1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 296及答案与解析 Section A 0 Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon【 C1】 _their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I wa
2、s not an【 C2】 _reader and I could not do mental arithmetic. Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the【 C3】_memory of the house we lived in and of my room and my toys. But I do have a crystal-clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all,
3、 the insects. I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world and my【 C4】 _had led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my【 C5】_topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil while reading about other peoples observations and【 C6】 _. Then something happens that b
4、rings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle, because it all seems to fit【 C7】 _together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might【 C8】 _with the title of scientific research. But curiosity, a keen eye, a
5、 good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist. A scientist requires not only【 C9】 _but hard training, determination and a goal. A scientist, up to a point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can【 C10】 _the two, you get the best of both worlds. A. combine B.
6、connect C. self-discipline D. enthusiasm E. regulations F. discoveries G. dim H. eventually I. abandoned J. honor K. disposed L. modest M. favorite N. early O. perfectly 1 【 C1】 2 【 C2】 3 【 C3】 4 【 C4】 5 【 C5】 6 【 C6】 7 【 C7】 8 【 C8】 9 【 C9】 10 【 C10】 Section B 10 Questions on the Origins of Christm
7、as 1. Why do we celebrate on December 25th? A) The Bible makes no mention of Jesus being born on December 25th and, as more than one historian has pointed out, why would shepherds be tending to their flock in the middle of winter? So why is that the day we celebrate? Well, either Christian holidays
8、miraculously fall on the same days as pagan ones or the Christians have been crafty in converting pagan populations to religion by placing important Christian holidays on the same days as pagan ones. And people had been celebrating on December 25th (and the surrounding weeks) for centuries by the ti
9、me Jesus showed up. B) The Winter Solstice, falling on or around December 21st, was and is celebrated around the world as the beginning of the end of winter. It is the shortest day and longest night and its passing signifies that spring is on the way. In Scandinavian countries, they celebrated the s
10、olstice with a holiday called Yule last from the 21st until January and burned a Yule log the whole time. In Rome, Saturnalia a celebration of Saturn, the God of agriculture lasted the entire end of the year and was marked by mass intoxication. In the middle of this, the Romans celebrated the birth
11、of another God, Mithra (a child God), whose holiday celebrated the children of Rome. C) When the Christianity became the official religion of Rome, there was no Christmas. It was not until the 4th century that Pope Julius I declared the birth of Jesus to be a holiday and picked December 25th as the
12、celebration day. By the middle ages, most people celebrated the holiday we know as Christmas. 2. How did Americans come to love the holiday? D) The American Christmas is, like most American holidays, a mishmash of Old World customs mixed with American inventions. While Christmas was celebrated in Am
13、erica from the time of the Jamestown settlement, our modern idea of the holiday didnt take root until the 19th century. The History Channel credits Washington Irving with getting the ball rolling. In 1819 he published The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., an account of a Christmas celebration in
14、 which a rich family invites poor folk into their house to celebrate the holiday. E) The problem was that many of the activities described in livings work, such as Crowning a Lord of Misrule, were entirely fictional. Nonetheless, Irving began to steer Christmas celebrations away from drunken debauch
15、ery (放荡 ) and towards wholesome, charitable fun. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, Christmas gained popularity and Americans adopted old customs or invented new ones, such as Christmas trees, greeting cards, giving gifts and eating a whole roasted pig. 3. Who popularized Christmas trees? F) S
16、ince time immortal, humans have been fascinated with the color green and plants that stay green through winter. Many ancient societies from Romans to Vikingswould decorate their Homes and temples with evergreens in the winter as a symbol of the returning growing season. But the Christmas tree didnt
17、get going until some intrepid (无畏的 ) German dragged home and decorated a tree in the 16th century. Legend has it that Martin Luther himself added lighted candles to his familys tree, starting the trend (and leading to countless fires through the years). In America, the Christmas tree didnt catch on
18、until 1846 when the British royals, Queen Victoria and the German Prince Albert, were shown with a Christmas tree in a newspaper. Fashionable people in America mimicked the Royals and the tree thing spread outside of German enclaves (被围领土 ) in America. Ornaments, courtesy of Germany, and electric li
19、ghts, courtesy of Thomas Edisons assistants, were added over the years and we havent changed much since. 4. Whats the deal with Santa Clans? G) The jolly, red-suited man who sneaks into your home every year to leave you gifts hasnt always been so jolly. The real Saint Nick was a Turkish monk who liv
20、ed in the 3rd century. According to legend, he was a rich man thanks to an inheritance from his parents, but he gave it all away in the form of gifts to the less-fortunate. He eventually became the most popular saint in Europe and, through his alter ego, Santa Claus, remains so to this day. But how
21、did a long-dead Turkish monk become a big, fat, reindeer-riding pole dweller? The Dutch got the ball rolling by celebrating the saint called Sinter Klaas in New York in the late-18th century. Our old friend, Washington Irving, included the legend of Saint Nick in his seminal History of New-York as w
22、ell, but at the turn of the 18th century, Saint Nick was still a rather obscure figure in America. H) On December 23, 1823, though, a man named Clement Clarke Moore published a poem he had written for his daughters called “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,“ better known now as “T“ was the Nig
23、ht Before Christmas.“ Nobody knows how much of the poem Moore invented, but we do know that it was the spark that eventually lit the Santa fire. Many of the things we associate with Santa a sleigh, reindeer, Christmas Eve visits came from Moores poem. From 1863 to 1886, Thomas Nasts illustrations of
24、 Santa Claus appeared in Harpers Weekly including a scene with Santa giving gifts to Union soldiers. Not much has changed since the second half of the 19th century: Santa still gets pulled in a sleigh by flying reindeer, he still wears the big red suit and he still sneaks down chimneys to drop off p
25、resents. 5. Who invented Rudolph? I) Santa did get one more friend in 1939. Robert May, a copywriter for the Montgomery Ward department store chain, wrote a little story about a 9th reindeer with a disturbing red nose for a booklet to give customers during the holiday season. Ten years later, Mays b
26、rother would put the story to music, writing the lyrics and melody. 11 Drunken debauchery was regarded as old Christmas practice in America in the 19th century. 12 Rudolph appeared in Robert Mays story as a reindeer with a disturbing red nose. 13 The celebration of Jesus birth on Dec. 25th has much
27、to do with Pope Julius I. 14 What Santa Claus does nowadays can be traced back to one of Clement Clarke Moores poems. 15 Santa Claus was based on a monk named Saint Nick, who was from Turkey. 16 Thanks to American writer Washington Irving, Christmas began to take root in America in the 19th century.
28、 17 Evergreens were used to decorate home as a symbol of the returning growing season in many ancient societies. 18 People begin to celebrate Dec. 25th before the birth of Jesus. 19 The Winter Solstice that comes around Dec. 21st means spring is coming. 20 The trend of Christmas tree tradition in Ge
29、rman was said to be related to Martin Luther. Section C 20 Some Americans are a little nervous about the nations future, but others feel secure, knowing that the man they consider the most powerful person in the world isnt going anywhere. Just who is this behind-the-scenes guy they think has more po
30、wer than George W. Bush ever will? Hes Alan Greenspan, a 74-year-old expert economist who heads the Federal Reserve, commonly known as the Fed. Unlike the president, who has to please the voters and compromise with Congress, Greenspan doesnt have to answer to anyone. But that doesnt mean his job is
31、easy. Basically, Greenspan is in charge of keeping the nations economy stable. The economy is sort of like a balloon: blow in too much air, and it pops. But with too little air, it falls to the floor. Greenspan helps decide when to blow more air into the economy. In this case, the air in a balloon i
32、s the amount of money in the economy. Greenspan can make the economy grow by increasing the money supply, or keep the economy from inflating too much by decreasing the money supply. His goal is for the economy to grow and contract gradually. Rapid changes can harm businesses and consumers. After yea
33、rs of very high growth, the American economy is starting to slow down. Recently, corporations have been making less money and people are starting to have a harder time finding jobs. Greenspan is hoping to ease the economy into a soft landing. Its just like to make the car come to a gentle stop inste
34、ad of hitting a brick wall. If he succeeds, the country will avoid two possible problems: rising prices and high unemployment. At the Feds meeting, Greenspan and the other members decided that the economy was growing at an OK rate, but that there is a possibility of a serious slowdown, and in order
35、to solve that, they could lower interest rates at the next meeting in an attempt to encourage people to borrow and spend. While theres no way to know what they will decide, one thing is certain: the decisions that Greenspan and the Federal Reserve Board make will affect everyone who earns, borrows o
36、r spends money. 21 It is certain that Greenspan _. （ A） is more powerful than George W. Bush （ B） has to answer to someone in the government （ C） is an expert economist directing the Federal Reserve （ D） has to please the voters and compromise with Congress 22 Greenspan keeps the economy stable by _
37、. （ A） blowing sufficient air into it （ B） controlling the money supply （ C） raising prices of commodity （ D） reducing unemployment rate 23 According to the fourth paragraph, decreasing the money supply can keep the economy from _. （ A） developing too fast （ B） growing too slowly （ C） changing too r
38、apidly （ D） remaining too stable 24 Greenspan may help the country to avoid the problems EXCEPT _. （ A） rising prices （ B） high unemployment （ C） economic slowdown （ D） bank loans 25 The passage mainly discusses _. （ A） why Greenspan is respected by many people in the United States （ B） what Greensp
39、an does to affect everybodys life （ C） what Greenspan does to balance the economy in the United States （ D） how Greenspan became the director of the Fed 25 There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give ch
40、ildren something to do. In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is t
41、rue because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world. What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms
42、 of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic (北极的 ) peoples, generally the same kinds of toys app
43、eared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles. Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technologica
44、l leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent (进步 ). The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓 ) used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is
45、 the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials. 26 The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that_. （ A） their social roles are rigidly determined （ B） most boys would like to follow their fath
46、ers professions （ C） boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers （ D） they like challenging activities 27 One aspect of “the universality of toys“ lies in the fact that _. （ A） technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys （ B） the improvement of craftsm
47、anship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities （ C） the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys （ D） the basic characteristics of toys are the same the world over 28 Which of the following is the authors view on the historical development of toys? （ A）
48、The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged. （ B） Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries. （ C） The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years. （ D） Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a childs character.
49、 29 Regarded as a kind of art form, toys _. （ A） follow a direct line of ascent （ B） also appeal greatly to adults （ C） are not characterized by technological progress （ D） reflect the pace of social progress 30 The author uses the example of a rattle to show that _. （ A） in toy-making there is a continuity in the use of materials （ B） even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology （ C） it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into t
