2018英语专四真题与参考答案解析

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A Few years ago, a university Christmas

professor tried a little experiment.

He sent

cards to a sample of perfect strangers. Although he expected some

was amazing —holiday

cards addressed to

reaction, the response he received

him came pouring back from the people who had never met nor heard of him. The great majority of those who returned a card never inquired into the identity of the unknown professor. They received his holiday

greeting

card, and they

automatically sent one in return. This study shows the action of one of the most powerful of the weapons of influence around us

—the rule for reciprocation. The

rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. If a woman does us a favor, we should do her one in return; if a man sends us a birthday present, we should remember his birthday with a gift of our own; if a couple invites us to a party, we should be sure to invite them to one of ours. By virtue of the reciprocity rule, then, we are obligated invitationsfavors, gifts, ,

to the

future repayment of

to

and the like. So typical is it for indebtedness

accompany the receipt of such things that a term like “much obliged ”has become

a synonym for “thank you, ”not only in the English language but in others as well.

The impressive aspect of the rule for reciprocation obligation

that goes with it is its pervasiveness

in human

and the sense of culture. It is so

can

widespread that after intensive study, sociologists such as Alvin Goldener report that there is no human society that does not subscribe to the rule.

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each

PART V READING COMPREHENSION

SECTION A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

In this section there are three passages followed by ten multiple choice questions. For multiple choice

question,

there are four suggested

answers marked A, B, C

and D.

Choose the one that you think is the best answer and mark your answers on

ANSWER SHEET TWO.

PASSAGE ONE

（ 1 ）The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. The historic

decisions made by those first settlers have had a profound effect on

the shaping of the American character. By limiting the power of the government and the

churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, they created a climate of freedom where

the

emphasis was on the individual. Individual freedom is probably the most basic of all the

American values. By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all

individuals to

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control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling

noble class, the church, or any other organized authority.

(2) There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance. It

means that Americans believe they should stand on their own feet, achieving both

financial

and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age 18 or 21.

(3) A second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to

the United States is the belief that everyone has a equal chance to enter a race and

succeed in

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the game. Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no formal class system developed in the U.S.

(4) There is, however, a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity:

competition. If much of life is seen as race, then a person must run the race

in order to succeed; a person must compete with others. The pressures of

competition in the life of an American begin in childhood and continue until

retirement from work. In fact, any group of people who does not compete

successfully does not fit into the mainstream of American life as well as those

who do.

A third reason why have UniteStatei

(5) immigrants traditionally come to the d s s to have a better life. Because of its abundant natural resources, the United States appeared to

“land of plenty where millions could come to seek their “going be a fortunes. The phrase from rags to riches ”became a slogan for the American dream. Many people did achieve material

Material wealth a value to the anit

success. became American people, d also became an accepted measure of social status.

(6) Americans pay a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work. Hard work has beeboth necessary and for most throughotheir history. n rewarding Americans ut In some ways, material possessions are seen as evidence of ’s abilities. Barry people Goldwater, a candidafor the presidency 1964, said that most poor poor te in people are because they deserve to be. Most Americans would find this a harsh statement, but many might think there was some truth in it.

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