大學英語四級考試閱讀練習

　　下面是小編整理的，希望對大家有幫助。

　　The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists. Descriptions like ‘ Palaeolithic Man’, ‘Neolithic Man’, etc., neatly sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twentieth century, they will surely choose the label ‘Legless Man’. Histories of the time will go something like this: ‘in the twentieth century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts and escalators in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth dwellers of that time because of miles each day. But the surprising thing is that they didn’t use their legs even when they went on holiday. They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain. All the beauty spots on earth were marred by the presence of large car parks. ’

　　The future history books might also record that we were deprived of the use of our eyes. In our hurry to get from one place to another, we failed to see anything on the way. Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world – or even less if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way. When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the countryside constantly smears the windows. Car drivers, in particular, are forever obsessed with the urge to go on and on: they never want to stop. Is it the lure of the great motorways, or what? And as for sea travel, it hardly deserves mention. It is perfectly summed up in the words of the old song: ‘I joined the navy to see the world, and what did I see? I saw the sea.’ The typical twentieth-century traveler is the man who always says ‘I’ve been there. ’ You mention the remotest, most evocative place-names in the world like El Dorado, Kabul, Irkutsk and someone is bound to say ‘I’ve been there’ – meaning, ‘I drove through it at 100 miles an hour on the way to somewhere else. ’

　　When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend most of your time looking forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival, when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By traveling like this, you suspend all experience; the present ceases to be a reality: you might just as well be dead. The traveler on foot, on the other hand, lives constantly in the present. For him traveling and arriving are one and the same thing: he arrives somewhere with every step he makes. He experiences the present moment with his eyes, his ears and the whole of his body. At the end of his journey he feels a delicious physical weariness. He knows that sound. Satisfying sleep will be his: the just reward of all true travellers.

　　1、Anthorpologists label nowaday’s men ‘Legless’ because

　　A people forget how to use his legs.

　　B people prefer cars, buses and trains.

　　C lifts and escalators prevent people from walking.

　　D there are a lot of transportation devices.

　　2、Travelling at high speed means

　　A people’s focus on the future.

　　B a pleasure.

　　C satisfying drivers’ great thrill.

　　D a necessity of life.

　　3、Why does the author say ‘we are deprived of the use of our eyes’ ?

　　A People won’t use their eyes.

　　B In traveling at high speed, eyes become useless.

　　C People can’t see anything on his way of travel.

　　D People want to sleep during travelling.

　　4、What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

　　A Legs become weaker.

　　B Modern means of transportation make the world a small place.

　　C There is no need to use eyes.

　　D The best way to travel is on foot.

　　5. What does ‘a bird’s-eye view’ mean?

　　A See view with bird’s eyes.

　　B A bird looks at a beautiful view.

　　C It is a general view from a high position looking down.

　　D A scenic place.

　　Insurance is the sharing of risks. Nearly everyone is exposed to risk of some sort. The house-owner, for example, knows that his property can be damaged by fire; the ship-owner knows that his vessel may be lost at sea; the breadwinner knows that he may die at an early age and leave his family the poorer. On the other hand, not every house is damaged by fire nor every vessel lost at sea. If these persons each put a small sum into a pool, there will be enough to meet the needs of the few who do suffer loss. In other words, the losses of the few are met from the contributions of the many. This is the basis of insurance. Those who pay the contribution are known as "insured" and those who administer the pool of contributions as "insurers".

　　Not all risks lend themselves to being covered by insurance. Broadly speaking, the ordinary risks of business and speculation cannot be covered. The risk that buyers will not buy goods at the prices offered is not of a kind that can be statistically estimated—and risks can only be insured against if they can be so estimated.

　　The legal basis of all insurance is the "policy". This is the printed form of contract on paper of the best quality. It states that in return for the regular payment by the insured of a named sum of money, called the "premium"***保險費*** , which is usually paid every year, the insurer will pay a sum of money or compensation for loss, if the risk or event insured against actually happens. The wording of policies, particularly in marine insurance, often seems very old-fashioned, but there is a sound reason for this. Over a large number of years many law cases have been brought to clear up the meaning of doubtful phrases in policies. The law courts, in their judgments, have given these phrases a definite and indisputable meaning, and to avoid future disputes the phrases have continued to be used in policies even when they have passed out of normal use in speech.

　　26. According to this passage, insurance is possible because______.

　　A. everyone at some time suffers loss

　　B. only a small proportion of the insured suffer loss

　　C. nearly everyone suffers loss

　　D. only insured people suffer loss

　　27. By "the pool of contributions" the writer means______.

　　A. money paid by the insured B. money paid by the insurers

　　C. the cost of administering insurance D. the amount of administering insurance

　　28. The insurance of ordinary business risks is not possible because______.

　　A. business will not buy insurance B. the risks are too high

　　C. the risks can not be estimated D. the premiums would be too high

　　29. Old-fashioned wording is sometimes used in insurance policies because______.