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2008年12月英语四级考试阅读真题及答案详解A

考研英语  时间: 2019-04-08 14:11:46  作者: 匿名 

  If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations: you’re a survivor. According to statistics, you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, than nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you’ll die on average five years before a woman.
  There’re many reasons for this – typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke – but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
  "Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr. Gullotta. “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike.”
  Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over45, it should be at least once a year.
  Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year.
  "When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says. “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged (延长) his life.”
  According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
  "A lot of men think they’re invincible (不可战胜的)," Gullotta says. “They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, ‘Geez, if it could happen to him, …' "
  Then there’s the ostrich approach. “Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr, Ross Cartmill.
  "Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
  Regular check-ups for men would inevitable place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost far greater; it’s called premature death.”

  57. Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?
  A) They are more likely to survive serious diseases today.
  B) Their average life span has been considerably extended.
  C) They have lived long enough to read this article.
  D) They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life.

  58. What does the author state is the most important reason men die five years earlier on average than women?
  A) Men drink and smoke much more than women.
  B) Men don’t seek medical care as often as women
  C) Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger.
  D) Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases.

  59. Which of the following best completes the sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him, …” (Line2, Para. 8)?
  A) it could happen to me, too
  B) I should avoid playing golf
  C) I should consider myself lucky
  D) it would be a big misfortune

  60. What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” (Line 1, Para. 9)
  A) A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions.
  B) A new therapy for certain psychological problems.
  C) Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved.
  D) Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear.

  61. What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?
  A) They may increase public expenses.
  B) They will save money in the long run.
  C) They may cause psychological strains on men.
  D) They will enable men to live as long as women.

  这篇文章的主要内容是男性寿命短于女性的成因,作者在文中提出了自己的新颖观点——男性看医生的次数少于女性,并对此进来了论述。
  材料以耸人听闻的说法开篇(you’re a survivor),立即吸引了读者(尤其是男性读者)的注意力,随后指出男性不论是患病死亡(more than twice as likely to die)还是寿终正寝(on average five years before a woman),其寿命都要短于女性。
  下一段探究了这种现象的原因,首先给出几个众所周知的原因,如男性吸烟喝酒(more likely to drink and smoke),而后提出了自己的独特观点:男性寿命短是因为他们不看医生(men don’t go to the doctor)。
  男性如何不爱求医?这是后面5个小段的内容。男性(尤其是四十岁以上的男性)看医生的次数少于正常次数,按正常情况,一位健康男性应该没一两年看一次医生,而45岁以上者应该每年至少一次。作者给出了一个50岁男性的例子,他在咳嗽症状发生后一年才去看医生,结果导致癌症扩散而早亡。
  此5小段之后,作者探讨了男性不爱看医生的心理原因。很多男性认为自己不可战胜(即不会得病),同时采取了一种鸵鸟策略,即害怕知道病情而不敢看病。最后一段从看病成本上分析定期体检的好处,指出从长远来看,预防(体检)的花费要低于得病后治疗的花费。
 
  57. C
  题目问作者为什么在开头恭喜他的男性读者。
  首先看恭喜的内容:you’re a survivor,意思是你是一位幸存者。“幸存者”的潜台词就是本来“我”可能已经死了,但因为某些原因才幸运地活到现在。作者在后面用数据解释了如此恭喜的原因:“我”患皮肤癌和艾滋病而死亡的几率远远大于女性;即便是没有患这些重病,男性寿终正寝的平均年龄也比女性少五年。如此解释之后,“我”确实足够幸运,尚未因癌症和艾滋病而死,还有机会读到了这篇文章。当然这只是作者的夸张说法而已。
  A,现在他们患重病而存活的几率更高。这个选项考查对第二行、第三行有关皮肤癌和艾滋病的句子的理解。文章说男性死于皮肤癌和艾滋病的几率远大于女性,和A的说法正好相反。
  B,他们的平均寿命大大地延长了。这句话里出现了average,显然是考查第一段最后一句话。You’ll die on average five years before a woman, 这句话大意是男性平均寿命比女性短,和B说法无关。
  C,他们能读到这篇文章,说明已经足够长寿。符合前面的分析。
  D,他们一定会享受更长寿、快乐的生活。这句话属于无中生有,即便从全文角度讲,男性按照作者建议注重医疗保健,从而获得延长生命,但也不代表生命就是happier。
  四个选项中C的说法最为理想。

  58.B
  题目问作者认为男性平均寿命比女性短5年的最重要原因是什么。
  A, 男性抽烟喝酒远多于女性。
  B, 男性不像女性经常寻求医疗救治。
  C, 男性在面对危险时不如女性谨慎小心。
  D, 男性更可能患致命疾病。
  题目的关键信息是reason和most important,第二段提到了reason一词,而这里讲的也确实是题目所要求的原因。原因有三点,一是危险(risks),一是抽烟喝酒,一是不看医生(don’t go to doctor)。其中在引出第三点时,作者称之为more importantly,也就是比前几点重要。鉴于文中已找不出其他原因,则更为重要也就是最重要,答案应该是“不看医生”。B的说法与此一致。

  59.A
  题目问下列哪句话填入文中if it could happen to him之后最为合适。
  A, 那也可能发生在我的身上。
  B, 我不能打高尔夫球了。
  C, 我应该觉得自己幸运。
  D, 那真是太不幸了。
  这是一道句子理解题,必须结合前后句的逻辑关系进行判断。
  此段之前的几段内容的核心思想是男性看医生的次数大大少于女性。本段开头说到很多男性认为自己是不可战胜的(invincible),这句话照应上文的内容,应该是男性不愿看医生的原因所在。下一句说到男性仅仅得知一个朋友死在高尔夫球场上才开始有所醒悟,这一句中的only表示与上一句在句意上的转折关系,也就是男性认为自己不可战胜,“但是”当听说朋友猝死时,他们才开始有所领悟。这样的话,他们此时所想的一定是对自身状况的担心,否则就不能体现出转折含义。四个选项中A最为合适,其他几项都没有表达对自己的担忧。
 
  60.D
  题目问Cartmill所说的the ostrich approach是什么意思。
  A, 对健康状况的随意态度。
  B, 某些心理问题的新的治疗方法。
  C, 因害怕痛苦而拒绝接受医治。
  D, 因害怕而不愿去发现自己的疾病。
  首先看这几个单词的意思,ostrich是鸵鸟,approach是方法,合起来就是鸵鸟的方法。鸵鸟的方法到底是什么需要结合文章环境来理解。
  正如上一题中所谈到的,男人们会对朋友的猝死感到吃惊,进而对自己的健康产生忧虑。接下来文章讲到男人们开始使用鸵鸟的方法,具体的方法如Cartmill所说:有些男人害怕可能有的东西(what might be there),宁愿不知道(would rather not know)。这里可能有的东西当然是指疾病,宁愿不知道的原因是什么呢?是因为害怕(scared of)。这里的逻辑顺序是这样的:男人害怕疾病,所以不想了解疾病。害怕疾病却不想了解疾病,这似乎有点说不过去。但这就是鸵鸟方式的特点。平时我们可能听说过,鸵鸟遇到危险时会把头插到沙子里,以不正视危险来逃避危险,这就是鸵鸟方式的来由。男性对待疾病的方式与此类似,所以被称为使用了鸵鸟的方法。这里有两个关键点,一是害怕(可排除A、B),二是不愿去正视(排除C)。

  61.B
  题目问关于男性定期体检Cartmill是如何说的。
  最后一题一般考查最后一段的内容,这一道也不例外。文章最后一段主要论述了男性定期体检的问题,提到了Cartmill的三点看法。第一,定期体检毫无疑问会给公共支出带来压力(最后一段的第一句话)。第二,预防疾病比治疗疾病更加便宜。第三,最终的代价要远为昂贵,那就是英年早逝(最后一句话)。把各个选项与这三点进行对比就可选出正确答案。
  A, 体检可能会增加公共支出。文中确实有相关描述,原文为inevitable place strain on the public purse,意为给公共钱包(意即公共支出)增加压力。体检会增加国家的支出,这一点我们似乎理解上有一些困难,问题可能在于,在作者所在的国家实行了类似全民公费医疗的政策,体检费由国家买单,所以增加男性定期体检项目就会增加国库支出。
  B, 从长远看,体检会节约支出。Cartmill的第二点看法所说的“预防”具体化为行动也就是定期体检,所以B的说法正确。相较而言,A因为没有指明是长期还是短期,所以准确度较B差些,还是应该选择B为正确答案。
  C, 体检可能会引起男性的心理紧张。这里出现了strain,是考查对第二点的理解,但说法错误。
  D, 体检可以使男性和女性一样长寿。这个说法勉强可以算是对第三点看法的考查,因为第三点里出现了death,与寿命有关;而前面的premature又是一个难词,容易造成理解困难。
 

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