1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 251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 of Application. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 在 China Daily 看到招聘电脑程序员的广告 2. 介绍自己 的学习和工作经历 3. 请求面试 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension
2、(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 NO) if the statement
3、 contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Prospecting the Local Oil Market As a part of its WTO commitments, China opened its retail oil market at the end of last year. By December 2006, China will open up its wholesale ma
4、rket, allowing foreign enterprises to sell oil in large quantities and compete head on with Chinas state-owned oil companies. Foreign oil businesses will be able to build up oil depots, set up wharfs (码头 ) for shipping and create bigger sales networks. In order to capture as much market share in Chi
5、na as possible, many foreign oil giants have already allocated (拨款 ) capital to expand their presence in China and devised strategic plans to increase their competitive edge. Fierce competition is unavoidable as the Chinese oil market opens further. China is now the worlds third largest consumer of
6、oil. Currently, the two state-owned enterprises, China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) and China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), dominate the Chinese wholesale market, and foreign companies must get their approval before they can enter local retail and wholesale markets. In addition, the oil
7、 import business is monopolized by the following five Chinese enterprises: Sinopec, CNPC, Sinochem Corp., China National Offshore Oil Corp. and Zhuhai Zhen Rong Co. Nevertheless, experts say that as long as WTO commitments are honored, the monopoly in Chinas oil sector will be broken. Though the mar
8、ket share of foreign companies will likely increase to some extent, experts say that it shouldnt challenge the dominance of Sinopec and CNPC. Breaking the Monopoly “After 2006, the monopoly will end. The market will be carved up by three kinds of companies: state-owned wholesale enterprises, foreign
9、 enterprises and domestic private enterprises,“ noted an expert. Coincidentally, China tried to adopt a relatively free market before 1999. Privateand state-owned enterprises were developing together in the oil retail and wholesale markets. However, by 1998, the oil market became uncontrolled. It fe
10、ll into disorder with the positioning of too many gas stations and rampant international oil smuggling. With ineffective government management and control, the private enterprises expanded viciously, costing Sinopec and CNPC millions of U.S. dollars income losses. In May 1999, the State Council deci
11、ded to rectify (改正 ) the disorder in the domestic oil market by retaining no wholesalers other than Sinopec and CNPC. Therefore, the wholesale market changed from a free market into one monopolized and controlled by Sinopec and CNPC. After Chinas entry into the WTO, the wholesale market was loosened
12、 to some extent. In October 2003, Hubei Tianfa Co. Ltd. was granted a license to enter the wholesale market by the Ministry of Commerce, allowed to deal in the gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil wholesale business. While it marked the entry of a third company in the wholesale market, the license was
13、 the first ever granted to a Chinese private enterprise since the market was restructured in 1999. Since then, Chinese private capital has gradually begun to enter the wholesale oil market. Foreign Competition Ready The wholesale oil market is going to be opened up in 2006 and the cooperation betwee
14、n foreign oil companies and their Chinese counterparts is beginning to change. The focus of foreign companies is changing from cooperation with Chinese companies to exploration and development. They are now building their own petroleum processing and storage stations and increasing their stake in th
15、e sales center. According to the current local policy, the storage capacity of a wholesalers oil storage depots must be larger than 4000 cubic meters. Last year, BP Global (British Petroleum) built up the Nansha oil depot as a joint venture with Guangzhou Development Industry Co. Ltd. The Nansha oil
16、 depot, currently the largest and most advanced oil depot in China, is located on the banks of the Zhujiang River, Guangdong Province. It is capable of storing some 360 000 cubic meters of oil, and can also store reserves of diesel oil, gasoline and other chemical products. In addition, the oil depo
17、t has a wharf with a capacity of 80 000 tons. It is reported that apart from BP other foreign oil giants are stepping up their effort to build their own oil depots in China. As a matter of fact, foreign companies have long coveted (垂涎 ) the Chinese oil market. As early as in 1985 and 1987, Shell was
18、 involved with two oil depot joint ventures in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Guangdong Province. About 10 years ago, many foreign companies built gas stations as joint ventures in China. Currently, BP is one of the biggest transnational corporations investing in Chinese gas and oil fields, wit
19、h an aggregated investment of $4.5 billion, 36 gas stations and many natural gas joint ventures in China. The total investment of Shell in China has reached $1.7 billion, possessing 20 oil enterprises and 40 gas stations. It is reported that there are about 85 000 gas stations in China, of which mor
20、e than 30 000 belong to Sinopec, 37 percent of the total. They occupy 52 percent of the market share. More than 20 000 gas stations belong to CNPC, accounting for 19 percent of the total number and about 28 percent of the market. Apart from Sinopec and CNPC, there are more than 33 000 gas stations o
21、wned by other companies and about 400 joint venture gas stations, making up 44 percent of the total and amounting to a market share of about 20 percent. Market Shares The opening-up of the wholesale market will bring great competitive pressure on Sinopec and CNPC. Just how much market share foreign
22、companies will take is probably the biggest question for many oil insiders as well as the long-time local giants, Sinopec and CNPC. The market share in the retail area will naturally depend on how many gas stations foreign companies can snap up. The stations can also give them leverage in capturing
23、more of the wholesale market. The problem is that the Chinese retail market has become saturated. The number of Chinese gas stations will mean more resources wasted. Furthermore, the sales network, mainly belonging to Sinopec and CNPC, has already spread across the country. Therefore, it will be har
24、d for foreign companies to gain a competitive edge. Some of the other 40 000 gas stations are controlled by private wholesale oil enterprises. Because of their own limitations, these wholesale companies are unable to compete with foreign wholesale companies. As a result, foreign oil companies will t
25、arget joint gas stations; on the other hand, more independent gas stations will choose foreign enterprises as gas providers. Another big challenge confronting foreign companies is the retail price of oil. It is a rule that the foreign companies entering Chinese market must follow the Chinese pricing
26、 mechanism for oil products. Retail price fluctuates with the market and is subject to price caps prescribed by the country. At present, the retail and wholesale price of oil in China is based on the weighted average of prices in New York, Rotterdam and Singapore. The retail price is 5.5 percent hig
27、her than the wholesale price and it can also fluctuate below or above 8 percent after the retail price is fixed. However, taking market security into account, China does not strictly carry out the price fixing measures, meaning the domestic price does not reflect the international price. In general,
28、 the wholesale price is determined by wholesale enterprises and is subject to some fluctuations, while the retail price, decided by the State Development Planning Commission, will not change even if the wholesale price changes. 2 By opening up the wholesale market, China allowed foreign oil companie
29、s to sell oil in large quantifies last year. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 With more foreign oil enterprises entering the Chinese oil market now, the dominance of Sinopec and CNPC is going to be seriously challenged. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 After May 1999, the Chinese oil wholesale market again became mon
30、opolized and controlled by the two oil giants in China. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 At present, the largest and most advanced oil depot in China is the Nansha oil depot. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Shell has more investment in the China oil market than British Petroleum Global. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 In th
31、e future, the oil market shares will be divided equally by the joint ventures, the state-owned enterprises and the private companies. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 The retail and wholesale price of oil in China is influenced by the oil prices in New York and other two oil markets. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9
32、After the wholesale oil market is opened up to the outside world, there will be changes in cooperation between foreign oil companies and _. 10 For many Chinese oil companies, the percentage of the market share foreign companies will take is the _. 11 The present sales network that has spread across
33、the country is mainly run by _. 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 questions will be spoken only once. After each
34、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） Karen needs books about exercise. （ B） Karen would like a set of books. （ C） Karens birthday has already passed. （ D） Karen doesnt need shoes. （ A） The wom
35、an has hurt her head. （ B） The woman mailed her application ahead of time. （ C） The man hit the woman on the head. （ D） The man has analyzed the situation accurately. （ A） She thinks his lectures are boring. （ B） She thinks his tests are too long. （ C） She doesnt like his choice of test questions. （
36、 D） She doesnt think he prepares his lectures well enough. （ A） 7 pounds. （ B） 11 pounds. （ C） 9 pounds. （ D） 15 pounds. （ A） In Mexico. （ B） In California. （ C） In the city. （ D） In New Mexico. （ A） He has almost finished carrying the boxes. （ B） He is grateful to find a helper. （ C） It might be to
37、o heavy for her to lift. （ D） A lot of boxes of books are waiting to be carried. （ A） At a publishing house. （ B） At a bookstore. （ C） At a library. （ D） At a grocery. （ A） Jack doesnt have to stay until after exams. （ B） Jack will get into trouble if he doesnt stay. （ C） Jack cant take his exams ho
38、me with him. （ D） Jack cant find a way to solve the problem. （ A） She doesnt have time to move. （ B） She would have difficulty finding another apartment. （ C） Shes paid her rent for the summer in advance. （ D） She doesnt want to paint another apartment. （ A） Three weeks. （ B） One month. （ C） Three m
39、onths. （ D） Over a year. （ A） Leave it vacant. （ B） Rent it to the man shes talking with. （ C） Sublet (转租 ) it to Michael. （ D） Ask her landlord to sublet it. （ A） 2 to 4 times. （ B） 4 to 6 times. （ C） 6 to 8 times. （ D） About 10 times. （ A） Dreams show people are working at night. （ B） Dreams help
40、people look at situations and fears in their daily lives. （ C） Dreams can help us solve our problems. （ D） Dreams allow us to have different personalities. （ A） King and queen-our parents. （ B） Small animals-children. （ C） A long journey-failure. （ D） Crossing a river-making an important decision. （
41、 A） Because it has simple themes. （ B） Because its lyrics are in English. （ C） Because it depicts the feelings of the common people. （ D） Because it has a fast pace and rhythmic beat. （ A） At half past eight. （ B） At half past nine. （ C） At nine oclock. （ D） At ten oclock. （ A） People are not paid f
42、or what they do but for their time. （ B） Employees are expected to work through the lunch hour. （ C） If their own desks are clear, they could sit idle. （ D） It is difficult to get a job contract. （ A） 40 minutes. （ B） 30 minutes. （ C） 20 minutes. （ D） 15 minutes. （ A） Some problems people might be f
43、aced with in an American office. （ B） The differences in office life between the USA and Europe. （ C） Office routines in the USA. （ D） The democratic aspect of American office life. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some
44、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） To protect people and property. （ B） To collect taxes. （ C） To teach and train citizens. （ D） To save natural resources
45、for future use. （ A） By selling services that make life comfortable. （ B） By selling land containing oil. （ C） By selling public lands. （ D） By selling coal and other natural products. （ A） Environmental pollution and protection. （ B） Taxes and services for the public. （ C） Police efforts to protect
46、 people. （ D） Peoples attitude toward taxes. （ A） A state of being sick, but not very serious. （ B） A state of being healthy, but not very strong. （ C） A state between health and disease. （ D） A state of being relaxed. （ A） Managers of a large company. （ B） Students who are studying in college or un
47、iversity. （ C） Teachers around exam-time. （ D） Doctors during an operation. （ A） Eating a plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. （ B） Eating pills of vitamins and trace elements. （ C） Alternating work with rest. （ D） Doing regular body exercises. （ A） People should pay special attention to sub-healt
48、h since it is a very dangerous state. （ B） Healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet are quite useful for people to recover from sub-health. （ C） More than half of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or old people. （ D） People should eat more to become stronger in order to avoid sub-health. Section C Dir
49、ections: 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 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 37 A serious threat to farmers in m
