发布时间 : 星期一 文章2018英语专四真题与参考答案解析更新完毕开始阅读901990d2e418964bcf84b9d528ea81c759f52eca
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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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