1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 169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 entitled What Can We Do A- bout the Water Pollution. The first sentence has been written for you: Water pollution comes from many sources. Your composition should not be less than 1
2、20 words and base on the following outline given in Chinese: 1水污染的主要原因 2水污染的危害性 3水污染的总是的解决办法 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For q
3、uestions 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 the passage. 1 Can Business Be Cool? Why a growing number of firms ar
4、e taking global warming seriously. Companies supporting environment protection Rupert Murdoch is no green activist. But in Pebble Beach later this summer, the annual gathering of executives of Mr Murdochs News Corporation-which last year led to a dramatic shift in the media conglomerates attitude to
5、 the Internet-will be addressed by several leading environmentalists, including a vice-president turned climate-change movie star. Last month BSkyB, a British satellitetelevision company chaired by Mr. Murdoch and run by his son, James, declared itself “carbon-neutral“, having taken various steps to
6、 cut or offset its discharges of carbon into the atmosphere. The army of corporate greens is growing fast. Late last year HSBC became the first big bank to announce that it was carbon-neutral, joining other financial institutions, including Swiss Re, a reinsurer, and Goldman Sachs, an investment ban
7、k, in waging war on climate-warming gases (of which carbon dioxide is the main culprit). Last year General Electric (GE), an industrial powerhouse, launched its “Ecomagination“ strategy, aiming to cut its output of greenhouse gases and to invest heavily in clean (i.e., carbon-free) technologies. In
8、October Wal-Mart announced a series of environmental schemes, including doubling the fuel-efficiency of its fleet of vehicles within a decade. Tesco and Sainsbury, two Of Britains biggest retailers, are competing fiercely to be the greenest. And on June 7th some leading British bosses lobbied Tony B
9、lair for a more ambitious policy on climate change, even if that involves harsher regulation. The other side The greening of business is by no means universal, however. Money from Exxon Mobil, Ford and General Motors helped pay for television advertisements aired recently in America by the Competiti
10、ve Enterprise Institute, with the daft slogan “Carbon dioxide: they call it pollution; we call it life“. Besides, environmentalist critics say, some firms are engaged in superficial “greenwash to boost the image of essentially climate-hurting businesses. Take BP, the most prominent corporate advocat
11、e of action on climate change, with its “Beyond Petroleum“ ad campaign, high-profile investments in green energy, and even a “carbon calculator“ on its websites helps consumers measure their personal “carbon footprint“, or overall emissions of carbon. Yet, critics complain, BPs recent record profits
12、 are largely thanks to sales of huge amounts of carbon-packed oil and gas. On the other hand, some free-market thinkers see the support of firms for regulation of carbon as the latest attempt at “regulatory capture“, by those who stand to profit from new rules. Max Schulz of the Manhattan Institute,
13、 a conservative think tank, notes darkly that “Enron was into pushing the idea of climate change, because it was good for its business“. Others argue that climate change has no more place in corporate boardrooms than do discussions of other partisan political issues, such as Darfur or gay marriage.
14、That criticism, at least, is surely wrong. Most of the corporate converts say they are acting not out of some vague sense of social responsibility, or even personal angst, but because climate change creates real business risks and opportunities from regulatory compliance to insuring clients on flood
15、 plains. And although these concerns vary hugely from one company to the next, few firms can be sure of remaining unaffected. The climate of opinion The most obvious risk is of rising energy costs. Indeed, the recent high price of oil and natural gas, allied to fears over the security of energy supp
16、lies from the Middle East and Russia neither of which have anything to de with climate change may be the main reason why many firms have recently become interested in alternative energy sources. But at the same time, a growing number of bosses whatever their personal views about the scientific evide
17、nce of climate change now think that the public has become convinced that global warming is for real. Hurricane Katrina was particularly important in changing opinion in America. Many businessmen have concluded that this new public mood will result, sooner or later, in government action to control c
18、arbon emissionsmost likely, using some sort of carbon tax or Kyoto-like system of tradable caps on firms carbon emissions. A carbon-trading system is already in place in the European Union. But even in America, some influential businesses are exerting pressure on the government to control carbon emi
19、ssions. One motive is to help firms facing decisions that will depend for their long-term profitability on what carbon regime, if any, is in place. “Some asset-intensive industries are making investments now that have a 30-to-50-year horizon,“ says Travis Engen, who recently stepped down as boss of
20、Alcan, a big aluminium firm. “As CEO, I wanted to make damn sure my investments were good for the future, not just today“which, for him, meant evaluating investments assuming that his firm would soon have to pay to emit carbon. Indeed, some expect President Bush to start thinking more about climate
21、change after Novembers mid-term elections, especially now that he has appointed a keen environmentalist as treasury secretary Hank Paulson, who as boss of Goldman Sachs was the force behind the investment banks greener stance. “American businesses are starting to realise that something is going to h
22、appen on carbon,“ says Jim Rogers, chief executive of Duke Energy, one of the countrys biggest power producers, who reckons legislation is quite likely to pass in Congress by 2009. Companies move As firms try to do something about climate change, the typical first step is to improve their energy eff
23、iciency, by both reducing consumption and also shifting the mix of sources from hydrocarbons towards cleaner alternatives. Given high oil prices, those that have already done so have found energy efficiency to be surprisingly good for profits. “Carbon Down, Profits Up“, a report by the Climate Group
24、, an organisation founded in 2004 by various firms and governments, listed 74 companies from 18 industries in 11 countries that are committed to cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. So far, this has brought them combined savings of $11.6 billion, claims the report. Four firms- Bayer, British Telecom, D
25、uPont and Norske Canada account for $4 billion of this between them. Many companies, including BP, also see the chance to make money from providing things that help reduce global warming from clean coal-fired power-stations, to wind farms, to mortgages with better rates for homes that are carbon-neu
26、tral. GE plans to double its revenues from 17 clean-technology businesses to $20 billion by 2010. HSBCs decision to become carbon-neutral is part of a plan to develop a carbon-finance business, both for retail consumers and corporate clients. “We believe it is a major business opportunity for us, no
27、t a hobby or corporate social responsibility,“ says Francis Sullivan of HSBC. And even as car firms lobby against regulating carbon, they are investing heavily in cleaner hybrid cars. Going carbon-neutral in which a firm cuts its carbon output as much as possible and then offsets any left over by pa
28、ying to reduce emissions elsewhere is particularly attractive to firms that sell directly to the public and reckon that their customers want them to take climate change seriously. Since these sorts of firms are often not great carbon-emitters in the first place, “carbon neutrality“ can be fairly pai
29、nless. A recent study by the Carbon Trust, a British quango, reckoned that, for industries such as airlines, up to 50% of brand value may be at risk if firms fail to take action on climate change. 2 This passage is mainly about the impact of environmental issues on activities of individual companies
30、. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 More and more companies are joining in the support of limiting carbon dioxide emission because they are increasingly concerned about the harmful effect on environment and climate change. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 City Bank also announced its determination to be carbon-neutral
31、 just after HSBC made its move. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 Although an increasing number of companies began to support limitation on emission, there are still some companies that do the opposite. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 There are some companies, such as BP, which are engaged in superficial activities i
32、n order to boost their good images. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 It is believed by some companies that alternative energy sources are significant especially when the recent price of oil and natural gas rose. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 The author mentioned the disaster of Hurricane Katrina because he wanted
33、to demonstrate the harmful effects of unlimited emission of carbon dioxide. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 In America, some influential businesses are exerting pressure on the government to control carbon emissions because their_depends on what carbon regime is in place. 10 Generally speaking, as firms try
34、 to do something about climate change, their typical first step is to improve their_. 11 A recent study by the Carbon Trust indicated that industries such as airlines, if they_.half of its brand value may be at risk. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 lo
35、ng 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 read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide w
36、hich is the best answer. （ A） European tradition. （ B） Weights and measurement. （ C） Employment. （ D） US political system. （ A） Smiths. （ B） Browns. （ C） Susans. （ D） Bob and Browns. （ A） Not getting what he wants. （ B） A custom that is new to him. （ C） Calling up customers. （ D） Some of his good fr
37、iends. （ A） He seems tired of driving from his home to his work. （ B） He prefers walking to driving. （ C） He is satisfied with driving from his home to work. （ D） The road is good but there is a lot of traffic. （ A） In a library. （ B） In a book shop. （ C） In a restaurant. （ D） In a department store.
38、 （ A） A post office. （ B） A bookstore. （ C） A department store. （ D） A drug store. （ A） Father and daughter, （ B） Teacher and student. （ C） Doctor and patient. （ D） Boss and secretary. （ A） 50 minutes. （ B） 45 minutes. （ C） 15 minutes. （ D） 35 minutes. （ A） Janes colleage. （ B） Janes landlord. （ C）
39、Janes student. （ D） Janes neighbor. （ A） One year. （ B） Seven years. （ C） Four years. （ D） Six years. （ A） Japan. （ B） Cambodia. （ C） Vietnam. （ D） China. （ A） Newspaper and magazines. （ B） Radio and television. （ C） Computers. （ D） All of the above. （ A） Editorials. （ B） Entertainment supplements.
40、（ C） Weather reports. （ D） Local, regional, and international news. （ A） To inform. （ B） To entertain. （ C） Both. （ D） Neither. （ A） Differences and similarities between two cultures. （ B） American culture. （ C） Japanese culture. （ D） The integration of two cultures. （ A） The use of steel in buildin
41、g construction. （ B） Computer usage. （ C） Database on computer. （ D） Building construction. （ A） Library. （ B） Bookstore. （ C） Computer. （ D） Tutors office. （ A） Colleagues. （ B） Tutor and student （ C） Classmates. （ D） Father and son. （ A） In a university. （ B） I? a hospital. （ C） In a factory. （ D）
42、 In a shopping center. 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
43、 A, B, C and D. （ A） Tim is not the oldest child in the family. （ B） The Browns found a good solution to their problems. （ C） Their parents suggest writing a constitution. （ D） One law says that children under 14 must go to bed before 10 p.m. （ A） Tim is glad that he can stay up late. （ B） Every chi
44、ld in Browns family must help with the housework. （ C） Mr. and Mrs. Brown do not have to do any housework. （ D） The constitution was agreed to by every child of the family. （ A） Influence of mass media on our lives. （ B） Profitability of mass media. （ C） Mass media and its short history. （ D） Mass m
45、edia and politics. （ A） 1940s. （ B） 1910s. （ C） 1930s. （ D） 1920s. （ A） Printing. （ B） Television. （ C） Record pressing. （ D） Film duplication. （ A） People can know everything. （ B） People can have access to large amount of information. （ C） People no longer read newspaper. （ D） People began to rely
46、 heavily on computer. Section C 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
47、 with the exact words you have 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 36 A college education is an investment in the future. But it can be a 【 B1】 _
48、investment. The College Board 【 B2】 _ that the costs at a four-year public college in the United States increased 10 percent this past school year. That was less than the 【 B3】 _ percent increase the year before, but still much higher than the 【 B4】_ rate. Public colleges and universities still cost
49、 a lot less than private ones. Financial aid often helps. But financial 【 B5】 _ tell parents to start college 【 B6】 _ plans when their child is still very young. All 50 states and the District of Columbia 【 B7】 _ what are called 5-20-9 plans. These plans are named after the part of the federal tax law that created them in 1996. States use private investment companies to 【 B8】 _ most programs. Every state has its own rules governing 5-20-9 plans. Some of the plans a
