2010年12月英语四六级考试阅读专项练习(14)

Most of us trade money for entertainment. Movies, concerts and shows are enjoyable but __11__ .If you think that you can't have a good time without spending a lot of money, read on. A little resourcefulness and a few minutes of newspaper-scanning should give you some pleasant surprises.
　　People may be the most interesting show in a large city. __12__ through busy streets and see what everybody else is doing. You will probably see people from all over the world; you will __13__ see people of every age, size, and shape, and you'll get a free fashion show, too. Window-shopping is also a __14__ sport if the stores are closed.

　　Check the listings in your neighborhood paper. Local colleges or schools often__ 15__ the public to hear an interesting speaker or a good __16 __. The film or concert series at the local public library probably won't cost you a penny. Be sure to check commercial advertisements too. A flea market can provide hours of pleasant looking round. Perhaps you can find a free cooking or crafts __17__ in a department store.
　　Plan ahead for some activities. It is always more pleasant not to have people in front of you in a museum or at a zoo. You may save some money, too, since these places often __18 __aside one or two free __19__ days at slow times during the week. Make sure that you are including the indispensable __20__ that people travel miles to see. If you feel like taking an interesting walk, find a free walking tour, or plan one yourself.
　　A. expensive B. Wonder C.debate D. admission
　　E. set F. Wander G.safe H. addition
　　I. valuable J. dispute K.welcome L. confidently
　　M. sights N. demonstration O.certainly
　　Despite these alarming statistics, the scale of the threat that smoking causes to women's health has received surprisingly little attention. Smoking is still seen by many as a mainly male problem, perhaps because men were the first to take up the habit and therefore the first to suffer the ill-effects. This is no longer the case. Women who smoke like men will die like men. WHO estimates that, in industrialized countries, smoking rates amongst men and women are very similar, at around 30 per cent; in a large number of developed countries, smoking is now more common among teenage girls than boys.
　　As women took up smoking later than men, the full impact of smoking on their health has yet to be seen. But it is clear from countries where women have smoked longest, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, that smoking causes the same diseases in women as in men and the gap between their death rates is narrowing. On current trends, some 20 to 25 per cent of women who smoke will die from their habit. One in three of these deaths will be among women under 65 year of age. The US Surgeon General has estimated that, amongst these women, smoking is responsible for around 40 per cent heart disease deaths, 55 per cent of lethal strokes and, among women of all ages, 80 per cent of lung cancer deaths and 30 per cent of all cancer deaths. Over the last 20 years, death rates in women from lung cancer have more than doubled in Japan, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom; have increased by more than 200 per cent in Australia, Denmark and New Zealand; and have increased by more than 300 per cent in Canada and the United States.
　　21. The effect of smoking on women has not been paid enough attention because______.
　　A. men suffer more from smoking
　　B. men would like women to smoke
　　C. men are considered the main sufferers of smoking
　　D. there are alarming statistics of death caused by smoking
　　22. "This is no longer the case. " The word "this" refers to______.
　　A. that men used to suffer the ill-effects
　　B. that there were alarming statistics
　　C. that the scale of threat become larger
　　D. that women suffered from smoking as greatly as men
　　23. From the fact that in some developed countries smoking is now more common among teenage girls than boys, we can predict that in the days to come, ______.
　　A. women will have the same diseases as men

　　B. more women may suffer from smoking than men
　　C. the smoking rates among men and women will drop
　　D. the teenage girls today may give up smoking when they are grown-ups
　　24. All of the following statements are the effects of smoking on women EXCEPT that
　　A. the death rates of the women and men who are smoking are in similar proportion
　　B. smoking causes the same diseases in women as in men
　　C. in the past 20 years, death rates in women from lung cancer have more than doubled
　　D. smoking is responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths among women
　　25. In the phrase "lethal stroke", the word "lethal" most probably means______.
　　A. causing death B. causing discomfort
　　C. causing poor health D. causing anxiety
　　The men who race the cars are generally small, with a tight, nervous look. They range from the early 20s to the middle 40s, and it is usually their nerves that go first.
　　Fear is the driver's constant companion, and tragedy can be just a step behind. Scarcely a man in the 500 does not carry the scars of ancient crashes. The mark of the plastic surgeon is everywhere, and burned skin is common. Sometimes a driver's scars are invisible, part of his heritage. Two young drivers, Billy Vukovich and Gary Bettenhausen, raced in their first 500 in 1968. Less than 20 years before, their fathers also competed against one another on the Indy track—and died there.
　　All this the drivers accept. Over the years, they have learned to trust their own techniques, reflexes, and courage. They depend, too, on a trusted servant—scientific engineering. Though they may not have had a great deal of schooling (an exception is New Zealand's Bruce McLaren, who has an engineering degree), many drivers are gifted mechanics, with a feeling for their engines that amount to kinship.
　　A few top drivers have become extremely wealthy, with six-figure incomes from prize money, endorsements, and jobs with auto-product manufacturers. Some have businesses of their own. McLaren designs racing chassis (底盘). Dan Gurney's California factory manufactured the chassis of three of the first four ears in the 1968 Indy 500, including his own second place car.
　　Yet money is not the only reason why men race cars. Perhaps it isn't even the major reason. Three-time Indy winner(1961, 1964, 1967) A. J. Foyt, for example, can frequently be found competing on dirty tracks in minor-league races, where money, crowds and safety features are limited, and only the danger is not. Why does he do it? Sometimes Foyt answers, "It's in my blood. " Other times he says, "It's good practice. " Now and then he replies, "Don't ask dumb questions. "
　　26. The statement "it is usually their nerves that go first" means_______.
　　A. at first they all have a nervous look
　　B. they often find they can't bear the tension even if they are in good condition
　　C. someday they find they can't make responses to any risk
　　D. they can continue their career at most until the middle 40s
　　27. It can be inferred that a car accident is often coupled with_______.
　　A. a plastic surgeon B. a companion
　　C. a risk D. a fire

　　28. The invisible scars of the drivers mentioned in the second paragraph refers to_______.
　　A. the regrets left by their fathers B. the fears left by their fathers
　　C. the cars left by their fathers D. the heritage left by their fathers
　　29. Bruce McLaren is different from most of the drivers in that_______.
　　A. he himself designs chassis B. he has an engineering degree
　　C. he manufactures chassis D. he is a gifted mechanic
　　30. A. J. Foyt often takes part in minor-league races for_______.
　　A. prize money B. blood test
　　C. cheers from the crowd D. enjoyment
　　II. A 12. F 13. O 14. G 15. K 16. C 17. N 18. E 19. D 20. M 21. C 22. A 23. B 24. C 25. A 26. B 27. D 28. A 29. B 30. D