4.30阅读

一. 原文阅读

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Passage 7（推荐阅读时间：6 - 7分钟）

In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels—a woman’s worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating (使通气) lawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.

Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one’s physical health. Talk to any podiatrist (足病医生), and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate (阴沟栅) and being thrown to the ground—possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

Questions for Passage 7

1. What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?
   A) The multi-functional use of high heels.
   B) Their attempt to show off their status.
   C) The rich variety of high heel styles.
   D) Their wish to improve their appearance.

2. The author’s presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant ______.
   A) to be ironic
   B) to poke fun at women
   C) to be fair to the fashion industry
   D) to make his point convincing

3. The author uses the expression “those babies” (Line 3, Para. 2) to refer to high heels ______.
   A) to show their fragile characteristics
   B) to indicate their feminine features
   C) to show women’s affection for them
   D) to emphasize their small size

4. The author’s chief argument against high heels is that ______.
   A) they pose a threat to lawns
   B) they are injurious to women’s health
   C) they don’t necessarily make women beautiful
   D) they are ineffective as a weapon of defense

5. It can be inferred from the passage that women should ______.
   A) see through the very nature of fashion myths
   B) boycott the products of the fashion industry
   C) go to a podiatrist regularly for advice
   D) avoid following fashion too closely

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Passage 8（推荐阅读时间：7 - 8分钟）

Office workers who would normally step into a pub or gym to cope with the stress of a working day are being invited instead to sit in front of a painting.

Manchester Art Gallery has recruited two of the country’s leading experts in stress management to choose pictures that are guaranteed to leave even the most frantic feeling at ease with the world. They have created the “tranquility tour” which allows city-centre workers to spend their lunch hour taking a soothing tour of what are described as “some of the most relaxing and inspiring paintings ever committed to canvas”. The free tour takes the visitor through several centuries of painting, from the Victorian aesthetic movement, through the Pre-Raphaelite school, to modern abstract art.

Kim Gowland, a gallery executive, said: “Looking at art is a stress-relieving activity. What we are trying to do is encourage people who work in the city to spend half an hour of their lunchbreak in the gallery, to chill out rather than rush around the shops.”

The five works chosen by Andrew Loukes, the gallery’s manager, are: John Roddam Spencer Stanhope’s The Waters of Lethe (1880), Turner’s Thomson’s Aeolian Harp (1809), Sir John Everett Millais’s Autumn Leaves (1856), James Durden’s Summer in Cumberland (1925) and Bridget Riley’s Zephyr (1976).

Mr. Loukes said: “We chose five pictures that suggest restfulness. We also wanted to display the breadth of the collection. We are particularly strong in early-19th- and early-20th-century British art.”

Their therapeutic powers have been endorsed by Olga Gregson and Terry Looker from the Department of Biological Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr. Gregson said that “research shows that stress levels have reduced and moods changed for the better” when subjects looked at paintings.

“Although art appreciation is very much a matter of personal choice, it is true that some works of art appeal to almost everyone, and that some paintings have qualities that can induce relaxation in most people,” Dr. Gregson said. “Great painters such as Leonardo da Vinci were masters of techniques that could evoke particular responses in the viewer.”

Dr. Gregson said the gallery represented an “oasis of calm”. “You have got this wonderful opportunity to evoke a different kind of psychophysiological response.”

Questions for Passage 8

1. What is done by the Manchester Art Gallery is intended to ______.
   A) find out the relation between paintings and stress-easing
   B) promote its magnificent collection of British art
   C) reduce working people’s stress levels by art appreciation
   D) provide an alternative of pastime for consumers

2. The tour is named “tranquility tour” because ______.
   A) it is expected to play a soothing role
   B) it displays paintings through centuries
   C) it comprises paintings of various styles
   D) it only takes a half hour around lunch time

3. What does Kim Gowland point out about city-centre workers?
   A) They are pressed by family burden as well as their careers.
   B) They like going shopping during their short lunchbreak.
   C) They shouldn’t rush around the gallery while looking at art.
   D) Looking at art is much better than going to pubs or gyms.

4. According to the author, the painting’s impact on relieving stress is ______.
   A) based on personal experiences
   B) varied from people to people
   C) in need of further study
   D) scientifically proven

5. It is indicated by Dr Gregson that da Vinci’s paintings can ______.
   A) suggest restfulness
   B) arouse diverse feelings
   C) capture almost everyone
   D) ease stress in most people

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二. 题目答案来源句标识

Passage 7（推荐阅读时间：6 - 7分钟）

In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels—a woman’s worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating (使通气) lawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.

Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one’s physical health. Talk to any podiatrist (足病医生), and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate (阴沟栅) and being thrown to the ground—possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

Questions for Passage 7

1. What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels? 
   A) The multi-functional use of high heels.
   B) Their attempt to show off their status.
   C) The rich variety of high heel styles.
   D) Their wish to improve their appearance.

2. The author’s presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant ______. 
   A) to be ironic
   B) to poke fun at women
   C) to be fair to the fashion industry
   D) to make his point convincing

3. The author uses the expression “those babies” (Line 3, Para. 2) to refer to high heels ______. 
   A) to show their fragile characteristics
   B) to indicate their feminine features
   C) to show women’s affection for them
   D) to emphasize their small size

4. The author’s chief argument against high heels is that ______. 
   A) they pose a threat to lawns
   B) they are injurious to women’s health
   C) they don’t necessarily make women beautiful
   D) they are ineffective as a weapon of defense

5. It can be inferred from the passage that women should ______. 
   A) see through the very nature of fashion myths
   B) boycott the products of the fashion industry
   C) go to a podiatrist regularly for advice
   D) avoid following fashion too closely

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Passage 8（推荐阅读时间：7 - 8分钟）

Office workers who would normally step into a pub or gym to cope with the stress of a working day are being invited instead to sit in front of a painting.

Manchester Art Gallery has recruited two of the country’s leading experts in stress management to choose pictures that are guaranteed to leave even the most frantic feeling at ease with the world. They have created the “tranquility tour” which allows city-centre workers to spend their lunch hour taking a soothing tour of what are described as “some of the most relaxing and inspiring paintings ever committed to canvas”. The free tour takes the visitor through several centuries of painting, from the Victorian aesthetic movement, through the Pre-Raphaelite school, to modern abstract art.

Kim Gowland, a gallery executive, said: “Looking at art is a stress-relieving activity. What we are trying to do is encourage people who work in the city to spend half an hour of their lunchbreak in the gallery, to chill out rather than rush around the shops.”

The five works chosen by Andrew Loukes, the gallery’s manager, are: John Roddam Spencer Stanhope’s The Waters of Lethe (1880), Turner’s Thomson’s Aeolian Harp (1809), Sir John Everett Millais’s Autumn Leaves (1856), James Durden’s Summer in Cumberland (1925) and Bridget Riley’s Zephyr (1976).

Mr. Loukes said: “We chose five pictures that suggest restfulness. We also wanted to display the breadth of the collection. We are particularly strong in early-19th- and early-20th-century British art.”

Their therapeutic powers have been endorsed by Olga Gregson and Terry Looker from the Department of Biological Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr. Gregson said that “research shows that stress levels have reduced and moods changed for the better” when subjects looked at paintings.

“Although art appreciation is very much a matter of personal choice, it is true that some works of art appeal to almost everyone, and that some paintings have qualities that can induce relaxation in most people,” Dr. Gregson said. “Great painters such as Leonardo da Vinci were masters of techniques that could evoke particular responses in the viewer.”

Dr. Gregson said the gallery represented an “oasis of calm”. “You have got this wonderful opportunity to evoke a different kind of psychophysiological response.”

Questions for Passage 8

1. What is done by the Manchester Art Gallery is intended to ______.
   A) find out the relation between paintings and stress-easing
   B) promote its magnificent collection of British art
   C) reduce working people’s stress levels by art appreciation
   D) provide an alternative of pastime for consumers

2. The tour is named “tranquility tour” because ______.
   A) it is expected to play a soothing role
   B) it displays paintings through centuries
   C) it comprises paintings of various styles
   D) it only takes a half hour around lunch time

3. What does Kim Gowland point out about city-centre workers?
   A) They are pressed by family burden as well as their careers.
   B) They like going shopping during their short lunchbreak.
   C) They shouldn’t rush around the gallery while looking at art.
   D) Looking at art is much better than going to pubs or gyms.

4. According to the author, the painting’s impact on relieving stress is ______.
   A) based on personal experiences
   B) varied from people to people
   C) in need of further study
   D) scientifically proven

5. It is indicated by Dr Gregson that da Vinci’s paintings can ______.
   A) suggest restfulness
   B) arouse diverse feelings
   C) capture almost everyone
   D) ease stress in most people

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1st player answer for p7: DACBA 5/5

1st player answer for p8: CADDB 3/5

right answer for p7: DACBA

right answer for p8: CABDC

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Passage 7
In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance¹ seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception² that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels—a woman’s worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated³ for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long-term hardships⁴. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing⁵ to use or purchase⁶ them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical⁷ and psychological suffering.

For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating lawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates⁸ all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense⁹ against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, harmful¹⁰ fashion accessories.

Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one’s physical health. Talk to any podiatrist, and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk¹¹ of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat¹³ of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack¹² or a sewer-grate and being thrown to the ground—possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

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Passage 8
Office workers who would normally step into a pub or gym to cope¹⁴ with the stress¹⁵ of a working day are being invited instead to sit in front of a painting.

Manchester Art Gallery has recruited two of the country’s leading experts¹⁶ in stress management to choose pictures that are guaranteed¹⁷ to leave even the most frantic feeling at ease with the world. They have created the “tranquility¹⁸ tour” which allows city-centre workers to spend their lunch hour taking a soothing¹⁹ tour of what are described as “some of the most relaxing²⁰ and inspiring paintings ever committed to canvas.” The free tour takes the visitor through several centuries of painting, from the Victorian aesthetic movement, through the Pre-Raphaelite school, to modern abstract art.

Kim Gowland, a gallery executive, said: “Looking at art is a stress-relieving²¹ activity. What we are trying to do is encourage²² people who work in the city to spend half an hour of their lunchbreak in the gallery, to chill out rather than rush around the shops.”

The five works chosen by Andrew Loukes, the gallery’s manager, are:

• John Roddam Spencer Stanhope’s The Waters of Lethe (1880)

• Turner’s Thomson’s Aeolian Harp (1809)

• Sir John Everett Millais’s Autumn Leaves (1856)

• James Durden’s Summer in Cumberland (1925)

• Bridget Riley’s Zephyr (1976)

Mr Loukes said: “We chose five pictures that suggest restfulness. We also wanted to display²³ the breadth of the collection. We are particularly strong in early-19th- and early-20th-century British art.”

Their therapeutic powers have been endorsed²⁴ by Olga Gregson and Terry Looker from the Department of Biological Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr Gregson said that “research²⁵ shows that stress levels have reduced and moods changed for the better” when subjects looked at paintings.

“Although art appreciation is very much a matter of personal choice, it is true that some works of art appeal to almost everyone, and that some paintings have qualities that can evoke²⁶ particular responses²⁷ in the viewer,” Dr Gregson said. “Great painters such as Leonardo da Vinci were masters of techniques that could evoke particular responses in the viewer.”

Dr Gregson said the gallery²⁸ represented an “oasis of calm.” “You have got this wonderful opportunity to evoke a different kind of psychophysiological response.”

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多义词释义（按序号顺序）

1. appearance

1. 外观，外表；2) 出现，露面

2. deception

1. 欺骗，蒙骗；2) 欺骗手段；3) 错觉

3. sophisticated

1. 复杂的，精密的；2) 老练的，世故的（指人）

4. hardships

1. 艰难，艰苦；2) 苦难，困苦经历

5. refusing

1. 拒绝（refuse 的现在分词）；2) 废物，垃圾（refuse 作名词）

6. purchase

1. 购买（动词）；2) 所购之物（名词）

7. physical

1. 身体的，肉体的；2) 物理的，与物质性质相关的

8. eliminates

1. 消除，排除；2) 淘汰（比赛中）

9. defense

1. 防御，防护；2) 辩护，辩解

10. harmful

1. 有害的；2) 伤害性的，致伤的

11. risk

1. 风险，危险；2) 冒…的危险

12. crack

1. 裂缝；2) 砸开，破解（动词）；3) 爆裂声

13. threat

1. 威胁，恐吓；2) 可能造成危险的人或事物

14. cope

1. 应对，应付；2) 竞争中获胜（较少用）

15. stress

1. 压力；2) 强调；3) 重音

16. experts

1. 专家，行家；2) 内行（adj. expert 熟练的）

17. guaranteed

1. 保证（动词 guarantee 的过去分词）；2) 担保的；3) 必然的

18. tranquility

1. 宁静，安宁；2) 平静

19. soothing

1. 安抚的，抚慰的；2) 缓和的，镇静的

20. relaxing

1. 令人放松的；2) 轻松惬意的

21. stress-relieving / relieve

1. 缓解，减轻（动词）；2) 救济，解除（动词）

22. encourage

1. 鼓励；2) 促使；3) 支持

23. display

1. 展示，陈列（动词）；2) 展览品，陈列品（名词）；3) （屏幕上）显示

24. endorsed

1. 支持，认可；2) 在背面签名；3) 背书，广告代言

25. research

1. 研究，调查（名词）；2) 研究（动词）

26. evoke

1. 唤起（情感、记忆）；2) 引起（反应）

27. responses

1. 回答，回应；2) 生理或心理反应

28. gallery

1. 画廊，美术馆；2) 阳台；3) （剧场的）楼座、楼厅