[四级] 英语四级阅读理解练习题 第071-----083组

英语四级阅读理解练习题 第076组
 



　　In the traditional marriage, the man worked at a job to earn money for the family. Most men worked in an office, a factory, or some other place away form the home. Since the man earned the money, he paid the bills. The money was used for food, clothes, a house, and other family needs. The man made most of the decisions. He was the boss.
　　
　　In the traditional marriage, the woman seldom worked away form the house. She stayed at home to care for the children and her husband. She cooked the meals, cleaned house, washed the clothes, and did otber household work, Her job at home was very important.
　　
　　In recent years, many couples continue to have a traditional relationship of this kind. The man has a job and earns the money for the family. The woman stays at home and cares for the children and the house. Many Americans are happy with this kind of marriage. But some other Americans have a different impression of marriage and family responsibilities.
　　
　　There are two important differences  roles now. One is that both men and women have many more choices. They may choose to marry or to stay single. They may choose to work or stay at home. Both men and women may choose roles that are comfortable for them.
　　
　　A second difference  roles is that within marriage many decisions and responsibilities are shared. The husband and wife may choose to have children, or they may not. If they have children, the man may take care of them some of the time, all of the time, or not at all. The woman may want to stay at home and take care of the children. Or she may want to go to work. Men and women now decide these things together in a marriage. Many married people now share these decisions and the responsibilities of their families.
　　
　　6. Which of the following is NOT true in the traditional marriage?
(A) Men worked at a job to earn money for the family.
(B) The woman made most of decisions.
(C) The woman stayed at home to care for the children.
(D) The man paid the bills.

　　7. In recent years _______.
(A) young couples reject the traditional relationship
(B) the woman has a job and earns the money for the family
(C) the woman doesn't stay at home and care for the children and the house
(D) the role of men and women has begun to change

　　8. Men and women play now choose all the following EXCEPT to _______.
(A) marry or to stay single
(B) work or to stay at home
(C) have the roles that are comfortable for them
(D) leave their jobs just because they have children

　　9. The following are all now true EXCEPT _______.
(A) they may choose to have children or not
(B) the man may take care of the children some of the time
(C) the woman may want to go to work
(D) the woman is the most important person in the house

　　10. Which of the following is NOT true?
(A) The man was the boss in the traditional marriage.
(B) The woman's job at home was very important in the past.
(C) Many Americans still have a traditional marriage.
(D) Everyone tries to get married.
英语四级阅读理解练习题 第077组
 



　　A few years ago it was fashionable to speak of a generation gap, a division between young people and their elders. Parents complained that children did not show them proper respect and obedience, while children complained that their parents did not understand them at all. What had gone wrong? Why had the generation gap suddenly appeared? Actually, the generation gap has been around for a long time. Many critics argue that it is built into the fabric of our society.
　　
　　One important cause of the generation gap is the opportunity that young people have to choose their own life style. In more traditional societies, when children grow up, they are expected to live in the same area as their parents, to marry people that their parents know and approve of, and often to continue the family occupation. In our society, young people often travel great distances for their educations, move out of the family home at an early age. marry or live with people whom their parents have never met, and cboose occupations different from those of their parents.
　　
　　In our upwardly mobile society, parents often expect their children to do better than tkey did: to find better jobs, to make more money, and to do all the things that they were unable to do. Often, however, the ambitions that parents have for their children are another cause of the division between them. Often, they discover  very little in common with each other.
　　
　　Finally, the speed at which changes take place in our society is another cause of the gap between the generations. In a traditional culture, elderly people are valued for their wisdom, but in our society the knowledge of a lifetime may become obsolete overnight. The young and the old seem to live in two very different worlds, separated by different skills and abilities.
　　
　　No doubt, the generation gap will continue to be a feature of American life for some time to come. Its causes are rooted in the freedoms and opportunities of our society, and in the rapid pace at which society changes.
　　
　　11. The main idea of the first paragraph is that _______.
(A) the generation gap suddenly appeared
(B) the generation gap is a feature of American life
(C) how people can reduce the generation gap
(D) many critics argue over the nature of the generation gap

　　12. The word "around" in paragraph 1 means _______.
(A) on all sides
(B) in every direction
(C) near
(D) in existence

　　13. Which one is NOT the cause of the generation gap?
(A) Young people like to choose their own life styles.
(B) American society is changing very fast.
(C) Parents place high hopes on their children.
(D) Modern education makes them think differently.

　　14. In American society, young people often _______.
(A) rely on their parents to make a life
(B) stay with their parents in order to get an opportunity for higher education
(C) seek the best advice from their parents
(D) have very little in common with their parents

　　15. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the reading passage?
(A) Parents should be more tolerable towards their children.
(B) The younger generation should value the older generation for their wisdom.
(C) The generation gap is partly created by the elder generation.
(D) the generation gap should be avoidable in American soclety.

英语四级阅读理解练习题 第078组
 



　　We find that bright children are rarely held back by mixed-ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After a11,it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade !
　　
　　Besides, it is rather unreal to grade people just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one spect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed-ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning.
　　
　　In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to cooperate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to cope with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyse and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher.
　　
　　Sometimes the pupils work in pairs;  on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is appropriate. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. An advanced pupil can do advanced work: it does not matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to attain this goal.
　　
　　16. In the passage the author's attitude towards "mixed-ability teaching", is ______.
(A) critical
(B) questioning
(C) approving
(D) objective

　　17. By "held back",(Line 1) the author means ______.
(A) made to remain in the same classes
(B) forced to study in the lower classes
(C) drawn to their studies
(D) prevented from advancing

　　18. The author argues that a teacher's chief concern should be the development of the student's ______.
(A) personal qualities and social skills
(B) total personality
(C) learning ability and communicative skills
(D) intellectual ability

　　19. Which of the following is NOT MENTIONED in the third paragraph _____.
(A) Group work gives pupils the opportunity to learn to work together with others.
(B) Pupils aim learn to develop their reasoning abilities.
(C) Group work provides pupils with the opportunity to learn to be capable organizers.
(D) Pupils also learn how to participate in teaching activities.

　　20. The author's purpose of writing this passage is to _____.
(A) argue for teaching bright and not bright pupils in the same class
(B) recommend pair work and group work for classroom activities
(C) offer advice on the proper use of the library
(D) emphasize the importance of appropriate formal classroom teaching

英语四级阅读理解练习题 第079组
 



　　Scientist have established that influenza viruses taken from man can cause the disease in animals.In addition,man can catch the disease from animals.In fact,a great number ofwild birds seem to carry the virus without showing any evidence of illness.Some scientists conclude that a large family of influenza viruses may have evolved in the bird kingdom,a group that has been on the earth 100 million years and is able to carry the virus without contracting the disease.These is even convincing evidence to show that virus strains are transmitted from place to place and from continent to continent by migrating birds.
　　
　　It is known that two influenza viruses can recombine when both are present in an animal at the same time.The result of such recombinations is a great variety of strains contraining different H and N spikes.This raises the possibility that a human influenza virus can recombine with an influenza virus form a lower animal to produce an entirely new spike.
　　
　　Research is underway to  is the way that major new strains come into being. Another possibility is that two animal influenza strains may recombine in a pig, for example, to produce a new strain which is transmitted to man.
　　
　　1. According to the passage,scientists have discovered that influenza viruses_____.
(A) cause ill health in wild birds
(B) do not always cause symptoms in birds
(C) are rarely present in wild birds
(D) change when transferred from animals to man

　　2. What is known about the influenza virus?
(A) It was first found in a group of very old birds.
(B) All the different strains can be found in wild birds.
(C) It existed over 100 million years ago.
(D) It can survive in many different places.

　　3. According to the passage, a great variety of influenza strains can appear when_____.
(A) H and N spikes are produced
(B) animal and bird viruses are combined
(C) dissimilar types virus recombine
(D) two viruses of the same type are contracted

　　4. New strains of viruses are transmitted to man by_____.
(A) a type of pig
(B) diseased lower animals
(C) a group of migrating birds
(D) a variety of means

　　5. It can be inferred from the passage that all of the following are ways of producing new strains of influenza viruses EXCEPT _____.
(A) two influenza viruses in the same animal re combining
(B) animal viruses recombining with human viruses
(C) two animal viruses recombining in one animal
(D) two animal viruses recombining in a human

英语四级阅读理解练习题 第080组
 



　　Water on the earth is being recycled continously in a process known as the hydrologic cycle.The first step of the cycle is the evaporation of water in the oceans.Evaporation is the process of water turning into vapor,which then forms clouds in the sky.The The second step is the water returning to the earth in the form of precipitation:either rain, snow,or ice.When the water reachs the earth's surface,it run ,lakes,and the ocean,where the cycle begins again.
　　
　　Not all water,however,stays on the surface of the earth in the hydrologic cycle.Some of it seeps into the ground through infiltration and collects under the earth's surface as groundwater.This groundwater is extremely important to life on earth,since 95 percent of the earth's water is in the oceans and is too salty for human beings or plants.Of the 5 percent on land,only 0.5 percent is above ground in rivers or lakes .The rest is underground water. This groundwater is plentiful and dependable,because it dosen't depend on seasonal rain or snow.It is the major source of water for many cities.But as the population increases and the need for water also increases,the groundwater in some areas is getting dangerously low.Added to this problem is an increasing amount of pollution that seeps into the groundwater.In the future,with a growing population and more toxic water,the hydrologic cycle we depend on could become dangerously imbalanced.
　　
　　6. Clouds are formed from _____.
(A) water vapor
(B) evaporation
(C) the hydrologic cycle
(D) groundwater

　　7. Water returns to the earth by _____.
(A) infiltration
(B) pollution
(C) precipitation
(D) evaporation

　　8. Groundwater _____.
(A) depends on seasonal rain
(B) comes from toxic waste
(C) is 0.5 percent of all water
(D) collects under the earth

　　9. The amount of groundwater is _____.
(A) about 95 percent of all water
(B) less than 5 percent of all water
(C) 0.5 percent of above-ground water
(D) 95 percent of above-ground water

　　10. The supply of groundwater is going low because of _____.
(A) conservation
(B) toxic waste
(C) pollution
(D) population increase


英语四级阅读理解练习题 第081组
 



　　The development of Jamestown in Virginia during the second half of the senventeenth century was closely related to the making and the use of bricks. There are several practical reasons why bricks become important to the colony.
　　
　　Although the forests could initially supply sufficient timber, the process of lumbering(采伐) was extremely difficult, particularly because of the lack of roads.
　　
　　Later, when the timber on the peninsula(半岛) had been depleted(耗尽), wood had to be brought from some distance, Building stone was also in short supply. However, as clay was plentiful, it was inevitable that the colonists should turn to brick-making.
　　
　　In addition to practical reason for using brick as the principal construction meterial, there was also an ideological reason. Brick represented durability and permanence. The Virginia Company of London instructed the colonists to build hospitals and new residences out of brick. In 1662, the Town Act of the Virginia Assembly provided for the construction of thirty-two brick buildings and prohibited the use of wood as a construction material. Had this law ever been successfully enforced, Jamestown would have been a model city. Instead, the residents failed to comply fully with the law; and by 1699 Jamestown had collapsed into a pile of rubble with only three or four habitable houses.
　　
　　11. In the first half of 1600's most building  probably made of _____ .
(A) earth
(B) stone
(C) wood
(D) brick

　　12. Which of the following was NOT a reason for using brick in construction?
(A) Wood had to be brought from some distance.
(B) There was considerable clay available.
(C) The lumbering process depended on good roads.
(D) The timber was not of good quality.

　　13. It can be inferred from the passage that settlers who built with bricks in the 1600's were _____ .
(A) planning to return to England
(B) not concerned about durability.
(C) obeying the laws
(D) interested in large residences

　　14. It can be inferred from the passage that prior to the action of the Virginia Company of London, Jamestown had an insufficient number of _____ .
(A) colonists
(B) material facilities
(C) clay sources
(D) bricklayers

　　15. According to the passage, what eventually happened to Jamestown?
(A) It was practically destroyed.
(B) It remained the seat of government.
(C) It became a model city.
(D) It was almost completed.

英语四级阅读理解练习题 第082组
 



　　Plastics are materials which are softened by heat and set into lasting from when shaped in a mold. Some are natural; some are semisynthetic, the result of chemical action on a natural substance; some are synthetic, built up from the constituents of oil or coal. All are based on the chemistry of carbon, with its capacity for forming chains. The molecules that compose them (monomers) link together in the setting or curing(固化) process to form chains (polymers), which give plastics their flexible strength. Some plastics retain their ability to be softened and reshaped; like wax, they are thermoplastic. Others set permanently in the shapes they are given by heat and pressure; like eggs, they are thermosetting.
　　
　　From industrial beginnings in the nineteenth century, plastics have struggled through a hundred and twenty years of glory, failure, disrepute(坏名声) and suspicion on the slow road to . Now, at last, one can positively say that plastics are appreciated and enjoyed for what they are; that they make modern life richer, more comfortable and convenient and also more funny. Plastics are warm materials, sympathetic to the human touch, and their transformation into things that come into contact with human beings is entirely appropriate.
　　
　　The fact that there plastic antiques comes as a shock to most people. How can a material that seems so essential in the twentieth century, and one that is so much associated with cheap disposable products, have a histroy at all? It is a young technology, and a great part of the fun of collecting plastics is that beautiful pieces of historical interest can still found very cheaply.
　　
　　16. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
(A) The Importance of Plastics in the Nineteenth Century
(B) Why people Are Suspicious of Plastics
(C) The development of Plastics as a Modern Material
(D) How Plastics Are Material

　　17. Which of the following is necessary to create any type of plastics?
(A) Carbon.
(B) Oil.
(C) Eggs.
(D) Coal.

　　18. According to the author, for approximately how many years have plastics existed?
(A) 100.
(B) 120.
(C) 140.
(D) 160.

　　19. What historical information does the second paragraph give about plastics?
(A) They originated primarily as road-surfacing materials.
(B) They have come into general use very gradually.
(C) Their popularity was at its height at the time of the Industrial Revolution.
(D) The earliest types were soft and did not last very long.

　　20. Why does the author mention antiques in the third paragraph?
(A) Some plastic objects are now considered antiques.
(B) Plastics replicas(复制品) of valuable antiques are relatively common.
(C) Young collector prefer real antiques to plastic objects.
(D) Dealers use inexpensive plastic parts to repair valuable antiques

英语四级阅读理解练习题 第083组
 



　　Acculturation, which begins at birth, is the process of teaching new generations of children the customs and values of the parents' culture. How people treat newborns, for example, can be indicative of cultural values. In the United States it is not uncommon for parents to put a newborn in a separate room that belongs only to the child. This helps to preserve parents' privacy and allows the child to get used to having his or her own room, which is seen as a first step toward personal independence. Americans traditionally have held independence and a closely related value, individualism, in high esteem. Parents try to instill these prevailing values in their children. American English expresses these value preferences: children should "cut the (umbilical) cord" and are encouraged not to be "tied to their mothers' apron strings." In the process of their socialization children learn to "look out for number one" and to "stand on their own two feet".
　　
　　Many children are taught at a very early age to make decisions and be responsible for their actions. Often children work for money outside the home as a first step to establishing autonomy. Nine-or ten-year-old children may deliver newspapers in their neighborhoods and save or spend their earnings. Teenagers (13 to 18 years) may baby-sit neighbors' homes in order to earn a few dollar a week. Receiving a weekly allowance at an early age teaches children to budget their money, preparing them for future financial independence. Many parents believe that managing money helps children learn responsibility as well as appreciate the value of money.
　　
　　1. According to this passage, the  newborns _____.
(A) is a sign of their customs
(B) is an indication of their level of knowledge
(C) symbolizes their social system
(D) varies from culture to culture

　　2. The expression, "to cut the cord", is used to show that _____.
(A) children don't like their parents
(B) parents don't feel close to their children
(C) parents would not like to live together with their children
(D) independence from one's family is an important personal goal in USA

　　3. Children who are "tied to the apron strings" _____.
(A) are caught in their mothers' aprons
(B) must always wear an apron when they eat
(C) are very dependent on their mothers
(D) are independent from their parents

　　4. American people often let their children work for money outside the home at a very early age because _____.
(A) children have to earn money to help the family
(B) they need more money
(C) they want them to begin establishing autonomy
(D) children have to save money for future use

　　5. It can be inferred from this passage that _____.
(A) Americans are money lovers
(B) Americans admire independence
(C) Americans are good at decision-making
(D) Americans are all responsible