1、国家公共英语（四级）笔试模拟试卷 160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 With Airbuss giant A380 airliner about in to take to the skies, you might think planes could not get much
2、bigger and you would be right. For a given design, it turns【 21】 , there comes a point where the wings become too heavy to generate【 22】 lift to carry their own weight.【 23】 a new way of designing and making materials could【 24】 that problem. Two engineers【 25】 University College London have devised
3、 an innovative way to customise and control the【 26】 of a material throughout its three-dimensional structure. In the【 27】 of a wing, this would make possible a material that is dense, strong and load-bearing at one end, close to the fuselage,【 28】 the extremities could be made less dense, lighter a
4、nd more【 29】 . It is like making bespoke materials,【 30】 you can customise the physical properties of every cubic millimetre of a structure. The new technique combines existing technologies in a(n)【 31】 way. It starts by using finite-element-analysis software, of the type commonly used by engineers,
5、【 32】 a virtual prototype of the object. The software models the stresses and strains that the object will need to【 33】 throughout its structure. Using this information it is then【 34】to calculate the precise forces acting on millions of smaller subsections of the structure.【 35】 of these subsection
6、s is【 36】 treated as a separate object with its own set of forces acting on it and each subsection【 37】 for a different microstructure to absorb those local forces. Designing so many microstructures manually【 38】 be a huge task, so the researchers apply an optimisation program, called a genetic algo
7、rithm,【 39】 This uses a process of randomization and trial-and-error to search the vast number of possible microstructures to find the most【 40】 design for each subsection. （ A） off （ B） out （ C） away （ D） in （ A） many （ B） much （ C） enough （ D） necessary （ A） But （ B） And （ C） Or （ D） Yet （ A） find
8、 （ B） discover （ C） get over （ D） get around （ A） of （ B） at （ C） in （ D） from （ A） properties （ B） nature （ C） qualities （ D） characteristics （ A） sample （ B） case （ C） condition （ D） situation （ A） while （ B） which （ C） what （ D） where （ A） easy （ B） flexible （ C） reflective （ D） compatible （ A） a
9、s （ B） since （ C） because （ D） so long as （ A） novel （ B） strange （ C） odd （ D） peculiar （ A） creates （ B） and creates （ C） creating （ D） to create （ A） stand （ B） sustain （ C） understand （ D） withstand （ A） possible （ B） impossible （ C） likely （ D） unlikely （ A） Each （ B） One （ C） Every （ D） All （
10、A） next （ B） then （ C） after （ D） since （ A） asks （ B） calls （ C） demands （ D） requires （ A） is to （ B） should （ C） would （ D） has to （ A） in order （ B） in place （ C） in spite （ D） instead （ A） perfect （ B） complete （ C） suitable （ D） proper Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer t
11、he questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D . Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. 20 The idea of humanoid robots is not new, of course. They have been part of the imaginative landscape ever since Karl Capek, a Czech writer, first dreamed them up for his 1921 play “Rossums Universal Robots
12、“. (The word “robot“ comes from the Czech word for drudgery, robota. )Since then, Hollywood has produced countless variations on the theme, from the sultry False Maria in Fritz Langs silent masterpiece “Metropolis“ to the wittering C-3PO in “Star Wars“ and the ruthless assassin of “Terminator“. Huma
13、noid robots have walked into our collective subconscious, colouring our views of the future. But now Japans industrial giants are spending billions of yen to make such robots a reality. Their new humanoids represent impressive feats of engineering: when Honda introduced Asimo, a four-foot robot that
14、 had been in development for some 15 years, it walked so fluidly that its white, articulated exterior seemed to conceal a human. Honda continues to make the machine faster, friendlier and more agile. Last October, when Asimo was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, it walked on to the
15、 stage and accepted its own plaque. At two and a half feet tall, Sonys QRIO is smaller and more toy-like than Asimo. It walks, understands a small number of voice commands, and can navigate on its own. If it falls over, it gets up and resumes where it left off. It can even connect wirelessly to the
16、internet and broadcast what its camera eyes can see. In 2003, Sony demonstrated an upgraded QRIO that could run. Honda responded last December with a version of Asimo that runs at twice the speed. In 2004, Toyota joined the fray with its own family of robots, called Partner, one of which is a four-f
17、oot humanoid that plays the trumpet. Its fingers work the instruments valves, and it has mechanical lungs and artificial lips. Toyota hopes to offer a commercial version of the robot by 2010. This month, 50 Partner robots will act as guides at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Despite their sudden prolifer
18、ation, however, humanoids are still a mechanical minority. Most of the worlds robots are faceless, footless and mute. They are bolted to the floors of factories, stamping out car parts or welding pieces of metal, machines making more machines. According to the United Nations, business orders for ind
19、ustrial robots jumped 18% in the first half of 2004. They may soon be outnumbered by domestic robots, such as self-navigating vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers and window washers, which are selling fast. But neither industrial nor domestic robots are humanoid. 21 In paragraph 1 the author introduces his
20、topic by relating _. （ A） the idea of humanoid robots （ B） Karl Capeks creation of robots （ C） Hollywoods production of robot films （ D） the or gin of and popular films about robots 22 According to the authors description, Asimo _. （ A） is in the shape of a human being （ B） is in a sort of animal fo
21、rm （ C） seems more like a human being than a machine in action （ D） seems more like a machine than a human being in action 23 Sonys QRIO could carry out all the following work EXCEPT _. （ A） walking everywhere freely （ B） understanding some words uttered by people （ C） finding its way （ D） continuin
22、g walking after it stumbles 24 From the passage we may infer that the Toyotas Partner _. （ A） is much better than any other robots （ B） is no more than a mechanic device （ C） may be put into mass production （ D） may speak like man 25 Judging from the context, this passage is probably written _. （ A）
23、 in 2004 （ B） in 2005 （ C） between 2003 2004 （ D） between 200442005 25 If you are what you eat, then you are also what you buy to eat. And mostly what people buy is scrawled onto a grocery list, those ethereal scraps of paper that record the shorthand of where we shop and how we feed ourselves. Most
24、 grocery lists end up in the garbage. But if you live in St. Louis, they might have a half-life you never imagined, as a cultural document, posted on the Internet. For the past decade, Bill Keaggy, 33, the features photo editor at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has been collecting grocery lists and si
25、nce 1999 has been posting them online at www.grocerylists.org. The collection, which now numbers more than 500 lists, is strangely addictive. The lists elicit twofold curiosity about the kind of meal the person was planning and the kind of person who would make such a meal. What was the shopper with
26、 vodka, lighters, milk and ice cream on his list planning to do with them? In what order would they be consumed? Was it a he or a she? Who had written “Tootie food, kitten chow, bird food stick, toaster scrambles, coffee drinks“? Some shoppers organize their lists by aisle; others start with dairy,
27、go to cleaning supplies and then back to dairy before veering off to Home Depot. A few meticulous ones note the price of every item. One shopper had written in large letters on an envelope, simply, “Milk“. The thin lines of ink and pencil jutting and looping across crinkled and torn pieces of paper
28、have a purely graphic beauty. One of lifes most banal duties, viewed through the curatorial lens, can somehow seem pregnant with possibility. It can even appear poetic, as in the list that reads “meat, cigs, buns, treats“. One thing Keaggy discovered is that Dan Quayte is not alone few people can sp
29、ell bananas and bagels, let alone potato. One list calls for “suchi“ and “strimp“ . “Some people pass judgment on the things they buy. “ Keaggy says. At the end of one list, the shopper wrote “Bud Light“ and then “good beer“. Another scribbled “good loaf of white bread“. Some pass judgment on themse
30、lves, like the shopper who wrote “read, stay home or go somewhere, I act like my morn, go to Kentucky, underwear, lemon. “People send messages to one another, too. Buried in one list is this statement: “If you buy more rice, Ill punch you. “And plenty of shoppers, like the one with both ice cream an
31、d diet pills on the list, reveal their vices. 26 What would people usually do with their grocery list after shopping? （ A） Buying what it is scrawled on the paper. （ B） Recording the shorthand of where we shop. （ C） Throwing it into the dustbin. （ D） Posting it on the Internet. 27 Bill Keaggy collec
32、ts grocery lists because （ A） he wants to post them online （ B） he is curious about the list writers （ C） he tries to find out something behind them （ D） he does it for amusement 28 “Was it a he or a she?“(Line 6, Para 2) may be replaced by _ ? （ A） Who did it （ B） Who was the person who wrote it （
33、C） Did he or she write it （ D） Was it written by a man or a woman 29 Bill Keaggys studying on grocery lists suggests that _. （ A） Dan Quayle is not alone in misspelling （ B） fewer people can spell bananas and bagels correctly （ C） misspelling occurs most frequently in writing “potato“ （ D） some peop
34、le misspell “sushi“ for “suchi“, and “shrimp “for “strimp“ 30 The last sentence of the passage implies that （ A） ice cream and diet pills reveal ones vices （ B） ice cream and diet pills are not good food （ C） plenty of shoppers do not buy their right grocery （ D） ones defects in character may be ref
35、lected on the grocery list 30 Well, he made it up. All of it, apparently. According to a report published on December 29th by Seoul National University in South Korea, its erstwhile employee Hwang Woo-suk, who had tendered his resignation six days earlier, deliberately falsified his data in the pape
36、r on human embryonic stem cells that he and 24 colleagues published in Science in May 2005. In particular, Dr Hwang claimed he had created 11 colonies of human embryonic stem ceils genetically matched to specific patients. He had already admitted that nine of these were bogus, but had said that this
37、 was the result of an honest mistake, and that the other two were still the real McCoy. A panel of experts appointed by the university to investigate the matter, however, disagreed. They found that DNA fingerprint traces conducted on the stem-cell lines reported in the paper had been manipulated to
38、make it seem as if all 11 lines were tailored to specific patients. In fact, none of them matched the volunteers with spinal-cord injuries and diabetes who had donated skin cells for the work. To obtain his promising “results“, Dr Hwang had sent for testing two samples from each donor, rather than a
39、 sample from the donor and a sample of the cells into which the donors DNA had supposedly been transplanted. The panel also found that a second claim in the paper that only 185 eggs were used to create the 11 stem cell lines was false. The investigators said the actual number of eggs used was far la
40、rger, in the thousands, although they were unable to determine an exact figure. The reason this double fraud is such a blow is that human embryonic stem-cell research has great expectations. Stem cells, which have not yet been programmed to specialise and can thus, in principle, grow into any tissue
41、 or organ, could be used to treat illnesses ranging from diabetes to Parkinsons disease. They might even be able to fix spinal-cord injuries. And stem cells cloned from a patient would not be rejected as foreign by his immune system. Dr Hwangs reputation, of course, is in tatters. The university is
42、now investigating two other groundbreaking experiments he claims to have conducted the creation of the worlds first cloned human embryo and the extraction of stem cells from it, and the creation of the worlds first cloned dog. He is also in trouble for breaching ethical guidelines by using eggs dona
43、ted by members of his research team. And it is even possible that the whole farce may have been for nothing. Cloned embryos might be the ideal source of stem cells intended to treat disease, but if it proves too difficult to create them, a rough-and-ready alternative may suffice. 31 From the passage
44、 we may learn that Hwang Woo-suk _. （ A） made up all his experience （ B） is a famous geneticists in Seoul National University （ C） was an employee in Seoul National University （ D） published an authentic paper in Science with his 24 colleagues 32 According to the panel of experts appointed by the un
45、iversity, Hwangs case is _. （ A） a mistake of careless （ B） the result of an honest mistake （ C） a dishonest experiment （ D） a deliberated fabrication 33 The significance of embryonic stem-cell research lies in _. （ A） great expectations （ B） planting into any tissue or organ （ C） the treatment of a
46、 lot of human diseases （ D） curing diabetes and Parkinsons disease 34 The phrase “in tatters“ in “Dr Hwangs reputation is in tatters“ ( Line 1. Paragraph 5) may be replaced by _. （ A） in danger （ B） in despair （ C） in a ragged state （ D） totally ruined 35 The best title for the passage may be _. （ A
47、） Hwang is found guilty of fabricating his results （ B） How a stem-cell researcher fabricates his results （ C） The consequence of a made-up experiment （ D） Hwang Woo-suks resignation 35 By the 1950s and 60s “going for Chinese“ had become part of the suburban vernacular. In places like New York City,
48、 eating Chinese food became intertwined with the traditions of other ethnic groups, especially that of Jewish immigrants. Many Jewish families faithfully visited their favorite Chinese restaurant every Sunday night. Among the menus in the exhibition are selections from Glatt Wok: Kosher Chinese Rest
49、aurant and Takeout in Monsey, N. Y. , and Wok Toy in Cedarhurst, N.Y Until 1965 Cantonese-speaking immigrants, mainly from the county of Toisan. dominated the industry and menus reflected a standard repertory of tasty but bland Americanizations of Cantonese dishes. But loosening immigration restrictions that year brought a flood of people from many different regions of China, starting “authenticity revolution,“ said Ed Schoenfeld, a restaurateur and Chinese food consultant. Top chefs who wer
