1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 168及答案与解析 SECTION A In this section there are several passages followed 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. 0 To many visitors to a country the word “city“ means t
2、he capital city. And that in its turn means what would be taken in by a group of tourists who had set out to see the sights. To many visitors to Britain, London is where its all going on. The man who is tired of London is tired of life, Doctor Johnson said in 1750. Or as an updated version has it, L
3、ondon is where the action is. Well, thats now its put down in the guide books anyway. Of course to Londoners the word city means “the City“ with a capital C, that square mile eventually marked out and walled in by the Romans after they had set up their original camp by the Thames about 50 AD. Some L
4、ondoners still live there, but most Londoners are not Londoners and do not live in the London they work in. Their home is in one of the many large villages that make up London as it began spilling over and pushing out in the late 18th and 19th centuries. They live either in the inner suburbs of the
5、Metropolitan area or the outer suburbs of the Greater London area. Its all very expensive and overcrowded and yet more and more people are piling in and looking for a nest. For everyone who finds it too expensive and moves out, at least three are waiting to move in. Where does Britain really begin?
6、In London? Well, does France begin in Paris? Only a Parisian or a Londoner would make this claim and Londoners are scarcer than Parisians these days. What! With nine million inhabitants? You might ask in astonishment. But what is meant by that is that these days in London if youre in a roomful of pe
7、ople the chances of coming across a second-generation Londoner are about one in a hundred. And a third-generation Londoner is something to make peoples eyes pop. The old Londoners have died off, or moved out of a London they could no longer put up or identify with. Equally, the new Londoners cannot
8、identify with something that for them has no identity as such. For London is not England, let alone Britain, neither in its inner nor outer suburbs. Any other city stands for its region in a way capital never can. The needs for a centre for commerce, finance and government have conspired to set up t
9、hese artificial growths, and London like most capitals is a huge, tension-filled, problem-filled, necessary anomaly. For all that, London is still growing though its much slower external growth today, not like a tree putting on a new ring each year or a middle-aged waistline suddenly expanding. Outs
10、ide, beyond the limits where the city runs out and agriculture and nature begin, is still for many people the beginning of reality. For them the real roots still lie in the land they have “got away from“ or at heart want to get back to, or if they are true city-dwellers, imagine they want to go to t
11、hrow off the artificial life. But no one is ever completely satisfied. The trouble about cities is that they can grow on one in true love-hate fashion and while the grass always looks greener in the next village it usually turns out not to be. 1 According to the author, which of the following is COR
12、RECT? （ A） The suburbs are really villages. （ B） London is divided into two main parts. （ C） The suburbs are getting larger. （ D） Most Londoners come from the countryside. 2 What can we infer from the passage? （ A） London is becoming increasingly overcrowded. （ B） London cannot contain any more peop
13、le. （ C） London is too expensive for most people. （ D） London is less expensive in the suburbs. 3 According to the author, any city other than a capital_. （ A） may look like a capital （ B） stands for many different things （ C） has something in common with its surroundings （ D） looks very much like a
14、ny other city 3 An insurance agent called me this morning. This particular agent wanted to discuss my automobile coverage, but the next agent to call might be interested in my life insurance program, my health insurance, or fire protection for my home and furniture. The American consumer often feels
15、 constantly disturbed by insurance agents. Many agents selling many different policies call us by phone and sometimes even come to our doors. These insurance agents are always friendly, well-dressed, and eager to be of help. Yet few Americans really enjoy visiting with these eager, helpful men and w
16、omen. We are not happy when they call us; we are on guard when they visit our homes. They are never really our friends; at best, they are a necessary evil, and insurance, too. Three reasons why we are unwilling to discuss insurance can be suggested. First of all, insurance is expensive. A young fath
17、er who purchases a fairly small life insurance policy agrees to pay a sum of $200 every year for 40 years a total of $8, 000. Many college students pay $800 to $1, 000 per year for car insurance. In effect, they pay as much for the insurance as they do for the car itself. Health insurance that pays
18、for modern medical miracles often costs Americans as much as $2, 000 every year. Adequate insurance is expensive; it is a major item for most families. Insurance also reminds us that we live in an unsafe world. We are human and we must face the possibilities of illness, injury, death and financial l
19、oss. Our rational minds recognize the many unfortunate events that can occur, but in our hearts we hope that we might be spared. Serious injury or death is not a pleasant subject to discuss or even consider. We are afraid; we would rather talk about football or the weather or what we had for lunch.
20、Finally, insurance is a difficult, complex subject. No one understands it completely and only a few insurance professionals really feel comfortable in a discussion of automobile, life, and major medical coverage. We feel inadequate and try to hide our ignorance by avoiding discussions of insurance.
21、Yet these three reasons for not discussing insurance provide three excellent reasons why we should learn more about it. Insurance is expensive. In a lifetime, many of us spend as much on insurance as we do on the purchase of a home. If we are to spend our money intelligently, we need information abo
22、ut the products and services available. We dont depend entirely on salespeople when we buy a car, a house, or a suit of clothes. Neither should we depend entirely on the agent when we buy insurance. We need a basic knowledge of insurance coverage if we are to be intelligent consumers. The intelligen
23、t consumer looks problems in the face. Although accident, illness, and death are not pleasant subjects, each of us knows we face these possibilities. It is better that we plan for these situations by finding means to deal with them than to just hope that they will somehow go away. Although insurance
24、 can be complex, its basic concepts are neither difficult nor impossible to learn. Quite the opposite. Insurance fundamentals can be understood by those willing to study them. Serious study provides knowledge. The study of insurance is an effective, proven method of dealing with the insurance ignora
25、nce faced by many American families. 4 Insurance agents can be described as the following EXCEPT_. （ A） helpful （ B） well-dressed （ C） friendly （ D） unnecessary evil 5 Which of the following is NOT the reason given in the passage for people to avoid discussing insurance? （ A） Insurance is expensive.
26、 （ B） Insurance is not a simple subject. （ C） People can actually be spared from unhappy events. （ D） People are living in a dangerous world. 6 The passage tells us that insurance is_. （ A） a service too expensive for people to enjoy （ B） a necessary evil we must look in the face （ C） an unhappy top
27、ic we should avoid talking about （ D） a very complex subject we dont have to understand 6 The evident increase of the variety and amount of the daily consumption items and imported food products have considerably increased the quantity of waste generated by these products particularly from glass, pl
28、astic, card board and metal packaging. On the other hand, there does not exist an adequate system for the collection and transport of solid waste. Also, the country has not elaborated a strategy on urban solid waste, including the contemporary technologies for their treatment and recycling. All thes
29、e have created extraordinary situation in cities and urban areas and especially in the capital city, situations which make responsible the relevant ministries and local authorities. Although they have declared to be committed for the solution of the problem, several times are still too far from the
30、situation control. No city in Albania has completely solved the collection, transport and depositing of urban wastes. The same picture is about sewage waters. The situation is worse, because the shelters near residential areas very often are filled with stagnant waters and garbage. Damages and split
31、ting in the drinking water network, interrupted supplying and sewage leakages pose a continuous danger for the infection of drinking waters with sewage waters, in some cities. New construction works, particularly in the city suburbs are not associated with the network of sewage pipelines, something
32、which will aggravate more the environmental situation in urban areas, unless funds are urgently allocated for the construction of pipeline networks. Presently, the most of the depositing sites of urban wastes are inappropriate for this purpose and even close to river beds, constantly contaminating t
33、heir waters and seriously endangering the quality of ground waters which very often are sources of drinking water. In order to precede the investments in this sector, during 1995 at the financial assistance of PHARE program, a study on urban and industrial waste management will be carried out. Consi
34、derable damages have been caused to parks and public gardens inside and near cities, due to the construction of a large number of bars and kiosks, in flagrant opposition to the criteria of urban planning and preservation of environment and natural landscape. Parti-cularly critical is the situation i
35、n some main cities of the country, where relatively large construction works are realized within green areas, further damaging and reducing them. The phenomenon of illegal constructions is present in many other zones of the country, especially on the coast and ecologically protected areas for touris
36、m development like Karvasta, Golem, and Ksamili. The complete lack of sewage water treatment plants in cities, like Tirana, Durres, Vlore, Pogradec has created grave problems regarding environmental pollution and health risks for the population, which should be treated as priorities, especially in p
37、erspective zones for tourism development. A good beginning for the solution of this situation is the inclusion in PHARE program of two projects about treatment plants for sewage waters in Vlore and Pogradec, as well as some undertakings in cooperation with the World Bank or other organizations to im
38、prove sewage water pipelines. 7 Which of the following is INCORRECT according to the first two paragraphs? （ A） Some cities in Albania have completely solved the problem of urban wastes. （ B） There is lack of an adequate system for the collection and transportation of solid waste. （ C） The country h
39、as not elaborated a strategy on urban solid waste. （ D） There is a continuous danger for the infection of drinking waters with sewage waters in some cities. 8 Which of the following is NOT the reason that endangers the parks and public gardens inside and near cities? （ A） Large construction works re
40、alized within green areas. （ B） Illegal constructions on the coast and ecologically protected areas for tourism development. （ C） Industrial solid waste and industrial dust discharged. （ D） The construction of a large number of bars and kiosks. 8 Our journey begins at the Seattle Center, built in 19
41、62 as part of the Century 21 Exposition. Seattle Center houses numerous tourist attractions including the Pacific Science Center, Paul Allens Experience Music Project and Key Arena, home of the Seattle Supersonics. Most visitors come to the Center for Seattles most famous and most visible landmark,
42、the Space Needle, and all will enjoy the ride on its glass elevators and the panoramic views from the observation deck. The Seattle Center is also at one end of the Monorail(also built for the 1962 Worlds Fair), and our tour continues with the 90-second 1. 3-mile ride from the Seattle Center to the
43、Westlake Center(Fourth Avenue and Pine Street), a new and popular arcade for shoppers and strollers who can shop in the mall, visit the nearby department stores or sit outside and watch people amid Robert Makis granite sculptures and waterfalls. When youve had your fill, head south on Pine Street to
44、 First Avenue to Seattles historic multi-level Pike Place Market. Founded in 1907, its the citys most popular destination with its famous fish merchants, farmers market and seemingly endless abundance of shops and restaurants. Heading east on First Avenue, down the hill, stop by the Seattle Art Muse
45、um(First Avenue and University Street)with its aesthetically controversial Hammering Man sculpture outside. Just a few blocks on, youll enter Pioneer Square(First Avenue and Jackson Street). The square was once a Native American village and with the white settlers it became a Wild West Main Street l
46、ined with brothels. It was also the center of a busy logging industry until the city was demolished in the Great Fire of 1889. The city was rebuilt on the ruins. The square has since survived lean financial times and is now very healthy both economically and culturally, hosting an eclectic mix of bu
47、sinesses and art galleries. Seattle has a thriving arts scene with highly regarded theater and music groups, museums and galleries. The arts tour follows roughly the same course as the walking tour. We begin in Seattle Center where the Opera House hosts Seattle Opera, one of the most acclaimed opera
48、 companies in the United States, known in particular for its internationally recognized interpretations of Wagners Ring cycle. From Seattle Center stroll down the hill on Second Avenue to the newly constucted Benaroya Hall(Second Avenue and Union Street), which provides the Seattle Symphony with an
49、excellent acoustic space. The Seattle Art Museum lies a block away on First Avenue, and theater buffs will seek out the nationally recognized A Contemporary Theater(ACT)a few blocks away at Seventh Avenue and Pine Street. As you continue down the hill toward Pioneer Square, youll encounter the real hub of Seattles art community in a thick concentration of galleries. A throng of galleries fills the area between First and Second Avenues on Occidental Avenue, most notably the Davidson Galleries and the Grove/ Thurston Gallery. Perhaps the best
