英语四六级阅读理解：真题分析

　　Passage 1

　　Statuses are marvelous human inventions that enable us to get along with one another and to determine where we “fit” in society. As we go about our everyday lives, we mentally attempt to place people in terms of their statuses. For example, we must judge whether the person in the library is a reader or a librarian, whether the telephone caller is a friend or a salesman, whether the unfamiliar person on our property is thief or a meter reader, and so on.

　　The statuses we assume often vary with the people we encounter, and change throughout life. Most of us can, at very high speed, assume the statuses that various situations require. Much of social interaction consists of identifying and selecting among appropriate statuses and allowing other people to assume their statuses in relation to us. This means that we fit our actions to those of other people based on a constant mental process of appraisal and interpretation. Although some of us find the task more difficult than others, most of us perform it rather effortlessly.

　　A status has been compared to ready-made clothes. Within certain limits, the buyer can choose style and fabric. But an American is not free to choose the costume(服装)of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince. We must choose from among the clothing presented by our society. Furthermore, our choice is limited to a size that will fit, as well as by our pocketbook(钱包). Having made a choice within these limits we can have certain alterations made, but apart from minor adjustments, we tend to be limited to what the stores have on their racks. Statuses too come ready made, and the range of choice among them is limited.

　　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

　　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

　　53. The word “appraisal” (Line 5, Para.2) most probably means “__________”.

　　A) involvement B) appreciation C) assessment D) presentation

　　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

　　55. By saying that “an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince” (Line 2-3, Para.3), the writer means ________.

　　A) different people have different styles of clothes

　　B) ready-made clothes may need alterations

　　C) statuses come ready made just like clothes

　　D) our choice of statuses is limited

　　Passage 2

　　Every year television stations receive hundreds of complaints about the loudness of advertisements. However, federal rules forbid the practice of making ads louder than the programming. In addition, television stations always operate at the highest sound level allowed for reasons of efficiency. According to one NBC executive, no difference exists in the peak sound level of ads and programming. Given this information why do commercials sound so loud?

　　The sensation of sound involves a variety of factors in addition to its speak level. Advertisers are skilful at creating the impression of loudness through their expert use of such factors. One major contributor to the perceived loudness of commercials is that mush less variation in sound level occurs during a commercial. In regular programming the intensity of sound varies over a large range. However, sound levels in commercials tend to stay at or near peak levels.

　　Other “tricks of the trade” are also used. Because low-frequency sounds can mask higher frequency sounds, advertisers filter out any noises that may drown out the primary message. In addition, the human voice has more auditory (听觉的) impact in the middle frequency ranges. Advertisers electronically vary voice sounds so that they stay within such a frequency band. Another approach is to write the script so that lots of consonants (辅音) are used, because people are more aware of consonants than vowel (元音) sounds. Finally, advertisers try to begin commercials with sounds that are highly different from those of the programming within which the commercial is buried. Because people become adapted to the type of sounds coming from programming, a dramatic change in sound quality draws viewer a attention. For example, notice how many commercials begin with a cheerful song of some type.

　　The attention-getting property of commercials can be seen by observing one-to-two-year-old children who happen to be playing around a television set. They may totally ignore the programming. However, when a commercial comes on, their attention is immediately drawn to it because of its dramatic sound quality.

　　According to the passage, the maximum intensity of sound coming from commercials _______.

　　A) does not exceed that of programs.

　　B) is greater than that of programs.

　　C) varies over a large range than that of programs.

　　D) is less than that of programs.

　　2. Commercials create the sensation of loudness because _______.

　　A) TV stations always operate at the highest sound levels.

　　B) their sound levels are kept around peak levels.

　　C) their sound levels are kept in the middle frequency ranges.

　　D) unlike regular programs their intensity of sound varies over a wide range.

　　3. Many commercials begin with a cheerful song of some kind because ________.

　　A) pop songs attract viewer attention.

　　B) it can increase their loudness.

　　C) advertisers want to make them sound different from regular programs.

　　D) advertisers want to merge music with commercials.

　　4. One of the reasons why commercials are able to attract viewer attention is that ________.

　　A) the human voices in commercials have more auditory impact.

　　B) people like cheerful songs that change dramatically in sound quality.

　　C) high-frequency sounds are used to mask sounds that drown out the primary message.

　　D) they possess sound qualities that make the viewer feel that something unusual is happening.

　　5. In the passage, the author is trying to tell us ________.

　　A) how TV ads vary vocal sounds to attract attention.

　　B) how the loudness of TV ads is overcome.

　　C) how advertisers control the sound properties of TV ads.

　　D) how the attention-getting properties of sounds are made use of in TV ads.

　　Passage 3

　　I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.

　　Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation -- brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things -- and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.

　　Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope.

　　At the top of the list is nurturing ( 培育 ) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.

　　To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.

　　Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.

　　Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.

　　Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.

　　36. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people's state of mind are______.

　　A) surprising B) confusing C) illogical D) questionable

　　37. What does the author mean when he says, "we can't turn the clock back" (Line 1, Para. 3)?

　　A) It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.

　　B) The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.

　　C) Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.

　　D) It's impossible to forget the past.

　　38. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.

　　A) were less isolated physically

　　B) were probably less self-centered

　　C) probably suffered less from anxiety

　　D) were considered less individualistic

　　39. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.

　　A) to provide them with a safer environment

　　B) to lower their expectations for them

　　C) to get them more involved socially

　　D) to set a good model for them to follow

　　40. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

　　A) Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.

　　B) Children's anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.

　　C) Children's anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.

　　D) Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.