歷年四級試題閱讀理解的部分集粹
Passage 1
Oceanography has been defined as The application of a11 sciences to the study of the sea.
Before the nineteenth century scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between. Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings, but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work.
For most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it, 1et alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. The first time that the question What is at the bottom of the oceans had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe to America was proposed. The engineer had to know the depth profile of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.
It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in l853, for information on this matter. In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of the Sea.
The cable was laid, but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.
Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872 Thomson 1ed a scientific expedition, which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the last volume being published in l895.
21. The proposal to 1ay a telegraph cable from Europe to America made oceanographic studies take on ___________.
A) an academic aspect B) a military aspect
C) a business aspect D) an international aspect
22. It was ____ that asked Maury for help in oceanographic studies.
A) the American Navy
B) some early intercontinental travelers
C) those who earned a living from the sea
D) the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable
23. The aim of the voyages Maury was responsible for in the 1840s was_____.
A) to make some sounding experiments in the oceans
B) to collect samples of sea plants and animals
C) to estimate the length of cable that was needed
D) to measure the depths of the two oceans
24. Defied in the 5th paragraph probably means ___
A) doubted B) gave proof to C) challenged D) agreed to
25. This passage is mainly about____
A) the beginnings of oceanography
B) the laying of the first undersea cable
C) the investigation of ocean depths
D) the early intercontinental communications
Passage 2
Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it, spainful This might be called 1aziness, but Dr. kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you labour through your work you may say that yourehot. Thats true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the forenoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it 1eads to such familiar monologues as: Get up, John! Youll be late for work again! The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.
You cant change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. K1eitman believes. Maybe youre sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. Counteract your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to. If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This wont change your cycle, but youll get up steam and work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawl and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the trouble some search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. When ever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharper hours.
31. If a person finds getting up ear1y a problem, most probably____
A) he is a lazy person
B) he refuses to follow his own energy cycle
C) he is not sure when his energy is low
D) he is at his peak in the afternoon or evening
32. Which of the following may lead to family quarrels according to the passage
A) Unawareness of energy cycles.
B) Familiar monologues.
C) A change in a family members energy cycle.
D) Attempts to control the energy cycle of other family member.
33. If one wants to work more efficiently at his low point in the morning, he should_____
A) change his energy cycle C) get up earlier than usual
B) overcome his laziness D) go to bed earlier
34 .You are advised to rise with a yawn and stretch because it will____
A) help to keep your energy for the days work
B) help you to control your temper early in the day
C) enable you to concentrate on your routine work
D) keep your energy cycle under control a11 day
35. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE
A) Getting off to work with a minimum effort helps save ones energy.
B) Dr. Kleitman explains why people reach their peak at different hours of day.
C) Habit helps a person adapt to his own energy cycle.
D) Children have energy cycles, too.
Passage 3
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 all, 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 aspect 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 co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also 1earn how to cope with personal problems as well as 1earning 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; sometimes they work 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.
36. In the passage the authors attitude towards mixed-ability teaching is ____.
A) critical C) approving
B) questioning D) objective
37. By held back the author means _________.
A) made to remain in the same classes
B) forced to study in the lower c1asses
C) drawn to their studies
D) prevented from advancing
38. The author argues that a teachers chief concern should be the development of the students _________.
A) personal qualities and social skills
B) total personality
C) 1earning ability and communicative skills
D) intellectual ability
39. 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 also learn to develop their reasoning abilities.
C)Group work provides pupils with the opportunity to learn to be capable organizers.
D) Pupils a1so learn how to participate in teaching activities.
40. The authors purpose in writing this passage is to _____________.
A) argue for teaching bright and not-so-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
試題分析：
Passage 1
內容大意
這是一篇敘述海洋學的文章。文章開頭給海洋學下了一個定義, 認為海洋學是綜合應用所有科學學科對海洋進行的研究。在19世紀前, 對海有興趣的科學家鳳毛麟角。牛頓在其著作中雖然也提到這方面的一些理論問題但對走向海洋作進一步的探測研究卻停止不前。
在19世紀之前, 對大多數人來說, 海洋是遙遠而陌生的。除早期飄洋過海旅行的人或靠海謀生的人之外; 很少有人對海洋感興趣, 更談不上關心海底有什么之類的問題了。只是當有人建議鋪設一條從歐洲到美洲的海底電報電纜時, 人們才開始從商業意義上對海底進行探索。工程師要知道電線經過的海底的地貌, 以估算出要生產多長的電纜。
于是, 在1853年, 大西洋電報公司向美國海軍的一位名叫Maury的人請教, 因為Maury 在40年代曾負責過多次令人鼓舞的航行, 對北大西洋和太平洋的水深進行過探測。他在The Physical Geography of the Sea這一著作中提到的發現引起了人們的廣泛興趣。直到1866年, 這條電纜才最終完成。在此之前出過幾次故障。當人們將電纜從海底撈上來修復時, 還發現上面復蓋了許多生物。這個事實批駁了當時認為海洋深處無生命的論點。
隨著海底電纜的鋪設成功, 海洋學得到發展。1872年, Thomson領導了長達4年的海洋考察, 收集了成千上萬的海洋標本。通過數年的分類和分析, 科學家們完成了一份長達5卷的報告, 最后一卷于1895年出版。
試題分析
第21題：
本題要求學生推斷：建議鋪設海底電纜使得海洋學的研究具有什么樣的性質。第3段講到：只有當有人建議鋪設一條從歐洲到美洲的海底電纜時, 人們才開始從商業意義上對海底進行探索。人們必須要知道海底有什么, 是個什么樣子, 需要多長的電纜等等。因此, 選項C是答案。答對本題的考生為38%。有29%的考生誤選了A項, 有24%的考生誤選了A項。這些考生沒有根據文章內容來答題, 而是根據題目本身的字面意義想當然地答題。
第22題：
本題問的是誰向Maury請教海洋研究方面的問題。要答對這一題, 必須看懂原文第4段第l句。這是一個強調句型, 原文突出向美國海軍的MauD請教。而題干也是一個強調句型, 突出誰向Maury請教。理解本句的關鍵還在于學生要掌握 turned to...for...這個短語的用法。可見, 答案是選項D。60%的考生答對了本題。31%的考生誤選了A項。還有少數考生誤選B項或C項。
第23題：
本題問的是19世紀40年代Maury負責的遠洋航行的目的是什么。這個問題比較具體。題干本身已點明了答案可能的出處, 即第4段的第2句。這句中動詞不定式to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific 0ceans回答了這個問題。所以, 答案是D項。這題比較容易, 77%的考生答對本題。但也有11%的考生粗心大意, 把40年代的這些航行與1853年以后的海底電纜鋪設過程混淆起來, 錯選了C項。
第24題：
本題考核學生根據上下文推測詞義的能力。defied是defy的過去式。要準確地推測它的詞義, 必須完全讀懂defied前后部分的意思：前一部分是說：從海底撈出的電纜上覆蓋著各種各樣的生物, 后一部分是說：當時的科學觀點認為海洋深處是沒有生命的。由此可見, 前一部分的事實是批駁后一部分的觀點。所以, 答案是C項challenged。37%成績較好的考生答對此題。既然前一部分是事實, 當然無法懷疑后一部分觀點; 既然前后兩部分相左, 前者當然也不能為后者提供證據, 更不可能與后面的觀點一致。但仍有不少考生誤選了這幾項。特別值得一提的是有近25%中等程度的考生誤選了A項。這可能是因為這些考生沒有理解這句話的意思。
第25題：
本題問及全篇的中心意思。考生只有讀懂全文各段, 才能有把握地回答。第1段談及是關于海洋學的定義; 第2段是講19世紀前對海洋感興趣的科學家不多; 第3段談到由于有人提出鋪設海底電纜, 人們才開始研究海底深處究竟有什么; 第4段說Maury考察北大西洋和太平洋的發現引起廣泛的注意; 第5段講在鋪設海底電纜過程中發現大量海樣生物; 最后一段是海洋學研究的成果。可見全篇主要還是講海洋學的研究是如何開展起來的, 所以答案是A項, 有74%左右的考生答對了這一題。文章有好幾個地方談到鋪設海底電纜和越洋通訊, 但都是圍繞著海洋學這條主線的。至于C項, 測量海洋深度, 只是一個細節, 不可能是文章中心意思。
Passage 2
內容大意
本文講解了人體的能量周期現象。為什么有些人早上起不來, 甚至感到難受 有人可能會把這說成是懶散。但是Kleitman博士卻另有解釋。他證實了每個人的精力在一天里有個周期。在你盡力工作的時候, 你會感到熱。確實如此。一天中當你感到精力最充沛時, 也就是你的體溫處于整個周期的高峰。有些人的高峰出現在上午, 而另一些人的高峰出現在下午。為什么會這樣呢 沒有人能說清楚。但這種現象確會導致屢見不鮮的自言自語：John, 快起來!否則上班又要遲到了。對這種煩人的事可以這樣解釋：John的體溫和能量高峰是在晚上。如果丈夫和妻子能明白不同的能量周期是怎么回事, 家里的每個人有什么樣的能量周期, 很多家庭爭吵就不會發生。
雖然你無法改變自己的能量周期, 但你可以使你的生活適應這一周期。Kleiman博士認為習慣性的行為能起作用。有可能晚上你感到很困倦, 但又必須熬夜。采取經常性地推遲睡覺的辦法, 能在一定程度上不按周期行事。如果你在上午處于能量的低潮, 但你有重要的工作要在上午做, 那么你就要比平時早起。這并不改變你的周期, 但你可以在低潮時鼓起干勁, 工作得更好。
起床時慢慢來可以節省能量。起來時不慌不忙, 打個呵欠, 伸個懶腰, 在床邊坐一坐。頭一天晚上先把干凈衣服放好, 早上就省去了尋找衣服的麻煩。在任何可能的情況下, 下午做些事務性的工作, 把耗費精力或者需要全神貫注的工作留待你思維最敏銳的時候去做。
試題分析
第31題：
本題的關鍵是搞清楚人們能否早起同什么有關。根據文章第1段可以看出早晨起不來是同一個人每天的能量周期有關。根據文章第2段中John的自言自語, 以及緊接著的解釋：John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening推理, 如果一個人早上不能早起, 這個人的能量高峰就很可能在下午或晚上。因此選項D是答案, 65%的考生答對了本題。有16%的考生誤選了A項, 而第1段第2句說得很清楚：早晨起不來可能有人叫做懶, 但KIettnm博士卻另有解釋。可見選項A不是答案, 說明這部分考生沒有看懂文章。有11的考生誤選了B項。第3段講到你無法改變自己的能量周期, 但你可使你的生活適應這一周期。可見, 并不存在拒絕遵守能量周期的問題。
