1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 374及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition. You should write at least 100 words, and base your composition on the outline ( given in Chinese ) below: 假定你是一名顾客，不久前购买了 B23一 A型 号的电冰箱，突然出现故障。现在请你 写一封针对商品质量问题的投诉信表示不满，并要求修复及赔偿
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 p
3、assage; 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 Turning Brownfields into Greenbacks Inactive industrial sites are transforming into productive facilities. Brownfields are industrial sites whose
4、 future use is restricted because of real or perceived pollution. The number of brownfield sites tins grown exponentially during the, past 25 years. The growth curve has reached epidemic proportions-as many as 650,000 brownfield sites exist in the United States today. Both the public and private sec
5、tors realize the problem cannot continue to grow unchecked. More of the impetus for redevelopment comes from state and local governments, which is not surprising since the brownfield epidemic directly affects thousands of U.S. communities. Many of these impacts are so serious that they threaten fisc
6、al and social health of communities. Brownfield sites frequently result in a decreased tax base, urban blight, loss of infrastructure, suburban sprawl, the depletion of farmland and a loss of employment opportunities. State and local governments are more directly affected by these problems than thei
7、r federal counterpart. Although the impact is felt most strongly at the state and local levels, federal legislation is largely responsible for the brownfield phenomenon. In particular, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Acts (CERCLA) onerous (繁重的 ) provisions have
8、induced thousands of property owners, lenders and prospective purchasers to shun industrial property. Theoretically, various provisions allow owners and lenders to avoid liability. Unfortunately, two of the primary ways to avoid liability are fraught with difficulty. Both the innocent landowner defe
9、nce and the security interest exemption (免除 ) contain ambiguous language that is troubling to the members of the regulated community they were designed to protect. The ambiguity, coupled with CERCLAs draconian liability scheme, has created a vacuum. Existing owners, prospective purchasers and lender
10、s have become alert to industrial properties. Hundreds of thousands of moderately troubled properties sit idle because of the threat of CERCLA liability. These sites constitute the nations approximately 650,000 brownfields. Until recently, prospective purchasers, lenders and tenants have had no reas
11、on to risk CERCLA liability by becoming involved in brownfield sites-but things are beginning to change. Federal and state governments have taken steps to encourage private parties to revitalize brownfields. An important plank in both federal and state programmes are provisions that limit owner and
12、lender liability. Federal Initiatives The federal government has revised its policy on prospective purchaser agreementscontracts between the EPA and buyers of contaminated sites. The EPA originally published its Prospective Purchaser Guidance in 1989. At that time its policy was to avoid entanglemen
13、ts in what it viewed as private real estate deals. Since then, the number of inactive industrial sites has increased dramatically. State and local governments across the country complained loudly about the impact the sites were having on the economic and social health of their communities. The EPA n
14、ow makes it easier for prospective purchasers to quantify their cleanup obligations by executing a prospective purchaser agreement. Other important initiatives included in EPAs Brownfield Action Agenda were the Underground Storage Tank Lender Liability Rule and Owners of Property Containing Contamin
15、ated Aquifers Guidance. State Initiatives Many states have enacted Voluntary Cleanup Programmes (VCPs), designed to encourage the reuse of dormant industrial sites. Most VCPs offer mechanisms that limit owner liability for those not contributing to the sites environmental problems. Some VCPs allow r
16、egulators to enter into covenants not to sue, which provides owners with the ability to quantify their environmental obligations to regulators. The state EPA agrees not to sue the owner/covenantee as long as it performs the cleanup which it agrees to. Without a cap on liability, investors steer clea
17、r of brownfield sites. Cleanup Financing Legislators and regulators have provided a variety of mechanisms to limit tile liability of those contemplating purchasing, leasing or lending money on brownfield properties. The problem is that the parties remain alert to brownfield sites. Their attitudes ar
18、e based on sound logic. Greenfields are properties not previously used or despite previous use that have no real or perceived contamination. Prospective brownfield developers are aware that they can avoid the complications inherent in a brownfield acquisition by acquiring greenfields. Private indust
19、ry typically will only consider brownfield deals that offer exceptional upside potential. To date, the most important breakthroughs in brownfields have been the liability limitations. Unfortunately, these provisions merely put the owner or lender in the same position they would be in with a greenfie
20、ld development. These parties are also keenly aware that they will have to spend large amounts of money on legal, engineering and other professional help to get to the same place. Why should a developer or corporation spend time and money on a brownfield redevelopment? In some instances, brownfield
21、properties offer exceptional investment opportunities. Many brownfields are available at a steep discount largely attributable to “stigma equity“. Stigma equity is created when the sale price and the cleanup cost are less than the uncontaminated value of the site. Finance is becoming more important
22、in the environmental field, largely due to the decrease in enforcement actions. Environmental agencies across the United States are under budgetary pressures. Until recently, many remediation projects were undertaken solely because of the command and control system, meaning you do or else“. The fine
23、s and penalties contained in various environmental statutes and regulations were sufficiently punitive to coerce action by a significant percentage of the regulated community. Recently, legislators and regulators have been leaning away from the command and control model. They recognize there is simp
24、ly not enough manpower to rely exclusively on the paradigm. Incentives have been introduced to encourage companies to voluntarily take environmentally friendly actions. In particular, brownfields are now the focus of legislative and regulatory initiatives designed to spur private industry to clean u
25、p the environment. Potential Market Brownfield redevelopment constitutes one of the largest potential markets for environmental vendors (卖主 ). Environmental vendors must help their clients pay for remediation costs. Firms that help clients generate cash flow will be more successful than other techni
26、cally competent organizations that choose to ignore the issue. Environmental vendors can ally themselves with organizations offering brownfield financing. These relationships can work both ways the financing firms frequently come across cleanup projects that require a broad array of expertise. Conse
27、quently, they may be able to reciprocate (回报 ). Voluntary Cleanup Programmes Many states have enacted voluntary cleanup programmes with a wide array of provisions, including finds to investigate and remedy brownfields, and stale money for prospective purchasers to investigate the environmental condi
28、tion of a property. This type of funding is important because it provides investors with strong motivalion to investigate sites that were previously thought to harbour significant levels of pollution. Once a prospective purchaser discovers that a site is relatively clean, the deal is much more likel
29、y to proceed. Many salvageable sites would lay fallow (休耕的 ) without this state funding. 2 The writer mainly explores the causes of increasing numbers of brownfields iii this article. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Brownfield epidemic directly influences American economy. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 Federal le
30、gislation is largely responsible for the brownfield phenomenon. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 One initiative the federal government takes is to reduce the tax for those who green the brownfield for commercial purposes. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Many states have enacted Voluntary Cleanup Programmes to encour
31、age the reuse of brownfields. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 The state EPA insists on suing the owner even if it agrees to perform the cleanup. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 So far, the liability limitations have been the most important breakthroughs in brownfields. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Finance is becoming in
32、creasingly important in tile environmental field, largely because of_. 10 Redeveloping brownficlds offers a big potential market for_. 11 Many states provide funds for voluntary cleanup programmes to _brownfields. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long
33、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 question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide whic
34、h is the best answer. （ A） In the downtown. （ B） In the suburb. （ C） Near her office. （ D） Near the railway station. （ A） A waitress. （ B） A hostess. （ C） A landlady. （ D） A receptionist. （ A） He is studying Chinese in Beijing. （ B） He is having a vacation in Beijing. （ C） He is planning to go back
35、to Beijing. （ D） He will return from Beijing in two weeks. （ A） Do whatever has been planned. （ B） Have a picnic and go camping. （ C） Eat out and see a play. （ D） Go to the beach. （ A） She has given the man much trouble. （ B） She is not interested in the article. （ C） She would like to have a copy o
36、f the article. （ D） She doesnt want to take the trouble to read the article. （ A） The womans sister doesnt know the man. （ B） The woman asks the man to talk to her sister. （ C） The woman is very surprised to hear the mans words. （ D） The woman suggests that the man go on a diet. （ A） The man doesnt
37、know how to get to England. （ B） The man will pay a visit to England in the near future. （ C） The woman has been m England before. （ D） Thomas is a British. （ A） Shes preparing for the exam tomorrow. （ B） Shes decorating the hall. （ C） She has many posters to print. （ D） Shes busy preparing for a pa
38、rty. （ A） The man at first misunderstood and criticized the woman. （ B） The man didnt want to help the woman. （ C） The man was so angry that he finally dismissed the woman. （ D） The man was very angry that the couple had disappeared. （ A） She was looking for the manager of the store. （ B） She was lo
39、oking for a CD for the customers. （ C） She was looking for the address of the manager. （ D） She was looking for the couple who wanted the CD. （ A） The couples special height. （ B） The female customers curly blond hair. （ C） The male customers red hair. （ D） The female customers clothes. （ A） Fellow
40、students. （ B） Former classmates. （ C） Relatives. （ D） Friends. （ A） Go to classroom early to show respect for the teacher. （ B） Go to classroom early so as not to annoy the teacher. （ C） Go to classroom early to find a front seat. （ D） Go to classroom early to find a seat she likes to take. （ A） He
41、 is late tot the appointment with his advisor. （ B） He is late 1bt the biology class. （ C） He hasnt finished the outline assigned by the advisor. （ D） He is not able to complete the outline next week. （ A） Not only one student would be late. （ B） The teacher would just go over the syllabus. （ C） The
42、 teacher would find out who are late tot the class. （ D） The teacher would find out the students needs. 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
43、you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） Because other girls often treated him in this way. （ B） Because he had fallen in love with another girl. （ C） Because Echo wouldnt try to embrace him. （ D） Because he felt that Echo was not good eno
44、ugh for him. （ A） Because he felt sad as he was no longer with Echo. （ B） Because he had never met any beautiful girls. （ C） Because his “lover“ wouldnt come out of the water. （ D） Because he could never find the flower. （ A） Narcissus is the name of a flower. （ B） Narcissus tried to hug Echo, but i
45、n vain. （ C） Narcissus was drowned in the pool. （ D） Narcissus saw a beautiful girl in the pool. （ A） 10. （ B） 11. （ C） 12. （ D） 13. （ A） The accident was an unavoidable tragedy. （ B） A moving truck hit a stopped school bus. （ C） Poor weather conditions led to the accident. （ D） The accident was the
46、 result of drunken driving. （ A） Shortly after 5:00 p. m. （ B） Shortly after 3:00 p. m. （ C） Shortly before 3:00 p. m. （ D） Shortly before 5:00 p. m. （ A） Because he lost his way and was hungry. （ B） Because he was a homeless child and it was the way he made a living. （ C） Because he didnt have much
47、 money left and felt hungry. （ D） Because all his money was given to the school. （ A） A glass of milk. （ B） Nothing. （ C） A meal. （ D） Kindness. （ A） She was seriously ill and there was no treatment in the town. （ B） She became critically ill and Dr. Howard Kelly came to her house to help her. （ C）
48、She was ill and she thought of the boy she helped years ago. （ D） She was critically ill and no one helped her in the town. （ A） Tit for Tat （ B） No Pains, No Gains （ C） Practice Makes Perfect （ D） Kindness Pays You Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the
49、 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 36 Fifteen years ago Masco, a small family firm, suddenly grew fast. As it grew, the management realized that
