2016年专四英语阅读练习(含答案)

（一）Peoplehavebeenpaintingpicturesforatleast30,000years.Theearliestpictureswerepaintedbypeoplewhohuntedanimals.Theyusedtopaintpicturesoftheanimalstheywantedtocatchandkill.PicturesofthiskindhavebeenfoundonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpain.Nooneknowswhytheywerepaintedthere.Perhapsthepaintersthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemtocatchtheseanimals.Orperhapshumanbeingshavealwayswantedtotellstoriesinpictures.About5,000yearsago,theEgyptiansandotherpeopleintheNearEastbegantousepicturesaskindofwriting.Theydrewsimplepicturesorsignstorepresentthingsandideas,andalsotorepresentthesoundsoftheirlanguage.Thesignsthesepeopleusedbecameakindofalphabet.TheEgyptiansusedtorecordinformationandtotellstoriesbyputtingpicturewritingandpicturestogether.Whenanimportantpersondied,scenesandstoriesfromhislifewerepaintedandcarvedonthewallsoftheplacewherehewasburied.Someofthesepicturesarelikemoderncomicstripstories.IthasbeensaidthatEgyptisthehomeofthecomicstrip.But,fortheEgyptians,picturesstillhadmagicpower.Sotheydidnottrytomaketheirwayofwritingsimple.Theordinarypeoplecouldnotunderstandit.Bytheyear1,000BC,peoplewholivedintheareaaroundtheMediterraneanSeahaddevelopedasimplersystemofwriting.Thesignstheyusedwereveryeasytowrite,andtherewerefewerofthemthanintheEgyptiansystem.Thiswasbecauseeachsign,orletter,representedonlyonesoundintheirlanguage.TheGreeksdevelopedthissystemandformedthelettersoftheGreekalphabet.TheRomanscopiedtheidea,andtheRomanalphabetisnowusedallovertheworld.Thesedays,wecanwritedownastory,orrecordinformation,withoutusingpictures.Butwestillneedpicturesofallkinds:drawing,photographs,signsanddiagrams.Wefindthemeverywhere:inbooksandnewspapers,inthestreet,andonthewallsoftheplaceswhereweliveandwork.Pictureshelpustounderstandandrememberthingsmoreeasily,andtheycanmakeastorymuchmoreinteresting.?1.PicturesofanimalswerepaintedonthewallsofcavesinFranceandSpainbecause?______?.?A.thehunterswantedtoseethepictures?B.thepainterswereanimallovers?C.thepainterswantedtoshowimagination?D.thepictureswerethoughttobehelpful?2.TheGreekalphabetwassimplerthantheEgyptiansystemforallthefollowingreasonsEXCEPTthat?______.A.theformerwaseasytowrite?B.therewerefewersignsintheformer?C.theformerwaseasytopronounce?D.eachsignstoodforonlyonesound?3.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE??A.TheEgyptiansignslaterbecameaparticularalphabet.?B.TheEgyptianslikedtowritecomic?stripstories.?C.TheRomanalphabetwasdevelopedfromtheEgyptianone.?D.TheGreekscopiedtheirwritingsystemfromtheEgyptians.?4.Inthelastparagraph,theauthorthinksthatpictures?______?.?A.shouldbemadecomprehensible?B.shouldbemadeinteresting?C.areofmuchuseinourlife?D.havedisappearedfromourlife参考答案：1.D)根据文章第一段第五行“Perhapsthepaintersthoughtthattheirpictureswouldhelpthemtocatchtheseanimals.”可知古代人以为在墙上画画会对他们有所帮助，故选项D为正确答案。?2.C)在做此类题时要注意题干的要求。通过阅读文章第四段很清楚就知道选项C“前者容易发音”在文中没有提及，故为正确答案。?3.A)可用排除法来做本题。通过阅读文章很清楚选项B和D为错误陈述。选项C“罗马字母是从埃及字母发展而来的”根据文章第四段第四，五句可知为错误论述，因此只有选项A为正确答案。4.C)文章最后一段讲述了图画在今天的用途，故选项C为正确答案。（二）Asthemerchantclassexpandedintheeighteenth?centuryNorthAmericanColonies,thesilversmithandthecoppersmithbusinessesrosetoserveit.OnlyafewsilversmithswereavailableinNewYorkorBostoninthelateseventeenthcentury,butintheeighteenthcenturytheycouldbefoundinallmajorcolonialcities.Noothercolonialartisansrivaledthesilversmiths’prestige.Theyhandledthemostexpensivematerialsandpossesseddirectconnectionstoprosperouscolonialmerchants.Theirproducts,primarilysilverplatesandbowls,reflectedtheirexaltedstatusandtestifiedtotheircustomers’prominence.Silverstoodasoneofthesurestwaystostorewealthatatimebeforeneighborhoodbanksexisted.Unlikethesilvercoinsfromwhichtheyweremade,silverarticleswerereadilyidentifiable.Oftenformedtoindividualspecifications,theyalwayscarriedthesilversmith’sdistinctivemarkingsandconsequentlycouldbetracedandretrieved.Customersgenerallysecurethesilverforthesilverobjecttheyordered.Theysavedcoins,tookthemtosmiths,anddiscussedthetypeofpiecestheydesired.Silversmithscompliedwiththeserequestsbymeltingthemoneyinasmallfurnace,addingabitofcoppertoformastrongeralloy,andcastingthealloyinrectangularblocks.Theyhammeredtheseingotstotheappropriatethicknessbyhand,shapedthemandpresseddesignsintothemforadornment.Engravingwasalsodonebyhand.Inadditiontoplatesandbowls,somecustomerssoughtmoreintricateproducts,suchassilverteapots.Theseweremadebyshapingorcastingpartsseparatelyandthensolderingthemtogether.Colonialcoppersmithingalsocomeofageintheearlyeighteenthcenturyandprosperedinnortherncities.Copper’sabilitytoconductheatefficientlyandtoresistcorrosioncontributedtoitsattractiveness.ButbecauseitwasexpensiveincolonialAmerica,coppersmithswereneververynumerous.VirtuallyallcopperworkedbySmithswasimportedassheetsorobtainedbyrecyclingoldcoppergoods.Copperwasusedforpracticalitems,butitwasnotadmiredforitsbeauty.Coppersmithsemployedittofashionpotsandkettlesforthehome.Theyshapeditinmuchthesamemannerassilverormelteditinafoundrywithleadortin.Theyalsomixeditwithzinctomakebrassformaritimeandscientificinstruments.?1.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingeighteenthcentury