1、2018年专业英语四级真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 PART I DICTATION Directions: Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be
2、 read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. SECTION A TALK In this section you will hear a talk. You will hear the talk ONCE ONLY. While listening, you may look at
3、ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure the word (s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking. You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task. 1 The Linguistic Gift of Babies . Critic
4、al age Decline of babies language learning ability occurs at the age of 【 T1】 _. . Lab work 1. Research focus: How babies learn 【 T2】 _ in the first critical period 2. Research aims: developing a model for babies in their critical periods of language acquisition social, emotional and 【 T3】 _ develop
5、ment 3. Research process: Babies need to listen. They are trained to turn their heads when 【 T4】 _. A panda bear pounds a drum if babies are correct. 4. Participants: 【 T5】 _ babies 5. Results: Babies can 【 T6】 _ of all languages. Babies become language-bound before 【 T7】 _. sound reaction between A
6、merican and Japanese babies 6 to 8 months old: 【 T8】 _ two months later: 【 T9】 _ Two events during the critical two months 【 T10】 _when listening to a language change of babies brains when distributions grow . Conclusion Language learning may slow down when sound distributions become stable. 2 【 T1】
7、 3 【 T2】 4 【 T3】 5 【 T4】 6 【 T5】 7 【 T6】 8 【 T7】 9 【 T8】 10 【 T9】 11 【 T10】 SECTION B CONVERSATIONS In this section you will hear two conversations. At the end of each conversation , five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken ONCE ONLY. A
8、fter each question there will be a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A, B, C and D, and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. You have thirty seconds to preview the questions. （ A） Many foreign languages are spoken in Britain. （ B） Everyone
9、in Britain can speak a foreign language. （ C） The British are unable to speak a foreign language. （ D） The British can survive on their mother tongue. （ A） Chinese. （ B） Polish. （ C） Punjabi. （ D） Urdu. （ A） To help improve international trade. （ B） To allow a speaker to hold a simple talk. （ C） To
10、improve the education system. （ D） To encourage learning another language. （ A） It gives you self-satisfaction. （ B） It makes you more confident. （ C） It gives you an advantage. （ D） It makes you work hard. （ A） Workmates. （ B） Schoolmates. （ C） Teacher and student. （ D） Brother and sister. （ A） An
11、unreasonable fear. （ B） A dangerous event. （ C） A small probability. （ D） A risk-assessing ability. （ A） One in one million. （ B） One in four million. （ C） One in fourteen million （ D） One in forty million. （ A） Future events. （ B） Catastrophic events. （ C） Small-scale disasters. （ D） Smoking hazard
12、s. （ A） Traveling by air. （ B） Riding a bicycle. （ C） Catching bird flu. （ D） Smoking cigarettes. （ A） They get pleasure from risks. （ B） They can control potential risks. （ C） They can assess danger from risks. （ D） They have strong needs for risks. 二、 PART III LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE There are twenty s
13、entences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four words, phrases or statements marked A, B, C and D. Choose one word, phrase or statement that best completes the sentence. 22 The Bent Pyramid outside Cairo _ ancient Egypts first attempt to build a smooth-sided pyramid. （ A） has been bel
14、ieved to have been （ B） was believed to be （ C） is believed to have been （ D） is believed to be 23 U.S. News _ rankings of colleges since 1983. They are a very popular resource for students looking to apply to a university campus. （ A） maintains （ B） is maintaining （ C） maintained （ D） has been main
15、taining 24 He was lured into a crime he would not _ have committed. （ A） actually （ B） otherwise （ C） accidentally （ D） seldom 25 She was once a young country wife with chickens in the backyard and a view of _ mountains behind the apple orchard. （ A） Virginia blue hazy （ B） Virginia hazy blue （ C） h
16、azy blue Virginia （ D） blue hazy Virginia 26 I long to alleviate _, but I cannot. （ A） the evil （ B） evil （ C） evils （ D） an evil 27 Indeed, it is arguable that body shattering is the very point of football, as killing and maiming _. （ A） war （ B） are war （ C） of war （ D） are of war 28 At _, photogr
17、aphy is a chemical process, during which a light-sensitive material is altered when exposed to light. （ A） its most basic （ B） its basic （ C） the most basic （ D） the basic 29 She hired a lawyer to investigate, only to learn that Gabriel had removed her name from the deed. The infinitive verb phrase
18、“only to learn“ is used _. （ A） to express an intended purpose （ B） to indicate a high degree of possibility （ C） to reveal an undesirable consequence （ D） to dramatize a stated fact 30 Which of the following underlined words DOES NOT carry the metaphorical meaning? （ A） I wonder whats behind this c
19、hange of plan. （ B） Jim turned to speak to the person standing behind him. （ C） This work should have been finished yesterday. Im getting terribly behind. （ D） I suppose Im lucky because my parents were behind me all the way. 31 My mother was determined to help those in need and she would have been
20、immensely proud of what has been achieved these last 20 years. The underline part in the sentence expresses _. （ A） a hypothesis （ B） a suggestion （ C） a contradiction （ D） a surprise 32 When the police officers who took part in the King beating were first brought to _, their lawyers used the videot
21、ape as evidence against the prosecution. （ A） justice （ B） testimony （ C） trial （ D） verdict 33 _, the most controversial candidate in the election campaign, he has been strongly criticized for his crude comments about women. （ A） Questionably （ B） Arguably （ C） Contentiously （ D） Debatably 34 Price
22、s have recently risen in order to _ the increased cost of raw materials. （ A） cut （ B） buoy （ C） offset （ D） offer 35 The celebrity says in court papers she “has no _ of giving any authorization to anyone to proceed with a divorce.“ （ A） recommendation （ B） recording （ C） recognition （ D） recollecti
23、on 36 What actually _ a good angle or a good selfie overall is rooted in what we consider beautiful. （ A） consists （ B） constitutes （ C） composes （ D） constructs 37 The school is going the _ mile to create the next generation of sporting stars thanks to its unique development program. （ A） final （ B
24、） further （ C） supplementary （ D） extra 38 The teachers union _ a lawsuit against the district calling for repairing “deplorable“ school conditions. （ A） filed （ B） fired （ C） fined （ D） filled 39 Last March the _ of a 19th century cargo ship was found by an underwater archaeological team. （ A） debr
25、is （ B） ruins （ C） remains （ D） wreck 40 Shes worn his designs on _ occasions from red carpets to movie premieres. （ A） numerical （ B） numeral （ C） countless （ D） countable 41 A leading _ intelligence and operations company has released its analysis of worldwide reported incidents of piracy and crim
26、e against mariners. （ A） oceangoing （ B） oceanic （ C） marine （ D） maritime 三、 PART IV CLOZE Decide which of the words given in the box below would best complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blanks. The words can be used ONCE ONLY. 41 A accompanies B automatically C couple D goes E in
27、debtedness F kind G manner H mercifully I one J obey K renowned L subscribe M unknown N virtue O widespread A few years ago, a university professor tried a little experiment. He sent Christmas cards to a sample of perfect strangers. Although he expected some reaction, the response he received was am
28、azing holiday cards addressed to him came pouring back from the people who had never met nor heard of him. The great majority of those who returned a card never inquired into the identity of the 【 C1】 _ professor. They received his holiday greeting card, and they 【 C2】 _ sent one in return. This stu
29、dy shows the action of one of the most powerful of the weapons of influence around us the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we should try to repay, in 【 C3】 _, what another person has provided us. If a woman does us a favor, we should do her 【 C4】 _ in return; if a man sends us a birthday p
30、resent, we should remember his birthday with a gift of our own; if a 【 C5】 _ invites us to a party, we should be sure to invite them to one of ours. By 【 C6】 _ of the reciprocity rule, then, we are obliged to the future repayment of favors, gifts, invitations, and the like. So typical is it for 【 C7
31、】 _ to accompany the receipt of such things that a term like “much obliged“ has become a synonym for “thank you,“ not only in the English language but in others as well. The impressive aspect of the rule for reciprocation and the sense of obligation that 【 C8】 _ with it is its pervasiveness in human
32、 culture. It is so 【 C39】 _ that after intensive study, sociologists can report that there is no human society that does not 【 C40】 _ to the rule. 42 【 C1】 43 【 C2】 44 【 C3】 45 【 C4】 46 【 C5】 47 【 C6】 48 【 C7】 49 【 C8】 50 【 C9】 51 【 C10】 SECTION A In this section there are several passages followed
33、by ten multiple-choice questions. For each question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. 51 (1) The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies which were free from the controls that existed in Euro
34、pean societies. They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. The historic decisions made by those first settlers have had a profound effect on the shaping of the American character. By limiting the power of the gov
35、ernment and the churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual. Individual freedom is probably the most basic of all American values. By “freedom,“ Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their
36、 own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority. (2) There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance. It means that Americans believe that they should stand on their own feet, achieving
37、 both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age 18 or 21. (3) A second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the United States is the belief that everyone has an equal chance to enter a race and succeed in the game. Becaus
38、e titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no formal class system developed in the US. (4) There is, however, a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity: competition. If much of life is seen as a race, then a person must run the race in order to succeed; a person must compete
39、with others. The pressures of competition in the life of an American begin in childhood and continue until retirement from work. In fact, any group of people who does not compete successfully does not fit into the mainstream of American life as well as those who do. (5) A third reason why immigrants
40、 have traditionally come to the United States is to have a better life. Because of its abundant natural resources, the United States appeared to be a “land of plenty“ where millions could come to seek their fortunes. The phrase “going from rags to riches“ became a slogan for the American dream. Many
41、 people did achieve material success. Material wealth became a value to the American people, and it also became an accepted measure of social status. (6) Americans pay a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work. Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughou
42、t their history. In some ways, material possessions are seen as evidence of peoples abilities. Barry Goldwater, a candidate for the presidency in 1964, said that most poor people are poor because they deserve to be. Most Americans would find this a harsh statement, but many might think there was som
43、e truth in it. (7) These basic values do not tell the whole story of the American character. Rather, they should be thought of as themes, as we continue to explore more facets of the American character and how it affects life in the United States. 52 Para. 4 seems to suggest that _. （ A） Americans a
44、re born with a sense of competition （ B） the pressure of competition begins when one starts work （ C） competition results in equality of opportunities （ D） successful competition is essential in American society 53 Which of the following methods does the author mainly use in explaining American valu
45、es? （ A） Comparison. （ B） Cause and effect. （ C） Definition. （ D） Process analysis. 53 (1) The Nobels are the originals, of course. Alfred Nobel, the man who invented deadly explosives, decided to try and do something good with all the money he earned, and gave prizes to people who made progress in
46、literature, science, economics andperhaps most importantly peace. (2) Not all awards are as noble as the Nobels. Even though most countries have a system for recognizing, honoring and rewarding people who have done something good in their countries, there are now hundreds of awards and awards ceremo
47、nies for all kinds of things. (3) The Oscars are probably the most famous, a time for the (mostly) American film industry to tell itself how good it is, an annual opportunity for big stars to give each other awards and make tearful speeches. As well as that there are also the Golden Globes, apparent
48、ly for the same thing. (4) But its not only films now there are also Grammies, Brits, the Mercury Prize and the MTV and Q awards for music. In Britain, a writer who wins the Booker prize can expect to see their difficult, literary novel hit the bestseller lists and compete with “The Da Vinci Code“ for popularity. The Turner Prize is an award for a British contemporary artist each year it causes controversy by apparently giving a lot of money to artists who do things like displaying their beds, putting animals in glass cases or this yearbuilding a garden shed. (5) A
