英语四级阅读

一

The table before which we sit may be, as thescientist maintains, composed of dancing atoms,but it does not reveal itself to us as anything of thekind, and it is not with dancing atoms but a solid andmotionless object that we live. So remote is this“real” table——and most of the other “realities” withwhich science deals——that it cannot be discussed interms which have any human value, and though itmay receive our purely intellectual credence it cannot be woven into the pattern of life as it isled, in contradistinction to life as we attempt it. Vibrations in the ether(以

太) are so totally unlikethe color, purple that the gulf between them cannot be bridged, and they are, to all intents andpurposes，

not one but two separate things of which the second and less “real” must be themost significant for us. And just as the sensation which has led us to attribute all objectivereality to a non-existent thing which we called “purple”is more important for human life than theconception of vibrations of a certain frequency; so too the belief in God; however ill founded,has been more important in the life of man than the germ theory of true the latter may be.

We may, if we like, speak of consequence, as certain mystics love to do, of the differentlevels or orders of truth. We may adopt what is essentially a Platonistic (布拉图式

的) trick ofthought and insist upon postulating the existence of external realities which correspond tothe needs and modes of human feeling and which, so we may insist, have their being in somepart of the universe unreachable by science. But to do so is to make an unwarrantableassumption and to be guilty of the metaphy

sical fallacy of failing to distinguish between atruth of feeling and that other sort of truth which is described as “truth of correspondence” andit is better perhaps, at least for those of us who have grown up in thought, to steer clear ofsuch confusions and to rest content with the admission that, though the universe with whichscience deals is the real universe, yet we do not and cannot have any but fleeting andimperfect contacts with it; that the most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions,desires and aspirations-take place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate ordestroy, but which it is powerless to enrich.

1. The author suggests that in order to bridge the puzzling difference between scientifictruth and the world of illusion, the reader should____.

A) try to rid himself of his world of illusion

B) accept his words as being one of illusion

C) apply the scientific method

D) learn to acknowledge both

2. Judging from the ideas and tone of the selection, one may reasonably guess that theauthor is ____.

A) a humanist B) a pantheist C) a nuclear physicist D) a doctor of medicine

3. According to this passage, a scientist would conceive of a “table” as bein

g ____.

A) a solid motionless object

B) certain characteristic vibrations in “ether”

C) a form fixed in space and time

D) a mass of atoms in motion

4. The topic of this selection is____.

A) the distortion of reality by science

B) the confusion caused by emotions

C) Platonic and contemporary views of truth

D) the place of scientific truth in our lives

5. By “objective reality” (Last line, Para. 1) the author means____.

A) scientific reality

B) a symbolic existence

C) the viewer's experience

D) reality colored by emotion

答案BADDA

二

When a consumer finds that an item she or hebought is faulty or in some other way does not liveup to the manufacturer's claims, the first step is topresent the warranty, or any other records whichmight help, at the store of purchase. In most cases,this action will produce results. However, if it doesnot, there are various means the consumer may useto gain satisfaction. A simple and common methodused by many consumers is to complain directly to the store manager. In general, the “higherup” his or her complaint, the faster he or she can expect it to be settled. In such a case, it isusually settled in the consumer's favor, assuming he or she has a just claim.

Consumers should complain in person whenever possible, but if they cannot get to theplace of purchase, it is acceptable to phone or write the complaint in a letter.

Complaining is usually most effective when it is done politely but firmly, and especially whenthe consumer can demonstrate what is wrong with the item in question. If this cannot bedone, the consumer will succeed best by presenting specific information as to what is wrong,rather than by making general statements. For

example,

“The left speaker does not work at alland the sound coming out of the right one is unclear” is better than “This stereo does notwork”. The store manager may advice the consumer to write to the manufacturer. If so, theconsumer should do this, stating the complaint as politely and firmly as possible. If a politecomplaint does not achieve the desired result, the consumer can go to a step further. She orhe can threaten to take the seller to court or report the seller to a private or publicorganization responsible for protecting consumer's rights.

1. When a consumer finds that his or her in it, the first thing he or she should do is to____.

A) complain personally to the manager

B) threaten to take the matter to court

C) write a firm letter of complaint to the store of purchase

D) show some written proof of the purchase to the store

2. How can a consumer make his or her complaint more effective, according to thepassage?

A) Explain exactly what is wrong with the item.

B) Threaten to take the seller to court.

C) Make polite and general statements about the problem.

D) Avoid having direct contact with the store manager.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is suggested as the last alternativethat consumers may turn to?

A) Complain to the store manager in person.

B) Complain to the manufacturer.

C) Write a complaint letter to the manager.

D) Turn to the Consumers’ Rights Protection Organization for help.

4. The phrase “live up to” in this context means ____.

A) meet the standard of

B) realize the purpose of

C) fulfill the demands of

D) keep the promise of

5.The passage tells us ____.

A) how to settle a consumer’s complaint about a faulty item

B) how to make an effective complaint about a faulty item

C) how to avoid buying a faulty item

D) how to deal with complaints from customers

答案Dadab