2013年6月大学英语四级考试模拟题及答案：阅读理解

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

There’s no question that the Earth is getting hotter. The real questions are: How much of the warming is our fault, and are we (47) to slow the devastation by controlling our insatiable (48) for fossil fuels?

Global warming can seem too (49) to worry about, or too uncertain-something projected by the same computer (50) that often can’t get next week’s weather right. On a raw winter day you might think that a few degrees of warming wouldn’t be such a bad thing anyway. And no doubt about it: Warnings about (51) change can sound like an environmentalist scare tactic, meant to force us out of our cars and restrict our lifestyles.

Comforting thoughts, perhaps. Unfortunately, however, the Earth has some discomforting news. From Alaska to the snowy peaks of the Andes the world is heating up right now, and fast. Globally, the (52) is up 1°F over the past century, but some of the coldest, most remote spots have warmed much more. The results aren’t pretty. Ice is (53), rivers are running dry, and coasts are (54), threatening communities.

The (55)are happening largely out of sight. But they shouldn’t be out of mind, because they are omens of what’s in store for the (56) of the planet.

A. remote   B. techniques   C. consisting   D. rest E. willing

F. climate   G. skill   H. appetite   I. melting   J. vanishing

K. eroding   L. temperature M. curiosity   N. changes O. skillful

Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

My father’s reaction to the bank building at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York city was immediate and definite: “You won’t catch me putting my money in there!” he declared, “Not in that glass box!”

Of course, my father is a gentleman of the old school, a member of the generation to whom a good deal of modern architecture is upsetting, but I am convinced that his negative response was not so much to the architecture as to a violation of his concept of the nature of money. In his generation money was thought of as a real commodity(实物) that could be carried, or stolen. Consequently, to attract the custom of a sensible man, a bank had to have heavy walls, barred windows, and bronze doors, to affirm the fact, however untrue, that money would be safe inside. If a building’s design made it appear impenetrable, the institution was necessarily reliable, and the meaning of the heavy wall as an architecture symbol dwelt in the prevailing attitude toward money.

But the attitude toward money has, of course, changed. Excepting pocket money, cash of any kind is now rarely used; money as a tangible commodity has largely been replaced by credit. A deficit(赤字) economy, accompanied by huge expansion, has led us to think of money as product of the creative imagination. The banker no longer offers us a safe: he offers us a service in which the most valuable element is the creativity for the invention of large numbers. It is in no way surprising, in view of this change in attitude, that we are witnessing the disappearance of the heavy-walled bank.

Just as the older bank emphasized its strength, this bank by its architecture boasts of imaginative powers. From this point of view it is hard to say where architecture ends and human assertion(人们的说法) begins.

57. The main idea of this passage is that_______.

A) money is not as valuable as it was in the past

B) changes have taken place in both the appearance and the concept of banks

C) the architectural style of the older bank is superior to that of the modern bank

D) prejudice makes the older generation think that the modern bank is unreliable

58. How do the older generation and the younger one think about money?

A) The former thinks more of money than the latter.  

B) The younger generation values money more than the older generation.

C) Both generations rely on the imaginative power of bankers to make money.

D) To the former money is a real commodity but to the latter the means of producing more money.

59. The word “tangible” (Line 2, Para. 4) refers to something _______.

A) that is precious     B) that is usable

C) that can be touched   D) that can be reproduced

60. According to this passage, a modern banker should be_______.

A) ambitious and friendly   B) reliable and powerful

C) sensible and impenetrable D) imaginative and creative

61. It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s attitude towards the new trend in banking is_______.

A) cautious     B) regretful   C) positive   D) hostile

Passage Two

Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

Sixteen years ago, Eileen Doyle’s husband, an engineer, took his four children up for an early morning cup of tea, packed a small case and was never seen or heard of again. Eileen was astonished and in a state of despair. They had been a happy family and, as far as she knew, there had been nothing wrong with their marriage.

Every day of the year a small group of men and women quietly pack a few belongings and without so much as a note or a good-bye close the front door for the last time, leaving their debts, their worries and their confused families behind them.

Last year, more than 1,200 men and nearly as many women were reported missing from home-the highest in 15 years. Many did return home within a year, but others rejected the past completely and are now living a new life somewhere under a different identity.

To those left behind this form of desertion is a terrible blow to their pride and self-confidence. Even the finality of death might be preferable. At least it does not imply rejection or failure. Worse than that, people can be left with an unfinished marriage, not knowing whether they will have to wait seven years before they are free to start a fresh life.

Clinical psychologist Paul Brown believes most departures of this kind to be well planned rather than impulsive. “It’s typical of the kind of personality which seems able to ignore other people’s pain and difficulties. Running away, like killing yourself, is a highly aggressive act. By creating an absence the people left behind feel guilty, upset and empty.”

62. When her husband left home, Eileen Doyle_______.

A) could not forgive him for taking the children

B) had been expecting it to happen for some time

C) could not understand why

D) blamed herself for what had happened

63. Most people who leave their families behind them_______.

A) do so without warning   B) do so because of their debts

C) come back immediately   D) change their names

64. Some people would even prefer the death to the running away of their spouse(配偶) because_______.

A) their spouse would feel no pain during the death

B) their spouse death would not blow their pride and confidence

C) a desertion would not bring a feeling of rejection or failure

D) their spouse death would make them feel less painful

65. The man or woman left behind with an unfinished marriage usually________.

A) admits responsibility for the situation

B) wishes the person who has left were dead

C) comes back within a year        

D) will have no legal marriage life for seven years

66. Paul Brown regards leaving home in such circumstances as _______.

A) an act of despair         B) an act of selfishness

Section A

47. E此处应填入E项，be willing to 为固定搭配。

48. H此处应填入一个名词，而appetite通常和介词for搭配，此处句子的意思为控制我们无止境的欲望。

49. A此处应填入一个形容词，根据上下文意思应选A项，意即:全球气候变暖似乎离我们太遥远，以至于我们无需为此担心。

50. B此处应填入一个名词，而与computer 搭配的名词在选项中根据上下文意思B为正确选项。

51. F根据上下文意思此处应表达气候变化之意，因此F为正确选项。

52. L该题较为简单，表示“上个世纪全球的气温上升了1华氏”，应能迅速找出正确答案。

53. I显然ice 与melt 搭配，因此I为正确选项。

54. K此处应填入一个现在分词，表示“海岸受到侵蚀”，因此应选K。

55. N该题较为简单，应填入一个复数名词，所以填入N项。

56. D选D项，the rest of 为固定搭配。

Section B

57. B主旨题。该题要求学生总结文章的主题。文章主要写了银行发展的两个方面:一是银行的外在建筑风格，过去的银行通常有heavy walls, barred windows 以及bronze doors，给人以非常可靠、放心踏实的感觉；二是银行的功能转变。选项B正是恰当的概括，所以应该是正确答案。文章并无涉及现在和过去对钱的价值比较，所以A项“钱不如过去值钱”不对。文章也没有对比哪种建筑风格更好，所以C项“过去的银行的建筑风格比现代银行的建筑风格更好”也不对。D项说“偏见使得老一辈人认为现代银行不可靠”，不符合文章意思。

58. D细节归纳题。问题问老一代人与年轻一代人对钱的认识态度是什么？老一代人的看法可以从第三段开头看出:“In his generation money was thought of as a real commodity that…”年轻一代对钱的看法可以从第四段第四行至第六行，尤其是“… he offers us a service in which the most valuable element is the creativity for the invention of large numbers.”从上可以归纳出D项为该题的正确答案。

59. C语义题。该题较容易，只要参阅第三段“commodity”后的定语从句“that could be carried, or stolen.”这实际上就是解释老一代人对钱的看法，他们认为钱是可以被携带或被偷走，也就是可以能摸得到的实实在在的东西，C项正确。

60. D细节推论题。问题问现代银行应该具有什么功能？四选项的意思分别是:A）“充满雄心且友好”，B）“可靠且威力无穷”，C）“明智且不可穿越”，D）“富有想像且有创造性”。要回答这个问题，应定位在文章第四段“…in which the most valuable element is the creativity”和第五段“… boasts of imaginative powers.”从中不难看出现代银行应该是富有想像力并且有创造力。

61. C推论题。该题要求学生判断作者对银行的外在风格和功能的转变这一趋势的态度。最明确的提示应该是第四段开头“But the attitude toward money has, of course, changed.”随后进一步分析了现代银行不同于过去银行的功能，作者用了“creative imagination”, 可以看出其态度是肯定的。C项正确。

62. C细节理解题。问题问“当她的丈夫离家出走时，Eileen Doyle怎么样？”根据第一段第二行“Eileen was astonished…”可以断定C“（她）不明白为什么”应该是正确答案。其余三项均不符合文章意思。

63. A细节理解题。问题问“离开家庭的大多数人”。该题较简单，解题依据应该是文章第二段，其大意为:一年中的每一天都有一小帮男人和女人悄然收拾几件行李，没有留下任何纸条或说一声再见（“…without so much as a note or goodbye…”，其中without so much as为重要句型，表示“甚至…都没有”），最后一次关上前门离家出走了，把他们的债务、他们的忧虑、还有迷惑不解的家庭抛在身后。A项正确。

64. D细节理解题。文章第四段第二、三句说明那些被遗弃的人甚至宁愿自己的配偶已经死亡，至少死亡不会意味着自己被抛弃或失败，所以要比被遗弃的感觉好点。B、C两项属于四级考试中典型的陷阱式干扰项，因为B项中的“pride and confidence”及C项中的“rejection or failure”在原文中皆有出现，马虎的考生可能不假思索就选了B或C，正好中了圈套，其实稍微细心一点就会发现B、C和文章所说的并不是一回事。第四段第三句“At least it…”中的it是指death而不是题干中主语所指。

65. D细节推论题。问题的题干应该在第四段开头，所以答案在此之后“…Worse than that,… an unfinished marriage,…wait seven years before…”D项正是这种意思。

66. B细节理解题。依据第五段第二行“It’s typical of the kind of personality which seems able to ignore other people’s pain and difficulties.” B项说“这是一种自私行为”，为正确答案。A) “这是种绝望行为”；C) “这是突然决定的结果”；D) “这是沉重负疚感的结果”。

C) the result of a sudden decision

D) the result of the enormous sense of guilt