历年英语四级考试的阅读理解部分13

2000年1月 Reading Comprehension

　　Direction: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B) C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

　　Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids now, one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists.

　　Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and dont threaten us. But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.

　　Buy $50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $10 million a year for the next 25 year5s to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say, well have a way to change its course.

　　Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldnt be cheap.

　　Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk re: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years. Sounds pretty rarebut if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. If we dont take care of these big asteroids, theyll take care of us, says one scientist. Its that simple.

　　The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? The world has less to fear from doomsday rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them, said a New York Times article.

　　21. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?

　　A) They are heavenly bodies different in composition.

　　B) They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.

　　C) There are more asteroids than meteoroids.

　　D) Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.

　　22. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?

　　A) It is very unlikely but the danger exists.

　　B) Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.

　　C) Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.

　　D) Its still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.

　　23. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the courses of asteroids?

　　A) It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.

　　B) It may create more problems than it might solve.

　　C) It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.

　　D) Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.

　　24. We can conclude from the passage that ______________.

　　A) while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world

　　B) asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future

　　C) the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime

　　D) workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth

　　25. Which of the following best describes the authors tone in this passage?

　　A) Optimistic.

　　B) Critical.

　　C) Objective.

　　D) Arbitrary.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:

　　Believe it or not, optical illusion can cut highway crashes.

　　Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent stripes, called chevrons , painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.

　　Now the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japans success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.

　　Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatestcurves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.

　　Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.

　　Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway sped and the number of traffic accidents.

　　26. The passage mainly discusses __________.

　　A) a new way of highway speed control

　　B) a new pattern for painting highways

　　C) a new approach to training drivers

　　D) a new type of optical illusion

　　27. On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that __________.

　　A) they should avoid speed-related hazards

　　B) they are driving in the wrong lane

　　C) they should slow down their speed

　　D) they are approaching the speed limit

　　28. The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ___________.

　　A) can keep drivers awake

　　B) can cut road accidents in half

　　C) will have a longer effect on drivers

　　D) will look more attractive

　　29. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to __________.

　　A) try out the Japanese method in certain areas

　　B) change the road signs across the country

　　C) replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons

　　D) repeat the Japanese road patterns

　　30. What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?

　　A) They are falling out of use in the United States

　　B) They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.

　　C) They are applicable only on broad roads.

　　D) They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

　　Amtrak was experiencing a downswing in ridership along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham, were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.] At one time, trains were the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west. Trains were fast, very luxurious, and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation existing at the time. However, times change and the automobile became Americas standard of convenience. Also, air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of traveling great distances. Therefore, the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order to change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be considered for travel in the west.

　　Two portions of the total market were targeted: 1) anxious fliersthose concerned with safety, relaxation, and cleanliness and 2) travel-loversthose viewing themselves as relaxed, casual, and interested in the travel experience as part of their vacation. The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom, escape, relaxation, and enjoyment of the great western outdoors. It stressed experiences gained by using the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.

　　Advertisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along some of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains . These ads were strategically placed among family-oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order to most effectively reach target audiences. Results were impressive. The Empire Builder, which was focused on in one ad, enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.

　　31. Whats the authors purpose in writing this passage?

　　A) To show the inability of trains to compete with planes with respect to speed and convenience.

　　B) To stress the influence of the automobile on Americas standard of convenience.

　　C) To emphasize the function of travel agencies in market promotion.

　　D) To illustrate the important role of persuasive communication in changing consumer attitudes.

　　32. It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak ridership was due to the fact that ________.

　　A) trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation

　　B) trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation

　　C) trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be

　　D) trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience

　　33. To encourage consumers to travel by train, DDB Needham emphasized __________.

　　A) the freedom and convenience provided on trains

　　B) the practical aspects of train travel

　　C) the adventurous aspects of train trips

　　D) the safety and cleanliness of train trips

　　34. The train ads were placed among family-oriented TV programs involving nature and America because ____________.

　　A) they could focus on meaningful travel experiences

　　B) they could increase the effectiveness of the TV programs

　　C) their profits could be increased by some 15 percent

　　D) most travel-lovers and nervous fliers were believed to be among the audiences

　　35. According to the passage, the Empire Builder enjoyed an increase in ridership and profits because ___________.

　　A) the attractiveness of its name and route was effectively advertised

　　B) it provided an exciting travel exper5ience

　　C) its passengers could enjoy the great western outdoors

　　D) it was widely advertised in newspapers and magazines in Chicago and SEattle

　　Passage Four

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:

　　Why does cram go bad faster than butter? Some researchers think they have the answer, and it comes down to the structure of the food, not its chemical compositiona finding that could help rid some processed foods of chemical preservatives.

　　Cream and butter contain pretty much the same substances, so why cream should sour much faster has been a mystery. Both are emulsionstiny globules of one liquid evenly distributed throughout another. The difference lies in whats in the globules and whats in the surrounding liquid, says Brocklehurst, who led the investigation.

　　In cream, fatty globules drift about in a sea of water. In butter, globules of a watery solution are locked away in a sea of fat. The bacteria which make the food go bad prefer to live in the watery regions of the mixture. This means that in cream, the bacteria are free to grow throughout the mixture, he says.

　　When the situation is reversed, the bacteria are locked away in compartments buried deep in the sea of fat. Trapped in this way, individual colonies cannot spread and rapidly run out of nutrients . They also slowly poison themselves with their waste products. In butter, you get a self-limiting system which stops the bacteria growing, says Brocklehurst.

　　The researchers are already working with food companies keen to see if their products can be made resistant to bacterial attack through alterations to the foods structure. Brocklehurst believes it will be possible to make the emulsions used in salad cream, for instance, more like that in butter. The key will be to do this while keeping the salad cream liquid and not turning it into a solid lump.

　　36. The significance of Brocklehursts research is that ____________.

　　A) it suggested a way to keep some foods fresh without preservatives

　　B) it discovered tiny globules in both cream and butter

　　C) it revealed the secret of how bacteria multiply in cream and butter

　　D) it found that cream and butter share the same chemical composition

　　37. According to the researchers, cream sours fast than butter because bacteria _________.

　　A) are more evenly distributed in cream

　　B) multiply more easily in cream than in butter

　　C) live on less fat in cream than in butter

　　D) produce less waste in cream than in butter

　　38. According to Brocklehurst, we can keep cream fresh by ___________.

　　A) removing its fat

　　B) killing the bacteria

　　C) reducing its water content

　　D) altering its structure

　　39. The word colonies refers to __________.

　　A) tiny globules

　　B) watery regions

　　C) bacteria communities

　　D) little compartments

　　40. Commercial application of the research finding will be possible if salad cream can be made resistant to bacterial attack _____________.

　　A) by varying its chemical composition

　　B) by turning it into a solid lump

　　C) while keeping its structure unchanged

　　D) while retaining its liquid form