1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 164及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Should universities allow students to have more optional courses? in three paragraphs according to the outline given in English below. You should write at least 120 wor
2、ds. 1 Current situations in the universities on compulsory courses and optional courses. 2 Reasons of having more optional courses. 3 Your answer to the question. 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the p
3、assage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For questions 1-7, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in
4、 the passage. 1 Rocket Renaissance The Ear of Private Spaceflight Is About to Start Background Two years ago, people witnessed the first space travel by SpaceShip One. Three people were involved in this flight: Burt Rutan, who designed the craft, and Mike Melvill, who flew it-although they were ably
5、 assisted by Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, who paid for it. Certainly, people have long been known that manned spaceflight was possible. What they showed was that it is not just a game for governments. Private individuals can play, too. People involved Now, lots of people want to joi
6、n in, and most of them have just met up at the International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles, to engage in that mixture of camaraderie and competition that characterises the beginnings of a new technology. And, as might be expected, they have two of the necessary ingredients of success:
7、ideas and money. First, the money. So far, more than $1 billion is known to have been committed to building private spaceships and the infrastructure to support them. For example, Mr Rum s follow-up vehicle, SpaceShip Two, is expected to cost its backers, Virgin Galactic, $240m for a fleet of five.
8、The spaceport in New Mexico from which these are intended to fly will account for another $225m, although New Mexicos government is planning to raise this money itself. These are not small sums, of course. On the other hand, Virgin Galactic has already banked $14m of deposits towards the $200,000 fa
9、re from people who want to travel on SpaceShip Two, even though it has yet to be built, let alone flown. All this suggests that spaceflight, if not exactly entering the age of the common man, is at least entering the age of the moderately prosperous enthusiast. For entrepreneurs, it is no longer nec
10、essary to have billions of dollars to get into space; millions will now do. And for those who merely wish to travel there, and have enough money in their bank account, reality is favourable. Get started As with aircraft a century ago, a lot of designs are competing with each other, and there is no c
11、ertainty about which will succeed. The initial goal is to build a “suborbital“ vehicle. This will not have to develop the tremendous speed needed to go into orbit around the Earth. instead, it will travel briefly into space, offering a short thrilling ride out of the atmosphere, a few minutes of wei
12、ghtlessness, and a spectacular view of the planet from about 100kin. Four important criteria are how you take off, what fuel you use, what your craft is made of, and how you come back. Most peoples vision of a rocket launch is straight up from the ground. But, of the five vehicles most likely to be
13、developed, two will actually be launched from the air. SpaceShip Two will be carded to high altitude by a purpose-built aircraft known as Eve before its rocket motor is ignited. And Explorer, a vehicle being designed by Space Adventures, will be launched from the top of a high-altitude Russian resea
14、rch plane called the M-55X, according to Eric Anderson, the firms president and chief executive. As Dennis Jenkins, a consultant engineer at NASA, Americas space agency, points out, this is similar to using a two-stage rocket to get into space, with the aircraft acting as the first stage. However, a
15、 plane offers several advantages over a throw-away booster rocket. First, it can be used again. Second, it uses oxygen from the air, rather than having to carry its own oxidant, which saves weight. Third, it is lifted by wings. That means the atmosphere is an advantage, rather than a hindrance. All
16、this means that the spacecraft itself can be lighter and cheaper. Not everyone wants to run two vehicles, though. Jeff Greason, president of XCOR Aerospace, a firm based in Mojave, California, is developing a two-person, ground-launched suborbital rocketplane called Xerus. Launching from the ground,
17、 says Mr. Greason, is more difficult than air launching, but he reckons that in this case it has significantly lower operating costs. Fuel choices The second important design choice is the type of fuel. Unlike a jet engine, a rocket carries its own oxidant (氧第剂 ). This is why it can operate in space
18、. Sometimes that oxidant is oxygen itself, in liquid form. In that case the fuel, too, is usually liquid-either kerosene (煤油 ) or liquid hydrogen (氢 ) and the two liquids are stored in separate tanks until they meet in the rockets combustion chamber. Alternatively, both fuel and oxidant are solid, a
19、nd are loaded pre-mixed, like the propellant of a firework rocket. SpaceShip Two, though, follows the design of SpaceShip One and is powered by a mixture of the two. The combustion chamber of a mixture is partly filled with solid fuel but no oxidant. However, the fuel is coated round the inside of t
20、he chamber, leaving a hole through the middle into which a liquid or gaseous oxidant can be pumped, and out of which the exhaust emerges. In SpaceShip One, the fuel was rubber and the oxidant a liquefied gas called nitrous oxide (一氧化二氮 ). Proponents of mixture say they are safer than either pure sol
21、id or pure liquid rockets. George Whittinghill, Virgin Galactics chief technologist, says that they are safer than solid rockets because the flow of oxidant can be controlled, and combustion halted, if there is a problem. Solid rockets, like the fireworks they resemble, cannot be stopped until they
22、run out of fuel. On the other hand liquid-fuelled engines, though they can be shut down, are complex and temperamental. As Mr. Whittinghill observes, “they have pumps, seals, valves and lines everywhere, and there is a lot that potentially could go wrong.“ All this rather irrates those working on li
23、quid propulsion. Richard Pournelle, head of investor relations at XCOR Aerospace, says the comparison is unfair. Liquid propulsion is routine in rocketry while hybrids are still rare. Numbers alone, therefore, mean that liquid-fuelled rockets blow up more often. That, Mr. Pournelle argues, does not
24、prove that they are inherently unsafe. Chuck Lauer, vice- president of business development for Rocketplane, another firm going down the liquid-fuelled route, agrees and argues that kerosene is widely used as aviation fuel and nobody complains that it is unsafe. 2 It is only two years ago that peopl
25、e became aware of the fact that manned spaceflight was actually possible. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Spaceflight is possible for individuals who want to fly in the space and who have the money. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The initial goal of building an aircraft is to make the vehicle fly, and speed was no
26、t such a primary consideration. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 All of the five vehicles most likely to be developed will be launched from the air. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Although it is possible to launch the spaceship both from ground and from the air, some people believe its more cost-effective to launch
27、 it from ground. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 A consultant engineer at NASA points out that using aircraft acting as the first Stage provides several advantages over a throw-away booster rocket. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 In the design considerations of a spaceship, fuel choice is as important as the method
28、 of launching. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 A rocket carries its own oxidant, and its fuel is usually either kerosene or_. 10 Proponents of mixture say that they are_than either pure solid or pure liquid rockets. 11 Proponents of kerosene cite the example of_using it as fuel Section A Directions: In this
29、 section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must re
30、ad the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） A holiday. （ B） Luck. （ C） Work. （ D） An accident. （ A） She prefers the stadium. （ B） She agrees with the man. （ C） The light isnt bright enough. （ D） The dining hall isnt large enough. （ A） Two hours by train. （ B）
31、One hour by train. （ C） One hour by bus. （ D） One hour by car. （ A） English. （ B） Canadian. （ C） Australian. （ D） Austrian. （ A） Straight ahead on the street. （ B） On the right. （ C） On the left. （ D） Over there. （ A） Crowns. （ B） Mrs. Petersons. （ C） Peters. （ D） Mr. Petersons. （ A） Dentist and pat
32、ient, （ B） Schoolmates. （ C） Roommates. （ D） Workmates. （ A） Because she was not at home. （ B） Because she didnt hear the telephone ting. （ C） Because she was washing her hair. （ D） Because she didnt want to answer. （ A） She preferred homestay families. （ B） Her aunt needed the room for her cousin.
33、（ C） She didnt like her cousin. （ D） Her aunt didnt like her. （ A） Eighteen months. （ B） Twelve months. （ C） Six months. （ D） Fifteen months. （ A） General English. （ B） Academic English. （ C） Medicine. （ D） Medical English. （ A） In the second half of the 19th century. （ B） In the 1960s. （ C） In the
34、first half of the 20th century. （ D） In the early 1800s. （ A） Movies with sound. （ B） Nylon. （ C） The radio. （ D） The computer. （ A） Improved living conditions. （ B） New ways to help people get over diseases. （ C） Many inventions in industry. （ D） Industrialization in developing countries. （ A） By t
35、axing public services. （ B） By making people pay for private bills. （ C） By providing needed services. （ D） By collecting taxes. （ A） Judging peoples behavior. （ B） Common causes of anger. （ C） Changing peoples attitudes. （ D） The effects of negative behavior. （ A） When theyre unable to control the
36、persons behavior. （ B） When the causes of the behavior are obvious. （ C） When the consequences of the behavior are unpleasant. （ D） when the behavior is expected. （ A） Their behavior should be attributed to factors beyond their control. （ B） Their behavior should be attributed to internal factors. （
37、 C） Their behavior should be attributed to external factors. （ D） Their behavior should be attributed to others. （ A） We should blame external factors. （ B） We should blame internal factors. （ C） We should blame others. （ D） We neednt blame ourselves. （ A） There were only grandparents and children.
38、（ B） There was one father, one mother, and their children. （ C） There were many relatives. （ D） There were two or more brothers with their wives. （ A） The women have more freedom and can share in decisions. （ B） The women do not have to be the heads of the family. （ C） The womens relatives do not he
39、lp them with the housework and childcare. （ D） The women have all the power of the family. （ A） Husbands have to share power with their wives and help them with the housework. （ B） Older women do not often have important positions in a large group and olden live alone when their husbands die. （ C） F
40、amily structure is more patriarchal in the nuclear family. （ D） Women have to help sisters, grandparents with housework and childcare. （ A） They want to stay home and do the housework. （ B） They dont have enough money. （ C） They have too much work and not much free time. （ D） They have more freedom
41、than in the past. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B
42、, C and D. （ A） A technical associate degree. （ B） A degree which is designed for transfer. （ C） A bachelors degree. （ D） The last degree one can ever hope to attain. （ A） 120 quarter hours. （ B） 95 quarter hours. （ C） 120 credit hours. （ D） 72 credit hours. （ A） How to Make Violins. （ B） Expensive
43、Violins. （ C） Stradivariuss Secret. （ D） Italian Violin Makers. （ A） Hundreds of violins every day. （ B） Over 100,000 violins during his career. （ C） Only one violin. （ D） Hundreds of violins during his career. （ A） His notes were never found. （ B） His notes were left to his sons. （ C） His notes wer
44、e found by other violin makers. （ D） There were not any written notes about his secret. （ A） Special properties of wood of the violin. （ B） The shape and construction of the instrument. （ C） Different steps involved in the violins construction. （ D） The special coat of paint on the violin. Section C
45、 Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have
46、just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the 40 Scientists have developed a new cancer drug. So far, they have tested it only on 【 B1】 _ animals. The drug
47、is designed to 【 B2】 _ and kill cancer cells but not healthy cells. First, the drug enters the cancer and destroys the supply of blood. Then it releases 【 B3】 _ to destroy the cancer cells. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge carried out the study. The 【 B4】 _ appea
48、red in Nature 【 B5】 _ . A school news release called the drug an “anti-cancer smart bomb.“ Ram Sasisekharan is a professor at M.I.T. He says his team had to 【 B6】 _ three problems. They had to find a way to destroy the blood vessels, then to 【 B7】_ the growth of new ones. But they also needed the bl
49、ood vessels to supply chemicals to destroy the cancer. So, the researchers designed a two-part “nanocell“. The cell is 【 B8】 _ in nanometers, or one thousand millionth of a meter. 【 B9】 _ . The scientists say it was small enough to pass through the blood vessels of the cancer, but it was too big to enter normal blood vessels. The surface of the nanocells also helped them to avoid natural defenses. 【 B10】 _ That cut off the blood supply and trapped the nanoce
