1.2021年12月英语四级阅读模拟练习题
Hardly a week goes by without some advance in technology that would have seemed incredible 50 years ago. And we can expect the rate of change to accelerate rather than slow down within our lifetime. The developments in technology are bound to have a dramatic effect on the future of work. By 2010, new technology will have revolutionized communications. People will be transmitting messages down telephone lines that previously would have been sent by post. Not only postmen but also clerks and secretaries will vanish in a paper-free society. All the routine tasks they perform will be carried on a tiny silicon chip so that they will be as obsolete(已废弃的) as the horse and cart after the invention of the motorcar. One change will make thousands, if not millions, redundant.Even people in traditional professions, where expert knowledge has been the key, are unlikely to escape the effects of new technology. Instead of going to a solicitor, you might go to a computer that is programmed with all the most up-to-date legal information. Doctors, too, will find that an electronic competitor will be able to carry out a much quicker and more accurate diagnosis and recommend more efficient courses oftreatment. In education, teachers will be largely replaced by teaching machines far more knowledgeable than any human being. Most learning will take place in the home via video conferencing. Children will still go to school though, until another place is created where they can make friends and develop social skills.
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.According to the writer, the rate of change in technology______.
A.will remain the same
B.will slow down
C.will speed up
D.can not be predicted
2.The writer expects that by 2020 new technology will have revolutionized communications and ____
A.people needn’t telephone each other
B.the present postal system will have disappeared
C.people will no longer send letters
D. the postmen will have been replaced by silicon chip.
3.The word “they” (Line 6，Para. 1) refers to _____.
A. the tiny silicon chips
B.the letter written on paper
C. the postmen, clerks and secretaries
D.the routine tasks performed by the postmen
4.From the second paragraph, we can infer that _____
A. professionals won’t be affected by new technology
B.doctor won’t be as efficient by the postmen
C. computers cannot replace lawyers
D.experts will lose job in the future
5.In the writer’s view, _______.
A.people should get prepared for the future
B.there exists no real threat of unemployment
C.the advance of technology is not desirable
D.machines will have control over men
2.2021年12月英语四级阅读模拟练习题
I’m usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today’s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.Why are America’s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation—brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things—and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Given that we can’t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope.
At the top of the list is nurturing (培育) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.
To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It’s not just video games andmovies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a goodmodel for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn’t have to ruin your life.
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people’s state of mind are ________.
A. surprising
B. confusing
C. illogical
D. questionable
2. What does the author mean when he says, “we can’t turn the clock back” (Line 1, Para. 3)?
A. It’s impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B. The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D. It’s impossible to forget the past.
3.According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentallyill 50 years ago ________.
A. were less isolated physically
B. were probably less self-centered
C. probably suffered less from anxiety
D. were considered less individualistic
4.The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ______
A. to provide them with a safer environment
B. to lower their expectations for them
C. to get them more involved socially
D. to set a good model for them to follow
5.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A. Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.
B. Children’s anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.
C. Children’s anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.
D. Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
3.2021年12月英语四级阅读模拟练习题
It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines. Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines. "I knew the statistics," she said. "But putting a face to those figures broughtthe reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her."The Princess concluded with a simple message: "We must stop landmines". And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which refused tosupport a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack On the Princess in the press. They described her as "very ill-informed" and a "loose cannon (乱放炮的人)
The Princess responded by brushing aside the Criticisms: "This is a distraction (干扰) we do not need. AllI’m trying to do is help."
Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their Support for the Princess. To make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess trip had been approved by the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British governments policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the government.
To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was "working towards" a worldwide ban.The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was "a misinterpretation or misunderstanding." -
For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997 _____
A. to clarify the British governments stand on landmines
B. to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims
C. to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there
D. to voice her support for a total ban of landmines
2. What did Diana mean when she said "... putting a face to those figures brought the realityhome to me" (Line 5, Para. 1)?
A. Meeting the landmine victims in person made her believe the statistics.
B. She just couldn’t bear to meet the landmine victims face to face.
C. The actual situation in Angola made her feel like going back home.
D. Seeing the pain of the victims made realize the seriousness of the situation.
3. Some members of the British government criticized Diana because _____
A. she had not consulted the government before the visit
B. she was ill-informed of the governments policy
C. they were actually opposed to banning landmines
D. they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola
4. How did Diana respond to the criticisms?
A. She made more :appearances on TV.
B. She paid no attention to them.
C. She rose to argue with her opponents.
D. She met the 13-year-old girl as planned.
5. What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?
A. It had caused embarrassment to the British government.
B. It had greatly promoted her popularity.
C. It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.
D. It had affected her relations with the British government.
