1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 171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: Women in Modern Society. You should write at least 120 words and you should base your composition on the outline given in Chinese below: 1女性开始走出家门进入社会各个领域 2随着女性社会地位的提高
2、，她们在家庭中的地位也提高了 3妇女解放运动还需人们的不断努力 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 questions 1-7, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with
3、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 How Europe fails its young Those Europeans who are tempted, in the light of the dismal scenes in New Orleans this f
4、ortnight, to downgrade the American challenge should meditate on one word: universities. Five years ago in Lisbon European officials proclaimed their intention to become the worlds premier “knowledge economy“ by 2010. The thinking behind this grand declaration made sense of a sort: Europes only chan
5、ce of preserving its living standards lies in working smarter than its competitors rather than harder or cheaper. But Europes failing higher-education system poses a lethal threat to this ambition. Europe created the modem university. Scholars were gathering in Paris and Bologna before America was o
6、n the map. Oxford and Cambridge invented the residential university: the idea of a community of scholars, living together to pursue higher learning. Germany created the research university. A century ago European universities were a magnet for scholars and a model for academic administrators the wor
7、ld over. But, as our survey of higher education explains, since the second world war Europe has progressively surrendered its lead in higher education to the United States. America boasts 17 of the worlds top 20 universities, according to a widely used global ranking by the Shanghai Jiao Tong Univer
8、sity. American universities currently employ 70% of the worlds Nobel prize-winners, 30% of the worlds output of articles on science and engineering, and 44% of the most frequently cited articles. No wonder developing countries now look to America rather than Europe for a model for higher education.
9、Why have European universities declined so precipitously in recent decades? And what can be done to restore them to their former glory? The answer to the first question lies in the role of the state. American universities get their funding from a variety of different sources, not just government but
10、 also philanthropists, businesses and, of course, the students themselves. European ones are largely state-funded. The constraints on state funding mean that European governments force universities to “process“ more and more students without giving the TM the necessary cashand respond to the univers
11、ities complaints by trying to micromanage them. Inevitably, quality has eroded. Yet, as the American model shows, people are prepared to pay for good higher education, because they know they will benefit from it: thats why America spends twice as much of its GDP on higher education as Europe does. T
12、he answer to the second question is to set universities free from the state. Free universities to run their internal affairs: how can French universities, for example, compete for talent with their American rivals when professors are civil servants? And free them to charge fees for their servicesinc
13、luding, most importantly, student fees. Asias learning The standard European retort is that if people have to pay for higher education, it will become the monopoly of the rich. But spending on higher education in Europe is highly regressive (more middle-class students go to university than working-c
14、lass ones). And higher education is hardly a monopoly of the rich in America: a third of undergraduates come from racial minorities, and about a quarter come from families with incomes below the poverty line. The government certainly has a responsibility to help students to borrow against their futu
15、re incomes. But student fees offer the best chance of pumping more resources into higher education. They also offer the best chance of combining equity with excellence. Europe still boasts some of the worlds best universities, and there are some signs that policy makers have realised that their syst
16、em is failing. Britain, the pacemaker in university reform in Europe, is raising fees. The Germans are trying to create a Teutonic Ivy League. European universities are aggressively wooing foreign students. Pan-European plans are encouraging student mobility and forcing the more eccentric European c
17、ountries (notably Germany) to reform their degree structures. But the reforms have been too tentative. America is not the only competition Europe faces in the knowledge economy. Emerging countries have cottoned on to the idea of working smarter as well as harder. Singapore is determined to turn itse
18、lf into a “knowledge island“. India is sprucing up its institutes of technology. In the past decade China has doubled the size of its student population while pouring vast resources into elite universities. Forget about catching up with America; unless Europeans reform their universities, they will
19、soon be left in the dust by Asia as well. 2 Europes only chance of preserving its living standards lies in working smarter than its competitors rather than harder or cheaper. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Oxford and Yale invented the residential university. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 Since the World War I Eu
20、rope has progressively surrendered its lead in higher education to the United States. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 America spends twice as much of its GDP on higher education as Europe does. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Britain is the pacemaker in University reform in Europe. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 European
21、Universities will pay more attention to cooperate with Peking University. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 America is the only competition Europe faces in the knowledge economy. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 A century ago European universities were a magnet for _ and a model for _ the world over. 10 According to a
22、 widely used global ranking by _, America boasts 17 of the worlds top 20 universities. 11 Germans are trying to create a _. Section A Directions: In this 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
23、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 which is the best answer. （ A） He stopped driving a car two years ago. （ B） He drove a car bef
24、ore but not any more. （ C） He doesnt like driving. （ D） He hasnt driven for two years but now he does. （ A） He couldnt sleep well because of his illness. （ B） He slept for a while and studied a little. （ C） He didnt do anything in particular. （ D） He studied mathematics all night. （ A） In the kitche
25、n. （ B） In an orchard. （ C） In a garden. （ D） At a picnic. （ A） The mans. （ B） The womans. （ C） Brians. （ D） The mans brothers. （ A） She hasnt been well lately. （ B） She feels unhappy without a TV. （ C） She wants it to be fixed by an expert. （ D） She wants him to repair it at once. （ A） She will not
26、 answer the phone. （ B） She will hang up the phone. （ C） She will call her friend. （ D） She will ask the man to answer the phone. （ A） The boys mother has had an accident. （ B） The boys mother doesnt know of his condition. （ C） The boys mother is in serious condition. （ D） The boys mother has receiv
27、ed the news. （ A） $1.00. （ B） 75 cents. （ C） 105 cents. （ D） 80 cents. （ A） In a hotel. （ B） In a restaurant. （ C） In a hospital. （ D） In a shop. （ A） Because her friend asked her to buy one. （ B） Because she wanted to buy one. （ C） Because she wanted to give it as a gift to her friend. （ D） Because
28、 she wanted to apologize to her friend. （ A） $60.00. （ B） $40.00. （ C） $48.00. （ D） $54.00. （ A） 110,000. （ B） 1.2 million. （ C） One million. （ D） Over a thousand. （ A） Heart disease and lung cancer. （ B） Heart disease and increased blood pressure. （ C） Increased blood pressure and lung cancer. （ D）
29、 Increased heart rate and lung cancer. （ A） It is a powerful and fast-acting drug. （ B） It causes the familiar yellow and brown stain. （ C） Increased heart rate, and blood disease. （ D） Increased heart rate, and blood pressure. （ A） A barber and businessman. （ B） A broadcaster. （ C） A businessman an
30、d broadcaster. （ D） A barber and broadcaster. （ A） How to learn well in college. （ B） How to find a roommate. （ C） Their major and college funding. （ D） How to find funding for college. （ A） He wants to work in a travel agency in another city. （ B） He has no idea. （ C） He wants to find a job in IT i
31、ndustry. （ D） He wants to work in a travel agency in this area. （ A） Physics. （ B） Computer science. （ C） Tourism. （ D） Mechanical engineering. （ A） Teaching assistantship. （ B） Students loan from a bank. （ C） A part-time job as a tour guide. （ D） Four-year scholarship. Section B Directions: In this
32、 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, C and D. （ A） They would remain friends for e
33、ver. （ B） They would be engaged. （ C） They would get married. （ D） They were going to separate. （ A） Weeping. （ B） Fainting. （ C） Shrieks of delight. （ D） Gales of laughter. （ A） An unusual school. （ B） A strange educational approach. （ C） An unusual person. （ D） Why a specific school was establishe
34、d. （ A） Children should be held responsible for their own actions. （ B） Children should be given as much freedom as possible. （ C） Children should be treated with respect. （ D） Children should be treated equally as adults. （ A） They can stay away as they want. （ B） They will be punished severely. （
35、C） They will be sent back home. （ D） They will be denied further education. （ A） School administrative meeting. （ B） Students representative meetings. （ C） Meetings of the board. （ D） Through a weekly meeting consists of all the pupils and staffs. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear
36、 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 just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to
37、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 The modem society has witnessed amazing development in astrology. In recent years scientific investigation of comets has 【 B1】 _ because of a growing
38、interest in the origin of the sun and 【 B2】 _ . Scientists want to learn how comets are formed. They think that such information will be 【 B3】 _ to mans understanding of the origin of the 【 B4】 _ system. The word “comet“ comes from the Greek and means “hairy object“. In history comets have a special
39、 place. People believed that they brought news of death, 【 B5】 _ or military victories. The tails of comets provide 【 B6】 _ with spectacular sights at night. Comets tails are millions of kilometers long. The tail 【 B7】 _ reaches lengths of 250 kilometers and more. There was a written 【 B8】 _ of come
40、t as early as 1770 B.C. The Chinese kept careful record and so did the Babylonians. 【 B9】 _ . The most famous comet in history is called Halleys Comet. 【 B10】 _ .It was named after Edmond Halley, an English scientist. 【 B11】 _ The comet appeared in 1758, as he predicted, 16 years after his death and
41、 will return again in 1986. 37 【 B1】 38 【 B2】 39 【 B3】 40 【 B4】 41 【 B5】 42 【 B6】 43 【 B7】 44 【 B8】 45 【 B9】 46 【 B10】 47 【 B11】 Section A Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complet
42、e the statements in the fewest possible words. 47 Researchers have established that when people are mentally engaged, biochemical changes occur in the brain that allow it to act more effectively in cognitive areas such as attention and memory. This is true regardless of age. People will be alert and
43、 receptive if they are faced with information that gets them to think about things they are interested in. And someone with a history of doing more rather than less will go into old age more cognitively sound than someone who has not had an active mind. Many experts are so convinced of the benefits
44、of challenging the brain that they are putting the theory to work in their own lives. “The idea is not necessary to learn to memorize enormous amounts of information,“ says James Fozard, associate director of the National Institute on Aging. “Most of us dont need that kind of skill. Such specific tr
45、aining is of less interest than being able to maintain mental alertness.“ Fozard and others say they challenge their brains with different mental skills, both because they enjoy them and because they are sure that their range of activities will help the way their brains work. Gene Cohen, acting dire
46、ctor of the same institute, suggests that people in their old age should en- gage in mental and physical activities individually as well as in groups. Cohen says that we are frequently advised to keep physically active as we age, but older people need to keep mentally active as well. Those who do ar
47、e more likely to maintain their intellectual abilities and to be generally happier and better adjusted. “The point is, you need to do both,“ Cohen says. “Intellectual activity actually influences brain- cell health and size.“ 48 What is the passage mainly about? 49 In what areas will the brain act m
48、ore actively when people are mentally engaged? 50 What kind of people are more cognitively healthy? 51 According to Fozards view, how can people make their brains work more efficiently? 52 What does Cohen advise older people to do? Section A Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten b
49、lanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. 52 We have spoken of marriage as a formal contract. It sh
