1、专业英语四级（文化类阅读理解）模拟试卷 1及答案与解析 0 Sometimes you have to travel very far to gain perspective on things in your own country. Recently, I taught a UNICEF-sponsored course in Malang, Indonesia, on educational innovation. My audience consisted of teachers, administrators, teacher trainers, and high-ranking o
2、fficials from the Indonesian Ministry of Education. Unlike in the United States, the public school system in Indonesia, as in many other countries, is run by a centralized ministry. Not only does this government department develop the curriculum for schools, it also employs curriculum officers who w
3、rite the textbooks for the curriculum areas. Thus, the powerful Indonesian Ministry of Education controls essentially all aspects of education in the country. During my presentation about schools that have sustained meaningful innovation in the United States, I noticed a rising buzz coming from the
4、audience. The peoples expressions of concern and the emotion in their voices was clear, but it wasnt until their questions were translated that I understood the reason for this agitation. Their comments went something like this: “Tell us, Steve, why your country is moving in the direction of more an
5、d more tests for your children? Our system has been doing that for years and we have decided to move to a freer, more creative process. We invite people like you to help us untangle ourselves from all of that testing and the centralized control that goes with it. What is going on in America anyway?“
6、 Maybe it was the heat of the equatorial climate; maybe it was my own temperature rising from anxiety. Whatever the source, I started to feel quite feverish, and it was at this point that the metaphor of the flu popped into my mind. I told my Indonesian colleagues that in the United States, we perio
7、dically fall victim to a kind of “educational flu.“ When we are overtaken in the international education arena (in the recent Programme for International Student Assessment, the United States ranked 15th out of 32 countries surveyed), our politicians and educational administrators get feverish. They
8、 start to manufacture lots of standardized tests and devise very severe consequences for students and teachers when test results do not meet expectations. Like a rising fever, these steps are a clear indication that we are coming down with our educational flu. Brilliant or not, this analogy was enou
9、gh to get me through that difficult point in my lecture. The next day, things got worse. Again, like one falling victim to the flu, I began to feel out of step with the rest of the world. I picked up a regional newspaper and found that Thailand was also moving away from a hierarchical system and sta
10、ndardized tests and toward a more creative education program for children. When I came home, I read that a similar move is taking shape in China where inventiveness, not the traditional national test, is moving to center stage. Thus, I was confronted with a real paradox: Some of the Asian societies
11、well known for rigid bureaucracies are looking for ways to break free, while my country, renowned for its creativity and supposedly child-centered approach to education, is busily sewing itself into a thick hide of conformity and control. Why are the different cultures moving in such opposite direct
12、ions? 1 It can be inferred from the passage that_. （ A） The author did not know much about the schools in the U.S. （ B） The author does not speak Indonesian. （ C） The author likes the Indonesian school system. （ D） The author teaches in universities only. 2 Why did the Indonesian become agitated dur
13、ing the lecture? （ A） They were not interested in the content. （ B） They were surprised by the fact that American schools were using more tests. （ C） They did not like the authors way of teaching. （ D） It was too hot in the classroom because of the equatorial climate. 3 The word “analogy“ in Paragra
14、ph 3 can be best replaced by_. （ A） saying （ B） flu （ C） fever （ D） metaphor 4 According to the Passage which of the following is true? （ A） The author caught a flu and had a fever during his teaching in Indonesia. （ B） American schools are giving more and more standard tests. （ C） Indonesia, Thaila
15、nd and China are looking for more test-centered educational practices. （ D） The Indonesian students did not understand the authors teaching. 5 Whats the authors attitude toward current American education? （ A） He is satisfied. （ B） He is proud of it. （ C） He is puzzled. （ D） He dislikes it. 5 There
16、has been a fair amount in the news lately about apologies, particularly whether the chief executives of financial institutions have been contrite enough about the role they played in bringing about this recession. But whether it be an apology from a public figure to an anonymous mass of people or a
17、private one between you and your spouse, a good apology has the same essentials. These include an acknowledgment of the fault or offense, regret for it and responsibility for it and, if possible, a way to fix the problem, said Holly Weeks, a communications consultant and author of “Failure to Commun
18、icate: How Conversations Go Wrong and What You Can Do to Right Them“ (Harvard Business Press, 2008). Were taught when were very young to say, “Im sorry,“ when we steal someones pail in the sandbox or lock our sister in a closet (hypothetically speaking). But somehow, as we grow up, our apologies oft
19、en become more abstract, more defensive and less an acceptance of responsibility than a demand that the wronged person forgive us. The act of contrition sometimes comes wrapped in self-congratulation. For example, Ms. Weeks said that she analyzed the speech by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York w
20、hen he publicly admitted wrongdoing and resigned. Only 17 percent of that speech was apology. The rest “was about how great he was,“ she said. In my opinion, the apology sent by e-mail or text message is also a cowardly way out, except for the most minor of incidents. Do it in person, or at least ov
21、er the phone. An apology should not be thought of in terms of an expression of regret or getting something off your chest, which is more like a monologue, Ms. Weeks said. Rather, it has to be thought of as a communication between people. “Take the focus off yourself and keep it on your counterpart,“
22、 she said. Apologizing has been complicated over the years by the threat of liability. This has led to apologies that have been carefully parsed to remove any real regret or accountability. “So many apologies are constructed by legal or P.R. people“ as a defensive mechanism, not as a sincere express
23、ion of remorse, Ms. Weeks said. This can be true for politicians, doctors and business executives, but also for you or me if were, say, involved in a traffic accident. Should we say were sorry? Is that admitting fault? 6 A good apology normally includes all the followings EXCEPT_. （ A） Awareness of
24、the issue （ B） Regret （ C） Sense of responsibility （ D） Offer of compensation 7 According to Holly Weeks, when we grow up, our apologies often become_. （ A） more general （ B） self-congratulation （ C） forgiveness （ D） a mechanism to defend ourselves 8 In Paragraph 4, the word “contrition“ can be repl
25、aced by_. （ A） apology （ B） sadness （ C） remorse （ D） forgiving 9 Whats Ms. Weeks opinions about the art of apology? （ A） She likes the ways of apology that lawyers and public relations practitioners have taught their clients. （ B） She thinks that the custom to apologize properly and sincerely of th
26、e past should be kept. （ C） She encourages people to use any means to apology, such as letters, emails and phone calls. （ D） She is indifferent about whether people can apologize well or not. 10 In the last paragraph, “the threat of liability“ means “_“. （ A） To apologize may indicate a sense of gui
27、lt （ B） To apologize is to express that we are sorry （ C） Apology may not be well received by others （ D） Politicians, doctors and business executives should not apologize 专业英语四级（文化类阅读理解）模拟试卷 1答案与解析 1 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 推理题。从第一段可知作者是受联合国教科文组织邀请到印度尼西亚讲学的，内容正是美国教育，所以 A说作者不了解美国的教育不对。 C在文中没有提及。听作者讲课的人包括教师、
28、行政人员、师资培训人员和高官等，可知并非只是大学课堂。第二段中提到作者虽然注意到听众有反应，但是直到问题被翻译 过来，他才明白，可知作者不会讲印度尼西亚本地的语言，故选 B。 2 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节题。问题中的 agitated和 lecture是定位关键词，可知答案在第二段中。从听众对 Steve的提问中可以看出他们对于美国教育制度越来越多地使用测试感到奇怪，因为他们的教育体系正努力改变这一倾向，而这也是为什么像作者这样的人会被邀请来授课的原因。 3 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 词汇题。 4 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节题。因为题干部分没有提供任何具体信息，所以
29、定 位词需要从每个选项中获取。选项 A中的 flu是关键词，但是通读全篇即可发现作者仅仅是使用了 “educational flu”的比喻，而非真得了感冒。从作者和他的授课对象间的交流可以发现美国的教学系统开始越来越多地采用标准测试来衡量学生的水平。选项C所述内容与文中事实刚好相反。 5 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 态度题。文中最后一段对此有明确表述， “Some of the Asian societies well known for rigid bureaucracies are looking for ways to break free，while my country,， re
30、nowned for its creativity and supposedly childcentered approach to education is busily sewing itself into a thick hide of conformity and control ”从此句可以看出作者不明白为什么以创造力和学生为中心的美国教育体制越来越多地倾向于控制和服从，而与此相反，许多亚洲国家却开始向自由教育转向。 6 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 细节题。 “a good apology”是定位关键词，阅读文章可发现关键词出现在第一段末尾，但是与答案相关的信息是在第二段给出的，
31、对比选项可 以发现，提供赔付并非必要元素，故选 D。 7 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 细节题。 “Holly Weeks” 作为专有名词是定位关键词，出现在文中第二段，但是并未找到回答问题需要的信息，所以需要第二次定位即 “grow up”，出现在第三段 “But somehow， as we grow up， our apologies often become more abstract， moredefensive and less an acceptance of responsibility than a demand that the wronged person forgiv
32、e us ”可以看出，长大后道歉逐渐演变成一种自我防御机制。 8 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 词汇题。将选项一一代入，再通读全段，可以发现只有 remorse接近原文主旨。 9 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节题。 “Ms Weeks” 是定位关键词，相关信息出现在第四、五段。从文中可知， Weeks夫人认为律师和公共关系人员关于道歉就是承认负有责任的观点是不对的，而且当面道歉要比使用其他任何形式，如信件、电话等 更能显示出道歉者的诚意。另外，全文引述了她许多关于道歉艺术的陈述，如果她对这一议题不感兴趣，逻辑上是说不通的，所以 D也不对。 10 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 指代题。 “the threat of liability”其实指的是前文所说的律师和公共关系从业人员灌输给他们的客户的关于道歉即认罪的想法。
