[外语类试卷]大学英语四级模拟试卷392及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 392及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an application for a post in the Students“ Union. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese. 1. 介绍自己的基本 情况 2. 列举你所具备的优点 3. 表明自己希望得到该职务 二、 Part II Reading Co

2、mprehension (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 statement agrees with the information given in the passage; N (for NO) if t

3、he statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 The Top 10 Cars that Americans Hate Times are so difficult for the auto industry that even Toyota and Honda have now experienced the kinds of double-digit sales dips th

4、at have been with American auto giants General Motors and Ford all year. Sales for the entire industry were down 25.6 percent collectively in September as consumers grew nervous about making big-ticket purchases. In good economic times and bad alike, however, there are some vehicles that American co

5、nsumers seem to hate outright. And theyre not just the big SUVs that are currently out of favor. It turns out, the ears American consumers hate the most come in many different shapes and sizes, and theyre disliked for a wide array of reasons. “Buyers make the same choices and buy the safe brand,“ sa

6、ys Jessica Caldwell, manager of pricing and industry analysis at Edmunds. corn, an automotive consumer information Web site. “They are not thinking outside the box and buying something that may stand out as an odd purchase.“ In other words, the cars Americans seem to hate arent necessarily bad cars.

7、 In fact, the industry victims are, for the most part, solid quality cars, according to J. D. Power and Associates ratings on quality, design and performance. There are usually just one or two elements or features that throw consumers off, as is the case with the Dodge Magnum, which is a wagon ( Ame

8、rican buyers gave up wagons for minivans a long time ago, then gave up minivans for SUVs); the Audi A3, which is a hatchback(有可向上开启天窗的汽车背部 ) ( consumers never cared much for them in the first place); and the Acura RL, which is just plain, says Stephanie Brinley, auto analyst at AutoPacific, Inc., an

9、 automotive marketing and product consulting firm. Car buyers are rightfully picky. From models that have quality issues (real or perceived) to simple design elements that lack aesthetic appeal, in each major vehicle class theres at least one car U.S. consumers tend to steer clear of. To generate ou

10、r list of the cars Americans hate, we looked at sales data for the 10 major vehicle segments defined by market research firm J. D. Power and Associates. The sales data, provided by Automotive News, a trade publication, spans 2006, 2007 and the first nine months of 2008. The vehicles with the lowest

11、sales in their class made the list. We then looked at J.D. Powers consumer ratings in two studies. The 2008 Initial Quality study reports buyer satisfaction with a vehicle in the first 90 days of ownership in terms of mechanical defects and malfunctions, as well as ease of using a particular feature

12、. The 2008 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study measures owner delight with vehicle design, content and performance following the first 90 days of ownership. In both studies, a ring rating is used with five rings as the highest and two rings for the lowest. Some vehicles that e

13、arned five rings made the list, meaning not all high-quality cars are instant hits with consumers. Quite the opposite, in fact. In the subcompact (超小型汽车 )car segment, the Kia Rio earned five rings in both J. D. Power studies, but only 92, 087 were sold in the measured period. The Rio even earns bett

14、er quality ratings than the segment sales-leading Toyota Yaris, which saw sales of 243,602 in the same time frame. Why the snub (冷落 )? The major reason could be that Hyundai models suffered from quality issues with the engine and transmission in the late 1990s (Kia, a relatively new brand to the U.

15、S., is owned by Hyundai), yet those problems were overcome slowly but surely. Today the company even offers a 10-year/100,000-mile limited power train warranty to back up its improved-quality claim. Nevertheless, some consumers still view a car like the Kia Rio as a risk. The Kia brand as a whole on

16、ly earned two rings in the J. D. Power 2008 overall study. In some segments, like the midsize car, the competition is so fierce that very good cars wind up getting almost completely ignored. The Honda Accord ( 1.37 million sales in the aforementioned (上面提到的 ) time period) and Toyota Camry ( 1.27 mil

17、lion sales ) dominate the segment. Sales of the slightly cheaper Mitsubishi Galant were a mere blip(短暂的偏离现象 ) (75,089 sales) in that segment. The Galant gets slightly worse gas mileage than the Accord, 21 mpg versus 25 mpg, but according to J. D. Power, Galant owners (five rings in each study) liked

18、 their cars more than Accord owners (three rings in each study). “The problem with the Galant and cars like it is that no one knows the brand,“ says Caldwell. “You pull up and people ask, Whats this? and then they want to know, Why did you buy it? There just isnt a lot of brand recognition. “ But th

19、en theres well-earned hatred, particularly due to quality issues, which is the case with the Jaguar XJ, of which only 10,852 were sold (the leader in the segment, the Cadillac DTS, saw sales above 135,000). The Jaguar brand was sold last year to Indian company Tata Motors, and when Jaguar lost its B

20、ritish edge it also lost favor with American buyers, says Caldwell. Even though the quality problems of Jaguars, to that point, had been well-known among consumers, the idea of having a British car parked in the driveway was, for a long time, enough to attract loyal American buyers. And thats whats

21、missing in vehicle purchases today in general, says Brinley. The sheer emotion that persuades some buyers to choose a car they love over one thats generally acceptable to the masses. In other words, the overall driving experience probably isnt all that different from car to car within a segment. But

22、 all it takes is one design quirk or one long-since-overcome quality issue for consumers to develop a negative perception of a car. Taking a risk on an overlooked model within a segment may be a better choice, but consumers make logical, safe purchases rather than ones that might be more fun and sta

23、nd out a little. “Many car buyers are still buying cars like they buy appliances,“ says Brinley. “They buy a car that fits their life needs but they are not purchasing it for the design or style. Theres no emotional attachment to it. “ 2 The sales for the whole auto industry were down in september b

24、ecause _. （ A） they are affected greatly by times that are so difficult （ B） Toyota and Honda have been going through double-digit sales dips （ C） General Motors and Ford have been plaguing double-digit sales dips （ D） when buying very expensive purchase in hard times, the consumers show nervousnes

25、3 According to Jessica Caldwell, the consumers tend to buy cars with _. （ A） the same brand （ B） high quality （ C） little money （ D） the safest brand 4 The example of Dodge Magnum illustrates that the American buyers _. （ A） like SUVs instead of wagons due to the plain look （ B） would like to choose

26、 minivans rather than wagons （ C） give up buying because Dodge Magnum is a wagon （ D） give up buying for one or two features 5 How many months does the sales data provided by Automotive News span? （ A） 12. （ B） 24. （ C） 33. （ D） 9 6 The comparison between the Rio and Toyota Yaris illustrates that so

27、me vehicles that earned five rings are _. （ A） instant hits with consumers （ B） not high-quality cars （ C） not necessarily sold better （ D） not better than lower quality ratings 7 Kia Rio was not recognized by the consumers mainly because _. （ A） Hyundai models once suffered from quality issues （ B）

28、 Kia Rio was a relatively new brand （ C） Hyundai offers a limited power train warranty （ D） Kia Rio was viewed as a risk 8 According to J. D. Power, though Accord gets more tings, Mitsubishi Galant _. （ A） is cheaper （ B） gets more gas mileage （ C） is liked by its owners （ D） is a more popular brand

29、 9 Jaguar XJ gets well-earned dislike and a bad sale because of _. 10 Instead of choosing those cars that might be more fun and stand out a little, consumers _. 11 According to Brinley, many car consumers buy a car to _. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and

30、2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or 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 deci

31、de which is the best answer. （ A） Type the document at night. （ B） Go to the printing room with her. （ C） Fix his computer. （ D） Type the document on her computer. （ A） He lost Sallys new address. （ B） Sally will appear unexpectedly. （ C） He is no longer in contact with Sally. （ D） He will send the

32、email by himself. （ A） Prepare for the right make-up. （ B） Find out the right style of the dress. （ C） Wear the black dress. （ D） Dress formally. （ A） She has heard rock and roll music. （ B） She does not enjoy classical music. （ C） She rarely listens to music. （ D） She is not interested in rock and

33、roll music. （ A） Take the receipt. （ B） Send the book to the womans house. （ C） Get back the book from the store. （ D） Ask for the money from the woman. （ A） She dislikes her husband. （ B） She admires Mikes relationship with his wife. （ C） She regrets to care little about her husband. （ D） She disag

34、rees with the man. （ A） She prefers to exercise in the afternoon. （ B） It is important to make warming-up exercise. （ C） The man should continue with his exercise. （ D） The man should start to exercise one month later. （ A） It is clear that her roommate conceals the secret. （ B） Her roommate will re

35、turn the money soon. （ C） The woman should directly ask for the money. （ D） Her roommate should explain the reason. （ A） He can share his experience with the others. （ B） He can learn the knowledge from it. （ C） He can make the classes more creative. （ D） He enjoys seeing the improvement of the stud

36、ents. （ A） They are more interesting. （ B） They are more highly motivated in class. （ C） They are more tired of studying. （ D） They are burdened with passing all examinations. （ A） To make the class more active. （ B） To leave personal feelings behind. （ C） To give the wonderful lectures. （ D） To mak

37、e friends with students. （ A） Staying long outside. （ B） Working overtired. （ C） Working with patients. （ D） Wearing few clothes. （ A） In the office. （ B） At home. （ C） In department stores. （ D） In the hospital. （ A） Leave away from the crowded place. （ B） Do not go shopping. （ C） Keep the body war

38、m. （ D） Get a lot of rest. （ A） They should not share the same space. （ B） They should avoid touching each other. （ C） Theyd better have an injection for prevention. （ D） They should wear the masks. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, yo

39、u 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） Three. （ B） Four. （ C） One. （ D） None. （ A） They smoke the cigarettes at home. （ B） They burn the cigar

40、ettes in the kitchen. （ C） They leave the cigarettes burning. （ D） They put the cigarettes in the ashtray. （ A） To move the oil gas outside of the kitchen. （ B） To equip the kitchen with the window made of iron bars. （ C） To keep newspapers and magazines in the kitchen. （ D） To move the matches out

41、of the reach of the children. （ A） The writing style of the author. （ B） The opinion of the author. （ C） The idea of the report writer. （ D） The quotation from the book. （ A） The publication of the book. （ B） The evaluation of the book. （ C） The introduction to the writer. （ D） The content of the bo

42、ok. （ A） It depends on the type of the book. （ B） How many characters there are in the book. （ C） What the authors point of view is about some events. （ D） Where the story takes place. （ A） Human lives become worse than ever before. （ B） Human lives become better than ever before. （ C） Human lives h

43、ave no change at all. （ D） Human lives have changed greatly. （ A） The cooking technology has been improved greatly. （ B） People nowadays take cooking as their hobby. （ C） Family members are decreasing now. （ D） The children are picky in dishes. （ A） They eat no fat. （ B） They use fat substitutes to

44、cut fat and calories. （ C） They only eat fresh fruits and vegetables. （ D） They often eat out at restaurants. （ A） With the lifestyle becoming fast, people dont care about good food. （ B） People in the same family have almost the same eating habits. （ C） New food preparation technology has given ns

45、greater variety. （ D） Parents want their children to be picky. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to

46、fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the 36 When a consumer finds that an item

47、she or he bought is faulty or does not live up to the manufacturers claim for it, the first step is to present the guarantee at the store. In most cases, this action will【 B1】 _results. However, if it does not, there are various means the consumer may use to gain【 B2】 _. A simple and common method u

48、sed by many consumers is to complain directly to the store manager. In general, the “higher up“ the consumer takes his or her【 B3】 _, the faster he or she can expect it to be settled. In such a case, it is usually settled in the consumers【 B4】 _, if he or she has a just claim. Consumers should go to

49、 the store of【 B5】 _to complain whenever possible, but if they cannot get to the store, it is【 B6】 _to phone or write the complaint in a letter. Complaining is usually most【 B7】 _when it is done politely but firmly, and especially when the consumer can show what is wrong with the【 B8】 _in question. If this cannot be done,【 B9】 _. The store manager may advise the consumer to write to the manufacturer. If so,【 B10】 _. But if a polite complai