阅读题在英语四级考试中一直占有相当大的比重，坚持英语阅读的练习非常重要。下面学习啦小编为大家带来四级考试英语阅读练习题，供考生阅读练习。
四级考试英语阅读练习题(一)
Insurance is the sharing of risks. Nearly everyone is exposed to risk of some sort. The house-owner, for example, knows that his property can be damaged by fire; the ship-owner knows that his vessel may be lost at sea; the breadwinner knows that he may die at an early age and leave his family the poorer. On the other hand, not every house is damaged by fire nor every vessel lost at sea. If these persons each put a small sum into a pool, there will be enough to meet the needs of the few who do suffer loss. In other words, the losses of the few are met from the contributions of the many. This is the basis of insurance. Those who pay the contribution are known as "insured" and those who administer the pool of contributions as "insurers".
Not all risks lend themselves to being covered by insurance. Broadly speaking, the ordinary risks of business and speculation cannot be covered. The risk that buyers will not buy goods at the prices offered is not of a kind that can be statistically estimated—and risks can only be insured against if they can be so estimated.
The legal basis of all insurance is the "policy". This is the printed form of contract on paper of the best quality. It states that in return for the regular payment by the insured of a named sum of money, called the "premium"(保险费) , which is usually paid every year, the insurer will pay a sum of money or compensation for loss, if the risk or event insured against actually happens. The wording of policies, particularly in marine insurance, often seems very old-fashioned, but there is a sound reason for this. Over a large number of years many law cases have been brought to clear up the meaning of doubtful phrases in policies. The law courts, in their judgments, have given these phrases a definite and indisputable meaning, and to avoid future disputes the phrases have continued to be used in policies even when they have passed out of normal use in speech. 26. According to this passage, insurance is possible because______.
A. everyone at some time suffers loss
B. only a small proportion of the insured suffer loss
C. nearly everyone suffers loss
D. only insured people suffer loss
27. By "the pool of contributions" the writer means______.
A. money paid by the insured B. money paid by the insurers
C. the cost of administering insurance D. the amount of administering insurance
28. The insurance of ordinary business risks is not possible because______.
A. business will not buy insurance B. the risks are too high
C. the risks can not be estimated D. the premiums would be too high
29. Old-fashioned wording is sometimes used in insurance policies because______.
A. insurance is old-fashioned
B. insurance has existed for a long time
C. it enables ordinary people to understand it
D. the meaning of such wording has been agreed upon
30. The writer of this passage seems to think that insurance is______.
A. a form of gambling B. a way of making money quickly
C. old-fashioned D. useful and necessary
四级考试英语阅读练习题答案
26. B 27. A 28. C 29. D 30. D
四级考试英语阅读练习题(二)
Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W.Tabor and his second wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as “Baby Doe”. Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West. Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas. Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking, or perhaps he was lured by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. At any rate, a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.” he said.
As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco.『It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or“grub”, while they looked for ore, in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered.』①He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.
Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountain side and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made 1 300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.
Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000. This turned out to be even more fabulous than the Pittsburgh, yielding $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became lieutenant governor of the state.
1.Leadville got its name for the following reasons EXCEPT.
A.because Tabor became its leading citizen
B.because great deposits of lead is expected to be found there
C.because it could bring good fortune to Tabor
D.because it was renamed
2.The word “grubstake” in paragraph 2 means.
A.to supply miners with food and supplies
B.to open a general store
C.to do one’s contribution to the development of the mine
D.to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine, if one was discovered
3.Tabor made his first fortune.
A.by supplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest in the findings
B.because he was persuaded by the two miners to quit supplying
C.by buying the shares of the other
D.as a land speculator
4. The underlying reason for Tabor’s life career is.
A. purely accidental
B. based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility of discovering profitable mining site
C. through the help from his second wife
D. he planned well and accomplished targets step by step
5.If this passage is the first part of an article,who might be introduced in the following part?
A.Tabor’s life.
B.Tabor’s second wife, Elizabeth McCourt.
C.Other colorful characters.
D.Tabor’s other careers.
四级考试英语阅读练习题答案
1. C细节题。因为Leadville可以为Tabor带来巨富。这一点不是Leadville得名的原因，因为在文章第二段中，讲到这一点时，提及三个原因：A.因为Tabor成为当地的居民代表人物，B.因为在Leadville有丰富的铅的储藏量。D.因为Leadville是因为Tabor重要而起的名，唯独C没有，因为到后来发现是银矿才给他带来巨富。
2. D词汇题。第二段中grubstake的词义与D所述内容是相同的，即“供给探矿者资金，衣物，食品以及其他物品”。(可参阅英华大辞典修订第二版64页)但此处还补充地讲，作为回报，供给者可以获得矿中资源一定份额。(见文章第二段第4行)
3. A细节题。Tabor第一次真正发财是他为两名矿工提供资助，为此他获得他们矿资源三分之一的股份。见文章第三段4-9行内容：两名开矿者从Tabor那儿借走价值17美元的物品，作为回报，Tabor获得他们矿资源三分之一股份。于是两位开矿者在一座山旁的不毛之地开始挖掘，九天之后，发现了银的富矿，于是Tabor又将两人的股份全买下，这样，银矿属于Tabor一个人所有，这个矿就是后来著名的“匹兹堡”矿。Tabor用17美元的投资换来了130万美元的收获。
4. B推断题。由原文可知泰勃的财产来源是有一定偶然性的，但是毕竟也是基于他开创的“grubstake”模式，因为A、D都不对，C更是没有根据，因为他还没有娶第二位夫人这一切就发生了。分析泰勃的做法，会得出B选项所示的结论。
5. B推断题。如果本文是一篇文章的第一部分，那么在文章的第二部分将介绍谁呢?key可以从文章第一句分析出来，在Leadville的黄金年代，其多彩的特点当中，Tabor及其第二任妻子Elizabeth McCourt是值得大书特书的，接着，文章都在讲述有关H.A.W.Tabor发家致富的历史，如先买下匹兹堡矿，后又买下Matchless矿，最后成为，代理州长，等等，所以涉及到的全是男主人公，因此下边再讲的话，应成为女主人公即Elizabeth McCourt的天地了，她是Tabor的第二任妻子。这是顺理成章的事。
