2016年公共英语四级阅读部分辅导训练题

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　　Passage One

2016年公共英语四级阅读部分辅导训练题

　　Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, you're not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $8.

　　The once all-powerful dollar isn't doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar.

　　The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nation's self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency. It's also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U.S. economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news.

　　Many Europeans may view the U.S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar. Through April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak? Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S. the way many Americans view Mexico-as a cheap place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals can't afford to join the merrymaking.

　　The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006.

　　If you own shares in large American corporations, you're a winner in the weak-dollar gamble. Last week Coca-Cola's stick bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter. Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke's beverage business. Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonald's and IBM.

　　American tourists, however, shouldn't expect any relief soon. The dollar lost strength the way many marriages break up- slowly, and then all at once. And currencies don't turn on a dime. So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect.

　　52. Why do Americans feel humiliated?

　　A) Their economy is plunging 　B) They can't afford trips to Europe

　　C) Their currency has slumped D) They have lost half of their assets.

　　53.How does the current dollar affect the life of ordinary Americans?

　　A) They have to cancel their vacations in New England.

　　B) They find it unaffordable to dine in mom-and-pop restaurants.

　　C) They have to spend more money when buying imported goods.

　　D) They might lose their jobs due to potential economic problems.

　　54 How do many Europeans feel about the U.S with the devalued dollar?

　　A)They feel contemptuous of it 　　 B)They are sympathetic with it.

　　C)They regard it as a superpower on the decline. D)They think of it as a good tourist destination.

　　55 what is the author's advice to Americans?

　　A)They treat the dollar with a little respect B)They try to win in the weak-dollar gamble

　　C)They vacation at home rather than abroad　 D)They treasure their marriages all the more.

　　56 What does the author imply by saying “currencies don't turn on a dime” (Line 2, Para 7)?

　　A)The dollar's value will not increase in the short term.

　　B)The value of a dollar will not be reduced to a dime

　　C)The dollar's value will drop, but within a small margin.

　　D) Few Americans will change dollars into other currencies.

　　【参考答案：CCDCA】

　　Passage Two

　　Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the idea of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good.

　　The lesson from dams is that big is not always beautiful. It doesn’t help that building a big, powerful dam has become a symbol of achievement for nations and people striving to assert themselves. Egypt’s leadership in the Arab world was cemented by the Aswan High Dam. Turkey’s bid for First World status includes the giant Ataturk Dam.

　　But big dams tend not to work as intended. The Aswan Dam, for example, stopped the Nile flooding but deprived Egypt of the fertile silt that floods left — all in return for a giant reservoir of disease which is now so full of silt that it barely generates electricity.

　　And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself.

　　Meanwhile, in India, the World Bank has given the go-ahead to the even more wrong-headed Narmada Dam. And the bank has done this even though its advisors say the dam will cause hardship for the powerless and environmental destruction. The benefits are for the powerful, but they are far from guaranteed.

　　Proper, scientific study of the impacts of dams and of the costs and benefits of controlling water can help to resolve these conflicts. Hydroelectric power and flood control and irrigation are possible without building monster dams. But when you are dealing with myths, it is hard to be either proper, or scientific. It is time that the world learned the lessons of Aswan. You don’t need a dam to be saved.

　　1. The third sentence of paragraph 1 implies that ____.

　　A. people would be happy if they shut their eyes to reality

　　B. the blind could be happier than the sighted

　　C. over-excited people tend to neglect vital things

　　D. fascination makes people lose their eyesight

　　2. In paragraph 5, “the powerless” probably refers to ____.

　　A. areas short of electricity B. dams without power stations

　　C. poor countries around India D. common people in the Narmada Dam area

　　3. What is the myth concerning giant dams?

　　A. They bring in more fertile soil. B. They help defend the country.

　　C. They strengthen international ties. D. They have universal control of the waters.

　　4. What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as ____.