1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 198及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to the mayor of the city about How to solve the traffic problem in the city. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 写信缘由 2. 城市交通存在问题 3. 解决办法
2、 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 the information given in the pa
3、ssage; 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 Youth of Today - No savings, no pension, huge debts- Leaving school or university means financial independence - but does it also mean debt? Some
4、experts say the young should take some care. It is life, but not as we know it. As this years school leavers and graduates in Britain move on to further education or work, tasting financial independence for the first time, they show signs of being entirely different to previous generations in their
5、attitudes to money, according to information collected by Cash. Used to debt but more affluent than previous generations, the current crop of 16 to 24-year-olds is a complex sector of society. But if they can handle their debts, these 7.5 million young adults have the potential to become quite sophi
6、sticated on money matters. Cash looked for the financial hallmarks of this group. They are going to be big spenders - and will be targeted heavily by retailers. “The market for products and services aimed at this group has continued to thrive“ , concludes research organization Mintel in its recent r
7、eport for retailers “Selling to and Profiting from the Under 25s“. This is “partly because the period during which people are young, free and single, unencumbered (不受妨碍的 ) by parents and/or children has expanded to the late twenties and early thirties,“ it says. While 13 percent of the population re
8、gularly pays their utility (公共设施 ), credit card and other bills late, this proportion rises to a remarkable 64 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds, according to research conducted among 1000 adults by uS. In theory, this suggests that more than 4 million of them are heading for such poor credit ratings
9、that they will find it difficult to borrow in the future. But lenders may become more flexible in their lending terms rather than lose out on this huge sector of the consumer market. Near one in three (28 percent) of people under 35 “do not consider their future financial position“, according to res
10、earch from Accenture HR Services. Although half of 18- to 25-year-olds want to own their home some day, they seem almost insurmountable hurdles, according to Mintel. “For those who had not yet bought their own property, the prospect of trying to do so seemed daunting - if not impossible - financiall
11、y.“ Or could it be that their future prosperity will depend on whether they inherit properly from their parents? They regard as necessities many items which were seen as luxuries by their parents at the same age. More than nine out of ten have their own mobile phones. “Some looked on their phone as
12、a kind of security blanket, feeling lost without it,“ says Mintel. A car is seen as “vital“ by 64 percent of 18- to 25- year-olds, and designer clothes are worn by 44 percent of men and 35 percent of women in this age group, adds Mintel. Computer equipment is a high priority for many twenty-year-old
13、 people. Audio- visual equipment is particularly valued by young men. Credit card ownership is increasing. Nearly two-thirds of young adults have a card. More than half (58 percent) of the under-25s do not pay off their credit card bill in full each month, according to Mintel - including 16 percent
14、who owe more than 500. With credit card ownership predicted to increase nearly 20 percent by 2009, the younger age group could be increasingly targeted, as they are more accustomed to borrowing than older groups. Debt is commonplace in this age group. Barclays predicts that graduate debt will averag
15、e 17,500 in 2006, rising to nearly 34 000 by 2010. A third of this group believe they are “too young“ to start thinking about a pension, according to Accenture. “There is a sea change in behavior going on here,“ says Mervyn Kohler of Help the Aged. “For recent graduates who are saddled with debt and
16、 struggling to buy a home, the last thing they would care about is pension planning. They have also heard the message that they will have to work until they drop, so they wonder why they should bother with a pension. But when they retire, they will expect the state to ball them out.“ There is eviden
17、ce to back up their instincts. More than 73 percent of the current group of forties is on course to be on Pension Credit and other means-tested benefits when they retire, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Unless changes are made to the system, this proportion will increase. Despite these
18、 disturbing findings, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the young. Helen Bow- man, welfare officer at De Montfort University s Student Finance Advice Center, believes that many 18- year-olds get into financial difficulty out of ignorance but that “they tend to be very, very good“ at dealin
19、g with problems when they face up reality. Part of the problem is that many have received little financial education from their parents. Some young adults do not even know how to shop for food and many do not realize that convenience food from corner shops will be more expensive than fruit and veget
20、ables and other basic ingredients bought in markets or by looking for bargains, value ranges and discounts in supermarkets. The generosity of parents can also backfire. “There does come a point where parents have to stop helping,“ says Bowman. Credit card companies have made debt far too accessible,
21、 she believed. It could be that lending is more strictly regulated by the authorities in future. The Liberal Democrats are increasingly concerned at the easy availability of credit and this issue could well move up the political agenda. The location of cash machines in pubs does not help, especially
22、 for a generation that drinks heavily. Budgeting is hard for students who have to pay mobile phone and many other bills monthly but whose income in the form of Student Loans comes in at the start of term. But there are many cases of students getting into debt and then finding a way out of the mess,
23、usually by getting a job. long the way, they learn how to budget and how to avoid temptation by, for instance, leaving their plastic(信用卡 ) at home. Parents may not even be aware, in many of these cases, that their children have got into debt and then scraped their way out. And people like these, who
24、 learnt the hard way, have an understanding of money which is probably deeper than that of people who have never had difficulties. 2 According to the Cash study, the young adults in Britain today form a complex sector of society because they lead a more affluent life by overdrawing their credit card
25、. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 There are 13 percent of young adults who regularly pay their bills late. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 Over ninety percent of 18- to 25-year-olds have got their own mobile phones. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 It is predicted that there will be more credit card users among young people
26、 than among older people. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 The average graduate debt will be greatly increased in file coming five years. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 Most young people didnt receive enough financial education from their parents. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 The passage suggests that parents should alw
27、ays help their children in paying their debt. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Compared with precious generations, the current graduates have very different attitudes _. 10 At the time when their parents were young, a lot of modern necessary equipment owned by young people now was regarded as _. 11 The last
28、thing most young people think they are still too young to bother about is _. 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 what was said. Both the conversation and the qu
29、estions 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） The old lady sitting next to the couple likes toys very much. （ B） An old lady took the couples suitcase for h
30、er own. （ C） The couples suitcase was stolen in the restaurant. （ D） The man forgot to put the toys in their suitcase. （ A） The man and woman shopped all over town. （ B） The woman bought some bookcases on sale. （ C） The woman went to many different stores. （ D） The man sold the woman some expensive
31、bookcases. （ A） She is a typist. （ B） She is an assistant manager. （ C） She is a receptionist. （ D） She is a secretary. （ A） The job is advertised in English. （ B） The Advertisement is in English paper. （ C） She offers the man English and computer skills. （ D） English and computer skills are essenti
32、al for the job. （ A） Shes inviting the man to eat with her. （ B） Shes recommending a good place to go for dinner. （ C） She wants to know where the restaurant is. （ D） She thinks the man should go to France. （ A） No medicine could solve the womans problem. （ B） Nothing could help the woman if she ate
33、 too little. （ C） The woman should eat less to lose weight. （ D） The woman should choose the right foods. （ A） Stand in line for tickets for the dance. （ B） Go to the dance alone. （ C） Take someone else to the dance. （ D） Not go to the dance at all. （ A） To make an appointment with the sales manager
34、. （ B） To offer her a position in the company. （ C） To find out her position in the company. （ D） To apply for a job. （ A） A dozen long-stem red roses. （ B） A dozen short-stem red roses. （ C） A dozen long-stem white roses. （ D） A dozen short-stem white （ A） At five in the afternoon on June the 17th.
35、 （ B） Before five in the afternoon on June the 17th. （ C） At five in the afternoon on June the 7th. （ D） Before five in the afternoon on June the 7th. （ A） In cash. （ B） On Bank card. （ C） On Visa card. （ D） On Credit card. （ A） To take much exercise. （ B） To eat less fats and sugars. （ C） To work h
36、ard. （ D） To have surgery. （ A） Because they want to keep fit. （ B） Because they want to look pleasant. （ C） Because they are misled by doctors. （ D） Both A and B. （ A） People think too much of their appearance. （ B） Surgery is the fastest way of losing weight. （ C） Being on a diet is a safe way of
37、losing weight. （ D） There is not a sure way of losing weight yet. （ A） To help starving families to become self-supporting. （ B） To make plans for the development of poor communities. （ C） To teach people how to use new skills so raise animals. （ D） To distribute food to the poor around the world. （
38、 A） Mike knows the film is stupid. （ B） Mike didnt like the book. （ C） Jane had .seen it once. （ D） Jane didnt want to. （ A） Because Jane had never seen it. （ B） Because Mike wanted to see it. （ C） Because both of them were happy to see it. （ D） Because they had no other alternative. （ A） At Mikes h
39、ome. （ B） At Janes home. （ C） Outside the cinema. （ D） Outside the restaurant. （ A） At 6:30. （ B） At 7:00. （ C） At 8:45. （ D） At 7:30. 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 w
40、ill 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） He lost the final chance to win a championship. （ B） He was knocked out during one contest. （ C） He broke a bone in the wrist during a match. （ D） He was awarded with
41、a $1.5 million house. （ A） To break the previous records. （ B） To buy a luxury house. （ C） To win one more championship for his team. （ D） To play against the New York team once again. （ A） Near a market. （ B） In the city center. （ C） Near the city. （ D） Far away from the city. （ A） Finding places t
42、o live in. （ B） Living cheaply. （ C） Enjoying city life. （ D） Traveling by bus or car. （ A） The hotels. （ B） The Sunday newspaper. （ C） The local advertisements. （ D） The Information Agency. （ A） As soon as they have information. （ B） On Saturday night. （ C） On Sunday morning. （ D） When they are on
43、holiday. 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 with the exa
44、ct 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 When should any vacations from thinking be taken? In this section, you will hear a times.
45、 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 26 to 33 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 34 to 36 you are required to
46、fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. American readers, young and old, love “Harry Potter
47、“. The three stories about an 11-year old【 B1】 _ boys magical【 B2】 _ remain at the top of the New York Times【 B3】 _ list. Five million hardback copies have been sold so far. The main【 B4】 _ in the books, Harry Potter, attends a school for wizards and witches, where he【 B5】 _ and learns to use his ma
48、gical powers. An【 B6】 _ , conservative Christian organization, known as “Focus on the Family“, says it has【 B7】 _ more than 200【 B8】 _ from parents concerned about these books. They say the themes of magic and witchcraft arent healthy for young readers.【 B9】_ “. Some kids will say, You know what. I
49、think witchcraft is the way I want to go. And of course, thats where we believe its harmful.“ 【 B10】 _ In many US schools, students good behavior is rewarded with a selection from “Harry Potter“, because they really want to read the book. 【 B11】 _ ? There appears to be no one answers, other than “Harry Potter“ strikes an imaginative chord with children, and many adults, as well. 37 【 B1】 38 【 B2】 39 【 B3】 40 【 B4】 41 【 B5】 42 【 B6】 43 【 B7】 44
