历年英语四级阅读真题全解析(2007-2008)
Passage Two
Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen – the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs (碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.”
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter – at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
62. What does the author mean by saying “the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked” (Lines 3-4, Para. 2)?
A) People’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.
B) In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets.
C) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.
D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.
63. What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
A) Friends should open their hearts to each other.
B) Friends should always be faithful to each other.
C) There should be a distance even between friends.
D) There should be fewer disputes between friends.
64. Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret” (Line5, Para. 3)?
A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.
B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.
C) There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.
D) Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.
65. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?
A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.
B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.
C) They rely more and more on electronic devices.
D) They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
66. According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ________.
A) people will make every effort to keep it
B) its importance is rarely understood
C) it is something that can easily be lost
D) people don’t cherish it until they lose it
这篇材料讲的是信息时代的隐私保护问题，大体可以分成两个部分，前三段是信息时代隐私遭到泄露的现状，后面几段讲的是人们保护隐私的现实情况。
段举出了几种偷窥隐私的途径，首先是电子邮件（a stranger will read your e-mail）或网站浏览记录（scan the Websites you’ve visited），然后是信用卡消费记录和手机话费单（glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills）。
第二段则分析了什么人会窥视隐私。作者认为可能会是配偶、女友、老板、警察、罪犯等等，范围之广确实会吓人一跳，难怪作者会惊呼21世纪的信息泄露如同从前被人偷窥裸体。
第三段论述了隐私泄露的普遍程度。如今，人与人之间界限缺失（few boundaries remain），人们会四处留下数字信息，从而将个人隐私泄露出去（make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like）。甚至简单的Google搜索都能接触到个人的秘密（a simple Google search can reveal what you think）。后作者得出结论：我们现在生活在一个很难保住秘密的世界（a world where you simply cannot keep a secret）。
后面的几段讲的是现实生活中人们保护的隐私的态度。两个大段分别从“说”和“做”两个方面进行了论述。个大段指出人们对隐私泄露是心存忧虑的（most say they are concerned about losing it），第二个大段则列举人们在生活中如何言行不一，不注重隐私的保护。
后一段作者向人们提出了告诫——Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it，告诉人们不要等到隐私泄露了再去后悔。
62. A
题目问作者说the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked是什么意思。
A，人们的私人信息在不知不觉中被人很容易地了解。
B，在21世纪，人们尝试各种方式窥探别人的隐私。
C，在信息时代，人们倾向于彼此更加坦诚。
D，利用高级技术，犯罪分子可以很容易被当场抓住。
The 21st century equivalent of being caught naked这句话的字面意思是“相当于21世纪被人看到裸体”，结合上下文，可知是形容在21世纪个人信息很容易被人看到，隐私被人窥视，和过去被人看到裸体一样。A的说法与此一致。
B的说法和A有一定相似之处，不过B使用的主动语态，强调有人窥探别人隐私的行为本身，而原文是强调隐私“被”人看到，突出后果，B并不准确。C和文意相去甚远，而D是对be caught naked词组的错误理解。
63. C
题目问心理学家会对朋友之间的关系做出什么建议。
A，朋友应该向彼此敞开心怀。
B，朋友应该永远衷心于对方。
C，在朋友之间也应保持一定距离。
D，朋友之间少些争吵。
题目中的关键信息是“心理学家”和“朋友”，文中第三段开头就提到了心理学家和朋友、家庭、爱人等等，可以判断答案就在此处。心理学家的建议一共有两句话，分别由两个宾语从句引导。首先是boundaries are healthy，直译为界限是健康的。“界限”应该是指人与人之间关系的界限，等同于C所说的一定的距离。Healthy一词是对人与人之间保持一定距离的肯定。
其次是it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times，这里表达了向朋友、家人、爱人开放自我的重要性，应该等同于A所说的向彼此敞开心怀，但要注意句尾的两个状语对“敞开心怀”的方式进行了限制。In stages等于bit by bit，意思是“分阶段地、一步一步地”，而at appropriate times指在合适的时候才向对方敞开心怀。整体观察第二个宾语从句，important实际上强调的是两个状语，也就是在in stages和at appropriate times的前提下向朋友敞开心扉是重要的，而不是敞开心扉本身。
由此看来，C的说法更为准确，而A并不是作者的本来意图。B和D在两个宾语从句中都没有提到，可以排除。
64. B
题目问为什么作者会说we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret。
A，现代社会已经终发展成为开放社会。
B，人们在使用现代技术的时候会四处留下痕迹。
C，总会有人对别人的事情感兴趣。
D，许多搜索引擎靠泄露人们的身份而获利。
这是一道句子理解题，观察发现这句话是对前文的总结，具体地说，是对63题所考查的心理学家言论之后内容的总结。
第三段句话刚刚对朋友、爱人之间保持一定距离作出正面肯定，第二句话马上就提出了反驳，few boundaries remain——界限几乎已经不复存在。The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like，作者在这里使用了一个比喻，把数字化操作留下的记录比喻为数字面包屑。本句大意是数字化操作留下的记录可以让陌生人很容易地知道你是谁、你在哪里、你喜欢什么。此后的一句以搜索引擎为例进行了说明。
A的说法非常空泛，也很武断，第三段的内容仅仅是人们进行电脑等操作会泄露信息，把这种个别现象上升为社会变革显然不合适，也不是作者的意图。
B的说法符合文意，modern technology应该就是指文中的digital bread和Google。
C的说法来源于for strangers to reconstruct who you are这一句，这句话透露出的信息仅仅是陌生人获得个人隐私更加容易，至于是否总会有人对别人的事情感兴趣则没有提到。
D的说法照应文中有关Google的内容，但文中没有提到搜索引擎获利问题，可以排除D。
65. D
题目问对于隐私保护，大多数美国人是如何做的。
A，他们改变了可能会泄露他们身份的行为。
B，他们使用不同的忠诚卡（顾客积分卡）来做商业交易。
C，他们越来越依赖于电子设备。
D，他们只说不做。
文章中间部分有一个小段：For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”，对于许多美国人来说，答案显然是不。这里指的是许多美国人并不在乎隐私被泄露。此后的两段对此进行了解释。
两段中的段讲的是美国人口头上的说法：most say they are concerned about losing it，多数人表示担忧隐私泄露。第二段则暴露了美国人的实际行动：Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy，只有一小部分美国人为保护隐私而改变了自己的行为。反过来说，大部分美国人并没有改变什么。这是典型的言行不一，正如这一点开头的一句话所说：people say one thing and do another——这正好和D的说法一致。
66. D
题目问根据这篇材料，隐私在什么地方与健康相似。
A，人们会想尽一切办法保护隐私。
B，其重要性很少被人理解。
C，它是种很容易失去的东西。
D，人们在失去它的时候才珍惜它。
题目中的关键信息是health，在文章末尾部分寻找health一词，发现它出现后一段中，可以判断这后一题考查的是文章末尾部分，而不是全篇内容。
But privacy does matter- at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it——直译为：“隐私是有关系的，至少是某些时候。它就像健康，在你拥有它时，你注意不到它。只有当它离你而去时你才想要是更注意地保护过它就好了。”这段话无论从句法结构还是词汇难度上都很容易，也没有出现体现独特英语思维的比喻等修辞，所以理解起来较为轻松，是一道送分题。D的说法完全切合后一段的说法，是正确的。
Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen – the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs (碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.”
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter – at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
62. What does the author mean by saying “the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked” (Lines 3-4, Para. 2)?
A) People’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.
B) In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets.
C) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.
D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.
63. What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
A) Friends should open their hearts to each other.
B) Friends should always be faithful to each other.
C) There should be a distance even between friends.
D) There should be fewer disputes between friends.
64. Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret” (Line5, Para. 3)?
A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.
B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.
C) There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.
D) Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.
65. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?
A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.
B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.
C) They rely more and more on electronic devices.
D) They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
66. According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ________.
A) people will make every effort to keep it
B) its importance is rarely understood
C) it is something that can easily be lost
D) people don’t cherish it until they lose it
这篇材料讲的是信息时代的隐私保护问题，大体可以分成两个部分，前三段是信息时代隐私遭到泄露的现状，后面几段讲的是人们保护隐私的现实情况。
段举出了几种偷窥隐私的途径，首先是电子邮件（a stranger will read your e-mail）或网站浏览记录（scan the Websites you’ve visited），然后是信用卡消费记录和手机话费单（glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills）。
第二段则分析了什么人会窥视隐私。作者认为可能会是配偶、女友、老板、警察、罪犯等等，范围之广确实会吓人一跳，难怪作者会惊呼21世纪的信息泄露如同从前被人偷窥裸体。
第三段论述了隐私泄露的普遍程度。如今，人与人之间界限缺失（few boundaries remain），人们会四处留下数字信息，从而将个人隐私泄露出去（make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like）。甚至简单的Google搜索都能接触到个人的秘密（a simple Google search can reveal what you think）。后作者得出结论：我们现在生活在一个很难保住秘密的世界（a world where you simply cannot keep a secret）。
后面的几段讲的是现实生活中人们保护的隐私的态度。两个大段分别从“说”和“做”两个方面进行了论述。个大段指出人们对隐私泄露是心存忧虑的（most say they are concerned about losing it），第二个大段则列举人们在生活中如何言行不一，不注重隐私的保护。
后一段作者向人们提出了告诫——Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it，告诉人们不要等到隐私泄露了再去后悔。
62. A
题目问作者说the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked是什么意思。
A，人们的私人信息在不知不觉中被人很容易地了解。
B，在21世纪，人们尝试各种方式窥探别人的隐私。
C，在信息时代，人们倾向于彼此更加坦诚。
D，利用高级技术，犯罪分子可以很容易被当场抓住。
The 21st century equivalent of being caught naked这句话的字面意思是“相当于21世纪被人看到裸体”，结合上下文，可知是形容在21世纪个人信息很容易被人看到，隐私被人窥视，和过去被人看到裸体一样。A的说法与此一致。
B的说法和A有一定相似之处，不过B使用的主动语态，强调有人窥探别人隐私的行为本身，而原文是强调隐私“被”人看到，突出后果，B并不准确。C和文意相去甚远，而D是对be caught naked词组的错误理解。
63. C
题目问心理学家会对朋友之间的关系做出什么建议。
A，朋友应该向彼此敞开心怀。
B，朋友应该永远衷心于对方。
C，在朋友之间也应保持一定距离。
D，朋友之间少些争吵。
题目中的关键信息是“心理学家”和“朋友”，文中第三段开头就提到了心理学家和朋友、家庭、爱人等等，可以判断答案就在此处。心理学家的建议一共有两句话，分别由两个宾语从句引导。首先是boundaries are healthy，直译为界限是健康的。“界限”应该是指人与人之间关系的界限，等同于C所说的一定的距离。Healthy一词是对人与人之间保持一定距离的肯定。
其次是it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times，这里表达了向朋友、家人、爱人开放自我的重要性，应该等同于A所说的向彼此敞开心怀，但要注意句尾的两个状语对“敞开心怀”的方式进行了限制。In stages等于bit by bit，意思是“分阶段地、一步一步地”，而at appropriate times指在合适的时候才向对方敞开心怀。整体观察第二个宾语从句，important实际上强调的是两个状语，也就是在in stages和at appropriate times的前提下向朋友敞开心扉是重要的，而不是敞开心扉本身。
由此看来，C的说法更为准确，而A并不是作者的本来意图。B和D在两个宾语从句中都没有提到，可以排除。
64. B
题目问为什么作者会说we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret。
A，现代社会已经终发展成为开放社会。
B，人们在使用现代技术的时候会四处留下痕迹。
C，总会有人对别人的事情感兴趣。
D，许多搜索引擎靠泄露人们的身份而获利。
这是一道句子理解题，观察发现这句话是对前文的总结，具体地说，是对63题所考查的心理学家言论之后内容的总结。
第三段句话刚刚对朋友、爱人之间保持一定距离作出正面肯定，第二句话马上就提出了反驳，few boundaries remain——界限几乎已经不复存在。The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like，作者在这里使用了一个比喻，把数字化操作留下的记录比喻为数字面包屑。本句大意是数字化操作留下的记录可以让陌生人很容易地知道你是谁、你在哪里、你喜欢什么。此后的一句以搜索引擎为例进行了说明。
A的说法非常空泛，也很武断，第三段的内容仅仅是人们进行电脑等操作会泄露信息，把这种个别现象上升为社会变革显然不合适，也不是作者的意图。
B的说法符合文意，modern technology应该就是指文中的digital bread和Google。
C的说法来源于for strangers to reconstruct who you are这一句，这句话透露出的信息仅仅是陌生人获得个人隐私更加容易，至于是否总会有人对别人的事情感兴趣则没有提到。
D的说法照应文中有关Google的内容，但文中没有提到搜索引擎获利问题，可以排除D。
65. D
题目问对于隐私保护，大多数美国人是如何做的。
A，他们改变了可能会泄露他们身份的行为。
B，他们使用不同的忠诚卡（顾客积分卡）来做商业交易。
C，他们越来越依赖于电子设备。
D，他们只说不做。
文章中间部分有一个小段：For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”，对于许多美国人来说，答案显然是不。这里指的是许多美国人并不在乎隐私被泄露。此后的两段对此进行了解释。
两段中的段讲的是美国人口头上的说法：most say they are concerned about losing it，多数人表示担忧隐私泄露。第二段则暴露了美国人的实际行动：Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy，只有一小部分美国人为保护隐私而改变了自己的行为。反过来说，大部分美国人并没有改变什么。这是典型的言行不一，正如这一点开头的一句话所说：people say one thing and do another——这正好和D的说法一致。
66. D
题目问根据这篇材料，隐私在什么地方与健康相似。
A，人们会想尽一切办法保护隐私。
B，其重要性很少被人理解。
C，它是种很容易失去的东西。
D，人们在失去它的时候才珍惜它。
题目中的关键信息是health，在文章末尾部分寻找health一词，发现它出现后一段中，可以判断这后一题考查的是文章末尾部分，而不是全篇内容。
But privacy does matter- at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it——直译为：“隐私是有关系的，至少是某些时候。它就像健康，在你拥有它时，你注意不到它。只有当它离你而去时你才想要是更注意地保护过它就好了。”这段话无论从句法结构还是词汇难度上都很容易，也没有出现体现独特英语思维的比喻等修辞，所以理解起来较为轻松，是一道送分题。D的说法完全切合后一段的说法，是正确的。
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