2015年英語四級閱讀理解練習題

　　It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia’s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group’s on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: “We posted bulletins all day long，because of course this isn’t just something that happened in Australia. It’s world history.”

　　The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Illlaw has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sights of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the hill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia—where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part—other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia. In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.?Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death probably by a deadly injection or pill—to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a “cooling off” period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition.“I’m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view,but what I was afraid of was how I’d go, because I’ve watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks,” he says.

　　1.Which of the following has the similar meaning to the sentence “But the tide is unlikely to turn hack”?

　　A) US and some other countries are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.

　　B) It is impossible to pass the bill.

　　C) Doctors are allowed by law to take the lives of the ill patients.

　　D) The fact that the NT Rights of the Terminally Ill Law has been passed probably can’t be changed.

　　2.From the second paragraph we learn that ______.

　　A) the objection to euthanasia is slow to come in other countries

　　B) physicians and citizens share the same view on euthanasia

　　C) changing technology is chiefly responsible for the hasty passage of the law

　　D) it takes time to realize the significance of the law’s passage

　　3.When the author says that observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling, he means ______.

　　A) observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of euthanasia

　　B) similar bills are likely to be passed in the US, Canada and other countries

　　C) observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes

　　D) the effect-taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop

　　4.When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will ______.

　　A) face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia

　　B) experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient

　　C) have an intense fear of terrible suffering

　　D) undergo a cooling off period of seven days

　　5.The author’s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of ______.

　　A) opposition B) suspicion

　　C) approval D) doubt

　　答案與解析：

　　1.D。

　　與But the tide is unlikely to turn back相近意思是哪一項?本題為句意理解題。But the tide is unlikely to turn back可直譯為：可這種潮流是不可逆轉的。上文說：有些人攻擊該法案，言外之意是有些人想推翻該法案。為什么不可能逆轉局勢?下文列舉事例進行了說明。因此，答 案為D項“NT Rights of Terminally I11法案事實是不可逆轉的”，而不是A項(美國和其他國家等待著發生多米諾骨牌效應)，不是B項(不可能通過該法案)，也不是C項(法律允許醫生剝奪病人的生命)。

　　2.D。

　　從第二段我們可以知道____。本題是道推理論斷題。A)在別的國家里對安樂死的反對緩慢。B)醫生和市民對安樂死持相同的觀點。C)不斷變化的技術對草率通過該法律應付主要責任。C)需要時間才能認識到通過該法律的意義。根據短文第二段，A、C兩項文中未提到，易于排除，而B項干擾性很大。第二段第二句話說醫生和市民同樣需要從道義和實際兩方面去對待安樂死這一問題，alike同樣地 (adv.)，它修飾動詞trying，而不是指“持相同意見”，而且緊接著下文說：一些人如釋重負，另一些人則猛烈抨擊，顯然，觀點是不一致的，故B不可選。D與短文第二段的首句意義一致;The full import may take a while to sink in.理解其全部含義需要時間(sink in理解=becomeunderstood, have a fixed place in mind)。

　　3.B。

　　作者說觀察者們等待著多米諾骨牌效應的發生，他的意思是____。本題測試的是對文章段落的理解和推論。Dominoes本身是多米諾骨牌游戲，一塊牌倒下，其他的全部跟著倒下，即發生連鎖反應。根據短文第二段中的上下文，澳大利亞通過安樂死的'法律，美國和加拿大的一些人“期待著多米諾骨牌開始倒下”，顯然，這里是在暗喻期待類似發法律也相繼在本國實施。因此，選項B(類似的法案和可能在美國和加拿大得以通過)的解釋與題目意思最相近。

　　4.A。

　　當Lloyd Nickson去世之時，他將____。本題為間接推理題。文中并未直接說到Nickson怎樣面對死亡，但根據他的話可知，他不怕死，而是害怕如何去死，害怕經歷臨走前因呼吸困難而垂死掙扎的痛苦。可如今，安樂死的法律已被通過，他不必這樣提心吊膽了，正如文章最后部分所說：… law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition.據此可知，選項A是正確答案，即Nickson將帶著安樂死特有的平靜去面對死亡。B、C是過去的情況，與安樂死合法化后的情況不符;文中雖然提到了病人在簽字實施安樂死前需要七天穩定情緒，但是D項并非該題所問，故D也不能入選。

　　5.C。

　　對待安樂死作者是持____觀點。本題考查的是間接推理能力。需要從字里行間去推斷作者的態度。雖然文中作者并未直接表明自己的觀點，但是作者通過列舉事例暗示了自己的觀點。首先，作者提到了加拿大的John Hofsess，并引用了他的話：“…這是世界歷史上的大事。”接著在第二段中，作者提到了在美國和加拿大一些人期待著類似法律的相繼實施，最后以Nickson為例說明了該法案得到了病人的擁護與歡迎，據此可知作者是持贊同(approval)觀點的。

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