英语四级阅读理解翻译

2006年6月一、Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth.通讯技术在传递真相的时候并不是简单地和真相本身一致。

The first study to compare honesty across a range of communication media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails.从第一项对使用不同通讯媒介时的诚实程度的比较重可以看出，人们在使用电话时的说谎几率是使用电子邮件时的两倍。

The fact that emails are automatically recorded-and can come back to haunt (困扰) you-appears to be the key to the finding.因为电子邮件内容会被自动记录下来----并可能对你造成困扰----这就是这项研究的关键所在。

Jeff Hancock of Cor'nell University in Ithaca ['iθəkə] , New York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week.Jeff Hancock在位于纽约州伊萨卡的康奈尔大学执教，他曾要求30个学生记录一周中每天的通讯情况。

In it they noted the number of conversations or email exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told.参与其中的人需要记录超过10分钟的对话或者电子邮件通讯的数量，并且要坦诚自己说了多少谎话。

Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium. He found that lies made up 14 per cent of emails, 21 per cent of instant messages, 27 percent of face-to-face interactions and an astonishing 37 percent of phone calls.Hancock据此推算出使用各种通讯媒介在每次交流过程中说谎的次数。

他得出结论：谎言在电子邮件通讯中占了14%，在当面沟通中占了27%，而在电话交流中占了37%His results, to be presented at the conference on human computer interaction in Vienna[viˈenə], Austria['ɔ:striə], in April, have surprised psychologists.这项研究结果于4月份再奥地利维也纳的“人与电脑互动国际会议”上被宣读，并且令心理学家们感到惊讶。

Some expected e-mailers to be the biggest liars, reasoning that because deception makes people uncomfortable, the detachment (非直接接触) of e-mailing would make it easier to lie.有人认为电子邮件是最主要的谎言媒介，因为欺骗会让人不适，而电子邮件非直接接触的特性使其更容易成为谎言发生的渠道。

Others expected people to lie more in face-to-face exchanges because we are most practiced at that form of communication.还有人认为在当面交流的过程中更容易说谎，因为当面交流史最常见的沟通方式。

（因为人们更擅长当面交流，所以撒谎技术更娴熟）。

But Hancock says it is also crucial whether a conversation is being recorded and could be reread, and whether occurs in real time.但是Hancock认为同样重要的是对话过程是否会被记录下来并能够被重新阅读，以及对话是否是即时发生的。

People appear to be afraid to lie when they know the communication could later be used to hold them to account, he says. This is why fewer lies appear in email than on the phone.当人们觉得时候要对交流过程负责时，就会对说谎存有恐惧感。

这就是为什么电子邮件中的谎言要少于电话中的。

People are also more likely to lie in real time-in an instant message to phone call,say-than if they have time to think of a response, says Hancock.Hancock说，与有时间思考如何回应的情况相比，人们也更倾向于在即时交流过程中说谎---例如在即时信息或者电话中。

He found many lies are spontaneous (脱口而出的) responses to an unexpected demand, such as: "Do you like my dress?"他发现很多谎言都是对一些偶然问题脱口而出的回应，例如："你觉得我的裙子怎么样？"Hancock hopes his research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate.Hancock希望他的研究结果能帮助公司找出员工之间沟通的最佳途径。

For instance, the phone might be the best medium for sales where employees are encouraged to stretch the truth.But, given his result, work assessment, where honesty is a priority, might be best done using email.但是根据该项研究结果，在做以诚实为重的工作时，最好还是发电子邮件。

二、In a country that defines itself by ideals,not by shared blood,who should be allowed to come,work and live here?在一个以理念，而不是血缘定义自身的国家里，什么样的人才可以来到这里工作和生活呢？In the wake of the Sept.11 attacks these questions have never seemed more pressing.在"9-11"袭击事件之后，这些问题的紧迫性达到了前所未有的程度。

On December .11,2001,as part of the effort to increase homeland securty ,federal and local authorities in 14 states staged "Operation Safe Travel" -raids on airports to arrest employees with false identification(身份证明).2001年12月11日，作为增强国土安全工作的一部分，联邦和14个州的机关发动了“安全旅行操作”行动----搜查了机场并逮捕了使用假身份证的雇员。

In Salt Lake City there were 69 arrests.But those captured were anything but terrorists,most of them illegal immigrants from Central or Sounth American .在盐湖城有69人被捕。

这些被捕的人形形色色，但是就是没有恐怖分子，他们中大多数人是来自中南美洲的非法移民。

Authorities said the undocumented worker's illegal status made them open toblankmall(讹诈)by terrorists.当地政府说，非法劳工的不合法身份使他们容易受恐怖分子讹诈。

Many immigrants in Salt Lake City were angered by the arrests and said they felt as if they were being treated like disposable goods.许多在盐湖城的移民对于被捕感到非常气愤，并表示感觉自己就像被丢弃的东西一样。

Mayor Anderson said those feelings were justified to a certain extent.Anderson市长称这些人的感受就某种程度而言是有根据的"We're saying we want you to work in these places,we're going to look the other way in terms of what our laws are,and then when it's convenient for us,or when we can try to make a point in terms of national security,especially after Sept.11,then you'er disposable There are whole families being uprooted for all of the wrong reasons,"Anderson said.“我们声称想让你们在这些地方工作，但我们的法律却让我们用另外一种方式来看待你们，因而在适当的时候，或在我们以国家安全为由的时候，特别是在"9-11"之后，你们就被丢弃了。

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大学英语四级阅读带翻译训练答案

Passage 1 (The original text translating )海洋学的定义是“庆用所有的科学来研究海洋”１９世纪以前，极少有科学家对研究海洋感兴趣，当然，牛顿在他的作品中对海洋做了一些理论方面的探讨，但他并不情愿自己去海边作进一步的研究。

对大多数人来说，海洋是遥远的，除了早期穿越洲际的旅行家们以及依靠海洋维持生计的人，几乎找不出理由要提出关于海洋的问题，更不会问海洋表面下还有些什么东西。

人们第一次必须回答“海洋底部是什么？”（１）这个问题是有商业上的后果的，当时有人提议要铺设一条从欧洲到美洲的电报缆线。

工程师们必须了解路线的纵深起伏形状，才可以估计需要制造多长的电缆。

（２）由于美国海军的莫里（Maury），大西洋电报公司才在１８５３年得到了这方面的信息。

１９世纪４０年代，（３）莫里负责推动进行测探工作的海上航行，以此来调查北大西洋与太平洋的深度。

此后，他出了一本叫做《海洋的自然地貌》的书，在这本书里他提到的一些发现激起了人们很大的兴趣。

人们铺设了电缆，但直到１８６６年，才有了固定而且可靠的连接。

在早期的努力中，电缆坏了，而当它被拉出来维修时，人们发现其表面覆盖着（４）活的生物。

这一事实挑战了当时的一种科学观点，即海洋较深层是不存在生命的。

海洋学在此后几年内发展起来。

１８７２年，汤姆森（Thomson），带头进行了一项科学考察，历时４年，从海洋带回了数以千计的标本。

科学家们花了数年时间将它们分类并进行分析，写出了一个长达五卷的报告，其中最后一卷于１８９５年出版。

１、从欧洲到美洲铺设电报缆线的提议使得海洋学研究是从_______出发的Ａ）学术角度Ｂ）军事角度Ｃ）商业角度Ｄ）国际角度２、向莫里要求得到海洋学研究方面帮助的是____________Ａ）美国海军Ｂ）一些早期的穿越大洲的旅行家Ｃ）依靠海洋维持生计的人Ｄ）提议铺设一条海底电缆的公司３、１９世纪４０年代，莫里负责的海上航行的目的是要____________Ａ）在海上进行测探实验Ｂ）收集海洋动植物的标本Ｃ）估测所需电缆的长度Ｄ）测量两个海洋的深度４、第五段的“field ”一词可能的意思是___________Ａ）置疑Ｂ）证明Ｃ）挑战Ｄ）同意５、这一段文章主要是关于____________Ａ）海洋学的起步Ｂ）第一条海底电缆的铺设Ｃ）对海洋深度的研究Ｄ）早期的洲际交流Passage 2通常，一名学生必须参加一定数量的课程学习才可以毕业，他上的每一门课都会得到学分，这些学分累加起来，才能拿到学位。

英语四级阅读理解基础练习及答案翻译

英语四级阅读理解基础练习及答案翻译英语四级阅读理解基础练习一：Upon reaching an appropriate age usually between 18 and 21 years, children are encouraged, but not forced, to “leave the nest” and begin an independent life. After children leave home theyoften find social relationship and financial support outside the family. Parents do not arrange marriages for their children, nor do children usually ask permission of their parents to getmarried, Romantic love is most often the basis for marriage in the United States; young adults meet their future spouses 配偶 through other friends, at jobs, and in organizations and religiousinstitutions, Although children choose their own spouses, they still hope their parents will approve of their choices.来源：In many families, parents feel that children should make major life decisions by themselves. A parent may try to influence a child to follow a particular profession but the child is free tochoose another career. Sometimes children do precisely the opposite of what their parents wish in order to assert their independence. A son may deliberately decide not to go into his father’sbusiness because of a fear that he will lose his autonomy in hisfather’s workplace. This independence fro m parents is not an indication that parents and children do not love each other. Stronglove between parents and children is universal and this is no exception in the American family Coexisting with such love in the American family are cultural values of self – reliance andindependence.1. The writer discusses the marriage of young adults in order to show which of the following?A They enjoy the freedom of choosing their spouses.B They want to win the permission of their parents.C They have a strong desire to become independent.D They want to challenge the authority of their parents.2. Most young adults in the U.S. get married for the sake of ____.A loveB financial concernC their parentsD family background3. Based on the passage, it can be assumed that ______.A American young adults are likely to follow the suit of their parentsB most American people never make major decisions for their childrenC American young adults possess cultural values of independenceD once a young person steps into his twenties, he will leave his home permanently4. A son is unwilling to work in his father’s business mainly because_____.A he wishes to make full use of what he has learnt in schoolB he wants to prove his independenceC he wishes to do the opposite of what his parents approve ofD he wants to show his love for his parents5. The subject matter of this selection is _____.A family valuesB marriage arrangementsC the pursuit of a careerD decision making答案：CACBA子女一旦到适当年龄通常是18至21岁，要鼓励而不是强迫他们“离开窝的，财政的巢”，开始独立生活。

大学英语四级阅读(带翻译)训练

大学英语四级阅读（带翻译）训练Passage 1Oceanography has been defined as “The application of all sciences to the study of the sea”.Before the nineteenth century ,scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between.Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings ,but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work.For most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others who earned a living from the sea ,there was little reason to ask many questions about it ,let alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. The first time that the question ”what is at the bottom of the oceans? ”had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe to America was proposed. The engineers had to know the depth profile of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter. In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of the Sea.The cable was laid, but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872 Thomson led a scientific expedition, which lasted four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the last volume being published in 1895.1、The proposal to lay a telegraph cable from Europe to America made oceanographic studies take on ____________________.A) an academic aspect B) a military aspectC) a business aspect D) an international aspect2、It was _______________________that asked Maury for help in oceanographic studies.A) the American Navy B) some early intercontinental travelersC) those who earned a living from the seaD) the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable3、The aim of the voyages Maury was responsible for in the 1840 was_______________A) to make some sounding experiments in the oceansB) to collect sample of sea plants and animalsC) to estimate the length of cable that was neededD) to measure the depths of the two oceans4、”Defied”in the 5th paragraph probably means “_________________”A) doubted B) gave proof to C) challenged D) agreed to5、This passage is mainly about_________________A) the beginnings of oceanography B) the laying of the first undersea cableB) the investigation of ocean depths D) the early intercontinental communicationsPassage 1 (The original text translating )海洋学的定义是“庆用所有的科学来研究海洋”１９世纪以前，极少有科学家对研究海洋感兴趣，当然，牛顿在他的作品中对海洋做了一些理论方面的探讨，但他并不情愿自己去海边作进一步的研究。

英语四级仔细阅读理解逐句翻译

2006年6月一、Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth.通讯技术在传递真相的时候并不是简单地和真相本身一致。

Jeff Hancock of Cor'nell University in Ithaca['iθəkə] , New York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week.Jeff Hancock在位于纽约州伊萨卡的康奈尔大学执教，他曾要求30个学生记录一周中每天的通讯情况。

大学英语四级阅读和翻译文本

Fast reading 1Food-as-Medicine Movement Is Witnessing ProgressA) Several times a month, you can find a doctor in the aisles of Ralph’s market in Huntington Beach, California, wearing awhite coat and helping people learn about food. On one recent day, this doctor was Daniel Nadeau, wandering the cereal aisle with Allison Scott, giving her some idea on how to feed kids who persistently avoid anything that is healthy. “Have you thought about trying fresh juices in the morning?” he asks her. “The frozen ora nges and apples are a little cheaper, and fruits are really good for the brain. Juices are quick and easy to prepare, you can take the frozen fruit out the night before and have it ready the next morning.”B) Scott is delighted to get food advice from a physician who is program director of the nearby Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center, part of the St. Joseph Hoag Health alliance. The center’s “Shop with Your Doc” program sends doctors to the grocery store to meet with any patients who sign up for the service, plus any other shoppers who happen to be around with questions.C) Nadeau notices the pre-made macaroni (通心粉)-and-cheese boxes in Scott’s shopping cart and suggests she switch to whole grain macaroni and real cheese. “So I’d have to make it?”she asks, her enthusiasm fading at the thought of how long that might take, just to have her kids reject it. “I’m not sure they’d eat it. They just won’t eat it.”D) Nadeau says sugar and processed foods are big contributors to the rising diabetes rates among chi ldren. “In America, over50 percent of our food is processed food,” Nadeau tells her. “And only 5 percent of our food is plant-based food. I think we should try to reverse that.” Scott agrees to try more fruit juices for the kids and to make real macaroni and cheese. Score one point for the doctor, zero for diabetes.E) Nadeau is part of a small revolution developing across California. The food-as-medicine movement has been around for decades, but it’s making progress as physicians and medical institutions make food a formal part of treatment, rather than relying solely on medications (药物). By prescribing nutritional changes or launching programs such as ‘Shop with your Doc’, they are trying to prevent, limit or even reverse disease by changing what patients eat. “There’s no question people can take things a long way toward reversing diabetes, reversing high blood pressure, even preventing cancer by food choices,”Nadeau says.F) In the big picture, says Dr. Richard Afable, CEO and president of ST. Joseph Hoag Health, medical institutions across thestate are starting to make a philosophical switch to becoming a health organization, not just a health care organization. That feeling echoes the beliefs of the Therapeutic Food Pantry program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which completed its pilot phase and is about to expand on an ongoing basis to five clinic sites throughout the city. The program will offer patients several bags of food prescribed for their condition, along with intensive traini ng in how to cook it. “We really want to link food and medicine, and not just give away food,” says Dr. Rita Nguyen, the hospital’s medical director of Healthy Food Initiatives. “We want people to understand what they’re eating, how to prepare it, the role food plays in their lives.”G) In Southern California, Loma Linda University School of Medicine is offering specialized training for its resident physiciansin Lifestyle Medicine — that is a formal specialty in using food to treat disease. Research findings increasingly show the power of food to treat or reverse diseases, but that does not mean that diet alone is always the solution, or that every illness can benefit substantially from dietary changes. Nonetheless, physicians say that they look at the collective data and a clear picture emerges: that the salt, sugar, fat and processed foods in the American diet contribute to the nation’s high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of deaths from heart disease and stroke are caused by high blood pressure, tobacco use, elevated cholesterol and low consumption of fruits and vegetables.H) “It’s a different paradigm(范式) of how to treat disease,” says Dr. Brenda Rea, who helps run the family and prev entivemedicine residency program at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. The lifestyle medicine specialty is designed to train doctors in how to prevent and treat disease, in part, by changing patients’ nutritional habits. The medical center and school at Loma Linda also has a food cupboard and kitchen for patients. This way, patients not only learn about which foods to buy, but also how to prepare them at home.I) Many people don’t know how to cook, Rea says, and they only know how to heat things up. That means depending onpackaged food with high salt and sugar content. So teaching people about which foods are healthy and how to prepare them, she says, can actually transform a patient’s life. And beyond that, it might transform the health and lives of that patient’s family. “What people eat can be medicine or poison,” Rea says. “As a physician, nutrition is one of the most powerful things you can change to reverse the effects of long-term disease.”J) Studies have explored evidence that dietary changes can slow inflammation(炎症), for example, or make the body inhospitable to cancer cells. In general, many lifestyle medicine physicians recommend a plant-based diet — particularly for people with diabetes or other inflammatory conditions.K) “As what happened with tobacco, this will require a cultural shift, but that can happen,” says Nguyen. “In the same way physicians used to smoke, and then stopped smoking and were able to talk to patients about it, I think physicians can have a bigger voice in it.”36. More than half of the food Americans eat is factory-produced.37. There is a special program that assigns doctors to give advice to shoppers in food stores.38. There is growing evidence from research that food helps patients recover from various illnesses.39. A healthy breakfast can be prepared quickly and easily.40. Training a patient to prepare healthy food can change their life.41. One food-as-medicine program not only prescribes food for treatment but teaches patients how to cook it.42. Scott is not keen on cooking food herself, thinking it would simply be a waste of time.43. Diabetes patients are advised to eat more plant-based food.44. Using food as medicine is no novel idea, but the movement is making headway these days.45. Americans’ high rates of various illnesses result from the way they eat.Fast reading 2The start of high school doesn’t have to be stressfulA）This month, more than 4 million students across the nation will begin high school. Many will do well. But many will not. Consider that nearly two-thirds of students will experience the "ninth-grade shock," which refers to a dramatic drop in a student's academic performance. Some students cope with this shock by avoiding challenges. For instance, they may drop difficult coursework. Others may experience a hopelessness that results in failing their core classes, such as English, science and math.B)This should matter a great deal to parents, teachers and policymakers. Ultimately it should matter to the students themselvesand society at large, because students' experience of transitioning (过渡) to the ninth grade can have long-term consequences not only for the students themselves but for their home communities. We make these observations as research psychologists who have studied how schools and families can help young people thrive.C)In the new global economy, students who fail to finish the ninth grade with passing grades. in college preparatory coursework are very unlikely to graduate on time and go on to get jobs. One study has calculated that the lifetime benefit to the local economy for a single additional student who completes high school is half a million dollars or more. This is based on higher earnings and avoided costs in health care, crime, welfare dependence and other things.D)The consequences of doing poorly in the ninth grade can impact more than students' ability to find a good job. It can also impact the extent to which they enjoy life. Students lose many of the friends they turned to for support when they move from the eighth to the ninth grade. One study of ninth-grade students found that 50 percent of friendships among ninth graders changed from one month to the next, signaling striking instability in friendships.E)In addition, studies find the first year of high school typically shows one of the greatest increases in depression of any year over the lifespan. Researchers think that one explanation is that ties to friends are broken while academic demands are rising. Furthermore, most adult cases of clinical depression first emerge in adolescence (青春期) . The World Health Organization reports that depression has the greatest burden of disease worldwide, in terms of the total cost of treatment and the loss of productivity.F)Given all that's riding on having a successful ninth grade experience, it pays to explore what can be done to meet the academic, social and emotional challenges of the transition to high school. So far, our studies have yielded one main insight: Students' beliefs about change-their beliefs about whether people are stuck one way forever, or whether people can change their personalities and abilities-are related to their ability to cope, succeed academically and maintain good mental health. Past research has called these beliefs "mindsets (思维模式)," with a "fixed mindset" referring to the belief that people cannot change and a "growth mindset" referring to the belief that people can change.G)In one recent study, we examined 360 adolescents' beliefs about the nature of "smartness"-that is, their fixed mindsets about intelligence. We then assessed biological stress responses for students whose grades were dropping by examining their stress hormones (荷尔蒙) . Students who believed that intelligence is fixed-that you are stuck being "not smart" if you struggle in school-showed higher levels of stress hormones when their grades were declining at the beginning of the ninth grade. If students believed that intelligence could improve-that is to say, when they held more of a growth mindset of intelligence-they showed lower levels of stress hormones when their grades were declining. This was an exciting result because it showed that the body's stress responses are not determined solely by one's grades. Instead, declining grades only predicted worse stress hormones among students who believed that worsening grades were a permanent and hopeless state of affairs.H)We also investigated the social side of the high school transition. In this study, instead of teaching students that their smartness can change, we taught them that their social standing-that is, whether they are bullied or excluded or left out-can change over time. We then looked at high school students' stress responses to daily social difficulties. That is, we taught them a growth mindset about their social lives. In this study, students came into the laboratory and were asked to give a public speech in front of upper-year students. The topic of the speech was what makes one popular in high school. Following this, students had to complete a difficult mental math task in front of the same upper-year students.I)Experiment results showed that students who were not taught that people can change showed poor stress responses. When these students gave the speech, their blood vessels contracted and their hearts pumped less blood through the body both responses that the body shows when it is preparing for damage or defeat after a physical threat. Then they gave worse speeches and made more mistakes in math. But when students were taught that people can change, they had better responses to stress, in part because they felt like they had the resources to deal with the demanding situation. Students who got thegrowth mindset intervention (干预) showed less-contracted blood vessels and their hearts pumped more blood-both of which contributed to more oxygen getting to the brain, and, ultimately, better performance on the speech and mental math tasks.J)These findings lead to several possibilities that we are investigating further. First, we are working to replicate (复制) these findings in more diverse school communities. We want to know in which types of schools and for which kinds of students these growth mindset ideas help young people adapt to the challenges of high school. We also hope to learn how teachers, parents or school counselors can help students keep their ongoing academic or social difficulties in perspective. We wonder what would happen if schools helped to make beliefs about the potential for change and improvement a larger feature of the overall school culture, especially for students starting the ninth grade.1.The number of people experiencing depression shows a sharp increase in the first year of high school.2.According to one study, students’ academic performance is not the only decisive factor of their stress response s.3.Researchers would like to explore further how parents and schools can help ninth graders by changing their mindset.4.According to one study, each high school graduate contributes at least 500,000 dollars to the local economy.5.In one study, students were told their social position in school is not unchangeable.6.It is reported that depression results in enormous economic losses worldwide.7.One study showed that friendships among ninth graders were far from stable.8.More than half of students will find their academic performance declining sharply when they enter the ninth grade.9.Researchers found through experiments that students could be taught to respond to stress in more positive way.10.It is beneficial to explore ways to cope with the challenges facing students entering high school.Intensive readingPassage OnePicture this: You’re at a movie theater food stand loading up on snacks. You have a choice of a small, medium or large soda. The small is $3.50 and the large is $5.50. It’s tough decision: The small size may not last yon through the whole movie, but $5.50 for some sugary drink seems ridiculous. But there’s a third option, a medium soda for $5.25. Medium may be the perfect amount of soda for you, but the large is only a quarter more. If you’re like mo st people, you end up buying the large.If you’re wondering who would buy the medium soda, the answer is almost no one. In fact, there’s a good chance the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy (诱饵), making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.I have written about this unique human nature before with my friend Ariely, who studied this phenomenon extensively after noticing pricing for subscriptions to Geography. The digital subscription was $59, the print subscription was $125, and the print plus digital subscription was also $125. No one in their right mind would buy the print subscription when you could get digital as well for the same price, so why was it even an option? Ariely ran an experiment and found t hat when only the two “real” choices were offered, more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription. But the addition of the bad option made people much more likely to choose the more expensive print plus digital option.Brain scientist call this effect “asymmetric dominance” and it means that people are attracted toward the choice nearest a clearly inferior option. Marketing professors call it the decoy effect, which is certainly easier to remember. Lucky for consumers, almost no one in the business community understands it.The decoy effect works because of the way our brains assign value when making choices. Value is almost never absolute; rather, we decide an object's value relative to our other choices. If more options are introduced the value equation changes.51.Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater ?A)To illustrate people’s peculiar shopping behavior.B)To illustrate the increasing variety of snacks there.C)To show how hard it can be to choose a drink there.D) To show how popular snacks are among movie fans.52. Why is the medium soda priced the way it is?A)To attract more customers to buy it.B) To show the price matches the amount.C) To ensure customers drink the right amount of soda.D)To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.53. What do we learn from Dan Ariely’s experiment?A)Lower -priced goods attract more customers.B) The Economist's promotional strategy works.C)The Economist's print edition turns out to sell the best.D) More readers choose the digital over the print edition.54. For what purpose is “the bad option(Line 7, Para. 3) added?A)To cater to the peculiar needs of some customers.B)To help customers to make more rational choices.C)To trap customers into buying the more pricey item.D)To provide customers with a greater variety of goods.55. How do we assess the value of a commodity, according to the passage?A)By considering its usefulness.B) By comparing it with other choices.C) By taking its quality into account.D) By examining its value equationPassage TwoBoredom has, paradoxically, become quite interesting to academics lately. In early May, London’s Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in dullness. At this event, people flocked to talks about weather, traffic jams and vending-machine sounds, among other sleep-inducing topics.What, exactly, is everybody studying? One widely accepted psychological definition of boredom is “the distasteful experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity.” But how can you quantify a person’s boredom leveland compare it with someone else’s? In 1986, psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale, designed to measure an individual’s overall tendency to feel bored. By contrast, the Multidimensional State Boredom scale, developed in 2008, measures a person’s feelings of boredom in a given situation.Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving, mindless snacking, excessive drinking, and addictive gambling. In fact, many of us would choose pain over boredom. One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather self-administer electric shocks than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Researching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could self-administer electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral ones did.But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming, it can spur creativity. An early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more incentive answers to combat boredom. A British study took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been primed were more productive.In our always-connected world, boredom may be a hard-to-define state, but it is a fertile one. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while, and you might unlock your next big idea.46. When are people likely to experience boredom, according to an accepted psychological definition?A) When they don’t have the chance to do what they want.B) When they don’t enjoy the materials they are studying.C) When they experience something unpleasant.D) When they engage in some routine activities.47. What does the author say boredom can lead to?A) Determination B) ConcentrationC) Mental deterioration D) Harmful conduct48. What is the finding of one team of psychologists in their experiment?A) V olunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting alone deliberating.B) Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.C) Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females.D) Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minutes.49. Why does the author say boredom isn’t all bad?A) It stimulates memorization.B) It allows time for relaxation.C) It may promote creative thinking.D) It may facilitate independent learning.50. What does the author suggests one do when faced with a challenging problem?A) Stop idling and think big. B) Unlock one’s smartp hone.C) Look around oneself for stimulation. D) Allow oneself some time to be bored.Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.How to not be boringA) Humans are creatures of habit. We love to establish a routine and stick with it. Then we often put ourselves on auto-pilot. Routines can be incredibly useful in helping you get things done. However, too much of a routine can also make you incredibly boring. Nevertheless, many people live lives that are boringly predictable, or live a life where everything is outlined or planned.B) To tell the truth, interesting people are more popular among their friends. If you don 't arouse someone's curiosity or brighten someone's day, you probably come across as being a little bit dull. But that doesn't mean your life has ended and you can't do anything to change it. If you find yourself searching for something to say beyond small talk, try these tactics to find more interesting approaches to conversation.C) Recently, I was at a gathering of colleagues when someone turned to me and asked, "So, what's new with you?" Ordinarily, I think I'm a good conversationalist. After all, it's literally my job to talk to people and tell their stories or share their advice. And that's not exactly an unexpected question. Still, the only "new-to-me" topics that came to mind were my daughter's basketball tournament (锦标赛) and my feelings about that morning's political headlines- neither amusing nor appropriate topics at that moment.D) Oh, no, I thought. Have I become boring? But sharing our experiences in an authentic way to connect with other people is what makes us interesting, says associate professor Michael Pirson. The hesitation I felt in not sharing the ordinary things that were happening in my life, and the wild mental search for something more interesting, may have backfired and made me seem less interesting.E) "If someone is making up some conversation that might be interesting, it's probably not going to land well," says Pirson, whose expertise includes trust and well-being, mindfulness, and humanistic management. "It's going to feel like a made-up conversation that people don't necessarily want to tune in to."F) The most interesting people aren't those who 've gone on some Eat, Pray, Love journey to find themselves. Instead, Pirson says, they're those who examine the ordinary. "Often, the 'boring things' may not be boring at all. Maybe they are actually little miracles," he says. Share your observations about the world around you - interesting stories you heard or things you noticed- and you may be surprised by the universal connection they inspire.G) This is essentially how Jessica Hagy starts her day. The author of How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual, Hagy spends a lot of time thinking about what's interesting to her. People who are interesting are persistently curious, she says.H) Think about the everyday things around you and ask questions about them. What is that roadside monument I see on my way to work every day? Who built that interesting building in my city? What nearby attractions haven't I visited? Why do people do things that way? Use what you find to ask more questions and learn more about the world around you. "Having thatsort of curiosity is almost like a protective gear from getting into boredom," she says. And when you find things that are truly interesting to you, share them.I) Television veteran Audrey Morrissey, executive producer of NBC's The Voice, is always looking for what will make a person or story interesting to viewers: It's usually a matter of individuality. "Having a strong point of view, signature style, or being a super-enthusiast in a particular field makes someone interesting," she says. That means embracing what is truly interesting or unique about yourself. "Many people are 'not boring' in the way that they can carry a conversation or can be good at a social gathering, etc. To be interesting means that you have lived life, taken risks, traveled, sought out experience to learn for yourself and share with others," she says.J) Of course, it's possible to be a fountain of knowledge and a boring person, says public relations consultant Andrea Pass. Paying attention to the listener is an important part of having a conversation that's interesting to both parties. Talking on and on about what's interesting to you isn't going to make you an interesting person, she says.K) "If the listener is not paying attention, it's your sign to shorten the story or change direction. Make sure to bring the audience into the conversation so that it is not one-sided," Pass says. Be a better listener yourself, and give others opportunities to participate in the conversation by inviting them with questions or requests to share their own experiences or thoughts. (e. g. , "Now, tell me about your favorite book," or "Have you ever been to that attraction?") Questions are a powerful tool, especially when they encourage others to disclose information about themselves. A 2012 study from the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that roughly 40% of the time we are talking, we're disclosing subjective information about our experience. And when we're doing so, our brains are more engaged. So one strategy to leave others with the impression that you 're a sparkling conversation partner is to get others to talk about themselves.L) Being relatable is also essential, Morrissey says. "The best entertainment and storytelling comes from people who are relatable- those who don't shy away from opening up but freely share who they are and what they care about. These are the people viewers most relate to and find interesting. Being authentic, honest, and vulnerable is always interesting."M) I have now come to realize that being boring, in actuality, is not only about who you are as a person, but also how you present yourself. No matter what, make sure you are having fun in life. Because when you are enjoying, people around you will begin to enjoy as well. Show some interest in them and they will definitely show some in you. If you are a very reserved person, this could be a little difficult at first. But with a little effort, you can definitely improve.36. Pirson claims that some ordinary things may often prove to be miraculously interesting.37. To make a conversation interesting, it is important that you listen to the other party attentively.38. A person who is unable to stimulate others' curiosity or make their life enjoyable may appear somewhat boring.39. Interesting people usually possess certain unique qualities, according to a TV program producer.40. Be interested in others and they are sure to be interested in you.41. The author considers himself usually good at conducting conversations.42. Interesting people are always full of curiosity.43. Falling into a routine can tum a person into an utter bore.44. One strategy to be a good conversationalist is to motivate your partner to tell their own stories.45. Interesting as it might appear, a made-up conversation will probably tum out to be dull.。

大学英语4课后阅读理解翻译

Unit1-5Passage One章鱼作为人类杀手的恶名不仅是夸张——根本就是神话。

章鱼当然是个危险的猎手，但只是对于它天然的猎物，如蛤、蚌、蟹虾来说的。

偶尔会有粗心的语被这个多足的肉食动物吓到，但是人对于章鱼来说，哪怕是最巨型的章鱼来说都是没有任何兴趣的。

章鱼中最大的品种也比人么想象的要小多了，绝对没有大到能吞没潜艇的，就像某些电影中演的那样。

在太平洋海岸发现的最大的章鱼中110磅，直径也不过十英尺。

章鱼像鹦鹉一样坚硬的嘴不是用来攻击深水潜水员的，只是用来敲开蟹壳和虾壳的。

章鱼狭小的喉咙没办法吞下大块的肉。

它吃东西的方式是先把消化液喷到猎物上，然后把化成水的肉体吸进去。

蚌或者蛤要是被章鱼吸住了很快就会死去。

可是人类非常安全。

不过人们还是很少敢于靠近这些温顺地生物来看个仔细。

Passage Two动物有自己的权利吗？树有自己的权利吗？人类有责任义务尊重江河，岩石，病毒，以及整个地球万物吗？随着这个世纪即将结束，这不只是抽象的哲学辩论的问题，而是如纳什在“大自然权利”中指出的神学家、律师、立法者，甚至科学家都有强烈兴趣的议题。

激进的环保主义人士已经要求将法律和伦理的保护延伸到整个自然界，他们其中一部份人士已经向我们证明了愿意为了支持这种信念去抵抗和违反法律，甚至可以为此去牺牲的意志正如纳什所描述的，纵观整个历史，规范个人和社会行为的道德准则所涵盖的圈子延伸（扩展）地缓慢而且无规律可循。

从授予自己权力开始，人类逐渐地扩大圈子至家庭、民族、国家以及就算不是实际最起码在理论上包括整个人类社会。

托马斯杰斐逊曾写道人人生而平等并且被赋予某些不可剥夺的权利，他所谈论的被解读为只包括白种族的男性。

然而，因为美国独立战争的爆发，人道对待的权力范围被扩大了，至少在法律和社会共识方面囊括了女性和少数民族。

将道德和法律（所赋予）的权利向动、植物以及自然界的其他扩展的新的历史篇章正在被书写，纳什认为。

因为全世界越来越多的人（持这种信念）特别是在美国，这种信念正在深入人心认为大自然有权利有资格得到伦理考量的思想并不是一个新鲜事物。

英语四级阅读练习+答案精讲+译文word版本

英语四级阅读练习+答案精讲+译文Aldous Huxley was a most unfortunate man.When he died in 1963 he must have expired in the confident belief that the event would be given wide coverage in the press the next day.After all,his career had not been without distinction.Where he made his big mistake was in dying on the same day that John F.Kennedy was assassinated.As a result Huxley got about three column inches at the bottom of page 27.In the same way the death of Victor Farris has gone widely unnoticed because he foolishly shuffled off this mortal coil at the same time as Mr.Konstantin Chernenko.Now,as you all know,Victor Farris was the chap who invented the paper clip.The paper milk carton too.And paper clips and milk cartons will be in use long after everyone has forgotten the name of the comrade who came between Andropov and whatever this new bloke is called.『The same goes for the inventor of the supermarket trolley who died in Switzerland a few months ago.』①Fell off his trolley,so to speak.『For all I know,he may be a household name in his own canton and they are putting up a statue of home wheeling his trolley,and are going to commemorate him on one of those ever-so-tasteful Swiss postage stamps we used to collect when we were younger and wiser,』②but I doubt if his name will be remembered outside the borders of his small country.Personally I forgot it within minutes of reading of his decease.Not that it matters.Somehow it is hard to imagine things like paper clips and supermarket trolleys having had a n amed inventor.It’s like discovering that at a particular moment of history a particular person invented the spoon,or the chair, or socks.One assumes that these everyday objects just happened,or evolved through natural selection.It isn’t necessarily so.I read only the other day that Richard Ⅱ invented the handkerchief.Almost everything else was invented either by Leonardo daVinci(scissors,bicycles,helicopters,and probably spoons,socks and the Rubik cube aswell)or by Benjamin Franklin(lightning-conductor,rocking-chair,bifocals)or else by Joseph Stalin(television).It’s quite possible that Leonardo or Benjamin Franklin or Stalin also invented the supermarket trolley.Certainly it has been invented more than once.Hardly was Herr Edelweiss(or whatever the Swiss chap was called)in his grave,than news came of the death of Sylvan N.Goodman at the age of 86.Sylvan also invented the supermarket trolley or,as the Los Angeles Times report calls it,the shopping cart.Be that as it may,Herr Edelweiss or Sylvan Goodman,or both,did a grand job and made supermarket shopping far less hellish than it would otherwise be.The next step will be to get the trolleys out of the shops and into the streets.You could put an engine in the front and call it a car.Or give it big wheels and a canopy and call it a pram.The possibilities are endless.1.It can be inferred from the passage that Herr Edelweiss.A.was remembered by the people all over worldB.made a lot of money from his inventionC.was not very famousD.was a business partner of Sylvan Goodman2.The author writes this article in order to illustrate that.A.the names of the people who invented the most useful things are usually forgottenB.everyday objects are invented and evolve through natural selectionC.many everyday objects are invented more than onceD.many famous people have passed away without being noticed3.Who probably invented spoons?A.Leonardo da Vinci.B.Benjamin Franklin.C.Victor Farris.D.A person unknown.4. By stating that Leonardo da Vinci invented helicopters, the author means .A. he really did itB. he is a military scientistC. he painted in one of his masterpieces a helicoptersD. people turn to ascribe inventions to him but they are wrong5.What can be inferred about Aldous Huxley?A.His death was not reported by the press.B.He was a famous inventor.C.He made a very big mistake in his late years.D.He died on the same day as John F.Kenneddy.Vocabulary1.canopy n. 天篷2.pram n. 婴儿车长难句解析①【解析】“the same goes”解析为同样的事情也发生，例:The same goes for our classmates.同样的事情也发生在我的同学身上。

CET-4历年真题阅读译文

考拉进阶CET-4历年真题阅读译文（2014.12—2010.06）2014年12月四级真题（第一套）Passage One纽约人渐渐习惯了更多的人骑着闪亮的蓝色花旗自行车。

但当地的自行车商店怎么看呢？花旗自行车是不是在使它们受损的情况下来增加骑行的人呢？在翠贝卡区的Gotham Bikes，经理W. Ben说，该店的整体销量因自行车共享计划而上升。

“它让更多的人上路，”他说。

格拉姆西区Danny’s Cycles的雇员James Ryan也说花旗自行车是一个不错的选择，它让人们逐步适应在一个以交通堵塞和野蛮司机闻名的城市里骑车。

“他们不用买自行车就可以试骑，”他说。

租赁既不是Gotham Bikes也不是Danny’s Cycles的主营业务。

但对Frank’s Bike Shop ——电商网站Grand St.上的一个小店——来说，自行车共享计划却是坏消息。

店主Frank Arroyo说，自从上个月花旗自行车正式推出，他的租赁业务下降了90%。

Arroyo的主要租客是欧洲游客，他们从此就被花旗自行车吸引走了。

然而Ben说，自行车共享对他的店铺的自行车销售来说却是有益的。

“人们用了自行车共享并意识到在城市里骑自行车有多棒，然后决定为自己买更好的自行车，”他指出。

Waterfront Bicycle Shop位于克里斯多福街以北的西街，该店的Christian Farrell 说，他最初很担忧自行车共享，但他承认，“我很高兴看到人们骑自行车。

”Andrew Crooks有着和Farrell早期一样的担忧。

他是位于第二大街64号的NYC Velo 的店主。

“它看起来是一个好主意，但却很难实施，”Crooks这样评价花旗自行车。

他说他很担忧经验不足的骑行者缺乏对骑行规定的认识以及来自不骑车的人的强烈反对。

然而，他说，现在说他的生意受到影响还为时尚早。

虽然自行车共享很可能会造成生意下滑，但Crooks承认，这种想法对纽约市来说是向前迈出了积极的一步。

四级仔细阅读理解逐句翻译

2008年6月一、Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but- regardless of whether it is or isn't - we won't do much about it. 全球变暖或许是21世纪最大的环境危机，但无论是或不是，我们都不会对全球变暖做什么。

We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it.我们会不断地为此争吵，甚至可能以国家形式作出一些貌似严重的承诺，以避免全球变暖发生。

But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.但是这些承诺看上去越是戏剧化，越是有意义，就越不可能成为现实。

A1 Gore calls global warming an "inconvenient truth," as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution.戈尔称全球变暖为“不可忽视的真相”，好像仅仅认识到其存在，我们就可以找到解决办法。

But the real truth is that we don't know enough to relieve global warming, and - without major technological breakthroughs - we can't do much about it.但是真正的真相是，我们并不具备足够的知识来缓解全球变暖，如果没有重大的科技突破，我们根本无法做出什么成绩。

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