1、专业英语四级（阅读）-试卷171及答案解析 (总分：30.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、READING COMPREHENSIO(总题数：11，分数：30.00)1.PART V READING COMPREHENSION_2.SECTION AIn this section there are several passages followed by ten multiple-choice questions. For each question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one th
2、at you think is the best answer._The art teacher who accused Prince Harry of cheating has won her case against Eton College for unfair dismissal. Sarah Forsyth, 30, took the public school to an employment tribunal after her contract was not renewed. The tribunal yesterday upheld Ms. Forsyths claim t
3、hat she had been bullied by Etons head of art, Ian Burke. But it rejected her allegations that Mr. Burke had ordered her to help Prince Harry cheat in his AS-level art by completing his written work for him. It also criticised as unprofessional her decision to secretly record a conversation with the
4、 prince on his way to his final exam to try to support her claim. Ms. Forsyth brought the case after the school, which charges 23, 688 a year, decided not to renew her contract after the summer of 2003. She also accused Mr. Burke of bullying her and giving improper assistance to pupils during exams.
5、 At her hearing in May, Ms. Forsyth claimed she had written most of the text of the princes AS-level art coursework journal, something she said was unethical and probably constituted cheating. She also claimed Mr. Burke touched up aboriginal-inspired artwork which was displayed to the media as an ex
6、ample of Prince Harrys work when the prince finished his time at Eton. The prince has strenuously denied any suggestion that he cheated and an investigation by the examination board found no evidence of any improper behaviour. In its 40-page judgment, the tribunal said it was for the exam board to r
7、ule whether cheating had occurred. While the report described Ms. Forsyth as consistent and truthful on the whole, it rejected her allegations about Prince Harry. It ruled that her relationship with Mr. Burke was so bad that it was not plausible that he would have tried to enlist her help in any att
8、empt to cheat. It concluded that her account of the help she had given the prince was muddled and that Mr. Burkes story was more believable. She claimed she had written a sample answer for the prince to use as a guide which, in her account, was given to Prince Harry, cut up and stuck in the journal.
9、 The tribunal sided with Mr. Burke, who said that Ms, Forsyth had not written the piece on her own but simply sat with Prince Harry and suggested vocabulary. However, the panel was critical of Mr, Burke and said its Inevitable conclusion was Ms. Forsyths dismissal had been unreasonable. The panel sa
10、id, He did undermine and bully her. Anthony Little, Etons headmaster, was criticised for failing to look at the case fairly. The school was criticised for failing to produce any written capability procedure to the tribunal. A spokesman for Eton said the school regretted its employment procedures had
11、 not been up to scratch, but said it was pleased the tribunal had rejected the publicity-seeking allegations regarding Prince Harry. He added the school would be calling for the tribunal to award no compensation to Ms. Forsyth, arguing she would have been dismissed for secretly tape-recording a conv
12、ersation with a pupil.（分数：6.00）(1).Who is the winner of the suit against Eton College?（分数：2.00）A.Sarah Forsyth.B.Mr. Burke.C.Prince Harry.D.Eton College.(2).Which of the following is INCORRECT according to the last paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.The tribunal had rejected the publicity-seeking allegations rega
13、rding Prince Harry.B.The art teacher will be dismissed for secretly tape-recording a conversation with a pupil.C.The employment procedures of Eton College are not up to the standard.D.The spokesman called for the tribunal to award no compensation to Ms. Forsyth,(3).The central topic of the passage i
14、s_.（分数：2.00）A.the unfair dismissal of Sarah ForsythB.that the art teacher was dismissed by Eton College with no reasonC.that the art teacher accused Prince Harry of cheatingD.that the art teacher has won her case against Eton College for unfair dismissalOne of the more noted optical illusions in the
15、 annals of visual deception appeared in the night sky this week when a giant full moon appeared on the horizon. The giant ball of yellow-white light made the Moon appear to linger for longer, and Earths satellite seemed larger at that point in its journey across the sky than at any other position. I
16、n fact, the size of the Moon in the sky does not vary and its apparent enlargement on the horizon is purely a trick of the eye. It was first written about by the ancient Chinese and Greeks although scientists are still arguing over its cause. The illusion was especially visible on Wednesday night be
17、cause this months full moon coincided with the summer solstice, while clear skies gave spectacular views as the moon rose slowly above the horizon. When the Moon is full, it and the Sun are on opposite sides of the sky. During summer, when the Sun rises high in our sky, the full moons are correspond
18、ingly lowallowing them to linger longer over the horizon. The astronomer Sir Patrick Moore said that there was no doubt that when a full moon was low on the horizon it invariably looked bigger than when it was high up in the sky, but that this was purely an illusion. The effect is visible at every f
19、ull moon but was particularly good this time because the full moon was as low in the sky as it could ever be and appeared to hover above the horizon, Sir Patrick said. One way of showing that the Moon does not really vary in size is to hold up a small coin to the sky to see how far away it can be he
20、ld before it blocks out the Moonit should do it at the same distance no matter where the Moon is positioned. It has been known and commented on for many hundreds of years. An explanation was given by the last and greatest astronomer of ancient times, Ptolemy, who said the illusion was due to the fac
21、t that we were seeing the Moon across filled space and could compare it with objects such as trees and houses, Sir Patrick said. The conventional explanation for the illusion today is that it Is a combination of two psychological effects. The first is the Ponzo illusion, named after Mario Ponzo in 1
22、913, who drew two identical bars across converging lines such as railway tracks. Both bars are the same size but the nearer looks smaller because the eye and the brain judge the farther bar to be bigger in proportion to its surroundings. This could explain why we perceive the Moon to be larger when
23、it lies against a background of familiar objects such as trees and buildings. However, critics of this idea point out that airline pilots flying at high altitudes sometimes experience the Moon illusion even without seeing any recognizable features on the horizon. And, curiously, the illusion disappe
24、ars for many people when they bend down and watch a full moon through their legs. The second explanation is that the brain does not see the sky as the ceiling of a true hemisphere, but rather as a flattened dome. In other words, objects that are overhead, such as flying birds, are perceived to be ne
25、arer than objects on the horizonwhich is why we imagine objects on the horizon to be bigger than objects overhead. But this explanation does not satisfy some scientists, either. In a theory similar in some ways to the Ponzo illusion, Professor Don McCready of the University of Wisconsin believes the
26、 true explanation rests in the fact that our brains tend to make objects smaller when they appear closer to us based on distance cues. When the Moon is on the horizon, the surroun-ding buildings and trees give us clues that it is very far away which causes the brain to perceive it to be larger than
27、it would normally appear, Professor McCready said.（分数：6.00）(1).The conventional explanation for the Moon illusion today is that_.（分数：2.00）A.our brains tend to make objects smaller when they appear closer to us based on distance cuesB.objects that are overhead are perceived to be nearer than objects
28、on the horizonC.the effects of Ponzo illusionD.it is a combination of two psychological effects(2).Which of the following is INCORRECT according to the passage?（分数：2.00）A.The brain does not see the sky as the ceiling of a true hemisphere, but rather as a flattened dome.B.The size of the Moon in the
29、sky does not vary and its apparent enlargement on the horizon is purely a trick of the eye.C.Professor Don McCready believes our brains tend to make objects bigger when they appear closer to us based on distance cues.D.The moon illusion is an optical illusion.(3).The passage suggests that there is_.
30、（分数：2.00）A.no final answer to the Moon illusionB.no final answer to the size of the MoonC.a definite answer to the Moon illusionD.no final answer to peoples visual illusionParents will be able to run an official check on the status of childminders for the first time from today. Ofsted, the education
31、 standards watchdog, will shame the worst providers and praise the best by placing details of all childminders reports on its website. The providers will be ranked on a scale of one to four, with one meaning outstanding , two good, three satisfactory and four inadequate. Of the first 1, 060 inspecti
32、ons to be posted this morning, 45(32 childminders and 13 day-care providers)have been ranked as inadequate while only 16(14 childminders and 2 day-care nurseries)warranted the ranking outstanding. The vast majority were either good(680)or satisfactory(319). However, Ofsted warned that a satisfactory
33、 rating meant there was scope for improvement. Maurice Smith, Ofsteds director of early years, said, Over one million children are placed with childminders and in nurseries every day so its imperative parents have easy access to good information about the quality of care that their children are gett
34、ing. David Bell, the chief schools inspector and Ofsteds chief executive, has acknowledged that parents are almost certain to shun the services of any childminder ranked as inadequate. A childminder could be rated as inadequate if their premises fail to pass health and safety requirements or if a co
35、mplaint alleging physical abuse of a child is upheld. In extreme circumstances, their registration can be withdrawn immediately but their report would be published if they were served with a notice to improve within a 12-month period. Mr. Smith said of the outstanding ratings, This is a fantastic ac
36、hievement by those who work in the childcare profession and go all out to provide a top-class service. All providers will have the chance to shine during their inspections under the new framework. I hope that todays outstanding providers will act as an inspiration to others. The 1, 060 inspections t
37、o be placed on the Internet today were all carried out in the first year of inspection of child-minding services. Ofsted only had its brief to inspect services extended from schools and colleges last year. It plans to inspect all childminding and day-care services over a three-year period with a tot
38、al of 94, 000 reports placed on its website by 2007. Fears that paedophiles could gain access to details of child-minding services have prompted inspectors to agree restrictions on how parents can access information. As of today, parents will be able to type their postcode into Ofsteds website and s
39、earch for registered childminders in their area. Services within a five-mile radius of the address can be accessed. However, the report will not contain the name or address of the childminder. To obtain that, the parent will have to contact their local Childrens Information Service. Ofsted warned th
40、at some providers may have chosen to opt out of having their details available on requestand that this is likely to be because they are full and do not have the space to mind more children. Ofsted has also agreed that nurseries will be given no notice of inspections so inspectors get a warts and all
41、 picture. Childminders will be rung the previous week and asked to indicate which days they will be available to avoid inspectors arriving when they are out with their charges on a trip. One of the days will be selected by the inspectors without giving further notice.（分数：4.00）(1).The possible title
42、of the passage is_.（分数：2.00）A.Ofsted, the Education Standards WatchdogB.The Four Ratings of the ChildmindersC.How to Choose ChildmindersD.Ratings Help Parents Choose Child Care(2).Which of the following is INCORRECT according to the last paragraph?（分数：2.00）A.Some providers may choose to refuse to ca
43、re for more children.B.If the childminders are not available they will give a notice to the Ofsted.C.Inspectors can get a warts and all picture.D.Nurseries will be given no notice of inspections.On the map theres just one island, but when you get there youll find two distinct Sardinias. If youre won
44、dering which is the right destination for you, take the ice-cream test and try two gelati in Sardinia. On the wealthy Costa Smeralda I was served an ice-cream with enormous speed and efficiency by a Tom Cruise look-alikeall teeth, tan and ambition. But on Sardinias quieter western coastthe Riviera d
45、e Coralloit was served, quite slowly and with elegance, by a girl with the face of an angel. My vote goesnarrowlyto this less-visited shore. There I found a seat in Algheros Piazza Civica, where the late afternoon sun was warming the old stones and the fishing boats were back at anchor just through
46、the archway of the Porta al Mare. I reflected, as I ate my ice-cream and watched the locals make their evening passeggiata through the ancient square and the Door to the Sea, that the world is not such a bad place after all. By contrast, at a little cafe near the marina at Porto Cervo on the Costa S
47、meralda, watching beautiful young things leaping on and off their yachts, I reflected mainly that most people seemed to have a lot more money than I. Its all very idyllic, the sea is always blue and the weather from May to October is invariably perfect. But is this plutocrats playground Sardinia? No
48、not if you mean the rugged Sardinia with its roots in prehistory and its future in a possible split with mother Italy. To see the real Sardinia you could take the overnight ferry from Livorno on the Italian mainland to Olbia just below the Costa Smeralda. Perhaps hire a little Fiatalthough Ferraris are availableand take the road that skirts the millionaire belt, heading north and then west. Head inland now, towards Sassari and Alghero. The hills crowd the shor
