英语专业四级阅读理解模拟题(21)
日期:2012-04-23 14:01

(单词翻译:单击)

阅读理解

A simple piece of rope hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors. On one side stand those who have begun to see clothes dryers as wasteful consumers of energy (up to 6% of total electricity) and powerful emitters of carbon dioxide (up to a ton of CO2 per household every year). As an alternative, they are turning to clotheslines as part of what Alexander Lee, an environmentalist, calls "what-I-can- do environmentalism."

But on the other side are people who oppose air-drying laundry outside on aesthetic grounds. Increasingly, they have persuaded community and homeowners associations(HOAs) across the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, which they say not only look unsightly but also lower surrounding property values. Those actions, in turn, have sparked a right-to-dry movement that is pressing for legislation to protect the choice to use clotheslines. Only three states--Florida, Hawaii and Utah--have laws written broadly enough to protect clotheslines. Right-to-dry advocates argue that there should be more.

Matt Reck is the kind of eco-conscious guy who feeds his trees with bathwater and recycles condensation drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But Otto Hagen, president of Reck's HOA in Wake Forest, N.C., notified him that a neighbor h, ad complained about his line. The Recks ignored the warning and still dry their clothes on a rope in the yard. "Many people claim to be environmentally friendly but don't take matters into their own hands," says Reck. HOAs Hagen has decided to hold off taking action. "I'm not going to go crazy," he says. "But if Matt keeps his line and more neighbors complain, I'll have to address it again."

North Carolina lawmakers tried and failed earlier this year to insert language into an energy bill that would expressly prevent HOAs from regulating clotheslines. But the issue remains a touchy one with HOAs and real estate agents. "Most aesthetic restrictions are rooted, to a degree, in the belief that homogenous (统一协调的 ) exteriors are supportive of property value," says Sara Stubbins, executive director of the Community Association Institute's North Carolina chapter. In other words, associations worry that housing prices will fall if prospective buyers think their would-be neighbors are too poor to afford dryers.

Alexander Lee dismisses the notion that clotheslines devalue property assets, advocating that the idea "needs to change in light of global warming." "We all have to do at least something to decrease our carbon footprint," Alexander Lee says.

1. What is NOT mentioned as a disadvantage of using clothes dryers?
  A. Electricity consumption.
  B. Air pollution.
  C. Waste of energy.
  D. Ugly looking.

2. Which of the following is INCORRECT?
  A. Opposers think air-drying laundry would devalue surrounding assets.
  B. Opposers consider the outdoor clothesline as an eyesore to the scenery.
  C. Right-to-dry movements led to the pass of written laws to protect clotheslines.
  D. Most of states in the US have no written laws to protect clotheslines.

3. What is the HOAs' attitude towards the regulation of outdoor clotheslines?
  A. Concerned.
  B. Impartial.
  C. Supportive.
  D. Unclear.

4. In the last paragraph Alexander Lee recommends that
  A. clotheslines should be banned in the community.
  B. clotheslines wouldn't lessen the property values.
  C. the globe would become warmer and warmer.
  D. we should protect the environment in the community.

5. An appropriate title for the passage might be
  A. Opinions on Environmental Protection.
  B. Opinions on Air-drying Laundry.
  C. What-I-Can-Do Environmentalism.
  D. Restrictions on Clotheslines.

参考答案

参考答案与解析:

文章概要:
本文探讨是否该用晾衣绳在室外晾晒衣服。第l段指出干衣机不利环保,由此引出用晾衣绳晾衣服的话题;第2段介绍对用晾衰绳晒衣服的两种对立观点;第3段 描述环保主义者Matt Reck用晾衣绳在室外晒衣服,并指出他的行为引发邻居的不满及业主委员会成员Otto Hagen的注意;第4段指出北卡罗来纳州立法者试图修订法律规定业主委员会对住户是否在室外晾衣无权干涉,法案却没有通过的原因;最后一 段:Alexander Lee认为人们应该改变观念,为减少碳排放量贡献力量。

答案解析:

1[D]细节判断题。考查使用干衣机的弊端,文章第1段第2句话对此有叙述:有些人认为干衣机浪费能源从而造成电的损耗.释放的二氧化碳污染空气,A、B、C选项分别列举了这些弊端,本题是逆向选择题,要求选出不是干衣机弊端的一项,故选D

2.[C]细节判断题。第2段提到,户外晾衣绳不仅破坏优美的风景还降低房产价值,A、B都对。D与本段最后一句表述也相符。C无法从文中推断出来,故选C。

3.[C]观点态度题。考查HOAs协会的成员对限制使用晾衣绳的态度。第3段最后几旬提到,如果Matt继续使用晾衣绳,HOAs的成员Hagen就要直接出面说Matt了,这间接表明了HOAs协会的态度;另外,从第4段前两句,也可推知C正确。

4.[D]段落细节题。在最后一段,Alexander Lee提出,鉴于全球变暖我们的观念需要改变,至少要做到尽可能减少碳物质的排放。因此选项D符合题意。A与原文意思相反;B虽然是Alexander Lee的观点,却不是他要提倡的,故不选。C并不是Alexander Lee的观点。

5.[B]全文主旨题。本文就是否应该限制使用晾衣绳进行了探讨分析,文章最后呼吁人类改变观念,每个人都应为保护环境尽一份力。选项B符合题意。A太宽泛;C明显不对;D只体现了文中一些人的观点,过于片面。

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重点单词
  • concernedadj. 担忧的,关心的
  • executiveadj. 行政的,决策的,经营的,[计算机]执行指令 n
  • preventv. 预防,防止
  • globaladj. 全球性的,全世界的,球状的,全局的
  • disadvantagen. 不利,不利条件,损害,损失
  • sceneryn. 布景,风景,背景
  • environmentn. 环境,外界
  • estaten. 财产,房地产,状态,遗产
  • propertyn. 财产,所有物,性质,地产,道具
  • directorn. 董事,经理,主管,指导者,导演