我知道你馬上要經(jīng)歷人生中的一次重要挑戰(zhàn)，或許你有焦慮、有恐懼，也有激動(dòng)，但我想說，請(qǐng)不要忘記身邊所有關(guān)愛著你的人，我們是你堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的后盾。以下是為大家精心整理的內(nèi)容，歡迎大家閱讀。
1.2022上半年英語四級(jí)考試閱讀理解
Japan is getting tough about recycling—and not in the paper and plastic kind of way. Recently, the country requires that all electronic goods—TVs, VCRs, stereos, and more—be recycled. But recycling will not beleft to consumers, instead, the devices will be sent to the original manufacturer for proper disposal.
The new law poses a few challenges to manufacturers who are now rushing to set up collection networks and perfecting techniques to disassemble and recycle older products.With an eye toward the future, they are also integrating easily recycled materials into new products. Plastics, a major component of most electronicproducts,pose a particular obstacle because their quality becomes worse and worse with age,losing strengthand flexibility even if reprocessed.NEC Corp. overcomes this problem by creating a plastics sandwich, in which the filling is 100 percent recycled plastic and the outer layers a mixture of 14 percent recycled material.The resulting plastic has sufficient strength and toughness for use as a case for desktop PCs. The company, in cooperation with plastic maker Sumitomo Dow, has also developed a new plastic, which engineers claim retains its mechanical properties through repeated recycling. NEC uses the plastic, which is also flame-retardant (阻燃的) in battery cases for notebook PCs.
Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric, maker of the Panasonic brand, is avoiding plastic in favor of magnesium (鎂). Magnesium, says the company, is ideal for re cycling because it retains its original strength throughrepeated reprocessing. Matsushita has developed molding techniques to form magnesium into the case for a 21-inch TV. Unfortunately, the magnesium case and energy-saving features make the TV about twice as expensive as an ordinary model.The company hopes, however, that increased use of magnesium will eventually bring prices down.
練習(xí)題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. According to the present regulations of Japan, the recycling of paper and plastic will be the responsibility of______.
A.. the government
B. the manufacturers
C. the consumers
D. the sellers
2. Which of the following is NOT the character of plastics?
A. Most electronic products contain plastics.
B. It retains its original strength through reprocessing.
C. Recycled plastics can be integrated into new products.
D. Plastics will lose flexibility after a certain period of time.
3.According to the passage, the term “plastic sandwich” refers to_____.
A. a kind of sandwich-shaped toy made of plastics
B. a kind of plastics with different integration in each layer
C. a kind of plastics with maximum strength and flexibility
D. a kind of plastics made of 100% recycled materials
4.In the passage, it is implied but NOT stated that_____.
A. disposing the plastics is one of NEC Corp’s businesses
B. magnesium is an ideal material for the case of TV
C.21-inch TV with magnesium case isn’t very popular so far
D. magnesium must be better than the plastics
5.The author writes this passage in order to_____.
A. inform
B. instruct
C. predict
D. persuade
1.[C] 推理判斷題。文章首段提到了電子產(chǎn)品的回收利用與紙張和塑料不同;本段最后一句中的but表明了以上不同點(diǎn)在于電子產(chǎn)品的回收不依靠消費(fèi)者，而依靠生產(chǎn)者。結(jié)合以上兩點(diǎn)，可以推斷紙張和塑料的回收利用主要靠消費(fèi)者，因此選項(xiàng)C為正確答案。
2.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。本題考査列舉處。第2段第3句列舉了塑料的特性，對(duì)照選項(xiàng)和該句，就能發(fā)現(xiàn)文中明確提到選項(xiàng)A、C、D,而選項(xiàng)B顯然與原文意思相反。
3.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。本題考査復(fù)合句的理解。第2段第4句是一個(gè)非限制性定語從句，是plastics sandwich 的定義，選項(xiàng)B是對(duì)該定語從句所述亊實(shí)的總結(jié)，因此選項(xiàng)B正確。選項(xiàng)A在文中沒有提及;選項(xiàng)C中的maximum是對(duì)原文sufficient的曲解;選項(xiàng)D中的100%這一數(shù)據(jù)不準(zhǔn)確，文中只提到plastics sandwich里層是100%的再生塑料。
4.[C] 推理判斷題。本題考査轉(zhuǎn)折處。最后一段倒數(shù)第2句中的Unfortunately一詞指出了用鎂作機(jī)殼的電視機(jī)很貴，從而暗示它們并不受消費(fèi)者歡迎，所以選項(xiàng)C正確。選項(xiàng)A屬原文明確表達(dá)的意思。本段第2句只指出鎂是一種理想的再生材料(ideal for recycling),因此選項(xiàng)B不對(duì);全文并未比較塑料和鎂哪個(gè)更好，因此選項(xiàng)D不對(duì)。
5.[A] 主旨大意題。文中作者只是客觀地描述亊實(shí)，吿知讀者日本的電子產(chǎn)品再循環(huán)使用的一些新變化和新技術(shù)，抓住這個(gè)主旨就能選出正確答案A。作者并未發(fā)表任何個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)，也未做出任何指示或預(yù)測(cè)。
2.2022上半年英語四級(jí)考試閱讀理解
For centuries, in the countries of south and Southeast Asia the elephant has been an intimate part of the culture, economy and religion, and nowhere more so than in Thailand. Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant is easily domesticated (馴化). The rare so-called white elephants have actually lent the authority of kingship to its rulers and until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background.To the early Western visitors the country's romantic name was “Land of the White Elephant”.
Today, however, the story is very different. Out of work and out of land, the Thai elephant struggles for survival in a nation that no longer needs it. The elephant has found itself more or less abandoned by previous owners who have moved on to a different economic world and a westernized society. And while the elephant's problems began many years ago, now it rates a very low national priority.
How this reversal from national icon (圣像) to neglected animal came about is a tale of worsening environmental and the changing lives of the Thais themselves. According to Richard Lair, Thailand’s experts on the Asian elephant and author of the report Gone Astray, at the turn of the century there may well have beenas many as 100,000 domestic elephants in the country. In the north of Thailand alone it was estimated that more than 20,000 elephants were employed in transport, 1,000 of them alone on the road between the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen. This was at a time when 90 per cent of Thailand was still forest—a habitat (棲息地) that not only supported the animals but also made them necessary to carry goods and people. Nothing ploughs through dense forest better than a massive but sure-footed elephant.
By 1950 the elephant population had dropped to a still substantial 13,397, but today there are probably nomore than 3,800, with another 1,350 roaming free in the national parks. But now, Thailand’s forest coversonly 20 per cent of the land. This deforestation (采伐森林) is the central point of the elephant's difficult situation, for it has effectively put the animals out of work. This century, as the road network grew, so the elephant's role as a beast of burden declined.
練習(xí)題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. What can we know about African elephants from the passage?
A. It is easy to tame them.
B. It is hard to tame them.
C. They are living a better life than Asian elephants.
D. Their fate is quite similar to that of Asian elephants.
2. Thailand was once called “Land of the White Elephant” because_______.
A. white elephant is rarely seen and thus very special
B. white elephant was a national symbol until the 1920s
C. white elephant has helped kings to gain the ruling authority
D. this name was so romantic that it was popular among visitors
3. Why is the Thai elephant “out of work”, according to the author?
A. Because the elephants are no longer useful to their owners.
B. Because their owners are westernized and neglect them.
C. Because the government pays little attention to the problem.
D. Because there are too many elephants and too few jobs.
4. Which of the following statements is true about the elephant population at various times?
A. There were 100,000 tamed elephants at the turn of the century.
B. 20,000 elephants were employed in transport in Thailand at the turn of the century.
C. By 1950 the elephant population in Thailand has been quite small.
D. Today the elephant population is estimated at 5,150.
5. The passage is most probably from_______.
A. a travel magazine
B. a history book
C. a research report
D. an official announcement
1.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。本題考查對(duì)比處。根據(jù)文章第l段第3句：和非洲象不同，亞洲象容易馴養(yǎng)，言下之意就是：非洲象不易馴養(yǎng)。答案中用tame替代原文的domesticate，意思相同。選項(xiàng)A與原文意思正好相反;選項(xiàng)C，D原文根本未提到。
2.[B] 推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第l段第4句中的“until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background.”可知當(dāng)時(shí)白象是泰國的國家象征，因此B為正確選項(xiàng)。本題干擾性的是選項(xiàng)D，在形式上，選項(xiàng)D與第1段最后一句極為相似，但是，游客這樣稱呼泰國，原因也是因?yàn)榘紫笫翘﹪南笳?，而不只是因?yàn)檫@個(gè)名字浪漫，因此，選項(xiàng)D是對(duì)原文的曲解;選項(xiàng)A和選項(xiàng)C雖然也來自文章，但不是原因，不能回答所提問題。
3.[A] 推理判斷題。文章有幾處解釋了大象失業(yè)的原因，如第2段的第2句“a nation that no longer needs it (Thai elephant)”及最后一段的最后一句“the elephant’s role as a beast of burden declined”等。選項(xiàng)A是對(duì)這些解釋的一個(gè)基本概括。選項(xiàng)B中westernized和neglect雖在文章中出現(xiàn)，但選項(xiàng)B只是對(duì)想像的描述，不能解釋大象“失業(yè)”的原因。選項(xiàng)C來自第2段最后一句話，但這句話只能說明大象不再受重視，不能作為大象“失業(yè)”的理由。選項(xiàng)D原文未提及，而且，從第3、4段可以看出：大象的數(shù)量急劇下降，談不上“太多”。
4.[D] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。此題考查的是大象數(shù)量變化的情況。四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中的數(shù)字惟有選項(xiàng)D沒有直接出現(xiàn)，但根據(jù)第4段第l句很容易推算出來。選項(xiàng)A和B雖用了原文的數(shù)據(jù)，但選項(xiàng)A忽略了may這個(gè)詞，而且未點(diǎn)明泰國，故不妥。B則忽略了in the north of Thailand及more than這兩處。選項(xiàng)C中的small與原文substantial(大量的)沖突，也不對(duì)。
5.[C] 主旨大意題。從本文所用的大量客觀的數(shù)據(jù)和數(shù)字可以推斷這是一篇研究報(bào)告。本文趣味性不足，因此不能選A。選項(xiàng)B不能選，是因?yàn)闅v史書不可能如此大篇幅的描述大象的問題。選項(xiàng)D也不是正確答案，因?yàn)檎嫱ǔＪ且恍┮?guī)定，而不是客觀的陳述。
3.2022上半年英語四級(jí)考試閱讀理解
When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best.
But in many other homes, this china--and--silver elegance has given way to stoneware (粗陶)--and--stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual--Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times.
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-onTrent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs--one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.
Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend”toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.
Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone causal. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates inthe family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes, Iron a fine-pattened tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?
Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette(禮節(jié)) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed.”“keep your elbows off the table.”)must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be competent professionally but clueless socially.
練習(xí)題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.The trend toward casual dining has resulted in ______
A. bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers
B. Shrinking of the pottery industry
C. restructuring of large enterprises
D. Economic recession in Great Britain
2.Which of the following may be the best reason for casual dining?
A. Family members need more time to relax.
B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.
C. People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.
D. Young people won’t follow the etiquette of the older generation.
3.It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is _______
A. a retailer of stainless steel tableware
B. a dealer in stoneware
C. a pottery chain store
D. a producer of fine china
4.The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is _______
A. the increased value of the pound
B. the economic recession in Asia
C. the change in people’s way of life
D. the fierce competition at home and abroad
5.Refined table manners, though less popular than before in current social life, _______
A. are still a must on certain occasions
B. are bound to return sooner or later
C. are still being taught by parents at home
D. Can help improve personal relationships
1.[B] 推理判斷題。首先依據(jù)題目中的casual dining找到第2段中的informality。其后有兩個(gè)for引導(dǎo)的介詞短語，后一個(gè)說“對(duì)于英國精致瓷器的制造商來說，這(informality)意味著經(jīng)濟(jì)困難時(shí)期”;此外,第3段用數(shù)據(jù)具體指出陶瓷業(yè)裁員之嚴(yán)重，說明陶瓷業(yè)在萎縮，即B。A、D均屬夸大事實(shí)，C與文章內(nèi)容無關(guān)。
2.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第2段第2句中指出現(xiàn)今休閑文化流行的背景：工作時(shí)間長(zhǎng)，家庭生活節(jié)奏緊張,B中的 Busy schedules與文中的demanding family schedules對(duì)應(yīng)，故為答案。
3.[D] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。Royal Doulton在文章中出現(xiàn)過兩次：第3段說它裁員，因?yàn)槿藗冇貌驮絹碓诫S意(不再講究餐具的精致);第 4 段中“A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company...”，暗示公司的性質(zhì)，可以推斷它是精制器皿的生產(chǎn)者。
4.[C] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)題目中的the layoffs找到文章第4段首句，其中的have their roots in相當(dāng)于題目中的main cause is,shifts相當(dāng)于C中的change。其實(shí)本題與第1題是交叉相關(guān)的，從第1題的題目可找到本題的答案。
5.[A] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段，特別是第2句“The fine points of etiquette... must be picked up elsewhere良好的餐桌禮儀必須在其他地方被重拾起來”，可知禮儀在某些場(chǎng)合還是必要的，故答案為A。
1.2022上半年英語四級(jí)考試閱讀理解
Japan is getting tough about recycling—and not in the paper and plastic kind of way. Recently, the country requires that all electronic goods—TVs, VCRs, stereos, and more—be recycled. But recycling will not beleft to consumers, instead, the devices will be sent to the original manufacturer for proper disposal.
The new law poses a few challenges to manufacturers who are now rushing to set up collection networks and perfecting techniques to disassemble and recycle older products.With an eye toward the future, they are also integrating easily recycled materials into new products. Plastics, a major component of most electronicproducts,pose a particular obstacle because their quality becomes worse and worse with age,losing strengthand flexibility even if reprocessed.NEC Corp. overcomes this problem by creating a plastics sandwich, in which the filling is 100 percent recycled plastic and the outer layers a mixture of 14 percent recycled material.The resulting plastic has sufficient strength and toughness for use as a case for desktop PCs. The company, in cooperation with plastic maker Sumitomo Dow, has also developed a new plastic, which engineers claim retains its mechanical properties through repeated recycling. NEC uses the plastic, which is also flame-retardant (阻燃的) in battery cases for notebook PCs.
Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric, maker of the Panasonic brand, is avoiding plastic in favor of magnesium (鎂). Magnesium, says the company, is ideal for re cycling because it retains its original strength throughrepeated reprocessing. Matsushita has developed molding techniques to form magnesium into the case for a 21-inch TV. Unfortunately, the magnesium case and energy-saving features make the TV about twice as expensive as an ordinary model.The company hopes, however, that increased use of magnesium will eventually bring prices down.
練習(xí)題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. According to the present regulations of Japan, the recycling of paper and plastic will be the responsibility of______.
A.. the government
B. the manufacturers
C. the consumers
D. the sellers
2. Which of the following is NOT the character of plastics?
A. Most electronic products contain plastics.
B. It retains its original strength through reprocessing.
C. Recycled plastics can be integrated into new products.
D. Plastics will lose flexibility after a certain period of time.
3.According to the passage, the term “plastic sandwich” refers to_____.
A. a kind of sandwich-shaped toy made of plastics
B. a kind of plastics with different integration in each layer
C. a kind of plastics with maximum strength and flexibility
D. a kind of plastics made of 100% recycled materials
4.In the passage, it is implied but NOT stated that_____.
A. disposing the plastics is one of NEC Corp’s businesses
B. magnesium is an ideal material for the case of TV
C.21-inch TV with magnesium case isn’t very popular so far
D. magnesium must be better than the plastics
5.The author writes this passage in order to_____.
A. inform
B. instruct
C. predict
D. persuade
1.[C] 推理判斷題。文章首段提到了電子產(chǎn)品的回收利用與紙張和塑料不同;本段最后一句中的but表明了以上不同點(diǎn)在于電子產(chǎn)品的回收不依靠消費(fèi)者，而依靠生產(chǎn)者。結(jié)合以上兩點(diǎn)，可以推斷紙張和塑料的回收利用主要靠消費(fèi)者，因此選項(xiàng)C為正確答案。
2.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。本題考査列舉處。第2段第3句列舉了塑料的特性，對(duì)照選項(xiàng)和該句，就能發(fā)現(xiàn)文中明確提到選項(xiàng)A、C、D,而選項(xiàng)B顯然與原文意思相反。
3.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。本題考査復(fù)合句的理解。第2段第4句是一個(gè)非限制性定語從句，是plastics sandwich 的定義，選項(xiàng)B是對(duì)該定語從句所述亊實(shí)的總結(jié)，因此選項(xiàng)B正確。選項(xiàng)A在文中沒有提及;選項(xiàng)C中的maximum是對(duì)原文sufficient的曲解;選項(xiàng)D中的100%這一數(shù)據(jù)不準(zhǔn)確，文中只提到plastics sandwich里層是100%的再生塑料。
4.[C] 推理判斷題。本題考査轉(zhuǎn)折處。最后一段倒數(shù)第2句中的Unfortunately一詞指出了用鎂作機(jī)殼的電視機(jī)很貴，從而暗示它們并不受消費(fèi)者歡迎，所以選項(xiàng)C正確。選項(xiàng)A屬原文明確表達(dá)的意思。本段第2句只指出鎂是一種理想的再生材料(ideal for recycling),因此選項(xiàng)B不對(duì);全文并未比較塑料和鎂哪個(gè)更好，因此選項(xiàng)D不對(duì)。
5.[A] 主旨大意題。文中作者只是客觀地描述亊實(shí)，吿知讀者日本的電子產(chǎn)品再循環(huán)使用的一些新變化和新技術(shù)，抓住這個(gè)主旨就能選出正確答案A。作者并未發(fā)表任何個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)，也未做出任何指示或預(yù)測(cè)。
2.2022上半年英語四級(jí)考試閱讀理解
For centuries, in the countries of south and Southeast Asia the elephant has been an intimate part of the culture, economy and religion, and nowhere more so than in Thailand. Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant is easily domesticated (馴化). The rare so-called white elephants have actually lent the authority of kingship to its rulers and until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background.To the early Western visitors the country's romantic name was “Land of the White Elephant”.
Today, however, the story is very different. Out of work and out of land, the Thai elephant struggles for survival in a nation that no longer needs it. The elephant has found itself more or less abandoned by previous owners who have moved on to a different economic world and a westernized society. And while the elephant's problems began many years ago, now it rates a very low national priority.
How this reversal from national icon (圣像) to neglected animal came about is a tale of worsening environmental and the changing lives of the Thais themselves. According to Richard Lair, Thailand’s experts on the Asian elephant and author of the report Gone Astray, at the turn of the century there may well have beenas many as 100,000 domestic elephants in the country. In the north of Thailand alone it was estimated that more than 20,000 elephants were employed in transport, 1,000 of them alone on the road between the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen. This was at a time when 90 per cent of Thailand was still forest—a habitat (棲息地) that not only supported the animals but also made them necessary to carry goods and people. Nothing ploughs through dense forest better than a massive but sure-footed elephant.
By 1950 the elephant population had dropped to a still substantial 13,397, but today there are probably nomore than 3,800, with another 1,350 roaming free in the national parks. But now, Thailand’s forest coversonly 20 per cent of the land. This deforestation (采伐森林) is the central point of the elephant's difficult situation, for it has effectively put the animals out of work. This century, as the road network grew, so the elephant's role as a beast of burden declined.
練習(xí)題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1. What can we know about African elephants from the passage?
A. It is easy to tame them.
B. It is hard to tame them.
C. They are living a better life than Asian elephants.
D. Their fate is quite similar to that of Asian elephants.
2. Thailand was once called “Land of the White Elephant” because_______.
A. white elephant is rarely seen and thus very special
B. white elephant was a national symbol until the 1920s
C. white elephant has helped kings to gain the ruling authority
D. this name was so romantic that it was popular among visitors
3. Why is the Thai elephant “out of work”, according to the author?
A. Because the elephants are no longer useful to their owners.
B. Because their owners are westernized and neglect them.
C. Because the government pays little attention to the problem.
D. Because there are too many elephants and too few jobs.
4. Which of the following statements is true about the elephant population at various times?
A. There were 100,000 tamed elephants at the turn of the century.
B. 20,000 elephants were employed in transport in Thailand at the turn of the century.
C. By 1950 the elephant population in Thailand has been quite small.
D. Today the elephant population is estimated at 5,150.
5. The passage is most probably from_______.
A. a travel magazine
B. a history book
C. a research report
D. an official announcement
1.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。本題考查對(duì)比處。根據(jù)文章第l段第3句：和非洲象不同，亞洲象容易馴養(yǎng)，言下之意就是：非洲象不易馴養(yǎng)。答案中用tame替代原文的domesticate，意思相同。選項(xiàng)A與原文意思正好相反;選項(xiàng)C，D原文根本未提到。
2.[B] 推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第l段第4句中的“until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background.”可知當(dāng)時(shí)白象是泰國的國家象征，因此B為正確選項(xiàng)。本題干擾性的是選項(xiàng)D，在形式上，選項(xiàng)D與第1段最后一句極為相似，但是，游客這樣稱呼泰國，原因也是因?yàn)榘紫笫翘﹪南笳?，而不只是因?yàn)檫@個(gè)名字浪漫，因此，選項(xiàng)D是對(duì)原文的曲解;選項(xiàng)A和選項(xiàng)C雖然也來自文章，但不是原因，不能回答所提問題。
3.[A] 推理判斷題。文章有幾處解釋了大象失業(yè)的原因，如第2段的第2句“a nation that no longer needs it (Thai elephant)”及最后一段的最后一句“the elephant’s role as a beast of burden declined”等。選項(xiàng)A是對(duì)這些解釋的一個(gè)基本概括。選項(xiàng)B中westernized和neglect雖在文章中出現(xiàn)，但選項(xiàng)B只是對(duì)想像的描述，不能解釋大象“失業(yè)”的原因。選項(xiàng)C來自第2段最后一句話，但這句話只能說明大象不再受重視，不能作為大象“失業(yè)”的理由。選項(xiàng)D原文未提及，而且，從第3、4段可以看出：大象的數(shù)量急劇下降，談不上“太多”。
4.[D] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。此題考查的是大象數(shù)量變化的情況。四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中的數(shù)字惟有選項(xiàng)D沒有直接出現(xiàn)，但根據(jù)第4段第l句很容易推算出來。選項(xiàng)A和B雖用了原文的數(shù)據(jù)，但選項(xiàng)A忽略了may這個(gè)詞，而且未點(diǎn)明泰國，故不妥。B則忽略了in the north of Thailand及more than這兩處。選項(xiàng)C中的small與原文substantial(大量的)沖突，也不對(duì)。
5.[C] 主旨大意題。從本文所用的大量客觀的數(shù)據(jù)和數(shù)字可以推斷這是一篇研究報(bào)告。本文趣味性不足，因此不能選A。選項(xiàng)B不能選，是因?yàn)闅v史書不可能如此大篇幅的描述大象的問題。選項(xiàng)D也不是正確答案，因?yàn)檎嫱ǔＪ且恍┮?guī)定，而不是客觀的陳述。
3.2022上半年英語四級(jí)考試閱讀理解
When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best.
But in many other homes, this china--and--silver elegance has given way to stoneware (粗陶)--and--stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual--Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times.
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-onTrent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs--one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.
Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend”toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.
Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone causal. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates inthe family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes, Iron a fine-pattened tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?
Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette(禮節(jié)) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed.”“keep your elbows off the table.”)must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be competent professionally but clueless socially.
練習(xí)題：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.The trend toward casual dining has resulted in ______
A. bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers
B. Shrinking of the pottery industry
C. restructuring of large enterprises
D. Economic recession in Great Britain
2.Which of the following may be the best reason for casual dining?
A. Family members need more time to relax.
B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.
C. People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.
D. Young people won’t follow the etiquette of the older generation.
3.It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is _______
A. a retailer of stainless steel tableware
B. a dealer in stoneware
C. a pottery chain store
D. a producer of fine china
4.The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is _______
A. the increased value of the pound
B. the economic recession in Asia
C. the change in people’s way of life
D. the fierce competition at home and abroad
5.Refined table manners, though less popular than before in current social life, _______
A. are still a must on certain occasions
B. are bound to return sooner or later
C. are still being taught by parents at home
D. Can help improve personal relationships
1.[B] 推理判斷題。首先依據(jù)題目中的casual dining找到第2段中的informality。其后有兩個(gè)for引導(dǎo)的介詞短語，后一個(gè)說“對(duì)于英國精致瓷器的制造商來說，這(informality)意味著經(jīng)濟(jì)困難時(shí)期”;此外,第3段用數(shù)據(jù)具體指出陶瓷業(yè)裁員之嚴(yán)重，說明陶瓷業(yè)在萎縮，即B。A、D均屬夸大事實(shí)，C與文章內(nèi)容無關(guān)。
2.[B] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第2段第2句中指出現(xiàn)今休閑文化流行的背景：工作時(shí)間長(zhǎng)，家庭生活節(jié)奏緊張,B中的 Busy schedules與文中的demanding family schedules對(duì)應(yīng)，故為答案。
3.[D] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。Royal Doulton在文章中出現(xiàn)過兩次：第3段說它裁員，因?yàn)槿藗冇貌驮絹碓诫S意(不再講究餐具的精致);第 4 段中“A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company...”，暗示公司的性質(zhì)，可以推斷它是精制器皿的生產(chǎn)者。
4.[C] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)題目中的the layoffs找到文章第4段首句，其中的have their roots in相當(dāng)于題目中的main cause is,shifts相當(dāng)于C中的change。其實(shí)本題與第1題是交叉相關(guān)的，從第1題的題目可找到本題的答案。
5.[A] 事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段，特別是第2句“The fine points of etiquette... must be picked up elsewhere良好的餐桌禮儀必須在其他地方被重拾起來”，可知禮儀在某些場(chǎng)合還是必要的，故答案為A。