1、国家公共英语（四级）笔试模拟试卷 162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 High oil prices have not yet produced an economic shock among consuming countries, but further rises, espe
2、cially sharp【 21】 , would undoubtedly hurt the world economy, and【 22】 would inevitably harm producers, too. Beyond this obvious point,【 23】 , higher prices could even do harm to both oil firms and producers. Big oil firms【 24】 rolling in money today, but that disguises the fact that their longer-te
3、rm prospects are【 25】 Behind the reserves-accounting scandal at Royal Dutch/ Shell【 26】 a problem bedeviling all of the majors: replacing their dwindling reserves.【 27】existing fields in Alaska and the North Sea are rapidly declining; OPEC countries and Russia are【 28】 them out.【 29】 they are to sur
4、vive in the long term, the big oil firms must embrace other sources of energy【 30】 oil. 【 31】 it is to believe, higher oil prices could be bad news for producing countries【 32】 Political leaders in Russia, Venezuela and other oil-rich countries are bending laws to crack【 33】 on foreign firms and to
5、strengthen their grip on oil【 34】 through state-run firms. This may be convenient for the political leaders themselves. Alas, it is【 35】 to do much for their countrymen. For years corruption and inefficiency【 36】 the typical results of government control of oil resources. Producing countries should【
6、 37】 embrace open markets.【 38】 one thing, shutting out foreign investment will only hurt their own oil output by【 39】 the sharpest managers and latest technologies. For another, economic liberalization (including reform of bloated welfare states) would help OPEC countries【 40】 their economiesas the
7、 NAFTA trade deal has done for oil-rich Mexicoand so prepare them for the day when the black gold starts running out. （ A） ones （ B） shock （ C） prices （ D） countries （ A） this （ B） that （ C） which （ D） what （ A） but （ B） so （ C） however （ D） nevertheless （ A） may （ B） perhaps （ C） maybe （ D） may be
8、（ A） bleak （ B） leak （ C） weak （ D） freak （ A） is （ B） has （ C） lies （ D） does （ A） As （ B） Just as （ C） So as （ D） Even as （ A） preventing （ B） shutting （ C） closing （ D） keeping （ A） If （ B） Even if （ C） Whether （ D） How （ A） aside （ B） from （ C） beside （ D） aside from （ A） For hard （ B） As hard （
9、 C） Very hard （ D） As hard as （ A） also （ B） too （ C） either （ D） as well （ A） down （ B） up （ C） out （ D） from （ A） incomes （ B） revenues （ C） payment （ D） contributions （ A） likely （ B） unlike （ C） unlikely （ D） alike （ A） is （ B） are （ C） has been （ D） have been （ A） in place of （ B） instead （ C）
10、rather （ D） rather than （ A） For （ B） To （ C） Of （ D） In （ A） concluding （ B） including （ C） excluding （ D） exploring （ A） verify （ B） purify （ C） diversify （ D） multiply Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D . Mark your answe
11、rs on ANSWER SHEET 1. 20 Office jobs are among the positions hardest hit by computation. Word processors and typists will lose about 93,000 jobs over the next few years, while 57,000 secretarial jobs will vanish. Blame the PC: Today, many executives type their own memos and carry their “secretaries“
12、 in the palms of their hands. Time is also hard for stock clerks, whose ranks are expected to decrease by 68,000. And employees in manufacturing firms and wholesalers are being replaced with computerized systems. But not everyone who loses a job will end up in the unemployment line. Many will shift
13、to growing positions within their own companies. When new technologies shook up the telecomm business, telephone operator Judy Dougherty pursued retraining. She is now a communications technician, earning about $ 64,000 per year. Of course, if youve been a tollbooth collector for the past 30 years,
14、and you find yourself replaced by an E-ZPass machine, it may be of little consolation to know that the telecomm field is booming. And thats just it: The service economy is fading; welcome to the expertise (专门知识 ) economy. To succeed in the new job market, you must be able to handle complex problems.
15、 Indeed, all but one of the 50 highest-paying occupations-air-traffic controllerdemand at least a bachelors degree. For those with just a high school diploma, its going to get tougher to find a well-paying job. Since fewer factory and clerical jobs will be available, whats left will be the jobs that
16、 computation cant kill: Computers cant clean offices, or care for Alzheimers patients. But, since most people have the skills to fill those positions, the wages stay painfully low, meaning computation could drive an even deeper wedge between the rich and poor. The best advice now: Never stop learnin
17、g, and keep up with new technology. For busy adults, of course, that can be tough. The good news is that the very technology thats reducing so many jobs is also making it easier to go back to schoolwithout having to sit in a classroom. So-called Internet distance learning is hot, with more than thre
18、e million students currently enrolled, and its gaining credibility with employers. Are you at risk of losing your job to a computer? Check the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is available online at bls. gov. 21 From the first paragraph we can infer that all of
19、 the following persons are easily thrown into unemployment EXCEPT _。 （ A） secretaries （ B） stock clerks （ C） managers （ D） wholesalers 22 In the second paragraph the author mentions the tollbooth collector to _. （ A） mean he will get benefits from the telecomm field （ B） show he is too old to shift
20、to a new position （ C） console him on having been replaced by a machine （ D） blame the PC for his unemployment 23 By saying “computation could drive an even deeper wedge between the rich and poor“ (Line 5, Para. 4) the author means _. （ A） people are getting richer and richer （ B） there will be a sm
21、all gap between rich and poor （ C） the gap between rich and poor is getting larger and larger （ D） its time to close up the gap between the rich and poor 24 What is the authors attitude towards computers? （ A） positive （ B） negative （ C） neutral （ D） prejudiced 25 Which of the following might serve
22、as the best title of the passage? （ A） Blaming the PC （ B） The booming telecomm field （ C） Internet distance learning （ D） Keeping up with computation 25 Everyone, it seems, has a health problem. After pouring billions into the National Health Service, British people moan about dirty hospitals, long
23、 waits and wasted money. In Germany the new chancellor, Angela Merkel, is under fire for suggesting changing the financing of its health system. Canadas new Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, made a big fuss during the election about reducing the countrys lengthy medical queues. Across the
24、 rich world, affluence, ageing and advancing technology are driving up health spending faster than income. But nowhere has a bigger health problem than America. Soaring medical bills are squeezing wages, swelling the ranks of the uninsured and pushing huge firms and perhaps even the government towar
25、ds bankruptcy. Fords announcement this week that it would cut up to 30,000 jobs by 2012 was as much a sign of its “legacy“ health-care costs as of the ills of the car industry. Pushed by polls that show health care is one of his main domestic problems and by forecasts showing that the retiring baby-
26、boomers will crush the governments finances, George Bush is expected to unveil a reform plan in next weeks state-of-the-union address. Americas health system is unlike any other. The United States spends 16% of its GDP on health, around twice the rich-country average, equivalent to $ 6,280 for every
27、 American each year. Yet it is the only rich country that does not guarantee universal health coverage. Thanks to an accident of history, most Americans receive health insurance through their employer, with the government picking up the bill for the poor and the elderly. This curious hybrid certainl
28、y has its strengths. Americans have more choice than anybody else, and their health-care system is much more innovative. Europeans bills could be much higher if American medicine were not doing much of their Research and Development (RD) for them. But there are also huge weaknesses. The one most oft
29、en citedespecially by foreignersis the army of uninsured. Some 46 million Americans do not have cover. In many cases that is out of choice and, if they fall seriously ill, hospitals have to treat them. But it is still deeply unequal. And there are also shocking inefficiencies: by some measures, 30%
30、of American health spending is wasted. Then there is the question of state support. Many Americans disapprove of the “so-cialized medicine“ of Canada and Europe. In fact, even if much of the administration is done privately, around 60% of Americas health-care bill ends up being met by the government
31、. Proportionately, the American state already spends as much on health as the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) average, and that share is set to grow as the baby-boomers run up their Medicare bills and ever more employers avoid providing health-care coverage. America is, i
32、n effect, heading towards a version of socialized medicine by default. 26 Health problems mentioned in the passage include all the following EXCEPT _. （ A） poor hospital conditions in U. K （ B） Angela Merkel under attack （ C） health financing in Germany （ D） long waiting lines in Canada 27 Fords ann
33、ouncement of cutting up to 30, 000 jobs by 2012 indicates that Ford _. （ A） has the biggest health problem of the car industry （ B） has made profits from its health-care legacy （ C） has accumulated too heavy a health-care burden （ D） owes a great deal of debt to its employees 28 In the authors opini
34、on, Americas health system is _. （ A） inefficient （ B） feasible （ C） unpopular （ D） successful 29 It is implied in the passage that _. （ A） Americas health system has its strengths and weaknesses （ B） the US government pays medical bills for the poor and the elderly （ C） some 46 million Americans do
35、 not have medical insurance （ D） Europeans benefit a lot from Americas medical research 30 From the last paragraph we may learn that the “socialized medicine“ is _. （ A） a practice of Canada and Europe （ B） a policy adopted by the US government （ C） intended for the retiring baby-boomers （ D） admini
36、stered by private enterprises. 30 When Thomas Keller, one of Americas foremost chefs, announced that on Sept. 1 he would abolish the practice of tipping at Per Se, his luxury restaurant in New York City, and replace it with a European-style service charge, I knew three groups would be opposed: custo
37、mers, servers and restaurant owners. These three groups are all committed to tippingas they quickly made clear on Web sites. To oppose tipping, it seems, is to be ant capitalist, and maybe even a little French. But Mr. Keller is right to move away from tippingand its worth exploring why just about e
38、veryone else in the restaurant world is wrong to stick with the practice. Customers believe in tipping because they think it makes economic sense. “Waiters know that they wont get paid if they dont do a good job“ is how most advocates of the system would put it. To be sure, this is a tempting, appar
39、ently rational statement about economic theory, but it appears to have little applicability to the real world of restaurants. Michael Lynn, an associate professor of consumer behavior and marketing at Cornells School of Hotel Administration, has conducted dozens of studies of tipping and has conclud
40、ed that consumers assessments of the quality of service correlate weakly to the amount they tip. Rather, customers are likely to tip more in response to servers touching them lightly and leaning forward next to the table to make conversation than to how often their water glass is refilledin other wo
41、rds, customers tip more when they like the server, not when the service is good. Mr. Lynns studies also indicate that male customers increase their tips for female servers while female customers increase their tips for male servers. Whats more, consumers seem to forget that the tip increases as the
42、bill increases. Thus, the tipping system is an open invitation to what restaurant professionals call “upselling“: every bottle of imported water, every espresso and every cocktail is extra money in the servers pocket. Aggressive upselling for tips is often rewarded while low-key, quality service oft
43、en goes unrecognized. In addition, the practice of tip pooling, which is the norm in fine-dining restaurants and is becoming more common in every kind of restaurant above the level of a greasy spoon, has ruined whatever effect voting with your tip might have had on an individual waiter. In an unreas
44、onable outcome, you are punishing the good waiters in the restaurant by not tipping the bad one. Indeed, there appears to be little connection between tipping and good service. 31 It may be inferred that a European-style service _. （ A） is tipping-free （ B） charges little tip （ C） is the authors ini
45、tiative （ D） is offered at Per Se 32 Which of the following is NOT true according to the author? （ A） Tipping is a common practice in the restaurant world. （ B） Waiters dont care about tipping （ C） Customers generally believe in tipping. （ D） Tipping has little connection with the quality of service
46、 33 According to Michael Lynns studies, waiters will likely get more tips if they _. （ A） have performed good service （ B） frequently refill customers water glass （ C） win customers favor （ D） serve customers of the same sex 34 We may infer from the context that “upselling“ (Line 2, Para. 6) probabl
47、y means _. （ A） selling something up （ B） selling something fancy （ C） selling something unnecessary （ D） selling something more expensive 35 This passage is mainly about _. （ A） reasons to abolish the practice of tipping （ B） economic sense of tipping （ C） consumers attitudes towards tipping （ D） t
48、ipping for good service 35 The lives of very few Newark residents are untouched by violence. New Jerseys biggest city has seen it all. Yet the murder of three young people, who were forced to kneel before being shot in the back of the head in a school playground on August 4th, has shaken the city. A
49、 fourth, who survived, was stabbed and shot in the face. The four victims were by all accounts good kids, all enrolled in college, all with a future. But the cruel murder, it seems, has at last forced Newarkers to say they have had enough. Grassroots organizations, like Stop Shooting, have been flooded with offers of help and support since the killings. Yusef Ismail, its co-founder, says the group has been going door-to-door asking people to sign a pledge of non-violence. They
