攻克大学英语四级：阅读篇Day3推论题
这类问题的难度相对较大，需要我们不仅读懂字面含义，而且理解其字里行间的隐含意思。
一般题目形式为：
The author seems to be in favor of/against...
We can infer/assume that...
It can be concluded from the passage that...
The passage suggests that...
The author of the passage would most likely imply...
It can be learned that...
请读下面的文章，做出推论题。
Exercise 1
The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation(航空)industry, has recommended that all airlines ban(禁止)such devices from being used during critical stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft s computers. Experts know that portable devices emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable(易受损的)to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio system in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music s too loud.
Q: It can be inferred from the passage that the author .
A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers use of electronic devices completely
B) has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C) hasn t formed his own opinion on this problem
D) regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
【题目译文】从本文推断出作者 。
【答案解析】A。纵观全文我们知道，作者对电磁干扰影响飞行安全感到担忧，所以应该是倾向于完全禁止乘客使用电子设备的。
Exercise 2
The rise of multinational corporations(跨国公司), global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.
Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world s top five public relations agencies were American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate(公司的)planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts(相对应的人)in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson-Marshall s U.S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage. Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN . Turner recently announced that the word foreign would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.
Q: We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry _______.
A) speak at least one foreign language fluently
B) are ignorant about world geography
C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts
D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications
【题目译文】从第三段我们可以得出在美国公共关系业中雇员是 。
【答案解析】C。在第二段作者讲到，英国人尤其变得更加老练和富有创造力，所以相对来说，美国人和欧洲同行比不那么老练。
Exercise 3
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic(北极的)peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent(进步). The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓)used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.
Q: Which of the following is the author s view on the historical development of toys?
A) The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged.
B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.
C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.
D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child s character.
【题目译文】关于玩具的历史发展，作者的观点是什么?
【答案解析】B。从第三段第一句话， 关于玩具的历史，令人吃惊的并不是它们改变了多少，而是它们一直没有改变 ，可以推断出 玩具在历史上基本上保持不变 。
Exercise 4
Amtrak(美国铁路客运公司)was experiencing a down-slowing in ridership(客运量)along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham, were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.
At one time, trains were the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west. Trains were fast, very luxurious, and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation existing at the time. However, times change and the automobile became America s standard of convenience. Also, air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of travelling great distances. Therefore, the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order to change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be considered for travel in the west.
Two portions of the total market were targeted: 1) anxious fliers those concerned with safety, relaxation, and cleanliness and 2) travel-lovers those viewing themselves as relaxed, casual, and interested in the travel experience as part of their vacation. The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom, escape, relaxation, and enjoyment of the great western outdoors. It stressed experiences gained by using the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.
Advertisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along some of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains . These ads were strategically placed among family-oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order to most effectively reach target audiences. Results were impressive. The Empire Builder, which was focused on in one ad, enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.
Q: It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak ridership was due to the fact that .
A) trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation
B) trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation
C) trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be
D) trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience
【题目译文】从文章中可以推断：美国铁路客运公司客流量下降的原因是 。
【答案解析】B。文章前半部分提到，随着时间的推移，汽车成了美国衡量便利的标准，此外飞机也轻而易举地确立了其长途旅行最快捷方式的地位。由此可推断出火车既不如汽车便利，又不如飞机快捷，因而其客流量不断下降。
Exercise 5
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states at least in getting people off welfare. It s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens County have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent twice the national average.
For advocates(代言人)for the poor, that s an indication much more needs to be done.
More people are getting jobs, but it s not making their lives any better, says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin(毒素)that was poisoning the family, says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It s beginning to rebuild the work ethic(道德观), which is much more important.
Mr. Rector and others argued that once the habit of dependency is cracked, then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
Q: From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at .
A) saving welfare funds
B) rebuilding the work ethic
C) providing more jobs
D) cutting government expenses
【题目译文】根据本文我们知道福利改革的目的在于 。
【答案解析】B。倒数第二段Robert Rector说： 福利改革正在改变低收入社区的道德氛围，正开始重建工作道德观，而工作道德观是更为重要的。 从此可以推断这正是福利改革的目的。
这类问题的难度相对较大，需要我们不仅读懂字面含义，而且理解其字里行间的隐含意思。
一般题目形式为：
The author seems to be in favor of/against...
We can infer/assume that...
It can be concluded from the passage that...
The passage suggests that...
The author of the passage would most likely imply...
It can be learned that...
请读下面的文章，做出推论题。
Exercise 1
The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation(航空)industry, has recommended that all airlines ban(禁止)such devices from being used during critical stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft s computers. Experts know that portable devices emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable(易受损的)to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio system in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music s too loud.
Q: It can be inferred from the passage that the author .
A) is in favor of prohibiting passengers use of electronic devices completely
B) has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C) hasn t formed his own opinion on this problem
D) regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
【题目译文】从本文推断出作者 。
【答案解析】A。纵观全文我们知道，作者对电磁干扰影响飞行安全感到担忧，所以应该是倾向于完全禁止乘客使用电子设备的。
Exercise 2
The rise of multinational corporations(跨国公司), global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR.
Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S. leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world s top five public relations agencies were American-owned. In 1991, only one was. The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative. A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate(公司的)planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts(相对应的人)in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson-Marshall s U.S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather has about the same percentage. Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country.
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN . Turner recently announced that the word foreign would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.
Q: We learn from the third paragraph that employees in the American PR industry _______.
A) speak at least one foreign language fluently
B) are ignorant about world geography
C) are not as sophisticated as their European counterparts
D) enjoy reading a great variety of English business publications
【题目译文】从第三段我们可以得出在美国公共关系业中雇员是 。
【答案解析】C。在第二段作者讲到，英国人尤其变得更加老练和富有创造力，所以相对来说，美国人和欧洲同行比不那么老练。
Exercise 3
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic(北极的)peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent(进步). The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓)used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.
Q: Which of the following is the author s view on the historical development of toys?
A) The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged.
B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.
C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.
D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child s character.
【题目译文】关于玩具的历史发展，作者的观点是什么?
【答案解析】B。从第三段第一句话， 关于玩具的历史，令人吃惊的并不是它们改变了多少，而是它们一直没有改变 ，可以推断出 玩具在历史上基本上保持不变 。
Exercise 4
Amtrak(美国铁路客运公司)was experiencing a down-slowing in ridership(客运量)along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham, were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.
At one time, trains were the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west. Trains were fast, very luxurious, and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation existing at the time. However, times change and the automobile became America s standard of convenience. Also, air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of travelling great distances. Therefore, the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order to change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be considered for travel in the west.
Two portions of the total market were targeted: 1) anxious fliers those concerned with safety, relaxation, and cleanliness and 2) travel-lovers those viewing themselves as relaxed, casual, and interested in the travel experience as part of their vacation. The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom, escape, relaxation, and enjoyment of the great western outdoors. It stressed experiences gained by using the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.
Advertisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along some of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains . These ads were strategically placed among family-oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order to most effectively reach target audiences. Results were impressive. The Empire Builder, which was focused on in one ad, enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.
Q: It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak ridership was due to the fact that .
A) trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation
B) trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation
C) trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be
D) trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience
【题目译文】从文章中可以推断：美国铁路客运公司客流量下降的原因是 。
【答案解析】B。文章前半部分提到，随着时间的推移，汽车成了美国衡量便利的标准，此外飞机也轻而易举地确立了其长途旅行最快捷方式的地位。由此可推断出火车既不如汽车便利，又不如飞机快捷，因而其客流量不断下降。
Exercise 5
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states at least in getting people off welfare. It s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens County have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent twice the national average.
For advocates(代言人)for the poor, that s an indication much more needs to be done.
More people are getting jobs, but it s not making their lives any better, says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin(毒素)that was poisoning the family, says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It s beginning to rebuild the work ethic(道德观), which is much more important.
Mr. Rector and others argued that once the habit of dependency is cracked, then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
Q: From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at .
A) saving welfare funds
B) rebuilding the work ethic
C) providing more jobs
D) cutting government expenses
【题目译文】根据本文我们知道福利改革的目的在于 。
【答案解析】B。倒数第二段Robert Rector说： 福利改革正在改变低收入社区的道德氛围，正开始重建工作道德观，而工作道德观是更为重要的。 从此可以推断这正是福利改革的目的。
