[外语类试卷]大学英语四级模拟试卷832及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 832及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Should New Graduates Lower Job Expectations? 1面对严峻的就业形势，很多人认为新毕业的大学生应该降低他们对自己职业的期望值 2但另一些人持反对意见 3我的看法 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage

2、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 the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the pa

3、ssage. 1 In the United States, when you get your paycheck at the end of the first pay period at a new job, its always interesting to see your net pay. Most of us expect more than we get. By the time you get your check, it has been cut up like a pizza, with several entities taking a piece of the pie.

4、 The entities that take money differ from person to person, company to company and state to state. However, almost every income earner has to pay federal income tax. Taxes in Early America Taxes have always left a sour taste in the mouth of American citizens. This national hatred for taxes dates bac

5、k to the tax burden placed on the American colonies by Great Britain. Colonists were taxed for every consumer goods, from tea and tobacco to legal documents. This “taxation without representation“ led to many revolts, such as the Boston Tea Party, in which colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor

6、 rather than pay the tax on it. Although the American colonists fought for independence from British rule and British taxes, once the United States government formed, its main source of revenue was derived from placing customs and excise taxes on the same items that were taxed by Great Britain. In 1

7、812, in an effort to support an expensive war effort, the U.S. government imposed the first sales tax, which was placed on gold, silverware, jewelry and watches. In 1817, internal taxes were terminated and the government relied on tariffs to support itself. It wasnt until 1862 that the United States

8、 imposed the first national income tax. To support the Union Army, Congress passed tax laws in both 1861 and 1862. The office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue was established by the Tax Act of 1862, which stated that the commissioner would have the power to levy and collect taxes. The office was

9、also given the authority to seize property and income in order to enforce the tax laws. These powers remain pretty much the same today, although the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) will tell you that enforcement tactics have been toned down a bit. In 1863, the federal government collected the first i

10、ncome tax. This graduated tax was similar to the income tax we pay today. Those who earned $ 600 to $ 10,000 per year paid at a rate of 3 percent. A higher rate was paid by those who earned in excess of $ 10,000. A fiat-rate tax was imposed in 1867. Five years later, in 1872, the national income tax

11、 was abolished altogether. Inspired by the Populist Partys 1892 campaign, Congress passed the Income Tax Act of 1894. This act taxed 2 percent of personal income that was more than $ 4,000, which only affected the wealthiest citizens. The income tax was short-lived, .as the U.S. Supreme Court struck

12、 it down only a year after it was passed. The justices wrote that, in their opinion, the income tax was unconstitutional because it failed to abide by a Constitutional guideline. This guideline required that any tax levied directly on individuals must be levied in proportion to a states population.

13、In 1913, the income tax became a permanent part of the U. S. government. Congress avoided the constitutional roadblock mentioned above by passing a constitutional amendment. The 16th Amendment reads, “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, wi

14、thout apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.“ Alternative: Flat Tax Or National Sales Tax Since the 16th amendment was passed in 1913, there has been no shortage of people proposing new tax systems since then. If you follow presidential campaigns, th

15、ere are usually talks from some of the candidates on revising the tax system. Heres a quick look at two of these alternative tax plans. The Flat Tax We currently use a marginal tax system, also called a graduated tax, in which the percentage you pay in taxes varies based on your income. Under a flat

16、 tax system, you pay a flat rate on your income. In other words, there is a single tax bracket for all taxpayers. A common percentage thrown out for a flat-tax system is 17 percent. This is the rate proposed by former presidential candidate Steve Forbes and U.S. Representative Dick Armey. Supporters

17、 of a flat-tax system say that it would do away with the complicated tax code and tax forms. The flat tax would need only one form, about the size of a postcard and consisting of only 10 lines. You would merely add up wage, salary and pension income, subtract any personal allowances and pay 17 perce

18、nt of your taxable income. Deductions and credits would be eliminated under this type of plan. Critics of the flat tax say that it would favor the wealth and could put a higher tax burden on those who make less money. Under Dick Armeys proposed flat tax, any family with a taxable income less than $

19、36, 800 would pay no taxes. However, it would raise the taxes of some people who now may pay only 15 percent in taxes. The group who would benefit the most is wealthy Americans who now pay upward of 33 percent in federal income tax. The National Sales Tax Even more controversial than the flat tax is

20、 the idea of abolishing the federal income tax entirely by abolishing the 16th amendment. In place of an income tax, some propose the use of a national sales tax. Alan Keyes, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, is one of the biggest supporters of doing away with a

21、 federal income tax. He believes that we could finance the government through sales taxes, tariffs and duties. Keyes has argued that a national sales tax would put more money back into the pockets of the consumers, letting them decide how to spend their own money. He says that the income tax should

22、be replaced with the kind of taxes that people already pay. This plan would do away with the IRS and any need for a tax code. Opponents have said that replacing the income tax with a national sales tax would put a heavy burden on the less wealthy, who buy a lot of the products that would be taxed. T

23、hey say that in order for a national sales tax to be fair, it would have to be applied to the purchase of stocks and bonds in addition to consumer goods. Another problem facing a national sales tax is that it would probably double the current taxes on consumer goods, and could force local and state

24、governments to initiate or increase state income taxes. 2 Angered by “Taxation without representation“, the people living in the American colonies, led by the Populist leader George Washington, rose against the British rule in the 1th century. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The first sales tax in the Unite

25、d States was imposed to support the war in 11 （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The United States government imposed the first national income tax as early as in 11 （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The income tax imposed by the United States government was a flat-rate tax. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 The tax system in the

26、 United States has long been a campaign issue in the presidential elections. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 The flat tax intends to do away with the complicated tax code and tax form in the United States. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 The critics of the flat tax system argue that the wealthy people in the United

27、 States would be most benefited rather than people with low income. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 The flat tax was proposed by _. 10 The income tax became a permanent of the federal government because Congress passed a _ in 11 11 People who oppose _ maintain that it would be unfair to the less wealthy bec

28、ause it is only applied to the purchase of consumer goods. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 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 sp

29、oken 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） He is feeling cold now. （ B） He is in the office now. （ C） He may work too hard. （ D） He has a pain on his leg. （ A） She likes a

30、 shower instead of a bath. （ B） She takes a cold shower to get refreshed. （ C） She takes a bath in order to save time. （ D） She has enough time to take a bath. （ A） Ask the money back. （ B） Have the old computer fixed. （ C） Buy a second-hand computer. （ D） Exchange the old computer for a new one. （

31、A） She prefers shopping in a real shop. （ B） She often buys things on the Internet. （ C） She never surfs the Internet for shopping. （ D） She likes touching the things she buys. （ A） The dress is too expensive. （ B） People change fashions every two years. （ C） The dress will be out of fashion soon. （

32、 D） The dress will be in fashion for long. （ A） How difficult it is to rent a house. （ B） Whether to buy or rent a house. （ C） How to decorate a house. （ D） How to choose a right house. （ A） The garage charges more than needed. （ B） The woman should check it by herself. （ C） The woman was ripped off

33、 by the garage. （ D） The garage has offered more service than needed. （ A） How to choose a major. （ B） Why to master all the knowledge. （ C） How to get a good job. （ D） What to do to master knowledge. （ A） Resident advice. （ B） Summer vacation. （ C） The housing office. （ D） Check-out procedures. （ A

34、） Call the housing office. （ B） Repair holes in room walls. （ C） Remove personal property. （ D） Register for summer school. （ A） Students summer addressees. （ B） Any damage to their rooms. （ C） When they plan to come back. （ D） Comments on the housing office. （ A） A class presentation. （ B） A televi

35、sion program. （ C） Visiting a close fiend. （ D） Studying for a test. （ A） Hes taking a break from studying. （ B） He has already finished studying, （ C） He was assigned to watch a program by his professor. （ D） Hes finding out some information for a friend. （ A） He didnt know that she was enrolled in

36、 a linear algebra course. （ B） He thought she preferred to study alone. （ C） He thought she had made arrangements to study with. （ D） He had told her that he had done poorly on a recent test. （ A） He and Elizabeth argued recently. （ B） He heard Elizabeth did poorly on the last test. （ C） He doesnt w

37、ant to bother Elizabeth so late in the evening. （ D） Hed rather study in his own dormitory. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a q

38、uestion, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） It will always be very profitable. （ B） Its easier and cheaper than ever before. （ C） The moneymakers will get you off the ground. （ D） It requires very little knowledge in management. （ A） A magazine, an idea

39、and a laptop. （ B） A friend, an idea and a good knowledge of Internet. （ C） Some knowledge about business, an idea and $10,000. （ D） An idea, a little knowledge about Internet and $10,000. （ A） It develops modestly but steadily. （ B） There is a lot of free stuff on Taymans website. （ C） It began to

40、show signs of failure within months. （ D） Its capacity is approximately 10,000 visits each week. （ A） Urban fires （ B） American fire fighting innovations. （ C） The history of fire. （ D） The Great San Francisco Fire. （ A） Gasoline. （ B） Horses. （ C） Steam. （ D） Oil. （ A） Its use of gasoline. （ B） The

41、 horses that drew it. （ C） Its circular platform. （ D） Its weight. （ A） The division of labor means that workers are general. （ B） The division of labor means that workers are specialized. （ C） The division of labor means that each worker is in charge of the whole operation. （ D） The division of lab

42、or means each worker has to be an expert in one area. （ A） An assembly line in an automobile factory is a very good example of the division of labor. （ B） One worker stays in one place and waits for a conveyor belt to move the product to him. （ C） One worker has the responsibility of producing an en

43、tire car each year. （ D） One worker has a particular duty to install a door or add lights. （ A） The assembly line permits mass production of automobiles. （ B） The assembly line enables the workers to be more responsible. （ C） The assembly line guarantees the quality of its products. （ D） The assembl

44、y line helps to arouse the enthusiasm of the workers. （ A） Workers are not satisfied with working on one small duty day after day. （ B） Few people understand all aspects of a whole operation. （ C） Workers earn more money. （ D） Few people know how to produce an entire car. Section C Directions: In th

45、is 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 fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For bl

46、anks 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 Throughout history the basic unit of almost every human society has been the family. Members of a family live together under

47、the same roof, and they share the economic【 B1】 _of life as well as its affectionate joys. It is the family that has【 B2】 _responsibility for the important task of raising children to adulthood. The family is not a uniform concept in all societies. In many places it is an【 B3】_group that includes un

48、cles, aunts,【 B4】 _and in-laws. The head of the family usually has considerable influence in arranging marriages, selecting careers and【 B5】 _all the important moves and【 B6】 _by any member of the family.【 B7】 _where the society or the state does not give aid and where【 B8】_the responsibilities of t

49、he family are greater,【 B9】 _. In many other societies, including most industrialized ones, the “nuclear family“ is the basic social unit.【 B10】 _Industrialization and urbanization create many specialized jobs which tend to scatter family members among different employers and thus to separate residences as soon as they become wage earners.【 B11】 _. 37 【 B1】 38 【 B2】 39 【 B3】 40 【 B4】 41 【 B5】 42 【 B6】 43 【 B7】 44 【 B8】 45 【 B9】 46 【 B10】 47 【 B11】 Section A Directions: In this sec