大学英语四级阅读理解试题20篇之二（含答案）

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　　十一
　　What is your favourite colour? Do you like yellow , orange ,red? If you do ,you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer greys and blues? Then you are probably quiet,shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know,because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colours preference, as well as the effect that colours have on human beings. They tells us, among other facts,that we do not choose our favourite clour as we grow up----we are born with our preference.If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
　　Colours do influence our moods----there is no doubt about it .A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand ,black is depressing. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides than any other bridge in the area ----until it was repainter green.The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply ;perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
　　Light and bright colours make people not only hppier but more active. It is an established fact that factory workers work better,harder ,and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.
　　1."You would rather follow than red" means_______.
　　a.you don't like to follow others
　　b.you would be a member rather than a leader
　　c.you would be afraid of following others
　　d.you would like to be a leader rather than a follower
　　2.If one enjoys life, one is sure to prefer________.
　　a.red to yellow
　　b.blue to orange
　　c.red to grey
　　d.blue to yellow
　　3."They tell us, among other facts,that we don't choose our favourite colours as we grow up." "Among other facts" means______.
　　a.besides other facts
　　b.in regard to other facts
　　c.not considering other facts
　　d.according to other facts
　　4.Which of the following is facts?
　　a.People's preference of one colour to another is instinct
　　b.People's preference of one colour to another is acquired as they grow up.
　　c.More people happen to love brown because they saw something brown when they were born
　　d.Colours have little influence on our moods
　　5.Those who committed suicide preferred the bridge over the Thames River near london to others because of _______.
　　a.its shape
　　b.its structure
　　c.its colour
　　d.its building materials
　　答案：bcaac
　　十二
　　Social customs and ways of behaving change. Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now acceptable. Just a few years ago, it was considered impolite behaviour for a man to smoke on street. No man who thought of himself by smoking when a lady was in a room.
　　Customs also differ from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a woman in your country? Or doesn't it matter? Should you use both hands when you are eating? Should leave one in your lap,or on the table?
　　The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number of social customs. For example, in both America and England people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time. Also, most Englishmen will open a door for a wonman or offer their seat to a woman , and so will most Americans. Promptness is important both in England and in America. That is , if a dinner invitation is for 7 o'clock , the dinner guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay.
　　The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people feel uncomfortable-----especially if they are your guests. When the food was served , one of the guests strated to eat his peas with a knife . The other guests were amused or shocked , but the host calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable.
　　1.If one has accepted a dinner invitation ,what should he do if he is tobe late for the dinner?
　　a.He should find an excuse
　　b.He should adk for excuse.
　　c.He should say sorry
　　d.He should telephone to explain his being late.
　　2."It would have been bad manners to make his guests feel foolish or uncomfortable." "Bad manners " means ________.
　　a.ugly
　　b.dishonest
　　c.impolite
　　d.shameful
　　3.which of the following do you think is the best tiltle for this passage?
　　a.Social Customs and Customs
　　b.Social Life
　　c.American and British Customs
　　d.Promptness Is Important
　　4.According to the text, the best host_______.
　　a.tries his best to make his guests feel comfortable
　　b.makes his guests feel excited
　　c.tries to avoid being naughty to his guests
　　d.tries to avoid being foolish
　　5.The author of this article may agree with which of the following?
　　a.The guest who ate his peas with a knife
　　b.The other guests who were amused or shocked
　　c.The host who picked up his knife and began eating in the same way
　　d.None of the above
　　答案：dcaac
　　十三
　　New Orleans, Louisiana, was established as part of the French Empire in 1718.
　　Its location on the east bank of the Mississippi River gave it control of the American hinerland and it became strategically important to many nations. It was transferred from France to Spain, returned to France,and finally sold by Napoleon to the United States in 1803. The city was the site of a famous battle fought in 1815 between the British, who hoped to control it , and the Americans under General And rew Jackson.
　　The riverbed of the Mississippi is constantly silting and the river is now actually higher than the city. Levees hold back the river and giant pumps are used to move water from the city into the river.
　　Although New Orleans haas beena part of the United States for almost two centuries, its population takes great pride in its French heritage. Louisiana still retains parts of the Code Napoleon which,form many years,was its only law.
　　New Orleans is carefree city and it boasts its hot, spicy Creole seafood and its native Dixieland Jazz. The jackson Square neighborhood maintains its French colonial homes and in other sections are pre-Civil War mansions. Visitors are surprised to find that behind this interesting facade of yesteryear, is a busy industrial and port city. Grain and coal come from the Midwest and foreigh cargoes are unloaded here. New Orleans is no longer a sleepy Southern town----but it's still fun to visit.
　　1.What accounts for the levees and pumps in New Orleans?
　　a.The Mississippi frequently floods the city.
　　b.The riverbed has raised inthe past 200 years.
　　c.The torrential rains flood the city frequently.
　　d.The high humidity cannot otherwise be comtrolled.
　　2.The battle of New Orleans was fought by jackson against______.
　　a.France
　　b.Britain
　　c.Spain
　　d.The North
　　3.The Code Napoleon was _______.
　　a.an agreement to sell Louisiana
　　b.a body of laws
　　c.a city plan
　　d.a military code for the army
　　4.Which of the following elements does not apply to the attiude of the inhabitants of New Orleans?
　　a.Pride in their French heritage.
　　b.A desire to retain picturesque colonial buildings.
　　c.A refusal to engage in trade and commerce
　　d.A praising of Dixieland Jazz.
　　5.Tourists visiting New Orleans are surprised to encounter_____.
　　a.Creole food
　　b.Dixieland jazz
　　c.bustling city
　　d.authentic colonial homes
　　答案： bbbcc
　　十四
　　The United States is on the verge of losing its leading place in the world's technology. So says more than one study in recent years. One of the reasons for this decline is the parallel decline in the number of U.S. scientists and engineers.
　　Since 1976,employment of scientists and engineers is up 85 percent. This trend is expected to continue. However, the trend shows that the number of 22-year-olds--the near term source of future PH.D.s-is declining. Further adding to the problem is the increased competition for these candidates from other fields-law,medicine,business,etc. While the number of U.S. PH.D.s in science and engineering declines,the award of PH.D.s to foreign nationals is increasing rapidly.
　　Our inability to motivate students to pursue science and engineering careers at the graduate level is compounded because of the intense demand industry has for bright Bachelor's and Master's degree holders. Too often, promising PH.D.candidates, confronting the cost and financial sacrifice of pursuing their education,find the attraction of industry irresistible.
　　1.The U.S.will come to lose its leading place in technology probably because ________.
　　a. the number of PH.D. degree holders is declining
　　b. the number of scientists and engineers is decreasing
　　c. the number of 22-year-ilds is declining
　　d. scientists and engineers are not employed
　　2.The field of science and engineering is facing a competition from ________ .
　　a. technology
　　b. foreign nationals
　　c. such fields as law, medicine and business
　　d. postgraduates
　　3.Large-scale enterprises now need _______.
　　a. bright graduates and postgraduates
　　b. new inventions
　　c. advanced technology
　　d. engineers
　　4.Many promising postgraduates are unwilling to pursue a PH.D. degree because _________.
　　a. they are not encouraged to be engaged in science
　　b. industry does not require PH.D. holders
　　c. they have financial difficulties
　　d. they will spend much time and energy completing PH.D.
　　5.PH.D. candidates "find the attraction of industry irresistible" means that _________.
　　a. they find industry is attracting more and more college students
　　b. they don't think they can prevent themselves from working for industry
　　c. they cannot resist any attraction from all sides
　　d. they cannot work for industry any longer
　　答案：bcadb
　　十五
　　Newdays,a standard for measuring power has changed.These changes foretell a new standard for measuring power.No longer will a nation's political influence be based solely on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary primary measure of power.But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. It's often said that without its military the Soviet Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of opwer and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world.
　　America must recognize this new course of events. Our success in shaping world events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership.
　　The competitiveness of America's industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society-government,industry,and education. That is not to say that the Defense Department will not be a strong force in the process because we will. But we simply cannot be, nor should we be, looked upon by others as the savior of American industry.
　　1. Now a nation's political influence depends on _________.
　　a. the strength of its military forces
　　b. its ability to compete in industry
　　c. economic markets
　　d. both a and b
　　2. The Soviet Union was not listed as a third-world nation just because of _________.
　　a. its powerful military forces
　　b. its vast land
　　c. its industrial competitiveness
　　d. its contributions to world peace
　　3. The author indicates that ______ is threatening American political power.
　　a. other countries
　　b. the declining U.S. industrial base
　　c. a new standard for measuring power
　　d. less advanced technology
　　4. America succeeded in shaping world events over past 40 years probably because of ___________.
　　a. its ability to adapt technology
　　b. its ability to take advantage of the capabilities of its people
　　c. its ability to compete in the world markets
　　d. both a and b
　　5. The purpose of writing this article is __________.
　　a. to draw the readers' attention to a new standard for measuring power
　　b. to demonstrate American political influence in the world
　　c. to emphasize that efforts must be made to strengthen the declining U.S. industrial base
　　d. to show American industrial prowess
　　答案：dabdc
　　十六
　　Trees should only be pruned when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , fortunately,the number of such reasons is small. Pruning involves the cutting away of obergrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way.
　　First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut diseaed or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air.
　　One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but itis a wound that will heal. Often there is a race between the healing and the desease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce which has been pruned smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hurs and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually without interference from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts yu make will bleed. If this does happen,it is, of course,impossible to paint them properly.
　　1.Pruning should be done to ______.
　　a.make the tree grow taller
　　b.improve the shape of the tree
　　c.get rid of the small branches
　　d.make the small branches thicker
　　2.Trees become unhealthy if the gardener ______.
　　a.allows too many branches to grow in the middle
　　b.does not protect them from wind
　　c.forces them to grow too quickly
　　d.damages some of the small side branches
　　3.Why is a special substance painted on the tree?
　　a.To make a wound smooth
　　b.To prevent disease entering a wound
　　c.To cover a rough surface
　　d.To help a wound to dry
　　4.A good gardener prunes a tree______.
　　a.at intervals throughout the year
　　b.as quickly as possible
　　c.occasionally when necessary
　　d.regular every winter
　　5.What was the author's purpose when writing this passage?
　　a.To give pratical instruction for pruning a tree.
　　b.To give a general description of pruning
　　c.To explain how trees develop diseases
　　d.To discuss different methods of pruning.
　　答案：babca
　　十七
　　On Thursday afternoon Mrs. Carke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the over 60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old woman who lived alone.
　　At six o'clock she cane home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke in her house? How? How? Had someone got in? She checked the back door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign of forced entry.
　　Over a cup of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door-"a master key"perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she went out at her usual time,dressed as usual, but she didn't go to the club. Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through her garden and the back door. She settled down to wait.
　　It was just after four o'clock when the front door bell rang.Mrs. Clarke was making a cup of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter-box being pushed open. With the kettle of boiling water in her hand, she moved quietly towards the front door. A long piece of wire appeared through the letter-box, and then a hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob on the door-lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs. Clarke heard the sound of running feet.
　　1.Mrs. Clarke looded forward to Thursday because_______.
　　a.she worked at a club on the day
　　b.she said visitors on Thursdays
　　c.she visited a club on Thursday
　　d.a special visitor came on Thursday
　　2.If someone had made a forced entery,_______.
　　a.Mrs.Clarke would have found a broken door or window
　　b.he or she was still in the house
　　c.things would have been thown about
　　d.he or she would have needed a master key
　　3.On the third Thursday Mrs. Clarke went out_______.
　　a.because she didn't want to miss the club again
　　b.to see if the thief was hnging about outside
　　c.to the club but then changed her mind
　　d.in an attempt to trick the thief
　　4.The lock on the front door was one which_______.
　　a.needed a piece of wire to open it
　　b.could he opened from inside without a key
　　c.could't be opened without a key
　　d.used a knob instead of a key
　　5.The wire feel to the floor_______.
　　a.because Mrs.Clarke refused to open the door
　　b.when the man's glove dropped off
　　c.because it was too hot to hold
　　d.because the man justwanted to get away
　　答案：cadbd
　　十八
　　Many people believe the glare from snow causes snowblindnenss. Yet, dark glasses or not , they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes,and even snowblindness,when exposed to several hours of "snow light" .
　　The United States Army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snowblindness in troops in a snow-covered country.Rather, a man's eyes frequently find nothing to foucs on in a broad expanse of barren snow-covered terrain. So his gaze continually shifts and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of tsomething to look at. Finding nothing, hour after hour, the eyes never sotp searching and the eyeballs become sore and the eye muscles ache. Nature offsets this irritation by producing more and fluid which covers the eyeball. The fluid coversthe eyeball in increasing quantity until vision blurs, then is obsured,and the result is total, even though temporary,snowblindness.
　　Experiments led the Army to a simple method of overcoming this problem. Scouts ahead of a main body of troops are trained to shake snow from evergreen bushes, creating a dotted line as they cross completely snow-covered landscape,Even the scouts themselves throw lightweight , dark colored objects ahead on which they too can focus . The men following can then see something.Their gaze is arrested. Their eyes focus on a bush and having found something to see,stop scouring the snow-blanketed lanscape. By focusing their attention on one object at a time,the men can cross the snow without becoming hopelessly snowblind or lost. In this way the problem of crossing a solid white terrain is overcome.
　　1.To prevent headaches, watering eyes and blindness caused by the glare from snow, dark glasses are_____.
　　a.indispensible
　　b.useful
　　c.ineffective
　　d.available
　　2.When the eyes are sore tears are produced to ________.
　　a.clear the vision
　　b.remedy snowblindness
　　c.ease the irritation
　　d.loosen the muscles
　　3.Snowblindness may be avoided by_______.
　　a.concentrating to the solid white terrain
　　b.searching for something to look at in snow-covered terrain
　　c.providing the eyes with something to foucs on
　　d.covering the eyeballs with fluid
　　4.The scouts shake snow from evergreen bushes in order to _______.
　　a.bive the men behind something to see
　　b.beautify the landscape
　　c.warm themselves in the cold
　　d.prevent the men behind from losing their way
　　5.A suitable title for this passage would be _______.
　　a.snowblindness and how to overcome it
　　b.natrue's cure for snowblindness
　　c.soldiers in the snow
　　d.snow vision
　　答案：CCCAA
　　十九
　　Water problems in the future will become nore intense and more complex. Our increasing population will tremendously increase urban wastes,primarily sewage. On the other hand, increasing demands for water will decease substantialy the amount of water available for diluting wastes. Rapidly expanding industries which involve more and more complex chemical processes will produce large volumes of liquid wastes, and many of these will contain chemicals which are noxious. To feed our rapidly expanding population, agriculture will have to be intensified. This will involve ever-increasingquantities of agricultural chemicals, From this , it is apparent that drastic steps must be taken immediately to develop corrective measures for the pollution problem.
　　There are two ways by which this pollution problem can be dwindled. The first relates to the treatment of wastes to decrease their pollution hazard. This involves the processing of solid wastes "prior to " disposal and the treatment of liquid wastes, or efflunets,to permit the reuse of the water or minimize pollution upon final disposal.
　　A second approach is to develop an economic use for all or a part of the wastes. Farm manure is spread in fields as a nutrient or organic supplement . Effluents from sewage disposal plants are used in some areas both for irrigation and for the nutrients contained. Efflunets from other processing plants may also be used as a supplemental source of water. Many industries, such as meat and poultry processing plants, are currently converting former waste products into marketable byproducts. Other industries are potential eonomic uses for waste products.
　　1.The purpose of this passage is ______.
　　a.to alert the reader to the dwindling water supply
　　b.to explain industrial uses of water
　　c.to acquaint the reader with water pollution problems
　　d.to demostrate various measures to solve the pollution problem
　　2.Which of the following points is NOT INCLUDED in the passage?
　　a.In dustrial development incudes the simplification of complex chemical processes.
　　b.Diluting wastes needs certain amount of water
　　c.Demands for water will go up along with the expanding population
　　d.Intensive cultivation of land requires more and more chemicals
　　3.The reader can conclued that________.
　　a.countries of the world will work together on polution problems
　　b.byproducts from wastes lead to a more prosperous marketplace
　　c.science is making great progress on increasing water supplies
　　d.some industries are now ,aking economic use of wastes
　　4.The author gives substance to the passage through the use of _______.
　　a.interviews with authorities in the field of water controls
　　b.opinions and personal observations
　　c.definitions which clarify important terms
　　d.strong arguments and persuasions
　　5.The words "prior to "(para.2) probably mean______.
　　a.after
　　b.during
　　c.before
　　d.beyond
　　答案:cadbc
　　二十
　　One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like "I was wrong about that," and it is even harder to say, "I was wrong , and you were right about that."
　　I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighbourhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons. Then he related an incident and Ibegan to remember vaguely the incident he was describing.
　　I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gome into the store with may mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident tood place.
　　There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs indozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I want to work.
　　The manager heard the moise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the culprit. He severely reprimanded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I protested my innocence and tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, apparently the manager did not.
　　1.How old was the author when he wrote this article?
　　a.about 8
　　b.about 18
　　c.about 23
　　d.about 15
　　2.Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of cartons?
　　a.The author
　　b.The manager
　　c.A woman
　　d.The author's mother
　　3.Which of the following statements is not true?
　　a.The woman who knocked off the stacks of cartons was seriously criticized by the mananger
　　b.The author was severely critizized by the manager.
　　c.A woman carelessly knocked off the stacks of cartons
　　d.It was the author who put the display back together
　　4.Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?
　　a.Its Harder to Admit One's Mistake
　　b.I was once the culprit
　　c.I remember an incident
　　d.A case of mistaken identity
　　5.The tone of the article expresses the author's_______.
　　a.admiration for the manager's willingness to admit mistakes
　　b.anger to the manager for his wrong accusation
　　c.indignation against the woman who knocked off the stacks of cartons
　　d.reget for the mistake the made in the store
　　答案：ccada