1、2009年 9月国家公共英语（四级）真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Section II Use of English (15 minutes) Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. 0 In addition to the established energy sources such as gas, coal, oil and nuclear, there are a number of
2、other sources that we ought to consider. Two of these are hydroelectric and tidal power. These two sources are【 21】 _ in that they are both renewable. 【 22】 _ , hydropower is more widely used than tidal. In【 23】 _ , a substantial amount of electricity is already produced in HEP (hydroelectric power)
3、stations worldwide, 【 24】_ tidal stations are still in the very early【 25】 _ of development. As far as geographical【 26】 _ is concerned, HEP projects are to be found on lakes and rivers, while tidal【 27】 _ are constructed only at river mouths where tidal【 28】 _ is great. Unfortunately these are【 29】
4、 _ in number. At present HEP stations are found mainly in Norway, Canada, Sweden and Brazil, whereas tidal plants are in【 30】 _ in France, Russia and China. As regards capital【 31】 _ , both require very high investment. On the other hand, generating【 32】 _ are quite low in both cases. In fact, a lar
5、ge scale HEP plant is capable of producing power more【 33】 _ than conventional sources, such as coal, oil and nuclear plants. Tidal power also compares【 34】 _ with nuclear and oil generated electricity, 【 35】 _ the amount of money on production. 【 36】_ HEP stations, tidal constructions have a long l
6、ife【 37】 _ . It is estimated that they can operate for over 100 years. With respect to【 38】 _ of supply, tidal stations【 39】 _ from HEP ones in that they often can only supply power【 40】_. HEP stations, however, pro vide a constant supply of electricity. 1 【 21】 （ A） compatible （ B） parallel （ C） si
7、milar （ D） identical 2 【 22】 （ A） Furthermore （ B） However （ C） Hence （ D） Otherwise 3 【 23】 （ A） addition （ B） brief （ C） general （ D） fact 4 【 24】 （ A） provided （ B） since （ C） whereas （ D） though 5 【 25】 （ A） stages （ B） periods （ C） years （ D） sessions 6 【 26】 （ A） location （ B） position （ C） si
8、tuation （ D） condition 7 【 27】 （ A） patterns （ B） designs （ C） plans （ D） schemes 8 【 28】 （ A） variation （ B） balance （ C） frequency （ D） stability 9 【 29】 （ A） small （ B） few （ C） rare （ D） scarce 10 【 30】 （ A） operation （ B） production （ C） procession （ D） action 11 【 31】 （ A） spending （ B） planni
9、ng （ C） financing （ D） saving 12 【 32】 （ A） expenditures （ B） benefits （ C） costs （ D） profits 13 【 33】 （ A） expensively （ B） consistently （ C） periodically （ D） cheaply 14 【 34】 （ A） conveniently （ B） beneficially （ C） advantageously （ D） favorably 15 【 35】 （ A） on account of （ B） in terms of （ C）
10、regardless of （ D） in spite of 16 【 36】 （ A） Like （ B） Except （ C） Regarding （ D） With 17 【 37】 （ A） application （ B） endurance （ C） expectancy （ D） extension 18 【 38】 （ A） concentration （ B） continuity （ C） conformity （ D） conductivity 19 【 39】 （ A） develop （ B） differ （ C） depart （ D） derive 20 【
11、40】 （ A） interchangeably （ B） immediately （ C） intermittently （ D） intensively Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D . Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. 20 Inflation has just exploded. The real problem is that we have an un
12、derlying rate of inflation an impetus of wages chasing prices of maybe 9 percent that is heading towards 10 percent. There also have been tremendous shocks in energy, food and housing prices, making it worse. By the end of the year, we will be in a situation where year in, year out, we can look forw
13、ard to at least 10 percent inflation. And the question will be:How much worse will oil, food and housing prices make that? The situation has degenerated to the point that the only way to turn it around is to think of some very extreme changes in policy. A policy of gradualism, where youre talking ab
14、out a mild recession and another 1 to 2 million people unemployed, wont make much difference. Postponing action just means that inflation presses further and is even more difficult to deal with. You have to start with revenue and monetary restraint. All the burden now is on monetary policy. We shoul
15、d shift to a much more restrictive revenue policy and an easier monetary policy. To be significant, the 1981 budget should be cut by at least 20 billion dollars from 616 billion President Carter proposed. Thats a major cut in government programs and very hard to do. Its impossible if you save defens
16、e and all the programs indexed for changes in the cost of living. So it means cuts across the board in every area including the indexed programs, such as Social Security and food stamps. State and local-government revenue-sharing programs are another major candidate. Youve also got to reopen the 198
17、0 budget and cut that. Then I would favor wage and price controls to break the impetus of the wage-price interaction. In order to get quick results, Id set the standard around 5 or 6 percent for both wages and prices. Basically, youre aiming to cut the rate of inflation in half the first year. There
18、 would be no exceptions, but you would focus on large corporations and major labor settlements. For the special sectors where the big shocks have occurred, controls wont work. Instead, you need additional policies in each one of those areas. There are no cheap or easy solutions to the inflation prob
19、lem. My answer is to take all the things that everybody wants to do, and instead of choosing among them, do all of them. Weve got to think in terms of a comprehensive program. 21 In the authors opinion, the high inflation rate in the US was accompanied by （ A） energy crises. （ B） mounting wages. （ C
20、） housing shortage. （ D） shrinking market. 22 The only way to reverse the worsening situation seems to be （ A） a policy of gradualism. （ B） sacrifice of public interests. （ C） radical changes of policy. （ D） postponing of drastic actions. 23 We can learn from the fourth paragraph that （ A） a substan
21、tial cut in annual revenue is called for. （ B） defense and social welfare programs should undergo cuts. （ C） we should leave intact programs for bettering peoples living. （ D） we should exercise less control over monetary policy. 24 The phrase “special sectors“ (line 1, paragraph 7) most probably re
22、fers to （ A） energy, food and housing. （ B） indexed programs. （ C） social security and food stamps. （ D） large corporations and labor settlements. 25 What is the text mainly about? （ A） The defect of US monetary system. （ B） The causes of ever-worsening inflation in the US. （ C） Prospects for the US
23、 economic situation. （ D） A comprehensive settlement of inflation in the US. 25 For centuries the most valuable of African resources for Europeans were the slaves, but these could be obtained at coastal ports, without any need for going deep inland. Slavery had been an established institution in Afr
24、ica. Prisoners of war had been enslaved, as were also debtors and individuals guilty of serious crimes. But these slaves usually were treated as part of the family. They had clearly defined rights, and their slave status was not necessarily inherited. Therefore it is commonly argued that Africas tra
25、ditional slavery was mild compared to the trans-Atlantic slave trade organized by the Europeans. This argument, however, can be carried too far. In the most recent study of this subject, some scholars warned against the illusion that “ cruel and dehumanizing enslavement was a monopoly of the West. S
26、lavery in its extreme forms, including the taking of life, was common to both Africa and the West. The fact that African slavery had different origins and consequences should not lead us to deny what it was the exploitation and control of humanbeings. “Neither can it be denied that the wholesale shi
27、pment of Africans to the slave plantations of the Americas was made possible by the participation of African chiefs who rounded up their fellow Africans and sold them as a handsome profit to European ship captains waiting along the coasts. Granting all this, the fact remains that the trans-Atlantic
28、slave trade conducted by the Europeans was entirely different in quantity and quality from the traditional type of slavery that had existed within Africa. From the beginning the European variety was primarily an economic institution rather than social, as it had been in Africa. Western slave traders
29、 and slave owners were acted on by purely economic considerations, and were quite ready to work their slaves to death if it was more profitable to do so than to treat them more mercifully. This inhumanity was reinforced by racism when the Europeans became involved in the African slave trade on a lar
30、ge scale. Perhaps as a subconscious rationalization they gradually came to look down on Negroes as inherently inferior, and therefore destined to serve their white masters. Rationalization also may have been involved in the Europeans use of religion to justify the traffic in human beings. It was arg
31、ued, for instance, that enslavement assured the conversion of the African evil-believing religions to the true faith as well as to civilization. 26 In the first paragraph, the author argues that （ A） the Europeans were innocent in the trade of African slaves. （ B） slavery in Africa and in the West w
32、as the same in nature. （ C） the view in the most recent studies of enslavement is baseless. （ D） slaves had been treated even more cruelly in the African tradition. 27 Which of the following was true of the local African slavery? （ A） Slaves might have their own families. （ B） The son of a slave mig
33、ht not be a slave. （ C） Slavery was confined to the coastal regions. （ D） There was no killing in African slavery. 28 The sentence “This argument. can be carried too far“implies that （ A） Africans traditional slavery was inhumane. （ B） the slavery in Africa was confined to some regions. （ C） support
34、ers of this argument knew little of Africa. （ D） slave shipment was not so serious as was imagined. 29 Supporters of the rationalization of slavery believe that the trade （ A） was out of good intents from the beginning. （ B） helped the development of local religion. （ C） was a help for civilizing th
35、e Africans. （ D） drove the evils out of the African religions. 30 The relation between the two paragraphs is that in the 2nd paragraph the author （ A） challenges the viewpoint in the 1 st paragraph. （ B） modifies his view expressed in the 1 st paragraph. （ C） provides the reason for the argument in
36、the 1st paragraph. （ D） further analyzes the issue discussed in the 1 st paragraph. 30 As West Nile virus creeps toward California, an unlikely warrior could provide the first line of defense; the chicken. The familiar fowl make irresistible targets for mosquitoes. Unlike crows, chickens dont get si
37、ck from West Nile. But they do produce telltale antibodies to the virus. So in test coops scattered across the state, more than 2000 “ sentinel chickens“ submit to frequent blood tests. When antibodies do turn up, California health officials will know that the inevitable has occurred;the West Nile e
38、pidemic will have swept the country. Last week alone, more than 100 new human cases of West Nile were reported. The virus was detected as far west as Colorado and Wyoming, infecting 371 and killing 16 people in 20 states plus the District of Columbia. This year West Nile appeared earlier in the mosq
39、uito season mid-June instead of August and claimed younger victims; the average age dropped from 65 to 54. Federal health officials are still trying to figure out why, but say they may be finding more West Nile precisely because theyre on the lookout for it. As Dr. Julie Gerberding, the new director
40、 of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) , recently told reporters, “Were not in crisis mode. “ When West Nile hit New York City in 1999, the CDC realized it was a victim of its own success. Because health officials had conquered most mosquito-borne diseases decades ago, many states abolished their
41、 mosquito-control programs. The Feds rushed in with funds some $ 50 million since 1999, plus $ 31 million more this year alone to train insect researchers, set up state testinglabs and kill off the annoying insects. The CDC established a new computer monitoring system and held strategy sessions with
42、 state officials. Some epidemiologists question the focus and the millions lavished on a virus thats killed fewer than 20. “Theres an epidemic in gun violence thats taking more lives than West Nile virus, “ says Dr. William Steinmann, director of the Tulance Center for Clinical Effectiveness and Pre
43、vention. But the Feds say their efforts have kept West Nile from doing far more damage. “Were basically building the infrastructure to deal with this over the next 50 years, “ says Dr. Lyle Peterson, a CDC epidemiologist. “This is here to stay. “ So far, there are no remedies for West Nile. Official
44、s eventually expect the virus to settle into a quiet pattern of mild infections with occasional outbreaks. To do battle at home, the CDC recommends eliminating standing water and using insect spray with DEET simple precautions, but the best defense against an invader that shows no signs of going awa
45、y. 31 In California scientists use chicken to （ A） sweep away the West Nile epidemic. （ B） produce antibodies to West Nile virus. （ C） fight against the spread of West Nile virus. （ D） monitor the presence of the West Nile virus. 32 According to Federal health officials, the fact that more West Nile
46、 cases have been reported indicates that （ A） more states are affected. （ B） the average age dropped drastically. （ C） health officials are more alert to the disease. （ D） the epidemic season began a month earlier. 33 CDC considered the outbreak of West Nile in 1999 as a consequence of （ A） the abol
47、ition of the mosquito-control programs. （ B） the surviving mosquito-borne infections. （ C） the abuse of some $ 50 million in funds. （ D） its failure to conquer mosquito-borne diseases. 34 Feds claimed that their spending on West Nile control was （ A） worthwhile in the long run. （ B） liable to contin
48、ue regardless of the great cost. （ C） bound to settle the problem once and for all. （ D） wasteful in view of the few victims of the disease. 35 Which of the following would CDC most probably recommend? （ A） Health weighs more than wealth. （ B） Prevention is better than cure. （ C） Actions speak loude
49、r than words. （ D） Better late than never. 35 Jill Ker Conway, president of Smith, echoes the prevailing view of contemporary technology when she says that “ anyone in todays world who doesnt understand data processing is not educated. “But she insists that the increasing emphasis on these matters leave certain gaps. Says she: “ The very strongly utilitarian emphasis in education, which is an effect of man-made satellites and the cold war, h
