1、公共英语四级-阅读理解题(五)及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、练习一(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：5.00)How do the professional timekeepers of the world determine, to the precise nanosecond, when a new year begins? They simply consult an atomic clock. At the end of last month, just in time to rin
2、g in the new year, the Hewlett-Packard company, of Palo Alto, California, unveiled the latest of these meticulous time- pieces. For nearly 30 years, the firm has been supplying military and scientific clients with atomic clocks; the most advanced models neither gain nor lose more than a second every
3、 800,000 years. But the newest version, a $54,000 device the size of desktop computer, is accurate to one second in 1.6 million years far longer than all of human history to date.It is natural to wonder who could possibly need such precision. The answer: practically everyone, at least indirectly. Te
4、lephone and computer networks rely on atomic clocks to synchronize the flow of trillions of bits of information around the nation and the world, thus avoiding mammoth electronic logjams. Television and radio stations use the clocks to time their broadcasts. Satellite- based navigation systems depend
5、 on the devices to measure the arrival time of radio signals to within a tiny fraction of a second, allowing users to gauge their location to within a few feet. The armed forces use atomic clocks to help steer smart missiles and time secret calls to nuclear submarines around the world. And scientist
6、s depend on atomic clocks to help track the almost imperceptible motions of continents across the surface of the earth and galaxies and stars across the sky. Even the people who dropped the ball in New York Citys Times Square to signal the start of 1992 relied on a timekeeping source that was pegged
7、 ultimately to an atomic clock.The principle that lies behind all this precision comes out of quantum physics. When an atom is bombarded with electromagnetic radiation in this case, microwaves its electrons shift into a new energy state. Each type of atom responds most readily to a particular freque
8、ncy of radiation. That means that when a microwave beam inside the clock is set exactly to that frequency, the maximum number of atoms will undergo the energy shift. This signals the clocks internal computer that the device is correctly tuned. And in fact, it is the vibrating microwaves that keep ti
9、me; the atoms are used just to keep them on track.Theoretically, an atomic clock could keep perfect time, but the actual performance depends on engineering details exactly how the microwaves hit the cesium atoms, how sophisticated the electronics are and so on. It was by improving factors like these
10、 that Hewlett-Packard boosted its clocks performance from incredibly good to even better. The next generation of clocks should do better still, but no one is sure when that generation will come along. For now, a second every million and a half years will have to do.（分数：5.00）(1).The newest atomic clo
11、ck is accurate toA. a second in 30 years.B. a second every 800,000 years.C. a second every million years.D. a second in 1,6 million years.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(2).We can learn from paragraph 2 thatA. telephone and computer networks rely on atomic clocks to synchronize the exchange of information around
12、the world.B. the armed forces use atomic clocks to encode their secret calls to submarines around the world.C. scientists use atomic clocks to gauge the location of continents across the surface of the earth.D. the people who dropped the ball in New York Citys Times Square to signal the start of 199
13、2 carried with them an atomic clock.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The atomic clock is very accurate becauseA. the clocks internal computer keeps time.B. the cesium atoms keep perfect time.C. electromagnetic radiation keeps time.D. the vibrating microwaves keep time.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Hewlett-Packard enhanc
14、ed its clocks performance byA. improving the computer programs inside clocks.B. improving engineering setup supported b7 quantum physics.C. adding more types of cesium atoms.D. tuning the frequenc7 of microwaves radiation.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(5).What would be the best title for the text?A. The Hewlett-
15、Packard Compan7 And The Atomic Clock.B. How The Atomic Clock Is Made.C. Modern Life And The Atomic Clock.D. Electromagnetic Radiation And The Atomic Clock.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.四、Part B(总题数：1，分数：15.00)The English middle classes had and have no frontiers: they were and are the recruiting ground of talent,
16、 the natural social ladder of all who have capacity for leadership in the wider meaning of the word. 22) Professor Bum has compared the social and economic structure of Britain to an escalator, or moving staircase: some are higher than others, but all are moving slowly up and there is room on the le
17、ft for the agile to improve their relative as well as their absolute position. The class structure knits society with order and cohesion, providing a graduated slope down which the standards of the highest may descend to the lowest and providing the spur of ambition to urge the best from below into
18、positions of responsibility and influence.While it has always been possible to rise into the middle classes, it has also been possible to rise out of them; and the moment a man rose into them, influences were at work to civilize and change the recruit and fit him and his descendants to new purposes
19、for service to the community as a whole. 23) A man who wanted social recognition was almost obliged to “do good“ with some part of his money, even though he did it hypocritically and with his tongue in his cheek. His children may have done it because it was the thing to do, and yet the more thoughtf
20、ul of them may have realized that, done or not, it was the right thing, necessary to the character of a gentleman and a Christian. On the continent the bourgeoisie was an isolated part of the nation, but the English middle classes learned to do more than keep their riches and maintain and extend tra
21、de and industry: they learned to be wholly national. A feature of English history has been the constant reintegration of groups split off from the main current of national experience the burgesses, the Puritans, the Nonconformists, the Roman Catholics. Half a centurys estrangement between the farmer
22、s and the townsmen may yet be healed.24) The English middle classes are what they are by virtue not of trade but of organization; not of property but of independence; not of power but of government; not solely because they wanted to have but because of what they wanted to be. All that is worst in th
23、e reproachful use of the word “middle class“ has been present. But something else has also been present, steadily warring against philistinism though with varying success. 25) “What shall we do to be received?“ the new middle classes have cried, and in every generation the reply has come from above
24、and below “Learn to behave like gentlemen.“（分数：15.00）_五、练习二(总题数：0，分数：0.00)六、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)七、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：5.00)The art of tattooing is an old custom practiced around the world. “Tattoo“, a word coming from polynesian “tatu“, was a symbol of high social status in the Marquesas islands. Among
25、 New Zealand Maori warriors it distinguished one man from another. Tattoos also identified the marital status of Eskimo women. Tattoos were supposed to give magical properties to Burmese males and to some South American tribes. English aristocrats were tattooed with their family coats of arms, and t
26、he names and emblems of their private clubs. Rich men in America also had tattoos of their emblems: reproductions of paper money! Today tattoos are popular among criminals, merchant seamen, and members of armies, navies and air forces. But more tattoo clients are women who get a tattoo to make thems
27、elves look more beautiful.Getting a tattoo is quick and easy. Lyle Tuttle is a well-known tattoo artist who owns three tattoo studios in California. Tuttle has tattooed many rock musicians and Hollywood stars including Peter Fonda and the late Janis Joplin. The average tattoo costs between twenty fi
28、ve and fifty dollars, depending on how big it is, how many colors it has, and where you want it tattooed.After a customer chooses his or her tattoo design, the tattoo artist washes the area to be tattooed with surgical soap. Then he draws the design with a ball point pen, inserts a needle in the des
29、ired colored ink, turns on the electricity, and starts to work.The machine makes a buzzing sound as it punctures the skin to a depth of between one-thirty-second and one-sixteenth of an inch 21,600 times a minute. After the tattoo artist outlines the design, he shades it using different color inks.
30、Within a day, a crust will form over the tattoo; this crust falls off five to seven days later.Once applied, the tattoo becomes permanent, and mistakes cannot be corrected. The design can only be covered up with an equally dark or darker tattoo. “The only way to get rid of a tattoo,“ says Lyle Tuttl
31、e, “is to cut it off./（分数：5.00）(1).A favorite tattoo design of rich American men wasA. coat of arms. B. paper money.C. names. D. emblems.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(2).The cost of a tattoo depends onA. its size. B. its colors.C. its position, D. all of the above.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(3).First, the tattoo artist w
32、ill make _ of the tattoo design.A. a wash B. a needleC. a color D. an outline（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Something that is meant to last forever is said to beA. magical. B. marital.C. permanent. D. beautiful.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(5).What would be the best title for this passage?A. The Great Tattoo Artist.B. Th
33、e Process of Tattooing.C. How To Choose A Tattoo Design.D. The Art Of Tattooing.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.八、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：5.00)A parent with a child carrying a musical instrument or a drawing board walking along a Beijing subway platform or street is a familiar sight on weekends. They are on the way to tra
34、ining schools.Education of their child has become the number one responsibility of parents who were sent to rural areas for “re-education“ during the 1966 76 “Cultural Revolution“.They lost the chance for college education and now hope their children can receive a better education than they did. As
35、a result, these people now in their forties expose their little children to early training so that they can enter a prestigious school.The parents imagine a road to success: from excellent primary and middle schools to an elite university and then to a good job. On average, they may spend about 100
36、yuan a month on their childs education.And what results have these parents obtained?The majority of them feel that the large investment has failed to lead to rapid progress in their childrens study. “We seem to be throwing our money away,“ said one parent.However, many parents still take for granted
37、 that spending more on their childs schooling will result in high scores. These parents have also introduced a “contract system“, which offers rewards for good school grades. More than 80% of parents in families in Chengdu have signed contracts with their children, according to the Consumers Times.
38、The paper notes that the heavy pressure put on children to perform well at school has resulted in a decline in childrens health.The parents investment in their children also includes hiring tutors. A survey of 250 students in Xuzhou found that 10% of their parents hired tutors. The pay for one tutor
39、ial hour is three yuan.Liberation Daily commented that these parents have too high expectations of their children. According to the article, “they are trying to help the young plants grow by pulling them upwards“. They ignore their childrens psychology and may damage the real talents the children po
40、ssess.（分数：5.00）(1).Parents in their forties want their children to get the best education becauseA. the parents missed out on their own education when they were young.B. it is their responsibility to help their children.C. their children are cleverer than they were.D. they dont want them to go to th
41、e rural areas.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(2).In the parents view, entry to a good university depends uponA. having some early art training.B. attending the best primary and middle schools.C. geeing a good job.D. the parents prestige and position.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The “contract system“ isA. a method of univ
42、ersity entry.B. a way of encouraging children to work hard.C. an agreement between children and their teachers.D. a way of guaranteeing the young people a good job.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(4).In the Xuzhou survey, how many children have extra private lessons?A. 250. B. 25. C. 10. D. 3.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.(5).
43、What is the Chinese newspapers attitude to the parents described in this article?A. Sympathetic. B. Critical. C. Approving. D. Neutral.（分数：1.00）A.B.C.D.九、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：5.00)In many U.S. cities thousands of young people are developing their minds as well as their bodies by learning karate. In the U
44、nited States, karate is currently taught in more than fifty special schools, and in an increasing number of high schools and colleges.Karate is a science of unarmed self-defense and counterattack. It is a sort of “weapon in an empty hand“. In fact, karate means “empty hands“ in Japanese. A highly sk
45、illed practitioner of karate, called a “karateka“, uses his hands, fists, fingers, elbows, feet, and shrill yells as a weapon to ward off his assailants attack. Karate requires a great deal of coordination and long practice to perfect the blocks, strikes, and light taps that are used for self- defen
46、se.Beginners learn to squat, sit up, pivot and stretch, jump and kick waist- high. Karate blows are so dangerous that trainees practice them without bodily contact with an opponent. They are able to smash boards and bricks with a clenched fist or the edge of their hands.Not all karate training is ph
47、ysical. Karatekas spend a great deal of time in meditation in order to train their minds to know exactly where their opponents weak and strong points are, so that they can cope with them. This mental training also helps increase the karatekas self-confidence to defeat their assailant successfully or
48、 to avoid violence completely, in fact, master karate practitioners have disciplined their bodies and minds so well that they rarely need to fight.It is believed that a Buddhist monk in India invented karate in the sixth century A.D. and taught it to Chinese monks who brought it to the island of Okinawa and called it “kungfu“. In the early seventeenth century, when the Japanese invaded Okinawa, they took
