1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 181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 (1) Student loans are based on a simple idea: that a
2、graduates 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. (2) All over the world student indebtedness is causi
3、ng problems 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 grea
4、ter in America. 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. (3) Man
5、y of the anti-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 count
6、ries in 2009. 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 contrac
7、ts between borrowers and private lenders is usually a bad idea. (4) 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 o
8、f gradual financial suffocation. The pressure needs to be eased. (5) 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
9、put off future ones, 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 worr
10、y that graduates would rush to declare bankruptcy, handing losses to taxpayers. (6) 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
11、 student-loan repayments 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 strug
12、gling American graduates to 10% of discretionary (任意的 ) income and forgive outstanding debt after 20 years. Income-based repayment ought to become the norm. (7) 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 informat
13、ion were made public, other useful 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 f
14、rom the first two paragraphs that_. （ A） high unemployment rates make it hard for students to get loans （ B） rising university fees is a valid way to balance student loans （ C） student indebtedness has become an increasingly tricky issue （ D） credit quality including student debts has been improved
15、2 In order to relieve the financial pressure brought by student loans, which option the author recommended is better? （ A） Students protest the unfair repayment practices. （ B） To change the current bankruptcy laws. （ C） Students repay the loans on an income-basis. （ D） The government prolongs the r
16、epayment time. 3 Which of the following is the best title for the passage? （ A） Student Debt A Financial Evil. （ B） The Future of Student Loans. （ C） Student Indebtedness and Its Causes. （ D） Solutions to Problems of Student Indebtedness. 3 (1) A fast-food restaurant within about 500 feet of a schoo
17、l may lead to at least a 5 percent increase in the overweight rate at that school, according to a study released on Friday. (2) 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
18、 could have a sizable effect on obesity rates among affected students. “ (3) 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 o
19、n the ninth graders, typically about 14 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 wi
20、thin a tenth of a mile of a school is associated 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 po
21、unds). “ (4) The study follows one presented last 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. (5) In December, a study found that youth who
22、study within a half mile from a fast-food outlet eat fewer fruit and vegetables, drink more soda and are more likely to be obese than students at other schools. (6) 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 f
23、ood near schools causes obesity. “It would not be so different 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. (7) A spokeswoman for Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long
24、 John Silvers, declined to comment, saying she had not seen 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. (8) “I think it would be a dangerous precedent to limit the types of legitim
25、ate, important businesses and where theyre located in a city,“ 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
26、five years, especially for childrens meals. “We see many healthy 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
27、in Para. 2? （ A） It agreed that fast foods should be far away from school. （ B） It didnt mention 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 thre
28、e paragraphs? （ A） McDonalds shared the same opinion with 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 fol
29、lowing may NOT be the reason for childrens overweight? （ 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 (1) A small group of salt-and-pepper haired women who live outside Jackson, Mississippi
30、, meet every other Tuesday at the local antique store for their M. E. N. S. 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 shoppi
31、ng, when the meeting ends, the 10-15 member group goes to dinner. (2) 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. (3) “Having friends that extend over decades, they more or less kn
32、ow your history. They know your ins and outs and ups and downs of your life,“ Jenkins said. “ That just makes us be able to build each other up. Those friends that know your history, they cant be replaced. “ (4) The groups shared experiences are what sustain them through life changes like child rear
33、ing, divorce and death. And theyre key elements to building a sense of community and a healthy lifestyle, experts say. (5) 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 hea
34、lth and earlier death for most people. House contends that keeping in contact with others is likely to regulate a persons own behavior so that it becomes harder to slip into poor health habits. (6) The M. E. N. S. A. ladies strive to stay active and connected. One snapshot can convey decades of frie
35、ndship: That weekend trip to New Orleans. Those painting sessions, loosely referred to as art lessons. Christmas spent dressed as fairies. (7) 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 teacher
36、s; others go to the same church. A few are neighbors. (8) Sherry Downs, 57, says she relies on her closest friends to carry her through lifes twists and turns, big and small. (9) “We believe in each other about everything and we value each others opinions,“ Downs says. “I just about wont take a step
37、 without asking one of them, Which way do I go? “ (10) Jenkins, a school teacher who moved into the community nearly 40 years ago, says shes been able to rely on her longtime confidants during the darkest periods of her life. (11) “I went through a divorce. They were there, so sturdy and so dependab
38、le in every way,“ she says. “ Did they stop including me in the group? No. They included me and made 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. “ (12) As we age, we begin to feel liberated from past patte
39、rns and habits, says Rebecca G. Adams, a sociology and gerontology (老年学 ) professor and expert on friendship 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 devoti
40、ng time to building careers, Adams says, there is a reinvestment in what one feels is important, such as dear friendships. (13) “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. “
41、7 Which of the following is INCORRECT about the members of M. E. N. S. A. ? （ A） All of them are female. （ B） They 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
42、_. （ A） are important for fostering a sense of community （ B） are beneficial for making good friends （ C） make people become healthier （ D） help control ones own behavior 8 (1) The mystery of the expansion of sea ice around Antarctica, at the same time as global warming is melting swaths of Arctic s
43、ea ice, has been solved using data from U. S. military satellites. (2) Two decades of measurements show that changing wind 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. (3) “Until now these changes
44、in ice drift were only speculated upon using computer models,“ said Paul Holland at the British Antarctic Survey. “ Our study of direct satellite observations shows the complexity of climate change. “ (4) “The Arctic is losing sea ice five times faster than the Antarctic is gaining it, so, on averag
45、e, the Earth is losing sea ice very quickly. There is no inconsistency between our results and global warming. “ (5) The extent of sea ice is of global importance because the bright ice reflects sunlight far more than the ocean, meaning temperature rises still further. (6) This summer saw a record l
46、ow in Arctic sea ice since satellite measurements began 30 years ago. Holland said the changing pattern of sea ice at both poles would also 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
47、 continent was losing mass, with the fresh water flowing into the ocean. (7) The research on Antarctic sea ice, published in Nature Geoscience, revealed large regional variations. In places where warm winds blowing from the tropics towards Antarctica had become stronger, sea ice was being lost rapid
48、ly. “In some areas, such as the Bellingshausen Sea, the sea ice is being lost as fast as in the Arctic,“ said Holland. (8) But in other areas, sea 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 se
49、a ice each year since 1978 about a tenth of a percent of the maximum sea ice cover. (9) Antarctica is a continent surrounded by an ocean, whereas the 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. (10) Holland did the research with Ron Kwok at Nasas jet propulsion laboratory in California, where maps of sea ice movements were create
