1、国家公共英语四级（综合）练习试卷 41及答案与解析 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. 0 Software piracy problems exist and have been exacerbated in recent years due to IS overload, decentralized purchasing, bu
2、dget constraints, general user and corporate management attitudes, lack of knowledge of the copyright laws, and now Internet access. Most organizations have not managed their software very effectively. Determining the extent of the problem is a time-consuming process. The industrys response has been
3、 to form trade associations to educate the public about the copyright law and to aggressively pursue pirates. Some of the largest PC companies have set up their own in-house programs to combat the problem. Corporate exposure is increasing due to the need to manage more machines, software and on-line
4、 and Internet access. Civil and criminal penalties for copyright infringement have stiffened. As a result, trade association resources have increased significantly as well as calls to hotlines from unhappy employees due to corporate downsizing. When infringing software is reported, the company is at
5、 risk of embarrassing litigation for copyright infringement. The company will most probably lose as the copyright holder usually has a “smoking gun“ based on reports from former employees or other whistle blowers. There is also the simple fact that no matter how hard the IS staff try, there are and
6、always will be copies of software programs that cannot be validated by purchasing records. They come in from home, are created by otherwise conscientious employees trying to get their jobs done or just unauthorized copies by purchasing records. They come in unauthorized copies created by cost consci
7、ous managers and employees. Internet access only increases these problems as software is downloaded from sites worldwide. A software management program will reduce the risks from using counterfeit or copied software and help avoid damage from viruses and corrupt programs. By conducting an audit befo
8、re infringement is reported the corporation will reduce its exposure. It is easy to inventory software programs on any particular machine. However, matching the software to the licensing documents is no easy task. Interpreting the variety of software licenses takes familiarity with industry business
9、 and licensing practices. Networks make the task much more complex. Internet access compounds the problem. Employers should set guidelines for when and how to download software and data from on-line services and the Internet. Most software vendors maintain on-line support and provide the ability to
10、download bug fixes and program updates. However, one bad virus can wreak havoc throughout a companys networks and shut down the whole system. Firewall technology that controls access to and from outside systems can help. Information systems staff should work with management to develop policies that
11、reduce risk but reflect the level of openness that suits a particular companys corporate culture. 1 This passage aims at providing advice to _. （ A） software companies （ B） business companies （ C） lawmakers （ D） corporate employees 2 What is the role of Internet in software piracy? （ A） It is a weap
12、on against software piracy. （ B） It is an accessory to software piracy. （ C） It is the most important cause of software piracy. （ D） It has nothing to do with software piracy. 3 “Smoking gun“ in the fourth paragraph means _. （ A） reports from former employees （ B） irrefutable evidence （ C） debtor （
13、D） trade associations 4 The author believes that _. （ A） an audit before infringement will solve the problem of corporate exposure to software piracy （ B） employees should be encouraged to bring software from home （ C） virus can be downloaded from the Internet （ D） software licenses are all similar
14、5 The author advises information systems staff to work with management in making policies because _. （ A） they are in charge of making policies （ B） they are responsible for avoidance of software piracy （ C） they are familiar with the companys corporate culture （ D） they are frequently the actual wr
15、ong-doers 5 The more time scientists spend designing computers, the more they marvel at the human brain. Tasks that stump the most advanced supercomputer-recognizing a face, reading a handwritten note-are childs play for the 3-lb. organ. Most important, unlike any conventional computer, the brain ca
16、n learn from its mistakes. Researchers have tried for years to program computers to imitate the brains abilities, but without success. Now a growing number of designers believe they have the answer: if a computer is to function more like a person and less like an over-grown calculator, it must be bu
17、ilt more like a brain, which distributes information across a vast interconnected web of nerve cells, or neurons. Conventional computers function by following a chainlike sequence of detailed instructions. Although very fast, their processors can perform only one task at a time. This approach works
18、best in solving problems that can be broken down into simpler logical pieces. The processors in a neural-network computer, by contrast, form a grid much like the nerve cells in the brain. Since these artificial neurons are interconnected, they can share information and perform tasks at the same time
19、. This two-dimensional approach works best at recognizing patterns. Instead of programming a neural-network computer to make decisions, its maker trains it to recognize the patterns in any solution to a problem by repeatedly feeding examples to the machine. This process is like a process that prepar
20、es all possible moves in a chess game and try to find a best approach to it. If the examples are not sufficient or complete, the computer will be in for trouble, after all, it can not respond to something it can not recognize as a pattern in its memory. Neural networks come in all shapes and size. T
21、he new networks will make things which were simply impossible completely feasible in the near future. What the users need to do is to wait and see. Developers are experimenting with new equipment and hopefully they will succeed. Until now most existed as software simulations because redesigning comp
22、uter chips took a lot of time and money. By experimenting with different approaches through software rather than hardware, scientists have been able to avoid costly mistakes. 6 What does the word “stump“ in paragraph 1, line 2, mean? （ A） Catch. （ B） Baffle. （ C） Please. （ D） Force. 7 It can be infe
23、rred from the first paragraph that the most advanced supercomputer _. （ A） can recognize a face and read a handwritten note （ B） can learn from the past （ C） cannot fail to imitate the human brains abilities （ D） cannot distribute information across all interconnected web of nerve cells 8 The main f
24、eature of a neural-network computer is that _. （ A） its processors net is an interconnected web of neurons （ B） it is programmed to make decisions （ C） its networks are of all shapes and sizes （ D） its neurons are artificial 9 According to the passage, the expression “this two-dimensional approach“
25、in the last sentence of the second paragraph refers to _. （ A） the conventional computer and the neural computer （ B） the lockstep approach and the artificial approach （ C） sharing information and performing tasks （ D） making decisions and recognizing patterns 10 Scientists use software rather than
26、hardware in their experiment because _. （ A） it can adjoin redesigning computer chips （ B） it can avoid making mistakes （ C） it can save a lot of time and money （ D） it can mimic the human brains abilities 10 A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the
27、knowledge society. It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already were partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in man
28、y of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation cant be measured by numbers alone, because it also gives r
29、ise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers-all these are being challenged. We only have to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No
30、 one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrows achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even som
31、e still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer kno
32、wledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you
33、do your job. 11 A characteristic of the information age is that _. （ A） most of the job opportunities can now be found in the service industry （ B） manufacturing industries are steadily increasing （ C） people find it harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories （ D） the service industr
34、y is relying more and more on the female work force 12 One of the great changes brought about by the knowledge society is that _. （ A） the difference between the employee and the employer has become insignificant （ B） people have to change their jobs from time to time （ C） most people have to take p
35、art-time jobs （ D） peoples traditional concepts about work no longer hold true 13 By referring to computers and other inventions, the author means to say that _. （ A） people should be able to respond quickly to the advancement of technology （ B） the importance of high technology has been overlooked
36、（ C） future achievements in technology will bring about inconceivable dramatic changes （ D） computer science will play a leading role in the future information services 14 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? （ A） Computers and the Knowledge Society （ B） Service Industries
37、 in Modern Society （ C） Features and Implications of the New Era （ D） Rapid Advancement of Information Technology 15 Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage? （ A） Nowadays most of the jobs in western countries are in the service industry. （ B） Computer is very popular in todays world.
38、 （ C） The relation between individuals and employers are also being challenged. （ D） Information and knowledge will become even more important. 15 In the 1950s, the pioneers of artificial intelligence (AI) predicted that, by the end of this century, computers would be conversing with us at work and
39、robots would be performing our housework. But as useful as computers are, theyre nowhere close to achieving remotely resembling these early aspirations for humanlike behavior. Never mind something as complex as conversation: the most powerful computers struggle to reliably recognize the shape of an
40、object, the most elementary of a ten-month-old kid. A growing group of AI researchers think they know where the field went wrong. The problem, the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them
41、 with logical, step-by-step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand, takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs. Rather
42、 than digital computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins. The results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the new nature-based Al movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the field. Imitating the brains neural network is a
43、 huge step in the right direction, says computer Scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad, but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. “People tend to treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors“, he explains.“ But its not simply a clever network of switche
44、s. There are lots of important things going on inside the brain cells themselves.“ Specifically, Conrad believes that many of the brains capabilities stem from the pattern-recognition proficiency of the individual molecules that make up each brain cell. The best way to build an artificially intellig
45、ent device, he claims, would be to build it around the same sort of molecular skills. Right now, the notion that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it proves true, then the efforts of Co
46、nrad and his fellow AI rebels could turn out to be the only game in town. 16 The author says that the powerful computers of today _. （ A） are capable of reliably recognizing the shape of an object （ B） are close to exhibiting humanlike behavior （ C） are not very different in their performance from t
47、hose of the 50s （ D） still cannot communicate with people in a human language 17 The new trend in artificial intelligence research stems from _. （ A） the shift of the focus of study on the recognition of the shapes of objects （ B） the belief that human intelligence cannot be duplicated with logical,
48、 step-to-step programs （ C） the aspirations of scientists to duplicate the intelligence of a ten-month-old child （ D） the efforts made by scientists in the study of the similarities between transistor and brain cells 18 Conrad and his group of AI researchers have been making enormous efforts to _. （
49、 A） find a roundabout way to design powerful computers （ B） build a computer using a clever network of switches （ C） find out how intelligence developed in nature （ D） separate the highest and most abstract levels of thought 19 Whats the authors opinion about the new AI movement? （ A） It has created a sensation among artificial intelligence researchers but will soon die out. （ B） Its a breakthrough in duplicating human thought processes. （ C） Its more like a peculiar game rather than a real
