PART V READING COMPREHENSION 【25 MIN】
 
In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements，each with four suggested answers marked A,B,C and D．Choose the one that you think is the best answer．Mark your answers on Answer Sheet Two．
 
TEXT A
 
Saying” thank you” is probably the first thing most of us learn to do in a foreign language．After all，we’re brought up to be polite，and it is important to make a good impression upon other people—especially across national divides．
 
So．what exactly are you supposed to say when "thank you" is only the 20th most popular way to express gratitude? According to a recent survey,19 other ways of expressing appreciation finished ahead of "thank you" in a poll of 3,000 people．
 
Pollsters found almost half of those asked preferred the more informal“cheers”，while others liked to use such expressions as“ta”,“great" and“nice one”．
 
So，just what is the appropriate form of words to express your thanks?
 
Fortunately, the clue is in the language itself．“Cheers”，despite its popularity，is considered an informal way to say thank you—and this is a definite clue as to when you can best use it．
 
For instance，when going for a drink with friends，a smile and a“cheers” by way of thanks is not only appropriate to the situation，it is also culturally accurate．“Ta”，originated from the Danish word“tak”, was the second-most popular expression of thanks，and is also commonly used in informal situations，along with phrases such as“nice one”， and“brilliant”．Interestingly, one word that didn’t make it into the top 20 was“thanks”．Thank you's shorter, more informal cousin．
 
“Thanks”can be useful，as it is able to bridge the divide between the formality of “thank you" and the downright relaxed“cheers”．
 
Certain words can double as an expression of thanks as well as delight．Again，the words themselves offer the clue as to when best to use them．
 
For example，words like“awesome”，“brilliant" and“you star" featured highly in the new poll and they can hint at both your pleasure at someone's action，as well as serving to express your thanks．If you are on the receiving end of a“new”thank you，you can respond with a simple“no problem”, or“sure”．
 
Of course，in certain circumstances，a simple wave，nod or smile may be appropriate．For instance，if a car driver slows down to let you cross the road，simply raising your hand in acknowledgement is enough to show that you appreciate the driver's consideration．
 
Sometimes，formality is necessary, and“thank you”is still the best choice in such situations．
 
But students should not worry about when exactly to use certain expressions．
 
Many people in Western countries are worried that good manners are in decline．People are tired of seeing their acts of kindness and service pass without comment．So don’t think that your“thank you”was clumsy or awkwardly formal．The chances are，if you said “thank you”，you made someone’s day．You star．
 
81．We can tell from the results of the poll that
 
A．people are unconcerned about politeness nowadays．
 
B．“thank you”remains the best expression of gratitude．
 
C．there is a variety of expressions of appreciation．
 
D．there are more formal expressions than informal ones．
 
82．Which word/phrase does NOT appear in the top 20?
 
A．Cheers． B．Thanks． C．Brilliant． D．You star．
 
83．According to the passage．which is an appropriate response to“awesome”or“brilliant”?
 
A．Thanks． B．Cheers． C．Nice one． D．Sure．
 
84．According to the passage，the way in which we express our gratitude depends on all the following EXCEPT
 
A．gender． B．formality． C．culture． D．circumstance．
 
85．In the last paragraph the author encourages people to
 
A．continue their acts of kindness．
 
B．behave themselves well．
 
C．show their gratitude to others．
 
D．stop worrying about bad manners．
 
TEXT B
 
From 2007 to 2010，American households lost $l1 trillion in real estate，savings, and stocks More than half of all U．S．workers either lost their jobs or were forced to take cuts in hours or pay during the recession．The worst may be behind them now, but the shocking losses of the past few years have reshaped nearly every facet of their lives—how they live，work，and spend—even the way they think about the future．
 
For Cindy, the recession began when her husband was relocated to Rhinelander, Wisconsin．by his company forcing the family to move in a hurry．The couple bought a new house but were unable to sell their two-bedroom home in Big Lake，Minnesota．With two mortgages(抵押借款) and two young children to care for, Cindy couldn't imagine how to stretch her husband's paycheck to keep her family fed．
 
Then she stumbled upon an online community called Blotanical，a forum for gardeners，many with an interest in sustainability．“The more I read and discussed these practices，the more I realized this would help not only our budget but also our health，”she says．
 
Cindy admits that before the recession，she was a city girl with no interest in growing her own dinner．“I grew flowers mostly—I didn’t think about plants that weren’t visually interesting." But to stretch her budget，she began putting in vegetables and fruit—everything from strawberry beds to apple trees—and as her first seedlings grew，her spirits lifted．She no longer thinks of gardening and making her own jams as just a money saver；they’re a genuine pleasure．“It’s brought us closer together as a family, too，”she says．Her kids voluntarily pitch in with(主动帮助)the garden work，and the family cooks together instead of eating out．
The food tastes better —it's fresher and organic —and the garden handily fulfills its original purpose：cost cutting．Now she spends about $200 to $300 a month on groceries．less than half of the $650 a month that she used to lay out．
 
After discovering how resourceful she can be in tough times，Cindy is no longer easily discouraged．“It makes me feel proud to be able to say I made it myself,”she says．“I feel accomplished，and I'm more confident about attempting things I've never done before．" Now she avoids convenience stores and has begun learning to knit，quilt，and make her own soap．"I don't think I would have ever begun this journey if it weren’t for the recession，”she says．“I have a feeling that from now on，it will affect my family’s health and happiness for the better．"
 
86．We learn from the first paragraph that the recession
 
A．affected Americans in certain occupations．
 
B．had great impact on Americans’work and life．
 
C．had only brought huge losses in savings and stocks．
 
D．is over with some of the losses recovered.
 
87．What made the family's financial situation even worse was that they
 
A．moved to Rhinelander in a hurry．
 
B．had two children to raise．
 
C．didn't know anyone in Rhinelander．
 
D．couldn't sell their home in Big Lake．
 
88．Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
 
A．Cindy had seen the benefits of gardening in a different way．
 
B．Cindy had developed a hobby of gardening before the recession．
 
C．Cindy had already had a keen interest in sustainability．
 
D．Cindy had already planned to meet the gardeners．
 
89．In addition, Cindy views gardening as a genuine pleasure because gardening
 
A．helped her cut living costs almost by half．
 
B．enabled her to make her own jams．
 
C．built up family ties and kids’enthusiasm．
 
D．enabled her to know more about plants．
 
90．What does Cindy think of the difficult times she has gone through?
 
A．It gave the couple and their kids a tough lesson．
 
B．It gave her confidence and optimism．
 
C．It would come again and affect the family．
 
D．It left a lasting psychological impact on the family．
 
TEXT C
 
“I'm a little worried about my future，”said Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate．He should be so lucky．All he had to worry about was whether to have an affair with Mrs Robinson．In the sixties，that was the sum total of post-graduation anxiety syndrome．Hoffman's modern counterparts are not so fortunate．The Mrs
Robinsons aren't sitting around at home any more，seducing graduates．They are out in the workplace，doing the high-powered jobs the graduates want，but cannot get．For those fresh out of university, desperate for work but unable to get it，there is a big imbalance between supply and demand．And there is no narrowing of the gap in sight．
 
The latest unemployment figures show that 746,000 of 18-24 year-olds are unemployed— a record rate of 18 per cent．Many of those will have graduated this summer．They are not panicking yet，but as the job rejections mount up，they are beginning to feel alarmed．
 
Of course，it is easy to blame the Government and，in particular, the target that Labour has long trumpeted---50 per cent of school-leavers in higher education．That was not too smart．The Government has not only failed to meet its target—the actual figure is still closer to 40 per cent— but it has raised expectations to unrealistic levels．
 
Parents feel as badly let down as the young people themselves．Middle-class families see their graduate offspring on the dole(救济金)queue and wonder why they bothered paying school fees．Working-class families feel an even keener sense of disappointment．For many such families，getting a child into university was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream．It represented upward social and financial mobility．It was proof that they were living in a dynamic，economically successful country．That dream does not seem so rosy now．
 
Graduate unemployment is not，ultimately, a political problem ready to be solved．Job-creation schemes for graduates are very low down in ministerial in-trays．If David Cameron's Conservatives had a brilliant idea for guaranteeing every graduate a well-paid job，they would have unveiled it by now．It is a social problem，though a more deep-seated social problem than people perhaps realize．
 
91．The author begins with an episode from The Graduate in order to
 
A．support the fact that more women are working now．
 
B．show that few graduates started working right after graduation．
 
C．demonstrate that there were much fewer graduates than now．
 
D．emphasize the sharp contrast between now and then．
 
92．With regard to job opportunities for young graduates，the author sounds
 
A．pessimistic． B．hopeful． C．indifferent． D．furious．
 
93．The author is ____ the Labour Government's target：50% of school leavers in higher education．
 
A．in favour of B．doubtful about
 
C．strongly critical of D．mildly critical of
 
94．Which of the following statements about parents’feelings is CORRECT?
 
A．Working—class parents feel just as disappointed．
 
B．Parents and their children feel equally disappointed．
 
C．Middle—class parents feel more disappointed．
 
D．Parents feel more disappointed than their children．
 
95．Towards the end of the passage，the author implies that
 
A．there will be job-creation schemes for graduates．
 
B．graduate unemployment is more of a political issue．
 
C．graduate unemployment is both a political and a social issue．
 
D．the Conservatives are doing far from enough to solve the issue．
 
TEXT D
 
No matter how many times you have seen images of the golden mask of boy king Tutankhamen，come face to face with it in Egypt's Cairo museum，and you will suck in your breath．
 
It was on Nov 4，1923，that British archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled on a stone at the base of the tomb of another pharaoh(法老)in Luxor that eventually led to a sealed doorway．
 
Then，on Nov 23，Carter found a second door and when he stuck his head through it，what he saw was to stun the world．Inside lay the great stone coffin，enclosing three chests of gilded wood．
 
A few months later, when a crane lifted its granite cover and one coffin after another was removed, Carter found a solid block of gold weighing 110kg．In it was the mummy(木乃伊) of the19-year-old
Tutankhamen，covered in gold with that splendid funeral mask．And all this lay buried for more than 3,000 years．
 
Months after my trip to Egypt, I can relive the rush of emotion I felt and sense the hush that descended on the crammed Cairo museum's Tutankhamen gallery．
 
Cairo，a dusty city of 20 million people，is a place where time seems to both stand still and rush into utter chaos．It is a place where the ancient and contemporary happily go along on parallel tracks．
 
Take the Great Pyramids of Giza，sitting on the western edge of the city．Even as the setting sun silhouettes these gigantic structures against the great desert expanse，a call for prayer floats over semi-finished apartment blocks filled with the activity of city life
．
 
While careful planning for the afterlife may lie buried underground in Cairo，it is noise and confusion on the streets．Donkey carts battle for space with pedestrians and the only operative road rule is“might is right．”But it is a city that is full of life—from the small roadside restaurants to the coffee shops where men and women smoke the shisha(水烟壶)．
 
Donkey carts piled high with flat-breads magically find their way in and out the maddening traffic；young women in long skirts and headscarves hold hands with young men in open collar shirts，while conversations dwell on Kuwait's chances at the soccer World Cup．
 
96．According to the context,“suck in your breath”means“feel a
sense of ____"．
 
A．awe B．horror C．doubt D．delight
 
97．Which of the following statements about the discovery of the mummy is INCORRECT?
 
A．The mummy was first discovered by a British archaeologist．
 
B．The discovery of the mummy came as a surprise．
 
C．The mummy was found lying right inside the stone coffin．
 
D．The masked mummy was covered in gold．
 
98．Which word CANNOT be used to describe the city of Cairo?
 
A．Crowdedness． B．Quiet． C．Noise． D．Confusion．
 
99．Which pair of words/phrases indicates contrast?
 
A．Gigantic structure；great desert expanse
 
B．A call for prayer；men and women with the shisha
 
C．Chaos；maddening
 
D．Coffee shops；pyramids
 
100．What is the author's attitude towards Cairo?
 
A．Positive． B．Objective． C．Negative． D. Not clear
 
2012英语专四考试阅读理解答案
 
81-85 CADBA
 
86-90 DBCAD
 
91-95 BADBB
 
96-100 ADBAC