2018.06 CET 4
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
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.
An office tower on Miller Street in Manchester is completely covered in solar panels. They are used to create some of the energy used by the insurance company inside. When the tower was first 26 in 1962, it was covered with thin square stones. These small square stones became a problem for the building and continued to fall off the face for 40 years until a major renovation was 27 . During this renovation the building's owners, CIS, 28 the solar panel company, Solar century. They agreed to cover the entire building in solar panels. In 2004, the completed CIS tower became Europe's largest 29 of vertical solar panels. A vertical solar project on such a large 30 has never been repeated since.
Covering a skyscraper with solar panels had never been done before, and the CIS tower was chosen as one of the“10 best green energy projects\renovation project, it was the tallest building in the United Kingdom, but it was 31 overtaken by the Millbank Tower.
Green buildings like this aren't 32 cost-efficient for the investor, but it does produce much less pollution than that caused by energy 33 through fossil fuels. As solar panels get 34 , the World is likely to see more skyscrapers covered in solar panels, collecting energy much like trees do. Imagine a world where building the tallest skyscraper wasn't a race of 35 ， but rather one to collect the most solar energy.
A) cheaper B) cleaner C) collection D) competed E) constructed
F) consulted G) dimension H) discovered I) eventually J) height
K) necessarily L) production M) range N) scale O) undertaken
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. ldentify 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.
Some College Students Are Angry That They Have to Pay to Do Their Homework
A) Digital learning systems now charge students for aces codes needed to complete coursework, take quizzes, and turn in homework. As universities go digital, students are complaining of a new hit to their finances that's replacing and sometimes joining expensive textbooks: pricey online access codes that are required to complete coursework and submit assignments.
B) The codes- which typically range in price from S80 to S 155 per course give students online access to systems developed by education companies like McGraw Hill and Pearson. These companies, which long reaped big profits as textbook publishers, have boasted that their new online offerings, when pushed to students through universities they partner with, represent the future of the industry. C) But critics say the digital access codes represent the same profit-seeking ethos (观念) of the textbook business, and are even harder for students to opt out of. While they could once buy second-hand textbooks, or share copies with friends, the digital systems are essentially impossible to avoid. D)“When we talk about the access code we see it as the new face of the textbook monopoly (垄断)，a new way to lock students around this system,\U.S. Public Interest Research Group, to BuzzFeed News.“Rather than $250 (for a print textbook) you're paying $ 120,\aid Senack.“But because it's all digital it eliminates the used book market and eliminates any sharing and because homework and tests are through an access code, it eliminates any ability to opt out.\
E) Sarina Harper, a 19-yearold student at Virginia Tech, was faced with a tough dilemma when she first started college in 2015- Pay rent or pay to turn in her chemistry homework. She told BuzzFed News that her freshman chemistry class require her to use Connect, a system provided by McGraw Hill where students can submit homework, take exams and track their grades. But the code to access the program cost $ 120 -a big sum for Harper, who had already put down $ 450 for textbooks, and had rent day approaching.
F) She decided to wait for her next work-study paycheck, which was typically $150- $200， to pay for the code. She knew that her chemistry grade may take a dive as a result. “It's a balancing act,” she said.“Can I really afford these access codes now?\chemistry, which started her out in the class with a failing grade.
G) The access codes may be another financial headache for students, but for textbook businesses,
they’re the future. McGraw Hill, which controls 21 % of the higher education market, reported in March that its digital content sales exceeded print sales for the first time in 2015. The company said that 45% of its $ 140 million revenue in 2015“was derived from digital products.
H) A Pearson spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that “digital materials are less expensive and a good investment\that offer new features, like audio texts, personalized knowledge checks and expert videos. Its digital course materials save students up to 60% compared to traditional printed textbooks, the company added. McGraw Hill didn't respond to a request for comment, but its CEO David Levin told the Financial Times in August that “in higher education, the era of the printed textbook is now over.\
D) The textbook industry insists the online systems represent a better deal for students. \products aren't just mechanisms for students to submit homework, they offer all kinds of features,\David Anderson, the executive director of higher education with the Association of American Publishers, told BuzzFeed News.“It helps students understand in a way that you can't do with print homework assignments.”
J) David Hunt, an associate professor in sociology at Augusta University, which has rolled out digital textbooks across its math and psychology departments, told BuzzFeed News that he understands the utility of using systems that require access codes. But he doesn't require his students to buy access to a learning program that controls the class assignments.“I try to make things as inexpensive as possible,\said Hunt, who uses free digital textbooks for his classes but designs his own curriculum.“The online systems may make my life a lot easier but I feel like I'm giving up control. The discussions are the things where my expertise can benefit the students most.
K) A 20-year-old junior at Georgia Southern University told BuzzFeed News that she normally spends $ 500一$ 600 on access codes for class. In one case, the professor didn't require students to buy atextbook, just an access code to turn in homework. This year she said she spent $ 900 on access codes to books and programs.“That's two months of rent,” she said.“You can't sell any of it back. With a traditional textbook you can sell it for $30一$ 50 and that helps to pay for your new semester's books.With an access code, you're out of that money.\
L) Benjamin Wolverton, a 19-year-old student at the University of South Carolina, told BuzzFeed News that \codes to do our homework.\complete homework or quizzes.“Often it's only 10% of your grade in class.\ so much money for something that hardly affects your grade -but if you didn't have it, it would affect your grade enough. It would be bad to start out at a B or C.” Wolverton said he spent $ 500 on access codes for digital books and programs this semester.
M) Harper, a poultry (家禽) science major is taking chemistry again this year and had to buy a new access code to hand in her homework. She rented her economics and statistics textbooks for about $20 each. But her aces codes for homework, which can't be rented or bought second-hand, were her most expensive purchases: $ 120 and $ 85.
N) She still remembers the sting of her first experience sipping an assignment due to the high prices.“We don't really have a missed assignment policy,\ it. I just got zeros on a couple of first assignments. I managed to pull everything back up. But as a scared freshman looking at their grades, it's not fun.
36. A student's yearly expenses on access codes may amount to their rent for two months. 37. The online access codes may be seen as a way to tie the students to the digital system.
38. If a student takes a course again, they may have to buy a new access code to submit their
assignments.
39. McGraw Hill accounts for over one fifth of the market share of college textbooks.
40. Many traditional textbook publishers are now offering online digital products, which they believe will be the future of the publishing business.
41. One student complained that they now had to pay for access codes in addition to the high tuition. 42. Digital materials can cost students Jess than half the price of traditional printed books according to a publisher.
43. One student decided not to buy her access code until she received the pay for her part time job. 44. Online systems may deprive teachers of opportunities to make the best use of their expertise for their students.
45. Digital access codes are criticized because they are profit-driven just like the textbook business.
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.
Losing your ability to think and remember is pretty scary. We know the risk of dementia (痴呆症) increases with age. But if you have memory slips, you probably needn't worry. There are pretty clear differences between signs of dementia and age related memory loss.
After age 50，it's quite common to have trouble remembering the names of people, places and things
quickly, says Dr. Kirk Daffner of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
The brain ages just like the rest of the body. Certain parts shrink, especially areas in the brain that are important to learning, memory and planning. Changes in brain cells can affect communication between different regions of the brain. And blood flow can be reduced as blood vessels narrow.
Forgetting the name of an actor in a favorite movie, for example, is nothing to worry about. But if you forget the plot of the movie or don't remember even seeing it, that's far more concerning, Daffner says.
When you forget entire experience, he says, that's \involved” Forgetting how to operate a familiar object like microwave oven, or forgetting how to drive to the house of a friend you’ve visited many times before can also be signs of something going wrong.
But even then, Daffner says, people shouldn't panic. There are many things that can cause confusion and memory loss including health problems like temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, high blood pressure, or depression, as well as medications (药物) like antidepressants.
You don't have to figure this out on your own. Daffner suggests going to your doctor to check on medications, health problems and other issues that could be affecting memory. And the best defense against memory loss is to try to prevent it by building up your brain's cognitive (认知的) reserve, Daffner says.
“Read books, go to movies, take on new hobbies or activities that force one to think in novel ways,\he says. In other words, keep your brain busy and working. And also get physically active, because exercise is a known brain booster.
16. Why does the author say that one needn't be concerned about memory slips? A) Not all of them are symptoms of dementia. B) They occur only among certain groups of people. C) Not all of them are related to one's age. D) They are quite common among fifty-year-olds.
47. What happens as we become aged according to the passage? A) Our interaction skills deteriorate.
B) Communication within our brain weakens. C) Some parts of our brain stop functioning. D) Our whole brain starts shrinking.
18. Which memory-related symptom should people take seriously? A) Totally forgetting how to do one's daily routines. B) Inability to recall details of one's life experiences. C) Failure to remember the names of movies or actors. D) Occasionally confusing the addresses of one's friends.
2018.6 CET4 真题练习
