专业英语四级阅读4.docx

专业英语四级阅读4.docx

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专业英语四级阅读4

Exercise4

PARTVREADINGCOMPREHENSION25MIN.

TEXTA

DuringtheOldKingdom,theEgyptiansmademanypracticaladvancesinmathematicsandthesciences.Egyptianfarmersdevisedmethodsofsurveyinglandoutofnecessity.Whenannualfloodswashedawayboundarymarkers,farmershadtoremeasuretheirfields.Theneedtosurveylandledtothedevelopmentofmathematics,particularlygeometry.Egyptianslearnedtomeasuretheareasofsquaresandcirclesandtofiguretheareasofsquaresandcirclesandtofigurethevolumesofcylindersandspheres.

TheneedtopredictregulareventssuchasNilefloodsandeclipsesledtoadvancesinastronomy.Priestsobservedtheskiesandplottedthecoursesofstarsandplanets.Thesepriestastronomersusedtheirknowledgetoproduceacalendarwitha365-days,andtheydividedayearinto12months,withthreeseasons:

theNilefloodseason,theplantingseason,andtheharvestseason.Theycalculatedthateachmonthhad30daysandtheyaddedfivedaystothelastmonthtototal365days.AlthoughtheEgyptiansmadenoallowanceforleapyears,theircalendar,asmodifiedbytheGreeksandRomans,isthebasisforthemoderncalendar.

TheEgyptianalsoinventedtechniquestobuildimpressivestonemonuments.Stoneworkerslearnedhowtocuttallobelisksfromasinglerock,usinghotfiresandcoldwatertomakethesurroundingrockscrack.Theythenfinishedthejobwithhammersandcrowbars.Egyptianengineeringoftemplesandpyramidswassoprecisethateachblockfitperfectlyintothenextone.

Egyptiansalsomadeimportantmedicaldiscoveries.AlthoughEgyptiandoctorsreliedheavilyonmagic,theymadescientificinquiries.Bystudyingthehumanbody,doctorslearnedtoperformsurgery.Ancientpapyrustextsdescribesuccessfuloperationstosetbrokenbonesandtreatspinalinjuries.TheGreeksandRomansacquiredmuchoftheirmedicalknowledgefromEgyptiansources.

81.Accordingtothepassage,thedevelopmentofgeometryintheancientEgyptwasdirectlydueto

A.thevastkingdomB.theflood

C.therepeatedsurveysoflandD.thedevelopmentofthemathematics

82.TheancientEgyptianpriests

A.couldpredictalltheregulareventsB.developedastronomy

C.producedthecurrentcalendarD.dividedayearintofourseasons

83.Wecanlearnfromthelastparagraphthat

A.theEgyptiandoctorsweresuperstitious

B.theEgyptiandoctorscouldperformoperationsbymagic

C.theEgyptiandoctorsusedpapyrustooperateonhumanbones

D.theEgyptiandoctorsweregreatlyinfluencedbytheGreeksandRomans

84.Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleofthepassage?

A.TheNileandtheAncientEgypt.B.FloodsandGeometry.

C.TheAncientEgyptianScientificAchievements.D.TheAncientEgyptian.

TEXTB

Journalswrittenforcollegeclassesdifferfromprivatediarieswrittenforourselves.Whilehistoricallythetwotermshavebeenusedinterchangeably,todaywecanmakeausefuldistinctionbetweenthem:

diariesarepersonalnotebooksthatcontainprivatethought,memories,feelings,dreams--thingsofimportancetothewriterandnobodyelse.Journals,however,haveamorelimitedfocus;theycentermoreonthepointwherewriters'personallivesmeettheirintellectualandsociallives--inthiscase,centeringonthatmeetingasittakesplaceinthestudyofliterature.

IfyourEnglishteacherhasaskedyoutokeepajournal,itisprobablywiththehopethatyouwilluseittolocate,collect,andmakesenseofyourthoughtsaboutthecontentofyourliteratureclass:

aboutyourreactions,yourcandidreactionstoparticularlectures;aboutfirstideasforwritingassignmentsandlaterthoughtsonrevisingthoseassignments;aboutthepersonalconnectionsyoumaymakebetweenthiscourseandtherestofyourlife--whatevertheymaybe.

Itmightalsohelptoseparatejournalsfromclassnotebooks.Unlikediaries,classnotebookscontainalmostnothingatallthatispersonal,beingfilledastheyarewithotherpeople'sideas:

lectureanddiscussionnotes,copiedquotations,nextweek'sassignmentsandsoon.Thesenotebooksareespeciallyusefultohelpyoupassexaminations,butthat'saboutit.Thinkofyourjournalasacrossbetweenadiary（subjective）andaclassnotebook（objective）:

inthejournalyouwriteabouttheobjectofstudyfromyourownpersonalperspective–andyouwriteprimarilytoyourself.

85.Accordingtothepassage,whatisthepurposeofteachersinassigningjournalsonliterature?

A.Tohelpthestudentsunderstandtheliteratureworksandthelesson.

B.Tomakesurethatthestudentshavereadthenovels,plays,orpoems.

C.Tofindoutthestudents'rolesinthediscussion.

D.Tocheckwhetherthestudentsarehardworking.

86.Wecaninferfromthepassagethatjournalis

A.apieceofwritingkepttoyourselfexclusively

B.apieceofobjectivewriting

C.apieceofwritingbothprivateandpublic

D.assignedbyteachers

TEXTC

USPresidentBillClintonannouncedaplanforexpandingavisaprogrammeforforeignerswithhigh-techskillslastThursday.Clintonwantstoissueanextra362,500H-lBvisasduringthenextthreeyearsandfourtimesthefeescollectedtocreateatrainingandeducationprogramforUSworkers.Hewouldalsorequirethatuptohalftheforeignersholdmaster'sdegreesorabovetoensureUScompaniesgethighlyskilledpeople.H-lBvisasareissuedtoforeignerswithcollegedegreesandallowthemtoworkintheUnitedStatesforuptosixyears.Theirnumberis115,000thisyear,butisscheduledtofallto107,500nextyearandthento65,000peryearafterthat.High-techindustryofficialssayatleast300,000jobsareunfilledduetothelackofqualifiedUSapplicants.Labourunionsarguetheindustryislookingoverseasmainlytoholddownwages.Clinton'sproposalwouldsetanoveralllimitof200,000visasayearforthreeyears,with10,000designatedannuallyforresearchandhighereducation.HewouldincreasethecurrentUSSS00feeforvisastoUSS2,000formostcompaniesandUSS3,000forcompaniesthatdependonforeignersforatleast15%oftheirworkforce.HalftheextramoneywouldbeusedtotrainUSworkers,30%wouldpayforeducatingUSworkersand20%toimprovetheImmigrationandNaturalizationService.

Also,Clintonproposedtochangeadeadlineforlong-termillegalimmigrantstoapplyforlegalresidence.Currently,onlyimmigrantswhoarrivedbefore1972canapplyforlegalstatus.

Clintonwantstomovethedateto1986,allowingmanymoreimmigrantstogainlegalstatus.

87.Itcanbeinferredfromthesecondparagraphthat

A.accordingtoClinton'sproposal,362,500H-lBvisaswillbeissuedinthenextthreeyears

B.Clintonwantstoincreasethewagesofworkerswithhigh-techskillsbyfourtimes

C.Clintonwantstocollectmoremoneytotrainandeducatethenativeworkers

D.Clintonwon'tallowpeopleofcollegedegreetoimmigratetotheU.S.

88.WhydoesClintonputforwardthisproposal?

A.Hewantstoincreasemoreopportunitiesofemployment.

B.Hewantstomeettheneedofthecompaniesforpeopleofhigh-techskills,accordingtothehigh-techindustryofficials.

C.Hewantstoimprovetheworkingconditionsfortheforeignworkers.

D.Hewantstoreducethewagesoftheworkers,accordingtothehigh-techindustryofficials.

89.Clintonproposedto

A.increasethecurrentfeeforvisasbyUSS1,500orUS$2,500

B.increasethecurrentfeeforvisasbyUSS2,000orUSS3,000

C.increasethecurrentfeeforvisastoUSS2,000forcompaniesthatdependonforeignersforatleast15percentoftheirworkforce

D.increasethecurrentfeeforvisastoUSS3,000forcompaniesthatdependonforeignersfornomorethan15percentoftheirworkforce

90.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingistrue?

A.Theproposalwasputforwardlastweek.

B.Thenumberofvisasgiventoforeignworkersofcollegedegreeswillincrease.

C.Halfoftheforeignworkersshouldholdmasterdegrees.

D.HalfofthemoneycollectedfromtheincreaseofthefeeforvisaswillbespentonU.S.workers.

91.Thepassageismostlikelyfrom

A.anarticleofeconomicsB.atextofhistory

C.apoliticalreviewD.anewsreport

TEXTD

Americahasalwaysbeenalandofbeginnings.AfterEuropeans"discovered"Americainthefifteenthcentury,themysteriousNewWorldbecameformanypeopleagenuinehopeofanewlife,anescapefrompovertyandpersecution,achancetostartagain.Wecansaythat,asanation,Americabeginswiththathope.When,however,doesAmericanliteraturebegin?

AmericanliteraturebeginswithAmericanexperiences.Longbeforethefirstcolonistsarrived,beforeChristopherColumbus,beforetheNorthmenwho"found"Americaabouttheyear1000,NativeAmericanslivedhere.Eachtribe'sliteraturewastightlywovenintothefabricofdailylifeandreflectedtheunmistakablyAmericanexperienceofliningwiththeland.Anotherkindofexperience,onefilledwithfearandexcitement,founditsexpressioninthereportsthatColumbusandotherexplorerssenthomeinSpanish,French,andEnglish.Inaddition,thejournalsofthepeoplewholivedanddiedintheNewEnglandwildernesstellunforgettabletalesofhardandsometimesheartbreakingexperiencesofthoseearlyyears.

Experience,then,isthekeytoearlyAmericanliterature.TheNewWorldprovidedagreatvarietyofexperiences,andtheseexperiencesdemandedawidevarietyofexpressionsbyanevenwidervarietyofearlyAmericanwriters.ThesewritersincludedJohnSmith,whospentonlyabouttwo-and-one-halfyearsontheAmericancontinent.TheyincludedJonathanEdwardsandWilliamByrd,whothoughtofthemselvesasBritishsubjects,neversuspectingarevolutionthatwouldcreateaU