But not everybody is aware that high cost and easy comfort are merely two of the effects of the vast cooling of American. In fact, air conditioning has substantially altered the country’s character and customs.

　　Many of the byproducts are so conspicuous that they are scarcely noticed. To begin with, air-conditioning transformed the face of America by making possible those glassy, boxy, sealed-in skyscrapers. It has been indispensable, no less, to the functioning of sensitive advanced computers, whose high operating temperatures require that they be constantly cooled. . .

　　It has, at will, forced families into retreating into families with closed doors and shut windows, reducing the interactions of neighborhood life. It is really surprising that the public’s often noted withdrawal into self-pursuit and privacy has coincided with the historic spread of air-conditioning. Though science has little studied how habitual air-conditioning affects mind and body, some medical experts suggest that, like other technical avoidance of natural variations in climate, air-conditioning may damage the human capacity to adapt to stress. If so, air-conditioning is only like many other greatly useful technical developments that liberate man from nature by increasing his productivity and power in some way - while indirectly weakening him in others.

　　1. According to this selection, which of the following constitutes the unique character of U.S.?

　　A)Its excessive use of air-conditioning.

　　B)Its advanced computerized civilization.

　　C)Its public’s retreating into self-pursuit.

　　D)Its greatest contribution to human civilization.

　　2. According to the author, the chief consequence brought about by the wide application of air-conditioning is ____.

　　A)the loss of human capacity to adapt to changes in climate

　　B)the reduction of social communications of neighborhood life

　　C)the active life style of all its users

　　D)the decreased human production and power

　　3. The tone of this selection reveals that air-conditioning ____.

　　A)has little effect on its users

　　B)has more effect on body than on mind

　　C)brings more benefits than damage to its users

　　D)does harm as well as good to its users

　　4. Who benefits the least from air-conditioning according to the author?

　　A)Medical experts.

　　B)Manufacturers.

　　C)Factory laborers.

　　D)Consumers.

　　5. What is the author’s overall attitude towards air-conditioning?

　　A)Neutral

　　B)Objective

　　C)Critical

　　D)Compromising

　　答案：

　　1.A)Its excessive use of air-conditiong對應(yīng)原文Today most Americans need to take air-conditioning for granted to homes, offices, factories, theatres, shops, studios, schools, hotels, and restaurants.

　　take sth for granted認(rèn)為某事理所當(dāng)然

　　2.B)the reduction of social communications of neighborhood life對應(yīng)原文forced families into retreating into families with closed doors and shut windows, reducing the interactions of neighborhood life

　　neighborhood life社區(qū)生活

　　選項(xiàng)A并未對應(yīng)題干中的According to the author　而是對應(yīng)原文中的some medical experts suggest that

　　3.標(biāo)準(zhǔn)答案是C)brings more benefits than damage to its users，但我認(rèn)為應(yīng)該選D)does harm as well as good to its users，對應(yīng)原文最后一句If so, air-conditioning is only like many other greatly useful technical developments(positive words)that liberate man from nature by increasing his productivity and power in some way - while indirectly weakening him in others(negative words)，于是does harm as well as good to its users.

　　4.D)Consumers是最精確的。原文直接批判空調(diào)的一句話是forced families into retreating into families with closed doors and shut windows, reducing the interactions of neighborhood life，顯然according to the author，consumers為從空調(diào)中受益最少的。而ABC三個選項(xiàng)，BC可以作為by increasing his productivity的受益者，A的工作性質(zhì)則完全與空調(diào)無關(guān)，ABC甚至也都可以成為D的一種。

　　5.C)Critical對應(yīng)原文It has, at will, forced，聽起來很像批判。

　　at will 隨意　任意

　　英語四級閱讀理解基礎(chǔ)練習(xí)二：

　　Of the thousands of different kinds of animals that exist in the world man has learned to make friends with an enormous number. Some are pets, and offer him companionship; some give protection, and some do hard work which man cannot do for himself. Dogs, which serve man in all three capacities, are found in various breeds in all countries of the world. The Husky can live in the cold polar regions, and the Saluki is at home in the hottest parts of Central Africa. The inhabitants of certain countries are dependent for their very lives on the camel. In the West Indies the little donkey, strong and sure-footed, carrying heavy loads even in mountainous places, is a familiar sight.來源：考試大

　　Trained and tamed for many generations, domestic animals are not accustomed to roaming(到處走動) in search of food and shelter. They look to their masters to provide for their needs, and as long as these are supplied, they are content to do what their masters require.

　　All domestic animals need proper food. It must be suitable for them, sufficient in quantity, fresh and clean. Some people feed a pet dog or cat on odds and ends of table scraps, and then wonder why the animal seems listless(倦怠的) and dull. The quantity of food depends on the size of the animal and the amount of exercise it takes. Overfeeding is as bad as underfeeding. Containers for food and water must be washed regularly if the animal is to maintain good health.

　　Even well cared for animals may sometimes fall ill. If this happens, the wise master seeks the best advice he can get. All sorts of medicines and treatments are available for sick animals, and in some countries organizations exist to provide them free or at a cheap price. Useful, friendly, hardworking animals deserve to have some time, money and attention spent on their health.

　　1. What main idea does the author want to convey in the first paragraph?

　　A) There exists thousands of species of animals in the world.

　　B) Man came to establish a close relationship with a number of animals.

　　C) In some regions a donkey seems to be a very useful beast.

　　D) An animal will be useless unless domesticated.

　　2. When an animal is underfed, it will probably ____.

　　A) refuse to obey its master

　　B) immediately fall ill

　　C) require its master to offer some food

　　D) seek for food on its own

　　3. Which of the following is NOT true of dogs according to the passage?

　　A) They can act as friends, guards, and servants to man.

　　B) They have great adaptation for the environment.

　　C) There live a great variety of breeds of dogs on the globe.

　　D) The Husky and the Saluki are the strongest breed ever known in the world.

　　4. To keep a domestic animal physically fit, its owner is advised ____.

　　A) not to hesitate to spend enormous amount of money on it

　　B) to pay attention to its proper feeding

　　C) not to allow it to take excessive amounts of exercise

　　D) to join some sort of pet-keeping organizations

　　5. Which of the following would be best TITLE for this passage?

　　A) Domesticated Animals - Man’s Best Friend

　　B) Proper Diet - the Road to Health

　　C) The Advantages of Raising Domestic Animals

　　D) Some Tips on Pet-keeping

　　答案：

　　1.B)Man came to establish a close relationship with a number of animals. 黑體部分為第一段兩個要點(diǎn)，A只包含了一個要點(diǎn)，C只提到了一頭驢。D則完全與第一段無關(guān)。這道選錯了要面壁哦。

　　2.A)refuse to obey its master對應(yīng)原文Some people feed a pet dog or cat on odds and ends of table scraps(即題干中的When an animal is underfed, 所以要在這句話中找答案～), and then wonder why the animal seems listless(倦怠的) and dull. 由于答案比較隱晦, 先保留A, B(直接得病)、C(要求食物)和D(自己覓食)均未從此句中得到絲毫體現(xiàn), 所以A為最接近答案. 因?yàn)槲壹茵B(yǎng)過狗, 所以比較清楚, refuse to obey its master的一個表現(xiàn)就是listless and dull, 簡單的說, 就是你逗它它沒反應(yīng)。