2024年1月24日发(作者：)

英语四级阅读试题（第一套完整版）

__年_月英语四级真题及答案专题

_年_月英语四级阅读试题（第一套完整版）

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You

are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given

in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully

before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a

letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet

2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words

in the bank more than once.

Many men and women have long bought into the idea that there are

“male” and “female” brains, believing that e_plains just about every

difference between the se_es. A new study 26 that belief, questioning

whether brains really can be distinguished by gender.

In the study, Tel Aviv University researchers 27 for se_ differences

the entire human brain.

And what did they find? Not much. Rather than offer evidence for 28

brains as “male” or “female,” research shows that brains fall into

a wide range, with most people falling right in the middle.

Daphna Joel, who led the study, said her research found that while there

are some gender-based 29 , many different types of brain can’t always

be distinguished by gender.

While the “average” male and “average” female brains were 30

different, you couldn’t tell it by looking at individual brain scans.

Only a small 31 of people had “all-male” or “all-female”

characteristics.

Larry Cahill, an American neuroscientist (神经科学家),said the study

is an important addition to a growing body of research questioning 32

beliefs about gender and brain function. But he cautioned against

concluding from this study that all brains are the same, 33 of gender.

“There’s a mountain of evidence 34 the importance of se_ influences

at all levels of brain function,” he told The Seattle Times.

If anything, he said, the study 35 that gender plays a very important

role in the brain “even when we are not clear e_actly how.”

A) abnormal I) regardless

B) applied J) searched

C) briefly K) similarities

D) categorizing L) slightly

E) challenges M) suggests

F) figure N) tastes

G) percentage O) traditional

H) proving

Section B

Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten

statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in

one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information

is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is

marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding

letter on Answer Sheet 2.

Can Burglars Jam Your Wireless Security System?

[A]Any product that promises to protect your home deserves careful

e_amination. So it isn’t surprising that you’ll find plenty of strong

opinions about the potential vulnerabilities of popular home-security

systems.

[B]The most likely type of burglary (入室盗窃) by far is the

unsophisticated crime of opportunity, usually involving a broken window

or some forced entry. According to the FBI, crimes like these accounted

roughly two-thirds of all household burglaries in the US in _.The wide

majority of the rest were illegal, unforced entries that resulted from

something like a window being left open. The odds of a criminal using

technical means to bypass a security system are so small that the FBI

doesn’t even track those statistics.

[C]One of the main theoretical home-security concerns is whether or

not a given system is vulnerable to being blocked from working altogether.

With wired setups, the fear is that a burglar (入室盗贼) might be able

to shut your system down simply by cutting the right cable. With a wireless

setup, you stick battery-powered sensors up around your home that keep

an eye on windows, doors, motion, and more. If they detect something wrong

while the system is armed, they’ll transmit a wireless alert signal to

a base station that will then raise the alarm. That approach will eliminate

most cord-cutting concerns—but what about their wireless equivalent,

jamming? With the right device tuned to the right frequency, what’s to

stop a thief from jamming your setup and blocking that alert signal from

ever reaching the base station?

[D]Jamming concerns are nothing new, and they’re not unique to security

systems. Any device that’s built to receive a wireless signal at a specific

frequency can be overwhelmed by a stronger signal coming in on the same

frequency. For comparison, let’s say you wanted to “jam” a conversation

between two people—all you’d need to do is yell in the listener’s ear.

[E] Security devices are required to list the frequencies they

broadcast on—that means that a potential thief can find what they need

to know with minimal Googling. They will, however, need so know what system

they’re looking for. If you have a sign in your yard declaring what setup

you use, that’d point them in the right direction, though at that point,

we’re talking about a highly targeted, semi-sophisticated attack, and

not the sort forced-entry attack that makes up the majority of burglaries.

It’s easier to find and acquire jamming equipment for some frequencies

than it is for others.

[F] Wireless security providers will often take steps to help combat

the threat of jamming attacks. SimpliSafe, winner of our Editor’s Choice

distinction, utilizes a special system that’s capable of separating

incidental RF interference from targeted jamming attacks. When the system

thinks it’s being jammed, it’ll notify you via push alert(推送警报).From

there, it’s up to you to sound the alarm manually.

[G] SimpliSafe was singled out in one recent article on jamming, complete

with a video showing the entire system being effectively bypassed with

handheld jamming equipment. After taking appropriate measures to contain

the RF interference to our test lab, we tested the attack out for ourselves,

and were able to verify that it’s possible with the right equipment.

However, we also verified that SimpliSafe’s anti-jamming system works.

It caught us in the act, sent an alert to my smartphone, and also listed

our RF interference on the system’s event log. The team behind the article

and video in question make no mention of the system, or whether or not

in detected them.

[H]We like the unique nature of that software. It means that a thief

likely wouldn’t be able to Google how the system works, then figure out

a way around it. Even if they could, SimpliSafe claims that its system

is always evolving, and that it varies slightly from system to system,

which means there wouldn’t be a universal magic formula for cracking it.

Other systems also seem confident on the subject of jamming. The team at

Frontpoint addresses the issue in a blog on its site, citing their own

jam protection software and claiming that there aren’t any umented cases

of successful jam attack since the company began offering wireless

security sensors in the _80s.

[I] Jamming attacks are absolutely possible. As said before, with the

right equipment and the right know-how, it’s possible to jam any wireless

transmission. But how probable is it that someone will successfully jam

their way into your home and steal your stuff?

[J] Let’s imagine that you live in a small home with a wireless security

setup that offers a functional anti-jamming system. First, a thief is

going to need to target your home, specifically. Then, he’s going to need

to know the technical details of your system and acquire the specific

equipment necessary for jamming your specific setup. Presumably, you keep

your doors locked at night and while you’re away. So the thief will still

need to break in. That means defeating the lock somehow, or breaking a

window. He’ll need to be jamming you at this point, as a broken window

or opened door would normally release the alarm. So, too, would the motion

detectors in your home, so the thief will need to continue jamming once

he’s inside and searching for things to steal. However, he’ll need to

do so without tripping the anti-jamming system, the details of which he

almost certainly does now have access to.

[K]At the end of the day, these kinds of systems are primarily designed

to protect against the sort of opportunistic smash-and-grab attack that

makes up the majority of burglaries. They’re also only a single layer

in what should ideally be a many-sided approach to securing your home,

one that includes common sense things like sound locks and proper e_terior

lighting at night. No system is impenetrable, and none can promise to

eliminate the worst case completely. Every one of them has vulnerabilities

that a knowledgeable thief could theoretically e_ploit. A good system is

one that keeps that worst-case setting as improbable as possible while

also offering strong protection in the event of a less-e_traordinary

attack.

36. It is possible for burglars to make jamming attacks with the

necessary equipment and skill.

37. Interfering with a wireless security system is similar to

interfering with a conversation.

38. A burglar has to continuously jam the wireless security device to

avoid triggering the alarm, both inside and outside the house.

39. SimpliSafe provides devices that are able to distinguish

incidental radio interference from targeted jamming attacks.

40. Only a very small proportion of burglaries are committed by

technical means.

41. It is difficult to crack SimpliSafe as its system keeps changing.

42. Wireless devices will transmit signals so as to activate the alarm

once something wrong is detected.

43. Different measures should be taken to protect one’s home from

burglary in addition to the wireless security system.

44. SimpliSafe’s device can send a warning to the house owner’s

cellphone.

45. Burglars can easily get a security device’s frequency by Internet

search.

Section C

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is

followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them

there are four choices marked A),B),C) and D).You should decide on the

best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a

single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

As a person who writes about food and drink for a living. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about Bill Perry or whether the beers he sells

are that great. But I can tell you that I like this guy. That’s because

he plans to ban tipping in favor of paying his servers an actual living

wage.

I hate tipping.

I hate it because it’s an obligation disguised as an option. I hate

it for the post-dinner math it requires of me. But mostly, I hate tipping

because I believe I would be in a better place if pay decisions regarding

employees were simply left up to their employers, as is the custom in

virtually every other industry.

Most of you probably think that you hate tipping, too. Research

suggests otherwise. You actually love tipping! You like to feel that you

have a voice in how much money your server makes. No matter how the math

works out, you persistently view restaurants with voluntary tipping

systems as being a better value, which makes it e_tremely difficult for

restaurants and bars to do away with the tipping system.

One argument that you tend to hear a lot from the pro-tipping crowd

seems logical enough: the service is better when waiters depend on tips,

presumably because they see a benefit to successfully veiling their

contempt for you. Well, if this were true, we would all be slipping a few

1_-dollar bills to our tors on the way out their doors, too. But as it

turns out, waiters see only a tiny bump in tips when they do an e_ceptional

job compared to a passable one. Waiters, keen observers of humanity that

they are, are catching on to this; in one poll, a full 30% said they didn’t believe the job they did had any impact on the tips they received.

So come on, folks: get on board with ditching the outdated tip system.

Pay a little more upfront for your beer or burger. Support Bill Perry’s pub, and any other bar or restaurant that doesn’t ask you to do drunken

math.

46. What can we learn about Bill Perry from the passage?

A) He runs a pub that serves e_cellent beer.

B) He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.

C) He gives his staff a considerable sum for tips.

D) He lives comfortably without getting any tips.

47. What is the main reason why the author hates tipping?

A) It sets a bad e_ample for other industries.

B) It adds to the burden of ordinary customers.

C) It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.

D) It poses a great challenge for customers to do math.

48. Why do many people love tipping according to the author?

A) They help improve the quality of the restaurants they dine in.

B) They believe waiters deserve such rewards for good service.

C) They want to preserve a wonderful tradition of the industry.

D) They can have some say in how much their servers earn.

49. What have some waiters come to realize according to a survey?

A) Service quality has little effect on tip size.

B) It is in human mature to try to save on tips.

C) Tips make it more difficult to please customers.

D) Tips benefit the boss rather that the employees.

50. What does the author argue for in the passage?

A) Restaurants should calculate the tips for customers.

B) Customers should pay more tips to help improve service.

C) Waiters deserve better than just relying on tips for a living.

D) Waiters should be paid by employers instead of customers.

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy,

but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil

prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil

prices and growth has weakened?

Some e_perts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil

should heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their

pockets when they’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on

other things, which stimulates the economy.

The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like

China, Japan, and India, But doesn’t the e_tra money in the pockets of

those countries’ consumers mean an equal loss in oil producing countries,

cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara

Johnson. “Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were

high, so when prices fall they will draw on their reserves to support

government spending and subsidies(补贴) for their consumers.”

But not all oil producers have big reserves, In Venezuela, collapsing

oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.

Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil

prices are overwhelming the positive effects of cheaper oil. The

implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plunged partly

because oil-producing nations can’t afford to import as much as they used

to.

Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall

in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason

is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering

from the price drop account for a larger share of the global economy.

Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings

they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great

recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number of oil-producing

countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising ta_es, so the

net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge

might suggest.

51. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?

A) The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.

B) Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.

C) The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.

D) The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.

52. Why do some e_perts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global

economy?

A) Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.

B) Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.

C) Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to

change.

D) Consumers will spend their saving from cheap oil on other

commodities.

53. What happens in many oil-e_porting countries when oil prices go

down?

A) They suspend import of necessities from overseas.

B) They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.

C) They use their money reserves to back up consumption.

D) They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.

54. How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?

A) It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.

B) Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.

C) It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.

D) Its effects on the global economy go against e_isting economic laws.

55. Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they

did before?

A) People are not spending all the money they save on gas.

B) The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.

C) Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.

D) People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.

46. [B] He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.

47. [C] It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.

48. [D] They can have some say in how much their servers earn.