四级阅读理解真题练习

Our quarrel with efficiency is not that it gets things done, but that it is a thief of time when it leaves us no leisure to enjoy ourselves, and that it strains our nerves when we try to get things done perfectly. In building bridges, American engineers calculate so finely and exactly as to make the two ends come together within one-tenth of an inch. But when two Chinese begin to dig a tunnel from both sides of a mountain both come out on the other side. --The Chineses firm belief is that it doesnt matter so long as a tunnel is dug through, and if we have two instead of one, why, we have a double track to boot.

　　The pace of modern industrial life forbids this kind of glorious and magnificent idling. But, worse than that, it imposes upon us a different conception of time as measured by the clock and eventually turns the human being into a clock himself. (This sort of thing is bound to come to China, as is evident, for instance, in the case of a factory of twenty thousand worker. The luxurious prospect of twenty thousand workers coming in at their own sweet pleasure at all hours is, of course, somewhat terrifying.)Nevertheless, such efficiency is what makes life so hard and full of excitement. A man who has to be punctually at a certain place at five oclock has the whole afternoon from one to five ruined for him already. Every American adult is arranging his time on the pattern of the schoolboy - three oclock for this, five oclock for that, six-thirty for change of dress, six-fifty for entering the taxi, and seven oclock for arriving at the destination. It just makes life not worth living.

　　1. The writer objects to efficiency mainly on the grounds that it ____.

　　A) entitles us to too much leisure time

　　B) urges us to get things done punctually

　　C) deprives us of leisure time

　　D) imposes on us a perfect concept of time

　　2. In the eyes of the author, the introduction of industrial life gives rise to ____.

　　A) the excitement of life

　　B) magnificent idling of time

　　C) more emphasis on efficiency

　　D) terrifying schoolboy

　　3. The passage tells us ____.

　　A) Chinese workers come to work when it is convenient

　　B) all Americans are forced to be efficient against their will

　　C) Chinese engineers are on better terms with the management

　　D) Americans ought not to work so hard for efficiency

　　4. The author believes that relaxing the rule of punctuality in factories would lead to ____.

　　A) great confusion

　　B) increased production

　　C) a hard and exciting life

　　D) successful completion of a tunnel

　　5. What is implied but NOT stated by the author is that ____.

　　A) every American is arranging his time in the pattern of a schoolboy

　　B) every American is reluctant to be efficient

　　C) every one should have some time to spend as he pleases

　　D) being punctual is an undesirable habit which should not be formed

　　答案与解析：

　　1.C)deprives us of leisure time对应原文第一句but that it is a thief of time when it leaves us no leisure to enjoy ourselves. 选项A是与作者想法完全相反的; 选项B虽有章可循, 但要注意原文是it strains our nerves when we try to get things done perfectly, 而非it直接urges us to get things done punctually; 选项D要看清, 原文是a different conception of time而非a perfect concept of time.

　　2.C)more emphasis on efficiency对应原文第二段第一句The pace of modern industrial life forbids this kind of glorious and magnificent idling. 通过第一段可以看出, 与efficiency对立的是this kind of glorious and magnificent idling, 而industrial life又forbids, 自然说明industrial life gives rise to more emphasis on efficiency.

　　3.D)Americans ought not to work so hard for efficiency. 排除法: A)Chinese workers come to work when it is convenient不符合原文的内容; B)all Americans are forced to be efficient against their will语气太重, 不是被强迫讲求效率, 也不是违背自己意愿, 只是为了适应工业社会; C)Chinese engineers are on better terms with the management不属于本文讨论范畴。

　　4.A)great confusion对应原文(This sort of thing is bound to come to China, as is evident, for instance, in the case of a factory of twenty thousand worker. The luxurious prospect of twenty thousand workers coming in at their own sweet pleasure at all hours is, of course, somewhat terrifying.)

　　5.C)everyone should have some time to spend as he pleases, 这是4个选项中唯一一个符合is implied but NOT stated两个条件的. A选项有被直接提及, B选项reluctant是不愿的意思,

　　而本文并非讨论愿不愿的问题, D选项being punctual is an undesirable habit which should not be formed, 显然不是作者本意.

2014年12月20日英语四级真题答案汇总