1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 45及答案与解析 0 If you want to know how I spend my money, go to B. Each time I make a purchase on my credit card, the amount Ive spent and the name of the place Ive spent it automatically pop up on this weird new site. Why would any sane person volunteer to publicize that information? Phil
2、ip Kaplan, a technology entrepreneur and one of Blippys co-founders, hazards a guess: “To tell people friends, acquaintances, maybe even strangers a little bit more about you.“ I had a different theory. If large numbers of people could see and comment on what I was buying, maybe I would be shamed in
3、to spending less. Could there be a practical use for the exhibitionism and groupthink of social networking? Location-centric sites like Foursquare encourage people to blast where they are and what theyre buying. But Blippy takes things to a new level, since information goes straight from point of pu
4、rchase to website. You dont have to push a single button; just agree to let Blippy broadcast the details that end up on your credit-card statement. Marketers are constantly mining all sorts of consumer data, and Blippy which has received seed money from big-name investors like Sequoia Capital and Tw
5、itter CEO Evan Williams wants to help individuals start harnessing this kind of information too. Conversations on Blippy occasionally revolve around how people should spend less for things. If you pay more than $29.99 a month for a gym membership, expect to hear about it. But more often the comments
6、 are pro-purchase. Thats especially true when people choose to specify what theyre buying on sites such as Amazon, iTunes and Netflix. During my first month on Blippy, which was in beta(测试 )until Jan. 14, my inclination for eating at Mexican restaurants quickly became a topic of conversation among t
7、he strangers who started following me on the site. As I scrolled through other users purchases, I was reminded that most people sometimes go to grocery stores instead of eating out every night. I noticed another Blippy member joking about how often charges showed up from a particular bar. He said th
8、at to avoid the appearance of a drinking problem, maybe he should switch to cash. I ran my cost-control theory by Kaplan, and he said it was interesting but that he had witnessed his spending habits being swayed in the other direction. On a recent trip to Bali, he battled with a friend over who woul
9、d get to pay for dinner. He wasnt being gracious. He simply wanted the Blippy community to see that he was in a cool place. I, too, eventually found that sharing details about what I was buying only made me want to spend more. With friends on New Years Eve, I asked to be the one to purchase a bottle
10、 of champagne. In an odd way, I felt I would be ringing in the New Year with my Blippy peers. And that made me realize Blippy isnt primarily about spending habits. Like any other social-networking site, its mostly about feeling as if youre surrounded by a particular group of people even when youre n
11、ot. 1 The authors spending information appears on B （ A） because he wants to share his life with others. （ B） so that he can pay for his purchases by credit card. （ C） without his knowing it. （ D） with his prior consent. 2 Which of the following is NOT true about the website B? （ A） Sequoia Capital
12、and Twitter have invested money in it. （ B） It can help members exploit their spending data. （ C） It broadcasts the details of its members every purchase. （ D） Its members are most likely to discuss the deal before purchasing. 3 What can we learn about the man who thinks that he “should switch to ca
13、sh“? （ A） He has a drinking problem. （ B） He often goes to a particular bar. （ C） He recommends a particular bar to the author. （ D） He is unaware of his own drinking problem. 4 By saying “his spending habits being swayed in the other direction“(Para. 5), the author means that Kaplan （ A） became mor
14、e generous than before. （ B） was more enthusiastic about sharing. （ C） wanted to spend more money than before. （ D） no longer went to that particular bar. 5 The author believes that the most essential role played by Blippy is in the aspect of （ A） socializing with others. （ B） cultivating wise consu
15、mers. （ C） publicizing spending information. （ D） changing spending habits. 5 Prolonged sleep deprivation increases the risk of suffering from a stroke or heart disease, according to a major long-term study based on the experiences of hundreds of thousands of people across eight countries. The trend
16、 for late nights and early mornings was described as “a ticking time bomb“ by the researchers at the University of Warwick who linked a lack of sleep to a range of disorders which often result in early death. Chronic short sleep produce hormones and chemicals in the body, which increases the risk of
17、 developing heart disease, strokes and other conditions, according to Dr Michelle Miller of the University of Warwick. She and Professor Francesco Cappuccio, who co-authored a report published in the European Heart Journal, followed up evidence spanning seven to 25 years from more than 470,000 parti
18、cipants across eight countries, including Japan, the US, Sweden and the UK. Professor Francesco Cappuccio said: “If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep you stand a 48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15% greater chance of developing or dyin
19、g from a stroke. The trend for late nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our health so you need to act now to reduce your risk of developing these life-threatening conditions.“ Professor Cappuccio added: “There is an expectation in todays society to fit more into our lives.
20、The whole work/life balance struggle is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time to ensure we complete all the jobs we believe are expected of us.“ “But in doing so, we are significantly increasing the risk of suffering a stroke or developing cardiovascular(心血管的 )disease resulting i
21、n, for example, heart attacks.“ He also warned of the implications of sleeping too much, more than nine hours at a stretch, which may be an indicator of illness, such as cardiovascular disease. He said: “By ensuring you have about seven hours sleep a night, you are protecting your future health, and
22、 reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses. The link is clear from our research: get the sleep you need to stay healthy and live longer.“ Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We know sleep is essential for staying healthy and this research adds further ev
23、idence about the possible consequences for our health if we dont get enough.“ “Although there appears to be an association between heart and circulatory disease and lack of sleep, it is not yet fully understood. There seem to be some hormonal and chemical changes in the body when lack of sleep occur
24、s, so over a period of time these may have some impact on the heart and circulatory system.“ “There are plenty of reasons why sleep deprivation is a problem. Easy Internet access, a growing number of TV channels, financial worries and longer working hours all distract us from going to bed. But its i
25、mportant more of us make sleep a priority and get our restorative six to eight hours a night.“ 6 The phrase “a ticking time bomb“ in the second paragraph is used to stress （ A） the risk of sleep deprivation. （ B） our concern about good health. （ C） one possible cause of early death. （ D） our ignoran
26、ce about the lack of sleep. 7 Which of the following statements about Dr. Michelle Miller is true? （ A） She used to co-author a report with Professor Cappuccio. （ B） She had one report published in the European Heart Journal. （ C） She collaborated with Professor Cappuccio on a long-term study. （ D）
27、She chose participants who suffered long-term sleep deprivation. 8 According to Professor Cappuccio, what makes modern people sacrifice their sleeping time? （ A） More nightlife. （ B） Longer working hours. （ C） Easy Internet access. （ D） Financial worries. 9 What does Professor Cappuccio think about
28、sleeping too much? （ A） It may result in cardiovascular diseases. （ B） It may be as harmful as lack of sleep. （ C） It may cause more risks than lack of sleep. （ D） It may be a symptom of some diseases. 10 Ellen Mason is most convinced of （ A） the way sleep deprivation affects health. （ B） the link b
29、etween sleep and heart diseases. （ C） the hormones and chemicals changes in the body. （ D） the importance of sleep for good health. 10 Their defenders say they are motivated, versatile workers who are just what companies need in these difficult times. To others, however, the members of “Generation Y
30、“ those born in the 1980s and 1990s, otherwise known as the Net Generation are spoiled, narcissistic(自恋的 )idlers who cannot spell and waste too much time on instant messaging and Facebook. Ah, reply the Net Geners, but all that messing around online proves that we are computer-literate multi-taskers
31、 who are skillful users of online collaborative tools, and natural team players. And, while you are on the subject of me, I need a months vacation to reconsider my personal goals. This culture clash has been going on in many organizations and has lately seeped into management books. The Net Geners h
32、ave grown up with computers; they are brimming with self-confidence; and they have been encouraged to challenge received wisdom, to find their own solutions to problems and to treat work as a route to personal fulfillment rather than, merely a way of putting food on the table. Not all of this makes
33、them easy to manage. Bosses complain that after a childhood of being spoiled and praised, Net Geners demand far more frequent feedback and an over-precise set of objectives on the path to promotion. In a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, a consultancy, 61% of chief executives say they have tro
34、uble recruiting and integrating younger employees. For those hard-to-please older managers, the current recession is the joyful equivalent of hiding an alarm clock in a sleeping teenagers bedroom. Once again, the touchy-feely management fashions that always spring up in years of plenty are being dit
35、ched in favor of more brutal command-and-control methods. Having grown up in good times, Net Geners have labored under the illusion that the world owed them a living. But hopping between jobs to find one that meets your inner spiritual needs is not so easy when there are no jobs to hop to. And as fo
36、r that vacation: heres a permanent one, sunshine. In fact, compromise will be necessary on both sides. Net Geners will certainly have to lower some of their expectations and take the world as it is, not as they would like it to be. But their older bosses should also be prepared to make concessions.
37、The economy will eventually recover, and demographic trends in most rich countries will make clever young workers even more valuable. Besides, many of the things that keep Net Geners happy are worth doing anyway. But for the moment at least, the Facebookers are under heavy criticism. 11 In the eyes
38、of the critics of the Net Generation, the Net Geners are characterized as （ A） accomplished and competent. （ B） smart and flexible. （ C） self-centered and indulged. （ D） selfish and uncooperative. 12 According to Paragraph 2, Net Geners are not easy to manage in that （ A） theyve attached too much im
39、portance to the personal fulfillment. （ B） theyve been courageous enough to challenge the authorities. （ C） theyve had excessive confidence in themselves. （ D） theyve required excessive responses and goals. 13 The word “touchy-feely“ in Paragraph 3 most probably means （ A） sensitive and caring. （ B）
40、 cold and bloody. （ C） lazy and reckless. （ D） funny and interesting. 14 We can learn from the last paragraph that the author believes （ A） Net Geners should give up their expectations. （ B） older bosses should give the Net Geners whatever they want. （ C） both Net Geners and bosses should face the r
41、eality. （ D） both Net Geners and bosses should learn to concede. 15 What is the authors attitude towards Net Geners? （ A） Supportive. （ B） Objective. （ C） Biased. （ D） Pessimistic. 15 Ever try and get a two-year-old to pick up trash? This was our goal this past weekend on a glorious, clear Saturday,
42、 the morning of the two-decades old International Coastal Cleanup. Once a year, volunteers from all over the country gather on beaches, baysides, and riverbanks to clean them up. The sponsor of the effort, the Ocean Conservancy, says that to date six million volunteers from around the world have tak
43、en over 100 million pounds of trash out of American waters. That sounded a little farfetched until my little family spent a morning on the Potomac River. We live a few blocks from the storied river. To many, the Potomac, the water that frames the nations capital, is a witness and carrier of history.
44、 The river is a community builder along the Mount Vernon trail that runs for miles along the Potomac in Virginia, we meet more neighbors during the week than we would if we went door-to-door. We want to see the river sparkling clean. We also feel guilty for not performing any kind of community servi
45、ce for the past two years as the kids dominated nearly every waking moment. So we walked over to Daingerfield Island, home of boat docks, soccer fields, and a great view of planes taking off at Reagan National Airport. The National Park Service ranger handed us three large trash bags, three sets of
46、gloves, a long-handled “gripper“ for snatching pieces of trash out of reach, and directed us to a portion of the trail where hed seen “tons of garbage.“ I still was suspicious. But in a little over an hour, my husband and I were overwhelmed with plastic cola bottles, rusted tin cans, tennis balls, w
47、ater bottles, and one size 13 Air Jordan shoe, lightly worn. In about a 30-yard stretch we had our bags filled to the brim, too heavy to transport back to the ranger while managing a two-year-old who kept screaming TRASH! and running in its direction. We discovered this river garbage can easily conc
48、eal itself in vegetation and in the mud of the banks. It can also hide in plain sight if those who put it there just dont care. Simply put, this trash or marine debris, if you want to be proper kills. It destroys not only fish, other marine life and seabirds, but also their homes. Thoughtlessly disc
49、arded on land or from boats in coastal communities, trash finds its way to the water and bigger bodies of water, in our case, the Chesapeake and eventually the Atlantic and look! A garbage dump at sea. Much of this trash has real “staying power,“ as the Ocean Conservancy calls it in their findings from a marine monitoring program, and resists decaying. Fish mistake trash for food. Discarded fishing lines or nets entrap sea life, cutting fins(鱼鳍 )or strangling them. My baby, Luke, spent the first hour mastering the gri
