“Sustained stress is not good for you,” says Richard Morimoto, a researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois studying the effects of stress on longevity (长寿), “It’s the occasional burst of stress or brief exposure to stress that could be protective.”
31. The passage is mainly about______
A) the benefits of manageable stress
B) how to avoid stressful situations
C) how to cope with stress effectively
D) the effects of stress hormones on memory
32. The word “shun”(Line 1,Para.1) most probably means________.
A) cut down on
B) stay away from
C) run out of
D) put up with
33. We can conclude from the study of the 158 nurses in 2001 that_______
A) people under stress tend to have a poor memory
B) people who can’t get their job done experience more stress
C) doing challenging work may be good for one’s health
D) stress will weaken the body’s defense against germs
34. In the experiment described in Paragraph 3,the video-watchers experienced a downturn in the antibody because______.
A) the video was not enjoyable at all
B) the outcome was beyond their control
C) they knew little about surgical procedures
D) they felt no pressure while watching the video
35. Dr. Bruce McEwen of Rockefeller University believes that______.
A) a person’s memory is determined by the level of hormones in his body
B) stress hormones have lasting positive effects on the brain
C) short bursts of stress hormones enhance memory function
D) a person’s memory improves with continued experience of stress.
2005年12月英语四级考试试题A卷原文及答案
www.dxs89.com
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.
If you say to your children “I’m sorry I got angry with you, but …” what follows that “but” can render the apology ineffective:” I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.
Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say “I’m sorry you’re upset” ; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.
Then there is the general, all covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that was particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying “I’m useless as a parent” does not commit a person to any specific improvement.
These pseudo-apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not resort to these pseudo-apologies.
But even when presented with examples of genuine contrition (悔悟), children still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that raiding the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.
36. If a mother adds ”but” to an apology,________.
A) she doesn’t feel that she should have apologized.
B) she does not realize that the child has been hurt
C) the child may find the apology easier to accept
D) the child may feel that he owes her an apology
37. According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset” most probably means”_______”
A) You have good reason to get upset
B) I’m aware you’re upset ,but I’m not to blame
C) I apologize for hurting your feelings
D) I’m at fault for making you upset
38. It is not advisable to use the general, all-covering apology because______.
A) it gets one into the habit of making empty promises
B) it may make the other person feel guilty
C)it is vague and ineffective
D) it is hurtful and insulting
39. We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry______.
A) the complexities involved should be ignored
B) their ages should be taken into account
C) parents need to set them a good example
D) parents should be patient and tolerant
40. It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _________.
A) a social issue calling for immediate attention
B) not necessary among family members
C) a sign of social progress
D) not as simple as it seems
2005年12月英语四级考试试题A卷原文及答案
www.dxs89.com
Part III Vocabulary (20minutes)
Directions: there are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A), B), C), and D). Choose the ONE answer that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.\
41. Some people believe that since oil is scarce, the ____of the motor industry is uncertain.
A) terminal B) benefit C) fate D) estimate
42. To speed up the ______of letters, the Post Office introduced automatic sorting.
A) treatment B) delivery C) transmission D) departure
43. These overseas students show great ______ for learning a new language.
A) enthusiasm B) authority C) convention D) faith
44. The defense lawyer was questioning the old man who was one of the ______of the murder committed last month.
A) observers B) witnesses C) audiences D) viewers
45. Politically these nations tend to be ______, with very high birth rates but poor education and very low levels of literacy.
A) unstable B) reluctant C) rational D) unsteady
46. The chairman was blamed for letting his secretary ________too much work last week.
A) take to B) take out C) take away D) take on
47. "You try to get some sleep. I'll _____the patient's breakfast, "said the nurse.
A) see to B) stick to C) get to D) lead to
48. The London Marathon is a difficult race.______, thousands of runners participate every year.
A) Therefore B) Furthermore C) Accordingly D) Nevertheless
49. The bank refused to ______him any money, so he had to postpone buying a house.
A) credit B) borrow C) loan D) lease
50. The more a nation's companies _______ factories abroad, the smaller that country's recorded exports will be.
A) lie B) spot C) stand D) locate