英语四级阅读理解历年真题(7)
- 2026-11-04 11:28:00
英语四级阅读理解历年真题（7）
来源：2024年6月（第2套）Passage Two——科研经费来源与偏见
阅读原文
Today, most scientific research is funded by government grants, companies doing research and development, and non-profit foundations. As a society, we reap the rewards from this science, but we also help pay for it. You indirectly support science through taxes you pay, products and services you purchase, and donations you make.
Funding for science has changed with the times. Historically, science has been largely supported through private patronage, church sponsorship, or simply paying for the research yourself. Today, researchers are likely to be funded by a mix of grants from various government agencies, institutions, and foundations. Other research is funded by private companies.
Such corporate sponsorship is widespread in some fields. Almost 75% of U.S. clinical trials in medicine are paid for by private companies. And, of course, some researchers today still fund small-scale studies out of their own pockets. Most of us can't afford to do nuclear research as a private hobby, but birdwatchers, rock collectors, and others can do real research on a limited budget. In a perfect world, money wouldn't matter—all scientific studies would be completely objective. But in the real world, funding may introduce biases.
Drug research sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry is more likely to end up favoring the drug under consideration than studies sponsored by government grants or charitable organizations. Similarly, nutrition research sponsored by the food industry is more likely to reach conclusions that benefit the industry than research funded by independent sources.
题目
51. What does the author say about the funding of scientific research today?
A) It relies heavily on government grants.
B) It comes from a variety of sources.
C) It is insufficient for most researchers.
D) It has remained unchanged for decades.
52. What does the passage say about corporate sponsorship of research?
A) It is declining in most fields.
B) It is limited to clinical trials.
C) It is common in some fields.
D) It is prohibited by law.
53. What does the author imply about research funded by private companies?
A) It is always more objective.
B) It may be influenced by the sponsor's interests.
C) It is less expensive than government-funded research.
D) It produces more reliable results.
54. What is the author's attitude toward the current funding system of science?
A) Fully supportive.
B) Cautiously critical.
C) Completely indifferent.
D) Enthusiastically optimistic.
55. What does the author suggest about the relationship between money and scientific objectivity?
A) Money has no impact on research outcomes.
B) Perfect objectivity is impossible in the real world.
C) Government funding guarantees objectivity.
D) Researchers should refuse all private funding.
答案与解析
51. B 细节题。原文说“Today, researchers are likely to be funded by a mix of grants from various government agencies, institutions, and foundations. Other research is funded by private companies”，说明科研经费来源多样化。B 项“comes from a variety of sources”正确。
52. C 细节题。原文明确说“Such corporate sponsorship is widespread in some fields”。C 项“common in some fields”对应“widespread in some fields”。
53. B 推理题。原文说“funding may introduce biases”，并举例“Drug research sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry is more likely to end up favoring the drug under consideration”。这说明企业资助的研究可能受到资助方利益的影响。B 项正确。
54. B 态度题。作者客观描述了科研经费来源的多样性，但明确指出“funding may introduce biases”，并举例说明企业资助可能影响研究结论。态度是有保留的批评，而非全盘否定或完全中立。B 项“Cautiously critical”最贴切。
55. B 推理题。原文说“In a perfect world, money wouldn't matter—all scientific studies would be completely objective. But in the real world, funding may introduce biases”。作者暗示，在现实世界中，完美的客观性难以实现，因为经费来源会带来偏见。B 项正确。
