1、国家公共英语（四级）笔试模拟试卷 246及答案与解析 PART A Directions: For Questions 1-5, you will hear a conversation. While you listen, fill out the table with the information you have heard. Some of the information has been given to you in the table. Write only 1 word in each numbered box. You will hear the recording twi
2、ce. You now have 25 seconds to read the table below. 1 PART B Directions: For Questions 6-10, you will hear a passage. Use not more than 3 words for each answer. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 25 seconds to read the sentences and the questions below. 6 PART C Directions: You will he
3、ar three dialogues or monologues. Before listening to each one, you will have 5 seconds to read each of the questions which accompany it. While listening, answer each question by choosing A, B, C or D. After listening, you will have 10 seconds to check your answer to each question. You will hear eac
4、h piece ONLY ONCE. 11 How many flu deaths a year in the 1990s? _ （ A） 20,000. （ B） 26,000. （ C） 30,000. （ D） 36,000. 12 Dr. Fukuda and his colleagues reported that the virus was especially deadly in people over （ A） 55 （ B） 65 （ C） 75 （ D） 85 13 According to the report, which of the following senten
5、ces is true? _ （ A） The only method of preventing the disease is to get flu vaccines. （ B） Dr. Morens was optimistic about the immediate future. （ C） As many as 87 percent of the 11,000 people who died from R. S. V. each year were 65 and older. （ D） The vaccine, which is made from a killed virus, ca
6、n give people the flu. 14 How many chickens become the KFC chains fried meals every year? （ A） 500 million （ B） 600 million （ C） 700 million （ D） 800 million 15 Which of the following suggestions has NOT been raised by the Ethical Treatment of Animals? （ A） To improve the diets of hens （ B） To move
7、chickens into large farms （ C） To make chickens sleep before they are killed （ D） To improve chickens lives 16 What is Ian Duncans attitude towards the Ethical Treatment of Animals now? （ A） Positive （ B） Negative （ C） Indifferent （ D） No specific idea 17 What does Professor Morgan do? （ A） He is a
8、film director of Science Fiction. （ B） He is a writer of Science Fiction. （ C） He is a scientist who researches on how to freeze a body and bring it back to life later. （ D） He is a doctor who treats terminal illnesses. 18 According to Professor Morgan, what enables animals to freeze themselves? （ A
9、） A certain chemical in their bodies. （ B） The change of certain circumstances around them. （ C） A certain temperature. （ D） A certain season in the year. 19 How long will Professor Morgan be able to freeze human beings for as long or as short a time as he would like to? （ A） About ten years. （ B） A
10、bout two years. （ C） About twenty years. （ D） About thirteen years. 20 What is true about the application of Professor Morgans research? （ A） It .can be used to prolong everyones life. （ B） It can help find cures for terminal illnesses. （ C） It can cure cancer and Aids. （ D） It can help freeze peopl
11、e with terminal illnesses and bring them back to life when the cure appears. 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. 20 Everyone knows that taxation is necessary in a modern s
12、tate: 21 it, it would not be possible to pay the soldiers and policemen who protect us; 22 the workers in government offices who 23 our health, our food, our water, and all 24 things that we can not do for ourselves. By 25 of taxation, we pay for things that we need as 26 as we need somewhere to liv
13、e and something to eat. In most countries, a direct tax on persons, 27 is called income tax, exists. It is arranged in such a way that the poorest people pay 28 , and the percentage of tax grows greater as the taxpayers 29 grows. In England, for example, the tax on the 30 peo-ple goes up as high as
14、ninety-five percent! But countries with direct taxation nearly always have 31 taxation too. Many things imported into the country have to pay taxes or“duties“. 32 , it is the men and women who buy the imported things in the shops who really 33 pay the duties, in the 34 of higher prices. In some coun
15、tries, too, there is a tax 35 things sold in the shops. If the most necessary things are taxed, a lot of money is collected, but the poor people suffer 36. If unnecessary things like jewels and fur coats are taxed, 37 is obtained, but the tax is fairer, as the 38 pay it. Probably this last kind of i
16、ndirect tax, 39 with a direct on incomes which is low for the poor and high for the rich, is 40 arrangement. （ A） because of （ B） instead of （ C） with （ D） without （ A） so （ B） nor （ C） not （ D） all （ A） look after （ B） sympathize （ C） consider （ D） see （ A） other （ B） others （ C） the other （ D） man
17、y （ A） mean （ B） means （ C） a means （ D） the means （ A） many （ B） well （ C） more （ D） much （ A） which （ B） what （ C） that （ D） it （ A） a lot （ B） most （ C） nothing （ D） more （ A） income （ B） population （ C） tax （ D） amount （ A） poor （ B） working （ C） rich （ D） richest （ A） no （ B） income （ C） indire
18、ct （ D） direct （ A） However （ B） So （ C） Of course （ D） By chance （ A） have to （ B） will （ C） are willing to （ D） should （ A） way （ B） form （ C） name （ D） terms （ A） about （ B） on （ C） for （ D） form （ A） least （ B） highly （ C） less （ D） most （ A） less money （ B） more money （ C） fewer money （ D） most
19、 money （ A） people （ B） poor （ C） rich （ D） country （ A） including （ B） along （ C） dealing （ D） and （ A） the best （ B） the worst （ C） good （ D） better 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
20、. 40 Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, burdensome, or just plain nasty. That compulsion has resulted in roboticsthe science of conferring various human capabilities on machines. And if scientists have yet to cr
21、eate the mechanical version of science fiction, they have begun to come close. As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor. Our factories hum to the rhythm of robot assembly a
22、rms. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are controlled by tireless robo-drivers. And thanks to the continual miniaturization of electronics and micro-mechanics, there are already robot systems that can per
23、form some kinds of brain and bone surgery with submillimeter accuracyfar greater precision that highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone. But if robots are to reach the next stage of laborsaving utility, they will have to operate with less human supervision and be able to make at
24、 least a few decisions for themselves goals that pose a real challenge. “While we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error,“ says Dave Lavery, manager of a robotics program at NASA, “we cant yet give a robot enough common sense to reliably interact with a dynamic world.“ Indeed the quest
25、for true artificial intelligence has produced very mixed results. Despite a spell of initial optimism in the 1960s and 1970s when it appeared that transistor circuits and microprocessors might be able to copy the action of the human brain by the year 2010, researchers lately have begun to extend tha
26、t forecast by decades if not centuries. What they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brains roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talentedand human perception far more complicatedthan previously imagined. They have built robots that can recognize the error of a
27、machine panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment. But the human mind can glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 percent that is irrelevant, instantaneously focusing on the monkey at the side of winding forest road or the single suspicious fac
28、e in a big crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth cant approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still dont know quite how we do it. 41 Human ingenuity was initially demonstrated in_. （ A） the use of machines to produce science fiction （ B） the wide use of machines in manufactur
29、ing industry （ C） the invention of tools for difficult and dangerous work （ D） the elites cunning tackling of dangerous and boring work 42 The word “gizmos“ (line 1, paragraph 2) most probably means_. （ A） programs （ B） experts （ C） devices （ D） creatures 43 According to the text, what is beyond man
30、s ability now is to design a robot that can （ A） fulfill delicate tasks like performing brain surgery （ B） interact with human beings verbally （ C） have a little common sense （ D） respond independently to a changing world 44 Besides reducing human labor, robots can also_. （ A） make a few decisions f
31、or themselves （ B） deal with some errors with human intervention （ C） improve factory environments （ D） cultivate human creativity 45 The author uses the example of a monkey to argue that robots are _ （ A） expected to copy human brain in internal structure （ B） able to perceive abnormalities immedia
32、tely （ C） far less able than human brain in focusing on relevant information （ D） best used in a controlled environment 45 The Supreme Courts decisions on physician-assisted suicide carry important implications for how medicine seeks to relieve dying patients of pain and suffering. Although it ruled
33、 that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, the Court in effect supported the medical principle of “double effect“, a centuries-old moral principle holding that an action having two effectsa good one that is intended and a harmful one that is foreseenis permissible if the a
34、ctor intends only the good effect. Doctors have used that principle in recent years to justify using high doses of morphine to control terminally ill patients pain, even though increasing dosages will eventually kill the patient. Nancy Dubler, director of Montefiore Medical Center, contends that the
35、 principle will shield doctors who “until now have very, very strongly insisted that they could not give patients sufficient mediation to control their pain if that might hasten death.“ George Annas, chair of the health law department at Boston University, maintains that, as long as a doctor prescri
36、bes a drug for a legitimate medical purpose, the doctor has done nothing illegal even if the patient uses the drug to hasten death. “Its like surgery,“ he says. “We dont call those deaths homicides because the doctors didnt intend to kill their patients, although they risked their death. If youre a
37、physician, you can risk your patients suicide as long as you dont intend their suicide. “ On another level, many in the medical community acknowledge that the assisted-suicide debate has been fueled in part by the despair of patients for whom modern medicine has prolonged the physical agony of dying
38、. Just three weeks before the Courts ruling on physician-assisted suicide, the National Academy of Science (NAS) released a two-volume report, Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life. It identifies the under-treatment of pain and the aggressive use of “ineffectual and forced medical pro
39、cedures that may prolong and even dishonor the period of dying“ as the twin problems of end-of-life care. The profession is taking steps to require young doctors to train in hospices, to test knowledge of aggressive pain management therapies, to develop a Medicare billing code for hospital-based car
40、e, and to develop new standards for assessing and treating pain at the end of life. Annas says lawyers can play a key role in insisting that these well-meaning medical initiatives translate into better care. “Large numbers of physicians seem unconcerned with the pain their patients are needlessly an
41、d predictably suffering,“ to the extent that it constitutes “systematic patient abuse.“ He says medical licensing boards “must make it clear. that painful deaths are presumptively ones that are incompetently managed and should result in license suspension. “ 46 From the first three paragraphs, we le
42、arn that_. （ A） doctors used to increase drug dosages to control their patients pain （ B） it is still illegal for doctors to help the dying end their lives （ C） the Supreme Court strongly opposes physician-assisted suicide （ D） patients have no constitutional right to commit suicide 47 Which of the
43、following statements is true according to the text? （ A） Doctors will be held guilty if they risk their patients death. （ B） Modern medicine has assisted terminally ill patients in painless recovery. （ C） The Court ruled that high-dosage pain-relieving medication should be prescribed. （ D） A doctors
44、 medication is no longer justified by his intentions. 48 According to the NASs report, one of the problems in end-of-life care is_. （ A） prolonged medical procedures （ B） inadequate treatment of pain （ C） systematic drug abuse （ D） insufficient hospital care 49 Which of the following best defines th
45、e word “aggressive“ (line 3, paragraph 7)? （ A） Bold （ B） Harmful （ C） Careless （ D） Desperate 50 George Annas would probably agree that doctors should be punished if they_. （ A） manage their patients incompetently （ B） give patients more medicine than needed （ C） reduce drug dosages for their patie
46、nts （ D） prolong the needless suffering of the patients 50 A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three of four maps presents a continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasts are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts; to determine whether an indi
47、vidual pressure area is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity. They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant functi
48、on of the map is to reveal a synoptic picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time. All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately. Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a la
49、rge geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States weather Bureau issues information a-bout approaching storms, floods, frosts, droughts, and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day “outlook“ which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an analysis of the upper air levels with often set the stage for the development of air
