四级基础阅读题

Passage 1

It

is

often

difficult

for

a

man

to

be

quite

sure what

tax

he

ought to

pay

to

the

government

because it depends on so many different things: whether the man is married; how many children

he

has; whether

he

supports

any

relations;

how

much

he

earns;

how

much

interest

he

receives;

how

much

he

has

spent

on

his

house

during

the

year,

and so

on

and so

forth.

All

this

makes

it

difficult to decide exactly how much the tax is.

There was a certain artist who was always very careful to pay the

proper

amount.

One year, after posting his check as usual, he began to wonder if he had paid enough, and

after a lot of work, with a pencil and paper, decided that he had not. He believed that he owed the

government something.

He was just writing another check to sent to the tax-collector when the postman dropped a

letter into the box at the front door. Opening it, the artist was surprised to find inside it a check for

five pounds from the tax-collector. The official explained that too much had been paid, and that

therefore the difference was now returned to the taxpayer.

1. According to the passage, to decide the exact amount of tax to be paid is __C______.

A. simple

B. easy

C. difficult

D. interesting

2. It is mentioned in the passage that one has to pay tax according to _____B___.

A. how much education on has received

B. whether one is single or married

C. how old one

’

s children are

D. where one lives

3

.

The word “proper” in the first line of the second paragraph means ___

C_____.

A. small

B. big

C. right

D. wrong

4. After a lot of work, the artist thought that he had paid the government _____A___.

A. less tax than he should have

B. more tax than he should have

C. as much tax as usual

D. just enough tax

5. Why did the tax-collector send a letter to the artist?

B

A. To send him a new tax form.

B. To return the money over-paid

C. To remind him of paying the tax.

D. To explain the rules of tax-paying.

Passage 2

Pressure Cooker (

压力锅

) Safety

When you are cooking with a pressure cooker, you should learn a few common sense

（常识）

rules:

1. Never leave the cooker unwatched when it is in use.

2.

Add

sufficient

liquid

but

never

past

the

recommended fill

point.

Overfilling

the

cooker

may block the vent pipe (

排气孔

) and cause the cooker to explode.

3. Set the cooking time. Too much time may overcook the food or too much pressure may

build up the cooker. Too little time will lead to undercooked food.

4.

If

you

are

new

to

pressure cooking, follow

the cooking

instructions carefully.

Heat

and

time can either result in a great meal or a ruined one.

5. Never try to force a pressure cooker cover open. Allow the cooker to cool or run it under

cool water before trying to open the cover.

6. Clean the cooker thoroughly after each use. Mild detergent (

洗涤剂

) and hot water work

the best. Do not use stove ash or sand for they may damage the cooker. The gasket (

密封圈

) is

best cleaned in warm soapy water and then dried. Store the gasket in the bottom of the pot.

1. According to the first rule, the user should ___A_____.

A. keep the cooker under close watch

B. always keep the cooker half full

C. never leave the cooker empty

D. never turn off the stove

2. According to the second rule, too much liquid in the cooker may result in ____D____.

A. a ruined meal

B. undercooked food

C. too little pressure

D. a blocked vent pipe

3. According to the fifth rule, a pressure cooker cover should be opened ______D___.

A. as soon as the cooking is finished

B. while it is still on the stove

C. with force when it is hot

D. after it is cooled down

4. According to the instructions, which of the following is TRUE?

B

A. The gasket should be cleaned thoroughly with cold water.

B. Mild detergent and hot water can best clean the cooker.

C. Soapy water will often damage the cooker.

D. Sand can be used to clean the cooker.

5. Which of the following operations may be dangerous?

A

A. Overfilling the cooker with food and water.

B. Cleaning the cooker with detergent.

C. Cooling the cooker with cold water.

D. Setting too little cooking time.

Passage 3

Mountain climbers around the world dream about going up Mount Everest (

珠穆朗玛峰

). It

is the highest mountain in the world. But many people who have climbed the mountain have left

waste material that is harming the environment.

A

team of Americans is planning the largest clean-up effort ever on Mount Everest. They will

make the risky trip up the mountain next month.

The team of eight Americans will be guided by more than twenty Sherpas of Nepal (

尼泊尔

夏尔巴人

). Their

goal

is

to

remove

all

the

trash

(

废物，垃圾

)

they see. They will

spend

two

months cleaning

up

the

mountain

by

gathering

oxygen

bottles,

fuel

containers,

batteries,

drink

cans,

human waste

and

other

kinds

of

trash. They

are

expected

to remove

at

least

three

tons

of

trash in large bags.

Team leader Robert Hoffman is making his fourth trip up the mountain. He says he hopes to

bring Everest to the condition it was in before the first successful climb fifty years ago. He says he

hopes the effort will influence other people to clean up the environment.

Human

waste

on

Everest

is

a

major concern.

So

the

clean-up

team will

take

along

newly

developed

equipment

to

collect

and

treat

human waste.

Over

the

years,

the waste

articles

have

polluted the mountain. In the warm season when the ice melts, the polluted water flows to Nepali

villages

below.

The

problem

has

gotten

worse

in

recent

years

because

climbing

Everest

has

become more popular.

1. What are those Americans concerned about when they are planning

the trip up Mount Everest?

A

A. The environmental pollution of the mountain.

B. The success in climbing up the mountain.

C. The equipment for their trip to the mountain.

D. The risks facing the climbers of the mountain.

2. From the passage we can learn that the clean-up effort __D______.

A. is opposed by the local people

B. is the largest one supported by Nepal

C. is encouraged by the American government

D. is the greatest one ever made on Mount Everest

3. What does the American team plan to do on the trip up the mountain? C

A. To make Everest even cleaner than it was.

B. To tell climbers not to leave waste materials.

C. To take away all the trash they could find there.

D. To collect and treat human waste before the ice melted.

4. Team leader Mr. Hoffman hopes to turn Mount Everest into ________B_.

A. its former state a few years ago

B. its original condition half a century ago

C. a place with no pollution at all

D. the cleanest mountain in the world

5. What is probably the best title for this passage?

C

A. A

Risky Trip Up Mount Everest.

B. Pollution on Mount Everest.

C. Mount Everest---Clean-up Effort.

D. Robert Hoffman and His Clean-up Team.

Passage 4

Chain stores have been developing rapidly in China during the past few years and taking hold

of ever-increasing retail (

零售

) market share, an official survey indicates. The State Economic and

Trade

Commission

(SETC)

survey

shows

that

the

annual

sales

volume

of

China’s

20

biggest

chains

leapt

last

year

by

43

percent

and

the

number

of their

retail

stores

rose

by

46.7

percent,

while

sales

for

the whole

retail

market

grew

by

10.1

percent.

Shanghai

Lian

Hua

Supermarket

Company holds the top position with 14.06 billion yuan (US $$1.7 billion) in sales and 1,225 retail

stores.

The statistics indicate that the biggest stores are swallowing more market share, leaving little

development space for medium and small stores, said analysts (

分析家

). Analysts also note that

almost

all

the

giant

chains

have their

headquarters

in

East

China,

but

they

are

likely

to

explore

western regions in the near future. With China’s

entrance into the World Trade Organization,

its

market is attracting overseas retailers too. The country is committed to opening gradually its retail

business,

and

as

a

result,

more

chain

stores

from

outside

China

will

have

a

share

of

the

pie.

Successful

domestic

retailers

are

preparing

to

battle

for

market

share. Shops

like

Hua

Lian

and

Guo

Mei,

a

giant

home

appliance

distributor

in

Beijing,

have

announced

ambitious

plans

for

development.

1. According to the passage, Shanghai Lian Hua Supermarket Company is ___B_____.

A. a bargain shop

B. a chain of stores

C. a department store

D. a goods distributor

2. We learn from the first paragraph that ___C_____.

A. the market share of the 20 biggest chains grew last year by 10.1%.

B. the number of retail stores in China increased last year by 46.7%.

C. sales of China

’

s 20 biggest chains increased last year by 43%.

D. 1,225 new retail stores were set up in Shanghai in recent years.

3. Facing the challenge of foreign rivals, the Chinese chain stores will ___A____.

A. fight for their market share with confidence

B. cooperate with foreign retail chain stores

C. shift their focus to western areas

D. form even bigger companies

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? D

A. The biggest stores are enjoying most of the market share.

B. A

number of chain stores have started to explore western areas.

C. Medium and small stores don

’

t have any space for development

D. China will allow more foreign investor to invest in its retail business.

5. The passage is mainly about ______A__.

A. the rapid growth of big chain stores

B. the present and future retail market in China

C. the leading role of Lian Hua Supermarket Company

D. the competition between domestic and foreign chain stores

Passage 5

It’s 8:30, time for John to start work. So he turns on his radio. Then he eats breakfast. As he

eats, he reads his e-mail and reviews his to-do list. Then he sits on the sofa and thinks about an

article he needs to write… Wait a

minute! Radio? Breakfast? Sofa? What kind of workplace is this?

Well,

actually

it

is

John’s

house,

and

he

is

a

telecommuter

---he

works

at

home, communicating

with the workplace through the Internet.

Like John, millions of people

--- and their employer

--- are finding that telecommuting

is a

great way to work. Telecommuters can follow their own schedules. They work in the comfort of

their homes, where they can also look after young children or elderly parents. They save time and

money by not traveling to work. Their employers save, too, because they need less office space

and furniture. Studies show that telecommuters change jobs less often. This saves employers even

more money. Telecommuting helps society, too, by reducing pollution and traffic problems.

Jobs that are

suited to

telecommuting include writing, design work, computer programming

and accounting

（会计）

. If a job involves working with information, a telecommuter can probably

do it.

1. From the passage we know that John does his job ___D_____.

A. by telephone

B. in his office

C. away from home

D. through the Internet

2. Which of the following is mentioned as one of the advantages of telecommuting?B

A. One can get along well with co-workers.

B. One can work on one

’

s own schedule.

C. One can work for several employers.

D. One can enjoy a lot of traveling.

3. The passage tells us that telecommuters change jobs less often and so ____C__.

A. they can get more work experience

B. they will have a longer paid holiday

C. their employers can save more money

D. their employers will give them a higher pay

4

. The phrase “suited to” (Line 1, Para. 3) means ______

C__.

A. acceptable for

B. difficult for

C. fit for

D. bad for

5. The passage is mainly about __A______.

A. a new way to work

B. John

’

s working day

C. various workplaces

D. the Internet

Passage 6

People travel a lot with Heaven Air because they know they will get what they want.

They want to go quickly and safely across the land, across the sea or right across the world,

and

they

know

Heaven

Air

will

take

them

where

they

want

to

go

whenever

they want

to

go.

Heaven Air flies all the newest and fastest planes to more towns and cities of the world than any

other airlines.

Do you want to go to Paris, Washington, Tokyo? Heaven Air will take you there, at all times

of the day or night, right through the week. But Heaven Air flies not only to the biggest cities, we