1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 151及答案与解析 SECTION A In this section there are several passages followed by ten multiple-choice questions. For each question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. 0 Student loans are based on a simple idea: that a grad
2、uates future flow of earnings will more than cover the costs of doing a degree. But with unemployment rates in parts of the rich world at post-war highs, that may no longer hold true for many people. The consequences will be felt by everybody. All over the world student indebtedness is causing probl
3、ems witness this months violent protests in Chile. In Britain, according to a recent parliamentary report, rising university fees mean that student debt is likely to treble to 70 billion by 2015. But, partly because higher education there is so expensive, the scale of the problem is far greater in A
4、merica. When the next official estimates of outstanding student debt there are published, it is expected to be close to $1 trillion, higher than credit-card borrowing. Credit quality in other classes of consumer debt has been improving; delinquency rates on student loans are rising. Many of the anti
5、-Wall Street protesters push the idea of blanket debt forgiveness as a solution. But that is the wrong answer. Higher education is not a guarantee of employment, but it improves the odds immensely. Unemployment rates among university graduates stood at 4. 4% on average across OECD countries in 2009.
6、 People who did not complete secondary school faced unemployment rates of 11. 5%. Much of the debt that students are taking on is provided or guaranteed by the government. Imposing write-offs on all taxpayers to benefit those with the best job prospects is unfair; and ripping up contracts between bo
7、rrowers and private lenders is usually a bad idea. That said, student-loan systems in America and elsewhere are often badly designed for an extended period of high unemployment. In contrast to the housing crash, the risk from student debt is not of a sudden explosion in losses but of gradual financi
8、al suffocation. The pressure needs to be eased. One option is to change the bankruptcy laws. In America, Britain and elsewhere, these treat student debt as a special case: unlike other forms of debt, it cannot be wiped out. If student debt is not to bound existing graduates and put off future ones,
9、the rules could be changed so that it is dischargeable in bankruptcy. Yet the reasoning behind the current bankruptcy provisions is logical enough; education is an asset that cannot be repossessed and that keeps on benefiting the individual through his or her lifetime. Some worry that graduates woul
10、d rush to declare bankruptcy, handing losses to taxpayers. So a second option is preferable. Many countries, America included, have designed student debt primarily as a mortgage-like obligation; it is repaid to a fixed schedule. Other places, like Britain and Australia, make student-loan repayments
11、contingent(依情况而定的 )on reaching an income threshold so that the prospect of taking on debt is more acceptable to people from poorer backgrounds. That approach makes sense, especially when jobs are scarce. Barack Obama this week proposed to limit loan payments for some struggling American graduates to
12、 10% of discretionary(任意的 )income and forgive outstanding debt after 20 years. Income-based repayment ought to become the norm. Both changes would lead to a repricing of student debt. That would be a bad thing for taxpayers, but a good thing overall. If such information were made public, other usefu
13、l data would follow on the average financial returns to graduates of specific subjects, for example. Those studying less profitable subjects would have to pay more, or be subsidised more. It would be a controversial approach, but a more educated one. 1 We can learn from the first two paragraphs that
14、_. （ A） high unemployment rates make it hard for students to get loans （ B） rising university fees is a valid way to balance the student loans （ C） student indebtedness has become an increasingly tricky issue （ D） credit quality including student debts has been improved 2 In order to relieve the fin
15、ancial pressure brought by student loans, which option the author recommended is better? （ A） Student protesting the unfair repayment practices. （ B） Changing the current bankruptcy laws. （ C） Students repaying the loans on an income-basis. （ D） The government prolonging the repayment time. 3 Which
16、of the following is the best title for the passage? （ A） Student Loan a Financial Evil （ B） The Future of Student Loans （ C） Student Indebtedness and Its Causes （ D） Solutions to Problems of Student Indebtedness 3 A fast-food restaurant within about 500 feet of a school may lead to at least a 5 perc
17、ent increase in the overweight rate at that school, according to a study released on Friday. The study, conducted by economists at Columbia University and the University California, Berkeley, suggests that “a ban on fast foods in the immediate proximity of schools could have a sizable effect on obes
18、ity rates among affected students. “ The researchers looked at how proximity to the restaurants affected obesity rates among 3 million ninth graders at California schools, and more than 1 million pregnant women in Michigan, New Jersey and Texas. They focused on the ninth graders, typically about 14
19、years old, in part because the students get a fitness test in the spring about 30 weeks after starting school and exposure to fast food. The study, released by the American Association of Wine Economists, showed that “the presence of a fast-food restaurant within a tenth of a mile of a school is ass
20、ociated with at least a 5.2 percent increase in the obesity rate in that school. “ It also found that pregnant women who lived within a tenth of a mile of a fast-food restaurant had “a 4.4 percent increase in the probability of gaining over 20 kilos(44 pounds). “ The study follows one presented last
21、 month at an American Stroke Association conference. Researchers from the University of Michigan found people who live in neighborhoods packed with fast-food restaurants are more likely to suffer strokes. In December, a study found that youth who study within a half mile from a fast-food outlet eat
22、fewer fruit and vegetables, drink more soda and are more likely to be obese than students at other schools. Janet Currie, lead researcher of the wine economists study, said that it might be a good policy to have a fast-food-free zone if fast food near schools causes obesity. “It would not be so diff
23、erent in spirit from existing policies that aim to prohibit soft drinks and junk foods in schools or to improve the quality of school lunch, “ she said. A spokeswoman for Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silvers, declined to comment, saying she had not seen
24、the study. Burger King did not return calls seeking comment. A McDonalds spokeswoman referred calls to the National Retail Federation, a trade group in Washington. “I think it would be a dangerous precedent to limit the types of legitimate, important businesses and where theyre located in a city, “
25、federation spokeswoman Ellen Davis said. “Doesnt it make more sense for parents to limit a childs allowance or let them know when and where they cant eat certain things?“ Davis added that restaurants have changed their menus in the last five years, especially for childrens meals. “We see many health
26、y options available slices of apple, milk instead of sodas. Its important to note that many chain restaurants have tried to diversify their menus and make them healthier.“ 4 Which of the following is INCORRECT about the study mentioned in Paragraph 2? （ A） It agreed that fast foods should be far awa
27、y from school. （ B） It didnt mention the people in Columbia. （ C） It proved that fast foods may lead to strokes. （ D） It showed that childrens situation was worse than pregnant womens. 5 Which of the following can be inferred from the last three paragraphs? （ A） McDonalds shared the same opinion wit
28、h Ellen Davis. （ B） Yum! Brands held different opinion from Burger King. （ C） Janet Currie preferred a new policy to present policies. （ D） Ellen Davis thought limiting childrens money made no sense. 6 According to the passage, which of the following may NOT be the reason for childrens overweight? （
29、 A） Eating fewer fruit and vegetables. （ B） Being unaware of self-control. （ C） School lunch of low quality. （ D） Restaurants changing menus for children. 6 A small group of salt-and-pepper haired women who live outside Jackson, Mississippi, meet every other Tuesday at the local antique store for th
30、eir M. E. N. 3. A. gathering. The Most Exclusive National Shopping Association has met consistently for the past three years, but some of its members have been close for more than 50. Margaret Collins Jenkins, 58, is president. After shopping, when the meeting ends, the 10-15 member group goes to di
31、nner. Though Jenkins says the group laughs and carries on, this is more than just a club. These women work to preserve the friendships theyve cultivated over a lifetime. “Having friends that extend over decades, they more or less know your history. They know your ins and outs and ups and downs of yo
32、ur life, “ Jenkins said. “That just makes us be able to build each other up. Those friends that know your history, they cant be replaced.“ The groups shared experiences are what sustain them through life changes like child rearing, divorce and death. And theyre key elements to building a sense of co
33、mmunity and a healthy lifestyle, experts say. Dr. James House, from the University of Michigan, has researched the health benefits of meaningful relationships. He says a lack of social interactions is predictive of poor health and earlier death for most people. House contends that keeping in contact
34、 with others is likely to regulate a persons own behaviors so that it becomes harder to slip into poor health habits. The M. E. N. S. A. ladies strive to stay active and connected. One snapshot can convey decades of friendship: That weekend trip to New Orleans. Those painting sessions, loosely refer
35、red to as art lessons. Christmas spent dressed as fairies. This particular set of Southern ladies didnt meet on Facebook. Their connections to each other happened over time. Some of the women work together as teachers; others go to the same church. A few are neighbors. Sherry Downs, 57, says she rel
36、ies on her closest friends to carry her through lifes twists and turns, big and small. “We believe in each other about everything and we value each others opinions, “ Downs says. “I just about wont take a step without asking one of them, Which way do I go?“ Jenkins, a school teacher who moved into t
37、he community nearly 40 years ago, says shes been able to rely on her longtime confidants during the darkest periods of her life. “I went through a divorce. They were there, so sturdy and so dependable in every way, “ she says. “ Did they stop including me in the group? No. They included me and made
38、a special effort to make me not feel like the third wheel. I never was left out. They supported me not only in words but in their actions. “ As we age, we begin to feel liberated from past patterns and habits, says Rebecca G. Adams, a sociology and gerontology(老年学 )professor and expert on friendship
39、 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Markers of aging, such as retirement or widowhood, trigger a period of transition, change and redirection. After raising children and devoting time to building careers, Adams says, there is a reinvestment in what one feels is important, such as dea
40、r friendships. “Like anything you do in life, it requires work, “ Jenkins says. “A lot of people I think wonder why they dont have those kinds of friends, and its because it takes work. “ 7 Which of the following is INCORRECT about the members of M. E. N. S. A. ? （ A） All of them are female. （ B） Th
41、ey hold the gathering at home. （ C） They meet every other week. （ D） They have dinner together after shopping. 8 Whats implied but NOT stated by Dr. James House is that social interactions_. （ A） are important for fostering a sense of community （ B） are beneficial for making good friends （ C） make p
42、eople become healthier （ D） can control ones own behaviors 8 The mystery of the expansion of sea ice around Antarctica, at the same time as global warming is melting swaths of Arctic sea ice, has been solved using data from U. S. military satellites. Two decades of measurements show that changing wi
43、nd patterns around Antarctica have caused a small increase in sea ice, the result of cold winds off the continent blowing ice away from the coastline. “Until now these changes in ice drift were only speculated upon using computer models, “ said Paul Holland at the British Antarctic Survey. “Our stud
44、y of direct satellite observations shows the complexity of climate change.“ “The Arctic is losing sea ice five times faster than the Antarctic is gaining it, so, on average, the Earth is losing sea ice very quickly. There is no inconsistency between our results and global warming.“ The extent of sea
45、 ice is of global importance because the bright ice reflects sunlight far more than the ocean, meaning temperature rises still further. This summer saw a record low in Arctic sea ice since satellite measurements began 30 years ago. Holland said the changing pattern of sea ice at both poles would ais
46、o affect global ocean circulation, with unknown effects. He noted that while Antarctic sea ice was growing, the Antarctic ice cap the glacier and snow pack on the continent was losing mass, with the fresh water flowing into the ocean. The research on Antarctic sea ice, published in Nature Geoscience
47、, revealed large regional variations. In places where warm winds blowing from the tropics towards Antarctica had become stronger, sea ice was being lost rapidly. “In some areas, such as the Bellingshausen Sea, the sea ice is being lost as fast as in the Arctic, “ said Holland. But in other areas, se
48、a ice was being added as sea water left behind ice being blown away from the coast froze. The net effect is that there has been an extra 17, 000 sq km of sea ice each year since 1978 about a tenth of a percent of the maximum sea ice cover. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by an ocean, whereas th
49、e Arctic is an ocean surrounded by a continent. For that reason, said Holland, sea ice was not able to expand by the same mechanism in the Arctic as at the southern pole, because if winds pushed the ice away from the pole it quickly hit land. Holland did the research with Ron Kwok at Nasas jet propulsion laboratory in California, where maps of sea ice movements were created from more than 5m individual daily measurements collected over 19 years. The maps showed, for the first time, the long-term changes in sea ice drift a
