专家解析大学英语四级历年阅读真题(九)
Passage oneQuestions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Interest in pursuing international careers has soared in recent years, enhanced by chronic (长久的) personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talent.
Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons. They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge. They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative. Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language.
When applying for a job, one usually has to submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). The two terms generally mean the same thing: a one-or two-page document describing one’s educational qualifications and professional experience. However, guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing. The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate (公司) culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to embrace two or more cultures in one document. The following list is a good place to start.
● “Educational requirements differ from country to country. In almost every case of ‘cross-border’ job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not bean adequate description. Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience.”
● Pay attention to the resume format you use-chronological or reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means listing your ‘oldest’ work experience first. Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first. Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable. If you find no specific guidelines, the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format.”
● If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient (收件人) uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as ‘tertiary education’ in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors.
21. Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
A) they find foreign employees are usually more talented
B) they need original ideas from employees hired overseas
C) they want to expand their business beyond home borders
D) they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home(D)
22. The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
A) is usually creative and full of initiative
B) aims to improve his foreign language skills
C) is dissatisfied with his own life at home
D) seeks either his own or his children’s development(D)
23. When it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
A) take cultural factors into consideration
B) learn about the company’s hiring process
C) follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting
D) know the employer’s personal likes and dislikes(A)
24. When writing about qualifications, applicants are advised to ________.
A) stress their academic potential to impress the decision maker
B) give the title of the university degree they have earned at home
C) provide a detailed description of their study and work experiences
D) highlight their keen interest in pursuing a ‘cross-border’ career(C)
25. According to the author’s last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
A) the different educational systems in the US and the UK
B) the differences between the varieties of English
C) the recipient’s preference with regard to the format
D) the distinctive features of American and British cultures(B)
这是一篇以跨国求职为说明对象的说明文章。开头首先叙述一点事实：近年来跨国求职现象猛增(soared in recent years)，由此引出文章说明的中心。这一段只有一个句子，后半部分实际上是个省略了which的非限制性定语从句，完整形式应是which is enhanced by ……那么enhance(加强)的对象就是interest。由此，后半句的意义可以理解为“这种寻找国际工作的兴趣又被……加强了”。
随后的第二段简要介绍了求职者进行跨国求职的几点原因：尝试新挑战(recharge their batteries with a new challenge，以新的挑战来为他们的电池充电。这是一种比喻说法。)，激发创造性(encourages creativity and initiative)，使孩子接触其他文化、学外国语言(expose their children to another culture，learn a second language)。
介绍完原因之后，作者开始详细讲解跨国求职的主要工序：写简历;并指出跨国求职简历的难点：embrace two or more cultures in one document，包容照顾两种以上的文化。
最后的三段是作者针对如何解决这一难点提出的建议：
对教育水平的说明要详细具体(details about your studies and any related experience)。
#P#
依据不同国家的惯常，来确定简历的格式(按时间由远及近Chronological order，或由近及远Reverse-chronological)。
若对方母语为英语，则要注意区别英式英语和美式英语(find out if the recipient uses British English or American English)。
21. Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
A) they find foreign employees are usually more talented
B) they need original ideas from employees hired overseas
C) they want to expand their business beyond home borders
D) they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home(D)
题目问公司雇佣越来越多的外国员工的原因是什么。
文章第一段称跨国求职因“chronic personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talent”而更加火热。chronic personnel shortages是长期人事短缺的意思，后面的that替代shortages，句子可以转换为personnel shortages are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talent，意思是人事短缺正在迫使公司跨越国界需要人才。可见公司雇佣越来越多的外国员工的原因是长期人事短缺。
A，他们发现外国员工通常更具才华。
B，他们需要海外员工的新颖思维。
C，他们想把业务拓展到国外。
D，他们在国内发掘合格人才较为困难。
只有D符合文意。
22. The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
A) is usually creative and full of initiative
B) aims to improve his foreign language skills
C) is dissatisfied with his own life at home
D) seeks either his own or his children’s development(D)
题目问作者认为一个人申请海外职位如何如何。
文章第一段只有一句话，讲的是跨国求职猛增的事实，这里题目问的必然是海外求职的细节问题，第一段不会提供答案，应该去第二段寻找相应内容。第二段从求职者的角度介绍了海外求职的几点原因。此题可以结合选项使用排除法。
A，海外求职者往往创造性强、充满进取心。这句话是不对的，句中提到creative和initiative是在第二段作者指出求职火热的第二个原因之时：They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative。这句话的意思是他们需要一个职位，这个职位with more responsibility，即需要承担更多的责任，that 指代responsibility，encourages creativity and initiative――激发创造力和进取心。从这句话可知海外求职者认为为外国公司工作可以激发自己的创造性和进取心，而不是像A所说的海外求职者往往创造性强、充满进取心。
B，海外求职的目的是提高自己的外语水平。第二段最后一句话讲到了提高外语水平：they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language。opportunity to learn a second language即是学习第二语言的机会。但这里的“机会”应该与前文的“to”连接，完整句子是they may wish to expose their children to the opportunity to learn a second language，他们希望带给孩子学习外语的机会。可见学习外语的孩子而不是求职者。
C，海外求职者对在国内的生活不满。文中找不到类似的描述，只有第二个理由(more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative)似乎有点联系，但从这里只能推断国外有些职位比目前工作更需要创造性，略欠创造性的工作不一定就会引起对生活的不满。
D，期望个人或孩子的发展。从作者给出的三个原因来看，第一个是为自己充电，第二个是寻找激励自己的机会，第三个是让孩子接触外国文化，学习外语。前两个原因属于个人发展，第三个原因属于孩子的发展，正好与D的表述一致。
23. When it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
A) take cultural factors into consideration
B) learn about the company’s hiring process
C) follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting
D) know the employer’s personal likes and dislikes(A)
题目问在进行简历写作时，最好是……
文章第三段提出了一个海外求职者简历写作的难题：guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing，意思是准备简历的指导原则总是不同的。而后作者给出了解决办法：find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision，即简历要照顾到公司文化、国家文化以及有聘用决定权的人的文化。
A，把文化因素考虑进去。这一说法与文意恰好吻合。
B，了解公司聘用程序。文中没有介绍这一方面的内容。
C，遵循合适的求职指导。文中提到了求职指导(guidelines for preparing a resume)，但有关的描述恰恰是说求职指导的不可靠性(constantly changing)，也就是说跨国求职不宜遵循惯常的求职指导，与C的说法相反。
D，了解雇主的个人好恶。文中说到海外求职简历要顾及有聘用决定权的人的文化(the culture of the person making the hiring decision)。文化所涵盖的范畴是比较广泛的，不能仅用好恶来概述，D的说法以偏概全。
24. When writing about qualifications, applicants are advised to ________.
A) stress their academic potential to impress the decision maker
B) give the title of the university degree they have earned at home
C) provide a detailed description of their study and work experiences
D) highlight their keen interest in pursuing a ‘cross-border’ career(C)
题目问有关任职资格的撰写问题，求职者得到了什么建议。
A，突出他们的教育潜力，以打动招聘负责人。
B，告知其在国内所获的大学学历文凭。
C，提供学习、工作经历的详细描述。
D，表现出对跨国工作的强烈兴趣。
在最后三段作者提供的简历写作建议中，第一个段落写的是学历问题，第二个段落写的是履历的时间顺序问题，第三个段落写的是英式英语与美式英语的区别问题。题目问的是任职资格，那么其答案应该在第一个段落中。第一个段落一共三句话，第一句说明各国对教育水平的要求不同，由于这个原因，作者接下来指出just stating the title of your degree will not bean adequate description，即仅仅写出获得了什么文凭是不够的。这样B的说法就不对了。第三句话给出了作者的建议：Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience，即详细列出你的学习和任何相关经历。这与C的说法吻合。而A和D的说法在文中都找不到。
25. According to the author’s last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
A) the different educational systems in the US and the UK
B) the differences between the varieties of English
C) the recipient’s preference with regard to the format
D) the distinctive features of American and British cultures(B)
题目问根据作者的最后一条建议，求职者应该意识到……
A， 美国和英国的不同教育系统。
B， 不同英语之间的区别。
C， 简历接收者对格式的喜好。
D， 美国与英国文化各自的特点。
最后一条建议是这样的：If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient (收件人) uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as ‘tertiary education’ in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors.
直译为：如果你要提交的简历是英文的，应该弄清收件人说的是英式英语还是美式英语，因为这二者之间存在不同的地方。比如大学教育在英国被成为tertiary education，而在美国从来没有用过这个词组。读简历者如果不熟悉此类区别，将会认为你的简历存在错误。
#P#
这段话比较简易，不难理解，讲的是两种英语的区别可能会让读简历者产生误解。A的说法是生造出来的，在文中没有论及教育系统的区别。B的说法与文章的意思一致。C说的格式问题是第二条建议的内容，不能张冠李戴给第三条建议。D所说的文化特点过于宽泛，虽然语言也属于文化，但不能以语言来概括文化。另外，值得一提的是，英式英语不见得就代表了英国英语，在澳大利亚、加拿大以及其他很多国家，人们讲的同样是英式英语。把英式英语等同于英国英语是不对的。
Passage Two
Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be unusual territory for economists, but enhancing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its emphasis on incentives (激励), provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school-the prophecy (预言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle.
Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.
26. The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is ________.
A) troublesome
B) labor-saving
C) rewarding
D) expensive(C)
27. By saying “... the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling...” (Lines 45, Para. 2). the author means that ________.
A) girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys
B) girls will be capable of realizing their own dreams
C) girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach
D) girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home(A)
28. The author believes that a vicious circle can turn into a virtuous circle when ________.
A) women care more about education
B) girls can gain equal access to education
C) a family has fewer but healthier children
D) parents can afford their daughters’ education(B)
29. What does the author say about women’s education?
A) It deserves greater attention than other social issues.
B) It is now given top priority in many developing countries.
C) It will yield greater returns than other known investments.
D) It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.(C)
30. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A) unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries
B) the potential earning power of well-educated women
C) the major contributions of educated women to society
D) the economic and social benefits of educating women(D)
这篇文章从经济学的角度论证了在发展中国家女性教育的价值。全文第一句话就概括了全文论述的核心：Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world，在发展中国家，女性教育可能会获得比任何其他投资更高的回报。一般说来，女性教育属于社会学研究的问题，但文章开头却从投资的角度看待这个问题，观点新颖，立即引起读者的阅读欲望。作者随后指出女性教育不受重视的问题首先可以从经济学角度(incentives，动机)进行理解。
第二段承接第一段的内容，具体解释女性教育不受重视的经济学原因：do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family，父母们认为女孩不会对家庭经济做出贡献。女孩的价值因而被认为比男孩低而被剥夺了受教育的权利，使女性教育陷入恶性循环。
作者接下来从相反的角度论述了受教育女性会带来的价值：对外，greater earning abilities outside the home，赚钱的能力更强(这是从经济学角度);对内，daughters are given a fair chance，在教育问题上对男女孩一视同仁(社会效应)。这样下一代女孩因为受到了足够的教育，在处理自己的儿女教育问题时，同样会重视女孩的教育(the next generation of girls will be educated and healthy)，因而形成良性循环。
最后一段承接上文对重视女性教育所带来的社会效应的论述，提出女性教育的巨大经济效应：wages of female workers(女性工人的工资增长)――rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling，多上一年学，工资增长10-20%。作者把这一效应和其他投资的收益相对比(impressive by the standard of other available investments)，与开篇引题的一句遥相呼应。文末指出女性教育的影响远不止此。
26. The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is ________.
A) troublesome
B) labor-saving
C) rewarding
D) expensive(C)
题目问作者认为对女孩的教育在发展中国家是……
A，麻烦的。
B，C，Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world，在发展中国家，女性教育可能会获得比任何其他投资更高的回报。在这里，作者谈论女性教育的出发点是经济回报，而不是惯常的社会问题等。在四个答案中C是“有回报的意思”，应该选择C。至于第一段以外的段落，因为作者是从经济学角度来论述女性教育问题，所以并未提及麻烦、省力与否这些社会学角度的问题，答案A和C是没有着落的。至于D，第二段有一句话they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children，意思是女孩不能带来经济回报，没有回报又要花钱养活，似乎有“昂贵”的意思。但要注意这里的观点是发展中国家里父母们的观点，而题目是问作者对此的看法。因此也不能选择D。
27. By saying “... the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling...” (Lines 45, Para. 2). the author means that ________.
A) girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys
B) girls will be capable of realizing their own dreams
C) girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach
D) girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home(A)
题目问作者说the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling这句话目的是要指出什么。
这句话本意是预言完成了自我实现。“预言”是指什么，“实现”为什么是自我实现，这些需要到前文去找。
这句话出现在第二段末尾，整个第二段讲的是发展中国家的父母忽视女孩教育的原因。全文一共两个长句，大意是：父母没有在女儿身上投资是因为他们认为女儿不会为家庭做出经济贡献，她们长大后只会嫁入别家生儿育女;女孩因而被视为价值低于男孩而被安排在家中做家务，而男孩则被送入学校学习。预言完成了自我实现。
首先看预言指的是什么。在这一段前半部分找不到预言这个字眼，也没有类似于汉语的普遍观念中“预言”的内容，似乎prophecy的出现非常突兀。但细看的话，前面提到了expect一词，它有期望、设想的意思，与预言略微接近，除此外就无其他任何意义近似的词了。这样只能断定expect就是指的prophecy，作者在这里使用了比较夸张的写法，用带有神谕色彩的prophecy来指代发展中国家思想较为落后的父母们的设想，是一种讽刺手法。
找到“预言”的着落点后，再看它为何完成了自我实现。预言本身的内容是女孩们不会带来经济贡献，那么无论自我实现还是外力促使实现，结果都只能是女孩们没有带来经济贡献。这个结果何以发生?是因为Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework，女孩们被看做价值更低而只被允许在家中做家务。这样的话，从预言做出到结果出现就呈现这样一个逻辑：父母们预言女儿不会做出贡献，便不送她们上学，因为不送她们上学，她们在事实上就无法做出经济贡献，最终验证了父母们的预言。是父母们的预言本身促成了本身的实现。这应该就是作者所说自我实现的意义。
#P#
A，事实证明女孩的价值比男孩低。
B，女孩能够实现她们的梦想。
C，女孩将最终发现她们的生活目标是可望不可即的。
D，女孩对家庭生活越来越不满意。
四个答案中A符合文意。
28. The author believes that a vicious circle can turn into a virtuous circle when ________.
A) women care more about education
B) girls can gain equal access to education
C) a family has fewer but healthier children
D) parents can afford their daughters’ education(B)
题目问作者认为在什么时候恶性循环会转变成良性循环。
A，女性更注重教育。
B，女孩能够获得同等的受教育机会。
C，一个家庭中孩子数量更少同时又更健康。
D，父母能够供得起女儿们上学。
可以看到，文中的第二段详细讲述了恶性循环的内容，第三段详细讲述了良性循环的内容(vicious circle和virtuous circle这二个词组分别出现在这两段的末尾)。恶性循环的内容是：父母不重视女孩教育，不让女孩上学，得不到教育的女孩无法为家庭经济做出贡献，更使父母们忽视女孩教育。良性循环的内容是：一个女性如果受过教育，她就有了较强的赚钱能力(greater earning abilities)，同时在家庭方面更倾向于少生孩子，但更加注重孩子的健康，她会在教育方面给予孩子们平等的发展机会;女孩们获得了同样的受教育的机会，在将来抚养孩子时也会注重女孩的教育，从而形成良性循环。
良性循环与恶性循环的最重要区别在于女孩能不能获得同等的教育机会。良性循环循环的起点必须是女孩获得受教育机会，而终点当然也是下一代女孩受到同样的受教育机会。而题目问的是什么时候恶性循环转变成良性循环，那么这个转变当然应该发生在良性循环的起点。
A所说的女性更注重教育是循环中的第二环，它不可能不以起点为前提而独立出现。C所述的确实是受过教育的女性才有的做法，但在这个良性循环中它没有起到关键作用，它不会促使循环进入下一环。起关键作用的是赋予女孩教育机会。D的说法有一定迷惑性。如果父母供得起女儿上学，那么女儿就得到了受教育机会，这样就进入了良性循环的起点。然而前文说了，父母们不给女儿受教育机会是因为他们认为女儿不会创造价值，而不是因为供不起她们上学，因此这个前提本身就是错误的。
29. What does the author say about women’s education?
A) It deserves greater attention than other social issues.
B) It is now given top priority in many developing countries.
C) It will yield greater returns than other known investments.
D) It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.(C)
本题问关于女性教育，作者说了什么。文章全篇均是对女性教育的论述，不能肯定问题的答案出自哪一个特别的自然段。因此需要使用排除法来把错误选项逐个排除。
A，它应比其他社会问题得到更多的关注。通读全篇可知，作者是从经济学角度来讨论女性教育问题，附带提到了它的社会效应(第三段)，但始终把它和其他社会问题进行对比。因此A的说法不对。
B，在许多发展中国家它正受到优先照顾。文中所表达的意思与B的说法恰好相反，在许多发展中国家，女性教育根本得不到重视。
C，它能比其他已知的投资产出更多的回报。这是文章论述的中心思想。
D，它已经引起越来越多的经济学家的兴趣。文中提到经济学家的地方只有第一段的一处：Women’s education may be unusual territory for economists，意思是女性教育问题对于经济学家来说或许是个陌生的领域。除此之外再无相关的论述，由此可见D的说法没有着落点。
30. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A) unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries
B) the potential earning power of well-educated women
C) the major contributions of educated women to society
D) the economic and social benefits of educating women(D)
题目问文章主要讨论的是什么。根据前文的分析，文章的主要讨论的问题应该是女性教育所带来的经济利益。
A， 发展中国家男孩和女孩受到不平等的对待。本文讨论的重心在于女孩，不能把男孩和女孩等量齐观。另外文章讨论的是女孩在教育上的不公平问题，这里没有把问题具体化。
B， 受过良好教育的女性的赚钱潜力。文章第三段提到An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home，意思是受过教育的女性在社会上赚钱的能力较强。不过以此作为全文的论述核心则有不妥，因为这个说法所涵盖的范围过于狭窄，局限于赚钱能力本身，应当上升到女性教育问题的高度。
C， 受教育女性对社会的主要贡献。这一说法较为宽泛，文中所述的受教育女性对社会的贡献主要在于家庭内部，如少生孩子，重视孩子健康，重视下一代女性的教育问题，形成女性教育的良性循环等。C的说法是受教育女性对社会的“主要”贡献，按照常理，其主要贡献肯定绝不止于文中所述。
D， 女性教育所带来的经济和社会利益。女性教育所带来的经济利益，这一说法没有问题，它是全文论述的核心。而在文章第三段也附带说了重视女性教育所带来的社会效应，所以这一说法全面地概括了文章讨论的主要问题。
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is fitted with a remote immobiliser (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again.
The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro-processor and memory, and a GPS (全球定位系统) satellite positioning receiver. If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle’s engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted.
In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. ‘The pattern of vehicle crime has changed,’ says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.
Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won’t allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997.
But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting bold of the owner’s keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.
If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.
Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle’s movements via the car’s GPS unit.
31. What’s the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?
A) To help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief.
B) To allow the car to lock automatically when stolen.
C) To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.
D) To prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner.(C)
32. By saying “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed” (Lines 1-2. Para. 3), Martyn Randall suggests that ________.
A) it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing
B) self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft
C) the thief has to make use of computer technology
D) the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old(B)
33. What is essential in making a modem car tougher to steal?
A) A coded ignition key.
B) A unique ID card.
C) A special cellphone signal.
D) A GPS satellite positioning receiver.(A)
34. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?
A) To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.
B) To keep police informed of the car’s movements.
C) To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.
D) To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.(D)
35. What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?
A) Start the tracking system.
B) Contact the car owner.
C) Block the car engine.
D) Locate the missing car.(B)
#P#
这是一篇讲述汽车防盗系统的说明文。文章开头另辟蹊径，以场景描述开篇，叙述一个偷车贼在偷车逃跑的过程中如何受困于防盗系统。这个场景言简意赅，概括了本篇所述的防盗系统的三个要点：immobiliser (锁止器)，a control centre(控制中心)，以及其结果not be able to start it again(不可启动)。第一段以场景描述形象地向读者介绍了本篇讨论的核心内容，引起读者的阅读兴趣，随后的第二段马上以专业语言对这一系统进行描述。这种布局法显然好于开篇就直接介绍防盗系统的工作原理。
接下来的一段援引一个安全专家的话介绍了英国国内汽车偷盗现象的现状：因为车上安装了一套技术装置(a set of technical fixes)，使得现在的偷车贼无法再用以前的方法轻松地偷车成功。
第四段进一步讲解了这套技术装置的原理，并指出这种技术使与车辆有关的犯罪发生率下降了31%(achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime)。第三、四这两段说明的目的是为后文新的防盗系统的出现做好铺垫――因为旧有的方法不再奏效，许多偷车贼开始使用一种更为原始的方式：getting hold of the owner’s keys(偷钥匙)，本文的所介绍的防盗系统就是为了应付这种偷盗方式而出现的――这是第五段的内容。
文章的最后两段具体说明了这种系统的工作方式。第六代说明的是汽车失窃的第一阶段：发出信号“send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen”。第七段说明第二阶段：工作人员确认失窃，并协助警方追捕盗贼。
31. What’s the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?
A) To help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief.
B) To allow the car to lock automatically when stolen.
C) To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.
D) To prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner.(C)
题目问轿车上安装的远程锁止器的功能是什么。
文章第一次提到锁止器是在第一段第二行，纵观四个题支，其内容涉及得基本全部是第一段。把第一段的内容理解透彻之后，得出正确结论并不难。
第一段前两句是一种场景描述，意在构筑类似小说的情景。最后一个长句才是关键。前半句The car is fitted with a remote immobilizer，汽车安装了一个远程锁止器;and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again，一个数英里外的控制中心会发送一种无线电信号，一旦窃贼关掉引擎，就不可能再点着了。乍看之下，作者并没有说锁止器和引擎失效之间的联系，因为锁死引擎的信号是控制中心发出的，而控制中心和锁止器在这一段中并没有发生联系。要详细了解这套系统的工作方式，还要看第二段。第二段给出了具体说明：车上安装了一套设备，如果汽车被偷，就会发出手机信号告知控制中心锁死汽车的引擎控制系统，不让引擎再次启动。
A，帮助警察对偷车贼发动突然袭击。在本文的例子中，锁止器确实帮了警察这个忙(he is in for an unwelcome surprise)，但很显然帮警察发动突然袭击不是它的功能。
B，使汽车被偷时自动锁死。Automaticlly，自动地。但由第二段signal will tell the control centre to block可知，锁死汽车的是控制中心，汽车并不是自动锁死的。
C，它停止时防止偷车贼重新启动它。这句话应该就是出题者心目中的答案。不过从纯语言的角度讲，这句话也存在问题，问题就在于it指代不清。题目问的是What’s the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?那么完整的回答就应该是the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car is to prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops。在这个句子中，后面的it不可能是指的car，因为car是thief的定语，不是实体。按照这句话的结构，it指的应该是锁止器，那么C的说法就错了。如果出题人能把题支改成To prevent the car thief from restarting the engine once it stops就没有问题了。
D，通过向汽车主人发送无线电信号防止汽车被偷。根据第三段的内容，无线电信号是发送给了控制中心(signal will tell the control centre to)，而不是汽车的主人。
32. By saying “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed” (Lines 1-2. Para. 3), Martyn Randall suggests that ________.
A) it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing
B) self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft
C) the thief has to make use of computer technology
D) the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old(B)
题目问Randall所说的The pattern of vehicle crime has changed是指什么。
A，偷车贼偷窃汽车所费时间更长了。
B，自行准备的工具对于偷窃汽车来说已经不够用了。
C，窃贼不得不使用电脑技术。
D，窃贼已经对偷窃汽车失去兴趣超过十年了。
对于理解文中某句话的意义这类题，只能通过上下文的内容进行逻辑推理找出答案。这句话的本意是“车辆犯罪的方式已经发生了变化”。Randall说出这句话是在第三段中间部分，这一句之前的一句是In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves，意思是在英国，一套技术装置已经让偷车贼们感到生活更为艰难了。之后的二句是He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old，意思是一个偷车贼教会一个人用最少的工具偷车只需几分钟，但除非那车已经是十多年前的了。
第一句实际上对这句话的理解很有帮助，因为这句话里出现了change(变化)，而第一句里有harder(更为艰难了)，是一个比较级，含有变化的意思。不过从这句还看不出这种生活的艰难具体是指什么，而后面两句显然是对此的解释。“一个偷车贼教会一个人用最少的工具偷车只需几分钟”，这里涵盖的信息的是偷车贼使用很少的工具在很短的时间就可以偷车成功，相对于前面的harder，这无疑是一种轻松的生活。“但除非那车已经是十多年前的了”，意思是偷车贼的轻松生活只有在十多年前的车上实现，暗含有现在的车已经不是那样了的意思，这里表达的也是“change”。由此可见，文Randall的这句话意思就是偷车贼已经不能像十多年前那样只用很少的工具很少的时间就能偷车成功。四个答案中C和D存在明显的错误。A是说时间变长，B是说工具不够用了，这二者中起关键作用的还是工具不够用，时间变长实际上是工具不够用的结果，选择B更为合理。
33. What is essential in making a modem car tougher to steal?
A) A coded ignition key.
B) A unique ID card.
C) A special cellphone signal.
D) A GPS satellite positioning receiver.(A)
题目问使一辆现代的轿车更难被偷的根本因素是什么。
A，加密点火钥匙。
B，唯一的身份卡。
C，特殊的手机信号。
D，GPS卫星定位接收器。
第三段引用Martyn Randall的话指明了当代汽车因为某种技术装置而难于被偷的事实，第四段就是对这种技术装置的详细说明。开头的一句话就是本题所问的问题：Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won’t allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition key，前半句是题目本身：现在的汽车远比以前难偷;而后是单词as，表示“因为”而不是“当”，as后面就是理由：“引擎控制系统的电脑不允许汽车发动，除非它们接到一个由点火钥匙发出的唯一的身份码。”
这里没有直接提到特殊的手机信号和GPS定位系统，这二者是在第二段的介绍中出现的，它们是锁止器系统中的要素，而本段讨论的是锁止器出现之前就已经普遍存在的防盗系统，正是因为这一系统使一些偷车贼转而去偷钥匙，最终促使锁止器系统的出现。
而在点火钥匙与身份卡之间，可以判断出身份卡是由钥匙发出的，有了钥匙就有了身份卡，身份卡不能独立于钥匙而存在，这样看的话，钥匙应该是核心因素。应该选择A。
34. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?
A) To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.
B) To keep police informed of the car’s movements.
C) To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.
D) To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.(D)
题目问为什么跟踪系统要设置一个100米的最小行驶量，之后才向操作中心发出警报。
可以看到倒数第二段说明了设置这个100米最小行驶量的原因：If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal。第一句是题干里所述的情况，随后的一句对原因进行了解释：一百米的最小量可以防止由GPS不准确造成的假警报。
A，给操作中心发警报留出时间。文中没有提到。不过从逻辑上讲，如果跟踪系统不发出警报，控制中心是不会知道汽车被盗的，也就永远不会发出警报，谈不上留出时间。
B，使警察随时获知汽车的行驶方位。这是全文最后一句提到的内容，是在发出警报之后的事情了。
C，给驾驶者留出时间来与操作中心联系。汽车被盗后的驾驶者显然是偷车贼，偷车贼会和操作中心联系什么呢?
D，预防GPS系统的可能错误。与前面的分析一致。
35. What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?
A) Start the tracking system.
B) Contact the car owner.
C) Block the car engine.
D) Locate the missing car.(B)
题目问操作中心在接收到警报后首先要做的是什么。
A， 启动跟踪系统。
B， 联系车主。
C， 锁定汽车引擎。
D， 确定丢失车辆的位置。
#P#
倒数第二段讲到车辆被偷后，跟踪系统会把被偷的信息发给操作中心(the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen)，这就是题目所说的操作中心接到了警报。接下来的一段讲的就是操作中心的反应：Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle’s movements via the car’s GPS unit。一共两点，第一是首先联系车主确认车辆是否失踪，然后通过车上的GPS随时把车辆的位置告知警方。可见第一步是联系车主，B是正确的。
页:
[1]