第四部分 阅读理解
i. 题型介绍
该部分考查应试者对文章主旨和细节信息的理解能力, 要求应试者阅读3篇具有一定难度级别的文章, 每篇文章300-450词。每篇文章后有5道小题，要求应试者根据文章的内容，从每题所给的4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
阅读理解能力包括：
● 掌握所读材料的主旨和大意；
● 了解阐述主旨的事实和细节；
● 利用上下文猜测某些词汇和短语的意义；
● 既理解个别句子的意义，也理解上下文之间的逻辑关系；
● 根据所读材料进行判断、推论或做出结论；
● 领会作者的观点、意图和态度。
ⅱ.考查目标
应试者能综合运用英语语言知识和阅读技能来理解本专业的或一般内容的英语书面材料。
iii.阅读理解文章中的重点阅读部分
阅读一篇文章时，要按照文章的篇章结构和延伸脉络去阅读。
文章脉络主要反映在以下几个方面：
（1）大标题
举例：
1）what is this passage （the national park service） about?
a. it is about the american national parks.
b. it is about the national park service.
c. it is about the national park service partnerships.
d. it is about the care and preservation of the national parks in america.
【答疑编号11040101】
答案：b
2）according to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years? （new foods and new world）
a. food
b. clothing
c. ideology
d. language
【答疑编号11040102】
答案；a
3）when are turkey and pumpkin pie eaten? （feast on turkey and good wishes at thanksgiving）
a. on halloween
b. on thursday
c. on thanksgiving
d. on christmas day
【答疑编号11040103】
答案：c
（2）开头句：是文章的中心句或中心思想；
举例：
1）how many people have been found dead in the two ferry disasters?
a. over 130
b. at least 40
c. about 400
d. over 3,000
【答疑编号11040104】
原文：rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in bangladesh. the accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on april 21. hundreds more are missing or feared dead.
答案：a
2）according to the passage, some engineers are trying to improve the handlebars BECause
a. they are not noble enough
b. they may kill children
c. they are likely to crash
d. they make the bike move at a low speed.
【答疑编号11040105】
原文：low speed bicycle crashes can badly injure --- or even kill --- children if they fall onto the ends of the handlebars. so a team of engineers is redesigning the humble handlebar in a bid to make it safer.
答案：b
（3）结尾句：是文章的结论、结果、要求、产生的影响、后果或全篇的概括。
举例：
1）the author of this passage probably aGREes that
a. coffee lovers sleep less than those who do not drink coffee.
b. we should not drink coffee after supper.
c. people sleep more soundly at midnight than at 3 a.m.
d. if we feel sleepy at night, we should go to bed immediately.
【答疑编号11040106】
原文：because it can take many hours to eliminate caffeine from the body, ohayon recommends that coffee lovers switch to decaf after lunch.
答案：b
remove
eliminate
get rid of
wipe out
2）what is the writer worrying about?
a. many us software specialists are working for japan.
b. the quality problem has become a worldwide problem.
c. the us will no longer be the first software player in the world.
d. india and japan are joining hands to compete with the us.
【答疑编号11040107】
原文：let’s hope that u.s. lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems.
答案：c
take precautions to：采取措施
3）precautions should be taken to
a. prevent people from sleepwalking
b. keep sleepwalkers safe
c. avoid running into sleepwalkers
d. ensure the safety of people asleep
【答疑编号11040108】
原文：although occasional sleepwalking isn’t a big deal, it is important, of course, that the person is kept safe. precautions should be taken so the person is less likely to fall down, run into something or walk out the front door while sleepwalking.
答案：b
（4）过渡信号词：
表示并列: and, or, nor, either…or, not only…but also, not… but
举例：uniformed rangers, the most visible representatives of the service, not only offer park visitors a friendly wave, a helpful answer, or a thought-provoking history lesson, but also are skilled rescuers, firefighters and dedicated resource protection professionals.
表示文章层次顺序：first, second, third, in addition, furthermore, moreover, then, also
举例：many things about language are a mystery, and many will always remain so. but some things we do know.
first, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort.
second, there is no such thing as a primitive language.
a third thing we know about language is that all languages are perfectly adequate.
finally, we know that language changes.
表示文章转折：but, though, however, yet, unfortunately
举例：a ride in a cable-car is one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences a child can have. in switzerland, which is the home of the cable-car, it is used mostly to take tourists up the slop of a mountain, to a restaurant from which one can have a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding country, or to the top of a ski-run, from which, in winter, skiers glide down the snow-covered slope on skis. in singapore, however, the cable-car takes one from the summit of a hill on the main island to a low hill on sentosa, a resort island just off the southern coast.
表示对比：on the other hand, on the contrary, instead, in contrast, whereas
举例：the approach to teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts. instead, americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. students spend much time, learning how to use resource materials, libraries, statistics and computers. americans believe that if children are taught to reason well and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives. knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation of facts.
表示比较：similarly, equally, like, equally important, in the same way
举例：long bus rides are like television shows. they have a beginning, a middle, and an end --- with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. the commercials are unavoidable. they happen whether you want them or not. every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. “ buy super clean toothpaste.” “ drink good’n wet root beer.” “ fill up in pacific gas.” only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the tv set off, are you spared the unending cry of “ you need it! buy it now!”
表示例证：for example, for instance, a case in point is, say, such as, like
举例：the question is no mere academic one. the case, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls insistently for round-the-clock working of machines.
表示原因: for, since, as, because, owing to， due to
举例：northern europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the SUN because they have so little of it. residents of cities like london, copenhagen, and amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short and much of the rest of the year in the rain. this is the reason the mediterranean has always attracted them. every summer, more than 25 million people travel to mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. they all come for the same reason: sun!
表示结果：therefore, accordingly, as a result, so, consequently, thus
举例：recently the department of planning of new york issued a report which laid bare a full scale of change of the city. in 1970, 18 percent of the city’s population was foreign-born. by 1995, the figure had risen to 33 percent, and another 20 percent were the us-born offsprings of immigrants. so immigrants and their children now form a majority of the city’s population.
majority
minority
表示让步: although, though, despite, in spite that, even though
举例：children under three are likely to protest at leaving their parents and show unhappiness. at the age of three or three and a half almost all children find the transition to nursery easy, and this is undoubtedly why more and more parents make use of child care at this time. the matter, then, is far from clear-cut, though experience indicates that early care is reasonable for infants.
表示总结：finally, in summary, to sum up, in conclusion, at last，in other words
举例：although the country’s trade deficit was more than ￡ 60 billion in 2006, uk’s largest in the postwar period, officials say the country has nothing to worry about. in fact, britain does have a world-class pharmaceutical industry, and it still makes a small sum from selling arms abroad. it also trades services - accountancy, insurance, banking and advertising. the government believes britain is on the cutting edge of the knowledge economy. after all, the country of shakespeare and wordsworth has a literary tradition of which to be proud. rock‘n’ roll is an english language medium, and there are billions to be made by their cutting-edge bands. in other words, the creative economy has plenty of strength to carry the british economy.
when：当…时；正在这时候
例如：i was reading when i heard sth.
3）first, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort. there is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, no set of speech sounds by which the people communicate with one another. furthermore, in historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language.
4）critical distance apparently is present wherever and whenever there is a flight reaction. "critical distance" includes the narrow zone separating flight distance from attack distance. a lion in a zoo will flee from an approaching man until it meets a barrier that it cannot overcome. if the man continues the approach, he soon penetrates the lion’s critical distance, at which point the cornered lion reverses direction7 and begins slowly to stalk the man.
② 宾语从句： 多由that引导，that可以省略。其他还有whether/if, wh-疑问词, how。阅读时，若想提高阅读速度，可忽略主句，只看从句。在文章中寻找discover, find, show, indicate, suggest, mean, report, believe,等词。
举例：
1）lotan shilo and a team at the sapir medical center in tel aviv university found that six volunteers slept less well after a cup of caffeinated coffee than after drinking the same amount of decaf.
2）the researchers want to know if such systems, which give audible or written directions, are too distracting --- or whether any distractions are offset by the benefits drivers get from having help finding their way in unfamiliar locations.
3）the team discovered that subjects with the poorest memory recollection also displayed the poorest glucose tolerance.
③ 同位语从句： 由that 引导，一般跟在名词（fact, news, idea, hope, report, opinion, order, question, belief, decision, proposal, suggestion, plan, conclusion, promise, etc.）后面，对其进行解释和说明。
举例：
1）research teams have conducted studies that show beyond all reasonable doubt that tobacco smoking is associated with a shortened life expectancy.
2）findings published online this week by the proceedings of the national academy of sciences further support the theory that the brain organizes and stows memories formed during the day while the rest of the body is catching zzz’s.
3）some people have drawn the conclusion from bowlby’s work that children should not be subjected to day care before the age of three.
④ 定语从句：由三部分构成：先行词（名词或代词），关系词（关系代词和关系副词）和从句。关系代词主要包括who, which, that, whose, whom；关系副词有when, where, why等。
举例：
1）the cable-car is really a carriage which hangs from a strong steel cable suspended in the air.
2）if the man continues the approach, he soon penetrates the lion’s critical distance, at which point the cornered lion reverses direction and begins slowly to stalk the man.
3）ceremonial bathing has existed for thousands of years and has many forms, one of which is the sauna.
4）long before the white man came to the america, the land belonged to the american indian nations. the nation of the cherokees lived in a place that is now the southeastern part of the united states.
⑤ 主语从句： 由that, whether/if, wh-疑问词, how等引导。重点看主语。
it…that…
it is…that…
it was…that…
举例：
1）what is surprising is that no one company dominates the industry. it seems that when people plan for a day as special to them as a wedding, they resist standardization.
2）it can be inferred from the passage that a child will have a better chance to develop his intelligence if he has more opportunities to communicate with others by means of language.
3）it is true that manufacturing jobs have declined, with many of them going to foreign countries. it is also true that there has been growth in some low-paying service jobs.
ⅳ.题型分析及解题技巧
根据大纲中对应试者的阅读理解能力的要求，职称英语阅读理解题型可分为以下几种：
掌握所读材料的主旨和大意；
主旨题 测试考生对整篇文章或其中某一段的大意能否正确理解，以及确定文章的标题、写作意图等。
解题技巧：主要看文章的题目、首段、每段的首句以及最后一段。
举例：
income may be national income and personal income. whereas national income is defined as the total earned income of all the factors of production---namely, profits, interest, rent, wages and other compensation for labor, personal income may be defined as total money income received by individuals before personal taxes are paid. national income does not equal gnp because the factors of production do not receive payment for either capital consumption allowances or indirect business taxes, both of which are included in gnp. the money put aside for capital consumption is for replacement and thus is not counted as income. indirect taxes include sales taxes, property taxes and excise taxes that are paid by businesses directly to the government and so reduce the income left to pay for the factors of production. three-fourths of national income goes for wages, salaries and other forms of compensation to employees.
passage
article
mainly
main idea
mainly tells
mainly about
this passage is mainly about_______.
a. the difference between national income and gnp.
b. the difference between national income and personal income.
c. the concept of income
d. the difference between disposable income and nondisposable income.
【答疑编号11040401】
答案：b
了解阐述主旨的事实和细节；
事实和细节题 除了抓住文章的主旨和大意外，还必须抓住阐述和发展主题的一些重要事实或细节。
（1）疑问词提问when, where, who, how, why, which, what
解题技巧：从问题中找出问题的关键词，即能表达问题所涉及内容的中心词，然后迅速在短文中找出关键词在短文中的位置，以及包含所需信息的句子或短语，最后根据这些句子或短语做出正确的选择。
名词/名词短语
形容词
副词
专有名词
数字
举例：
who are these new yorkers? why do they come here? where are they from? the last question is easy to answer: we come from everywhere. in the list of the top 20 source nations of those sending immigrants to new york between 1990 and 1994 are six countries in asia, five in the caribbean, four in latin america, three in europe, plus israel and the former soviet union. and when we immigrants get here we roll up our sleeves.
where are the new new yorkers from?
a. asia
b. europe
c. all over the world
d. latin america
【答疑编号11040402】
答案：c
①true（correct）一正三误（找正）
②not true（not correct）
找误 三正一误
……true……except
③not mentioned
三个提到
一个未提到
细节查找
举例a：
plumptre says that similar problems may also plague other animal census studies that rely on indirect evidence such as nests, tracks or burrows.
问题：all of the followings are indirect evidence except
a. trunks
b. dung
c. nests
d. burrows
答案：a
【答疑编号11040403】
举例b：
she would be long limbed, shapely, beautiful and only 11.5 inches tall. ruth and elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter, barbie.
in 1959, the barbie doll would make her way to the new york toy show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers.
barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. she is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market.
barbie has a universal appeal and collectors both young and old enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls.
attraction
appeal
问题：which of the following statements is not true of the barbie doll?
a. she doesn’t attract young men.
b. she has undergone many changes over the years.
c. she is 11.5 inches tall.
d. she has managed to keep up with fashion.
答案：a
【答疑编号11040404】
（3）针对文中某一叙述细节提问
解题技巧：根据题目中的问题关键词，在文章中找到答案。
举例：
each of them will write a list of things that they are thankful for and place the paper in the basket. the family will read the pieces of paper and take time to thank god and each other for providing them with comfortable and happy lives.
问题：thanksgiving is the time for the american people to thank god for
a. looking after them
b. providing them with comfortable and happy lives
c. clothing them
d. protecting them
【答疑编号11040405】
答案：b
（4）数字题
解题技巧：对照原文，检查选项的数字表达、转换、理解和计算。
举例：
but a new report suggests that as many as a third of new cancers could be avoided by adopting healthier lifestyles and through public health action.
问题：according to a new report, healthier lifestyles and public health action could help reduce about
a. 50% of new cancers
b. 33% of new cancers
c. 12% of new cancers
c. 80% of new cancers
【答疑编号11040406】
答案：b
（5）代词“指代”题 常考代词包括：it, that, which, them, their, one, ones, none
解题技巧： 就近指代，顺着代词所指回到前一句查找代词指代的名词、名词短语。
the room is small.
it is our classroom.
举例a：
today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. to meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built.
问题：in paragraph 3, the phrase “this need” refers to
a. the need to prolong the lives of old people.
b. the need to enrich the life of the retired people.
c. the need to build profit-making nursing homes.
d. the need to take care of sick and weak people.
答案：d
【答疑编号11040407】
举例b：
should we attempt to eliminate “ inferior” people and breed a “super-race”? （ hitler tries this , but without the genetic weaponry that may soon issue from our laboratories ）.
问题：according to the passage, hitler attempted to
a. change the pilots biologically to win the war.
b. develop genetic farming for food supply.
c. kill the people he thought of as inferior.
d. encourage the development of genetic weapons for the war.
答案：c
【答疑编号11040408】
（6）利用同义词设计的试题 测试考生对一个词、短语或一句话的理解。
解题技巧：所选答案应是原文相关句或相关词的同义改写或同义词替换。同义改写有可能出现在题目中或选项中。
举例：
four weeks ago us children dressed as monsters and asked for sweets. that was halloween.
on halloween, children in the united states often dress up as____.
a. ghosts
b. players
c. pilgrims
d. visitors
【答疑编号11040501】
答案：a
利用上下文猜测某些词汇和短语的意义；
推测词义题 要求为文章中的某个单词、短语甚至句子等找出近义词或最合适的解释。
解题技巧：
1） 利用上下文词语意义的相互联系猜测词义
jogging has become very popular in some countries. it is believed to be a good exercise for old people.
2）利用文章中词与词的同义和反义关系猜测词义
in the northern regions the winters are generally cold and humid, and the summers hot and dry.
3）利用文章中对词的定义猜测词义
jack is now a florist, who keeps a shop for selling flowers in our district.
4）利用文章中对词的举例及解释猜测词义
today young couples who are just starting their households spend lots of their money on appliances, for instance, washing machines, refrigerators and color tvs.
5）利用构词法知识猜测词义
派生词：根据词根上添加的前缀和后缀来猜测其含义。
we were told that ours was the most spacious room in the hotel. that was why we had to pay so much for it.
6） 利用上下文的提示
a.提示词：i.e. or , that is, means, is known as, is called，——
（1）a third thing we know about language is that all languages are perfectly adequate. that is, each one is a perfect means of expressing the culture of the people who speak the language.
（2）37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in spain.
b. 同位语
botany, the study of plants, occupies a peculiar position in the history of human knowledge.
c. 上下文关系解释
but in essence the tower inspires simply by being there —— a blank canvas for visitors to make of it what they will. to the technically minded, it’s an engineering triumph. for lovers, it’s romantic.
举例：
for many brazilians, the centerpiece of the carnival is saMBA, a typical brazilian dance. every year, tens of thousands of visitors and locals show off their passion and energy in the streets, following the beat of the latin music.
the word “centerpiece” in the 4th paragraph means
a）the most important part
b）the part in the middle
c）the central part of the city
d）the most attractive decoration
【答疑编号11040502】
答案：a
means……
refers to……
is defined as……
is nearest in meaning
is known as……
can be replaced by
a is taller than b
a is as tall as b
举例：
in what may be bad news for bars and pubs, an european research group has found that people drinking alcohol outside of meals have a significantly higher risk of cancer in the mouth and neck than do those taking their libations with food.
researchers have found that the risk of cancer in the mouth and neck is higher with people
a. who drink alcohol outside of meals
b. who drink alcohol at meals
c. who never drink alcohol
d. who drink alcohol at bars and pubs
【答疑编号11040505】
答案：a
（3）例证关系 文章中的论据是为了证明论点。
解题技巧：找到文章中举例的地方，答案为其段首句或前一句。
举例a：
social distance is not always rigidly fixed but is determined in part by the situation. when the young of apes and humans are mobile but not yet under control of the mother’s voice, social distance may be the length of her reach. this is readily observed among the baboons in a zoo. when the baby approaches a certain point, the mother reaches out to seize the end of its tail and pull it back to her. when added control is needed because of danger, social distance shrinks. to show this in man, one has only to watch a family with a number of small children holding hands as they cross a busy street.
the example of the children holding hands when crossing the street in the last paragraph shows that _______.
a. social distance is not always needed.
b. there is no social distance among small children
c. humans are different from animals in social distance
d. social distance is sometimes determined by outside factors
【答疑编号11040506】
答案：d
举例b：
organisms have a great variety of ways of adapting. they may adapt in their structure, function and genetics, in their development and production of the young and in other respects. an organism may create its own environment, as do warm-blooded mammals, which have the ability to adjust body heat exactly to maintain their ideal temperature despite changing weather. usually adaptations are an advantage, but sometimes an organism is so well adapted to a particular environment that, if conditions change, it finds it difficult or impossible to readapt to the new conditions.
the example
cite v. 引用……例
the author cities the behavior of warm-blooded mammals in order to show that a living thing may have the ability
a. to create an environment of its own
b. to remain still when an enemy is near
c. to make food from inorganic chemicals
d. to change the color of its skin
【答疑编号11040507】
答案：a
根据所读材料进行判断、推论或做出结论；
推理题 为较高阅读理解能力的测试，主要考查考生通过对文字表面内容的认识，理解内在的含义和意义的能力。
解题技巧：通过对文字表面的认识，把握住推理范围，利用相关部分提供的事实、背景知识和常识，从而做出正确的选择。
举例：
one-room school：一间房学校
a few hours in a small school that has only one classroom and it becomes clear why so many parents feel that one of the advantages of living in nebraska is that their children have to go to a one-room school.
infer from……
show that……
indicate……
learn from……
suggest that……
imply that……
问题：it can be inferred from the last sentence that parents living in nebraska
a. don’t like centralized schools.
b. received education in one-room schools.
c. prefer rural life to urban one.
d. come from other states.
【答疑编号11040601】
答案：a
领会作者的观点、意图和态度
作者语气、态度、观点题。测试考生通过对文章的理解，对作者说话的语气、态度和观点的把握。
解题技巧：通过作者说话的语气、文章的措词、文体等来判断，特别注意文章的结尾句。
举例：
the mayor of new york once said, "immigration continues to shape the unique character and drive the economic engine of new york city." he believes that immigrants are at the heart of what makes new york great. in europe, by contrast, it is much more common to hear politicians worry about the loss of "unity" that immigration brings to their societies. in the quarter century since 1970, the united states admitted about 12.5 million legal immigrants, and has absorbed them into its social structures with an ease beyond the imagination of other nations. since these immigrants are purposeful and hard working, they will help america to make a fresh start in the next century.
问题：what is the author’s attitude towards immigration to new york?
a. negative
b. worried
c. indifferent
d. positive
【答疑编号11040602】
答案：d
the author’s attitude
the author feels
the author worries
…… favors
the author agrees
常见描述作者态度的词有：opposition （ 反对）, suspicion（怀疑） approval（赞成）, indifference，unconcerned（漠不关心）, critical（批评）, puzzled（不解）, disappointed（失望）, amazed（惊讶）, objective（客观的）, subjective（主观的）, ironical（讽刺）, worried（担心）, humorous（幽默）, optimistic（乐观）, pessimistic（悲观）, positive（肯定）, negative（否定）
the beginning of american literature（a）
begin
start
initial
origin
original
source
early stage
american has always been a land of beginnings. after europeans ‘discovered’ america in the fifteenth century, the mysterious new world became for many people a genuine hope of a new life, an escape from poverty and persecution, a chance to start again. （1）we can say that, as nation, america begins with that hope. when, however, does american literature begin?
american literature begins with american experiences. （2）long before the first colonists arrived, before christopher columbus, before the northmen who “found” america about the year 1,000, native americans lived here. （3）each tribe’s literature was tightly woven into the fabric of daily life and reflected the unmistakably american experience of lining with the land. another kind of experience, one filled with fear and excitement, found its expression in the reports that columbus and other explorers sent home in spain, french and english. in addition, the journals of the people who lived and died in the new england wilderness3 tell unforgettable tales of hard and sometimes heartbreaking experiences of those early years.
（4）experience, then, is the key to early american literature. the new world provided a great variety of experiences, and these experiences demanded a wide variety of expressions by an even wider variety of early american writers. these writers included john smith, who spent only two-and-a-half years on the american continent. （5）they included jonathan edwards and william byrd, who thought of themselves as british subjects, never suspecting a revolution that would create a united states of america with a literature of its own. american indians, explorers, puritan ministers, frontier wives, plantation owner - they are all the creators of the first american literature.
练习：
1. what does “that hope” in the first paragraph refer to?
a）the hope that america would be discovered.
b）the hope to start a new life.
c）the hope to see the mysteries of the new world.
d）the hope to find poverty here.
【答疑编号11040701】
答案：b
2. when did american literature begin?
a）before the american natives lived there.
b）when columbus and other explorers sent reports back home
c）when the northmen found america in about 1,000.
d）long before the year 1,000.
【答疑编号11040702】
答案：d
3. what can we learn from the literature of the tribes of the native americans?
a） about the everyday life of the native americans.
b） about the arrival of columbus.
c） about the experience of the first european settlers.
d） about the experience of those who died in the new england wilderness.
【答疑编号11040703】
答案：a
4. the main purpose of the last paragraph is to tell the readers that
a）in the early days most american writers were from great britain.
b）people with rich life experiences became writers.
c）there were many writers in the early days of american history.
d）early-day experience provided the foundation for american literature
【答疑编号11040704】
答案：d
5. according to the last paragraph, which of the following statements is true about american literature?
a）some british writers started american literature.
b）early-day american literature is a reflection of the boring life then.
c）some british writers had doubts about the future of american literature.
d）some british writers had great confidence in the future of american literature.
【答疑编号11040705】
答案：d
suspect
doubt
find yourself packing it on? blame friends （c）
because
due to
owing to
since/as
blame
be responsible for
attribute…… to ……
attributed to……
obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus, researchers are reporting today. when one person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight, too.
fatness
their study, published in the new england journal of medicine, involved a detailed analysis of a large social network of 12,067 people who had been closely followed for 32 years, from 1971 to 2003.
the investigators knew who was friends with whom as well as who was a spouse or sibling or neighbor, and they knew how much each person weighed at various times over three decades. that let them reconstruct what happened over the years as individuals became obese. did their friends also become obese? did family members ? or neighbors?
（1）the answer, the researchers report, was that people were most likely to become obese when a friend became obese. that increased a person’s chances of becoming obese by 57%. there was no effect when a neighbor gained or lost weight, however, and （2）family members had less influence than friends.
（2）it did not even matter if the friend was hundreds of miles away, the influence remained. and the greatest influence of all was between close mutual friends. there, if one became obese, the other had a 171% increased chance of becoming obese, too.
the same effect seemed to occur for weight loss, the investigators say. but since most people were gaining, not losing, over the 32 years, the result was, on average, that people grew fatter.
dr. nicholas a. christakis, a physician and professor of medical sociology at harvard medical school and a principal investigator in the new study, said one explanation was that （3）friends affects each others’ perception of fatness. when a close friend becomes obese, obesity may not look so bad.
“you change your idea of what is an acceptable body type by looking at the people around you,” dr. christakis said.
the investigators say their findings can help explain why americans have become fatter in recent years---- each person who became obese was likely to drag along some friends.
their analysis was unique, dr. christakis said, because it moved beyond a simple analysis of one person and his or her （4）social contacts and instead examined an entire social network at once, looking at how a person’s friend’s friends, or a spouse’s sibling’s friends, could have an influence on a person’s weight.
the effects, he said, “highlight the importance of a spreading process, a kind of （5）social contagion, that spreads through the network.”
of course, the investigators say, social networks are not the only factors that affect body weight. there is a strong genetic component at work, too.
science has shown that individuals have genetically determined ranges of weights, spanning perhaps 30 or so pounds for each person. but that leaves a large role for the environment in determining whether a person’s weight is near the top of his or her range or near the bottom. as people have gotten fatter, it appears that many are edging toward the top of their ranges. the question has been why.
if the new research is correct, it may say that something in the environment seeded what some call an obesity epidemic, making a few people gain weight. then, （5）social networks let the obesity spread rapidly.
练习：
1. who had the greatest influence on people who became obese?
a. their friends
b. their neighbours
c. their family members
d. their colleagues
【答疑编号11040706】
答案：a
2. which of the following statement about a friend’s influence is false according to the report?
a. friends had more influence than family members on people who became obese.
b. even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remained.
c. people were not likely to lose weight when they have skinny friends.
d. the greatest influence of all was between close mutual friends.
【答疑编号11040707】
答案：c
not true=false
3. according to dr. nicholas a. christakis, what is the explanation for friends being the greatest influence?
a. friends usually spend a lot of time together.
b. friends share similar eating habits.
c. friends are more important than family members.
d. friends affected each others’ feelings of fatness.
【答疑编号11040708】
答案：d
influence
effect n.
affect
impact
4. which factor of becoming obese is not mentioned in this report?
a. social contact
b. genetic information
c. life style
d. environmental influences.
【答疑编号11040709】
答案：c
who （doesn’t） let the dogs bark?（a）
for the past year, cornelia czarnecki said, the barking of her neighbor’s german shepherd has awakened her repeatedly at 4 a.m. the dog often barks for hours at a time, said mrs. czarnecki, a clifton resident.
"that dog is out there barking day and night, and we don’t know what to do anymore," she said.
（1）mrs. czarnecki became so upset about the dog that she filed a municipal complaint against him under the town’s general noise ordinance. the case is set to be heard in municipal court on august 6. （3\a）complaints like the ones mrs. czarnecki lodged with the police and city officials led the clifton city council to draft an ordinance that could result in fines for residents whose dogs are "barking, howling, crying" or making any other loud noises for more than 30 minutes in an hour. "i can’t wait," mrs. czarnecki said. the council took up the ordinance for a first reading on tuesday; a final vote is scheduled on august 8.
（2）"it’s a quality of life issue," said councilman frank c. fusco, who introduced the measure. （3\b）clifton is far from alone in seeking to silence noisy dogs. at least 144 of new jersey’s municipalities have laws that address whining and barking, according to a municipal ordinance database online at www.generalcode.com.
in new york, at least 30 towns in nassau and suffolk counties have similar laws, as do about 25 towns in westchester county. connecticut has a statewide law barring dogs that are a "nuisance" because of "excessive barking or other disturbance."
many of the ordinances in the region are general prohibitions against excessive whining or barking. in westchester, the city of new rochelle ran into trouble with its law in 1997 after a resident challenged a citation. （3\c）a city judge ruled that the ordinance was unconstitutionally vague because it did not include details about time of day and duration of barking, and the city changed the law in 1998.
"many of these ordinances go back to the 1800s," said the new rochelle corporation counsel, bernis shapiro. "they’re just carried forward and they don’t get changed until an issue comes up."
in may 2006, hillsborough township in somerset county passed an ordinance to specifically address barking, but no complaints have been filed since then, said lt. bill geary of the hillsborough police department. other new jersey towns, including bloomsbury in hunterdon county and manville in somerset, considered such ordinances but withdrew them after residents complained that they would be unenforceable.
as for those who contend that a barking dog should be a low priority, councilman fusco said, "if the dog was next to your house, you’d sing a different song."
mr. fusco said he was confident that the ordinance proposed in clifton would be supported by his fellow council members. at the same time, he knows that some residents may object.
but david axelrod, a groomer at furrs n purrs on valley road, said he did not think the measure was tough enough.
"thirty minutes is extremely generous," he said. "there is no reason why a dog should be barking that long."
the ordinance says barking must be sustained to be illegal, and it bans excessive barking only from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
under the ordinance, a, resident complains to the city health department, which sends a warning note. if the barking continues, the resident takes the complaint to municipal court, where fines can start at $250. before a court date, the city would most likely try to resolve the matter through mediation, said the city attorney, matthew t. priore.
last year about a dozen warning letters were sent to residents about their barking dogs, clifton officials said.
（3\d）currently, residents can complain about barking under the city’s general noise ordinance, but they have to essentially prosecute the case in municipal court themselves, mr. fusco said. （4）under the proposed ordinance, residents would appear as a witness in a case presented by the municipal prosecutor.
"the new ordinance has some bite to it," mr. fusco said. eric m. zwerling, director of the rutgers university noise technical assistance center, trains police Officers on noise complaints and writes municipal noise codes.
"one of the things i say to the officers i train is that if people were fundamentally civil to each other, we’d all be out of work," he said.
（5）mr. zwerling, the owner of a chocolate labrador named bosco, said he had his own appreciation of the barking problem.
"a dog is barking for one of two reasons -- either it needs attention or it is trying to alert you to something," he said. "in either case, you should be attending to it."
练习：
1. what’s the reaction of mrs. czarnecki when she was annoyed by the barking of her neighbor’s dog?
a）she went to her neighbor’s door to complain about it.
b）she wrote to the local government and suggested that a law should be made to prohibit the dogs from barking.
c）she lodged a complaint against the dog with the municipality.
d）she became so upset and telephoned the police.
【答疑编号11040801】
答案：c
be upset
angry
agitated
annoyed
2. in the city of clifton, a legislative bill that addresses whining and barking was introduced by
a）david axelrod
b）frank c. fusco
c）matthew t. priore
d）eric m. zwerling
【答疑编号11040802】
答案：b
3. which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
a）mrs. czarnecki’s complaint made the city officials decide to introduce the general noise ordinance.
b）clifton is the first city in new jersey that seeks to silence noisy dogs.
c）the general noise ordinance in clifton is contradictory to the constitution so that it was changed in 1998.
d）at present, clifton residents who complain about the noisy dogs can not employ a lawyer to prosecute the case in municipal court.
【答疑编号11040803】
答案：d
4. which of the following statements about the proposed ordinance is true?
a）clifton city council finally passed it on tuesday, august 8.
b）under the ordinance, whenever a dog barks over 30 minutes in an hour, its master will get fined.
c）all the residents in clifton hope that the ordinance can be reinforced as soon as possible because it is a quality of life issue.
d）people who complain about the disturbance by noisy dogs do not need to prosecute the case in municipal court themselves according to the proposed ordinance.
【答疑编号11040804】
答案：d
5. which of the following statements is mr. zwerling’s own appreciation of the barking problem?
a）the ordinance is not tough enough since it allows a dog bark for 30 minutes.
b）the problem can only be solved if people are civil enough to each other.
c）financial punishment is the best way to ban dogs from barking.
d）the city should try its best to resolve the matter through mediation.
【答疑编号11040805】
答案：b
