英语四级阅读理解.doc

-! Passage One Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. The prospects for women who are scientists and engineers at major research universities have improved, although women continue to face unfair treatment in salary and access to some other resources, a panel of the National Research Council concludes in a new report. In recent years “men and women faculty in science, engineering and mathematics have enjoyed comparable opportunities,” the panel said in its report, released on Tuesday. It found that women who applied for university jobs and, once they had them, for promotion and tenure (终身任职), were at least as likely to succeed as men. In another report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Wisconsin reviewed a variety of studies and concluded that the achievement gap between boys and girls in mathematics performance had narrowed to the vanishing point. Although girls are still of a smaller number in the ranks of young math prodigies (神童), they said, that gap is narrowing, which undermines claims that a greater prevalence (流行) of profound mathematical talent in males is biologically determined. The researchers said this and other phenomena “provide abundant evidence for the impact of sociocultural and other environmental factors on the development of mathematical skills and talent and the size, if any, of math gender gap.” The research council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, gathered its expert panel at the request of Congress. The panel surveyed six disciplines — biology, chemistry, mathematics, civil and electrical engineering, and physics — and based its analysis on interviews with faculty members at 89 institutions and data from federal agencies, professional societies and other sources. The panel was led by Claude Canizares, a physicist who is vice president for research at M.I.T, and Dr. Sally Shaywitz of Yale Medical School, an expert on learning. The Wisconsin researchers, Janet S. Hyde and Janet E. Mertz, studied data from 10 states collected in tests authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act as well as data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federal testing program. Differences between girls’ and boys’ performance in the 10 states were “close to zero in all grades,” they said, even in high schools where gaps had existed earlier. In the national assessment, they said, differences between girls’ and boys’ performance were “trivial”. 57. We learn from the passage that female scientists and engineers in some universities ________. A) tend to compare themselves with men B) suffer from overwhelming unequal treatment C) find it difficult to get ideal jobs D) have a future as bright as men 58. According to the researchers at the University of Wisconsin, ________. A) girls usually think narrowly in math while boys don’t B) girls can do almost as well as boys in mathematics C) most girls perform better in mathematics than boys D) there are very few girls who are really talented in math 59. What is the conclusion of the research council based on? A) The analysis made by 89 college teachers and data from different agencies. B) The survey of six subjects, interviews with teachers and data from different kinds of sources. C) The survey at the request of the Congress and talks with teachers from 89 institutions. D) The research made by the National Academy of Sciences and the survey within six fields. 60. What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A) Neither gender nor age affects students’ performance in mathematics. B) People expect to see gaps between girls’ and boys’ performance in high school. C) Different tests show different results concerning students’ performance. D) Data from 10 states are not as accurate as those from the national tests. 61. The passage is mainly about ________. A) the unfair treatment towards female in universities B) women bridging gap in science opportunities C) the achievement of female scientists in universities D) a national study of teaching methods of mathematics Passage Two Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage. It’s time to stop complaining. The economy might be melting down like butter in a hot pot, but for some people — you, maybe? — this could be a very good thing. Here’s why. At no other time in recent history has it been easier or cheaper to start a new kind of company. Possibly a very profitable company. Let’s call these start-ups LILOs, for “a little in, a lot out;” These are Web-based businesses that cost almost nothing to get off the ground yet can turn into great moneymakers. How do you get started? All that’s required is a great idea for a product that will fill a need in the 21st century. These days you’d do best if your idea either makes people money or saves them money. And launching now will make your company stronger later — you’ll learn to survive on fumes until the economy improves. That’s what John Tayman is doing. He’s an author who lives in San Francisco, where I met him; he wrote reviews for a business magazine I edited. Tayman knew little about technology and even less about business. And yet he dreamed of a website that would summarize car reviews from other sources and rank every model of new car. “It’ll be like RottenTomatoes.com meets Kelley Blue Book,” he explained to me during lunch one day last June. Tayman said he intended to build the site on the side while continuing to write for a living. He’d work on his new company only at night and on weekends. Oh, yes, and he had only about $10,000. “Good luck with that!” I thought. Ideas are much easier to produce than they are to execute. Tayman went to work with nothing more than his PowerBook laptop. A very well-organized fellow, he quickly discovered a bunch of free stuff online — instructional manuals and sites that walk you through the process from start to finish. Within months, Tayman had a virtual staff of 20 employees working for him in five different countries. MotorMouths.com went live in January. Tayman figures he has worked about 10 hours a week on it and hasn’t spent a cent on marketing or advertising. Growth is modest but steady: nearly 10,000 people visit each week. 62. What is an advantage of starting a business now? A) It will guarantee you a big success. B) It can never be more profitable. C) It costs you much less than ever before. D) It keeps you from useless complaining. 63. What is essential to start your business according to the passage? A) Low-cost products used to be trade. B) A good idea helping people make or save money. C) Starting the business as early as possible. D) Practical products with good quality. 64. What is said about Tayman in the passage? A) He chooses to run his business in his spare time. B) He has raised enough funds for his business. C) He is good at Internet technology and e-commerce. D) He came up the idea when talking with his friend. 65. How did the author feel on hearing of Tayman’s idea? A) He was sure that it would make profit. B) He thought Tayman was out of his mind. C) He is suspicious of his executive capability. D) He had no confidence in Tayman’s success. 66. How is Tayman’s website going now? A) It starts to be used by more people now. B) It has made a huge profit since January. C) It still copies free stuff from the Internet. D) It has a capacity of 10,000 visits per week. Passage One Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. When it comes to using technology to foster education, the prevailing wisdom has been that more is better. Over the past decade, universities around the globe have invested heavily in the wired classroom, adding everything from external laptop connections to Blu-ray DVD players. But there is little evidence that these devices enhance learning — and, critics believe, they might actually hinder it, making both students and teachers passive. What if classrooms were restored to the pre-Internet days of wooden tables and chalk? Take technology out of the classroom. Jose Bowen, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Texas, has done just that. He wants his faculty to “teach naked”, meaning without the aid of any machines. “Just because you have a PowerPoint presentation doesn’t mean you have a good lecture,” he argues. Classroom time should be reserved for discussions with the professor, aimed at teaching students to think critically, argue, and raise new questions. Due to the grim (严峻的) economic climate at most universities, he says, avoiding new technology is also a sound way to save money. Bowen, who teaches music, delivers content via podcasts (播客), which students must listen to on their own time. He then quizzes them on the material before every class to make sure they’ve done the work, and uses class time for discussions and research according to the recorded lessons. He’s been teaching the same material for 25 years, but since he implemented the new way, he says, his students have been more engaged and scored better on exams. College students asked by researchers to list what motivates them have consistently emphasized teacher enthusiasm, organization, and rapport (融洽的关系), while naming lack of active participation as a major disincentive (遏制因素). Last spring the British Educational Research Journal published a survey that found that 59 percent of students called at least half their lectures boring — particularly those involving PowerPoint. Technology has a place in education, but it should be used independently by students outside the classroom. That gives them more time to absorb lectures via podcast or video, and frees teachers to spend class time coaching students in how to apply the material rather than simply absorb it. 57. What’s the opinion of critics about the technology used in the classrooms? A) It helps enhance teaching and learning. B) It puts extra financial burden on schools. C) It may serve as an obstacle to learning. D) It has injected great vitality into the class. 58. What does Jose Bowen expect his teachers to do? A) To teach the students how to use technology after class. B) To explain the materials clearly in their unique ways. C) To give PowerPoint presentation when teaching. D) To teach the students without the aid of technology. 59. According to the passage, class time should be used to _______. A) discuss how to treat technology B) learn the materials by heart C) promote students’ critical thinking D) update students on new information 60. What do we learn from the third paragraph? A) Active participation in class stimulates students to learn. B) Students need tests to check what they have learned. C) Most students regard lectures with PowerPoint as less boring. D) Teachers’ influence is the most important factor in teaching. 61. What is the author’s attitude towards using technology in the classroom? A) Concerned. B) Indifferent. C) Optimistic. D) Disapproving. Passage Two Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage. A theme is emerging from the flood of recent corporate earnings reports: Cost cuts are boosting profits. Investors are cheering, but they shouldn’t. Even in these tough times, more CEOs should be talking about how they are seeking out investments, developing new technologies and making acquisitions. That’s what will set their companies up for a stronger future. Intel Corp.’s former CEO Gordon Moore had it right when he said years ago that “you can’t save your way out of a recession.” He meant that even in the toughest times, companies have to spend money on new ideas. Recessions always end, Moore often said, and when they do, companies that embraced innovation (创新) during the downturn won’t be stuck with obsolete products and services. Instead, they’ll have new things to offer once demand picks up again. “Customers don’t come out of recessions spending the way they did before,” said Chunka Mui, who has studied how companies can capitalize on opportunities during crises at his Chicago-based consulting firm, The Devil’s Advocate Group. “They demand something different.” Surprisingly few companies are following Moore’s advice of innovating during recessions. Many have been weakened by the pullback in consumer and business spending as well as tight credit conditions, which is making it harder for companies to get loans to fund their operations. That’s driven some to hold cash and make drastic cost cuts. They’re slashing (大幅度削减) jobs and wages and closing stores and factories. The aggressive cuts have allowed companies to exceed Wall Street’s expectations for their earnings. In fact, the “good” news has sent the Dow Jones industrial average above 10,000 for the first time in a year. The problem is that too many companies are making widespread, not focused cuts. They’re telling every division to cut 10 percent of their work force or slashing marketing dollars by the same amount companywide. “That is a quick way to rid a company of costs. But it doesn’t help it get in a better position going forward”, says Cesare Mainardi, managing director at the consulting firm Booz & Co. and co-author of the new book Cut Costs, Grow Stronger, “and a downturn like this should force people’s hand”. 62. What does the author think companies should do during a recession? A) Cut jobs and wages so as to save more money. B) Seek ways to make the company go forward. C) Try hard to get loans to fund their operations. D) Motivate the employees by raising the salaries. 63. According to Gordon Moore, when the recession ends, companies that didn’t innovate will _______. A) enjoy faster development with the money saved B) set up more factories as consumer demand grows C) be hindered by out-of-date products and services D) attract more customers with traditional products 64. How do consumers change after the economic crisis? A) They lose confidence in the market. B) They start to live within their means. C) They have different ways of spending. D) They try to avoid unnecessary expenditure. 65. What’s Cesare Mainardi’s opinion about companies’ large-scale cuts? A) They do no good to companies’ future development. B) They help the companies out of the crisis quickly. C) They are the only way to get the expected profits. D) They force the employees to work much harder. 66. What can be the best title for this passage? A) Recession Not as Bad as Expected B) Ways to Save You Out of the Crisis C) Financial Crisis Spreading the World D) Innovation Needed Even in Recessions