1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 253及答案与解析 Section C 0 New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more pedaling passengers on those shining blue Citi Bikes. But what about local bike shops? Is Citi Bike rolling up riders at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, manager W. Ben said the shop has seen an increas
2、e in its overall sales due to the bike-share program. “Its getting more people on the road, more people learning about the sport and getting involved,“ he said. An employee at Dannys Cycles in Gramercy also said Citi Bike is a good option for people to ease into biking in a city famed for its traffi
3、c jams and aggressive drivers. “ They can try out a bike without committing to buying one,“ he said. Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Dannys Cycles. But for Franks Bike Shop, a small business on Grand St. , the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arr
4、oyo said his rental business has decreased by 90 percent since Citi Bike was rolled out last month. Arroyos main rental customers are European tourists, who have since been drawn away by Citi Bikes. However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop. “ People have used the bike-shar
5、e and realized how great it is to bike in the city, then decide that they want something nicer for themselves,“ he noted. Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. just north of Christopher St., said initially he was concerned about bike-share, though, he admitted, “I was happy to se
6、e people on bikes. “ Farrells early concerns were echoed by Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second Ave. “It seemed like a great idea, but one that would be difficult to implement,“ Crooks said of Citi Bike. He said he worried about inexperienced riders lack of awareness of biking rules and s
7、trong negative reaction from non-cyclists. However, he said, its still too early to tell if his business has been impacted. While its possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks allowed that the idea is a positive step forward for New York city. 1 What is the authors chief concern abou
8、t the increasing use of Citi Bikes in New York? （ A） How non-cyclists will respond to it. （ B） Whether local bike shops will suffer. （ C） Whether local bike businesses will oppose it. （ D） How the safety of bike riders can be ensured. 2 What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike-share pro
9、gram? （ A） It found its bike sales unaffected. （ B） It shifted its business to rentals. （ C） It saw its bike sales on the rise （ D） It rented more bikes to tourists. 3 Why is the bike-share program bad news for Franks Bike Shop? （ A） It cannot meet the demand of the bike-share program. （ B） Its cust
10、omers have been drawn away by Citi Bikes. （ C） Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again. （ D） It has to compete with the citys bike rental shops. 4 Why did Andrew Crooks think that the bike-share program would be difficult to execute? （ A） Inexperienced riders might break biking rules. （ B
11、） Conflicts might arise among bike rental shops. （ C） Traffic conditions might worsen in the downtown area. （ D） There are not enough lanes to accommodate the bikes. 5 What is the general attitude of local bike shops towards Citi Bike? （ A） Wait-and-see. （ B） Negative. （ C） Indifferent. （ D） Approvi
12、ng. 5 Various studies have shown that increased spending on education has not led to measurable improvements in learning. Between 1980 and 2008, staff and teachers at US public schools grew roughly twice as fast as students. Yet students showed no additional learning in achievement tests. Universiti
13、es show similar trends of increased administration personnel and costs without greater learning, as documented in Richard Arum and Josipa Roksas recent book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. A survey shows that 63% of employers say that recent college graduates dont have the
14、 skills they need to succeed and 25% of employers say that entry-level writing skills are lacking. Some simplistically attribute the decline in our public education system to the drain of the skilled students by private schools, but far more significant events were at work. Public schools worked wel
15、l until about the 1970s. In fact, until that time, public schools provided far better education than private ones. It was the underperforming students who were thrown out of public schools and went to private ones. A prominent reason public schools did well was that many highly qualified women had f
16、ew options for working outside the house other than being teachers or nurses. They accepted relatively low pay, difficult working conditions, and gave their very best. Having such a large supply of talented women teachers meant that society could pay less for their services. Womens liberation opened
17、 up new professional opportunities for women, and, over time, some of the best left teaching as a career option, bringing about a gradual decline in the quality of schooling. Also around that time, regulations, government, and unions came to dictate pay, prevent advancements, and introduce bureaucra
18、tic(官僚的 ) standard for advancement. Large education bureaucracies and unions came to dominate the landscape, confusing activity with achievement. Bureaucrats regularly rewrite curriculums, talk nonsense about theories of education, and require ever more administrators. The end result had been that,
19、after all the spending, students have worse math and reading skills than both their foreign peers and earlier generations spending far less on education as all the accumulating evidence now documents. 6 What do we learn from various studies on Americas public education? （ A） Achievement tests have f
20、ailed to truly reflect the quality of teaching. （ B） Public schools lack the resources to compete with private schools. （ C） Little improvement in education has resulted from increased spending. （ D） The number of students has increased much faster than that of teachers. 7 How do some people explain
21、 the decline in public education? （ A） Government investment does not meet schools needs. （ B） Skilled students are moving to private schools. （ C） Qualified teachers are far from adequately paid. （ D） Training of students basic skills is neglected. 8 What was a significant contributor to the past g
22、lory of public schools? （ A） Well-behaved students. （ B） Efficient administration. （ C） Talented women teachers. （ D） Generous pay for teachers. 9 Why did some of the best women teachers leave teaching? （ A） New career opportunities were made available to them by womens liberation. （ B） Higher acade
23、mic requirements made it difficult for them to stay in their jobs. （ C） They were unhappy with the bureaucratic administration in their schools. （ D） The heavy teaching loads left them little time and energy for family life. 10 What does the author think is one of the results of government involveme
24、nt in education? （ A） Increasing emphasis on theories of education. （ B） Highly standardized teaching methods. （ C） Students improved academic performance. （ D） An ever-growing number of administrators. 10 The rise of the Internet has been one of the most transformative developments in human history
25、, comparable in impact to the invention of the printing press and the telegraph. Over two billion people worldwide now have access to vastly more information than ever before, and can communicate with each other instantly, often using Web-connected mobile devices they carry everywhere. But the Inter
26、nets tremendous impact has only just begun. “Mass adoption of the Internet is driving one of the most exciting social, cultural, and political transformations in history, and unlike earlier periods of change, this time the effects are fully global,“ Schmidt and Cohen write in their new book, The New
27、 Digital Age. Perhaps the most profound changes will come when the five billion people worldwide who currently lack Internet access get online. The authors do an excellent job of examining the implications of die Internet revolution for individuals, governments, and institutions like the news media.
28、 But if the book has one major short-coming, its that the authors dont spend enough time applying a critical eye to the role of Internet businesses in these sweeping changes. In their book, the authors provide the most authoritative volume to date that describes and more importantly predicts how the
29、 Internet will shape our lives in the coming decades. They paint a picture of a world in which individuals, companies, institutions, and governments must deal with two realities, one physical, and one virtual. At the core of the book is the idea that “technology is neutral, but people arent. “ By us
30、ing this concept as a starting point, the authors aim to move beyond the now familiar optimist vs. pessimist dichotomy(对立观点 ) that has characterized many recent debates about whether the rise of the Internet will ultimately be good or bad for society. In an interview with TIME earlier this week, Coh
31、en said although he and his co-author are optimistic about many aspects of the Internet, theyre also realistic about the risks and dangers that lie ahead when the next five billion people come online, particularly with respect to personal privacy and state surveillance (监视 ). 11 In what way is the r
32、ise of the Internet similar to the invention of the printing press and the telegraph? （ A） It transforms human history. （ B） It facilitates daily communication. （ C） It is adopted by all humanity. （ D） It revolutionizes peoples thinking. 12 How do Schmidt and Cohen describe the effects of the Intern
33、et? （ A） They are immeasurable. （ B） They are worldwide. （ C） They are unpredictable. （ D） They are contaminating. 13 In what respect is the book The New Digital Age considered inadequate? （ A） It fails to recognize the impact of the Internet technology. （ B） It fails to look into the social implica
34、tions of the Internet. （ C） It lacks an objective evaluation of the role of Internet businesses. （ D） It does not address the technical aspects of Internet communication. 14 What will the future be like when everybody gets online? （ A） People will be living in two different realities. （ B） People wi
35、ll have equal access to information. （ C） People dont have to travel to see the world. （ D） People dont have to communicate face to face. 15 What does the passage say about the authors of The New Digital Age？ （ A） They leave many questions unanswered concerning the Internet. （ B） They are optimistic
36、 about the future of the Internet revolution. （ C） They have explored the unknown territories of the virtual world. （ D） They dont take sides in analyzing the effects of the Internet. 15 In 1950, a young man would have found it much easier than it is today to get and keep a job in the auto industry.
37、 And in that year the average autoworker could meet monthly mortgage (抵押贷款 ) payments on an average home with just 13. 4 percent of his take-home pay. Today a similar mortgage would claim more than twice that share of his monthly earnings. Other members of the autoworkers family, however might be le
38、ss inclined to trade the present for the past. His retired parents would certainly have had less economic security back then. Throughout much of the 1960s, more than a quarter of men and women age 65 and older lived below the poverty level, compared to less than 10 percent in 2010. In most states, h
39、is wife could not have taken out a loan or a credit card in her own name. In 42 states, a homemaker had no legal claim on the earnings of her husband. And nowhere did a wife have legal protection against family violence. Most black workers would not want to return to a time when, on average, they ea
40、rned 40 percent less than their white counterparts (职位相当的人 ) , while racially restrictive agreements largely prevented them from buying into the suburban neighborhoods being built for white working-class families. Today, new problems have emerged in the process of resolving old ones, but the solutio
41、n is not to go back to the past. Some people may long for an era when divorce was still hard to come by. The spread of no-fault divorce has reduced the bargaining power of whichever spouse is more interested in continuing the relationship. And the breakup of such marriages has caused pain for many f
42、amilies. The growing diversity of family life comes with new possibilities as well as new challenges. According to a recent poll, more than 80 percent of Americans believe that their current family is as close as the one in which they grew up, or closer. Finding ways to improve the lives of the rema
43、ining 20% seems more realistic than trying to restore an imaginary golden age. 16 What do we learn about American autoworkers in 1950? （ A） They had less job security than they do today. （ B） It was not too difficult for them to buy a house. （ C） Their earning were worth twice as much as today. （ D）
44、 They were better off than workers in other industries. 17 What does the author say about retired people today? （ A） They invariably long to return to the golden past. （ B） They do not depend so much on social welfare. （ C） They feel more secure economically than in the past. （ D） They are usually u
45、nwilling to live with their children. 18 Why couldnt black workers buy a house in a white suburban neighborhood? （ A） They lacked the means of transportation. （ B） They were subjected to racial inequality. （ C） They were afraid to break the law. （ D） They were too poor to afford it. 19 What is the r
46、esult of no-fault divorce? （ A） Divorce is easier to obtain. （ B） Domestic violence is lessened. （ C） It causes little pain to either side. （ D） It contributes to social unrest. 20 What does the author suggest society do? （ A） Get prepared to face any new challenges. （ B） Try to better the current s
47、ocial security net. （ C） Narrow the gap between blacks and whites. （ D） Improve the lives of families with problems. 大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 253答案与解析 Section C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 1 【正确答案】 B 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 2 【正确答案】 C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 3 【正确答案】 B 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 4 【正确答案】 A 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 5 【正确答案】 D 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 【知识模块】 仔细阅 读 6 【正确
48、答案】 C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 7 【正确答案】 B 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 8 【正确答案】 C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 9 【正确答案】 A 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 10 【正确答案】 D 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 11 【正确答案】 A 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 12 【正确答案】 B 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 13 【正确答案】 C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 14 【正确答案】 A 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 15 【正确答案】 D 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 16 【正确答案】 B 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 17 【正确答案】 C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 18 【正确答案】 B 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 19 【正确答案】 A 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 20 【正确答案】 D 【知识模块】 仔细阅读
