备考英语四级--阅读理解天天练四 英语四级, 阅读

幽幽草

Passage 7    建议用时：8.5分钟     From:     To: 　　Today, there are many avenues open to those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one’s career in order to attend school full time.
　　『Part time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. 』①Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one’s career and family time.
　　Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible and accommodating is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals which are so necessary in today’s world. The time required to study may be set aside at the student’s convenience with due regard to all life’s other requirements. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning courses from virtually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. 『Tutorial assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.』②
　　Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subject evaluation tool with every subject. This precludes the requirement for a student to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance learning program is the equivalence of the distance learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the course on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the corporation or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Sponsoring distance learning programs for their employees gives the business the advantage of retaining career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education.
　　1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of part time education?
　　A. It requires some break in one’s career.
　　B. It tends to last too long for many people to complete a degree program.
　　C. It affects one’s career.
　　D. It gives the student less time to share with the family.
　　2. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of distance learning?
　　A. The student may choose his or her own pace.
　　B. The student may study at any time to his or her convenience.
　　C. They can pursue their chosen career while studying.
　　D. Their tutorial assistance comes through regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, etc.
　　3. What benefit will distance learning program bring to a business?
　　A. Recruitment of more talented people.
　　B. Good image of the business.
　　C. Better cooperation with universities.
　　D. Further training of employees and business growth.
　　4. Good distance learning program have the following characteristic EXCEPT .
　　A. distance learning course is the same as students taking courses in campus
　　B. the result diploma or degree should be same as on campus study
　　C. professor-student relationship is strictly one to one all through the course
　　D. includes subject evaluation tool
　　5. What benefit will distance learning bring to an employee of a business?
　　A. Professional growth.
　　B. Good relationship with the employer.
　　C. Good impression on the employer.
　　D. Higher salary.
　　Vocabulary
　　1.avenue n. 林荫道，大街，方法，途径，路
　　2.accommodating adj. 乐于助人的，随和的，善于适应新环境的
　　3.due adj. 应得的，应付的，正当的，预期的
　　4.facsimile machine 传真机
　　5.teleconferencing n. 电信会议
　　6.preclude v. 排除，使避免
　　7.equivalence n. 同等，等价，等效性
　　8.resultant adj. 作为结果而发生的，合成的
　　9.individuality n. 个性，个人的特性，个人的嗜好
　　10.sponsor v. 发起，主办，赞助
　　长难句解析
①【解析】这个句子由两部分组成，主语都是“part time education”，第一部分的“that is…”做主语的同位语。 第二部分的谓语由两部分组成，即“tends to…”和“…puts…”。
　　【译文】函授教育就是在晚间或者一个月的每个周末去学校上课，这种教育倾向于把时间拖得很长，并且很多人难于完成这种学位。
　　②【解析】此句结构比较简单，主要要求考生掌握一些常用词，如“airmail”，“facsimile machine”，“teleconferencing”等。
　　【译文】教师的辅导可以通过定期的航空邮件、电话、传真和电话会议以及因特网等方式进行。
　　答案与详解
　　【短文大意】本文主要通过函授教育和远程教育的比较，来说明远程教育的优点。
　　1.A推断题。问题问及选项中哪个不是业余教育的缺点。依据文章第一段中nearly all require some break in one’s career in order to attend school full time可以看出，参加全日制学习需要中断自己的事业，在第二段中作者又说Part time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. 业余教育，只需要晚上和周末学习，因此需要中断自己的事业不是部分时间教育的缺点。而其他选项都是文章提及的part time education的不利条件。
　　2.D细节题。文章提到的优缺点是几种教育方式之间的比较，问题问及哪个选项的内容不是远程教育的优点。前三个选项，A.“学生可以选择自己的进度”，B.“学生可以在他（或她）方便的时候学习”，C.“在学习的同时还可以追求自己的事业”都是文章中提及的与另两种方式比较的优点。在文章第二段最后，作者指出Tutorial assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet. 辅导可以通过定期的航空邮件、电话、传真和电话会议以及因特网等方式进行，作者只是提出了一种可能，实际上是弥补distance education的不足的一个建议，并不是远程教育（函授）的优点。因此选项D符合题意。
　　3.D细节题。选项A、B、C在文章中都没有提及，依据文章最后一段，a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the corporation or business 一个良好的远程教育计划不仅对个人有好处，而且对那些公司或者商业机构来说也是意义重大。选项D说的也正是这个意思，故为正确选项。
　　4.C细节题。意为：教授和学生之间的关系是严格地“一对一的”，而这不符合作者意图，参见原文末段，individuality 并不是意指严格地“一对一”。
　　5.A细节题。注意本题与上题的区别，上一题问及远程教育对公司的好处，本题则是远程教育对职工，也就是个人的好处。同样依据文章最后一段，a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the corporation or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. 远程教育可以帮助雇员提高教育素质和职业技能从而促使事业的发展，正确选项为A。
　　参考译文
　　现在，那些想继续接受教育的人，都面临着许多选择。然而，几乎所有的人都会中断事业去参加学校的全日制课程。
　　函授教育是晚间或一个月的每个周末去学校上课，这种教育倾向于把时间拖得很长，并且很多人难于完成这种学位。而且，这种课程有固定的时间，这也对参加者的工作和生活带来一定的负面影响。
　　在关于教学的众多方法中，远程教育或许是最方便，最具灵活性的了。远程教育允许学生根据自己的进度灵活变通地进行学习，直到达到教学要求的目标。这种教育方法在现代世界中是十分必要的，课程要求的学习时间可以根据个人生活中的其它需要而暂时搁置或另作安排。此外，学生在工作的同时就可以在世界上的任何地方学习远程教育的课程。教师的辅导可以通过定期的航空邮件、电话、传真和电话会议以及因特网等方式进行。
　　良好的远程教育计划以每一科目都具有课程评估方法为特征。
　　这样就省去了学生必须从家跑到学校参加考试的麻烦。另一个特征是远程教育课程所采用的学习资料与在校生的学习资料是一样的。无论参加的是远程教育还是学校教育，学生所取得的文凭与学位都是一样的。还有一个特征是，教授与学生的关系是一对一的。从最后的分析中可以看到，一个良好的远程教育计划不仅对学生个人有好处，而且对公司或商业机构来说也是意义重大，它可以帮助雇员提高教育素质，职业技能从而促进事业发展。因此，支持雇员参加远程教育课程会使公司具备一种优势，那就是拥有一批有职业头脑并为个人和职业发展不断进步的员工。
　　Passage 8建议用时：6.5分钟From:To:
　　One of the most interesting paradoxes in America today is that Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, is now engaged in a serious debate about what a university should be, and whether it is measuring up.
　　Like the Roman Catholic Church and other ancient institutions, it is asking - still in private rather than in public - whether its past assumptions about faculty, authority, admissions, courses of study, are really relevant to the problems of the 1990’s.
　　『Should Harvard or any other university be an intellectual sanctuary, apart from the political and social revolution of the age, or should it be a laboratory for experimentation with these political and social revolutions; or even an engine of the revolution? 』①This is what is being discussed privately in the big clapboard houses of faculty members around the Harvard Yard.
　　The issue was defined by Waiter Lippmann, a distinguished Harvard graduate, several years ago. “If the universities are to do their work,” he said, “they must be independent and they must be disinterested… They are places to which men can turn for judgements which are unbiased by partisanship and special interest. 『Obviously, the moment the universities fall under political control, or under the control of private interests, or the moment they themselves take a hand in politics and the leadership of government, their value as independent and disinterested sources of judgement is impaired.”』②
　　This is part of the argument that is going on at Harvard today. Another part is the argument of the militant and even many moderate students: that a university is the keeper of our ideals and morals, and should not be “disinterested” but activist in bringing the nation’s ideals and actions together.
　　Harvard’s men of today seem more troubled and less sure about personal, political and academic purpose than they did at the beginning. 『They are not even clear about how they should debate and resolve their problems, but they are struggling with them privately, and how they come out is bound to influence American university and political life in the 1990’s.』③
　　1. The issues in the debate on Harvard’s goals are whether the universities should remain independent of our society and its problems, and whether they should .
　　A. fight militarism
　　B. overcome the widespread drug dependency
　　C. take an active part in solving society’s ills
　　D. support our old and established institutions
　　2. In regard to their goals and purposes in life, the author believes that Harvard men are becoming .
　　A. more sure about them
　　B. less sure about them
　　C. more hopeful of reaching a satisfactory answer
　　D. completely disillusioned about ever
　　3. The word “paradox” in paragraph 1 is .
　　A. a parenthetical expression
　　B. a difficult puzzle
　　C. an abnormal condition
　　D. a self-contradiction
　　4. The word “sanctuary”in paragraph 3 is.
　　A. a holy place dedicated to a certain god
　　B. a temple or nunnery of middle age
　　C. a certain place you can hide in and avoid mishaps
　　D. an academy for intelligent people
　　5. In the author’s judgement, the ferment going on at Harvard .
　　A. is a sad symbol of our general bewilderment
　　B. will soon be over, because times are bound to change
　　C. is of interest mostly to Harvard men and their friends
　　D. will influence future life in America
　　Vocabulary
　　1.paradox n. 似非而是的论点；似非而可能是的隽语；自相矛盾的话
　　2.sanctuary n. 避难所
　　3.clapboard n. 隔板，墙板，桶板
　　4.distinguished adj. 卓著的，著名的，高贵的
　　5.partisanship n. 党派性，党派偏见
　　6.disinterested adj. 无私的
　　7.impair v. 削弱，伤害
　　8.militant adj. 好战的，战斗性的
　　9.be bound to 一定要……
　　长难句解析
　　①【解析】此句由两个并列的句子组成，“apart from…”做第一个句子“sanctuary”的补语。
　　【译文】哈佛或其它一些大学应当是一个智力的避难所，远离当今的政治和社会变革；还应当是政治和社会变革的一块实验基地，或者甚至是革命的一部发动机呢？
　　②【解析】两个“the moment”引导的句子做此句的时间状语从句。
　　【译文】显然，当大学处于政治和私有企业的控制下，或者他们自己从事政治和政府的领导时，他们作为独立和公正判断的价值观将会收到伤害。
　　③【解析】这个长句由三个句子组成，“but”引导了一个转折句，“and”引导了一个并列句。be bound to“肯定会，必定”。
　　【译文】他们甚至不清楚应当怎样讨论和解决他们的问题，但是他们每个人正在奋斗，并且哈佛大学议论的结果必定影响20世纪90年代美国的大学和政治生活。
　　答案与详解
　　【短文大意】本文主要讲述哈佛大学正面临的一个重要的争论，即一所大学应当是什么样的，现在的大学是否是符合标准的，哈佛大学应当远离政治和社会，还是作为政治和社会的一块实验田。
　　1.C细节题。文章第三段实际上已经告诉我们本文要讨论的议题。选项C提到的观点是“大学应该保持独立”这一论点的对立面，属议题范围之内。
　　2.B细节题。根据文章末段，Harvard’s men of today seem more troubled and less sure about personal, political and academic purpose than they did at the beginning. 可知正确选项为B。
　　3.D词汇题。从第四段我们可以猜出paradox是“自相矛盾”的意思。因此选项D正确。
　　4.C词汇题。意为：“Sanctuary”就是你可躲起来避过灾祸的地方。在中世纪一般是某些教堂或者修道院可以充当躲避任何政府惩罚的避难所，所以A、B两项也是与它词义有一点关联的，D关系最小。
　　5.D观点题。根据文章末尾，and how they come out is bound to influence American university and political life in the 1990’s. 作者认为在哈佛的争论的结果一定会影响美国的大学和政治生活。本题中的ferment意为“骚动，纷扰”，指的就是文章所说的争论。因此D符合作者的观点