四级考试阅读理解篇章在选材上多论说文和说明文，通过对历年四级文章的分析，育路教育归纳出一些出现频率高的行文模式，熟悉这些典型模式，对考生的阅读理解提高将大有帮助。
Argumentation（论说文类）
模式之一：立论（正面论证）
a、引入一种观点
b、用事实或他人的意见证实。
Now custom has not been commonly regarded as a subject of any great importance. The inner workings of our own brains we feel to be uniquely worthy of investigation. but custom. we have a way of thinking. is behavior at its most commonplace. As a matter of fact. It is the other way around. Traditional custom， taken the world over， is a mass of detailed behavior more astonishing than what any one person can ever evolve in individual actions. Yet that is a rather trivial aspect of the matter. The fact of firstrate importance is the predominant role that custom plays in experience and in belief and the very great varieties it may manifest. No man ever looks at the world with pristine（未受外界影响的）eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking. Even in his philosophical probings he cannot go behind these stereotypes（固定的模式）； his very concepts of the true and the false will still have reference to his particular traditional customs. John Dewey has said in all seriousness that the part played by custom in shaping the behavior of the individual as over against any way in which he can affect traditional custom， is as the proportion of the total vocabulary of his mother tongue over against those words of his own baby talk that are taken up into the language of his family. When one seriously studies social orders that have had the opportunity to develop independently， the figure（这种比喻）becomes no more than an exact and matteroffact observation. The life history of the individual is first and foremost an adjustment to the patterns and standards traditionally handed down in his community. From the moment of his birth the customs into which he is born shape his experience and behavior. By the time he can talk， he is the little creature of his culture， and by the time he is grown and able to take part in its activities， its habits are his habits， its beliefs his beliefs. its impossibilities his impossibilities.
本篇谈论风俗研究的重要性。首先作者介绍了目前流行的一般观点，认为风俗研究不重要。而作者认为正好相反，风俗在人们的经验及信仰中起着重要的作用。然后，作者对其观点作了论证。
模式二：驳论：
a 介绍一种对某一问题的流行看法
b 提出疑问或直接表明不同观点
c 用事实、细节说明，支持自己的论点Not content with its doubtful claim to produce cheap food for our own population， the factory farming industry also argues that “hungry nations are benefiting from advances made by the poultry（家禽） industry” in fact， rather than helping the fight against malnutrition（营养不良） in “hungry nations，” the spread of factory farming has， inevitably aggravated the problem. Large scale intensive meat and poultry production is a waste of food resources. This is because more protein has to be fed to animals in the form of vegetable matter than can ever be recovered in the form of meat. Much of the food value is lost in the animals process of digestion and cell replacement. Neither， in the case of chicken， can one eat feathers， blood， feet or head. In all， only about 44% of the live animal fits to be eaten as meat. This means one has to feed approximately 910 times as much food value to the animal than one can consume from the carcass， As a system for feeding the hungry， the effects can prove disastrous. At times of crisis grain is the food of life. Nevertheless， the huge increase in poultry production throughout Asia and Africa continues. Normally British or US firms are involved. For instance， an American based multinational company has this year announced its involvement in projects in several African countries. Britains largest suppliers chickens， Ross Breeders， are also involved in projects all over the world. Because such trade is good for exports， Western governments encourge it. In 1979， a firm in Bangladesh called Phoenix Poultry received a grant to set up a unit of 6，000 chickens and 18，000 laying hens. This almost doubled the number of poultry kept in the country all at once. But Bangladesh lacks capital， energy and food and has large numbers of unemployed. Such chickenraising demands capital for building and machinery， extensive use of energy resources for automation， and involves feeding chickens with potential faminerelief protein food. At present， one of Bangladeshs main imports is food grains， because the country is unable to grow enough food to feed its population. On what then can they possibly feed the chicken？
本篇谈论的是有关家禽的工厂化养殖问题。首先，作者引出从事家禽工厂化养殖的人对家禽养殖业的态度，认为“食品紧张的国家从家禽养殖业的进步上获益甚多。”接着作者，对此观点提出了反驳，认为“工厂化养殖加剧了食品紧张的国家的营养不足问题。”然后，作者以论据证明其理由。
应试技巧
阅读该类型文章的注意要点：
① 所引述的流行观点或他人的观点是什么？
② 作者是赞成还是反对？抑或是肯定一部分，否定一部分？
③ 作者用什么来证明自己的观点，或用什么来反驳他人的观点（事实、实例、专家的观点等）。
说明文类（Exposition）
模式之一：
a、介绍事物或自然现象
b、说明其发生、发展过程
There are desert plants which survive the dry season in the form of inactive seeds. There are also desert insects which survive as inactive larvae（幼虫）。 In addition， difficult as it is to believe， there are desert fish which can survive through years of drought（干旱） in the form of inactive eggs. These are the shrimps（小虾） that live in the Mojave Desert， an intensely dry region in the southwest of the United States where shade temperatures of over 50℃ are often recorded. The eggs of the Mojave shrimps are the size and have the appearance of grains of sand. When sufficient spring rain falls to form a lake. once every two to five years， these eggs hatch（孵化）。 Then the water is soon filled with millions of tiny shrimps about a millimetre long which feed on tiny plant and animal organisms which also grow in the temporary desert lake. Within a week， the shrimps grow from their original 1 millimetre to a length of about 15 centimetres. Throughout the time that the shrimps are rapidly maturing， the water in the lake equally rapidly evaporates. Therefore， for the shrimps it is a race against time. By the twelfth day， however， when they are about 3 centimetre long， hundreds of tiny eggs form on the underbodies of the females， Usually by this time， all that remains of the lake is a large， muddy patch of wet soil， On the thirteenth day and the next， during the final hours of their brief lives， the shrimps lay their eggs in the mud， Then， having ensured that their species will survive， the shrimps die as the last of the water evaporates. If sufficient rain falls the next year to form another lake， the eggs hatch， and once again the shrimps pass rapidly through their cycle of growth， adulthood， egglaying， and death. Some years there is insufficient rain to form a lake； in this case， the eggs will remain dormant for another year， or even longer if necessary. Very， very occasionally， perhaps twice in a hundred years， sufficient rain falls to form a deep lake that lasts a month or more. In this case， the species passes through two cycles of growth， egglaying， and death. Thus， on such occasions， the species multiplies considerably， which further ensures its survival.
本文为典型的说明文体。文章首先从沙漠植物谈起，引入要说明的事物“沙漠虾”。然后谈了虾卵的孵化，虾的独特生长过程以雨量充足与不足时的情况。
模式之二：
a、介绍某种社会现象
b、探述其原因或者其各个方面的问题
“There is a senseless notion that children grow up and leave home when theyre 18， and the truth is far from that，” says sociologist Larry Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin. Today， unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents. “There is a major shift in the middle class，” declares sociologist Allan Schnaiberg of Northwestern University， whose son， 19， moved back in after an absence of eight months. Analysts cite a variety of reasons for this return to the nest. The marriage age is rising， a condition that makes home and its pleasantness particularly attractive to young people. A high divorce rate and a declining remarriage rate are sending economically pressed and emotionally hurt survivors back to parental shelters. For some， the expense of an awayfromhome college education has become so excessively great that many students now attend local schools. Even after graduation， young people find their wings clipped by skyrocketing housing costs. Living at home， says Knighton， a school teacher， continues to give her security and moral support. Her mother agreed， “Its ridiculous for the kids to pay all that money for rent， It makes sense for kids to stay at home.” But sharing the family home requires adjustments for all. There are the hassles over bathrooms， telephones and privacy（不受干扰的生活）。 Some families， however， manage the delicate balancing act. But for others， it proves too difficult. Michelle Del Turco， 24， has been home three times — and left three times. “What I considered a social drink， my dad considered an alcohol problem，” she explains. “He never liked anyone I dated（约会）， so I either had to hide away or meet them at friends houses.”
Just how long should adult children live with their parents before moving on？ Most psychologists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake. Children， struggling to establish separate identities， can end up with“a sense of inadequacy， defeat and failure.” And aging parents， who should be enjoying some financial and personal freedom， find themselves stuck with responsibilities. Many agree that brief visits， however， can work beneficially.
文章开头引用两位专家的话指出“回巢”现象。接着，在第二段探讨了这一现象的原因。在第三段，作者引用了教师的话谈了“回巢”这一现象的利弊。最后一段为结论。