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[真题解析] 2008年6月+12月四级阅读解析

[真题解析] 2008年6月+12月四级阅读解析

2008.12
Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
If you’re a male and you’re reading this,congratulations: you’re a survivor. According to statistics, you’re more thantwice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, than nine times more likelyto die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78years for men in Australia,you’ll die on average five years before a woman.
There’re many reasons for this – typically, mentake more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke – but perhapsmore importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as theyshould,” says Dr. Gullotta. “This is particularly so for the over-40s, whendiseases tend to strike.”
Gullotta says a healthy man should visit thedoctor every year or two. For those over45, it should be at least once a year.
Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old manwho had delayed doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year.
“When I finally saw him it had already spreadand he has since died from lung cancer,” he says. “Earlier detection and treatmentmay not have cured him, but it would have prolonged(延长) his life.”
According to a recent survey, 95%of women agedbetween 15and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in thesame age group.
“A lot of men think they’re invincible (不可战胜的),” Gullotta says. “They only come in when a friend drops dead onthe golf course and they think, ‘Geez, if it could happen to him, …’”
Then there’s the ostrich approach. “Some men arescared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr, RossCartmill.
“Most men get their cars serviced more regularlythan they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases thatcommonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
Regular check-ups for men would inevitable placestrain on the public purse, Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in thelong run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost fargreater; it’s called premature death.”
注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57.
Why does the authorcongratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?
A) They are more likely to survive serious diseasestoday.
B) Their average life span has been considerablyextended.
C) They have lived long enough to read thisarticle.
D) They are sure to enjoy a longer and happierlife.
58.
Whatdoes the author state is the most important reason men die five years earlieron average than women?
A) Men drink and smoke much more than women.
B) Men don’t seek medical care as often as women
C) Men aren’t as cautious as women in face ofdanger.
D) Men are more likely to suffer from fataldiseases.
59.
Whichof the following best completes the sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him, …” (Line2, Para. 8)?
A) it could happen to me, too
B) I should avoid playing golf
C) I should consider myself lucky
D) it would be a big misfortune
60.
Whatdoes Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” (Line 1, Para. 9)
A) A casual attitude towards one’s healthconditions.
B) A new therapy for certain psychologicalproblems.
C) Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of thepain involved.
D) Unwillingness to find out about one’s diseasebecause of fear.
61.
Whatdoes Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?
A) They may increase public expenses.
B) They will save money in the long run.
C) They may cause psychological strains on men.
D) They will enable men to live as long as women.

这篇文章的主要内容是男性寿命短于女性的成因,作者在文中提出了自己的新颖观点——男性看医生的次数少于女性,并对此进来了论述。
材料以耸人听闻的说法开篇(you’rea survivor),立即吸引了读者(尤其是男性读者)的注意力,随后指出男性不论是患病死亡(more than twice as likely to die)还是寿终正寝(on average five years before a woman),其寿命都要短于女性。
下一段探究了这种现象的原因,首先给出几个众所周知的原因,如男性吸烟喝酒(more likely to drink and smoke),而后提出了自己的独特观点:男性寿命短是因为他们不看医生(men don’t go to the doctor)。
男性如何不爱求医?这是后面5个小段的内容。男性(尤其是四十岁以上的男性)看医生的次数少于正常次数,按正常情况,一位健康男性应该没一两年看一次医生,而45岁以上者应该每年至少一次。作者给出了一个50岁男性的例子,他在咳嗽症状发生后一年才去看医生,结果导致癌症扩散而早亡。
此5小段之后,作者探讨了男性不爱看医生的心理原因。很多男性认为自己不可战胜(即不会得病),同时采取了一种鸵鸟策略,即害怕知道病情而不敢看病。最后一段从看病成本上分析定期体检的好处,指出从长远来看,预防(体检)的花费要低于得病后治疗的花费。

57. C
题目问作者为什么在开头恭喜他的男性读者。
首先看恭喜的内容:you’re asurvivor,意思是你是一位幸存者。“幸存者”的潜台词就是本来“我”可能已经死了,但因为某些原因才幸运地活到现在。作者在后面用数据解释了如此恭喜的原因:“我”患皮肤癌和艾滋病而死亡的几率远远大于女性;即便是没有患这些重病,男性寿终正寝的平均年龄也比女性少五年。如此解释之后,“我”确实足够幸运,尚未因癌症和艾滋病而死,还有机会读到了这篇文章。当然这只是作者的夸张说法而已。
A,现在他们患重病而存活的几率更高。这个选项考查对第二行、第三行有关皮肤癌和艾滋病的句子的理解。文章说男性死于皮肤癌和艾滋病的几率远大于女性,和A的说法正好相反。
B,他们的平均寿命大大地延长了。这句话里出现了average,显然是考查第一段最后一句话。You’ll die on average five years before a woman, 这句话大意是男性平均寿命比女性短,和B说法无关。
C,他们能读到这篇文章,说明已经足够长寿。符合前面的分析。
D,他们一定会享受更长寿、快乐的生活。这句话属于无中生有,即便从全文角度讲,男性按照作者建议注重医疗保健,从而获得延长生命,但也不代表生命就是happier。
四个选项中C的说法最为理想。

58.B
题目问作者认为男性平均寿命比女性短5年的最重要原因是什么。
A,
男性抽烟喝酒远多于女性。
B,
男性不像女性经常寻求医疗救治。
C,
男性在面对危险时不如女性谨慎小心。
D,
男性更可能患致命疾病。
题目的关键信息是 reason和most important,第二段提到了reason一词,而这里讲的也确实是题目所要求的原因。原因有三点,一是危险(risks),一是抽烟喝酒,一是不看医生(don’t go to doctor)。其中在引出第三点时,作者称之为more importantly,也就是比前几点重要。鉴于文中已找不出其他原因,则更为重要也就是最重要,答案应该是“不看医生”。B的说法与此一致。

59.A
题目问下列哪句话填入文中if itcould happen to him之后最为合适。
A,
那也可能发生在我的身上。
B,
我不能打高尔夫球了。
C,
我应该觉得自己幸运。
D,
那真是太不幸了。
这是一道句子理解题,必须结合前后句的逻辑关系进行判断。
此段之前的几段内容的核心思想是男性看医生的次数大大少于女性。本段开头说到很多男性认为自己是不可战胜的(invincible),这句话照应上文的内容,应该是男性不愿看医生的原因所在。下一句说到男性仅仅得知一个朋友死在高尔夫球场上才开始有所醒悟,这一句中的only表示与上一句在句意上的转折关系,也就是男性认为自己不可战胜,“但是”当听说朋友猝死时,他们才开始有所领悟。这样的话,他们此时所想的一定是对自身状况的担心,否则就不能体现出转折含义。四个选项中 A最为合适,其他几项都没有表达对自己的担忧。

60.D
题目问Cartmill所说的the ostrich approach是什么意思。
A,
对健康状况的随意态度。
B,
某些心理问题的新的治疗方法。
C,
因害怕痛苦而拒绝接受医治。
D,
因害怕而不愿去发现自己的疾病。
首先看这几个单词的意思,ostrich是鸵鸟,approach是方法,合起来就是鸵鸟的方法。鸵鸟的方法到底是什么需要结合文章环境来理解。
正如上一题中所谈到的,男人们会对朋友的猝死感到吃惊,进而对自己的健康产生忧虑。接下来文章讲到男人们开始使用鸵鸟的方法,具体的方法如Cartmill所说:有些男人害怕可能有的东西(what might be there),宁愿不知道(would rather not know)。这里可能有的东西当然是指疾病,宁愿不知道的原因是什么呢?是因为害怕(scared of)。这里的逻辑顺序是这样的:男人害怕疾病,所以不想了解疾病。害怕疾病却不想了解疾病,这似乎有点说不过去。但这就是鸵鸟方式的特点。平时我们可能听说过,鸵鸟遇到危险时会把头插到沙子里,以不正视危险来逃避危险,这就是鸵鸟方式的来由。男性对待疾病的方式与此类似,所以被称为使用了鸵鸟的方法。这里有两个关键点,一是害怕(可排除A、B),二是不愿去正视(排除C)。

61.B
题目问关于男性定期体检Cartmill是如何说的。
最后一题一般考查最后一段的内容,这一道也不例外。文章最后一段主要论述了男性定期体检的问题,提到了Cartmill的三点看法。第一,定期体检毫无疑问会给公共支出带来压力(最后一段的第一句话)。第二,预防疾病比治疗疾病更加便宜。第三,最终的代价要远为昂贵,那就是英年早逝(最后一句话)。把各个选项与这三点进行对比就可选出正确答案。
A,
体检可能会增加公共支出。文中确实有相关描述,原文为inevitable place strain on the public purse,意为给公共钱包(意即公共支出)增加压力。体检会增加国家的支出,这一点我们似乎理解上有一些困难,问题可能在于,在作者所在的国家实行了类似全民公费医疗的政策,体检费由国家买单,所以增加男性定期体检项目就会增加国库支出。
B,
从长远看,体检会节约支出。Cartmill的第二点看法所说的“预防”具体化为行动也就是定期体检,所以B的说法正确。相较而言,A因为没有指明是长期还是短期,所以准确度较B差些,还是应该选择B为正确答案。
C,
体检可能会引起男性的心理紧张。这里出现了strain,是考查对第二点的理解,但说法错误。
D,
体检可以使男性和女性一样长寿。这个说法勉强可以算是对第三点看法的考查,因为第三点里出现了death,与寿命有关;而前面的premature又是一个难词,容易造成理解困难。

Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
High-quality customer service is preached ( 宣扬) by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said thandone.
Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or ownerof a retail store, but instead will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers,strangers—and anyone who will listen.
Store managers are often the last to hearcomplaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide tofrequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by VerdeGroup and Wharton School.
“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertainsconsumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. “The store losesthe customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”
On average, every unhappy customer will complainto at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For everydissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negativereview. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.
According to the research, shoppers whopurchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third weregrocery and electronics customers.
The most common complaints include filledparking lots, cluttered (塞满了的) shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stockitems, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.
During peak shopping hours, some retailerssolved parking problems by getting moonlighting(业余兼职的) localpolice to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to directcustomers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need forcustomers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontationbetween those eyeing the same parking space.
Retailers can relieve the headaches byredesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy andexperienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answerquestions.
Most importantly, salespeople should bediplomatic and polite with angry customers.
“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly aremore likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly,” saidProfessor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the storeentrance would help.”
Customers can also improve future shoppingexperiences by filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to therest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no ideawhat is wrong.
注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
62.
Whyare store managers often the last to hear complaints?
A) Most customers won’t bother to complain even ifthey have had unhappy experiences.
B) Customers would rather relate their unhappyexperiences to people around them.
C) Few customers believe the service will beimproved.
D) Customers have no easy access to store managers.
63.
Whatdoes Paula Courtney imply by saying “…the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2, Para. 4)
A) New customers are bound to replace old ones.
B) It is not likely the shopper can find the sameproducts in other stores.
C) Most stores provide the same kind of service.
D) Not complaining to manager causes the shoppersome trouble too.
64.
Shopowners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so thatshoppers________.
A) can stay longer browsing in the store
B) won’t have trouble parking their cars
C) won’t have any worrier about security
D) can find their cars easily after shopping
65.
Whatcontributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?
A) Manners of the salespeople.
B) Hiring of efficient employees
C) Huge supply of goods for sale.
D) Design of store layout.
66.
Toachieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to ________.
A) exert pressure on stores to improve theirservice
B) settle their disputes with stores in adiplomatic way
C) voice their dissatisfaction to store managersdirectly
D) shop around and make comparisons between stores

Passage 2
这篇材料讲的是超市改善服务的问题,按内容可分为改善原因、改善内容和改善方法三个部分。
在前五段作者提出超市服务必须加以改善的原因。第一段仅是引语,第二段告诉我们劣质服务的第一个直接结果:服务顾客会把抱怨向身边的人倾诉(anyone who will listen),而不是超市管理人员。下一段是该结果的延伸,即心有不满的顾客下一步要做的就是转而光顾其他商场。第五段内容较多,较为详细地分析了顾客的行为和商场的损失。
作者在此后的两段列举了商场的种种令顾客不满的服务,如停车位爆满(filled parking lots),货架拥挤(overloaded racks),缺货(out-of-stock items)等等。
最后的五个段落针对引起顾客不满的各个方面提出了解决办法。首先是停车场爆满问题,作者建议雇用一些业余兼职的当地警察来管理停车场(getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants),或者安排一些人使用旗子(flag wavers)进行指挥。
接下来是货品摆放、缺货和排队问题的解决,作者提出重新摆放、预存、雇用熟练收银员等办法(redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedyand experienced cashiers)。
除此之外,作者还特别提到了销售人员的态度问题,指出礼貌、圆滑的销售仪态相对其他方法要更为重要。
以上的几种解决方案全是从商场角度出发,在最后一段,作者从顾客的角度提出了一些建议,以改善顾客自身的购物体验,那就是直接向商场提出自己的意见,而不是向自己身边的其他人(filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to therest of the world)。
62. B
题目问为什么商场经理往往是最后一个听到抱怨的人。
A,
大多数顾客即便发生不愉快的经历也不费力去抱怨。
B,
顾客宁愿把不愉快的经历说给身边的人听。
C,
很少有顾客会认为服务能够改善。
D,
顾客很难见到商场经理。
题目中的关键信息是 storemanagers和complaints,在前几个小段中寻找这两个关键词,可以发现第二段讲到了complaints,大意是顾客很少会向经理们抱怨,而是会提醒(alert)他们的朋友、亲戚、同事等。这里的alert也就是向人抱怨、劝其不要去该商场的意思。第三段开头恰好与题目相合:经理们是最后一个听到抱怨的人。但此后作者没有解释原因,而是指出这一现象下一步的后果:老客户都转而去了别的商场(frequent their competitors——frequent为“常去某处”的意思)。下面的几段进一步分析这种现象,也没有提到原因。这样的话,只能把第二段but instead后面的句子视为原因,也就是顾客更愿意把牢骚说给身边的人听。
四个选项中,A的说法和文章内容正好相反,顾客们实际上经常抱怨,只是抱怨对象不是经理,而是身边的人。C和D的说法在文中都完全找不到着落点,可以排除。

63. D
题目问Courtney所说的the shopper must also find a replacement暗示了什么。
A,
新顾客必定会取代老顾客。
B,
顾客不太可能在其他商场找到相同的商品。
C,
多数商场提供同一类服务。
D,
不向经理抱怨也给顾客带来了麻烦。
首先了解这句话的字面意思:顾客也必须找到替代者(替代品)。这里的replacement指的应该是其他商场,即顾客寻找新的商场来替代令自己不愉快的商场(这样就可以排除A,因为A把replacement理解为新顾客替代老顾客)。
其次来了解上下文环境。这一段的开头说到讲故事(即四处诉苦)会伤害商场,同时让顾客愉悦。四处诉苦会使更多的人不来该商场购物,而顾客诉苦的同时发泄了情绪,排解了不满,确实会令其心情愉悦。开头一句话说得合情合理。
后面一句讲到商场会失去顾客(losesthe customer),但顾客也必须找到一个替代品。前半句没有问题,但后半句里的两个词值得人寻味,即but和also。在此事中,我们看到受到损失的似乎只有商场,顾客最多只是换一家商场而已,但在此时说话人使用了but在两句话间表示转折,同时使用also把顾客和商场放在同等地位上,暗示顾客也同商场一样受到了损失。损失就是顾客需要重新寻找商场。
为什么重新寻找商场就是一种损失呢?是如同B所说的因为在其他商场里少有同样的商品?还是如同C所说的各商场天下乌鸦一般黑,找到一家令顾客满意的商场很难?都有可能,但在文中没有任何有关的信息可以证明B或者C。再看D,“不向经理抱怨”反过来就是指“向身边的人抱怨”,D的意思就相当于向身边的人抱怨给自己带来了麻烦,这里的麻烦(trouble)也就是我们上面所说的损失。根据后文的内容,顾客如果向经理进言,是可以改善对方的服务,进而使自己继续留在该商场,避免重新寻找商场的麻烦。由此可以判断,D的说法是有道理的。我们也可以回答为什么重新寻找商场就是一种损失这个问题,即寻找商场本身在Courtney看来就是一种麻烦,所以他才会在话中使用了but和also。只是在读者看来,也许换个商场并没有什么麻烦。

64. B
题目问商店主经常会雇用业余兼职的警察来做停车场管理员,以便顾客……
A,
能够停留更长的时间逛商场。
B,
停车不会遇到麻烦。
C,
不会担心任何安全问题。
D,
购物后可以很容易地找到自己的车子。
倒数第五段提到了 moonlighting和police——some retailers solved parkingproblems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants.这里讲得很清楚,商店主雇用警察的目的是为了解决停车问题(solved parking problems),这样就排除了A和C。但停车问题也可能是取车时出现的问题,如车子停得过乱,无法找到自己的车。这时可以结合下文进行判断。下面一句讲到商场也会雇用摇旗者指挥顾客去往停车空位(to empty parking spaces),此后这一措施能够避免顾客在停车场上四处乱转却找不到停车位,或是顾客争抢停车空位的事情。可以看到本段其余几句全部和停车空位有关,是停车时的问题,那么第一句所讲应该也是来到停车场的停车问题,而不是离开时的问题。所以排除D,选择B。

65. A
题目问哪一项最能化解和顾客的冲突。
A,
销售人员的服务态度。
B,
雇用办事效率高的员工。
C,
巨量的商品供应。
D,
商场的陈列布局。
倒数第四段列举了几种能够减少头疼(relievethe headaches,也就是减少顾客的不满)的方法,分别是redesigning storelayouts(对应D), pre-stockingsales items(对应C), hiring speedyand experienced cashiers(对应B),and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions(与A稍有关系)。此后的一段指出最为重要的是销售人员能够圆滑而礼貌地应对愤怒的顾客。这一段的most恰好对应题目要求的 most,不过这里没有出现smoothing over issues。这个词组出现在了下一段:Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smoothover issues than those who aren’t so friendly;这句话应该是承接上一段的意思,解释有礼貌的销售人员如何能够消解问题。这样的话,mostly important和smooth over issues同时指向了销售人员的态度问题,也就是A。

66. C
题目问为了获得更好的购物体验,消费者们得到了哪些建议。
A,
向商场施加压力,令其改善服务。
B,
以圆滑的方式解决和商场的争端。
C,
直接向商场经理表达不满。
D,
四处购物,并在各个商场间进行对比。
上一题考查了倒数第二段,那么作为最后一题,只能考查最后一段了。在最后一段,作者从顾客的角度分析如何改善购物体验,第一句就提出了建议:filing complaints to the retailer,file作为动词,是“提出”,用在这里指向零售商投诉、抱怨,而retailer指的是商场主或经理。本题选择C。A中出现了 pressure一词,可以判断是对hard-pressed一词的理解。Hard-pressed意思为“陷入困境的”,在句中指商场主不清楚哪里出了问题时,很难去改进什么。可见这个词与pressure无关,和hard、difficult意义接近。A和D在文中都没有提到,可以排除。

[ 本帖最后由 阮景林 于 2009-3-25 17:08 编辑 ]

2008.6

Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but—regardless of whether it is or isn’t - we won’t do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.

Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth,” as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don’t know enough to relieve global warming, and—without major technological breakthroughs—we can’t do much about it.

From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. But that’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn the world’s poor to their present poverty and freeze everyone else’s living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050.



No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they’re “doing something.” Consider the Kyoto Protocol (京都议定书). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t. But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories (签字国) didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.

The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.

The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don’t solve the engineering problem, we’re helpless.

注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

这是一篇讲述全球变暖问题的材料。关于全球变暖在当前如何解决,作者指出了两点,一是它已经演变成了道德问题,二是只能通过技术突破来解决。

第一段开头作者抛出了自己的独特观点:we won’t do much about it。而后作了一定的解释,认为人们会讨论全球变暖问题(We will argue over it),甚而做出解决问题的姿态,但这类姿态却不会诉诸于行动(the less likely they are to be observed)。

下一段引用了美国前副总统戈尔的观点:inconvenient truth,意思是承认了问题就能解决问题。作者并不同意戈尔的观点,并指出单单承认问题是不够,解决问题的方法是重大技术突破(major technological breakthroughs)。

第三段的内容比较长,作者列举了详细数据论证在未来的50年时间内温室气体排放量的增长幅度。作者的目的在于突出问题的严重性,以便和下一段中政府不愿削减能耗的论述形成对比,彰显出政府为了各自的利益而置环境问题而不顾。这就是在作者看来的道德问题。

既然各国政府不愿进行能耗削减,那么解决问题的办法只有一个:新技术突破。倒数第二段具体论述了新技术突破作为全球变暖问题出路的观点(the only solution is new technology)。

最后一段从另一个方面论述了新技术突破作为问题解决办法的必要性,也就是在道德层面(政府不作为)无法解决问题的情况,必须从工程(engineering,实际指的是技术革新)的角度去实现突破,否则就是彻底的helpless了。

57.   What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?

A) It may not prove an environmental crisis at all.

B) It is an issue requiring worldwide commitments.

C) Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it.

D) Very little will be done to bring it under control.

题目问哪个是第一段中有关全球变暖的说法。

A,全球变暖可能根本就不会发展为环境危机。

B,这是一个需要全世界都付出努力的课题。

C,为避免或阻止全球变暖,已经采取了重大步骤。

D,将不会采取什么措施来控制全球变暖。

第一段并不容易理解,因为作者在这里玩弄了一些文字游戏,如may or may not和whether it is or isn’t,其真实意图不好把握。第一段可以分为两个语意群,第一句算是一个语意群,后面两句合为一个语意群。

从字面意思上看,第一句意思是全球变暖可能成为危机也可能不会变成危机,但不管会否变为,我们都不会采取什么措施。这是一个转折句,通常情况下,转折之后的句子具有更重要的意义,或者说体现了作者的真实意图。那么从这一句可以判断出全球变暖会否成为危机并不是这个句子关注的焦点,焦点是我们不会采取措施来应对它。这样的话,A就是错误选项,而D是对的。

后面两句的大意是:我们会讨论这个问题,甚至会做出堂皇的姿态来避免全球变暖,但这些姿态越堂皇,其得以实施的可能性越小。这个语意群的重心同样在转折以后,也就是这些姿态(即提出的措施)被实行的可能性很小。这个意思和D的说法保持一致。由此可以判断D为正确答案。

58.   According to the author’s understanding, what is A1 Gore’s view on global warming?

A) It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of.

B) It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.

C) It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.

D) It is an area we actually have little knowledge about.

根据作者的理解,Gore对全球变暖的观点是什么。

A,全球变暖是一项事实,但大众和政治家都没有意识到它。

B,这是一种会给我们带来诸多不便的现象。

C,全球变暖一旦被人们认识到,就会得以解决。

D,我们对全球变暖实际上知之甚少。

第二段提到Gore的观点只用了一个词组,即inconvenient truth,字面意思是“会给人们带来不方便的真相”,从这个词组无法判断出其具体含义。不过此后作者使用了一个as if从句,对这个词组进行描述,应该是作者对Gore观点的理解。As if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution,直译为“好像仅仅承认它就会使我们走上解决它的道路”,意思也就是承认它就能解决它。这应该是作者对Gore观点的全部理解,此后的几句以But引出转折,应该是作者开始表达自己的观点,与Gore无关。

四个选项中,C的说法与上文的分析一致。A所说的unaware是没有意识到、不知道的意思,和“承认”不同。B是对inconvenient truth字面意思的望文生义。D的说法和Gore的观点相去甚远,更可能是结合But之后作者自己的观点而安排的迷惑选项。

59.   Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of ________.

A) economic growth

B) wasteful use of energy

C) the widening gap between the rich and poor

D) the rapid advances of science and technology

温室排放量到2050年不止于翻倍,原因是什么。

A,经济增长

B,能源的浪费使用

C,贫富差距拉大

D,科技的快速发展

More than double by 2050出现在第三段的末尾:With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050——介词with可以表示原因,或伴随状态,实际上提示了温室排放翻倍的原因是modest growth,即适度增长。这里的增长当然是指经济增长,economic作了承前省略处理。单从这个句子就可以判断出正确答案是A。

实际上这四个选项在第三大段中都有所提及,需要做出分辨。能源的浪费使用和温室排放之间联系非常紧密,可以认为前者实际上等于后者,因为能源使用的同时即是在排放温室气体。能源的浪费使用并不能准确地解释为什么温室排放量会超过2倍地增长。

第三段第四句话提到了穷人,但这里的意思是说除非我们想让穷人永远穷下去,否则就需要实现经济增长。此句的目的在于说明经济增长的必要性,和温室排放量的关系不够紧密。

从文意来看,科技的快速发展是减少温室排放的有效途径,因此说D的说法起到的是相反的作用,而不会使排放量增长到2倍。

60.   The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, ________.

A) politicians have started to do something to better the situation

B) few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use

C) reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warming

D) international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems

作者认为,京都议定书签订以来……

A,政治家们已经开始动手改变形势。

B,很少有国家采取了真正严格的措施限制能源的使用。

C,能耗的消减已经大大减缓全球变暖形势。

D,已经出现了致力于解决环境问题的国际合作。

文章提到京都议定书是在第四段中间的一句(Consider the Kyoto protocol),而后开始对京都议定书进行评述。一共两句话,It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t,意思是它允许加入该议定书的国家惩罚不加入的国家,这应该是指该议定书的功能。这一功能到底能否达到了呢?下面一句给出了答案,But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets,这里给出了两点结果,一是它没有减少二氧化碳排放量,二是许多签署国没有采取足够严格的措施来实现2008-2012的目标。这里所说的目标应该就是像B所说的限制能源的使用,所以B的说法是对的。

61.   What is the message the author intends to convey?

A) Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.

B) The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology.

C) The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.

D) People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.

题目问作者想要传达什么信息。

A,相较于实际问题,全球变暖更是道德问题。

B,全球变暖的终极解决办法有赖于新技术。

C,有关全球变暖的争论将会引发技术革命。

D,为了阻止全球变暖,人们必须放弃某些物质享受。

与A相关的内容是最后一段第一句话,the trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really engineering one,这里出现了moral problem,A的说法正好源于此。这里的engineering one是指工程问题,也就是实际问题。在engineering one之前作者使用了really一词,说明作者更倾向于认为全球变暖是一个实际问题,只是现实情况是它变成了一个道德问题,体现出作者的一种无奈感。

倒数第二段提到了B所说的新技术:the only solution is new technology,解决全球变暖问题的唯一办法就是新技术。后面的一句是对这个观点的进一步说明,可以说B的说法是符合文意的。

关于技术革命和全球变暖争论之间的关系,应该是技术革命会解决全球变暖问题,这也是作者所持的观点。而根据最后一段的说法,关于全球变暖问题的争论已经演变成道德问题,和技术革命没有关系,所以C的说法不对。

至于D,在文章中没有涉及到放弃某些物质享受的内容,应该属于生造出来的选项,所以可以排除。
Passage Two

Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.

In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen – the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.

Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs (碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.

The key question is: Does that matter?

For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.”

When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”

But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).

But privacy does matter – at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.

注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。



这篇材料讲的是信息时代的隐私保护问题,大体可以分成两个部分,前三段是信息时代隐私遭到泄露的现状,后面几段讲的是人们保护隐私的现实情况。

第一段举出了几种偷窥隐私的途径,首先是电子邮件(a stranger will read your e-mail)或网站浏览记录(scan the Websites you’ve visited),然后是信用卡消费记录和手机话费单(glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills)。

第二段则分析了什么人会窥视隐私。作者认为可能会是配偶、女友、老板、警察、罪犯等等,范围之广确实会吓人一跳,难怪作者会惊呼21世纪的信息泄露如同从前被人偷窥裸体。

第三段论述了隐私泄露的普遍程度。如今,人与人之间界限缺失(few boundaries remain),人们会四处留下数字信息,从而将个人隐私泄露出去(make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like)。甚至简单的Google搜索都能接触到个人的秘密(a simple Google search can reveal what you think)。最后作者得出结论:我们现在生活在一个很难保住秘密的世界(a world where you simply cannot keep a secret)。

后面的几段讲的是现实生活中人们保护的隐私的态度。两个大段分别从“说”和“做”两个方面进行了论述。第一个大段指出人们对隐私泄露是心存忧虑的(most say they are concerned about losing it),第二个大段则列举人们在生活中如何言行不一,不注重隐私的保护。

最后一段作者向人们提出了告诫——Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it,告诉人们不要等到隐私泄露了再去后悔。

62.   What does the author mean by saying “the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked” (Lines 3-4, Para. 2)?

A) People’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.

B) In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets.

C) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.

D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.

题目问作者说the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked是什么意思。

A,人们的私人信息在不知不觉中被人很容易地了解。

B,在21世纪,人们尝试各种方式窥探别人的隐私。

C,在信息时代,人们倾向于彼此更加坦诚。

D,利用高级技术,犯罪分子可以很容易被当场抓住。

The 21st century equivalent of being caught naked这句话的字面意思是“相当于21世纪被人看到裸体”,结合上下文,可知是形容在21世纪个人信息很容易被人看到,隐私被人窥视,和过去被人看到裸体一样。A的说法与此一致。

B的说法和A有一定相似之处,不过B使用的主动语态,强调有人窥探别人隐私的行为本身,而原文是强调隐私“被”人看到,突出后果,B并不准确。C和文意相去甚远,而D是对be caught naked词组的错误理解。

63.   What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A) Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B) Friends should always be faithful to each other.

C) There should be a distance even between friends.

D) There should be fewer disputes between friends.

题目问心理学家会对朋友之间的关系做出什么建议。

A,朋友应该向彼此敞开心怀。

B,朋友应该永远衷心于对方。

C,在朋友之间也应保持一定距离。

D,朋友之间少些争吵。

题目中的关键信息是“心理学家”和“朋友”,文中第三段开头就提到了心理学家和朋友、家庭、爱人等等,可以判断答案就在此处。心理学家的建议一共有两句话,分别由两个宾语从句引导。首先是boundaries are healthy,直译为界限是健康的。“界限”应该是指人与人之间关系的界限,等同于C所说的一定的距离。Healthy一词是对人与人之间保持一定距离的肯定。

其次是it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times,这里表达了向朋友、家人、爱人开放自我的重要性,应该等同于A所说的向彼此敞开心怀,但要注意句尾的两个状语对“敞开心怀”的方式进行了限制。In stages等于bit by bit,意思是“分阶段地、一步一步地”,而at appropriate times指在合适的时候才向对方敞开心怀。整体观察第二个宾语从句,important实际上强调的是两个状语,也就是在in stages和at appropriate times的前提下向朋友敞开心扉是重要的,而不是敞开心扉本身。

由此看来,C的说法更为准确,而A并不是作者的本来意图。B和D在两个宾语从句中都没有提到,可以排除。

64.   Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret” (Line5, Para. 3)?

A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.

B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.

C) There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.

D) Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.

题目问为什么作者会说we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret。

A,现代社会已经最终发展成为开放社会。

B,人们在使用现代技术的时候会四处留下痕迹。

C,总会有人对别人的事情感兴趣。

D,许多搜索引擎靠泄露人们的身份而获利。

这是一道句子理解题,观察发现这句话是对前文的总结,具体地说,是对63题所考查的心理学家言论之后内容的总结。

第三段第一句话刚刚对朋友、爱人之间保持一定距离作出正面肯定,第二句话马上就提出了反驳,few boundaries remain——界限几乎已经不复存在。The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like,作者在这里使用了一个比喻,把数字化操作留下的记录比喻为数字面包屑。本句大意是数字化操作留下的记录可以让陌生人很容易地知道你是谁、你在哪里、你喜欢什么。此后的一句以搜索引擎为例进行了说明。

A的说法非常空泛,也很武断,第三段的内容仅仅是人们进行电脑等操作会泄露信息,把这种个别现象上升为社会变革显然不合适,也不是作者的意图。

B的说法符合文意,modern technology应该就是指文中的digital bread和Google。

C的说法来源于for strangers to reconstruct who you are这一句,这句话透露出的信息仅仅是陌生人获得个人隐私更加容易,至于是否总会有人对别人的事情感兴趣则没有提到。

D的说法照应文中有关Google的内容,但文中没有提到搜索引擎获利问题,可以排除D。

65.   What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?

A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.

B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.

C) They rely more and more on electronic devices.

D) They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

题目问对于隐私保护,大多数美国人是如何做的。

A,他们改变了可能会泄露他们身份的行为。

B,他们使用不同的忠诚卡(顾客积分卡)来做商业交易。

C,他们越来越依赖于电子设备。

D,他们只说不做。

文章中间部分有一个小段:For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”,对于许多美国人来说,答案显然是不。这里指的是许多美国人并不在乎隐私被泄露。此后的两段对此进行了解释。

两段中的第一段讲的是美国人口头上的说法:most say they are concerned about losing it,多数人表示担忧隐私泄露。第二段则暴露了美国人的实际行动:Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy,只有一小部分美国人为保护隐私而改变了自己的行为。反过来说,大部分美国人并没有改变什么。这是典型的言行不一,正如这一点开头的一句话所说:people say one thing and do another——这正好和D的说法一致。



66.   According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ________.

A) people will make every effort to keep it

B) its importance is rarely understood

C) it is something that can easily be lost

D) people don’t cherish it until they lose it

题目问根据这篇材料,隐私在什么地方与健康相似。

A,人们会想尽一切办法保护隐私。

B,其重要性很少被人理解。

C,它是种很容易失去的东西。

D,人们在失去它的时候才珍惜它。

题目中的关键信息是health,在文章末尾部分寻找health一词,发现它出现最后一段中,可以判断这最后一题考查的是文章末尾部分,而不是全篇内容。

But privacy does matter- at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it—— 直译为:“隐私是有关系的,至少是某些时候。它就像健康,在你拥有它时,你注意不到它。只有当它离你而去时你才想要是更注意地保护过它就好了。”这段话无论从句法结构还是词汇难度上都很容易,也没有出现体现独特英语思维的比喻等修辞,所以理解起来较为轻松,是一道送分题。D的说法完全切合最后一段的说法,是正确的。

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新人

谢谢了

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很感谢

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要是放到Word上就更好了!

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谢谢

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