to the cows in particular who have done spectacularly well when winter arrived and I stopped feeding them corn and gave them mangels instead. How can I bring myself, next New Year, to offer them miserable pellets of something indescribable when they have spent the whole of the autumn looking forward to the day when their jaws will sink into that crisp, ruddy root and the sweet juices will flow?The seed suppliers tell me things will be better next year but I am not certain I trust them. Our only hope now is to create a demand for mangels, make them into a fashion item, get them into Habitat. As a crop, they would be quite easy to grow in a garden and whilst not the most attractive of border plants they make wonderful wine, I am told.This may all sound far-fetched, but the situation is serious and demands an urgent and imaginative response: any ideas you may have would be welcome. My Farmers Cyclopedia of 1912 tells me that mangel-wurzel means, roughly translated from German, "root of scarcity". Let us hope that it does not live up to its name.There is a severe shortage of mangel-wurzel owing to _______.A. a crop in infectionB. growing difficultiesC. production costsD. a lack of seedIn which season is mangel-wurzel fed to the animals?A. Summer.B. Autumn.C. Winter.D. Spring.The author's next move in defence of the mangel is _______.A. to rely on the seed suppliers.B. to get his cows to eat another type of crop.C. to make it seem stylish to grow mangels.D. to introduce a new variety of mangel-wurzel.The author's purpose in writing this passage is _______.A. to explain the origins of the mangel.B. to appeal for help in saving the mangel.C. to discourage the domestic growth of the mangel.D. to promote the production of mangel-wurzel wine.第八篇答案：ＢＣＣＤ--------------------------------------第１０篇及上期题解Nature's Gigantic SnowploughOn January 10,1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the maintain, it had taken the lives of 4 000 people.This disaster is one of the most devastating example of a very common event: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it isextremely cold at very high altitude, sow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration will send it sliding into the valley below.Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke off weighted three million tons. As it crashed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough, it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they are very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try to understand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can be found and removed before they take human lives.68. The first paragraph catches the reader's attention with a ______.A. first-have reportB. dramatic descriptionC. tall taleD. vivid word picture69. In this passage devastating means ______.A. violently ruinousB. spectacularly interestingC. stunningD. unpleasant70. The passage is mostly about ______.A. avalanchesB. glaciersC. PeruD. mountains上期答案:ＤＣＣＢ-------------------------------------第１１篇及上期题解In the past thirty years many social changes have taken place in Britain. The greatest of these have probably been in the economic lives of women.The changes have been significant, but, because tradition and prejudice can still handicap women in their working careers and personal lives, major legislation to help promote equality of opportunity and pay was passed during the 1970s.At the heart of women's changed role in society has been the rise in the number of women at work, particularly married woman. As technology and society permit highly effective and generally acceptable methods of family planning there has been a decline in family size. Women as a result are involved in child-rearing for a much shorter time and related to this,there has been a rapid increase in the number of women with young children who return to work when the children are old enough not to need constant care and attention.Since 1951 the proportion of married women whose work has grown from just over a fifth to a half. Compared with their counterparts elsewhere on the Continent, British women comprise a relatively high proportion of the work force, about two-fifths, but on average they work fewer hours, about 31 a week. There is still a significant difference between women's average earnings and men's, but the equal pay legislation which came into force at the end of 1975 appears to have helped to narrow the gap between women's and men's basic rates.As more and more women joined the work force in the 1960s and early 1970s there was an increase in the collective incomes of women as a whole and a major change in the economic role of large numbers of housewives. Families have come to rely on married women's earnings as an essential part of their income rather than as "pocket money". At the same time social roles within the family are more likely to be shared, exchanged or altered.The general idea of the passage is about ______A. social trends in contemporary Britain.B. changes in women's economic status.C. equal opportunity and pay in Britain.D. women's roles within the family.According to the author, an increasing number of married women are able to work because ______A. their children no longer require their care.B. there are more jobs available nowadays.C. technology has enabled them to find acceptable jobs.D. they spend far less time on child care than before.上期答案:ＤＡＡ----------------------------------------------第１２篇I was born in Tuckahoe, Talbot Country, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves knows as little of their age as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember having ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvesting, springtime, or falltime. A lack of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages, I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquires of my master concerning it. He considered all such inquires on the part of a slave improper and impertinent. The nearest estimate I can give makes me now between twenty-seven and twenty-eight years of age. I come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old. My mother was named Harriet Bailey. She was the daughter of Isaac and Betsey Bailey, both colored, and quite dark.My mother was of a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather.My father was a white man. The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion, I know nothing; the means of knowing was withheld from me. My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant-before I knew her as my mother. It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. Frequently, before the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is。