四级考试阅读备考笔记（44）

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:

　　If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.

　　注：1.merciless 无情的

　　2.第一句结论主题句

　　3.taken advantage of 利用;tremble 颤抖

　　4.fashion 时尚，时装，形势;一词多义的现象：blue 蓝色;忧郁的;社会地位比较高的妇女，blues 蓝调音乐

　　36. Designers and big stores always make money ________.

　　A) by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

　　B) because they are capable of predicting new fashions

　　C) by constantly changing the fashions in womens clothing

　　D) because they attach great importance to quality in women s clothing

　　注：考得是首段第二和第三句之间的关系

　　Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

　　注：1.nothing/no more than = only

　　2.changing fashion 改变中的时尚

　　3.alter 改变;afford 承担，支付

　　4.本段首句结论句，末句细节句

　　No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability . They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasnt at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.

　　注：1.首句为结论句，后面开始解释

　　2.vital 重要的 vit 词根，意思是 重要

　　VIP = very important person 重要的人

　　3.put up with 忍受= stand

　　4.末句为细节句，速读