[外语类试卷]大学英语四级模拟试卷938及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 938及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Libraries Open to Beggars and Junkmen 1目前有的图书馆对乞丐和拾荒者开放 2人们对此有不同的看法 3你的看法 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the quest

2、ions 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 passage. 1 Rocket Renaissance

3、The Ear of Private Spaceflight Is About to Start Background Two years ago, people witnessed the first space travel by SpaceShip One. Three people were involved in this flight: Burt Rutan, who designed the craft, and Mike Melvill, who flew it-although they were ably assisted by Paul Allen, one of the

4、 founders of Microsoft, who paid for it. Certainly, people have long been known that manned spaceflight was possible. What they showed was that it is not just a game for governments. Private individuals can play, too. People involved Now, lots of people want to join in, and most of them have just me

5、t up at the International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles, to engage in that mixture of camaraderie and competition that characterises the beginnings of a new technology. And, as might be expected, they have two of the necessary ingredients of success: ideas and money. First, the money.

6、So far, more than $1 billion is known to have been committed to building private spaceships and the infrastructure to support them. For example, Mr Rum s follow-up vehicle, SpaceShip Two, is expected to cost its backers, Virgin Galactic, $240m for a fleet of five. The spaceport in New Mexico from wh

7、ich these are intended to fly will account for another $225m, although New Mexicos government is planning to raise this money itself. These are not small sums, of course. On the other hand, Virgin Galactic has already banked $14m of deposits towards the $200,000 fare from people who want to travel o

8、n SpaceShip Two, even though it has yet to be built, let alone flown. All this suggests that spaceflight, if not exactly entering the age of the common man, is at least entering the age of the moderately prosperous enthusiast. For entrepreneurs, it is no longer necessary to have billions of dollars

9、to get into space; millions will now do. And for those who merely wish to travel there, and have enough money in their bank account, reality is favourable. Get started As with aircraft a century ago, a lot of designs are competing with each other, and there is no certainty about which will succeed.

10、The initial goal is to build a “suborbital“ vehicle. This will not have to develop the tremendous speed needed to go into orbit around the Earth. instead, it will travel briefly into space, offering a short thrilling ride out of the atmosphere, a few minutes of weightlessness, and a spectacular view

11、 of the planet from about 100kin. Four important criteria are how you take off, what fuel you use, what your craft is made of, and how you come back. Most peoples vision of a rocket launch is straight up from the ground. But, of the five vehicles most likely to be developed, two will actually be lau

12、nched from the air. SpaceShip Two will be carded to high altitude by a purpose-built aircraft known as Eve before its rocket motor is ignited. And Explorer, a vehicle being designed by Space Adventures, will be launched from the top of a high-altitude Russian research plane called the M-55X, accordi

13、ng to Eric Anderson, the firms president and chief executive. As Dennis Jenkins, a consultant engineer at NASA, Americas space agency, points out, this is similar to using a two-stage rocket to get into space, with the aircraft acting as the first stage. However, a plane offers several advantages ov

14、er a throw-away booster rocket. First, it can be used again. Second, it uses oxygen from the air, rather than having to carry its own oxidant, which saves weight. Third, it is lifted by wings. That means the atmosphere is an advantage, rather than a hindrance. All this means that the spacecraft itse

15、lf can be lighter and cheaper. Not everyone wants to run two vehicles, though. Jeff Greason, president of XCOR Aerospace, a firm based in Mojave, California, is developing a two-person, ground-launched suborbital rocketplane called Xerus. Launching from the ground, says Mr. Greason, is more difficul

16、t than air launching, but he reckons that in this case it has significantly lower operating costs. Fuel choices The second important design choice is the type of fuel. Unlike a jet engine, a rocket carries its own oxidant (氧第剂 ). This is why it can operate in space. Sometimes that oxidant is oxygen

17、itself, in liquid form. In that case the fuel, too, is usually liquid-either kerosene (煤油 ) or liquid hydrogen (氢 ) and the two liquids are stored in separate tanks until they meet in the rockets combustion chamber. Alternatively, both fuel and oxidant are solid, and are loaded pre-mixed, like the p

18、ropellant of a firework rocket. SpaceShip Two, though, follows the design of SpaceShip One and is powered by a mixture of the two. The combustion chamber of a mixture is partly filled with solid fuel but no oxidant. However, the fuel is coated round the inside of the chamber, leaving a hole through

19、the middle into which a liquid or gaseous oxidant can be pumped, and out of which the exhaust emerges. In SpaceShip One, the fuel was rubber and the oxidant a liquefied gas called nitrous oxide (一氧化二氮 ). Proponents of mixture say they are safer than either pure solid or pure liquid rockets. George W

20、hittinghill, Virgin Galactics chief technologist, says that they are safer than solid rockets because the flow of oxidant can be controlled, and combustion halted, if there is a problem. Solid rockets, like the fireworks they resemble, cannot be stopped until they run out of fuel. On the other hand

21、liquid-fuelled engines, though they can be shut down, are complex and temperamental. As Mr. Whittinghill observes, “they have pumps, seals, valves and lines everywhere, and there is a lot that potentially could go wrong.“ All this rather irrates those working on liquid propulsion. Richard Pournelle,

22、 head of investor relations at XCOR Aerospace, says the comparison is unfair. Liquid propulsion is routine in rocketry while hybrids are still rare. Numbers alone, therefore, mean that liquid-fuelled rockets blow up more often. That, Mr. Pournelle argues, does not prove that they are inherently unsa

23、fe. Chuck Lauer, vice- president of business development for Rocketplane, another firm going down the liquid-fuelled route, agrees and argues that kerosene is widely used as aviation fuel and nobody complains that it is unsafe. 2 It is only two years ago that people became aware of the fact that man

24、ned spaceflight was actually possible. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Spaceflight is possible for individuals who want to fly in the space and who have the money. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The initial goal of building an aircraft is to make the vehicle fly, and speed was not such a primary consideration. （ A

25、） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 All of the five vehicles most likely to be developed will be launched from the air. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Although it is possible to launch the spaceship both from ground and from the air, some people believe its more cost-effective to launch it from ground. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C）

26、 NG 7 A consultant engineer at NASA points out that using aircraft acting as the first Stage provides several advantages over a throw-away booster rocket. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 In the design considerations of a spaceship, fuel choice is as important as the method of launching. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） N

27、G 9 A rocket carries its own oxidant, and its fuel is usually either kerosene or_. 10 Proponents of mixture say that they are_than either pure solid or pure liquid rockets. 11 Proponents of kerosene cite the example of_using it as fuel Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short con

28、versations 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, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C

29、and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Librarian and student. （ B） Operator and caller. （ C） Boss and secretary. （ D） Customer and repairman. （ A） Look for the key. （ B） Repair the car. （ C） Fix a shelf. （ D） Paint a shelf. （ A） To make the woman angry. （ B） To please the man s mother. （ C

30、） David is the mans good friend （ D） David is good at carrying on conversations. （ A） He must meet his teacher. （ B） He must attend a class. （ C） He must go out with his girlfriend. （ D） He must stay at school to finish his homework. （ A） he wants to pay. （ B） he doesnt want to eat out. （ C） He want

31、s to eat somewhere else. （ D） He doesnt like Japanese food. （ A） he didnt work as hard as he was supposed to. （ B） He didnt pass the physics exam. （ C） He did better in an earlier exam. （ D） he found something wrong with the exam. （ A） He is attending his sick mother at home. （ B） He is on a Europea

32、n tour with his mother. （ C） He is at home on sick leave. （ D） He is in Europe to see his mother. （ A） They don t know how to get to Mike s home. （ B） They are discussing when to meet again. （ C） They went to the same party some time ago. （ D） They will go to Mike s birthday party. （ A） Lack of elec

33、tricity. （ B） Shortage of books. （ C） Lack of clean water. （ D） Shortage of experts. （ A） A system which trains doctors. （ B） A group of experts who can provide professional advice. （ C） A computer program which can provide professional advice. （ D） A system which trains computer experts. （ A） It is

34、 not easy to see the shortage of experts in the villages. （ B） Many doctors and engineers are sent to the villages to make up for the shortage of experts. （ C） Expert medical systems are widely used in developing countries. （ D） Expert systems are owned by wealthy farmers and businessmen. （ A） At sc

35、hool. （ B） In a hospital. （ C） In a shop. （ D） In a park. （ A） To help the woman make a purchase. （ B） To request the womans identification. （ C） To show the woman for a course at City College. （ D） To register the woman how to make out a check. （ A） Money. （ B） Money or credit cards. （ C） Credit ca

36、rds or cheeks. （ D） Checks or money. （ A） She used her student ID card and a charge card. （ B） She used her credit card. （ C） She used her drivers license and her student ID card. （ D） She used her telephone number and her student ID card. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short

37、 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） By making comfortable clothes. （ B） By predicting new fashion.

38、 （ C） By constantly changing the fashions. （ D） By improving the quality of the clothes. （ A） Cleverness to save money. （ B） A waste of time. （ C） Eyes for beauty. （ D） A waste of energy. （ A） The beauty of clothing. （ B） The comfort of clothing. （ C） The suitability of clothing. （ D） The cost of cl

39、othing. （ A） Red Cross workers are in many countries. （ B） Red Cross only exists in the United States. （ C） Red Cross is another name for world hospital. （ D） Many people who are in need work in Red Cross. （ A） Supplying blood for people who need. （ B） Providing a number of services for the public.

40、（ C） Helping the sick and wounded during the war. （ D） Aiding people who were injured in an earthquake. （ A） In 1875. （ B） In 1895. （ C） In 1881. （ D） In 1818. （ A） The Bachelors degree. （ B） The Associate degree. （ C） The Masters degree. （ D） The Doctors degree. Section C Directions: In this sectio

41、n, 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 blanks numb

42、ered 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 34 Im Mr. Britain, the head librarian, and today Id like to 【 B1】 _ you to the facilities in our university library and show you how to u

43、se them. The first room on our tour is the 【 B2】 _ room, where youll find all sorts of reference 【 B3】 _: dictionaries, 【 B4】 _, literature guides, even telephone books. You may use these books only in the reference room itself. The next room is the 【 B5】 _ room, where youll find various newspapers,

44、 magazines and 【 B6】 _ journals. The current issues are usually directly 【 B7】 _ to you on the shelves. And you can get an older 【 B8】 _ by filling out a slip for the librarian. 【 B9】 _. All the librarys books are listed here by title, by author and by topic. 【 B10】 _. The books themselves are kept

45、in the stacks, which are open only to graduate students, faculty members and library staff. 【 B11】 _, Id be glad to help you after the tour. Thank you for your attention. 34 【 B1】 35 【 B2】 36 【 B3】 37 【 B4】 38 【 B5】 39 【 B6】 40 【 B7】 41 【 B8】 42 【 B9】 43 【 B10】 44 【 B11】 Section A Directions: In thi

46、s 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 in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corre

47、sponding 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 The United States has historically had higher rates of marriage than those of other industrialized countries. The current annual marriage rate in the United States - a

48、bout 9 new marriages for every 1,000 people - is【 S1】 _higher than it is in other industrialized countries. However, marriage is no longer as【 S2】 _as it was several decades ago. The proportion of American adults who are married【 S3】 _from 72 percent in 1970 to 60 percent in 2002. This does not mean

49、 that large numbers of people will【 S4】_unmarried throughout their lives. Throughout the 20th century, about 90 percent of Americans married at some period in their lives. Experts【 S5】 _that about the same proportion of todays young adults will eventually marry. The timing of marriage has【 S6】 _consistently over the past century. In 1995 the average age of women in the United States at the time of