-
2
0
1
4
年
1
2
月
< br>大
学
英
语
四
级
深
度
阅
读
真
题
答
案
解
析
第一套
Passage One
Question 56 to 60 are based on the
following passage.
56-60 ACBDB
Children are a
delight(=hapiness/joy)
. They
are our future. (56)But sadly, hiring someone to
take care of them while
you go to work
is getting more expensive by the year.
Earlier this month, it was
reported that the cost of enrolling an
infant
or small kid at a
childcare center rose 3% in 2012,
faster than the overall cost of living.
There are now large
strip
s(<
/p>
狭长地带
) of the country where
daycare for an
infant
costs
more than a tenth of the average
married couple's income.
(57)This is
not necessarily a new trend,but it is a somewhat
puzzling
one. The price of
professional childcare has been
rising
since the 1980s. Yet during that time, pay for
professional childcare workers has stood still.
Actually(
=in fact)
caregivers make less today,
in real terms
(
扣除物
价因素；
按实质计算
), than they did in
1990. Considering that labor costs
are
responsible for up to 80% of a daycare center's
expenses, one would expect flat wages to have
meant flat prices.
So who's to blame
for higher childcare costs?
Childcare
is a carefully regulated industry. States lay down
rules about how many children each employee is
allowed to
watch over, the space care
centers need per child, and other minute details.
(58)
And the stricter the
regulation
s, the higher
the costs. If
it(
保育中心
)
has to hire a
caregiver for every two children, it can't really
achieve any economics of scale on
labor to save money (
通过压缩劳动力
成本来省钱
)
when other expenses go
up. (59) In Massachusetts, where childcare
centers must hire one teacher for every
three
infant
s, the price of
care averaged more than $$16,000 per year. In
Mississippi,
where centers must hire
one teacher for every five
infant
s, the price of care
averaged less than $$5,000.
Unfortunately, I don't have all the
daycare-center regulations handy.
(
60)
But I wouldn't be
surprised if as the rules have
become
more
elaborate
, prices have
risen. The trade
off(
交换
)might be worth it in
some cases; after all, the health and
safety of children should probably come
before cheap service.
(
60)
But certainly, it
doesn't seem to be an accident that some
of the cheapest daycare
available
is in the least
regulate
d(=rule/manage)
South
.
56. What
problem do parents of small kids have to face?
A) The ever-rising childcare prices.
B) The budgeting of family
expenses.
C) The balance between work
and family.
D) The
selection of a good daycare center.
57.
What does the author
feel
puzzled
about?
A) Why the
prices of childcare vary greatly from state to
state.
B) Why increased childcare
prices have not led to better service.
C) Why childcare workers' pay has not
increased with the rising childcare costs.
D) Why there is a severe shortage of
childcare professionals in a number of states.
58. What prevents
childcare
centers
from
saving
money
?
A) Steady increase in
labor costs.
B) Strict government regulations.
C) Lack of support from the state.
D)
High administrative expenses.
< br>【解析】
infant
['
?<
/p>
nf
?
nt]/child
婴
/
幼儿；未成年人
59. Why is the
average
cost
of childcare in
Mississippi
much lower than
in
Massachusetts
?
A) The overall quality of service is
not as good.
B) Payments for caregivers
there are not as high.
C) Living
expenses there are comparatively low.
D) Each teacher
is allowed to care for more kids.
60.
What is the author’s
view
on
daycare service
?
A)
Caregivers
should receive regular professional training.
B) Less elaborate rules
about children might lower costs.
C) It is crucial to strike a balance
between quality and costs.
D) It is better for different states to
learn from each other.
【解析】
elaborate[
?
'l?b
?
r
?
t]adj. complicated/complex/
detai
led/full
精心制作
/
复杂
/
详尽
/
煞费苦心
的
Passage Two
Questions 61-65 are based on the
following passage.
61-65DDCBC
(61)
Alex Pang's
amusing
new book
The Distraction Addiction
(<
/p>
分心成瘾
)
addresses(v.<
/p>
向
…
讲话
)
those of us who feel
panic
without a cellphone or
computer
.
And that, he
claims, is pretty much all of us. When we're not
online, where we spend
four months
annually, we're engaged in the stressful work of
trying to get online.
(62)
The Distraction
Addiction
is not framed as a
self-help
book(
并非励志类图书
)
.
It's a thoughtful examination of
the
dangers of our computing
overdose
(
过度使用
) and a
historical
overview(
历史性概述
)
of how
technological
advance
s(
科技进步
)
change
consciousness(
意识
).
A “professional futurist”, Pang urges
an approach which he calls
“
contemplative
(
沉思的
)
computing.
”
He asks that you
pay full attention to
“
how
your mind and body interact with
computers and how your attention and
creativity are influenced by
technology.
”
(63)Pang's first job is to free you
from the
common misconception(
常见的错误认识
)
that
doing two things at once
allows you to get more
done
（同时做两件事效率更高）
. What is
commonly called
multitasking(
多重任务
)
is, in fact,
switch-tasking, and its harmful effects
on productivity are
well documented(
有据可查的
)
. Pang doesn't
advocate returning
to a pre-Internet
world. Instead, he asks you to
“
take a more ecological
(
生态的
) view of your
relationships with
technologies and
look for ways devices or media may be making
specific tasks easier or faster but at the same
time making
your work and life
har
der.”
The
Distraction Addiction
is particularly
fascinating on how technologies have changed
certain fields of
labor
—
often
for
the worse. (64)For architects,
computer-aided design has become
essential but in some ways has cheapened the
design
process. As one architect puts
it, “Architecture is
first and
foremost
about thinking...and drawing
is a more productive way
of thinking”
than computer
-aided
design
.
Somewhat less
amusing are Pang's solutions for kicking the
Internet habit. (65)He
recommends the
usual behavior-modification approaches(
常见的行为矫正法
)
,
familiar to anyone who has completed a
quit-smoking program.
Keep
logs to(
记录下上网日志
)
study your
online
profile(
上网概况
)
and
decide what you can
knock
out
(
剔除
), download
a program like Freedom that locks you out of your
browser, or take a
“
digital
Sabbath (
安息
日
)
”: “Unless you're a reporter or
emergency
-department doctor, you'll
discover that your world doesn't fall apart when
you
go offline.”
61.
Alex Pang's new
book
is
aimed for
readers who________.
A) find
their work online too stressful
B) go online mainly for entertainment
C) are fearful about using the
cellphone or computer
D) can hardly tear themselves away from
the Internet(
很难让自己远离互联网
)
【解析】
tear oneself
away from:
reluctant to
leave
(
[r
?
'l
?
kt
?
nt])
舍不得离开
,
爱不释
手
62. What does Alex Pang
try to do
in his
new book
?
A)
Offer advice on how to use the Internet
effectively.
B) Warn people of the
possible dangers of internet use.
C)
Predict the trend of future technological
development.
D) Examine the
influence of technology on the human mind.
63. What is the
common
view
on
multitasking
?
A)
It enables people to work more efficiently.
B)
It is a way quite similar to switch-tasking.
C) It makes people's work and life even
harder.
D) It distracts people's attention from
useful work.
64. What does the author
think of
computer-aided
design
?
A) It considerably
cuts down the cost of building design.
B) It somewhat
restrains architects' productive
thinking.
C) It is
indispensable in architects' work process.
D) It can free architects
from laborious drawing.
【解析】
restrain
/r
??
stre
?
n
/
vt. restrict/control/stop/
prevent
抑
/
控制；约束；制止
first and foremost
/?f???m??<
/p>
st/
首先
；首要
地
/
的是
productive
thinking
有成效的思维方式
65. What is Ales Pang's
recommendation
for
Internet users
?
A) They use the Internet as little as
possible.
B) They keep a
record of their computer use time.
C)
They exercise self-control over their time online.
D) They entertain
themselves online on off-days only.
【解析】
keep logs to
保
存日志
/
聊天记录
第二套
Passage one
Questions 56 to 60are based on the
following passage.
(1)New Yorkers are
gradually getting used to more pedaling
(
骑车
) passengers on those
blazing blue Citi Bikes. But
what about
local bike shops? Is Citi Bike
rolling
up(increase)
riders
at their
expense(
在损害他们的利益
/
情况下
)
？
(2)At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, a
manager W. Ben said the shop has seen an increase
in its
overall
sales(
总销售额
)
due to(=as a result of)
the
bike-share program.
employee at
Danny's Cycles in Gramercy also said Citi Bike is
a good option(=choice)
for
people to
ease into
biking
in a
city famed for its traffic jams
and and
aggressive(
好斗的
)
drivers.
one,
(3)
Rentals are not a big part of the business at
either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles.(3) But for
Frank's Bike Shop,
a small business on
Grand St., the bike-share program has been bad
news. Owner Frank Arroyo said his rental business
has
decreased by 90% since the Citi
Bikes were
rolled out(=come
out)
last month. Arroyo's main rental
customers are
European tourists, who
have since been
drawn away
by
Citi Bikes.
(4)
However,(5) Ben said the bike-share is
good for bike sales
at his
shop.
realized how great it is to bike
in the city, then decide that they want something
nicer for themselves,
(5)
(5) Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop,
on West St. just north of Christopher St., said
initially(=at first)
he
was concerned
about(=worried about
)
bike-share, though, he
admitted,
(6) (5) Farrell's early
concerns were
echoed
(
随声附和
,
认同
) by
Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second
Ave.(4)
seemed like a great
idea
, but one that would be difficult
to
implement
,
worried
about
(
be concerned
about)
inexperienced riders' lack of
awareness(
知道，
认识
)
of biking rules and
backlash(
强
烈反对
)
from non-cyclists. However, he said, it's
still too early to tell if his business has been
impact
ed(=influence).
(7) While it's possible
bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks
allowed that the idea is a positive step
forward for New York City.
56 . What is the author's chief concern
about the
increasing use of Citi Bikes
in New York
?
A How non-
cyclists will respond to it.
B Whether local
bike shops will suffer.
C Whether local bike
businesses will oppose it.
D How the safety of bike
riders can be ensured.
57 .
What happened to
Gotham
Bikes
as a result
of
(
due to
)the
bike-share program?
A It found its
bike sales unaffected.
B It shifted its business
to rentals.
C It saw its bike sales on the
rise
.
D It rented more bikes to
tourists.
58 . Why is the bike-share
program
bad news for Frank's Bike
Shop
?
A It cannot
meet the demand of the
bike
—
share program.
B
Its customers have been drawn away by
(
被吸引走了
)CitiBikes.
C
Its bike prices have to be lowered again and
again.
D It has to compete with the city's
bike rental shops.
59. Why did
Andrew Crooks
think that
the bike
—
share
program would be difficult to
execute(=implement)
?
A
inexperienced riders might break biking rules.
B
Conflicts might arise among bike rental shops.
C
Traffic conditions might worsen in the downtown
area.
D There are not enough lanes to
accommodate the bikes.
【解析】
execute
vt.
carry out/put into practice/
implement
实
/
执行；处死
/
决
60 . What is
the
general
attitude(
总体态度
)
of
local bike shops towards Citi Bike?
A
Wait-and-see(
等待并观望
).
B
Negative(
消极否定的
).
C
Indifferent(
漠不关心的
).
D
Approving(
认可的
)
.
Passage Two
Questions 61to
65 are based on the following passage.
61-65 CBCAD
(61)Various
studies have shown that increased spending on
education has not
led to measurable imp
rovements(
带来
显著提高
)
in learning. Between 1980 and
2008,staff and teachers at U.S. public schools
grew roughly twice as fast as
students.
Yet students showed no additional learning in
achievement tests.
Universities show similar trends of
increased administration personnel and costs
without greater learning, as
documented
in Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa's recent book
Academically Adrift Limited Learning on College
Campuses.
A survey shows that 63% of
employers say that recent college graduates don't
have the skills they need to succeed and
25% of employers say that entry-level
writing skills are lacking.