1、公共英语四级-154 及答案解析(总分：63.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：20.00)The tango has probably traveled further and gone through more changes than almost 1 . African slaves brought the tango to Haiti and Cuba in the 18th century; in Cuba, the tango was influenced by the local Cuban dance, 2 “the Ha
2、vana“. From there 3 took the tango in Argentina in the 19th century, 4 it was changed once again and became popular in the 5 . It was an erotic dance of working class people by this time. 6 made it difficult for middle-class Europeans to accept. 7 at the beginning of this century, the tango was refi
3、ned, so that it 8 its erotic features. It was preformed in 9 casino ballrooms. The tango, in its sophisticated European 10 , became popular in England and in the USA. Once 11 , the tango became the rage in London and Paris. People began to 12 the Viennese waltz custom of dancing in restaurants betwe
4、en the 13 of a meal Proprietors 14 this, “for the pleasure of the customers and for the benefit of their digestion“! After “tango teas“ 15 everywhere, even in private houses, Latin American music was played for the tango, 16 more and more people owned gramphones. The tango returned in 17 in a freer,
5、 more exotic form than 18 . Rudolph Valentino, the Holly-wood film star, began his 19 as a professional tango partner in American tea-rooms. Valentino 20 immortalized the dance on film.（分数：20.00）A.any more dancesB.any danceC.any other danceD.any dancesA.referred to asB.called asC.referring toD.calli
6、ngA.immigrantsB.emigrantsC.immigratesD.emigratesA.whereB.thereC.whenD.thenA.polite societyB.upper circlesC.European quarterD.sirensA.whereB.thatC.whenD.whichA.ThereforeB.ButC.FurthermoreD.AndA.acquiredB.demonstratedC.lostD.initiatedA.fabulousB.frigidC.feebleD.fashionableA.shapeB.formC.formatD.contou
7、rA.having establishedB.establishingC.being establishedD.establishedA.followB.imitateC.abandonD.adaptA.intervalsB.pausesC.coursesD.dishesA.had been encouraged byB.had encouragedC.was encouraged byD.encouragedA.sprang outB.dg forthC.sprang upD.sprang backA.asB.withC.soD.due toA.1920sB.the 1920C.1920“s
8、D.the 1920sA.beforeB.agoC.pastD.formerA.occupationB.lifeC.careerD.employmentA.latelyB.latterC.lateD.later二、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Passage 1(总题数：1，分数：5.00)The history of English is conventionally, if perhaps too neatly, divided into three periods usually called Old (or Anglo-Saxon)English
9、, Middle English, and Modern English. The earliest period begins with the migration of certain Germanic tribes from the continent to Britain in the fifth century A. D, though no records of their language survive from before the seventh century, and it continues until the end of the seventh century o
10、r a hit later. By that time, Latin, Old Norse(the language of the Viking invaders), and especially the Anglo-Nor-man French of the dominant class after the Norman Conquest in 1066 had begun to have a substantial impact on the vocabulary, and the well-developed inflectional (词尾变化的) system that typifi
11、es the grammar of Old English had begun to break down. The period of Middle English extends roughly from the twelfth century through the fifteenth. The influence of French(and Latin, often by way of French)upon the vocabulary continued throughout the period, the loss of some inflections and the redu
12、ction of others accelerated, and many changes took place within the grammatical systems of the language. A bypical prose passage, specially one from the later part of the period, will not have such a foreign look to us as the prose of Old English, but it will not be mistaken for contemporary writing
13、 either. The period of Modern English extends from the sixteenth century to our own day. The early part of this period saw the completion of a revolution in vowel distribution that had begun in late Middle English and that effectively brought the language to something resembling its present pattern.
14、 Other important early developments include the stabilizing effect on spelling of the printing press and the beginning of the direct influence of Latin, and to a lesser extent, Greek on the vocabulary. Later, as English came into contact with other cultures around the world and distinctive dialects
15、of English developed in the many areas which Britain had colonized, numerous other languages made small but interesting contributions to our word-stock.（分数：5.00）(1).The earliest written record of English available to us started _.（分数：1.00）A.from the seventh centuryB.from the fifth centuryC.from the
16、twelfth centuryD.from the ninth century(2).What is the main feature of the grammar of Old English?（分数：1.00）A.The influence of Latin.B.A revolution in vowel distribution.C.A well-developed inflectional system.D.Loss of some inflections.(3).what can be inferred from the passage?（分数：1.00）A.Even an educ
17、ated person can not read oId English without special training.B.A person who knows French well can understand old English.C.An educated person can understand old English but can not pronounce it.D.A person can pronounce old English words but can“t understand them.(4).Which of the following is NOT me
18、ntioned?（分数：1.00）A.French.B.Latin.C.Greek.D.German.(5).What is the most remarkable characteristic of Modern English?（分数：1.00）A.Numerous additions to its vocabulary.B.Completion of a revolution in vowel distribution.C.Gradual changes in its grammatical system.D.The direct influence of Latin.五、Passage
19、 2(总题数：1，分数：4.00)The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more than two centuries. How such large creatures, which weighed in some cases as much as a piloted hang-glider and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters, solved the problems of powere
20、d flight, and exactly what these creatures werereptiles or birdsare among the questions scientists have puzzled over. Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests th
21、at they did not e- valve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a wing like membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of
22、feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. When a pterosaur walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward in an extended inverted V-shape along each side of the animal“s body. The pter
23、osaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. In the birds,
24、 however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts. Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies
25、a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hairlike fossil material was the first clear e
26、vidence that his reasoning was correct. Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became airborne have led to suggestions that they launched themselves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees or even by rising into light winds from the crests of waves. Each hypothesis has its difficulties. The fi
27、rst wrongly assumes that the pterosaurs “hind feet resembled a bat“s and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high
28、waves to channel updrafts. The wind that made such waves however, might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to control their flight once airborne.（分数：4.00）(1).It can be inferred from the passage that scientists now generally agree that the _.（分数：0.80）A.enormous wingspan of the pterosaurs enabled
29、 them to fly great distancesB.structure of the skeleton of the pterosaurs suggests a close evolutionary relationship to batsC.fossil remains of the pterosaurs reveal how they solved the problem of powered flightD.pterosaurs were reptiles(2).The author views the idea that the pterosaurs became airbor
30、ne by rising into light winds created by waves as _.（分数：0.80）A.revolutionaryB.unlikelyC.unassailableD.probable(3).The ideas attributed to T. H. Huxley in the passage suggest that he would most likely agree with which of the following statements?（分数：0.80）A.An animal“s brain size has little bearing on
31、 its ability to master complex behaviors.B.An animal“s appearance is often influenced by environmental requirements and physical capabilities.C.Animals within a given family group are unlikely to change their appearance dramatically over a period of time.D.The pterosaurs should be classified as bird
32、s, not reptiles.(4).It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is characteristic of the pterosaurs?（分数：0.80）A.They were unable to fold their wings when not in use.B.They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight.C.They flew in order to capture prey.D.They were an e
33、arly stage in the evolution of the birds.(5).Which of the following best describes the organization of the last paragraph of the passage?（分数：0.80）A.New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view.B.Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of
34、specific information.C.Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidence supporting each is given.D.Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected六、Passage 3(总题数：1，分数：4.00)The Greek“s lofty attitude toward scientific research-and the scientists“ contempt of utility
35、-was not a long time dying. For a millennium after Archimedes, this separation of mechanics from geometry prevented fundamental technological progress and in some areas restrained it altogether. But there was a still greater obstacle to change until the very end of the Middle Ages-the organization o
36、f society. The social system of fixed class relationships that prevailed through the Middle Ages itself made improvement impossible. Under this system, the labouring masses, in exchange for the bare necessities of life, did all the productive work, while the privileged few-priests, nobles, and kings
37、-concerned themselves only with ownership and maintenance of their own position. In the interest of their prerogatives they did achieve considerable progress in defence, in war making, in government, in trade, and in the arts of leisure, but they had no familiarity with the processes of production.
38、On the other hand, the labourers, who were familiar with manufacturing techniques, had no incentive to improve or increase production to the advantage of their masters. Thus, with one class possessing the requisite knowledge and experience, but lacking incentive and leisure, and the other class lack
39、ing the knowledge and experience, there was no means by which technical progress could be achieved. The whole ancient world was built upon this relationship-a relationship as sterile as it was inhuman. The availability of slaves made efficient machinery needless. In many of the commonplace fields of
40、 human endeavour, actual stagnation prevailed for thousands of years. For about twenty-five centuries, two thirds of the power of the horse was lost because he wasn“t shod, and much of the strength of the ox was wasted because his harness wasn“t modified to fit his shoulders. For more than five thou
41、sand years, sailors were confined to rivers and coasts by a primitive steering mechanism which required remarkable little alteration (in the thirteenth century) to become a rudder(舵). With any originality at all, the ancient plough could have been put on wheels and the ploughshare shaped to bite and
42、 turn the sod instead of merely scratching it-but the originality wasn“t forthcoming. And the villager of the Middle Ages, like the men who first had fire, had a smoke hole in the center of the straw and reed roof of his one room dwelling, while the medieval charcoal burner( like his Stone Age ances
43、tor) make himself a hut of small branches.（分数：4.00）(1).According to the passage, lack of technological progress in the ancient and medieval worlds was primarily due to the absence of_.（分数：0.80）A.natural resources.B.inventive ability.C.people“s desire for the“ better things of life“.D.proper social o
44、rganization.(2).It can be inferred from the passage that a change in class relationship after the Middle Ages led to greater productivity because_.（分数：0.80）A.freemen had incentives to produce more.B.masters had greater incentive to make their workers harder.C.slaves never starved, no matter what the
45、y produced.D.productivity could go in only one direction.(3).During the Middle Ages, productivity of labour_.（分数：0.80）A.was a primary concern of society.B.was hampered by class relationships.C.went beyond levels reached by the Greeks.D.both increased and decreased.(4).In supporting his argument abou
46、t the ancient world, the author mainly discusses the_.（分数：0.80）A.examples of the separation of mechanics and geometry.B.cases about the studies of lack of communication between classes.C.obstacle to the progress of technology.D.his concern about the plight of the labouring classes.(5).The author use
47、s the examples of horse and ox to argue that_.（分数：0.80）A.humans should not maltreat animals.B.man wasted a lot of resources in his exploitation of the enviroment.C.there was no technical improvement areas of human efforts.D.stagnation which prevailed for a long time was as sterile as it was inhuman.
48、七、Passage 4(总题数：1，分数：5.00)It was not “the comet of the century“ experts predicted it might be. However, Kohoutek has provided a bonanza of scientific information. It was first spotted 370 million miles from Earth, by an astronomer who was searching the sky for asteroids, and after whom the comet was
49、 named. Scientists who tracked Kohoutek the ten months before it passed the Earth predicted the comet would be a brilliant spectacle. But Kohoutek fell short of these predictions, disappointing millions of amateur sky watchers, when it proved too pale to be seen with the unaided eye. Researchers were very happy nonetheless with the new information they were able to glean from their investigation of the comet. Perhaps the most significant discovery was the identification of two important chemical compoundsmethyl cyanide and hydrogen cyaniden
