大学英语四级考试真题Part Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes)Section AQuestions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.The U.S. Department of Education is making efforts to ensure that all students have equal access to a quality education. Today it is 36 the launch of the Excellent Educators for All Initiative. The initiative will help states and school districts support great educators for the students who need them most.All children are 37 to a high-quality education regardless of their race, zip code or family income. It is 38 important that we provide teachers and principals the support they need to help students reach their full 39 , U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. Despite the excellent work and deep 40 of our nations teachers and principals, students in high-poverty, high- minority schools are unfairly treated across our country. We have to do better. Local leaders and educators will 41 their own creative solutions, but we must work together to 42 our focus on how to better recruit, support and 43 effective teachers and principals for all students, especially the kids who need them most.Todays announcement is another important step forward in improving access to a quality education, a 44 of President Obamas year of action .Later today, Secretary Duncan will lead a roundtable discussion with principals and school teachers from across the country about the 45 of working in high-need schools and how to adopt promising practices for supporting great educators in these schools.A. Announcing B. beneficial C. challenges D. commitment E. component F. contests G. critically H. developI. distributing J. enhance K. entitled L. potential M. properly N. qualified O. retainSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Changes Facing Fast FoodA） Fast-food firms have to be a thick-skinned bunch. Health experts regularly criticize them severely for selling food that makes people fat. Critics even complain that McDonalds, whose logo symbolizes calorie excess, should not have been allowed to sponsor the World Cup. These are things fast-food firms have learnt to cope with. But not perhaps for much longer. The burger business faces more pressure from regulators at a time when it is already adapting strategies in response to shifts in the global economy.B) Fast food was once thought to be recession-proof. When consumers need to cut spending, the logic goes, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive. Such trading down” proved true for much of the latest recession, when fast-food companies picked up customers who could no longer afford to eat at casual restaurants. Traffic was boosted in America, the home of fast food, with discounts and promotions, such as $1 menus and cheap combination meals.C) As a result, fast-food chains have weathered the recession better than their more expensive competitors. In 2009 sales at full-service restaurants in America fell by more than 6% , but total sales remained about the same at fast-food chains. In some markets, such as Japan, France and Britain, total spending on fast food increased. Same-store sales in America at McDonalds, the worlds largest fast-food company, did not decline throughout the downturn. Pan era Bread, an American fast-food chain known for its fresh ingredients, performed well, too, because it offers higher-quality food at lower prices than restaurants.D) But not all fast-food companies have been as fortunate. Many, such as Burger King, have seen sales fall. In a severe recession, while some people trade down to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money. David Palmer, an analyst at UBS, a bank, says smaller fast- food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carls Jr., have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because they are competing with the global giant McDonalds, which increased spending on advertising by more than 7% last year as others cut back.E） Some fast-food companies also sacrificed their own profits by trying to give customers better value. During the recession companies set prices low, hoping that once they had tempted customers through the door they would be persuaded to order more expensive items. But in many cases that strategy did not work. Last year Burger King franchisees (特许经营人)sued (起诉)the company over its double-cheeseburger promotion, claiming it was unfair for them to be required to sell these for $1 when they cost$1.10 to make. In May a judge ruled in favor of Burger King. Nevertheless, the company may still be cursing its decision t