1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 296及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled “Hard Work, Good Luck and Rare Opportunity“ in three or four paragraphs. You should write at least 120 words and base your writing on the outline given below. 一般说来，事业成功人士往往
2、都很能干，工作也都很刻苦；但是有才干、工作也刻苦的人，却未必在事业上都会成功。这里是否涉及幸运与机遇的问题。你是否能就 “hard work”、 “good luck”及 “opportunity”这三者，淡几点自己个人的看法。 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
3、 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 contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Change and the Newspaper For the
4、 last three hundred years, newspapers have played an important role in the social, political, and economic life of the United States. As recently as the middle of the 1980s, there were about 1,800 daily newspapers in the country, but in the following ten years the number dropped to about 1,500. In 1
5、950, each household read about 1.3 newspapers every day. (That means, of course, that some households read more than one newspaper and many read no newspaper.) By 1985, that number had dropped almost by half, and the average number of newspapers read per household was 0.7. In 1970, 80 percent of all
6、 adult Americans read a newspaper every day. By 1999 that number had decreased to 40 percent. These numbers suggest that newspapers are disappearing, but that may not be the case. It is true that American newspapers are changing. Many papers in the United States are local papers; they are published
7、in smaller towns and cities and are read only in the area where they are published. They carry local news, very little national or international news, and a lot of advertising. Many years ago, when transportation and communication were more difficult, people got more of their news from local newspap
8、ers. One of the biggest changes affecting newspapers is, of course, television. Television brings information to homes much more quickly than newspapers do, and, more importantly, it does so with pictures and sound. Television can report national and international stories to a large number of people
9、 in a short time, and do it cheaply. Interestingly, Americans have greater trust in television news than they do in newspapers. Whereas a majority of people were more willing to believe newspapers than television in the 1950s, by 1990 more than twice as many people trusted television news more. A se
10、cond change is the role of larger newspapers. Until 1980, the United States did not really have a national newspaper.There were papers such as the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal, but the first had a very small circulation and the second was published for a special readership o
11、f people interested in business news. The New York Times was also popular, but it was mostly a large-city newspaper that was read by people outside of New York City. In 1982, however, a new national newspaper appeared, USA Today. It was different from most other newspapers in that it had many short
12、stories about national and international news, sports, and business, many bright and colorful pictures, national weather maps, and short news stories from every state. At first, USA Today was not very popular. Traveling businessmen read it, but few private homes had it delivered. The newspaper is mu
13、ch more popular today, however, and it now sells about 2 million copies every day, about the same as the Wall Street Journal. A change that has helped both of these papers become more popular is the ability to send the information to be printed to many locations throughout the United States by satel
14、lite. The papers are then printed and distributed quickly in many different places, making them as up-to-date as local newspapers. Many people who read newspapers are therefore reading national rather than local papers. A third change that is affecting newspapers is the one mentioned above: changes
15、in technology that allow news and information to be communicated quickly and conveniently. Cable and satellite television make international, national, and even local news, weather, sports, and financial information available to most households all day and whenever the residents want to watch it. Wi
16、th fifty to one hundred channels available in many locations, television watchers have many types of information available that they did not have in the early part of this century. Some people even think that too much information is available now. Computers are also affecting what and how we communi
17、cate. Computer technology allows users to find out many of the same kinds of information we used to read in newspapers but more quickly and more conveniently. Many computer services make news available for reading when the user wants to read it. Some even allow computer users to make a special newsp
18、aper for themselves in which they can include only the kind of information that interests them. Yet another factor affecting newspapers is the cost of the paper and the problem of disposing of it after it has been read. Newspapers are printed on paper that is made from wood, and the cost of that pap
19、er increased almost three times between 1975 and 1990. This increase has contributed to an increase in the cost of newspapers and probably to a decrease in their readership. Disposing of old newspapers is also a problem. Paper, especially newspaper, is the largest part of the garbage that takes up s
20、pace in landfills, where we dispose of our garbage and trash. Although newspapers can be recycled, the system for recycling is still being developed. The cost of disposal is paid for by the individual households who are reluctant to add newspapers to the trash they have to dispose of. With all of th
21、ese changes, it is surprising that newspapers are doing as well as they are. Considering that more people are watching television and reading magazines and national papers, the local newspaper should be history. Even so, local papers are still surviving, partly because they are working hard to meet
22、local interests and needs. Local papers do a good job of reporting local news and sports, often with pictures that are of local interest. Many smaller newspapers are published in languages other than English. Local papers also include something that newspapers still do best advertising. Newspaper ad
23、vertising has increased in the last few decades, especially local advertising and “classified“ or private and personal advertising through which people try to sell cars or furniture or pets and employers look for employees. Many people read local newspapers especially for the advertising of local pr
24、oducts and businesses. The newspaper will certainly be around for some time to come, but just as it has changed it will continue to change. As new ways of communication develop, information will be distributed in a different way. Rather than being replaced, however, the newspaper will probably adapt
25、 to meet the new conditions, at least for some time to come. 2 The past two decades have seen in the US an increase in the number of the newspapers but a decrease in their readership. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 American newspapers are changing and local papers are changing the most. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C）
26、NG 4 Generally speaking, American people have greater trust in television news than they do in newspapers. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 With the aid of communications satellites, large newspapers, such as the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, can be printed and distributed nationwide in good time. （ A）
27、Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Access to cable and satellite television, and the Internet helps people obtain information in a much more impressive way. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 A sharp increase in the cost of newspapers over the past decade has obviously led to a decrease in their readership. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C）
28、 NG 8 Readers seem to like local newspaper for their advertising. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 How much did the cost of paper increase between 1975 and 1990? _. 10 How many copies of the Wall Street Journal are sold every day? _. 11 Newspapers will continue to change, but as an effective means of distrib
29、uting information, they_. 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 questi
30、on 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 lost a button at work. （ B） He doesnt know where he put the calculator. （ C） He thinks he broke something the woman lent him. （ D） Hes not sure how to solve t
31、he math problem. （ A） Angry. （ B） Tired. （ C） Hungry. （ D） Disappointed. （ A） In a courthouse. （ B） In a department store. （ C） In a warehouse. （ D） In a fashion designers studio. （ A） Potatoes are more nutritional than eggs. （ B） The eggs are next to the potatoes. （ C） Potatoes and eggs are both nu
32、tritional foods. （ D） The second course will be potatoes and eggs. （ A） Moving office furniture. （ B） Painting a room. （ C） Having a poster. （ D） Reading a news bulletin. （ A） He is likely to help. （ B） He has already asked for help. （ C） He doesnt know a lot about computers. （ D） He was the last on
33、e to use the computer. （ A） The man should buy a different meal ticket each month. （ B） Individuals eat different amounts. （ C） Buying the meal ticket wont save the man money. （ D） The piece of a meal varies from month to month. （ A） She will teach him how to swim. （ B） He needs to get a physical ex
34、amination. （ C） She will help him make the signs. （ D） He should take swimming lessons. （ A） She wanted to move to New York. （ B） Her husband had lost his job. （ C） She wanted to have a cleaner house. （ D） Her husband had got a higher position. （ A） The buyers had to leave soon. （ B） His telephone w
35、ent out of order. （ C） He began to work at 8 a.m. （ D） He had made an appointment with her at 8 a.m. （ A） They saw something familiar to them. （ B） They saw something they had never seen. （ C） They considered her foolish. （ D） They considered her lazy. （ A） Because he led his teams to many champions
36、hips. （ B） Because he set as many as 65 different records. （ C） Because he still played the game after he retired. （ D） Because he didnt stop playing even when he was seriously injured. （ A） He lost the final chance to win a championship. （ B） He was knocked out during one contest. （ C） He broke a b
37、one in the wrist during a match. （ D） He was awarded with a 1.5 million house. （ A） To break the precious records. （ B） To buy a luxury house. （ C） To win one more championship for his team. （ D） To play the New York team once again. （ A） Searching for reference material. （ B） Watching a film of the
38、 1930s. （ C） Writing a course book. （ D） Looking for a job in a movie studio. （ A） Its too broad to cope with. （ B） Its a bit outdated. （ C） Its controversial. （ D） Its of little practical value. （ A） At the end of the online catalogue. （ B） At the Reference Desk. （ C） In the New York Times. （ D） In
39、 the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature. （ A） To do some window-shopping. （ B） To do some shopping with his girlfriend. （ C） To buy a birthday present for his girlfriend. （ D） To look for some gifts for his friends. （ A） Buying a pair of gloves. （ B） Buying a scarf. （ C） Choosing a necklace. （ D
40、） Choosing something nice and expensive. （ A） Some cosmetics. （ B） Some jewelry. （ C） Some candy. （ D） Some stylish clothes. （ A） To use a credit card for payment. （ B） To choose a suitable greeting card for him. （ C） To put in a greeting card with the gift. （ D） To get the present wrapped up. （ A）
41、Visiting friends. （ B） Taking pictures. （ C） Buying presents for his family. （ D） All of the above. （ A） A shirt. （ B） An alarm clock. （ C） A woolen sweater. （ D） A suitcase. （ A） Because he forgot one of his suitcases. （ B） Because he was asked to get off. （ C） Because he wanted to go out to smoke.
42、 （ D） Because he had lost his passport. （ A） Alarm clocks are not allowed on board a plane. （ B） The man had a time bomb in his suitcase. （ C） The ticking of the alarm clock caused him a little trouble. （ D） The airline official and the police officer played a joke on him. （ A） For protection agains
43、t other dogs. （ B） For protection against other animals. （ C） Just for fun. （ D） For the purpose of guarding the house. （ A） Because they did not eat other animals. （ B） Because they were useful for protections. （ C） Because they always obeyed their masters. （ D） Because they were good hunters. （ A）
44、 For hunting. （ B） For amusement. （ C） For protection against robbery. （ D） For companionship. （ A） The city can be a lonely place. （ B） Life in the West can be very dangerous. （ C） People in the West are fond of animals. （ D） The dog is a useful and friendly animal. Section C Directions: In this se
45、ction, 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
46、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 40 Today, Ill be talking about the invention of the camera and photography. The camera is often thought to be a modem invention. But
47、as early as 1727, a German physicist【 B1】 _that light darkened silver salt, a chemical【 B2】 _. Using as a cameras a big box with a small hole to let the light in, he made【 B3】 _images on the salt. Silver salt is still the base of film today. Then a French scientist made the first【 B4】 _ picture by u
48、sing a special piece of metal【 B5】 _with silver salt. A photography he made in 1826 still exists. The painter Dagera【 B6】 _on the process by placing common salt, the kind we eat, on the metal This was in 1839, the【 B7】 _date of the beginning of photography. But the problem was the【 B8】_of the photog
49、raphs, And【 B9】 _ In 1860s, Matthew Brady was able to take his famous pictures of the American Civil War, thus making portrait poses very popular. In the 20th century, George Eastman of the United States and Edwards Land,【 B10】 _. If we say that the photography came into existence in 1839, it follows that【 B11】 _. 41 【 B1】 42 【 B2】 43 【 B3】 44 【 B4】 45 【 B5】 46 【 B6】 47 【 B7】 48 【 B8】 49 【 B9】 50 【 B10】 51 【 B11】 Section A Directions: In this section, there is a passage w
