在备考英语四级阅读时，重点应放在提升阅读速度和理解文章主旨上。多做训练，熟知容易见到题型和方法，能够帮助应付考试挑战。新东方在线我们为大伙整理了“2024年12月英语四级阅读理解考试题及参考答案”，期望能为大伙带来帮助。
2024年12月英语四级阅读理解考试题及参考答案
It Is Bush
On the 36th day after they had voted, Americans finally learned Wednesday who would be theirnext president: Governor George W. Bush of Texas.
Vice President Al Gore, his last realistic avenue for legal challenge closed by a U. S. SupremeCourt decision late Tuesday, planned to end the contest formally in a televised eveningspeech of perhaps 10 minutes, advisers said.
They said that Senator Joseph Lieberman, his vice presidential running mate, would first makebrief comments. The men would speak from a ceremonial chamber of the Old Executive officeBuilding, to the west of the White House.
The dozens of political workers and lawyers who had helped lead Mr. Gore’s unprecedentedfight to claw a come-from-behind electoral victory in the pivotal state of Florida were thankedWednesday and asked to stand down.
“The vice president has directed the recount committee to suspend activities,” William Daley,the Gore campaign chairman, said in a written statement.
Mr. Gore authorized that statement after meeting with his wife, Tipper, and with TOP advisersincluding Mr. Daley.
He was expected to telephone Mr. Bush during the day. The Bush campaign kept a low profileand moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next steps.
Yet, at the end of a trying and tumultuous process that had focused world attention onsleepless vote counters across Florida, and on courtrooms form Miami to Tallahassee to Atlantato Washington the Texas governor was set to become the 43d U. S. president.
The news of Mr. Gore’s plans followed the longest and most rancorous dispute over a U. S.presidential election in more than a century, one certain to leave scars in a badly dividedcountry.
It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267—thenarrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.
Mr. Gore was said to be distressed by what he and many Democratic activists felt was apartisan decision from the nation’s highest court.
The 5-to –4 decision of the Supreme Court held, in essence, that while a vote recount inFlorida could be conducted in legal and constitutional fashion, as Mr. Gore had sought, thiscould not be done by the Dec. 12 deadline for states to select their presidential electors.
James Baker 3rd, the former secretary of state who represented Mr. Bush in the Floridadispute, issued a short statement after the U. S. high court ruling, saying that the governorwas “very pleased and gratified.”
Mr. Bush was planning a nationwide speech aimed at trying to begin to heal the country’s deep,aching and varied divisions. He then was expected to meet with congressional leaders,including Democrats. Dick Cheney, Mr. Bush’s ruing mate, was meeting with congressmenWednesday in Washington.
When Mr. Bush, who is 54, is sworn into office on Jan.20, he will be only the second son of apresident to follow his father to the White House, after John Adams and John Quincy Adams inthe early 19th century.
Mr. Gore, in his speech, was expected to thank his supporters, defend his hive-week battle asan effort to ensure, as a matter of principle, that every vote be counted, and call for thenation to join behind the new president. He was described by an aide as “resolved andresigned.”
While some constitutional experts had said they believed states could present electors as lateas Dec. 18, the U. S. high court made clear that it saw no such leeway.
The U.S. high court sent back “for revision” to the Florida court its order allowing recounts butmade clear that for all practical purposes the election was over.
In its unsigned main opinion, the court declared, “The recount process, in its features heredescribed, is inconsistent with the minimum procedures necessary to protect thefundamental right of each voter.”
That decision, by a court fractured along philosophical lines, left one liberal justice chargingthat the high court’s proceedings bore a political taint.
Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in an angry dissent:” Although we may never know withcomplete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election, the identityof the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartialguardian of the law.”
But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, during which the physical, legal andconstitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseenin more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appearedto be willing at lease provisionally to support.
The Bush team welcomed the news with an outward show of restraint and aplomb. Thegovernor’s hopes had risen and fallen so many times since Election night, and the legal warriorsof each side suffered through so many dramatic reversals, that there was little energy left forcelebration.
1. The main idea of this passage is
[A]. Bush’s victory in presidential election borea political taint.
[B]. The process of the American presidentialelection.
[C]. The Supreme Court plays a very important part in the presidential election.
[D]. Gore is distressed.
2. What does the sentence “as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next step”mean
[A]. Bush hopes Gore to join his administration.
[B]. Bush hopes Gore to concede defeat and to support him.
[C]. Bush hopes Gore to congraduate him.
[D]. Bush hopes Gore go on fighting with him.
3. Why couldn’t Mr. Gore win the presidential election after he outpolled Mr. Bush in thepopular vote? Because
[A]. the American president is decided by the supreme court’s decision.
[B]. people can’t directly elect their president.
[C]. the American president is elected by a slate of presidential electors.
[D]. the people of each state support Mr. Bush.
4. What was the result of the 5—4 decision of the supreme court?
[A]. It was in fact for the vote recount.
[B]. It had nothing to do with the presidential election.
[C]. It decided the fate of the winner.
[D]. It was in essence against the vote recount.
5. What did the “turbulent election of 1876” imply?
[A]. The process of presidential election of 2000 was the same as that.
[B]. There were great similarities between the two presidential elections .
[C]. It was compared to presidential election of 2000.
[D]. It was given an example.
[page]1. avenue 通向成功/获得成功的渠道/方法
2. running mate 竞选伙伴，如作为总统的竞选伙伴，获胜后为副总统
3. pivotal 要紧的，枢纽的
4. gingerly=carefully 小心翼翼地
5. tumultuous 吵闹的，骚动的，激动的
6. rancorous 充满仇恨的
7. elector 总统选举团成员
8. elector college 美国选举总统的选举团
9. leeway 风压差，空间
10. for all practical purpose 事实上，实质
11. fracture 断裂，折断
12. taint 污点，败坏，感染
13. dissent 不认可，异议
14. provisionally 暂时的，临时的
15. aplomb 镇静，沉着
16. restraint 抑制，克制，小心
1. stand down 退出角逐/竞选，离职，推出法庭。这里指戈尔感谢这类角逐支持者后，就退出竞选。此短语的对立面是stand for 竞选。 Ex: to stand for parliament 竞选国会议员。
2. The Bush campaign kept a low profile and moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Goreto contemplate his next steps.
[结构简析] profile 外形，轮廓，外观。Low profile 低姿态，不出头露面，不惹人注意。High profile 鲜明的姿态。
3. recount committee 重新计算选票委员会。
4. …one certain to leave scars is a badly divided country.
[结构简析] election 的同位语one which was certain。 Leave scar 留下伤疤。
[参考译文] 大家可以一定计算问题在这两派分裂的国家上留下伤疤。
5. It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267—thenarrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.
[结构简析] outpoll 得到的选票超越某人。Fall short 缺少，不足，达不到。Electoral college 选举团票，指每个州人民选出一群人组成选举团，由它们直接选举总统。
6. The election of 1876
这是指1876年11月7日美国内战时少将，共和党人，俄亥俄州州长卢瑟福•海因斯，在总统选举结束后，觉得自己输给民主党人，纽约州长萨缪尔•莱尔登而长眠。可在第二天，由于涉嫌欺骗行为，存在争议之州，如佛罗里达，路易斯安娜，南卡罗莱纳重新计票及诉讼。那一年选举结果争议持续了四个月的时间。国会因争议，不能不推迟总统就职时间。到第二年，1877年3月4日，总统就职最后期限的前两天，国会打造了一个两党联合选举委员会：包含八名共和党人和七名民主党人。最后该会把所存在争议的选举人票都给了海因斯。结果以185票对莱尔登184张选举团票。海因斯多一票当选为美国第19任总统。2000年的美国总统选举与1876年的很像。所以句内提及。
7. James Baker 3rd 贝克曾任前共和党总统里根政府的内阁成员和白宫办公所主任。在小布什爸爸的爸爸George Bush任总统时又担任过国务卿。这次他是小布什为重新计票问题在法庭展开斗争的律师代表，而民主党的律师代表好像克林顿政府中担任过国务卿的克里斯托弗WarrenChrisTOPher 。
8. Dick Cheney 切尼是小布什爸爸执政时的老臣。他这次出山要以辅弼大臣的资格和经验辅佐朝政。所以报道中提到he will act in the Bush administration as a president in a corporation while GeorgeW. Bush as the Chairman of the board of directors.
9. John Adams , 约翰•亚当斯，美国第二任总统，联邦党人，Federalist, 是起草独立宣言的重点人物。
10. John Quincy Adams 美国第六任总统，是上述亚当斯大儿子。
11. resolved and resigned 这里指他的追随者觉得戈尔坚定而又顺从，由于戈尔的演说，一方面感谢他们的支持，五星期来保证每张票都应计算的努力是捍卫了原则问题，其次也是号召全国支持新总统。
12. It saw no such leeway. 美国高等法院觉得这是没成功的多花时间，资金的事。和后面句内for allpractical purpose the election was over 事实上选举已结束，传达了高等法院觉得重新计票毫无用途之义。
13. That decision, by a court fractured along philosophical lines, left one liberal justicecharging that the high court’s proceedings bore a political taint.
[参考译文] 法院这一裁决割裂了哲学思想，使一位自由派法官指高等法院程序沾上了政治污点。
14. But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, during which the physical, legal andconstitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseenin more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appearedto be willing at lease provisionally to support.
[参考译文] 经过5个好像无休止的星期之后，这个规范总算产生了一个结果，一个大部分美国人，至少现在能暂时支持的总统。在这五星期内，有形的，法律的，政体的机器都经受了重压，也经受了一百多年来没见过的这方面的沉重考验。
1. A. 布什在总统选举中获胜沾上了政治污点。整篇文章环绕这一点而写。文章刚开始就写戈尔在高等法院裁决下退出竞选，再写布什得胜后的低调行动表示对戈尔的期望。仁厚点出271——276选举团票布什的险胜是和全国最高法院的欺诈性裁决有关，这令戈尔痛心疾首，令布什等感恩戴德。最后集中写了高等法院司法程序沾上了政治污点，与当选之布什的后果——大部分美国人好像暂时会支持。这所有说明布什胜胜不武，而戈尔却是虽败尤胜。
B. 美国总统选举过程，文章过程的焦点在布什获胜之因，不单单是过程，故B. 项不对。
C. 高等法院在总统选举中起着要紧有哪些用途。其用途是欺诈性裁决，偏袒布什获胜，是政治污点，反映了布什的方法。 D. 戈尔非常难受，这是事实，但不是中心思想。
2. B. 布什期望戈尔承认失败，并支持他，而戈尔确实是也如此做了。所以他的助手称戈尔为“resolved and resigned.” 坚决而又顺从天命的人。至少在他的演讲中号召大家追随新总统。
A. 布什期望戈尔参与他的政府。 C. 布什期望戈尔祝贺他。 D. 布什期望戈尔继续和他斗下去。
3. C. 美国的总统由选举团提名选举产生。见难句译注5和6。
A. 美国总统由高等法院裁决。 B. 人民不可以直接选举总统。这只不过第一步是什么原因，重要原因在C. D. 各州人民支持布什。
4. D. 其结果实质上就是反对重新计票。这在第十二段讲解得非常了解：高等法院5比4之裁决实质上就是重新计票在12月12日州选举总统选举团的最后一天之前是不可以进行的，而戈尔曾觉得弗罗里达州可以法律和宪法的形式重新计票。总统选举团一产生。总统由选举团提名选举产生，那样重新计票与否对总统选举事实上是毫无用途，所以说5比4裁决12月12日之前……实质上就是反对重新计票。
A. 其结果事实上是支持重新计票。不对。 B. 其结果和总统选举毫无关系，不对，关系非常大，见D项注解。 C. 其结果决定胜者的命。
5. B. 它隐射2000年的总统选举和1876年的总统选举两者之间有着非常大的相似之处。见难句译注6，海因斯觉得输了，正筹备舍弃，哪个知涉嫌欺骗行为，对存在争议的州进行重新计票。结果是海因斯以一票之差险胜。重新计票与险胜都和2000年总统选举相似，其它方面，如以为输而没输，重新计票州多而且起到用途等……，都和2000年选举不同，所以只能选B项，A项完全一样是不对的。
A. 两者选举总统过程一个样。 C. 把1876年总统选举比作2000年的总统选举。 D. 作为例子给出。 这里没说明。
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