1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 209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 Prospects of Private Cars in China. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 当 前私家车在中国很流行； 2. 私家车流行的原因； 3. 存在的问题。 二、 Part II Rea
2、ding 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 passage; N (for N
3、O) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 The History of Labor Day Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means “Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country
4、,“ said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. “All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of mans power over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor D
5、ay is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.“ Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers hav
6、e made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Founder of Labor Day More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood
7、of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.“ But Peter McGuires place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Mag
8、uire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central L
9、abor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic. The First Labor Day The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plan
10、s of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follo
11、w the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmens holiday“ on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country. Labor Day Legislation Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor D
12、ay. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887
13、. During the year four more states-Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and o
14、n June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. A Nationwide Holiday The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holi
15、day a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations“ of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by pro
16、minent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spirit
17、ual and educational aspects of the labor movement. The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of exp
18、ression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television. Children and teenagers-A Major Victim to Employers Exploitations. Despite all the brouhaha(喧闹 ) the labor market is still
19、 common in instances of exploitation of unorganized laborers, especially the children and teenagers. True that the Fair Labor Standards Act(FLSA), 1938, provides for a minimum wage and overtime pay and places strict limits on child labor. True, President Clinton has proposed to raise the minimum wag
20、e for this underprivileged(下层社会 ) to 6.15 per hour soon. Yet despite this raise the payment would work out to be far less than the monthly average hourly wage for production workers. It is also hard fact every year several hundred thousand unrepresented American employees are discharged without prop
21、er causes. Despite the social and political power enjoyed by the labor organizations Job security has turned out to be a pass6. In fact as the American labor movement crosses the second century it is confronted with more challenges than cheers. Trend The American labor movement has historically deri
22、ved its organizational strength from the Northern blue-collar workers. Today things have changed drastically. As the US continues its transformation into a post-industrial society with knowledge-edge the job as well as the labor profile has changed quite a lot. Keeping pace with these changes the nu
23、mber of white collar and service positions has increased while the number of blue collar production jobs has shrunk sizably. Acc6rdingly, the condition of the organized labor force in the US has improved compared to that of their brethren(同胞 ) some hundred years ago. The government extends newer ben
24、efits to help American workers acquire the skills and get the information they need to succeed in the 21st Century. Recently Vice President A1 Gore announced a new website, www.workers.gov, that connects workers and their families to government services and information. The galloping pace with which
25、 this unorganized labor force is growing has become a cause of concern. Unions now represent about 13 per cent of the work force. Thanks to the changed psyche-the growing awareness of the possibilities for individual advancement and the tendency to dissociate ones future from collective actions. Con
26、sequently, there has been an alarming fall in the membership of the labor unions over the recent past. This decline in union strength has deprived most workers of meaningful collective representation. However, if labor organizations become ineffective, many of the employees will exploit the situatio
27、n. If there is no statutory minimum wage, many workers, especially those with little or no bargaining power would be subject to the whims of market and would be forced to accept earnings that are considered socially unacceptable. Finally in the absence of total labor movement the federal and the sta
28、te legislators will be less inclined to support statutes protecting workers interests. 2 Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The exact founder of Labor Day is not given clearly in the passage. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The first L
29、abor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in Chicago. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The first legislation of Labor Day was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1885. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Different countries observe Labor Day in different ways. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 The American labor
30、 movement has historically derived its organizational strength from the Northern white-collar workers. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 A new website, www.workers.gov connects workers and their families to government services and information. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 _ is the founder and longtime president of
31、 the American Federation of Labor. 10 The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day is _. 11 President Clinton has proposed to raise the minimum wage for this underprivileged to _ per hour. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversation
32、s. 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 which is the bes
33、t answer. （ A） He is writing a letter. （ B） He is painting the house. （ C） He is brooming the room. （ D） He is climbing a ladder. （ A） In a hospital. （ B） In a sports center. （ C） At a schoo.1. （ D） At a ski resort. （ A） Save time by using a computer. （ B） Buy her own computer. （ C） Borrow Marys com
34、puter. （ D） Stay home and complete her paper. （ A） She is a very good poet. （ B） Her poems are very inspiring. （ C） Her poems excite fire in him. （ D） She should stop writing poems. （ A） The workers want to change their jobs. （ B） The work there is dull. （ C） The work there is much too demanding. （
35、D） The workers there are strike-prone. （ A） He has been to Seattle many times. （ B） He has chaired a lot of conferences. （ C） He holds a high position in his company. （ D） He lived in Seattle for many years. （ A） He is often made fun of by his friends. （ B） He doesnt like the jokes his friend makes.
36、 （ C） He hates his life being interrupted by his friends. （ D） His place is too small to put so many friends up. （ A） Boss and secretary. （ B） Teacher and student. （ C） Doctor and nurse. （ D） Reporter and reader. （ A） Only mosquitoes can change their body-chemistry. （ B） They can transmit a serious
37、disease. （ C） We can wipe them out with new insecticide. （ D） Within five years scientists will have found a way to kill them all. （ A） Because the insects are the most successful creatures. （ B） Because the insects give birth all the time. （ C） Because the insects can adapt to new situations quickl
38、y. （ D） Because the insects were the first creatures coming to the earth before humans. （ A） He is a scientist. （ B） He works at a television station. （ C） He is a doctor. （ D） He is a college student. （ A） One in every 24 minutes. （ B） One in every 10 minutes. （ C） One in every 7 minutes. （ D） One
39、in every 4 minutes. （ A） Lack of education. （ B） Parentless. （ C） Sufferings because of various misfortunes. （ D） Easy access to a gun. （ A） There are more on TV than in newspapers. （ B） The descriptions of violence are too accurate. （ C） Only professional criminals imitate the reports. （ D） They ar
40、e the primary reason for the high frequency of crimes. （ A） A student. （ B） A lecturer. （ C） A group leader. （ D） The chairman. （ A） Because the company does not have to pay as many claims as competitors. （ B） Because the company rent no shops and pay no commission. （ C） Because the company does not
41、 have to pay for advertising. （ D） Because the company offers many products and services. （ A） Because they are good at making decisions. （ B） Because the company employs a lot of staff. （ C） Because of the technology. （ D） Because unusual or large risks are assessed by supervisors. （ A） Staff worke
42、rs need a lot of special training. （ B） Staff workers have a lot of responsibility. （ C） Staff workers can deal with almost every call. （ D） Staff workers should be highly qualified. （ A） Reduce the size of their call centers. （ B） Make job offers more attractive. （ C） Cut wages to keep prices down.
43、 （ D） Use the Internet to expand the business. 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
44、 the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） To focus attention on understanding peoples behavior. （ B） To guarantee personal attention between tutors and participants. （ C） To integrate people into a winning team. （ D） To match the content precisely to peoples needs. （ A） Your own specific goals as
45、 manager. （ B） Information on how effective managers operate. （ C） A survey of those who work with you. （ D） A collection of models of interpersonal relationships. （ A） A sparkling party. （ B） Host mastery. （ C） A successful host. （ D） Rules to remember. （ A） Keeping the same seats with familiar fac
46、es will be fun for everyone. （ B） Careful attention to details is the whole of the recipe to be a successful host. （ C） Newcomers at the party are often engaging and stimulating. （ D） Bringing in new faces to the party offers your guests the chance of discovery. （ A） Either men or women are always i
47、ntroduced to the newcomer. （ B） Girls over eighteen are introduced to older people. （ C） A man is introduced to a woman if she is over eighteen. （ D） The young are introduced to the old if they are of different sexes. （ A） Age. （ B） Interests. （ C） Personality. （ D） Conversational abilities. Section
48、 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 exact words you hav
49、e 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 As is known to all, the organization and management of wages and salaries are very【 B1】 _ . Generally speaking, the Accounts Department is responsible for【 B2】 _ of pay, while the Personnel Department discuss with the employees about pay. If a firm wants to【 B3】 _ a new wage and salary structure, it is essential that
