1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 132及答案与解析 Section A 0 The flood of women into the job market boosted economic growth and changed US society in many ways. Many in-home jobs that used to be done【 C1】 _by women ranging from family shopping to preparing meals to doing【 C2】_work still need to be done by someone. Husb
2、ands and children now do some of these jobs, a【 C3】 _that has changed the target market for many products. Or a working woman may face a crushing“ poverty of time“ and look for help elsewhere, creating opportunities for producers of frozen meals, child care centers, dry cleaners, financial services,
3、 and the like. Although there is still a big wage【 C4】 _between men and women, the income working women【 C5】 _gives them new independence and buying power. For example, women now【 C6】 _about half of all cars. Not long ago, many car dealers【 C7】 _women shoppers by ignoring them or suggesting that the
4、y come back with their husbands. Now car companies have realized that women are【 C8】_customers. Its interesting that some leading Japanese car dealers were the first to【 C9】 _pay attention to women customers. In Japan, fewer women have jobs or buy cars the Japanese society is still very much male-or
5、iented. Perhaps it was the【 C10】 _contrast with Japanese society that prompted American firms to pay more attention to women buyers. A)affordable F)insulted K)retailed B)excessive G)potential L)scale C)extreme H)primarily M)situation D)gap I)purchase N)technically E)generate J)really O)voluntary 1 【
6、 C1】 2 【 C2】 3 【 C3】 4 【 C4】 5 【 C5】 6 【 C6】 7 【 C7】 8 【 C8】 9 【 C9】 10 【 C10】 Section B 10 The Peak Time for Everything A)Could you pack more into each day if you did everything at the optimal time? A growing body of research suggests that paying attention to the body clock, and its effects on ener
7、gy and alertness, can help pinpoint the different times of day when most of us perform our best at specific tasks, from resolving conflicts to thinking creatively. 1. Keep pace with natural rhythms. B)Most people organize their time around everything but the bodys natural rhythms. Workday demands, c
8、ommuting, social events and kids schedules frequently dominateinevitably clashing with the bodys circadian(生理节奏的 )rhythms of waking and sleeping. C)Disruption of circadian rhythms has been linked to such problems as diabetes, depression, dementia(痴呆 )and obesity, says Steve Kay, a professor of molec
9、ular and computational biology at the University of Southern California. When the bodys master clock can synchronize(使同步 )functioning of all its metabolic(新陈代谢的 ), cardiovascular and behavioral rhythms in response to light and other natural stimuli, it “gives us an edge in daily life,“ Dr. Kay says.
10、 D)When it comes to doing cognitive work, for example, most adults perform best in the late morning, says Dr. Kay. As body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase through midday, working memory, alertness and concentration gradually improve. Taking a
11、 warm morning shower can jump-start the process. E)The ability to focus and concentrate typically starts to slide soon thereafter. Most people are more easily distracted from noon to 4 p. m. , according to recent research led by Robert Matchock, an associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania S
12、tate University. Alertness tends to slump after eating a meal, Dr. Matchock found. Sleepiness also tends to peak around 2 p. m., making that a good time for a nap, says Martin Moore-Ede, chairman and chief executive of Circadian, a Stoneham, Mass. , training and consulting firm. 2. Make good use of
13、fatigue. F)Surprisingly, fatigue may boost creative powers. For most adults, problems that require open-ended thinking are often best tackled in the evening when they are tired, according to a 2011 study in the journal Thinking 6 a. m. messages are most likely to be read, says Dan Zarrella, social-m
14、edia scientist for HubSpot, a Cambridge, Mass. I)Reading Twitter at 8 a. m. or 9 a. m. can start your day on a cheery note. Thats when users are most likely to tweet upbeat, enthusiastic messages, and least likely to send downbeat tweets steeped in fear, distress, anger or guilt, according to a stud
15、y of 509 million tweets sent over two years by 2.4 million Twitter users, published last year in Science. One likely factor? “Sleep is refreshing“ and leaves people alert and enthusiastic, says Michael Walton Macy, a sociology professor at Cornell University and co-author of the study. The cheerines
16、s peaks about 1-1/2 hours later on weekends perhaps because people are sleeping in, Dr. Macy says. J)Other social networking is better done later in the day. If you want your tweets to be re-tweeted, post them between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. , when many people lack energy to share their own tweets and tur
17、n to relaying others instead, Mr. Zarrella says. And posts to Facebook at about 8 p. m. tend to get the most “likes,“ after people get home from work or finish dinner. At that time of day, theyre likely to turn to Facebook feeling less stressed. “You have less stuff to do and more time to give,“ say
18、s Mr. Zarrella. K)Late-night drama can be found on Twitter, where emotions heat up just before bedtime, between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m., says Scott Andrew Golder, a Ph. D. candidate at Cornell University and co-author of the Twitter study. At that time, people tended to send more emotion-laden tweets,
19、 both positive and negative. Tired out by the workday, but also freed from its stresses and demands, people become “more alert and engaged, but also more agitated,“ Dr. Macy says. 4. Choose the right exercise time. L)When choosing a time of day to exercise, paying attention to your body clock can al
20、so improve results. Physical performance is usually best, and the risk of injury least, from about 3 p. m. to 6 p.m., says Michael Smolensky, an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, and lead author with Lynne Lamberg of “The Body Clock Guide to Better Healt
21、h.“ M)Muscle strength tends to peak between 2p.m. and 6 p. m. at levels as much as 6% above the days lows, improving your ability to grip a club(高尔夫球杆 )or racquet. Another boost for physical strength comes from the lungs, which function 17. 6% more efficiently at 5 p. m. than at midday, according to
22、 a study of 4 756 patients led by Boris Medarov, an assistant professor of medicine at Albany Medical College in New York. N)Eye-hand coordination is best in late afternoon, making that a good time for racquetball or Frisbee. And joints and muscles are as much as 20% more flexible in the evening, lo
23、wering the risk of injury, Dr. Smolensky says. These body rhythms hold true regardless of how much youve slept or how recently youve eaten. 11 Due to different body clocks, people may feel it difficult to match their natural rhythms with everyday plans. 12 Most peoples daily schedules often conflict
24、 with their physical rhythms. 13 According to Martin Moore-Ede, it is most reasonable to take a nap around 2 oclock in the afternoon. 14 People may be more creative when they are tired for tiredness may help people think more freely. 15 Taking a warm shower in the morning can help people to improve
25、their performance. 16 According to Dan Zarrella, the benefit of sending e-mails early in the day is that people are most likely to read these messages. 17 The body rhythms have nothing to do with our sleep and diet. 18 Posts to Facebook at a time when people experience less stress will be more likel
26、y to get “likes“. 19 The cheeriest moment on weekends is later than that on weekdays. 20 The late afternoon is the best time to exercise and the least time to suffer from injury. Section C 20 According to recent United States Department of Agriculture(USDA)projections, the country will see a sharp d
27、rop in meat consumption this year. Americans are expected to eat 12 percent less meat and poultry than they ate five years ago. Tanya Steel, editor of epicurious. com, saw the trend coming, ranking meatless meals as a top food trend for 2011. Anecdotal evidence, said Steel, as well as searches on ep
28、icurious. com bear out her predictions. “More people, especially those over 65 and those under 30, are eating less and less meat and searching for high protein items to replace meat,“ said Steel. “Tofu, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, soy, as well as fish and shellfish, are all rising up in our search qu
29、eries.“ The Allrecipes food site found in its recent survey that more than one-third of US households ate less meat in 2011. But not just on Meatless Mondays, although that nonprofit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, continue
30、s to attract attention. The Meatless Monday initiative stresses the health benefits of cutting meat consumption, as well as the environmental impact of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing water usage and reducing the use of fossil fuels. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Simon Cowell have
31、 spoken out in favor of the campaign. Even pork-loving celebrity chef Mario Batali embraces the skip-meat-once-a-week trend and offers more meat-free options in his restaurants. In Indianapolis, diners are “very interested“ in meatless dishes, said Jennifer Laughner, a chef at SoBro Cafe. Known as “
32、chef Jenxie,“ Laughner said she draws inspiration for meat-free dishes from a variety of world cuisine. “Its very hard to find good, healthy, ready-to-eat food,“ said Laughner. “I decided that would be a really good niche(商机 ).“ Meatless dishes on the SoBro Cafe menu include barbecue lentils, sweet-
33、and-sour cabbage, a savory Dutch pancake and a veggie burger. Laughner, who has been a vegetarian but now eats some meat, said her style of cooking focuses on creating healthy food that tastes good. That some of it is vegetarian is beside the point. “Thats not what its about,“ she said. “I like maki
34、ng food so that people dont notice that theres no meat in it.“ 21 What did Tanya Steel say about the food trend for 2011? （ A） The eating habit of older American people had changed totally. （ B） The demand of other high protein items were rising. （ C） Middle-aged people were more careful about what
35、they ate. （ D） Sea-food became more and more popular among Americans. 22 According to the Meatless Monday, what can people gain from eating less meat? （ A） Better physical conditions. （ B） Less household expenses on food. （ C） Better adjustment to the environment. （ D） Less consumption of air. 23 Wh
36、at does chef Mario Batali do to support the Meatless Monday campaign? （ A） He provides no other meat but pork for customers. （ B） He offers meat-free dishes only once a week. （ C） He provides more meat-free dishes in his restaurants. （ D） He speaks out in shows to support the trend. 24 What does Lau
37、ghner do to contribute to the meatless campaign? （ A） She develops many meatless dishes. （ B） She stirs up other chefs passion. （ C） She compares dishes worldwide. （ D） She brings profit to the campaign. 25 What effect does Laughner want to create with her dishes? （ A） She wants to make people remem
38、ber her style of cooking. （ B） She wants to help people develop a healthy eating habit. （ C） She hopes to make her food both healthy and tasty. （ D） She tries to make people ignore the existence of meat. 25 US import prices recorded the biggest drop in five months in November as food and fuel costs
39、tumbled(下跌 ), keeping inflation pressures subdued against the backdrop of a weak economy. The Labor Department said on Wednesday import prices fell 0.9 percent after three straight months of gains. Octobers data was revised to show a 0.3 percent increase rather than the previously reported 0.5 perce
40、nt gain. Economists polled by Reuters had expected import prices to fall 0.5 percent last month. In the 12 months to November, import prices fell 1. 6 percent. Stripping out fuels and food prices, import prices dipped 0.1 percent as the cost of capital goods fell by the most since March 2010 and aut
41、omobile prices were flat, indicating that broader inflation pressures remained benign(良性的 ). “The global economy is restraining prices here and abroad. This indicates global demand is soft and will remain soft in the near term,“ said Gus Faucher, a senior economist at PNC Financial Services in Pitts
42、burgh. “This adds to the perception that inflation is not a concern.“ The tame inflation environment should allow the Federal Reserve to stay on its ultra-easy monetary policy course as it tries to nurse the economy back to health. Officials at the US central bank resume policy deliberations on Wedn
43、esday and are expected to reaffirm the Feds accommodative stance(立场 )at the end of the two-day meeting. Data on Thursday is expected to show that weak energy costs depressed wholesale prices in November for a second month in a row, according to a Reuters survey of economists. Last month, imported pe
44、troleum prices fell 3. 6 percent after slipping 0. 2 percent in October. Imported food prices fell 1. 3 percent, the biggest decline since February, after edging up 0. 2 percent the prior month. Elsewhere, imported capital goods prices fell 0.3 percent after being flat in October. Imported motor veh
45、icle prices were unchanged after rising 0. 3 percent the previous month. The Labor Department report also showed export prices fell 0. 7 percent last month, the largest drop since June. Export prices were flat in October. Export prices were last month weighed down by declines in prices for industria
46、l supplies and materials. Prices for nonagricultural supplies and materials also fell as did prices for consumer goods excluding automobiles. 26 What prediction can be made based on the recent import prices and the automobile prices? （ A） The US import prices would face another big drop. （ B） The ec
47、onomy could be under greater pressures. （ C） The general inflation pressures would be mild. （ D） The Labor Department may change the import policy. 27 What does Gus Faucher think of the import prices? （ A） Regional prices must be in accord with global prices. （ B） Demand is the key factor that deter
48、mines the final prices. （ C） The import prices can reflect the demand to some extent. （ D） The import prices indicate that the global economy is stable. 28 What is the purpose of the Federal Reserve to keep the ultra-easy monetary policy? （ A） To get prepared for worse inflation. （ B） To make the ec
49、onomic environment softer. （ C） To revive the economy of America. （ D） To meet the need of the US central bank. 29 What prediction does the Reuters survey of economists make? （ A） Energy costs will stimulate the whole market. （ B） Wholesale prices will continue to drop. （ C） Import prices of capital goods will continue to drop in the next two months. （ D） Imported food prices will mostly be stable. 30 What was the condition of export prices last month? （ A） All export prices have dropped a lot. （ B） Car
