江西中医药高等专科学校-祝福话语

四级考试中的科普文章行文及选择题特点

华中农业大学 胡素芬

科学技术在我们生活中起着非常重要的作用，它推动着 社会和人类的进步与发展。科
普文章的阅读也是大学生在以后生活、专业英语学习和进一步深造的必读内 容。因此，科
普文章是大学英语四级中一个重要的内容，科普文章的行文和试题有其特点。现以1998
年6月和2006年6月四级阅读为例进行分析解释。
科普内文章大多是介绍或者描述一个科 学实验，一般从如下几个方面进行阐述：（1）
实验的目的；（2）实验（研究）者；（3）实验（研究 ）对象；（4）实验过程；（5）实验的
结果；（6）意义。其对应的英语分别是：purpose ，researcher（s），subject（s），process，
result（s），significance。Purpose 有时在文章中出现，有时用不定式表达，如第一篇中to
find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to “think and concentrate.” Spilich
put young non-smokers, active smokers and smokers deprived（被剥夺）of cigarettes through a
series of tests.第二篇中 to compare honesty across a range of communications media has
found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails。
研究者有时直接用researcher（s），但是大多数时候用P sychologist（s），或者professor（s），
或者干脆用研究者的大名。说到实验 对象，我们很自然就想到subject（s），这个单词既可
以指人，也可以指动物、植物等。有时可 以用学生、护士等表示人的身份或者动植物的名
称来表达，使读者更清楚明白。实验过程作者通常用很大 笔墨描述。通常用列举法。例如
第一篇中的In the first test, the next test，in the third test，the fourth test。实验结果用result 或
者finding（s）来表达，或者引用研究者或其他相关专家的话。最后作者阐述该研究的实际意义。
掌握了文章的行文特点，也就掌握了选择题的特点。一般，问题都会围绕着实验的对< br>象、实验目的、实验过程和意义提问。题型通常为主旨题，细节题，词汇题和推理题。考
生根据关 键词和这些特点，迅速定位答案所在的段落，用圆珠笔做上记号，顺藤摸瓜，定
能“翁中捉鳖，手到擒来 。”
注：黑体字为关键词或者重点句子及其段落。
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage: 1998年6月
Psychologist George Spilich and colleagues at Washington College in Chestertown,
Maryland, decided to find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to “think
and concentrate.” Spilich put young non-smokers, active s mokers and smokers deprived（被
剥夺）of cigarettes through a series of tests.
In the first test, each subject（试验对象）sat before a computer screen and pressed a key as
soon as he or she recognized a target letter among a grouping of 96. In this simple test, smokers,
deprived smokers and non-smokers performed equally well.
The next test was more complex, requiring all to scan sequences of 20 identical letters and
respond the instant one of the letters transformed into a different one. Non-smokers were faster,
but under the stimulation of nicotine（尼古丁）, active smokers were faster than deprived smokers.
In the third test of short-term memory, non-smokers made the fewest errors, but deprived
smokers committed fewer errors than active smokers.
The fourth test required people to read a passage, then answer questions about it. Non-
smokers remembered 19 percent more of the most important information than active smokers, and
1

deprived smokers bested those who had smoked a cigarette just before testing. Active smokers
tended not only to have poorer memories but also had trouble separating important information
from insignificant details.
“As our tests became more complex.” Sums up Spilich, “non-smokers performed better than
smokers by wider and wider margins” He predicts, “smokers might perform adequately at many
jobs-until they got complicated. A smoking airline pilot could fly adequately if no problems arose,
but if something went wrong, smoking might damage his mental capacity.”
purpose of George Spilich’s experiments is ________.
A) to test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers
B) to show how smoking damages people’s mental capacity
C) to prove that smoking affects people’s regular performance
D) to find out whether smoking helps people’s short-term memory
Spilich’s experiment was conducted in such a way as to __________.
A) compel the subjects to separate major information from minor details
B) put the subjects through increasingly complex tests
C) check the effectiveness of nicotine on smokers
D) register the prompt responses of the subjects
word “bested” (Line 3, Para.5) most probably means _________.
A) beat B) envied C) caught up with D) made the best of
of the following statements is true?
A) Active smokers in general performed better than deprived smokers.
B) Active smokers responded more quickly than the other subjects.
C) Non-smokers were not better than other subjects in performing simple tasks.
D) Deprived smokers gave the slowest responses to the various tasks.
can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A) smokers should not expect to become airline pilots
B) smoking in emergency cases causes mental illness
C) no airline pilots smoke during flights
D) smokers may prove unequal to handing emergency cases
此篇文章是典型的科普内容。21题的中心词是purpose ，所以答案很容易找到，是A) to
test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers。。22题 是问实验的
过程，答案为B) put the subjects through increasingly complex tests。23 题是词汇题。根据原
文，作者显然是说打败的意思，所以答案为A) beat。24题 是个细节题。做这种题必须把实
验过程大致了解清楚。然后用排除法做题。答案为C) Non- smokers were not better than other
subjects in performing simple tasks. 25题是推理题，从最后一段实验的意义可以推断出答案为
D) smokers may prove unequal to handing emergency cases。

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. 2006年06月
Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. The
first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that
people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails. The fact that
emails are automatically recorded — and can come back to haunt (困扰) you — appears to be
the key to the finding.
Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, asked 30 students to keep a
2

communications diary for a week. In it they noted the number of conversations or email
exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told.
Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium. He found
that lies made up 14 per cent of emails, 21 per cent of instant messages, 27 per cent of face-to-face
interactions and an astonishing 37 per cent of phone calls.
His results, to be presented at the conference on human-computer interaction in Vienna,
Austria, in April, have surprised psychologists. Some expected emailers to be the biggest liars,
reasoning that because deception makes people uncomfortable, the detachment (非直接接触) of
emailing would make it easier to lie. Others expected people to lie more in face-to-face exchanges
because we are most practised at that form of communication.
But Hancock says it is also crucial whether a conversation is being recorded and could be
reread, and whether it occurs in real time. People appear to be afraid to lie when they know the
communication could later be used to hold them to account, he says. This is why fewer lies
appear in email than on the phone.
People are also more likely to lie in real time — in an instant message or phone call, say —
than if they have time to think of a response, says Hancock. He found many lies are spontaneous
(脱口而出的) responses to an unexpected demand, such as:“Do you like my dress?”
Hancock hopes his research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees
to communicate. For instance, the phone might be the best medium for sales where employees are
encouraged to stretch the truth. But given his results, work assessment, where honesty is a priority,
might be best done using email.
57. Hancock’s study focuses on .
A) the consequences of lying in various communications media
B) the success of communications technologies in conveying ideas
C) people’s references in selecting communication technologies
D) people’s honesty levels across a range of communications media
58. Hancock’s research finding surprised those who believed that .
A) people are less likely to lie in instant messages
B) people are unlikely to lie in face-to-face interactions
C) people are most likely to lie in email communication
D) people are twice as likely to lie in phone conversations
59. According to the passage, why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media
of communication?
A) They are afraid of leaving behind traces of their lies.
B) They believe that honesty is the best policy.
C) They tend to be relaxed when using those media.
D) They are most practiced at those forms of communication.
60. According to Hancock, the telephone is a preferable medium for promoting sales
because .
A) salesmen can talk directly to their customers
B) salesmen may feel less restrained to exaggerate
C) salesmen can impress customers as being trustworthy
D) salesmen may pass on instant messages effectively
61. It can be inferred from the passage that .
3

A) honesty should be encouraged in interpersonal communications
B) more employers will use emails to communicate with their employees
C) suitable media should be chosen for different communication purposes
D) email is now the dominant medium of communication within a company

此篇文章稍微有点变异，但是万变不离其中。k’s study focuses on 是变相地
问实验的目的是什么。可以看动词不定式，然后很容易选对D) people’s honesty levels across
a range of communications media。58题Hancock’s research finding 关键词是finding。那么
我们通过阅读已经知道了实验的结果了，所以人们对这种结果的态度就很 容易看出来了。
答案为C) people are most likely to lie in e-mail communication。ing to the passage,
why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media of communication细节题。可
以在文中找到相应的位置，然后选出正确答案A) They are afraid of leaving behind traces of
their l ies。60题引用研究者或其他相关专家的话，我们可以先找到这个专家的名字，然后
根据其观点选B ) salesmen may feel less restrained to exaggerate 。61 也是推理题。实际上
是问这个实验的实际意义。我们可以从专家的意见和观点着手，即Hancock hopes his
research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate. 根
据句意，可以很容易推断出正确答案为C) suitable media should be chosen for different
communication purposes。









4

四级考试中的科普文章行文及选择题特点

华中农业大学 胡素芬

科学技术在我们生活中起着非常重要的作用，它推动着 社会和人类的进步与发展。科
普文章的阅读也是大学生在以后生活、专业英语学习和进一步深造的必读内 容。因此，科
普文章是大学英语四级中一个重要的内容，科普文章的行文和试题有其特点。现以1998
年6月和2006年6月四级阅读为例进行分析解释。
科普内文章大多是介绍或者描述一个科 学实验，一般从如下几个方面进行阐述：（1）
实验的目的；（2）实验（研究）者；（3）实验（研究 ）对象；（4）实验过程；（5）实验的
结果；（6）意义。其对应的英语分别是：purpose ，researcher（s），subject（s），process，
result（s），significance。Purpose 有时在文章中出现，有时用不定式表达，如第一篇中to
find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to “think and concentrate.” Spilich
put young non-smokers, active smokers and smokers deprived（被剥夺）of cigarettes through a
series of tests.第二篇中 to compare honesty across a range of communications media has
found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails。
研究者有时直接用researcher（s），但是大多数时候用P sychologist（s），或者professor（s），
或者干脆用研究者的大名。说到实验 对象，我们很自然就想到subject（s），这个单词既可
以指人，也可以指动物、植物等。有时可 以用学生、护士等表示人的身份或者动植物的名
称来表达，使读者更清楚明白。实验过程作者通常用很大 笔墨描述。通常用列举法。例如
第一篇中的In the first test, the next test，in the third test，the fourth test。实验结果用result 或
者finding（s）来表达，或者引用研究者或其他相关专家的话。最后作者阐述该研究的实际意义。
掌握了文章的行文特点，也就掌握了选择题的特点。一般，问题都会围绕着实验的对< br>象、实验目的、实验过程和意义提问。题型通常为主旨题，细节题，词汇题和推理题。考
生根据关 键词和这些特点，迅速定位答案所在的段落，用圆珠笔做上记号，顺藤摸瓜，定
能“翁中捉鳖，手到擒来 。”
注：黑体字为关键词或者重点句子及其段落。
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage: 1998年6月
Psychologist George Spilich and colleagues at Washington College in Chestertown,
Maryland, decided to find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to “think
and concentrate.” Spilich put young non-smokers, active s mokers and smokers deprived（被
剥夺）of cigarettes through a series of tests.
In the first test, each subject（试验对象）sat before a computer screen and pressed a key as
soon as he or she recognized a target letter among a grouping of 96. In this simple test, smokers,
deprived smokers and non-smokers performed equally well.
The next test was more complex, requiring all to scan sequences of 20 identical letters and
respond the instant one of the letters transformed into a different one. Non-smokers were faster,
but under the stimulation of nicotine（尼古丁）, active smokers were faster than deprived smokers.
In the third test of short-term memory, non-smokers made the fewest errors, but deprived
smokers committed fewer errors than active smokers.
The fourth test required people to read a passage, then answer questions about it. Non-
smokers remembered 19 percent more of the most important information than active smokers, and
1

deprived smokers bested those who had smoked a cigarette just before testing. Active smokers
tended not only to have poorer memories but also had trouble separating important information
from insignificant details.
“As our tests became more complex.” Sums up Spilich, “non-smokers performed better than
smokers by wider and wider margins” He predicts, “smokers might perform adequately at many
jobs-until they got complicated. A smoking airline pilot could fly adequately if no problems arose,
but if something went wrong, smoking might damage his mental capacity.”
purpose of George Spilich’s experiments is ________.
A) to test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers
B) to show how smoking damages people’s mental capacity
C) to prove that smoking affects people’s regular performance
D) to find out whether smoking helps people’s short-term memory
Spilich’s experiment was conducted in such a way as to __________.
A) compel the subjects to separate major information from minor details
B) put the subjects through increasingly complex tests
C) check the effectiveness of nicotine on smokers
D) register the prompt responses of the subjects
word “bested” (Line 3, Para.5) most probably means _________.
A) beat B) envied C) caught up with D) made the best of
of the following statements is true?
A) Active smokers in general performed better than deprived smokers.
B) Active smokers responded more quickly than the other subjects.
C) Non-smokers were not better than other subjects in performing simple tasks.
D) Deprived smokers gave the slowest responses to the various tasks.
can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A) smokers should not expect to become airline pilots
B) smoking in emergency cases causes mental illness
C) no airline pilots smoke during flights
D) smokers may prove unequal to handing emergency cases
此篇文章是典型的科普内容。21题的中心词是purpose ，所以答案很容易找到，是A) to
test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers。。22题 是问实验的
过程，答案为B) put the subjects through increasingly complex tests。23 题是词汇题。根据原
文，作者显然是说打败的意思，所以答案为A) beat。24题 是个细节题。做这种题必须把实
验过程大致了解清楚。然后用排除法做题。答案为C) Non- smokers were not better than other
subjects in performing simple tasks. 25题是推理题，从最后一段实验的意义可以推断出答案为
D) smokers may prove unequal to handing emergency cases。

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. 2006年06月
Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. The
first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that
people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails. The fact that
emails are automatically recorded — and can come back to haunt (困扰) you — appears to be
the key to the finding.
Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, asked 30 students to keep a
2

communications diary for a week. In it they noted the number of conversations or email
exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told.
Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium. He found
that lies made up 14 per cent of emails, 21 per cent of instant messages, 27 per cent of face-to-face
interactions and an astonishing 37 per cent of phone calls.
His results, to be presented at the conference on human-computer interaction in Vienna,
Austria, in April, have surprised psychologists. Some expected emailers to be the biggest liars,
reasoning that because deception makes people uncomfortable, the detachment (非直接接触) of
emailing would make it easier to lie. Others expected people to lie more in face-to-face exchanges
because we are most practised at that form of communication.
But Hancock says it is also crucial whether a conversation is being recorded and could be
reread, and whether it occurs in real time. People appear to be afraid to lie when they know the
communication could later be used to hold them to account, he says. This is why fewer lies
appear in email than on the phone.
People are also more likely to lie in real time — in an instant message or phone call, say —
than if they have time to think of a response, says Hancock. He found many lies are spontaneous
(脱口而出的) responses to an unexpected demand, such as:“Do you like my dress?”
Hancock hopes his research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees
to communicate. For instance, the phone might be the best medium for sales where employees are
encouraged to stretch the truth. But given his results, work assessment, where honesty is a priority,
might be best done using email.
57. Hancock’s study focuses on .
A) the consequences of lying in various communications media
B) the success of communications technologies in conveying ideas
C) people’s references in selecting communication technologies
D) people’s honesty levels across a range of communications media
58. Hancock’s research finding surprised those who believed that .
A) people are less likely to lie in instant messages
B) people are unlikely to lie in face-to-face interactions
C) people are most likely to lie in email communication
D) people are twice as likely to lie in phone conversations
59. According to the passage, why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media
of communication?
A) They are afraid of leaving behind traces of their lies.
B) They believe that honesty is the best policy.
C) They tend to be relaxed when using those media.
D) They are most practiced at those forms of communication.
60. According to Hancock, the telephone is a preferable medium for promoting sales
because .
A) salesmen can talk directly to their customers
B) salesmen may feel less restrained to exaggerate
C) salesmen can impress customers as being trustworthy
D) salesmen may pass on instant messages effectively
61. It can be inferred from the passage that .
3

A) honesty should be encouraged in interpersonal communications
B) more employers will use emails to communicate with their employees
C) suitable media should be chosen for different communication purposes
D) email is now the dominant medium of communication within a company

此篇文章稍微有点变异，但是万变不离其中。k’s study focuses on 是变相地
问实验的目的是什么。可以看动词不定式，然后很容易选对D) people’s honesty levels across
a range of communications media。58题Hancock’s research finding 关键词是finding。那么
我们通过阅读已经知道了实验的结果了，所以人们对这种结果的态度就很 容易看出来了。
答案为C) people are most likely to lie in e-mail communication。ing to the passage,
why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media of communication细节题。可
以在文中找到相应的位置，然后选出正确答案A) They are afraid of leaving behind traces of
their l ies。60题引用研究者或其他相关专家的话，我们可以先找到这个专家的名字，然后
根据其观点选B ) salesmen may feel less restrained to exaggerate 。61 也是推理题。实际上
是问这个实验的实际意义。我们可以从专家的意见和观点着手，即Hancock hopes his
research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate. 根
据句意，可以很容易推断出正确答案为C) suitable media should be chosen for different
communication purposes。









4