1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 177及答案与解析 Section A 0 There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. This is, however, a【 C1】 _. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it【 C2】 _as a basic skill. There are, however, 【 C3】_different ideas abou
2、t how to teach it, or how much priority it must be given over general language development and writing ability. If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teachers interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to “play safe“, this is to say, to avoid using words he is not sure of. He will ten
3、d to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid【 C4】_language. Thats why teachers often【 C5】 _the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability. In this way, students will be able to【 C6】 _their ideas more freely. I was once shocked to read o
4、n the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: “This work is【 C7】 _! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible(难以辨认的 ).“ It may have been a sharp【 C8】 _of the pupils technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher
5、who had【 C9】 _to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the childs deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centered on the childs ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the p
6、upil more【 C10】 _to seek improvement. A. unimportant B. failed C. specifically D. encourage E. adventurous F. withdrawn G. vastly H. terrible I. motivation J. reaction K. criticism L. indicate M. express N. misunderstanding O. resistant 1 【 C1】 2 【 C2】 3 【 C3】 4 【 C4】 5 【 C5】 6 【 C6】 7 【 C7】 8 【 C8】
7、 9 【 C9】 10 【 C10】 Section B 10 The Lost Art of Listening A)“Why wont he even listen to my idea?“, “Why am I cut off before I provide the whole story?“ How many times have you been frustrated by someone not listening to what you have to say? How many times have you frustrated others by not listening
8、 to them? We tend to think that listening is the same as hearing; but listening is the art of being alert to the problems of the person you are with. Problems caused by not listening can be serious, not only at work, but also with family and friends. Many times we jump in to say whats on our minds b
9、efore weve even acknowledged what the other person has said, short circuiting the possibility of mutual understanding. Speaking without listening, hearing without understanding. In fact were often baffled and dismayed by the feeling of being left sitting around in the dark. B)Effective managers are
10、proactive(主动的 )listeners. They dont wait for members of their staff to come to them; they make an active effort to find out what people think and feel by asking them. The manager who meets frequently with staff members keeps informed and, even more importantly, communicates interest in the people th
11、emselves. An open-door policy allows access, but it doesnt substitute for an active campaign of reaching out and listening to people. The manager who doesnt ask questions communicates that he or she doesnt care. And if he or she doesnt listen, the message is “Im not there for you.“ Even if a manager
12、 decides not to follow a subordinates suggestion, listening with sincere interest conveys respect and makes the employee feel appreciated. C)Communicating by memo or e-mail however witty or informal is not substitute for personal contact, because it closes off the chance to listen. Simply going thro
13、ugh the motions of meeting with people doesnt work either. The fake listener doesnt fool anyone. Poor eye contact, shuffling feet, busy hands, and meaningless replies, like “Thats interesting“ and “Is that right?“ give them away. The insincere listeners lack of interest in the conversation betrays a
14、 larger problem: lack of interest in the person with whom the listener is communicating. D)Most people dont listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. Even at work, where performance takes priority over relationships, listening carefully to understand the other perso
15、ns point of view before you even think about replying is the key to productive communication. Effective managers develop a routine in which communication time is an integral part of the job. They meet with their staff and ask questions. They dont react before gathering all the facts. If they dont kn
16、ow what their people are thinking and feeling, they ask and they listen. E)When we dont feel heard by our superiors, few of us give up right away. We write memos, we ask to meet with them, we try to communicate our needs and convey our points of view. Then we give up. Frequently, we complain to our
17、coworkers and our family and friends. Venting feelings of frustration with third parties rather than addressing conflicts at their source can take on epidemic proportions in work settings. Sometimes it takes the form of gossip, running down someone whos not present. F)But, some of you might be think
18、ing, my boss really is insensitive. Ive tried to talk to him, and he just doesnt listen. The mistake people make in trying to get through to unreceptive superiors is the same mistake most of us make in dealing with the difficult people in our lives: we try to change them. And when that doesnt work,
19、we give up. Instead, start by examining your own expectations. What do you want and how are you programmed to go about getting it? Are you expecting to have your personal needs met at work? Do you work hard and wait patiently for the boss to tell you that youre doing a great job, like a good little
20、boy or girl? G)Listening is important at work because it enables people to understand each other, get along and get the job done. But dont get too personal. Dont let your compassion allow someone to talk about their personal problems, which is interfering with work. This may be happening if youre th
21、e only person he talks to. A good supervisor keeps channels of communication open and keeps them focused on the task at hand by asking for frequent feedback about how things are going(on the job). “What do you like and dislike so far about working here?“, “Is there anything you think we should chang
22、e to make things smoother?“ H)Remember that it can be intimidating for subordinates to give criticism or make suggestions. If you want them to feel safe enough to open up, reassure them that you appreciate their ideas. “Im glad you spoke up.“ “Thanks for letting me know.“ “I didnt realize. Im glad y
23、ou told me.“ Listening to the people we work with isnt the same as becoming friends with them. Many people worry that if we allow ourselves to get personal at the workplace, things might get sticky. But those who think that effective teamwork isnt about listening(its about getting things done)are wr
24、ong. Without being heard we are diminished, as workers and as people. I)Keep in mind the difference between dissent(异议 )and defiance(挑衅 ). Defiance means attacking the other persons position and making him wrong. Dissent means having the courage to stand up for what you think and feel. Its the diffe
25、rence between saying “Youre wrong“ and “This is how I feel.“ Clearly, a dissenting message is much easier to hear than a defiant one. The listener is more willing and interested in hearing a dissenters objection. Someone who hears a defiant objection will tend to either ignore the comment or be rude
26、ly counter-defiant. This is a common problem that tends to increase barriers between people, something you dont want in a work environment where teamwork is necessary. Careful listening is difficult and takes practice to improve. Try harder to understand the other persons perspective. 11 Personal co
27、ntact can never be replaced by communicating through memo or e-mail which might be witty or informal. 12 If an employee wants to communicate with an unreceptive superior, he should not try to change the boss. 13 Effective managers make an active effort to keep informed of what a staff member thinks.
28、 14 It is not allowed to talk about personal problems at work, because it interferes with work. 15 The saying “This is how I feel“ can be classified as a dissenting message. 16 It is useful to send the message to the subordinate that their ideas would be appreciated because it can let them feel safe
29、 to open up. 17 When we dont feel heard by our superiors, most of us wont give up immediately. 18 The key to productive communication is to listen with the intent to understand. 19 Different from hearing, listening is the art of being alert to the problems of those you are with. 20 A good supervisor
30、 frequently asks for feedback about how things are going so that he can keep channels of communication open. Section C 20 Like a needle climbing up a bathroom scale, the number keeps rising. In 1991, 15% of Americans were obese(肥胖的 ); by 1999, that proportion had grown to 27%. Youngsters, who should
31、 have age and activity on their side, are growing larger as well: 19% of Americans under 17 are obese. Waistbands have been popping in other western countries too, as physical activity has declined and diets have expanded. By and large, people in the rich world seem to have lost the fight against fl
32、ab(松弛 ). Meanwhile, poorer nations have enjoyed some success in their battles against malnutrition and famine. But, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, it is more a case of being out of the frying pan and into the fire. Th
33、e most striking example actually in the poor world comes from the Pacific islands, home of the worlds most obese communities. In 1966, 14% of the men on this island were obese while 100% of men under the age of 30 in 1996 were obese. This increase in weight has been uneven as well as fast As a resul
34、t, undernourished and over-nourished people frequently live cheek by jowl(面颊 ). The mix can even occur within a single household. A study of families in Indonesia found that nearly 10% contained both the hungry and the fat. This is a mysterious phenomenon, but might have something to do with people
35、of different ages being given different amounts of food to eat. The prospect of heading off these problems is bleak In many affected countries there are cultural factors to contend with, such as an emphasis on eating large meals together, or on food as a form of hospitality. Moreover, there is a goo
36、d measure of disbelief on the part of policymakers that such a problem could exist in their countries. Add to that reluctance on the part of governments to spend resources on promoting diet and exercise while starvation is still a real threat, and the result is a recipe for inaction. Unless somethin
37、g is done soon, it might not be possible to turn the clock back. 21 The first sentence of the passage most probably implies that_. （ A） many Americans are obsessed with the rising temperature in their bathroom （ B） more people are overweighed in the United States （ C） people are doing more physical
38、exercises with the help of scales （ D） youngsters become taller and healthier thanks to more activities 22 As physical exercise declines and diet expands,_. （ A） other western countries has been defeated by fat （ B） obesity has become an epidemic(流行病 )of the rich world （ C） waistbands begin to be po
39、pular in other western countries （ D） western countries can no longer fight against obesity 23 Which is NOT the point of the example of the Pacific Islands? （ A） The poor community has shaken off poverty and people are well-fed now. （ B） Obesity is becoming a problem in the developing world too. （ C
40、） Excessive weight increase will cause no less harm than the food shortage. （ D） The problem of overweight emerges very fast. 24 Of tackling obesity in the poor world, we can learn from the passage that_. （ A） the matter is so complex as to go beyond our capacity （ B） no matter what we do, the prosp
41、ect will always be bleak （ C） it is starvation, the real threat, that needs to be solved （ D） we should take immediate actions before it becomes incurable 25 What is the main idea of this passage? （ A） Obesity is now a global problem that needs tackling. （ B） The weights increase fast throughout the
42、 whole world. （ C） Obesity and starvation are two main problems in the poor world. （ D） Obesity has shifted from the rich world to the poor world. 25 Three key facts about rising sea levels need to be pointed out to the worlds politicians and planners: sea-level rise is now inevitable, it will happe
43、n faster than most of us thought, and it will go on for a very long time. Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, the oceans will continue to swell as they warm. The climate scientists estimate that sea-level rise could well be in the region of 1 to 2 metres by 2100, with a small risk of
44、an even greater rise. For many islands and low-lying regions, even small rises will spell disasters. Most countries, however, will only lose a tiny percentage of their land, even with a very big rise. The problem is what has been built on that land: New York, Sydney and Tokyo, to mention just a few
45、cities. Unless something can be done, great areas of urban network will vanish beneath the waves. It will take a massive engineering effort to protect these cities an effort that may be beyond economies that have been brought to their knees by climate change. None of this means we should despair, an
46、d stop trying to ban emissions. But alongside these efforts, we need to start acting now to minimise the impact of future sea-level rise. That means we must stop building in the danger zone. Countless billions are being spent on constructing homes, offices, factories and roads in vulnerable coastal
47、areas. For instance, the skyscrapers of Shanghai are being built on land that is a mere 4 metres above sea level on average, and which is sinking under the weight of its buildings and as water is drawn from the rocks beneath them. In cities that have been around for hundreds of years, this sort of d
48、evelopment may be understandable. But planning for new coastal developments is to go against reality. If we want to build a lasting heritage for our children, we should do so on the plentiful land that is in no danger from the sea It is one of the easiest ways to slow down climate change, and we sho
49、uld be acting on it now. 26 What is the major cause of the rising sea levels? （ A） Greenhouse gas emissions. （ B） Overdevelopment. （ C） Governments indecision. （ D） Climatic changes. 27 New York, Sydney, and Tokyo are mentioned to illustrate the idea that _. （ A） world economy will collapse when sea levels rise （ B） modern cities are usually built along the coastline （ C） the coastline is crucial for developed countries （ D） most countries will suffer when sea leve
