1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 271及答案与解析 Section C 0 When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandmas generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best. But in many other homes, this china-and-silve
2、r elegance has given way to a stoneware (粗陶 )-and-stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times. Last week Royal Doulton, the larges
3、t employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷 ) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier. Although a strong pound and weak m
4、arkets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend“ toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and
5、more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television. Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that its better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in
6、 the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real“ dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it Polish the silver? Who has time? Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (礼节 ) that children might o
7、nce have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents (“Chew with your mouth closed.“ “Keep your elbows off the table.“) must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be competent professionally but clueless sociall
8、y. 1 The trend toward casual dining has resulted in_. （ A） bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers （ B） shrinking of the pottery industry （ C） restructuring of large enterprises （ D） economic recession in Great Britain 2 Which of the following may be the best reason for casual dining? （ A） Family mem
9、bers need more time to relax. （ B） Busy schedules leave people no time for formality. （ C） People want to practice economy in times of scarcity. （ D） Young people wont follow the etiquette of the older generation. 3 It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is _. （ A） a retailer of stain
10、less steel tableware （ B） a dealer in stoneware （ C） a pottery chain store （ D） a producer of fine china 4 The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is _. （ A） the increased value of the pound （ B） the economic recession in Asia （ C） the change in peoples way of life （ D） the fierce comp
11、etition at home and abroad 5 Refined table manners, though less popular than before in current social life,_. （ A） are still a must on certain occasions （ B） are bound to return sooner or later （ C） are still being taught by parents at home （ D） can help improve personal relationships 5 In bringing
12、up children, every parent watches eagerly the childs acquisition of each new skill the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure
13、 and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any lear
14、ning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself. Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe over times of coming home at night or punctuali
15、ty for meals. In general, the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the childs own happiness. As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and
16、 excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept“. If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach (说教 ), their children may grow confused and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and
17、realize they have been to some extent fooled. A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment. 6 Eagerly watching the childs acquisition of new skills _. （ A） can be avoided （ B） is universal among parents （ C） sets up dan
18、gerous states of worry in the child （ D） will make him lose interest in learning new things 7 In the process of childrens learning new skills parents _. （ A） should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read （ B） should not expect too much of them （ C） should achieve
19、a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own （ D） should create as many learning opportunities as possible 8 The second paragraph mainly tells us that _. （ A） parents should be strict with their children （ B） parental controls reflect only the needs of the parents and the va
20、lues of the community （ C） parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone （ D） parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation 9 The word “precept“ (Line 3, Para. 3) probably means “_“. （ A） idea （ B） punishment （ C） b
21、ehavior （ D） instruction 10 In moral matters, parents should _. （ A） observe the rules themselves （ B） be aware of the marked difference between adults and children （ C） forbid things which have no foundation in morality （ D） consistently ensure the security of their children 10 Its very interesting
22、 to note where the debate about diversity (多样化 ) is taking place. It is taking place primarily in political circles. Here at the College Fund, we have a lot of contact with top corporate (公司的 ) leaders; none of them is talking about getting rid of those instruments that produce diversity. In fact, t
23、hey say that if their companies are to compete in the global village and in the global market place, diversity is an imperative. They also say that the need for talented, skilled Americans means we have to expand the pool of potential employees. And in looking at where birth rates are growing and at
24、 where the population is shifting, corporate America understands that expanding the pool means promoting policies that help provide skills to more minorities, more women and more immigrants. Corporate leaders know that if that doesnt occur in our society, they will not have the engineers, the scient
25、ists, the lawyers, or the business managers they will need. Likewise, I dont hear people in the academy saying. “Lets go backward. Lets go back to the good old days, when we had a meritocracy (不拘一格选人才 )“ (which was never true we never had a meritocracy, although weve come closer to it in the last 30
26、 years). I recently visited a great little college in New York where the campus has doubled its minority population in the last six years. I talked with an African American who has been a professor there for a long time, and she remembers that when she first joined the community, there were fewer th
27、an a handful of minorities on campus. Now, all of us feel the university is better because of the diversity. So where we hear this debate is primarily in political circles and in the media not in corporate board rooms or on college campuses. 11 The word “imperative“ (Line 5, Para. 1) most probably r
28、efers to something_. （ A） superficial （ B） remarkable （ C） debatable （ D） essential 12 Which of the following groups of people still differ in their views on diversity? （ A） Minorities. （ B） Politicians. （ C） Professors. （ D） Managers. 13 High corporate leaders seem to be in favor of promoting diver
29、sity so as to _. （ A） lower the rate of unemployment （ B） win equal political rights for minorities （ C） be competitive in the world market （ D） satisfy the demands of a growing population 14 It can be inferred from the passage that_. （ A） meritocracy can never be realized without diversity （ B） Ame
30、rican political circles will not accept diversity （ C） it is unlikely that diversity will occur in the U.S. media （ D） minorities can only enter the fields where no debate is heard about diversity 15 According to the passage diversity can be achieved in American society by_. （ A） expanding the pool
31、of potential employees （ B） promoting policies that provide skills to employees （ C） training more engineers, scientists lawyers and business managers （ D） providing education for all regardless of race or sex 15 There is no denying that students should learn something about how computers work, just
32、 as we expect them at least to understand that the internal-combustion engine (内燃机 ) has something to do with burning fuel, expanding gases and pistons (活塞 ) being driven. For people should have some basic idea of how the things that they use do what they do. Further, students might be helped by a c
33、ourse that considers the computers impact on society. But that is not what is meant by computer literacy. For computer literacy is not a form of literacy; it is a trade skill that should not be taught as a liberal art. Learning how to use a computer and learning how to program one are two distinct a
34、ctivities. A case might be made that the competent citizens of tomorrow should free themselves from their fear of computers. But this is quite different from saying that all ought to know how to program one. Leave that to people who have chosen programming as a career. While programming can be lots
35、of fun, and while our society needs some people who are experts at it, the same is true of auto repair and violin-making. Learning how to use a computer is not that difficult, and it gets easier all the time as programs become more “user-friendly“. Let us assume that in the future everyone is going
36、to have to know how to use a computer to be a competent citizen. What does the phrase “learning to use a computer“ mean? It sounds like “learning to drive a car“, that is, it sounds as if there is some set of definite skills that, once acquired, enable one to use a computer. In fact, “learning to us
37、e a computer“ is much more like “learning to play a game“, but learning the rules of one game may not help you play a second game, whose rules may not be the same. There is no such a thing as teaching someone how to use a computer. One can only teach people to use this or that program and generally
38、that is easily accomplished. 16 To be the competent citizens of tomorrow, people should _. （ A） try to lay a solid foundation in computer science （ B） be aware of how the things that they use do what they do （ C） learn to use a computer by acquiring a certain set of skills （ D） understand that progr
39、amming a computer is more essential than repairing a car 17 In the second paragraph “auto repair“ and “violin-making“ are mentioned to show that _. （ A） programming a computer is as interesting as making a violin （ B） our society needs experts in different fields （ C） violin-making requires as much
40、skill as computer programming （ D） people who can use a computer dont necessarily have to know computer programming 18 Learning to use a computer is getting easier all the time because _. （ A） programs are becoming less complicated （ B） programs are designed to be convenient to users （ C） programmin
41、g is becoming easier and easier （ D） programs are becoming readily available to computer users 19 According to the author, the phrase learning to use a computer“ (Line 3, Para 3) means learning _. （ A） a set of rules （ B） the fundamentals of computer science （ C） specific programs （ D） general princ
42、iples of programming 20 The authors purpose in writing this passage is _. （ A） to stress the impact of the computer on society （ B） to explain the concept of computer literacy （ C） to illustrate the requirements for being competent citizens of tomorrow （ D） to emphasize that computer programming is
43、an interesting and challenging job 大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 271答案与解析 Section C 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 1 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 推理判断题。首先依据题目中的 casual dining找到第 2段中的informality。其后有两个 for引导的介词短语，后一个说 “对于英国精致瓷器的制造商来说，这 (informality)意味着经济困难时期 ”；此外，第 3段用数据具体指出陶瓷业裁员之严重，说明陶瓷业在萎缩，即 B。 A、 D均属夸大事实， C与文章内容无关。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 2 【正确答案】 B 【试
44、题解析】 事实细节题。根据倒数第 2段第 2句中指出现今休闲文化流行的背景：工作时间长，家庭生活节奏紧张， B中的 Busy schedules与文中的 demanding family schedules对应，故为答案。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 3 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 事实细节题。 Royal Doulton在文章中出现过两次：第 3段说它裁员，因为人们用餐越来越随意 (不再讲究餐具的精致 )；第 4段中 “A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company” ，暗示公司的性质，可以推断它是精制器皿的生产者。 【知识模块
45、】 仔细阅读 4 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 事实细节题。根据题目中的 the layoffs找到文章第 4段首句，其中的 have their roots in相当于题目中的 main cause is， shifts相当于 C中的change。其实本题与第 1题是交叉相关的，从第 1题的题目可找到本题的答案。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 5 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 事实 细节题。根据最后一段，特别是第 2句 “The fine points of etiquettemust be picked up else -where良好的餐桌礼仪必须在其他地方被重拾起来 ”，可知礼仪在某些场
46、合还是必要的，故答案为 A。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 6 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 事实细节题。第 1段第 1句中的 every parent， often等词表明这种做法在父母中是非常普遍的，显然 B与之相符。 A说法无原文依据，且由原文可看出题干所述现象是很难避 免的； C中 dangerous一词在原文中本是修饰其他情绪，故 C不符； D是过多地让孩子自己一个独处的后果，不是题干所述行为的后果。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 7 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 推理判断题。第 1段第 2句说明父母逼得太过分，应避免。最后一句则说明对小孩太放任自流同样不利。由这两点
47、，我们可以做出如下判断：父母对孩子的 “严 ”和 “松 ”之间有一个恰当的 “度 ”。 C与之相符。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 8 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 事实细节题。文章第 2段表明：不同的家长对孩 子的管制程度不同；家长对小孩的管制不仅是为了孩子个人的幸福，也反映了父母的需要以及社区的价值观，故 C与原文相符。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 9 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 词义理解题。由 precept所在句可猜测 precept应与 example相对，且与下文的 preach意思相近，故 D正确。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 10 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 推理判断题。第 3段提
48、到父母应该避免讲一套做一套，结合最后一段可得出结论：关于思想道德教育问题，父母应以身作则，带头遵循，故 A正确。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 11 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 词义理解题。本句说到公司要在地球村和全球市场上竞争，多样性是 imperative，由前文 “没有取消引起多样性的手段 ”和下文提到的公司对各种各样有技能的美国人的需求可知，多样性对于企业来说应该 “必须的 ”，故 D正确。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 12 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 事实细节题。第 2段末句指出这种辩论主要存在于政治圈和媒体中，结合上句内容，可知其中的 this debate指
49、的就是关于多样性的辩论，故 B正确。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 13 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 事实细节题。由第 1段第 4句可知，公司高层领导人促进多样化的原因是想要在全球市场上更具竞争力， C与此相符。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 14 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 推理判断题。第 2段中提到有些人认为在没有多样性的过去照样能做到不拘一格选人才，但作者马上以 which was never true否定此观点，故 A正确。第 2段只提到多样性的辩论存在于政治圈和媒体，但并不代表在 这两个圈子里不能接受或从未出现多样性，故排除 B、 C； D说法过于绝对，且在文中找不到依据，也可排除。 【知识模块】 仔细阅读 15 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 推理判断题。由第 1段倒数第 2句可知企业 expand the pool就意味着向 more minorities， more women和 more immigrants提供技能培训，而expand the pool对应的就是题干中的说的多样性的形成， D中的 race和 sex分别对文中的 minorities和 wome
