2008年12月英语六级阅读备考技巧及词汇(六)

　　29. The author's chief argument against high heels is that ____________.

　　A) they pose a threat to lawns

　　B) they are injurious to women's health

　　C) they don't necessarily make women beautiful

　　D) they are ineffective as a weapon of defense

　　30. It can be inferred from the passage that women should _______________.

　　A) see through the very nature of fashion myths

　　B) boycott the products of the fashion industry

　　C) go to a podiatrist regularly for advice

　　D) avoid following fashion too closely

　　In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels - a woman's worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

　　For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating(使通气)lawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.

　　Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one's physical health. Talk to any podiatrist(足病医生), and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate(阴沟栅)and being thrown to the ground-possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

　　31. The picture of the reading ability of the American people, drawn by the author, is _____.

　　A) rather bleak

　　B) fairly bright

　　C) very impressive

　　D) quite encouraging

　　注：选一个烂的，bleak黯淡无光

　　32. The author's biggest concern is ____________.

　　A) elementary school children's disinterest in reading classics

　　B) the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U.S.

　　C) the musical setting American readers require for reading

　　D) the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class

　　33. A major problem with most adolescents who can read is ___________.

　　A) their fondness of music and TV programs

　　B) their ignorance of various forms of art and literature

　　C) their lack of attentiveness and basic understanding

　　D) their inability to focus on conflicting input