2011年英语四级考试仔细阅读练习(16)
Part II Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.www.Ｅxamda.CoM考试就上考试大
Passage one
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Interest in pursuing international careers has soared in recent years, enhanced by chronic (长久的) personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talent.
Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons. They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge. They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative. Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language.
When applying for a job, one usually has to submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). The two terms generally mean the same thing: a one-or two-page document describing one’s educational qualifications and professional experience. However, guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing. The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate (公司) culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to embrace two or more cultures in one document. The following list is a good place to start.
● “Educational requirements differ from country to country. In almost every case of ‘cross-border’ job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not bean adequate description. Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience.”
● Pay attention to the resume format you use-chronological or reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means listing your ‘oldest’ work experience first. Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first. Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable. If you find no specific guidelines, the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format.”
● If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient (收件人) uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as ‘tertiary education’ in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors.
21. Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
A) they find foreign employees are usually more talented
B) they need original ideas from employees hired overseas
C) they want to expand their business beyond home borders
D) they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home
22. The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
A) is usually creative and full of initiative
B) aims to improve his foreign language skills
C) is dissatisfied with his own life at home
D) seeks either his own or his children’s development
23. When it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
A) take cultural factors into consideration
B) learn about the company’s hiring process
C) follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting
D) know the employer’s personal likes and dislikes
24. When writing about qualifications, applicants are advised to ________.
A) stress their academic potential to impress the decision maker
B) give the title of the university degree they have earned at home
C) provide a detailed description of their study and work experiences
D) highlight their keen interest in pursuing a ‘cross-border’ career
25. According to the author’s last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
A) the different educational systems in the US and the UK
B) the differences between the varieties of English
C) the recipient’s preference with regard to the format
D) the distinctive features of American and British cultures
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be unusual territory for economists, but enhancing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its emphasis on incentives (激励), provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school-the prophecy (预言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the
next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle.
Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.
26. The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is ________.
A) troublesome
B) labor-saving
C) rewarding来源：考试大的美女编辑们
D) expensive
27. By saying “... the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling...” (Lines 45, Para. 2). the author means that ________.
A) girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys
B) girls will be capable of realizing their own dreams
C) girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach
D) girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home
28. The author believes that a vicious circle can turn into a virtuous circle when ________.
A) women care more about education
B) girls can gain equal access to education
C) a family has fewer but healthier children
D) parents can afford their daughters’ education
29. What does the author say about women’s education?
A) It deserves greater attention than other social issues.
B) It is now given top priority in many developing countries.
C) It will yield greater returns than other known investments.
D) It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.
30. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A) unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries
B) the potential earning power of well-educated women
C) the major contributions of educated women to society
D) the economic and social benefits of educating women
