"大学英语四级阅读200篇，包括阅读理解以及扫描和略读技巧"

5星 · 超过95%的资源需积分: 9 150 浏览量更新于2024-01-19 6 收藏 1.49MB DOC 举报

The University English Level Four Reading Comprehension 200 Passages is a comprehensive resource for students looking to improve their reading and comprehension skills in English. This specific unit focuses on the techniques of skimming and scanning, which are essential skills for quickly extracting information from a passage. The passage provides students with 15 minutes to quickly go over the passage and answer questions on Answer Sheet 1. The questions are designed to test the students' ability to understand and extract information from the passage, as well as their ability to identify whether certain statements align with the information presented in the passage. The questions are divided into three categories: YES, NO, and NOT GIVEN. Students are required to mark Y for YES if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage, N for NO if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage, and NG for NOT GIVEN if the information is not provided in the passage. By practicing with these 200 passages, students can improve their reading speed, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, this resource helps students prepare for the University English Level Four exam, which often includes similar reading comprehension tasks. Overall, the University English Level Four Reading Comprehension 200 Passages is an invaluable resource for students looking to improve their English reading and comprehension skills. With its focus on skimming and scanning techniques and comprehensive set of passages, students can effectively practice and enhance their abilities in a targeted and focused manner.

大家学习网

25. This passage suggests that an individual's I. Q. _______.

A. can be predicted at birth B. stays the same throughout his life

C. can be increased by education D. is determined by his childhood

Passage 4

As a reliable travel agency, we really do try to describe our centers and accommodation as realistically as possible. All our Super Centers and Main Centers have

been extensively investigated during the winter season 1975-1976. As a result we have first-hand information on the way in which hotels, life networks and ski

schools, etc. operate during the season. We have not been able to investigate, at first hand, all our Independent Centers during the last season but all have been visited

during the past three seasons. Should you need any more information about these centers we will try to get it for you. Our American centers have been investigated

on our behalf by United Airlines Tours Department and by the U. S. tour operators who are assisting United and ourselves to offer you this novel program to the

United States.

Where possible we have eliminated the use of superlatives from the text (possibly making our brochure(小册子) less attractive to read than it might be) and have

concentrated on as accurate a description as possible. Nevertheless you should bear in mind that your opinion and the opinion of our investigator might differ and

there may be changes between the time of a visit by our investigator and the visit of one of our customers.

We trust that it is evident to you that we have done all in our power to eliminate misdescription and that there really is no question of misrepresenta-tion on our

part—either careless or otherwise. We welcome your constructive criticism—it is the best way we know of improving our brochures and our service. Although

complaints are very expensive to handle, your complaint or criticism will be thoroughly investigated and a refund (退赔 ) made if it is justified—none will be made if

it isn't.

26. The firm claims that all its winter sports centers have been the recent target of

A. a program of personal visits

B. intensive enquiries about facilities

C. attempts to increase hotel accommodation

D. an improved information service

27. The "Independent Centers" were personally inspected_______.

A. the year before last B. three years ago

C. between 1975 and 1976 D. within the last three seasons

28. The program of tours to the United States appears to be_______.

A. a new collaboration with U. S. travel firms

B. newly taken over by U. S. tour operations

C. a new independent venture

D. organized by United Airlines

http://club.TopSage.com

大家学习网

29. Their brochure would be more attractive to read, they say, if_______.

A. it were less truthful B. it used fewer superlatives

C. it eliminated description D. it were more encouraged

30. The firm's claim is that their program is improved by_______.

A. helpful fault-finding by customers

B. attractive description of the centers in every brochure

C. a standard policy of prompt repayment

D. careful control of the hotels

Unit Three

Passage 1

The Louisiana Purchase

On April 30, 1803, the area of the United States approximately doubled. Until that time, United States territory had extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the

banks of the Mississippi and from the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River to the thirty-first parallel. The national land now was expanded westward to include

practically all of the area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and between the Gulf of Mexico and the Canadian border. On that day, for fifteen

million dollars, the United States purchased from France 875,000 square miles of territory. After Robert R. Livingston, an American who represented President

Jefferson in France, signed his name to the treaty, he rose, shook hands with James Monroe and Marbois, the Frenchman representing Napoleon and remarked, "We

have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our lives. " As we glance backward upon this important event in history, we must agree that the signing of the treaty

for the purchase of Louisiana was probably the most important event in Thomas Jefferson's administration. Without the acquisition of this territory, the United States

would most probably have not developed into the powerful nation which it is today.

What Causes Led to Purchase of the Louisiana Territory

Until 1763, Louisiana had been a possession of France, but in that year it was given to Spain to repay an old debt. Twenty years later in Paris, the treaty ending

the American Revolution was signed between the United States and Great Britain. One of the terms of this treaty was that the western border of the United States was

to stretch to the Mississippi River. Immediately settlers and pioneers crossed westward over the Allegheny Mountains to clear the territory and establish farms. Since

roads were scarce and difficult to travel, the products of these farmers had to be shipped on the waterways leading to the Mississippi River and then down this great

stream to New Orleans. At this port city, the produce was transferred to larger ocean-going vessels and transported to markets on the Eastern Seaboard or to Europe.

However, Spain's ownership of both shores of the river for at least two hundred miles north of New Orleans permitted this foreign nation to control the trade moving

on the Mississippi. As a monarchy (君主政体) ，the Spanish government distrusted the rising spirit of democracy in the United States, especially the much freer

expression of democracy that existed among the western farmers. This distrust of democracy resulted in the desire of the Spanish to deny the use of the great river to

any Americans. The reaction was instantaneous (瞬间的 ) and furious, western farmers raised their voices to protest and the United states sent John Jay to Madrid to

discuss this matter. In 1795 this conflict was settled. Spain consented to allow citizens of the United States the right to use the lower Mississippi River and also the

http://club.TopSage.com

大家学习网

"right of deposit" at New Orleans, the right of deposit permitted American farmers, without a duty charge, to remove their products from smaller boats at New

Orleans after having navigated down the Mississippi, and then to transfer the agricultural commodities to larger ocean-going vessels.

For the succeeding five years this agreement was observed and little conflict existed. On October 1, 1800, however, Spain signed a treaty giving the ownership

of the Louisiana territory back to France. The news of this treaty did not reach Jefferson until May of the following year. As soon as he became aware of the change

in ownership of the territory, Jefferson realized that this was part of a plan by which Napoleon hoped to establish France as a great power in the New World.

Although Napoleon still permitted Spain to remain in control of the port of New Orleans, the future threat to the navigation rights of the western farmers still

remained. At any moment, Napoleon might send troops to the "Gateway" and forbid Americans to use it for navigation. This would affect almost forty per cent of the

total export trade of the United States. By April 1802 Jefferson's concerns in this matter became even more intense. Napoleon had shipped armed forces to Santo

Domingo to suppress the uprising. Once this had been accomplished, the troops were under orders to take possession of Louisiana with its key port city of New

Orleans. On the eighteenth of that month the President wrote his now-famous letter to the American Minister to France, Robert R. Livingston.

There is one place on the globe, one single spot, the possessor of which is our natural and habitual enemy. It is New Orleans through which the produce of three

eighths of our territory must pass to market. . . it seals the union of two nations who in conjunction can maintain exclusive possession of the ocean. From that

moment we must marry ourselves to the British fleet and nation.

Seven months later Jefferson learned that the Spanish officials at New Orleans had suspended(暂不实行) the right of deposit. Immediately western

farmers protested. Many demanded immediate action. Others pressed for a declaration of war. The Federalists in the East who opposed Jefferson sided with those

who wished to declare war, in order to split the ranks of his followers. In January 1803, Congress appropriated two million dollars "to defray (支付) expenses to

help improve relations between the United States and foreign nations. " Jefferson asked James Monroe to sail for France to resolve the difficulty. Monroe

was instructed to negotiate for the purchase of New Orleans and Florida. He was permitted to offer 50,000,000 francs for this concession of territory. If this offer

were refused, then an alternative offer of 37,500,000 francs was to be made for New Orleans alone. A third alternative to be used in the negotiation was to insist

upon the permanent right of deposit at New Orleans and navigation along the lower Mississippi. If all three offers were rejected by Napoleon, Monroe and

Livingston were instructed to negotiate an alliance with the British Government "not to make any peace with France. "

Why Napoleon Sold Louisiana

Events favored the United States. Napoleon had transported 35,000 troops to wipe out the rebellion in Santo Domingo, but yellow fever and the rebels did away

with most of the French troops. With this disaster Napoleon's visions of expanding in the mainland at New Orleans vanished. He also recognized he inevitability of

a conflict with Great Britain. How could he hope to keep Louisiana, thousands of miles away across the Atlantic, as long as Britain was "Empress of the

Seas"? The revenue that the sale of Louisiana would bring to

France was a temptation to Napoleon, whose treasury was almost depleted (消耗). Confronted with so many problems Napoleon quickly arrived at a decision.On

April 11, 1803, even before the arrival of Monroe in Paris, Talleyrand proposed that the United States purchase all of the Louisiana

territory.Livingston's first offer for this "bargain" was 20, 000, 000 francs, but Talleyrand countered with a demand for 125,000,000. In a brief negotiation

both finally compromised on 80,000,000 francs, equivalent to $ 15,000,000 in

http://club.TopSage.com

剩余63页未读，继续阅读

feiniaowxl

粉丝: 2
资源: 11

"大学英语四级阅读200篇，包括阅读理解以及扫描和略读技巧"

大学英语四级阅读两百篇

英语四级阅读

英语阅读理解200篇及答案

大学英语四级阅读40篇含答案解析

大学英语四级阅读理解精读100篇.doc

大学英语四级阅读理解技巧仔细阅读篇学习教案.pptx

大学英语四级阅读理解技巧仔细阅读篇PPT课件.pptx

大学英语四级考试阅读理解练习十篇

大学英语四级阅读高频词汇表

大学英语四级词汇 大学英语四级词汇

最新资源

大学英语四级词汇大学英语四级词汇