1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）-试卷 249及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)1.Part III Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）_2.Section C（分数：10.00）_In times of economic crisis, Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divo
2、rce rate. But this wont necessarily represent an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same. We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses. By 1932,
3、when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929. But this doesnt mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldnt afford to divorce. They feared neit
4、her spouse could manage alone. Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households. Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes. After financial disasters fami
5、ly members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities. A 1940 book, The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job “with tireless search for work. “ He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do. The p
6、roblem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain. Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain die initial boost in morale (士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose agai
7、n during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold. Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment. Todays economic crisis could well generate a simila
8、r number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably (无法弥补地) ruined. So its only when the economy is healthy again that well begin to see just how many broken families have been created.（分数：10.00）(1).In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to_.（分数：2.00）A.tear many, troub
9、led families apartB.contribute to enduring family tiesC.bring about a drop in the divorce rateD.cause a lot of conflicts in the family(2).In the Great Depression many unhappy couples chose to stick together because_.（分数：2.00）A.starting a new family would be hardB.they expected things would turn bett
10、erC.they wanted to better protect their kidsD.living separately would be too costly(3).In addition to job losses, what stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?（分数：2.00）A.Mounting family debts.B.A sense of insecurity.C.Difficulty in getting a loan.D.Falling housing prices.(4).What will
11、 the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?（分数：2.00）A.It will force them to pull their efforts together.B.It will undermine their mutual understanding.C.It will help strengthen their emotional bonds.D.It will irreparably damage their relationship.(5).What can be inferred from
12、 the last paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate.B.Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships.C.A stable family is the best protection against poverty.D.Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage.People are being lured (引诱) onto Facebook with the pr
13、omise of a fun, free service without realizing theyre paying for it by giving up loads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages. Most Facebook users dont realize this is happening. Even if they know what th
14、e company is up to, they still have no idea what theyre paying for Facebook, because people dont really know what their personal data is worth. The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Face
15、bookyou could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many thingsyour city, your photo, your friends nameswere set, by default (默认) ,to be shared with every one on the Internet. According to Facebooks vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company
16、 is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people dont share information, they have a “less satisfying experience“. Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the pag
17、es, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when theyre online connecting with their friends? The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to se
18、t guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,“ Schrage admits. I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, its onl
19、y the beginning. Which is why Im considering deactivating (撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but Im upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I dont trust. Thats too high a price to pay.（分数：10.00）(1).What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.It
20、is a website that sends messages to targeted users.B.It makes money by putting on advertisements.C.It profits by selling its users personal data.D.It provides loads of information to its users.(2).What does the author say about most Facebook users?（分数：2.00）A.They are reluctant to give up their perso
21、nal information.B.They dont know their personal data enriches Facebook.C.They dont identify themselves when using the website.D.They care very little about their personal information.(3).Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?（分数：2.00）A.To render better service to it
22、s users.B.To conform to the Federal guidelines.C.To improve its users connectivity.D.To expand its scope of business.(4).What does Senator Charles Schumer advocate?（分数：2.00）A.Setting guidelines for advertising on websites.B.Banning the sharing of users personal information.C.Formulating regulations
23、for social-networking sites.D.Removing ads from all social-networking sites.(5).Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?（分数：2.00）A.He is dissatisfied with its current service.B.He finds many of its users untrustworthy.C.He doesnt want his personal data abused.D.He is upset by its fre
24、quent rule changes.A recent global survey of 2,000 high-net-worth individuals found that 60% were not planning on a traditional retirement. Among US participants. 75% expected to continue working in some capacity even after stepping away from full time jobs. “Many of these people made their wealth b
25、y doing something theyre passionate( 有激情的)about,“ says Daniel Egan, head of behavioral finance for Barclays Wealth Americas. “Given the choice, they prefer to continue working. “Barclays calls these people “nevertirees“. Unlike many Americans compelled into early retirement by company restrictions,
26、the average nevertiree often has no one forcing his hand. If 106-year-old investor Irving Kahn, head of his own family firm, wants to keep coming to work every day, whos going to stop him? Seventy-eight-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Cinsburgs job security is guaranteed in the Constitutio
27、n. It may seem that these elderly people are trying to cheat death. In fact, they are. And its working. Howard Friedman, a professor at UC Riverside, found in his research that those who work hardest and are successful in their careers often live the longest lives. “ People are generally being given
28、 bad advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying, and retire to Florida,“ he says. He described one study participant, still working at the age of 100, who was recently disappointed to see his son retire. “Were beginning to see a change in how people view retirement,“ says George Leeson, co-dir
29、ector of the Institute of Population Ageing at Oxford. Where once retirement was seen as a brief reward after a long struggle through some miserable job, it is now akin(近似) to being cast aside. What Leeson terms “the Warren Buffett effect“ is becoming more broadly appealing as individuals come to “v
30、iew retirement as not simply being linked to economic productivity but also about contribution.“ Observers are split on whether this is a wholly good thing. On the one hand, companies and financial firms can benefit from the wisdom of a resilient (坚韧的) chief. On the other, the new generation can fin
31、d it more difficult to advancean argument that typically holds little sway to a nevertiree.（分数：10.00）(1).What do we learn about the so-called “nevertirees“?（分数：2.00）A.They are passionate about making a fortune.B.They have no choice but to continue working.C.They love what they do and choose not to r
32、etire.D.They will not retire unless they are compelled to.(2).What do Irving Kahn and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have in common?（分数：2.00）A.Neither of them is subject to forced retirement.B.Neither of them desires reward for their work.C.Both cling to their positions despite opposition.D.Both are capable of
33、 coping with heavy workloads.(3).What is the finding of Howard Friedmans research?（分数：2.00）A.The harder you work, the bigger your fortune will be.B.The earlier you retire, the healthier you will be.C.Elderly people have to slow down to live longer.D.Working at an advanced age lengthens peoples life.
34、(4).What is the traditional view of retirement according to the passage?（分数：2.00）A.It means a burden to the younger generation.B.It is a symbol of a mature and civilized society.C.It is a compensation for ones life-long hard work.D.It helps increase a nations economic productivity.(5).What do critic
35、s say about “nevertirees“?（分数：2.00）A.They are an obstacle to a companys development.B.They lack the creativity of the younger generation.C.They cannot work as efficiently as they used to.D.They prevent young people from getting ahead.When we talk about Americans barely into adulthood who are saddled
36、 with unbearable levels of debt, the conversation is almost always about student loan debt. But theres a growing body of evidence suggesting that todays young adults are also drowning in creditcard debtand that many of them will take this debt to their graves. More than 20% overspent their income by
37、 more than $ 100 every single month. Since they havent built up their credit histories yet, its a safe bet that these young adults are paying relatively high interest rates on the resulting credit card debt. Although many young people blame “socializing“ as a barrier to saving money, most of them ar
38、ent knocking back $ 20 drinks in trendy (时尚的) lounges. Theyre struggling with much more daily financial demands. To a disturbingly large extent, the young and the broke are relying on credit cards to make it until their next payday. This obviously isnt sustainable in the long run, and its going to p
39、ut a huge drag on their spending power even after they reach their peak earning years, because theyll still be paying interest on that bottle of orange juice or box of spaghetti(意式面条)they bought a decade earlier. A new study out of Ohio State University found that young adults are accumulating credi
40、t card debt at a more rapid rate than other age groups, and that theyre slower at paying it off. “ If what we found continues to hold true, we may have more elderly people with substantial financial problems in the future,“ warns Lucia Dunn, professor of economics at Ohio State. “If Our findings per
41、sist, we may be faced with a financial crisis among elderly people who cant pay off their credit cards.“ Dunn says a lot of these young people are never going to get out from under their credit card debt. “Many people are borrowing on credit cards so heavily that payoff rates at these levels are not
42、 sufficient to recover their credit card debt by the end of their life, which could have loss implications for the credit card issuing banks.“（分数：10.00）(1).What is the main idea of the first paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.Many young Americans will never be able to pay off their debts.B.Credit cards play an in
43、creasingly important role in college life.C.Credit cards are doing more harm than student loans.D.The American credit card system is under criticism.(2).Why do young people have to pay a higher interest on their credit card debt?（分数：2.00）A.They tend to forget about the deadlines.B.They havent develo
44、ped a credit history.C.They are often unable to pay back in time.D.They are inexperienced in managing money.(3).What is said to be the consequence of young adults relying on credit cards to make ends meet?（分数：2.00）A.It will place an unnecessary burden on society.B.It will give them no motivation to
45、work hard.C.It will exert psychological pressure on them.D.It will affect their future spending power.(4).What will happen to young adults if their credit card debt keeps accumulating according to Lucia Dunn?（分数：2.00）A.They will have to pay all increasingly higher interest rate.B.They may experience
46、 a financial crisis in their old age.C.Their quality of life will be affected.D.Their credit cards may be cancelled.(5).What does Lucia Dunn think might be a risk for the credit card issuing banks?（分数：2.00）A.They go bankrupt as a result of over-lending.B.They lose large numbers of their regular clie
47、nts.C.Their clients leave their debts unpaid upon death.D.Their interest rates have to be reduced now and then.大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）-试卷 249答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)1.Part III Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）_解析：2.Section C（分数：10.00）_解析：In times of economic crisis, Ameri
48、cans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this wont necessarily represent an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same. We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses. By 1932, when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the
