2012 年英語專業(yè)四級閱讀理解

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From 2007 to 2010, American households lost $l1 trillion in real estate, savings, and stocks.?More than half of all s either lost their jobs or were forced to take cuts in hours or pay?during the recession. The worst may be behind them now, but the shocking losses of the past few?years have reshaped nearly every facet of their lives—how they live, work, and spend—even the?way they think about the future.

For Cindy, the recession began when her husband was relocated to Rhinelander, Wisconsin.?by his company forcing the family to move in a hurry. The couple bought a new house but were?unable to sell their two-bedroom home in Big Lake, Minnesota. With two mortgages(抵押借款) and two young children to care for, Cindy couldn’t imagine how to stretch her husband’s paycheck?to keep her family fed．

Then she stumbled upon an online community called Blotanical, a forum for gardeners,?many with an interest in sustainability. “The more I read and discussed these practices, the more I?realized this would help not only our budget but also our health, ”she says.

Cindy admits that before the recession, she was a city girl with no interest in growing her own?dinner．“I grew fl owers mostly—I didn’t think about plants that weren’t visually interesting”.

But to stretch her budget, she began putting in vegetables and fruit—everything from strawberry?beds to apple trees—and as her fi rst seedlings grew，her spirits lifted．She no longer thinks of?gardening and making her own jams as just a money saver；they’re a genuine pleasure．“It’s?brought us closer together as a family, too.”she says．Her kids voluntarily pitch in with(主動幫助)the garden work，and the family cooks together instead of eating out．The food tastes better—it’s fresher and organic —and the garden handily fulfi lls its original purpose：cost cutting．

Now she spends about $200 to $300 a month on groceries, less than half of the $650 a month that?she used to lay out．

After discovering how resourceful she can be in tough times, Cindy is no longer easily?discouraged.“It makes me feel proud to be able to say I made it myself,”she says.“I feel?accomplished, and I’m more confi dent about attempting things I’ve never done before.”Now she?avoids convenience stores and has begun learning to knit，quilt，and make her own soap.“I?don’t think I would have ever begun this journey if it weren’t for the recession，”she says.“I?have a feeling that from now on, it will affect my family’s health and happiness for the better.”

86．We learn from the fi rst paragraph that the recession _____.
A．affected Americans in certain occupations．
B．had great impact on Americans’work and life．
C．had only brought huge losses in savings and stocks．
D．is over with some of the losses recovered.

87．What made the family’s fi nancial situation even worse was that they _____.
A．moved to Rhinelander in a hurry．
B．had two children to raise．
C．didn’t know anyone in Rhinelander．
D．couldn’t sell their home in Big Lake．

88．Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A．Cindy had seen the benefi ts of gardening in a different way．
B．Cindy had developed a hobby of gardening before the recession．
C．Cindy had already had a keen interest in sustainability．
D．Cindy had already planned to meet the gardeners．

89．In addition, Cindy views gardening as a genuine pleasure because gardening _____.
A．helped her cut living costs almost by half．
B．enabled her to make her own jams．
C．built up family ties and kids’enthusiasm．
D．enabled her to know more about plants．

90．What does Cindy think of the diffi cult times she has gone through?
A．It gave the couple and their kids a tough lesson．
B．It gave her confi dence and optimism．
C．It would come again and affect the family．
D．It left a lasting psychological impact on the family．

答案與解析：

86. B。主旨類。文章第一段描述了經濟衰退對美國人的工作和生活的巨大影響。

87. D。推理類。從第二段中我們知道Cindy家庭因為工作，新買了一套房子，但是不能把自己住的房子賣掉，所以要還兩套房子的貸款。因此家庭經濟困難。

88. A。推理類。從文章第三段我們知道Cindy從園藝工作中收獲頗多。

89. C。細節(jié)類。從文章第四段我們得知，耕種使得家庭聯(lián)系更緊密，孩子們也更有熱情參與其中。

90. B。推理類。文章最后一段中 “I feel accomplished and I’m more confident attempting?things I’ve never done before.”, 我們可以推理出困難時期的經歷讓Cindy更加自信和樂觀。