英语专四 短文听力 Passage 1-3

 短文

Questions 18 to 20 are based on the following passage.

Nowadays，the standard for measuring power has changed. These changes foretell¹ a new standard for measuring power. (18) No longer will a nation’s political influence be based solely² on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary measure of power. But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. (19) It’s often said that without its military the Soviet³ Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of power and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world. America must recognize this new course of events. (20) Our success in shaping word events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities⁴ of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic⁵ that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper⁶ and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership. The competitiveness of America’s industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense⁷ and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society： government, industry and education.

 

题目

Passage 1

Questions 18 to 20 are based on the following passage. At the end of the passage, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.

Now, listen to the passage.

Now, a nation’s political influence depends on

A. the strength of its military forces

B. its ability to compete in industry

C. economic markets

D. both A and B

The Soviet Union was not listed as a third

A. its powerful military forces B. its

C. its industrial competitiveness D. its America has succeeded in shaping world because of ?

A. its ability to adapt technology

B. its ability to take advantage of the capabilities of its people

C. its ability to compete in the world markets

D. both A and B

 

答案解析

Passage 1

18. D推理题。短文一开始开篇点题，说如今衡量国力大小的标准发生了变化，军事 力量的大小不再是决定一个国家政治影响力的唯一因素；相比之下，一个国家的在 国际市场上的综合经济竞争力更为重要。故D为正确答案。

19. A推理题。文中提到过去决定一个国家的政治影响力的主要因素是军事力量，前 苏联当时如果没有强大的军事力量，它便其实是个第三世界国家。故答案为A。

20. D细节题。文中明确指出美国在过去40年里能引领世界方向是得益于技术调整 和利用人民的能力来维持和平的能力，不难得出D为正确。

 

1 foretell   

v.预言，预告，预示

参考例句：

• Willow trees breaking out into buds foretell the coming of spring.柳枝绽青报春来。
• The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。

2 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

6 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。