英语四级改革后到15年12月阅读真题及答案

1四级改革后到15年12月阅读真题及答案1.PassageOneGlobalwarmingmayormaynotbethegreatenvironmentalcrisisofthe21stcentury,butregardlessofwhetheritisorisn’t–wewon’tdomuchaboutit.Wewillargueoveritandmayeven,asanation,makesomefairlysolemn-soundingcommitmentstoavoidit.Butthemoredramaticandmeaningfulthesecommitmentsseem,thelesslikelytheyaretobeobserved.AlGorecallsglobalwarmingan“inconvenienttruth,”asifmerelyrecognizingitcouldputusonapathtoasolution.Buttherealtruthisthatwedon’tknowenoughtorelieveglobalwarming,and–withoutmajortechnologicalbreakthroughs—wecan’tdomuchaboutit.From2003to2050,theworld’spopulationisprojectedtogrowfrom6.4billionto9.1billion,a42%increase.Ifenergyuseperpersonandtechnologyremainthesame,totalenergyuseandgreenhousegasemissions(mainly,CO2)willbe42%higherin2050.butthat’stoolow,becausesocietiesthatgrowricherusemoreenergy.Weneedeconomicgrowthunlesswecondemntheworld’spoortotheirpresentpovertyandfreezeeveryoneelse‘slivingstandards.Withmodestgrowth,energyuseandgreenhouseemissionsmorethandoubleby2050.Nogovernmentwilladoptrigidrestrictionsoneconomicgrowthandpersonalfreedom(limitsonelectricityusage,drivingandtravel)thatmightcutbackglobalwarming.Still,politicianswanttoshowthey’re“doingsomething.”ConsidertheKyotoProtocol(京都议定书).Itallowedcountriesthatjoinedtopunishthosethatdidn’t.Butithasn’treducedCO2emissions(upabout25%since1990),andmanysignatories(签字国)didn’tadopttoughenoughpoliciestohittheir2008-2012targets.Thepracticalconclusionisthatifglobalwarmingisapotentialdisaster,theonlysolutionisnewtechnology.Onlyanaggressiveresearchanddevelopmentprogrammightfindwaysofbreakingdependenceonfossilfuelsordealingwithit.Thetroublewiththeglobalwarmingdebateisthatithasbecomeamoralproblemwhenit’sreallyanengineeringone.Theinconvenienttruthisthatifwedon’tsolvetheengineeringproblem,we’rehelpless.57.Whatissaidaboutglobalwarminginthefirstparagraph?A)Itmaynotproveanenvironmentalcrisisatall.B)Itisanissuerequiringworldwidecommitments.C)Seriousstepshavebeentakentoavoidorstopit.D)Verylittlewillbedonetobringitundercontrol.58.Accordingtotheauthor’sunderstanding,whatisAlGore’sviewonglobalwarming?A)Itisarealitybothpeopleandpoliticiansareunawareof.B)Itisaphenomenonthatcausesusmanyinconveniences.C)Itisaproblemthatcanbesolvedonceitisrecognized.D)Itisanareaweactuallyhavelittleknowledgeabout.59.Greenhouseemissionswillmorethandoubleby2050becauseof_______.A)economicgrowthB)thewideninggapbetweentherichandpoorC)wastefuluseofenergyD)therapidadvancesofscienceandtechnology60.Theauthorbelievesthat,sincethesigningoftheKyotoProtocol,________.A)politicianshavestartedtodosomethingtobetterthesituationB)fewnationshaveadoptedrealtoughmeasurestolimitenergyuseC)reductionsinenergyconsumptionhavegreatlycutbackglobalwarmingD)internationalcooperationhascontributedtosolvingenvironmentalproblems61.Whatisthemessagetheauthorintendstoconvey?A)Globalwarmingismoreofamoralissuethanapracticalone.B)TheultimatesolutiontoglobalwarmingliesinnewtechnologyC)Thedebateoverglobalwarmingwillleadtotechnologicalbreakthroughs.D)Peoplehavetogiveupcertainmaterialcomfortstostopglobalwarming.2PassageTwoSomedayastrangerwillreadyoure-mailwithoutyourpermissionorscantheWebsitesyou’vevisited.Orperhapssomeonewillcasuallyglancethroughyourcreditcardpurchaseorcellphonebillstofindoutyourshoppingpreferencesorcallinghabits.Infact,it’slikelysomeofthesethingshavealreadyhappenedtoyou.Whowouldwatchyouwithoutyourpermission?Itmightbeaspouse,agirlfriend,amarketingcompany,aboss,acoporacriminal.Whoeveritis,theywillseeyouinawayyouneverintendedtobeseen—the21stcenturyequivalentofbeingcaughtnaked.Psychologiststellusboundariesarehealthy,thatit’simportanttorevealyourselftofriends,familyandloversinstages,atappropriatetimes.Butfewboundariesremain.Thedigitalbreadcrumbs(碎屑)youleaveeverywheremakeiteasyforstrangerstoreconstructwhoyouare,whereyouareandwhatyoulike.Insomecases,asimpleGooglesearchcanrevealwhatyouthink.Likeitornot,increasinglyweliveinaworldwhereyousimplecannotkeepasecret.Thekeyquestionis:Doesthatmatter?WhenopinionpollsaskAmericansaboutprivacy,mostsaytheyareconcernedaboutlosingit.Asurveyfoundanoverwhelmingpessimismaboutprivacy,with60percentofrespondentssayingtheyfeeltheirprivacyis“slippingaway,andthatbothersme.”Butpeoplesayonethinganddoanother.OnlyatinyfractionofAmericanschangeanybehaviorsinanefforttopreservetheirprivacy.Fewpeopleturndownadiscountattollbooths(收费站)toavoidusingtheEZ-Passsystemthatcantrackautomobilemovements.Andfewturndownsupermarketloyaltycards.PrivacyeconomistAlessandroAcquistihasrunaseriesofteststhatrevealpeoplewillsurrenderpersonalinformationlikeSocialSecuritynumbersjusttogettheirhandsonapitiful50-cents-offcoupon(优惠券).Butprivacydoesmatter–atleastsometimes.It’slikehealth:Whenyouhaveit,youdon’tnoticeit.Onlywhenit’sgonedoyouwishyou’ddonemoretoprotectit.62.Whatdoestheauthormeanbysaying“the21stcenturyequivalentofbeingcaughtnaked”(Lines3-4,Para.2)?A)People’spersonalinformationiseasilyaccessedwithouttheirknowledge.B)Inthe21stcenturypeopletryeverymeanstolookintoothers’secrets.C)Peopletendtobemorefrankwitheachotherint