英語四級閱讀理解練習題

　　下面是小編整理的，希望對大家有幫助。

　　Adam Smith, writing in the 1770s, was the first person to see the importance of the division of labor and to explain part of its'advantages. He gives as an example the process by which pins were made in England.

　　"One man draws out the wire, another strengthens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top to prepare it to receive the head. To put it on is a separate operation, to polish the pins is another. It is even a trade by itself to put them into the paper. And the important business of making pins is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which in some factories are all performed by different people, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them. "

　　Ten men, Smith said, in this way, turned out twelve pounds of pins a day or about 4800 pins apiece. But if all of them had worked separately and independently without division of labor, they certainly could not each of them have made twenty pins in a day and perhaps not even one.

　　There can be no doubt that division of labor, provided that it is not taken too far, is an efficient way of organizing work. Fewer people can make more pins. Adam Smith saw this but he also took it for granted that division of labor is in itself responsible for economic growth and development and that it accounts for the difference between expanding economies and those that stand still. But division of labor adds nothing new; it only enables people to produce more of what they already have.

　　21. According to the passage, Adam Smith was the first person to_______.

　　A. take advantage of the division of labor

　　B. introduce the division of labor into England

　　C. understand the effects of the division of labor

　　D. explain the causes of the division of labor

　　22. Adam Smith saw that the division of labor_______.

　　A. enabled each worker to make pins more quickly and more cheaply

　　B. increased the possible output per worker

　　C. increased the number of people employed in factories

　　D. improved the quality of pins produced

　　23. Adam Smith mentioned the number 4800 in order to_______.

　　A. show the advantages of the division of labor

　　B. show the advantages of the old craft system

　　C. emphasize how powerful the individual worker was

　　D. emphasize the importance of increased production

　　24. According to the writer, Adam Smith's mistake was in believing that division of labor

　　A. was an efficient way of organizing work

　　B. was an important development in methods of production

　　C. inevitably led to economic development

　　D. increased the production of existing goods

　　25. The division of labor may become inefficient in organizing work if A. it is taken too far B. it is taken for granted C. it is made use of on a regular base D. it is widely used

　　21. C 22. B 23. A 24. C 25. A

　　Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the friendship for granted, we often don't clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, we are usually friends with only a very few, for example, the average among students is about 6 per person. In all the cases of friendly relationships, two people like one another and enjoy being together, but beyond that, the degree of intimacy between them and the reasons for their shared interest vary enormously. As we get to know people we take into account things like age, race, economic condition, social position, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of prime importance, it is more difficult to get on with people when there is a marked difference in age and background.

　　Some friendly relationships can be kept on argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have similar ideas and beliefs, to have attitudes and interests in common—they often talk about "being on the same wavelength". It generally takes time to reach this point. And the more intimately involved people become, the more they rely on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to break a promise. Equally, friends have to learn to put up with annoying habits and to tolerate differences of opinion.

　　In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the association between two people. But the supporting and understanding of each other that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a powerful bond, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class or race.

　　26. According to the author, _______.

　　A. all those who get on well with each other are friends

　　B. friends are closer than people who just get on well with each other

　　C. everyone understands clearly how to make friends

　　D. every student has 6 friends

　　27. When we make friends, we consider such things as age, race, and background, because _______.

　　A. it is not easy to have a friendly relationship with people when there is a marked difference in age and background

　　B. the degree of friendship between two people and the reasons for their shared interest can vary greatly

　　C. friends need to know all these things

　　D. these are the most important factors to make friends

　　28. In Paragraph 2, "being on the same wavelength" means_______.

　　A. using the same frequency while talking