【篇一】2021年6月英语四级考试阅读理解
By 1970, according to a World Wildlife Fund report, only about 4,500 tigers survived throughout the world-half of them in India. Mr. Foresters, who followed and counted tiger footprints, estimated that in May 1972 only about 1,800 tigers existed in India. Project Tiger Supported by W.W.F. was immediately launched. Nine tiger reserves(保留地) were created, with armed guards protecting them.
The project provided opportunities for researchers from India and abroad to study tigers in the reserves and gather previously unavailable information about their habits. Studies show that a male tiger may control a hunting territory of between 10 and 20 square kilometers, depending on its age, size and strength. Theterritory of male includes the smaller territories(领地) of three or four tigresses. A tiger marks the boundaries of its territories by spraying urine and other bodily liquids on bushes. But it tries to avoid territorial fights, being guided by the distinctive body smell of other tigers. Tigers fight to death only when a tigress is defending her young, or when a tiger is guarding a tigress from the attentions of other males.
The popular image of the tiger is that of a merciless and unconquerable hunter. But studies show that it catches only one of 20 victims it tries to attack.
Fears have recently developed that Project Tiger has been too successful. It has enabled the tiger population to double (by mid-80 S), but India"s human population has also grown out of control. Currently it is 750 million and likely to be 900 million by the end of the century. Land problem is becoming serious and many rural people feel bitter about the fact that some rich forests are reserved for tigers. A growing number of attacks by tigers on man has added to the hostility .
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.The ultimate aim of Project Tiger is to _____.
A.study the growth rate of tigers
B.protect tigers from being killed
C.promote the breeding of young tigers
D.analyze the behavioral patterns of tigers
2.Studies have shown that ______.
A.a tigress never attacks until attacked
B.the tigress is not as fierce as the tigers
C.a tiger usually fights another tiger to defend its own territory
D.the tiger is not an efficient hunter as is commonly described
3.According to the passage, a tiger"s territory _____.
A.remains unchanged
B.is often defended by tigresses
C.expands as the tiger grows up
D.is the cause of most fights
4.Some people are afraid that Project Tiger _____.
A.has been carried too far
B.has not received enough attention
C.has failed to achieve its goal
D.is not worth the money spent on it
5.The author seems _____.
A.to be enthusiastic about Project Tiger
B.to have a matter-of-fact attitude towards Project Tiger
C.to have a hostile attitude towards Project Tiger
D.to be satisfied with Project Tiger
1.[D] 根据文章第1段，老虎被捕杀是其数量剧减的根本原因，因此使老虎免于被杀是野生动物保护基金会的最终目的，故选D。
2.[B] 第3段第2句说，但研究表明老虎捕捉猎物的成功率仅为1/20，B与之相符。第2段说到老虎一般会避免领土之争，C与之不符，故排除;A、D在原文中并未提及均可排除。
3.[A] 第2段第2句提到，研究表明，一头雄老虎依年龄、体型及力量可以控制10至20公里的狩猎领地，随着老虎的长大，其体型及力量都在增大，其占领的狩猎领地的面积自然也就增大，故A正确。
4.[C] 文章第4段首句说,许多人近来开始担心老虎项目过于成功，C项是该句的同义替换，故为答案。
5.[B] 纵观全文，作者对于老虎保护项目没有加入个人的主观色彩，他持的是一种客观的态度，故选B。
【篇二】2021年6月英语四级考试阅读理解
When global warming finally came, it stuck with avengeance(异乎寻常地).In some regions, temperatures rose several degrees in less than acentury. Sea levels shot up nearly 400 feet. floodingcoastal settlements and forcing people to migrateinland. Deserts spread throughout the world asvegetation shifted drastically in North America. Europe and Asia. After driving many of theanimals around them to near extinction, people were forced to abandon their old way of lifefor a radically new survival strategy that resulted in widespread starvation and disease. The adaptation was farming: the global-warming crisis that gave rise to it happened morethan 10,000 years ago.
As environmentalists convene in Rio de Janeiro this week to ponder the global climate of thefuture, earth scientists are in the midst of a revolution in understanding how climate haschanged in the past-and how those changes have transformed human existence. Researchershave begun to piece together an illuminating picture of the powerful geological andastronomical forces that have combined to change the planet's environment from hot tocold, wet to dry and back again over a time period stretching back hundreds of millions ofyears.
Most important. scientists are beginning to realize that the climatic changes have bad a majorimpact on the evolution of the human species. New research now suggests that climateshifts have played a key role in nearly every significant turning point in human evolution: fromthe dawn of primates(灵长目动物) some 65 million years ago to human ancestors rising up towalk on two legs. from the huge expansion of the human brain to the rise of agriculture. Indeed, the human history has not been merely touched by global climate change, somescientists argue, it has in some instances been driven by it.
The new research has profound implications for the environment summit in Rio. Amongother things, the findings demonstrate that dramatic climate change is nothing new forplanet Earth. The benign(宜人的) global environment that has existed over the past 10,000 years-during which agriculture. writing, cities and most other features of civilization appeared-isa mere bright spot in a much larger pattern of widely varying climate over the ages. In fact, the pattern of climate change in the past reveals that Earth's climate will almost certainly gothrough dramatic changes in the future-even without the influence of human activity.
1.Farming emerged as a survival strategybecause man had been obliged__________.
A) to give up his former way of life
B) to leave the coastal areas
C) to follow the ever-shifting vegetation
D) to abandon his original settlement
2. Earth scientists have come to understand that climate____________.
A)is going through a fundamental change
B)has been getting warmer for 10,000 years
C) will eventually change from hot to cold
D) has gone through periodical changes
3.Scientists believe that human evolution________.
A) has seldom been accompanied by climatic changes
B) has exerted little influence on climatic changes
C) has largely been affected by climatic changes
D) has had a major impact on climatic changes
4.Evidence of past climatic changes indicates that__________.
A) human activities have accelerated changes of Earth's environment
B) Earth’s environment will remain mild despite human interference
C) Earth's climate is bound to change significantly in the future
D) Earth's climate is unlikely to undergo substantial changes in the future
5.The message the author wishes to convey in the passage is that______________.
A) human civilization remains glorious though it is affected by climatic changes
B) mankind is virtually helpless in the face of the dramatic changes of climate
C) man bas to limit his activities to slow down the global warming process
D) human civilization will continue io develop in spite of the changes of nature
1.务农成了糊口策略，因为人们已经被___________。
A)放弃原来的生活方式
B)离开海岸地区
C)跟随总在变化的植被情况
D)放弃原来的居住地
[A]文章第1段提到“人类在将其周围的许多种动物逼向濒临灭绝的境地之后，也被迫放弃他们已导致饥荒、疾病的旧有生活方式而选择全新的求生策略。这种策略就是农业”。A与文章的意思相符合。
2.地球科学家已经了解到，气候___________________。
A)正在经历重大的变化
B)已经在过去的l万年当中变得越来越热
C)终将从热变冷
D)已经经历了阶段性的变化
[D]文章第2段提到“研究者已经开始综合出一幅有关强大的地质和天文力量发生作用的说明性的图片，在过去的几百万年中，这两种力量结合在一起改变着地球的环境：从炎热到寒冷，从潮湿到干燥，如此反复，循环不止”，D与文章的意思一致。因而正确。
3.科学家认为人类的进化__________________。
A)极少伴随着气候变化
B)对气候变化的影响很小
C)深受气候变化的影响
D)对气候变化有重大影响
[C]文章第3段提到“最重要的是，科学家已经开始意识到气候的变化对人种的进化有着主要的影响。现在新的研究表明几乎在人类进化的每一个重大的转折时期天气变化都起着关键的作用”，所以人类进化受到气候变化的影响。因此，C正确。
4.过去气候变化的证据表明了__________________。
A)人类的活动已经加速了地球环境的变化
B)尽管受到了人类的干预，地球环境会保持湿和不变
C)地球的气候在未来会有重大的改变
D)地球的气候在未来不大可能发生实质性的改变
[C]文章最后一段提到“事实上，过去气候变化的模式表明地球的气候在将来肯定会经历重大的变化——即使是没有人类活动的影响”，因此，C与文章所表达的意思一致。
5.作者想通过文章传达出的信息是__________________。
A)虽然人类文明受到了气候变化的影响，但仍然绚烂无比
B)面对气候的剧烈变化，人类基本上束手无荣
C)人类应该限制自己的活动来减缓全球暖化的进程
D)尽管自然在发生变化，但人类文明仍会继续发展
[B]全文围绕气候变化给人类带来的影响展开，而文章最后一句“地球气候几乎注定要在将来发生巨大的变化——甚至无须人类的干预”，说明人类无力改变自然，B为正确答案。
【篇三】2021年6月英语四级考试阅读理解
Leonard da Vinci was a painter, a sculptor, anarchitect, a musician, an engineer, and a scientist. He was a man of many talents, a Renaissance man1 in the true sense of the word.
Leonard was born at a small town near Florence, where he was apprenticed to2 a painter. But he soonsurpassed his masters in uniting precision of linewith rhythm of movement, and in finding new ways to show light and shade.
Although Leonard is generally known as a painter, his actual output was very small. In facttoday only about twelve paintings are looked upon as3 having been done by him. This isbecause his diverse interest, his far-ranging curiosity in nature and his endless scientificexperiments and designings. To understand the man one has therefore , to read the 5, 000 notebooks in which he put down his observations in life and his sketch4 drawings.
Nevertheless, Leonard had profound understandings of art, which exerted5 great influenceamong the painters of his own generation and generations to follow. In painting he stressed theexpression of emotional states, which , to him were, the heart of painting:
"A good painter has two chief objects — to paint man and the intention of his soul. The formeris easy, the latter hard, for it must be expressed by gestures and the movement of the limbs. .. A painting will only be wonderful for the beholder by making that which is not so raisedand detached from the wall."
His major works: Last Supper, many European art masters have painted on the same subject. But none of their versions has been as impressive as da Vinci's. And none has the enduringvalue in the art world as his.
Mona Lisa, if Last Supper is the most famous of religious pictures, then Mona Lisa probably isthe world's most famous portrait. Mona Lisa had as its model wife of a banker. The quietlyfolded hands, the gaze that is directed at the observer, the ambiguity of the“smile”togetherhelp to create a curious effect and a secret effect.
阅读自测
Ⅰ. Read the passage and fill in the blanks with proper words :
Leonard da Vinci is first known as a________ , and he is also a________ , an________ , a________ , an________ , and a ________ . The amount of da Vinci's paintings is very small. There are only about________ paintings. For da Vinci, a good painter has two chief objects — to paint ________ and the ________ of his soul. In his famous work Mona Lisa , thequietly________ hands, the________ that is directed at the observer, the ambiguity of the"________ " together help to create a curious effect and a secret effect.
Ⅱ. Question :
What are da Vinci's famous paintings?
参考答案
Ⅰ. painter / sculptor / architect / musician / engineer / scientist / 12 / man / intention / folded / gaze / smile Ⅱ. Last Supper and Mona Lisa .
参考译文
达芬奇传奇
列奥纳多· 达· 芬奇是一位画家、一位雕刻家、一位建筑师、一位音乐家、一位工程师 和一位科学家。他多才多艺, 是一位真正的文艺复兴新人。
列奥纳多出生在佛罗伦萨附近的一个小城镇上, 从小给一位画家当学徒。但是, 很快 他就超越了老师。他将清晰的线条与绘画的动态感和谐地结合在一起, 找到了显示光与影 的新方式。
虽然通常列奥纳多是作为画家而闻名, 可他的画作数量并不多。事实上, 今天也只有 12 幅画被认为是他的作品。之所以这样, 是因为他兴趣广泛, 对自然界充满好奇, 还做了 无穷无尽的科学实验及设计。因此, 要了解这个人, 就必须去读那5 000 份笔记。在那些 笔记中, 达· 芬奇记录了他在生活中的观察结果与许多素描。
尽管如此, 列奥纳多对艺术还是有着深刻的理解。这对与他同时代的人及后人都有着深 远的影响。在绘画方面, 他强调对人物情感的传达。对他而言, 这是衡量绘画优秀与否 的灵魂所在:
“ 优秀的画家有两大目标——— 画人和画魂。前者易而后者难, 因为后者必须通过人物姿 态及肢体语言来表达一幅挂在墙上的画, 只有给人以呼之欲出之感, 才算得上是杰作。” 他的主要作品有:
《最后的晚餐》, 许多欧洲艺术大师都作了同样的画。但是, 没有一幅能像达· 芬奇的 那样给人留下深刻印象; 也没有哪幅作品能像达· 芬奇的那样在艺术界拥有持久的价值。
《蒙娜丽莎》, 如果说《最后的晚餐》是最有名的宗教画, 那么《蒙娜丽莎》则算得上世界 上最的肖像画。 《蒙娜丽莎》以一位银行家的妻子为模特。她娴静地搭在一起的双手, 凝视着欣赏者 的双眼以及那含义不甚明了的“ 微笑”, 共同创造出一种奇特而神秘的效果。
阅读导评
一生身兼数“职”, 在绘画、雕塑、建筑、科学方面都颇有建树的达·芬奇不愧是位传奇 人物。他的作品不仅给人以感官上的美的享受, 同时给人以无穷无尽的想象空间, 引人深 思。《达·芬奇密码》中对《最后的晚餐》*性的解读即体现了这种启发。难怪他经过了 历史批评的沉淀和净化至今依然光彩夺目。
阅读导释
1. Renaissance, 文艺复兴, 特指14—17 世纪的欧洲正在形成中的资产阶级在复兴希腊罗马 古典文化的名义下发起的弘扬资产阶级思想和文化的运动。名为“ 复兴”, 它本身却也 代表了一种进步。该运动发起于意大利, 波及整个欧洲, 囊括了文学、艺术、科学、哲学等 各个领域。被誉为西欧文学的三大天才巨匠———但丁( Dante, 1265—1321 ) 、莎士 比亚( Shakespeare, 1564—1616 ) 和歌德( Goethe, 1749—1832) , 以及“ 美术三杰”——— 达·芬奇、米开朗琪罗( Michelangelo, 1475—1564) 和拉斐尔( Raphael, 1483—1520) 都 是文艺复兴时代的精英。Renaissance man 则指“ 文艺复兴新人,文艺复兴时期的理想完 人”, 也可作“博学的人”,“ 多才多艺的人”,“开拓型人物”解。
2. 英语中很多名词转作动词用时, 很能提高句子质量, 此处的“be apprenticed to”就是一例。
3. 这是个非常有用的词组, 作“看作, 以为”解, 如: The Statue of Liberty is looked upon as the sign ofThe United States. ( 自由女神像被看作是美国的标志。) 和look 连用的短语很多, 如: look down upon / on 就是“看不起, 轻视”的意思, 而look down one's nose at 在口语中也是 表示“不把……放在眼里, 小看”。我们汉语中常说的“黑脸”, 就是指生气、厌恶或憎恨时 表现的怒容, 用a black look 表示。我们汉语说“三思而后行”, 英语是Look before you leap。
4. 在这里是“ 素描, 草图”的意思。达·芬奇一生不仅进行绘画创作, 还擅长画机械草图, 他认为人类可以模仿鸟类飞行, 就绘制了扑翼机图。
5. 这个词后面常和介词on 连用, 指“用( 某特质、技巧、压力等) , 应用( 某物) ”, 如: Her parents exerteda lot of pressure on her to succeed. ( 她父母殷切希望她成功, 给了她很大压力。
【篇四】2021年6月英语四级考试阅读理解
Ludwig Van Beethoven1 was one of the greatestmusicians in the 19 th century. John Lennon2 wasone of the greatest musicians in the 20 th century. Although there is a period of about 200 yearsbetween them, they are quite similar in certainways.
Both men expressed the spirit of their time in theirmusic. Beethoven lived in the period of rising capitalism. At that time, people were trying tobreak the shackles of feudalism3 , and they were pursuing freedom, equality, and universallove. This social trend, especially the French revolution, greatly inspired Beethoven. Hismusic was very active, passionate, and vigorous. Some of his works praised heroism, someconveyed the love for nature, and some extolled4 harmony among people. Similarly, Lennon'smusic revealed his time. In the 1960s and 1970 s, the youth in America were deeply frustratedby the discrimination and injustice in the society and were longing to build a new one . Mostof Lennon's songs expressed the ideas of the youth. In one of his songs entitled Imagine, hesings, "Imagine all the people , living under peace", and "The world will be united together asone". These words show his anti-war attitude and his hope for peace , and reflect the spirit ofthe 60s and 70 s.
Both men were social rebels to some extent. They refused to bow to social conventions andpower. Beethoven was a devoted republican. When Napoleon5 was in power, who claimed tobe a defender of republicanism, Beethoven admired him so much that he dedicated hisSymphony No. 3, the theme of which is heroism, to him. But then Napoleon crowned6 himselfand became an emperor. Beethoven was so angry that he openly declared he took back whathe had said about Napoleon, regardless of possible persecution. Lennon was also considered atrouble-maker by the authorities because of his support for youth movements. For a time hewas not even allowed to give public performances. But he ignored all this and stuck to hisbelief.
阅读自测
Ⅰ. Fin d the correct me anings of the words in the left from the right side :
1. passionate A. praise somebody or something highly
2. dedicate B. discouraged, not satisfied
3. frustrated C. caused by or showing strong feelings
4. stick to D. not change something; keep to
5. extol E. address ( one's book, a piece of music) to somebody as a way of showing respect
Ⅱ. Fill in the blanks :
1. At the time of capitalism, people were trying to break the _____________( 枷锁) offeudalism to pursue freedom _____________( 平等) and _____________( 博爱) . 2. In the 60 s and 70s, the youth in America were deeply frustrated by the _____________( 歧 视) and_____________( 不公正) in the society and were longing to build a new one. 3. They refusedto bow to social _____________( 习俗) and power and Beethoven was a _____________( 忠实的) republican. 4. But then Napoleon ________( 加冕) himself and became an emperor.
参考答案
Ⅰ. 1. C 2 . E 3. B 4 . D 5. A
Ⅱ. 1. shackles / equality / universal love 2. discrimination / injustice 3. conventions / devoted4. crowned
参考译文
以音乐作武器
路德维希· 冯·贝多芬是18 世纪最伟大的音乐家之一。约翰· 列侬则是20 世纪最 有成就的音乐家之一。尽管两人相距近两百年, 但是他们在某些方面却极其相似。
贝多芬和列侬都在音乐中表达各自的时代精神。贝多芬生活在资本主义崛起之时。 那时, 人们正试图打破封建主义的枷锁, 追求自由、平等和博爱。这种社会趋势, 特别是法 国*, 给了他极大的启发。贝多芬的音乐非常积极向上、热情激昂、气势磅礴。他的音 乐作品有的赞美英雄主义, 有的表达对自然的热爱之情, 还有的歌颂人与人之间的融洽情 感。和贝多芬一样, 列侬的音乐也展示了他生活的那个时代。20 世纪60 年代与70 年代, 美国社会上出现的歧视与不公正现象强烈地打击了青年们, 他们都期望建立新的社会。列 侬的歌曲大多表达了青年的这种思想。他在一首名为《想象》的歌曲中唱道,“ 想象全人类 都生活在和平之中”,“ 世界大同”。这些歌词表达了他的反战情绪以及对和平的向往之 情, 并反射出上世纪60 和70 年代的时代精神。
在 一定程度上, 两人都是社会的叛逆者。他们拒绝向社会习俗和权势低头。贝多芬是 个忠实的共和党人。拿破仑当权时曾宣称自己是共和制的捍卫者, 贝多芬非常钦佩他, 就 把歌颂英雄主义的作品《第三交响曲》献给了他。但是不久, 拿破仑就加冕称帝了。贝多 芬异常气愤, 不顾可能遭受的迫 害, 公开宣布收回对拿破仑的赞扬。列侬因支持青年运动 也被当权者认定是捣乱分子, 甚至一度遭到封 杀, 可他却依然不顾一切地坚持自己的信仰。
阅读导评
我国音乐家冼星海说过:“音乐是人生的快乐, 音乐是生活中的一股清泉, 音 乐是陶冶性情的熔炉。”贝多芬和列侬不仅体验到了这种快乐, 还从中获得了一种促使他们 前进的精神力量。为了更好地生活, 我们也当悉心倾听音乐。倾听音乐才能更好地领悟音 乐。能够领悟音乐的人, 才能从一切世俗的烦恼中超脱出来, 才能更好地驾驭生活, 才能成 为生活的主人。
阅读导释
1. 路德维希·冯·贝多芬( 1770—1827) , 德国作曲家, 毕生追求“ 自由、平等、博爱”的理 想, 其创作集西方古典乐派之大成, 开浪漫乐派之先河, 对后世西洋音乐的发展有深远影 响。贝多芬被后人尊称为“ 乐圣”, 其主要作品有《英雄》、《命运》、《田园》等交响乐9部,《悲怆》、《月光》、《暴风雨》等钢琴奏鸣曲32 部及弦乐四重奏17 部。文章中提及的 Symphony No. 3 即《第三交响曲》, 作品原来打算题献给贝多芬心目中的英雄拿破仑, 但 当他听说拿破仑称帝, 便划掉了献词。共和主义原则使他义愤填膺, 于是把题词改为 “ 为了纪念一位伟人”。
2. 约翰·列侬( 1940—1980) ,“ 披头士”( Beatles) 乐队主要代表人物, 被称为“ 摇滚之父”。 大家所熟悉的歌曲《黄色潜水艇》与《昨天》均出自该乐队。这支乐队属于先锋派, 他们比 较狂热与敏感, 是和平的忠实捍卫者。1980 年12 月8 日, 列侬在自己曼哈顿公寓的门口, 被一名疯狂的歌迷枪杀。文章中提到的《想象》表达了列侬呼唤和平时代到来的思想。
3. shackle 原意是“镣铐, 手 铐, 脚镣”, 常比喻为“ 枷锁, 桎梏, 束缚”, 这里就取此词的比喻 义。feudalism意思是“封建主义, 封建制度”, 与前文中的capitalism, 即“ 资本主义, 资本 主义制度”是相对而言的。
4. 这个词的意思是“ 颂扬, 赞扬, 赞美”, 是个美化用语的动词, 如: extol one's merits ( 称颂 某人的功绩) ; extol one to the skies ( 把某人捧上天) 。
5. 这里指的是通常所说的拿破仑一世( 1769—1821) , 法兰西第一帝国和百日王朝皇帝。 1804 年, 拿破仑发动雾月18 日政变, 自任第一执政。他称帝后颁布的《拿破仑法典》对 后世有着重要影响。他在位时连年对外用兵, 滑铁卢战役惨败后被流放到圣赫勒拿岛。 今天所说的短语meet one's waterloo ( 惨遭失败) 即来源于此。
6. 该词原本指“皇 冠, 桂冠”, 这里用作动词, 意思是“ 为……加冕, 立……为君王”, 还有 “ 给……戴( 花冠) , 授……以荣誉”的意思, 如: The Emperor crowned the victor with laurel. ( 国王授予胜利者以桂冠。) 词组the crown of the year 则指“收获季节, 秋季”。
