D) the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
64. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
英语四级、六级考试练习
A) Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B) Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C) People’s stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D) Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
65. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A) Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B) Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence.
C) Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D) More female students are pursuing science than before.
66. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A) Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.
B) Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C) Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D) Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
2007年12月大学英语四级真题阅读部分
Passage One
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, ―Don’t you want to win again?‖ ―No,‖ she replied, ―I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.‖
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly ―guided‖ by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
英语四级、六级考试练习
A) A lot of distractions compete for children’s time nowadays.
B) Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities.
C) Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.
D) Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.
58. What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A) She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
B) Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
C) She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
D) Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
59. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
A) She had won a prize in the previous contest.
B) She wanted to share her stories with readers.
C) She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.
D) She believed she possessed real talent for writing.
60. The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.
A) she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer
B) she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing
C) she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much
D) she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance
61. What’s the author’s advice for parents?
A) Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.
B) Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.
C) Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.
D) A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.
Passage Two
Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.