2017年9月公共英语等级考试四级阅读题训练

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　　Passage 1

　　If ambition is to be well regarded, the rewards of ambition — wealth, distinction, control over one’s destiny — must be deemed worthy of the sacrifices made on ambition’s behalf. If the tradition of ambition is to have vitality, it must be widely shared; and it especially must be highly regarded by people who are themselves admired, the educated not least among them. In an odd way, however, it is the educated who have claimed to have given up on ambition as an ideal. What is odd is that they have perhaps most benefited from ambition — if not always their own then that of their parents and grandparents. There is a heavy note of hypocrisy in this, a case of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped — with the educated themselves riding on them.

　　Certainly people do not seem less interested in success and its signs now than formerly. Summer homes, European travel, BMWs — the locations, place names and name brands may change, but such items do not seem less in demand today than a decade or two years ago. What has happened is that people cannot confess fully to their dreams, as easily and openly as once they could, lest they be thought pushing, acquisitive and vulgar. Instead, we are treated to fine hypocritical spectacles, which now more than ever seem in ample supply: the critic of American materialism with a Southampton summer home; the publisher of radical books who takes his meals in three-star restaurants; the journalist advocating participatory democracy in all phases of life, whose own children are enrolled in private schools. For such people and many more perhaps not so exceptional, the proper formulation is, “Succeed at all costs but avoid appearing ambitious.”

　　The attacks on ambition are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive, where they are not extremely unattractive. As a result, the support for ambition as a healthy impulse, a quality to be admired and fixed in the mind of the young, is probably lower than it has ever been in the United States. This does not mean that ambition is at an end, that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings, but only that, no longer openly honored, it is less openly professed. Consequences follow from this, of course, some of which are that ambition is driven underground, or made sly. Such, then, is the way things stand: on the left angry critics, on the right stupid supporters, and in the middle, as usual, the majority of earnest people trying to get on in life.

　　1. It is generally believed that ambition may be well regarded if ____.

　　A. its returns well compensate for the sacrifices

　　B. it is rewarded with money, fame and power

　　C. its goals are spiritual rather than material

　　D. it is shared by the rich and the famous

　　2. The last sentence of the first paragraph most probably implies that it is ____.

　　A. customary of the educated to discard ambition in words

　　B. too late to check ambition once it has been let out

　　C. dishonest to deny ambition after the fulfillment of the goal

　　D. impractical for the educated to enjoy benefits from ambition

　　3. Some people do not openly admit they have ambition because ____.

　　A. they think of it as immoral

　　B. their pursuits are not fame or wealth

　　C. ambition is not closely related to material benefits

　　D. they do not want to appear greedy and contemptible

　　4. From the last paragraph the conclusion can be drawn that ambition should be maintained ____.

　　A. secretly and vigorously B. openly and enthusiastically

　　C. easily and momentarily D. verbally and spiritually

　　Passage 2

　　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.

　　Passage 3

　　If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are addressing, the problems will be different. If you are talking to a group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries, you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses.

　　Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses' convention, of a story which works well because the audience all shared the same view of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by St. Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. “Who is that?" the new arrival asked St. Peter. “On, that's God," came the reply, “but sometimes he thinks he's a doctor."

　　If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious bad taste in ties. With other audiences you mustn't attempt to cut in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer ground if you stick to scapegoats like the Post Office or the telephone system.

　　If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently off-the-cuff remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced manner. Often it's the delivery which causes the audience to smile, so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow or an unbelieving look may help to show that you are making a light-hearted remark.

　　Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected. A twist on a familiar quote “If at first you don't succeed, give up" or a play on words or on a situation. Search for exaggeration and understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor.

　　41. To make your humor work, you should__________

　　[A] take advantage of different kinds of audience.

　　[B] make fun of the disorganized people.

　　[C] address different problems to different people.

　　[D] show sympathy for your listeners.

　　42. The joke about doctors implies that, in the eyes of nurses, they are ___________

　　[A] impolite to new arrivals.

　　[B] very conscious of their godlike role.

　　[C] entitled to some privileges.

　　[D] very busy even during lunch hours.

　　43. It can be inferred from the text that public services __________

　　[A] have benefited many people.