大学英语四级考试概述(4) — 仔细阅读(Reading in Depth)

大学四级考试概述(4) — 仔细阅读(Reading in Depth) Banked Cloze技巧简介 概述： 新四级阅读理解中的Section A 是选词填空 (banked cloze)，此部分除了借鉴了雅思阅读中的摘要填空summary之外，这种主要是脱胎于传统的完型填空(multiple-choice cloze)。 这种完型填空的测试学术语称作“集库型完型填空”（banked cloze）, 即一篇留出空白的短文，后面给出一堆提示词和干扰词 (gapped text with a box containing prompts and distractors)。在我们的四级考试中，提示词 prompts就是那10个正确选项，干扰词distractors就是那另外5个错误选项。 题材： 与另外两篇仔细阅读相似。主要是社会、科普类的文章。 难度：选词填空的15个待选词不仅难于完型的四个选项，而且分成名词、动词、形容词、副词四大类。考生必须先确定词性，再结合短文的逻辑做出选择。 测试目的： 篇章词汇理解题目是大学英语新四级考试的新题型，由于取消了以往词汇和结构的四选一的题目，大学英语四六级考试委员会为了更好的测试考生掌握词汇的情况，所以出现了新四级的词汇理解题（或选词填空题）。 测试目的该部分测试重点在于把握文章的结构，主要考察考生对诸如连贯性、一致性、逻辑联系等语篇、语段整体特征以及在实际语境中的理解，即要求考生在理解全文的基础上弄清文章的宏观结构和具体细化到每个单词的微观理解。新题型和原本的词汇题相比，更注重实际运用，从单一的一句话考察上升到篇章的理解。 测试形式： 选词填空题占整个考试的分值比例为5％（35分/710分）。一篇阅读文章，长度在250词左右，题目为10道选词填空题，要求从给出的15个词中选择10个填入合适的空档中。对于四级的一般文章，选项有如下特点：15个单词中3个名词正确答案+1个名词干扰答案、3个动词正确答案+1个动词干扰答案、3个形容词正确答案+2个形容词干扰答案、1个副词正确答案+1个副词干扰答案。应该说四级大部分文章都存在以上特点，但是有时也不完全一致，希望考生利用以上特点作为答题的一个参考。 基本要求 ： 1. 篇章词汇理解题考查的对象皆为实义词，主要包括名词、动词、形容词、副词，所以要求考生应该熟知大学英语四级的积极词汇，熟知单词的词类和不同意思。 2. 词汇理解题目顾名思义是要理解，也就是要求考生对上下文的理解，尤其是上文的理解，要求比较高。 3. 由于考试的形式是选词填空，所以考生必须熟知一些基本的语法知识，例如：词性的归纳（4种词性，名词、动词、形容词、副词）、基于语法的判断（单复数、ing形式等）、常用搭配的掌握都有助于解题。 解题步骤： 第一步：通读全文read through (0.5分钟) 注意通读和略读（skimming）不同。通读全文是用较快速度，一行一行地读，目的是把握至少90% 的文章内容。而略读是只挑首尾句和连接词，跳着读，最多只了解50%的内容。 和完型不同，选词填空后面的选项词义互不关联，词性也不同，而且还有5个干扰项，切不可先看选项，乱了脑子，自食先入为主的恶果。一定要先了解文章大意，带着文章脉络去找选项。所以，务必先沉着地把文章读一遍，尤其注意gap 前后的位置，为寻找正确选项打下铺垫。 提醒：通读要居高临下，花5秒钟把短文各个自然段的段首扫一遍。这样就能一眼就能看出短文的主要内容，心里有了底，再读文章就轻松多了。 提醒：Banked cloze 的短文（text）第一句是不允许出题的，它对全文起概括、提示的作用。所以，一定要认真看懂第一句。 第二步：整理选项classify the options (1分钟) 这一步，公认的做法是先标出15个选项的词性 (parts of speech)，名词前写n, 动词前写v等等。目前四级考试只考实词（notional words）中的四种：名词n做主语和宾语, 动词v做谓语，形容词adj做定语，副词adv做状语。不考代词pron和数词num；也不考虚词form words（冠词art, 介词prep, 连词conj, 感叹词interj） 第三步：选词填空 fill in the gaps (4分钟) 调动语法知识，先确定单词的词性，再去后面的list 中找同一词类的选项，挑出正确答案。 第四步：回顾检查 review （0.5分钟） 速度要快，只看有题的句子即可。 如何确定被选答案词性： 标词性时的切入点是后缀suffix，也就是词尾。 名词词尾ion, age, ness, ty, ship, ace, ance, ancy, ence, ency, dom, itude, um, mony 动词词尾ize, ise, fy结尾的大都是动词； 形容词词尾ive, ent, ant, ful, ous, able, ary, ic, cal, less 副词词尾ly, s, ways, wise 结尾的大都是副词。 提醒：词性要标在选项的前面，也就是A, B, C…的前面，齐刷刷的好看。也可标在两组选项的中间空白处，方便对照。如果你手快且不嫌难看，可以在标完词性之后，把同一词性的词用线连起来，这样答题的时候会找得快一点。 如何确定空格词词性： 1. 确定空格为名词 （1）a /an/the n. adj. n. vt. n. （2） n. v. （3）prep. n. 2. 确定空格为动词 （1）n./pron. vt. n./pron. （2）n./pron. vi. （3）n./pron. vi. adv./prep., （4）n./pron. link v./be. adj. （5）to v. 3. 确定空格为形容词 （1） adj. n. 或n. adj. , 即空格处前面或者后面为名词的，空格处应填入形容词； （2）adv. adj. , 即空格处前面是副词的，空格处应填入形容词； （3）link/be v. adj. , 即空格处前面是系动词或be动词的，空格处应填入形容词作语。 4. 确定空格为副词 （1） adv. v. 或v. adv. , 即空格处前面或者后面为动词的，空格处应填入副词； （2） adv. adj. , 即空格处后面是形容词的，空格处应填入副词。 利用逻辑关系词确定答案： 在篇章词汇理解题目中，文章的逻辑关系对于考生把握整篇文章是很重要的，文章的逻辑关系通过一些逻辑关系词体现的，考生可以通过逻辑关系词来确定出一些答案。 常见的逻辑关系词如下： （1） 并列关系：and , or, as well as 等 （2） 对比关系：but , however , on the contrary , rather than 等 （3） 比较关系：as…as , like , similar 等 （4） 因果关系：because , for , since , as a result of , therefore , thus 等 （5） 举例关系：for example , for instance , such as ， and so on 等 （6） 递进关系：and , what’s more , moreover , in addition 等 常见问题： 一，有的词，做名词和做动词都很常见，没有上下文不好判断，比如 display, concern, challenge. 这时两个都要标出来，先标你脑子里第一个出现的词性。 二，以ing, ed 结尾的词既可能是动词，也可能是分词转变而来的形容词，如holding做动词：She’s holding her mother’s hand. 做形容词：holding company (控股公司)；再如样题中的acquired做动词：academic skills he acquired. 做形容词：a newly acquired jacket (新买的夹克)。这时怎么办？很简单，新四级考试中的banked cloze 还没有到考到分词作形容词的难度，所以，碰到这种情况，一律看成是动词，包括非谓语动词（2006年6月：The rainfall is increased across South America bringing floods to Peru.） 解题技巧 ： 1) 判定词性时可以重点分析动词的时态。 2) 如果选项中出现一组反义词时，往往有一个是干扰选项，它注重考察的是对于文章框架结构的理解，要求考生理解整篇文章的语境色彩。 3) 如果选项中出现一组近义词时，往往也有一个是干扰选项，它注重考察的是词汇的精确理解，要求考生分析清楚其细微的区别。 4) 如果选项为连词时，要关注上下句内在的逻辑关系。 5) 要有总体观，不必按顺序作题。 Protect Your Privacy When Job-hunting Online 　　Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. 　　The numbers associated with identity theft are beginning to add up fast these days. A recent General Accounting Office report estimates that as many as 750,000 Americans are victims of identity theft every year. And that number may be low, as many people choose not to report the crime even if they know they have been victimized. 　　Identity theft is “an absolute epidemic,” states Robert Ellis Smith, a respected author and advocate of privacy. “It’s certainly picked up in the last four or five years. It’s worldwide. It affects everybody, and there’s very little you can do to prevent it and, worst of all, you can’t detect it until it’s probably too late.” 　　Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, you personal data, especially your social security number, your bank account or credit card number, your telephone calling card number, and other valuable identifying data, can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense. In the United States and Canada, for example, many people have reported that unauthorized persons have taken funds out of their bank or financial accounts, or, in the worst cases, taken over their identities altogether, running up vast debts and committing crimes while using the victims’ names. In many cases, a victim’s losses may included not only out-of-pocket financial losses, but substantial additional financial costs associated with trying to restore his reputation in the community and correcting erroneous information for which the criminal is responsible. 　　According to the FBI, identity theft is the number one fraud committed on the Internet. So how do job seekers protect themselves while continuing to circulate their resumes online? The key to a successful online job search is learning to manage the risks. Here are some tips for staying safe while conducting a job search on the Internet. 　　1. Check for a privacy policy. 　　If you are considering posting your resume online, make sure the job search site your are considering has a privacy policy, like CareerBuilder.com. The policy should spell out how your information will be used, stored and whether or not it will be shared. You may want to think twice about posting your resume on a site that automatically shares your information with others. You could be opening yourself up to unwanted calls from solicitors (推销员). 　　When reviewing the site’s privacy policy, you’ll be able to delete your resume just as easily as you posted it. You won’t necessarily want your resume to remain out there on the Internet once you land a job. Remember, the longer your resume remains posted on a job board, the more exposure, both positive and not-so-positive, it will receive. 　　2. Take advantage of site features. 　　Lawful job search sites offer levels of privacy protection. Before posting your resume, carefully consider your job search objective and the level of risk you are willing to assume. 　　CareerBuilder.com, for example, offers three levels of privacy from which job seekers can choose. The first is standard posting. This option gives job seekers who post their resumes the most visibility to the broadest employer audience possible. 　　The second is anonymous (匿名的) posting. This allows job seekers the same visibility as those in the standard posting category without any of their contact information being displayed. Job seekers who wish to remain anonymous but want to share some other information may choose which pieces of contact information to display. 　　The third is private posting. This option allows a job seeker to post a resume without having it searched by employers. Private posting allows job seekers to quickly and easily apply for jobs that appear on CareerBuilder.com without retyping their information. 　　3. Safeguard your identity. 　　Career experts say that one of the ways job seekers can stay safe while using the Internet to search out jobs is to conceal their identities. Replace your name on your resume with a generic (泛指的) identifier, such as “Intranet Developer Candidate,” or “Experienced Marketing Representative.” 　　You should also consider eliminating the name and location of your current employer. Depending on your title, it may not be all that difficult to determine who you are once the name of your company is provided. Use a general description of the company such as “Major auto manufacturer,” or “International packaged goods supplier.” 　　If your job title is unique, consider using the generic equivalent instead of the exact title assigned by your employer. 　　4. Establish and email address for your search. 　　Another way to protect your privacy while seeking employment online is to open up an email account specifically for your online job search. This will safeguard your existing email box in the event someone you don’t know gets hold of your email address and shares it with others. 　　Using an email address specifically for you job search also eliminates the possibility that you will receive unwelcome emails in your primary mailbox. When naming your new email address, be sure that it doesn’t contain references to your name or other information that will give away your identity. The best solution is an email address that is relevant to the job you are seeking such as Salesmgr2004@provider.com. 　　5. Protect your reference. 　　If your resume contains a section with the names and contact information of your references, take it out. There’s no sense in safeguarding your information while sharing private contact information of your references. 　　6. Keep confidential (机密的) information confidential. 　　Do not, under any circumstances, share your social security, driver’s license, and bank account numbers or other personal information, such as race or eye color. Honest employers do not need this information with an initial application. Don’t provide this even if they say they need it in order to conduct a background check. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book – don’t fall for it. 　　1. Robert Ellis Smith believes identity theft is difficult to detect and one can hardly do anything to prevent it. 　　2. In many cases, identity theft not only causes the victims’ immediate financial losses but costs them a lot to restore their reputation. 　　3. Identity theft is a minor offence and its harm has been somewhat overestimated. 　　4. It is important that your resume not stay online longer than is necessary. 　　5. Of the three options offered by CareerBuilder.com in Suggestion 2, the third one is apparently most strongly recommended. 　　6. Employers require applicants to submit very personal information on background checks. 　　7. Applicants are advised to use generic names for themselves and their current employers when seeking employment online. 　　8. Using a special email address in the job search can help prevent you from receiving ________. 　　9. To protect your references, you should not post online their ________. 　　10. According to the passage, identity theft is committed typically for ________. Universities Branch Out 　　As never before in their long history, universities have become instruments of national competition as well as instruments of peace. They are the place of the scientific discoveries that move economies forward, and the primary means of educating the talent required to obtain and maintain competitive advantage. But at the same time, the opening of national borders to the flow of goods, services, information and especially people has made universities a powerful force for global integration, mutual understanding and geopolitical stability. 　　In response to the same forces that have driven the world economy, universities have become more self-consciously global: seeking students from around the world who represent the entire range of cultures and values, sending their own students abroad to prepare them for global careers, offering courses of study that address the challenges of an interconnected world and collaborative(合作的)research programs to advance science for the benefit of all humanity. 　　Of the forces shaping higher education none is more sweeping than the movement across borders. Over the past three decades the number of students leaving home each year to study abroad has grown at an annual rate of 3.9 percent, from 800,000 in 1975 to 2.5 million in 2004. Most travel from one developed nation to another, but the flow from developing to developed countries is growing rapidly. The reverse flow, from developed to developing countries, is on the rise, too. Today foreign students earn 30 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded in the United States and 38 percent of those in the United Kingdom. And the number crossing borders for undergraduate study is growing as well, to 8 percent of the undergraduates at America’s best institutions and 10 percent of all undergraduates in the U.K. In the United States, 20 percent of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born, and in China many newly hired faculty members at the top research universities received their graduate education abroad. 　　Universities are also encouraging students to spend some of their undergraduate years in another country. In Europe, more than 140,000 students participate in the Erasmus program each year, taking courses for credit in one of 2,200 participating institutions across the continent. And in the United States, institutions are helping place students in the summer internships(实习) abroad to prepare them for global careers. Yale and Harvard have led the way, offering every undergraduate at least one international study or internship opportunity—and providing the financial resources to make it possible. 　　Globalization is also reshaping the way research is done. One new trend involves sourcing portions of a research program to another country. Yale professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Tian Xu directs a research center focused on the genetics of human disease at Shanghai’s Fudan University, in collaboration with faculty colleagues from both schools. The Shanghai center has 95 employees and graduate students working in a 4,300-square-meter laboratory facility. Yale faculty, postdoctors and graduate students visit regularly and attend videoconference seminars with scientists from both campuses. The arrangement benefits both countries; Xu’s Yale lab is more productive, thanks to the lower costs of conducting research in China, and Chinese graduate students, postdoctors and faculty get on-the-job training from a world-class scientist and his U.S. team. 　　As a result of its strength in science, the United States has consistently led the world in the commercialization of major new technologies, from the mainframe computer and the integrated circuit of the 1960s to the Internet infrastructure(基础设施)and applications software of the 1990s. The link between university-based science and industrial application is often indirect but sometimes highly visible: Silicon Valley was intentionally created by Stanford University, and Route 128 outside Boston has long housed companies spun off from MIT and Harvard. Around the world, governments have encouraged copying of this model, perhaps most successfully in Cambridge, England, where Microsoft and scores of other leading software and biotechnology companies have set up shop around the university. 　　For all its success, the United States remains deeply hesitant about sustaining the research- university model. Most politicians recognize the link between investment in science and national economic strength, but support for research funding has been unsteady. The budget of the National Institutes of Health doubled between 1998 and 2003, but has risen more slowly than inflation since then. Support for the physical sciences and engineering barely kept pace with inflation during that same period. The attempt to make up lost ground is welcome, but the nation would be better served by steady, predictable increases in science funding at the rate of long-term GDP growth, which is on the order of inflation plus 3 percent per year. 　　American politicians have great difficulty recognizing that admitting more foreign students can greatly promote the national interest by increasing international understanding. Adjusted for inflation, public funding for international exchanges and foreign-language study is well below the levels of 40 years ago. In the wake of September 11, changes in the visa process caused a dramatic decline in the number of foreign students seeking admission to U.S. universities, and a corresponding surge in enrollments in Australia, Singapore and the U.K. Objections from American university and business leaders led to improvements in the process and a reversal of the decline, but the United States is still seen by many as unwelcoming to international students. 　　Most Americans recognize that universities contribute to the nation’s well-being through their scientific research, but many fear that foreign students threaten American competitiveness by taking their knowledge and skills back home. They fail to grasp that welcoming foreign students to the United States has two important positive effects: first, the very best of them stay in the States and—like immigrants throughout history—strengthen the nation; and second, foreign students who study in the United States become ambassadors for many of its most cherished (珍视) values when they return home. or at least they understand them better. In America as elsewhere, few instruments of foreign policy are as effective in promoting peace and stability as welcoming international university students. 　1. From the first paragraph we know that present-day universities have become ________. 　　A) more popularized than ever before B) in-service training organizations 　　C) a powerful force for global integration D) more and more research-oriented 　2. Over the past three decades, the enrollment of overseas students has increased ________. 　　A) at an annual rate of 8 percent B) at an annual rate of 3.9 percent 　　C) by 800,000 D) by 2.5 million 　3. In the United States, how many of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born? 　　A)38% B)10% C)30% D)20% 　4. How do Yale and Harvard prepare their undergraduates for global careers? 　　A)They give them chances for international study or internship. 　　B)They arrange for them to participate in the Erasmus program. 　　C)They offer them various courses in international politics. 　　D)They organize a series of seminars on world economy. 　5. An example illustrating the general trend of universities’ globalization is ________. 　　A)Yale’s establishing branch campuses throughout the world 　　B)Yale’s student exchange program with European institutions 　　C)Yale’s helping Chinese universities to launch research projects 　　D)Yale’s collaboration with Fudan University on genetic research. 　6. What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage? 　　A)It is known to be the birthplace of Microsoft Company. 　　B)It was intentionally created by Stanford University. 　　C)It is where the Internet infrastructure was built up. 　　D)It houses many companies spun off from MIT and Harvard. 　7. What is said about the U.S. federal funding for research? 　　A)It has increased by 3 percent. B)It doubled between 1998 and 2003. 　　C)It has been unsteady for years. D)It has been more than sufficient. 　8. The dramatic decline in the enrollment of foreign students in the U.S. after September 11 was caused by ________. 　9. Many Americans fear that American competitiveness may be threatened by foreign students who will ________. 　10. The policy of welcoming foreign students can benefit the U.S. in that the very best of them will stay a