2012年6月大学英语四级考试阅读真题及答案

　　Section B

　　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 Sheer 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won’t necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.

　　We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn’t mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn’t afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.

　　Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.

　　After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job “with tireless search for work.”He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.

　　The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.

　　Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.

　　Today’s economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined. So it’s only when the economy is healthy again that we’ll begin to see just how many broken families have been created

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

　　57.In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to __________.

　　A)tear many troubled families apart

　　B)contribute to enduring family ties

　　C)bring about a drop in the divorce rate

　　D)cause a lot of conflicts in the family

　　58.In the Great Depression many unhappy couples close to stick together because

　　A)starting a new family would be hard

　　B)they expected things would turn better

　　C)they wanted to better protect their kids

　　D)living separately would be too costly

　　59.In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?

　　A)Mounting family debts

　　B)A sense of insecurity

　　C)Difficulty in getting a loan

　　D)Falling housing prices

　　60.What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?

　　A)It will force them to pull their efforts together

　　B)It will undermine their mutual understanding

　　C)It will help strengthen their emotional bonds

　　D)It will irreparably damage their relationship

　　61.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

　　A)The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate

　　B)Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships

　　C)A stable family is the best protection against poverty.

　　D)Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage:

　　People are being lured (引诱)onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up toads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.

　　Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Face book because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.

　　The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules Early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about facebook you could create own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things you city. Your photo, your friends’ names-were set, by default (默认)to be shared with every one on the Internet.

　　According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information They have a “less satisfying experience”.

　　Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting then At the side of the pages totally Who wants to took at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?

　　The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites.“I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.

　　I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning. Which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t That’s too high a price to pay.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

　　62.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?

　　A)It is a website that sends messages to targeted users.

　　B)It makes money by putting on advertisements.

　　C)It profits by selling its users’ personal data.

　　D)It provides loads of information to its users.

　　63.What does the author say about most Facebook users?

　　A)They are reluctant to give up their personal information.

　　B)They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook.

　　C)They don’t identify themselves when using the website.

　　D)They care very little about their personal information.

　　64.Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?

　　A)To render better service to its users.

　　B)To conform to the Federal guidelines.

　　C)To improve its users’ connectivity.

　　D)To expand its scope of business.

　　65.Why does Senator Charles Schumer advocate?

　　A)Setting guidelines for advertising on websites.

　　B)Banning the sharing of users’ personal information.

　　C)Formulating regulations for social-networking sites.

　　D)Removing ads from all social-networking sites.

　　66.Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?

　　A)He is dissatisfied with its current service.

　　B)He finds many of its users untrustworthy.

　　C)He doesn’t want his personal data abused.

　　D)He is upset by its frequent rule changes.

　　参考答案

　　57-61 CDDDA

　　62-66 CBACC