大学英语四级阅读理解练习附答案
51. In the first paragraph, the writer tells us that statuses can help us _______.
A) determine whether a person is fit for a certain job
B) behave appropriately in relation to other people
C) protect ourselves in unfamiliar situations
D) make friends with other people
[答案及分析]：[B]事实辨认题。问在第一段作者告诉我们人的身份对我们有下列哪种帮助。第一段第一句说得很明白：“身份有助于我们和别人相处，决定我们在社会中所处的地位、扮演的角色”，[B]项意为“正确地与人交往”，正是上述意思。
52. According to the writer, people often assume different statuses ______.
A) in order to identify themselves with others
B) in order to better identify others
C) as their mental processes change
D) as the situation changes
[答案及分析]：[D]事实辨认题。问作者认为，在什么情况下人们经常具有不同的身份。[A]项意为“为了将自己预其他人区别开”，[B]项为“为了更好地识别他人”，[C]项为“当心理发生变化时”，[D]项意为“随着环境的变化”。[A]、[B]、[C]三项都不合文章原意，并且根据第二段第一、二句话可知[D]项正确。
53. The word "appraisal" (Line5, Para.2) most probably means "_______".
A) involvement B) appreciation C) assessment D) presentation
[答案及分析]：[C]词义理解题。问第二段第六行中的appraisal一词的意思是什么。根据该词所在的句子，可知该词含义和mental process(思想过程)有关，并且可能与和其并列的词interpretation(解释，说明，理解)有一定相似之处。involvement意为“陷入，卷入;牵涉，包含”，assessment意为“估计，评估;所估计之数额”，appreciation表示“感谢，感激;欣赏，评价，赏识”，presentation意为“赠送;提出;引见，介绍;出席，呈现;演出”。比较起来，[B]项符合上述两点，而且意思上说得通。appraisal的准确意思是“估计，估价，评价”，在此句中“评价”讲。
54. In the last sentence of the second paragraph, the pronoun "it" refers to "______".
A) fitting our actions to those of other people appropriately
B) identification of other people's statuses
C) selecting one's own statuses D) constant mental process
[答案及分析]：[A]事实辨认题。问第二段最后一句中“it”指代什么。根据句意及其结构可知：it指代the task，即前一句“we fit out actions to those of people based on a constant mental process of appraisal and interpretation”，不难看出[A]项正确。
People living on parts of the south coast of England face a serious problem. In 1993, the owners of a large hotel and of several houses discovered, to their horror, that their gardens had disappeared overnight. The sea had eaten into the soft limestone cliffs on which they had been built. While experts were studying the problem, the hotel and several houses disappeared altogether, sliding down the cliff and into the sea.
Erosion (侵蚀) of the white cliffs along the south coast of England has always been a problem but it has become more serious in recent years. Dozens of homes have had to be abandoned as the sea has crept farther and farther inland. Experts have studied the areas most affected and have drawn up a map for local people, forecasting the year in which their homes will be swallowed up by the hungry sea.
Angry owners have called on the Government to erect sea defenses to protect their homes. Government surveyors have pointed out that in most cases, this is impossible. New sea walls would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would merely make the waves and currents go further along the coast, shifting the problem from one area to another. The danger is likely to continue, they say, until the waves reach an inland area of hard rock which will not be eaten as limestone is. Meanwhile, if you want to buy a cheap house with an uncertain future, apply to a house agent in one of the threatened areas on the south coast of England. You can get a house for a knockdown price but it may turn out to be a knockdown home.
1. What is the cause of the problem that people living on parts of the south coast of England face?
A) The disappearance of hotels, houses and gardens.
B) The experts’ lack of knowledge.
C) The rising of the sea level.
D) The washing-away of limestone cliffs.
2. The erosion of the white cliffs in the south of England ________.
A) will soon become a problem for people living in central England
B) has now become a threat to the local residents
C) is quickly changing the map of England
D) can be stopped if proper measures are taken
3. The experts’study on the problem of erosion can ________.
A) lead to its eventual solution
B) provide an effective way to slow it down
C) help to prevent it from worsening
D) warn people whose homes are in danger
4. It is not feasible to build sea defenses to protect against erosion because ________.
A) it is too costly and will endanger neighbouring areas
B) the government is too slow in taking action
C) they will be easily knocked down by waves and currents
D) house agents along the coast do not support the idea
5. According to the author, when buying a house along the south coast of England, people should ________.
A) be aware of the potential danger involved
B) guard against being cheated by the house agent
C) take the quality of the house into consideration
D) examine the house carefully before making a decision
参考答案
1. C 2. B 3. A 4.B 5. D