[外语类试卷]大学英语四级模拟试卷358及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 358及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition entitled College Students Job Hunting in 3 paragraphs. You should base your composition on the following outline (given in Chinese). Write 120 words. 1. 近年来出现了大学生就业难的现象。 2产生这种现象的原因

2、(如大学生追求的目标过高，专业有对口等 )。 3如何解决这一问题 (改变就业观念，大学生再培训等 )。 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For questions 1-7, mark： Y (for YES) if the st

3、atement agrees with the information given in the passage; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 About Homeownership in America Is there a housing(住房供给 )crisis in America? Or are we simply in

4、need of adjusting a system that already works? The answers to these questions axe vital, especially for those in the real estate (房地产 ) industry, including homebuyers and sellers, real estate practitioners, home builders, multifamily property developers and community planners. After all, if there ar

5、e not enough homes, and once American households can afford, where will people live? How will local communities build their tax revenue (收入 )? If people stop buying homes because of lack of supply, what happens to the U.S. economy ? The Importance of Homeownership The housing sector is one of the la

6、rgest and most important sectors of the U.S. economy. In addition to providing shelter, housing provides millions of Americans with jobs and generates hundreds of billions of dollars of economic output each year. The value of residential (住宅的 ) structures totals over $12 trillion, while the housing

7、sector directly and indirectly accounts for about 15 to 20 percent of our nation s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (中民人均生产总值 ) every year. Moreover, most studies indicate that households spend about 30 to 40 percent of their disposable(可支配的 )income on housing-related expenses. Those expenditures help t

8、o support other sectors of the economy. During the same period, the housing sector contributed more than half to the economic growth, with total singlefamily sales posting an all-time high of 6.2 million units. Housing is also an important source of wealth for many households. In 2001, existing home

9、 prices appreciated (增值 )at a rate of 6.3 percent, the strongest increase is over a decade. Recent studies suggest that a home buying spurs additional expenditures such as new furniture, new appliances and moving costs, all of which contribute to economic activity. Rise in the value of home equity(资

10、产净值 )has a large impact on consumer spending decisions. The Federal Reserve estimates that for each one-dollar change in stock market equity, consumer spending increases by 3 to 7 cents. In another study, Case, Quigley, and Shiller (2001) argue that each extra dollar of housing wealth has five times

11、 the impact of an extra dollar of stock market wealth. Healthy home price appreciation (增值 ), in combination with robust sales, provides a strong tax base for local governments. Almost 70 percent of all tax revenues raised by local governments in the United States comes from property taxes. Homeowne

12、rs contribute about 43 percent of property taxes, while commercial property taxes account for the remaining 57 percent. Because home prices historically have outpaced the rate of inflation(通货膨胀 ) by a couple of percentage points, the local tax base and tax revenue also keep pace with, if not exceed,

13、 the rate of inflation. One of the ways housing contributes to economic growth is via the se-called multiplier(增效器 ) effect. Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) estimates that the multiplier effects from a single home sale amounts to about 0.28 percent of GDP. That translates into $ 5,100 for each home s

14、ale. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) places the estimate at $ 7,800 to $ 8,900 in the first year of a move. The multiplier effect is particularly important to local economies. Home sales and the construction of new homes provide jobs and tax revenues for local, state and federal gov

15、ernments. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that the construction of 1,000 single-family homes generates 2,448 full-time jobs in construction and construction related industries, $ 79.4 million in wages. Homeownership and Housing Opportunity Throughout most, if not all of the past

16、decade, employment and wage gains were strong and interest rates moved near historic lows, creating favorable conditions for all households. The result is record-level homeownership rates. The national homeownership rate rose markedly throughout the past decade, rising to 67.8 percent in 2001 from 6

17、4 percent in 1994. However, despite the greatest economic expansion in our countrys history slowed only by the shallow and short-lived 200i recession (不景气 )not all households benefited from such favorable economic conditions. Affordable housing problems continue to trouble our nation. While the nati

18、onal homeownership rate and that for white households rose almost continuously throughout the great economic expansion of the 1990s, homeownership rates for minorities and low to low-middle income households laid behind and continue to differ by wide margins. For example, in 2001, white, non-Hispani

19、c(西班牙的 ) households had a 74.3 percent homeownership rate, compared to 47.7 percent for African-Americans, 47.3 percent for Hispanics and 55.4 percent for Asian households. The gap in homeownership rates among income levels is also wide. Based on 1999 data (this is the most recent datA) , the homeow

20、nership rate for low income (defined as less than 80 percent of median income(中值收入 ) households was 51.8 percent, while moderate (80 percent to 120 percent of median income) and high (greater than 120 percent of median income) income households registered a 63.6 percent and 82.6 percent. homeownersh

21、ip rate respectively. Homeownership rates also vary widely among household types. For example, in 2000, the married couple household homeownership rate was 82.4 percent, while the homeownership rates for male heads and female heads of family households were 57.5 percent and 49.1 percent respectively

22、. Finally, access to homeownership continues to be a challenge for our nation s immigrant population as well. Of the over 30 million immigrants now in the U.S., most arrived since1980. According to surveys conducted by The Fannie Mae Foundation, immigrants are three times as likely as all households

23、 to rank buying a home as their number one priority, but immigrant homeownership rates continue to lag behind those of the native-born. Unquestionably, today s homeownership challenges are the result of many barriers, both cultural and economic. Language and cultural differences among some citizens

24、restrain them from participating in the homebuying process. Innovative consumer education and counseling programs am steps in the right direction. New approaches to assist households in establishing credit and credit-worthiness am needed as well as the continued creation of loan products targeted to

25、 specific needs of different household groups. Programs designed to assist borrowers with established credit to overcame downpayment obstacles, which continues to be the number one barrier to purchasing a home, should also be a top priority. Finally, a critical evaluation of current affordable housi

26、ng programs both government and government/ private partnership sponsored can provide needed insight into the development of new and more effective housing opportunity programs. It s also important to remember that homeownership is not generated just by demand. The supply and availability of afforda

27、ble housing remains a deep problem in America. In fact, a recent Fannie Mae survey indicates that Americans view affordable housing as big a challenge for the nation as is affordable health care. All segments of the housing market rental properties and owneroccupied properties need to be jump-starte

28、d in the context of housing availability and accessibility. So, we re back to our original question: Is there a housing crisis in America or are we in need of adjusting a system that already works? The answer probably lies somewhere in between. What we do know is that the value of homeownership is s

29、omething our nation cherishes. Homeownership is part of our nations social fabric. It is well documented that achieving the “American Dream“ has a positive effect on crime, neighborhood stability, wealth creation as well as improving overall economic growth and prosperity. 2 Many people am concerned

30、 about housing problem, especially those in the real estate industry, including homebuyers and sellers, real estate practitioners, home builders, multifamily property developers and community planners. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Most research studies indicate that housing sector accounts for about 30 t

31、o 40 percent of American Gross Domestic Product (GDP). （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 It is estimated that rise in the value of house equity increases consumer spending while the dollar change in stock market equity decreases the consuming expenditure. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The rising rate of house price

32、s is usually faster than that of inflation and so the American government sometimes adjusts the property taxes to make it exceed the rate of inflation. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Actually the single home sales and the construction of new homes can have multiplier effect on the local, state and federal

33、economies by means of providing more job opportunities and tax revenues. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 The national homeownership rate rose obviously during 90s in America because of favorable conditions of employment and wage gains and low interest rates. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 In 2001 there is shallow

34、and short-lived recession. Therefore, the homeownership rate decreases markedly. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 _ vary widely among income levels and household types. 10 It s also important to remember that homeownership is not generated just by demand. So the government and society should develop new and

35、effective _. 11 To solve the problem of the supply and availability of affordable homes all parts of the housing market, including_, need to make contribution. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or

36、 more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） It is cool in the lecture h

37、all. （ B） He expects the weather to change later in the day. （ C） The weather is heavily polluted today. （ D） No one will be able to see what he is wearing. （ A） The man has changed his destination. （ B） The man is returning his ticket. （ C） The man cant manage to get to Los Angeles as planned. （ D）

38、 The man is flying to Los Angeles tomorrow morning. （ A） Shell drop the man off on the way to school. （ B） The man can fide downtown with her. （ C） She cant give the man a fide. （ D） The man will have to leave earlier than usual. （ A） Sending pictures through E-mail is too expensive. （ B） The photog

39、raph was not taken at the Modem Museum. （ C） They already sent Linda a photograph of their vacation. （ D） The photograph is not good enough to send. （ A） In a gymnasium. （ B） In a library. （ C） In a bookstore. （ D） In a police station. （ A） He lost the money he had saved. （ B） Hes no idea how much a

40、 digital PC camera costs. （ C） Hell start saving money for a digital PC camera next week. （ D） He doesnt have enough money to buy a digital PC camera now. （ A） The natatorium is scheduled to open tomorrow. （ B） Hes toe busy to go to the natatorium. （ C） The new natatorium is open only to kids. （ D）

41、Theres a new project going on at the natatorium. （ A） The woman should decide where to eat Saturday. （ B） He already has plans for Saturday night. （ C） The woman should ask her sister for a suggestion. （ D） He will make a reservation at the restaurant. （ A） He went to visit his friends in Pennsylvan

42、ia. （ B） He went out on a picnic. （ C） He went to a concert. （ D） He went to a formal dinner. （ A） He had a potluck supper indoors. （ B） He went to a neighborhood party. （ C） He went for a drive in the countryside. （ D） He went to a concert. （ A） The man had a good time last weekend. （ B） The farmla

43、nd is beautiful in Pennsylvania. （ C） People prefer informal parties to formal ones. （ D） People do not like life in a big city. （ A） She is tired of staying at home all day. （ B） There is a good film in the neighborhood theater. （ C） She enjoys going to the movies. （ D） She is tired of watching TV.

44、 （ A） The movie theater is too far away. （ B） The film is too old. （ C） She doesnt want to see it a second time. （ D） Its a popular film so the tickets would be quite expensive. （ A） Go and see a horror film. （ B） Stay at home and watch TV. （ C） Go to a movie in the neighborhood. （ D） Go downtown ne

45、xt Friday. （ A） People are tired of watching TV nowadays. （ B） Baseball games attract more people than films do. （ C） There arent any films worth seeing in local theaters. （ D） The woman is rather hard to please. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of ea

46、ch passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） The chairperson elected by the members of the committee. （ B） One of the representatives

47、who are in charge of the great graduation ceremony. （ C） The chairperson elected by the representatives of different departments, （ D） The person who is in charge of organizing the graduation ceremony every year. （ A） Because she has a lot of things to do for the ceremony. （ B） Because she wants to

48、express her gratitude to the representatives. （ C） Because she wants to get some immediate help from those persons. （ D） Because she wants to know what work each representative can do. （ A） It requires a great deal of time. （ B） It requires the spirit of dedication. （ C） It requires the spirit of co

49、operation. （ D） It requires all the representatives to discuss the preparation work from now on. （ A） The use of high technology. （ B） Being held in a big city in the U. $. A （ C） Earning a lot of money by advertising the goods. （ D） Training all the athletes who were to participate in the game by using computers. （ A） It is a race for gold and silver. （ B） It is a race for computer technology. （ C） It is a contest of strength and speed. （ D） It is a contest of mind, athletic determination and foreign languages. （ A）