[外语类试卷]大学英语四级模拟试卷878及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 878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 On Power Failure. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese. 1. 很多城市缺电现象 2. 分析原因 3. 提出建议 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming a

2、nd 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 the statement contradict

3、s the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 The Illusion of Progress by Lester R. Brown Lester R. Brown is a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, which every year since 1984 has produced a volume about the State of the World.

4、 Each year, this book updates information on poverty, overpopulation, air and water quality, agricultural land, and other world conditions. A respected sourcebook, it is consulted by the United Nations and other organizations concerned about protecting our world environment. The following reading is

5、 an excerpt from the first chapter of State of the World, 1992. For about four-fifths of human beings born since World War , life has seemed to be a time of continuous economic progress. The global economic production is about five times larger than it was in 1950. The increase in economic growth ev

6、ery ten years has been similar to the increase from the beginning of civilization until 1950. World food production has also increased a great deal. This was a result of increased demand caused by population growth and rising wealth, and was made possible by modern technology. The worlds grain harve

7、st is 2.6 times larger than it was in 1950. No other generation of human beings has seen such large gains in production. Such gains would seem to be a cause for celebration, but instead there is a sense of illusion, a feeling that not so much progress has been made. One reason for this is that our s

8、ystem of national accounting used to measure progress considers the loss in value of factories and equipment, but does not consider the using up of natural resources. Since mid-century, the world has lost nearly one-fifth of the topsoil from its croplands, a fifth of its tropical rain forests, and t

9、ens of thousands of its plant and animal species. During this same period, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have increased by 13 percent, causing hotter summers. The protective ozone (臭氧 ) layer in the stratosphere has decreased by 2 percent worldwide and far more over Antarctica. Dead lakes

10、and dying forests have resulted from industrialization. Historians in the twenty-first century may admire our economic performance but regret the environmental consequences. Throughout our lifetimes, economic trends have shaped environmental trends, often affecting the earths natural resources and s

11、ystems in ways not clear at the time. Now, as we enter the nineties, the reverse is also beginning to happen: environmental trends are beginning to shape economic trends. Environmental damage to the planet is beginning to affect harvests of food. The effects of losing 24 billion tons of topsoil each

12、 year are being felt in some of the worlds major food-producing regions. Recent studies indicate that air pollution is damaging crops in both auto-centered economies of the West and coal-burning economies of the East.Meteorologists cannot yet be certain, but the hotter summers and decreased rainfall

13、 of the eighties may be early indications of the greenhouse effect. Environmental damage undoubtedly was a cause of slower growth in world grain production during the eighties. The doubling of grain output mentioned above occurred between 1950 and 1984; since then, there has been no significant incr

14、ease. The 1989 estimated harvest (1.67 billion tons) was up only i percent from that of 1984, which means that grain output per person is down nearly 7 percent. Large amounts of previously stored food have. been used up. In some areas, people have consumed less food. Although five years is not long

15、enough to indicate a long-term trend, this does show that the worlds farmers are finding it more difficult to keep up with growth in population. Nowhere is this clearer than in Africa, where the combination of high population growth and damage to croplands is decreasing grain production per person.

16、A drop of 20 percent in production from 1967 has changed the continent into a grain importer, caused an increase in the regions foreign debt, and left millions of Africans hungry and physically weakened. In a 1991 report, World Bank economists described the continuation of recent trends as a “nightm

17、are scenario.“ In both Africa and Latin America, food consumption per person is lower today than it was when the decade began. Infant death rates a good indicator of malnutrition appear to have increased in many countries in Africa and. Latin America, reversing the previous trend of decrease. Nation

18、s in which there are data to indicate this rise in infant death rate include Brazil, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Zambia. 2 This essay is taken from the State of the World, a sourcebook published by the United Nations, which updates information e

19、ach year on such world conditions as poverty, overpopulation, air and water quality and agricultural land. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The latter part of the 20th century has seen a continuous increase in economic growth, but such achievements, according to L.R. Brown, do not necessarily make up a cause

20、 for celebration. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The main measure of economic growth is faulty in that our system of national accounting includes only loss in value of factories and equipment but does not consider loss of natural resources as a negative factor. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 With an increase in w

21、orld food production, people in Africa and Latin America today eat more food than they did a decade ago. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Scientists in general believe that croplands, forests, and grasslands will supply enough raw materials, food, and fuel to guarantee further economic growth in the years to

22、 come. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 According to our current way of accounting, countries that over-cut forests are doing better economically than countries that keep the same number of trees. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 Since the early 1990s environmental trends have started to affect our economic trends, w

23、ith the effects of losing large amounts of topsoil being felt. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Meteorologists suspect that the hotter summers and decreased rainfall of the 1980s might be _. 10 This essay is mainly concerned with _. 11 By the “Illusion of Progress“ the author means that _. Section A Directio

24、ns: 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 spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause,

25、you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） He is waiting to see if Lisa is serious. （ B） He doesnt treat relationship seriously. （ C） He is in a serious relationship with Lisa. （ D） He used to be serious about relationships. （ A） By car. （ B） By bu

26、s. （ C） By subway. （ D） On foot. （ A） She has to improve her spoken English. （ B） She does not speak English loudly enough. （ C） She still thinks that she speaks pretty good English. （ D） She speaks poor English so people cannot understand her. （ A） An unsolved case of murder. （ B） The excellent wor

27、k of the police. （ C） An old case that has just been solved. （ D） The relationship between science and police work. （ A） There is no other woman there. （ B） It will ruin her plan of losing weight. （ C） She doesnt feel she will have fun there. （ D） She has planned to go to another restaurant. （ A） Th

28、ere were all kinds of food at the party. （ B） The party didnt last long enough. （ C） The man really enjoyed the party. （ D） There were a lot of people at the party. （ A） The necessity of contacting Mr. Bush. （ B） Who is going to contact Mr. Bush. （ C） The arrangement of the Wednesday meeting. （ D） W

29、here they are going to meet Mr. Bush. （ A） She feels sorry for Angelas landlady. （ B） Angela is good at telling stories. （ C） She is sure Angela wont be late again. （ D） She doesnt believe Angelas excuses. （ A） Bemuse the books meet the needs of different readers. （ B） Because many people read books

30、 only for pleasure. （ C） Because these books help Americans out of trouble. （ D） Because the rich do not always satisfy. （ A） The country. （ B） Another country. （ C） Cornfield. （ D） Birmingham. （ A） He might get his passport. （ B） He might get some money and clothes. （ C） He might make himself armed

31、. （ D） He might make a call. （ A） He will meet her in another country. （ B） They will go to another country together. （ C） He will leave her in the country. （ D） He will appear somewhere near her. （ A） By air. （ B） By car. （ C） By sea. （ D） By train. Section B Directions: In this section, you will h

32、ear 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 question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） How animals react to frightening situations. （ B） W

33、hy mice are particularly fearful animals. （ C） Whether fearfulness is a genetic trait. （ D） Why certain animals are feared by humans. （ A） They fought with the other mice. （ B） They stayed close to their mothers. （ C） They ran back and forth constantly. （ D） They remained close to one wall. （ A） To

34、show the relationship between fearfulness and environment. （ B） To give examples of animals that arent fearful. （ C） To compare fear in mammals to fear in other animals. （ D） To identify the nerves that control fear in certain animals. 28 What do we learn about the 60 per cent of men who were questi

35、oned? （ A） They didnt like to do housework. （ B） Their efforts were unnoticed by the woman. （ C） They were very tired after a whole days work. （ D） They wanted to share the housework with women. 29 What was the second most popular housework among men? （ A） Cleaning the washroom. （ B） Carring shoppin

36、g bags. （ C） Taking out the rubbish. （ D） Changing the bed sheets. （ A） On June 12, 1806. （ B） On February 12, 1809. （ C） In the winter of 1816. （ D） In 1778. （ A） He built log cabin for others. （ B） He rode horses to carry logs. （ C） He worked as a carpenter and handyman. （ D） He worked at the farm

37、s all day. （ A） In a log cabin. （ B） In a shelter. （ C） In the forest with an open fire. （ D） In a small house. （ A） Abrahams father remarried. （ B） Thomas Lincoln went to Kentucky. （ C） The Lincolns settled in Indiana. （ D） Abraham lost his mother. Section C Directions: In this section, you will he

38、ar 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 blanks numbered from 44 t

39、o 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 33 For many women nowadays, choosing whether to work or not to work outside the home is a luxury: They must work to【 B1】 _. Others face a hard decision

40、. Perhaps the easiest choice has to do with【 B2】 _. One husband said, “Marge and I decided after careful consideration that for her to go back to work at this moment was an extravagance we couldnt【 B3】 _. “With two preschool children, it soon became clear in their figuring that with babysitters,【 B4

41、】 _, and increased taxes, rather than having more money by having a working mother, they might【 B5】_end up with less. Economic factors are usually the first to be【 B6】 _, but they are not the most important. The most important aspects of the decision have to do with the【 B7】_needs of each member of

42、the family. It is in this area that husbands and wives find themselves having to face many confusing and【 B8】 _feelings. There are many women who find that homemaking is boring or who feel imprisoned if they have to stay home with a young child or several children.【 B9】 _. From my own experience, I

43、would like to suggest that sometimes the decision to go back to work is made in too much haste.【 B10】 _. I wasnt mature enough to see how much I could have gained at home. I regret my impatience to get on with my career.【 B11】 _. 34 【 B1】 35 【 B2】 36 【 B3】 37 【 B4】 38 【 B5】 39 【 B6】 40 【 B7】 41 【 B8

44、】 42 【 B9】 43 【 B10】 44 【 B11】 Section A Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice i

45、n the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. 44 Barack and Michelle Obama understand the heavy burden of student loan debt. The Obamas did not pay off their

46、 student loans until Obamas best-selling books earned them millions of dollars. With the cost of a college education【 S1】 _, more than 60% of students take out loans to fund their undergraduate education. On average, students who borrow graduate with debts of 22,700-a【 S2】 _of more than 18% from 200

47、0. But some of those with a newly acquired bachelors degree are restrained with debts of 40,000 or more. You think this economys tough? Try finding a job with the【 S3】 _of repaying tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Now, a new federal program-Income-Based Repayment-is making it【 S4】 _to pay back

48、these loans. If a student chooses to repay her or his loan with this plan, payments are then readjusted-based on their income to something they can【 S5】_afford. All debt will be forgiven after 25 years. A graduate who earns less than 150% of the【 S6】 _line wont have to make any payments. This is in

49、addition to the year-old Public Service Loan For-giveness program for those【 S7】 _in jobs such as law enforcement, public health and social work. Their loans will be forgiven after 10 years. This【 S8】 _isnt perfect; the loans have to be federal loans, not【 S9】_But students with more than one federal student loan can combine them under the program. In some cases, borrowers with large debt and low-to- moderate