2016年下半年英语四级模拟试卷及答案（一）_第3页

　　Passage 4

　　Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:

　　I recently wrote an autobiography in which I recalled many old memories. One of them was from my school days, when our ninth grade teacher, Miss Raber, would pick out words from the Reader’s Digest to test our vocabulary.

　　Today, more than 45 years later, I always check out “It pays to Enrich Your Word Power” first when the Digest comes each month. I am impressed with that idea, word power. Reader’s Digest knows the power that words have to move people—to entertain, inform, and inspire. The Digest editors know that the big word isn’t always the best word. Take just one example, a Quotable Quote form the February 1985 issue: ”Time is a playful thing. It slips quickly and drinks the day like a bowl of milk.”

　　Nineteen words, only two of them more than one syllable, yet how much they convey! That’s usually how it is with Reader’s Digest. Small and simple can be profound.

　　As chairman of a foundation to restore the Statue of Liberty, I’ve been making a lot of speeches lately. I try to keep them fairly short. I use small but vivid words: words like “hope”, “guts”, “faith”, “dreams”. Those are words that move people and say so much about the spirit of America.

　　Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against using big words, when it is right to do so, but I have also learned that a small word can work a small miracle—if it’s right word, in the right place, at the right time. It’s a “secret” that I hope never forget.

　　16. The passage is mainly about .

　　A. one of the many old memories

　　B. using simple words to express profound ideas

　　C. Reader’s Digest and school speeches

　　D. how to make effective speeches

　　17. It seems that Reader’s Digest is a magazine popular with .

　　A. people of all ages B. teenagers C. school teachers D. elderly readers

　　18. The example the author gives in the second paragraph might mean .

　　A. one spends his day playing and drinking

　　B. don’t waste your time as one does

　　C. time slips easily if you don’t make good use of it

　　D. time is just like drinking milk from a bowl

　　19. The author’s “secret” is .

　　A. to avoid using big words at any time

　　B. to use words that have the power to move people

　　C. to work a miracle by using a small word

　　D. to use small and simple words where possible

　　20. Accoeding to the author, well-chosen words can give people .

　　A. hope, courage and ideas

　　B. confidence, determination and strength

　　C. pleasure, knowledge and encourage

　　D. entertainment, information and power

　　Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:

　　People with disabilities comprise a large part of the population. It is estimated that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. About half of these disabilities are “developmental”, i. e. , they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, often form genetic conditions, and are severe enough to effect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication, employment, etc. Most other disabilities are considered “adventitious”, i.e. , accidental or caused by outside forces.