1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 418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 The Craze for Certificates. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given bellow: 1. 现在社会上有一股证书热 2.证书热的原因 3.我对证书热的看法 The Craze for Certificates 二、 Part II
2、 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 passage; N (f
3、or 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 About Gender: Differences It is said that the first thing we ask about a newborn baby is “Is it a boy or a girl?“ But it might be considered that this is the
4、 first thing we ask ourselves whenever we meet anyone new. Perhaps this is why we find it so threatening if the cues are uncertain, and even more so if we find our first assumptions turns out to be incorrect. Men are different from women. That would seem to be self-evident. They are different in abi
5、lity, skill and behavior, but then, so is every individual person. So why do we make such a fuss about it? It seems not unreasonable to suggest that the sexes are different because their brains are different, but then no two human brains are the same It is suggested that our culture is in trouble be
6、cause many women have been brought up to believe they should be as good as men. Well, why not? We will only touch on these topics briefly. There is enough material for a dozen books. Suffice it to say that all the studies report on the way boys and girls are, not how they got to be that way, or rath
7、er how they were at the time of the study. Commonality across cultures and species implies some biological basis. The fact that the situation is changing reflects the power of socialization. At School There are studies about relative abilities of perception, vision, sound and touch. Certainly, if yo
8、u watched a carpenter run his fingers al0hg a planed surface and being able to tell how smooth it was, you would find it difficult to believe that boys lack tactile (触觉的 ) sensitivity. Another is that girls tend to pick up auditory information while boys do better visually. Several studies suggested
9、 that, from school age on, boys outperformed girls in areas of mathematics involving abstract concepts of space, relationships and theory. The big issue is the difference in the spatial abilities between boys and girls. It seems that boys find it much easier to visualize and deal with spaces, the po
10、sition of objects, relative heights and dimensions. In a test involving a three dimensional mechanical device, only a quarter of the girls could perform the task as well as the boys and it isnt recorded if any boys were actually worse. Why are girls more successful at school? Perhaps emphasis on com
11、munication in projects and exams could explain the situation. Success at school nowadays depends on being able to write essays and examination papers. If girls are better at verbal communication than boys, then they are likely to succeed. But, if there are more boys than girls who find difficulty le
12、arning at school, does it not imply a serious defect in our educational system? In Sports In general, men are taller and heavier than women. In sports, men tend to outperform women in strength and speed. Women seem to have greater endurance. In spite of many attempts, sports have never become comple
13、tely intended for both men and women. Yet, for example, running speeds for male and female athletes have improved steadily through the 20th century, but women have improved much more than men. The same is found for, athletics, swimming and cycling. Hence it is predicted that sex differences might di
14、sappear by the middle of the next century. However S. Seller and S. Sailer, in “The Gender Gap Elite Women are Running Further Behind“, point out that, since the date of their studies, the rate of improvement has much reduced. They suggest a correlation with the use of drugs enhancing performance, a
15、nd their more recent prohibition. These have a greater effect on women than they do with men. Biological Differences Men, it is said, are generally more aggressive, physically and verbally, and enjoy taking risks. They play fighting games and enjoy “dares“. More men than women are convicted for crim
16、es, especially crimes of violence. Some say that this is simply a matter of biology, others suggest that it is a function of the way we organize the sex and gender roles in our society. In fact, many of the findings, in this area, have turned out to be unsatisfactory, and often they turn out to be v
17、ery small differences. Biologically, men certainly seem to be the weaker sex. Although one would expect there to be an equal chance of the fetus (胎儿 ) being a boy or girl, it appears that the ratio for boys is about 20 percent higher, yet only about the same number come to term. on average, men expe
18、rience heart attacks 10 years earlier than Women, and have a better rate of survival after one year. Symptoms also vary by sex: women experience shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain; most male heart attacks come on as a sudden, striking pain in the chest. In adulthood, men are more easily to
19、 be infected by viruses and have a shorter average life span. In recent years, a great many biological sex differences have been found throughout the body, including the brain. Some have raised w6rries about differences in the effectiveness and side effects of various drugs. Social Considerations Ho
20、wever, regardless of the findings that sex differences really do exist after all, or the pressure to deny them, socially we still expect women to behave like women and men like men. The real problem is not that sex differences exist, but that in our everyday instinct of what sexual or gender behavio
21、r is appropriate, our concepts may be too narrow or too rigid. The “biological determinism“ argument, too often, reinforces this. While others now say that there is too much biological evidence to deny the fact of sexual difference, we cannot ignore the effect of learning. To start with, the idea th
22、at we are the helpless products of our heredity (遗传 ) takes away our free will. We must not allow those who insist on the difference to blind us to the similarities and we must not allow the biological stereotypes to get away with the idea that there is only one kind of man and one kind of woman. As
23、 J. Sayers in Biological Politics puts it: “When one examines these supposedly purely biological accounts of gender roles one finds that they are rooted in appeal to social, not biological, considerations. This is true not only of recent biological analyses of sexual divisions in society but also of
24、 the biological explanations of these divisions advanced in the 19th century. The similarity between earlier and current versions of the thesis that biology is womans destiny is striking. “ Relevant Findings Out of the large number of papers that had been produced up until 1974, about differences be
25、tween men and women, E. E. Maccoby and C. N. Jacklin in The Psychology of Sex Differences found only the following main differences: Males are more aggressive than females. Though this finding has been challenged, and the definition of aggression itself questioned, it is a fairly common feature, bot
26、h of human cultures and of the more complex species, male children are more likely to engage in play fighting and adults more likely to fight. Many challenge this, while others assert that it is the primary indicator of masculinity and femininity. Females have more verbal ability than males, while m
27、ales have better visual-spatial skills. The distinction seems to appear at about the age of eleven and, because of the relevance to education, it has received a great deal of attention. Although girls and boys seem to have the same ability for computational arithmetic, teenage boys also seem to do b
28、etter at the more abstract mathematics, ft might seem that a childhood of social experience is the primary factor. However, the biological argument suggests that the hormonal (荷尔蒙的 ) changes of puberty activate those differences which did not grow in the past. Maccoby and Jacklins 1974 review of the
29、 papers on gender and sex differences is the one most often quoted, and it may be that, more than thirty years later, another is urgently needed. 2 According to this passage, the idea that men are different from women is _. （ A） questioned by the author （ B） certainly true （ C） widely denied （ D） no
30、t commented on 3 As for spatial abilities,_. （ A） men are better than women in visualizing objects （ B） men can always defeat women in related tests （ C） mens advantages have been scientifically proved （ D） men acquire them through much training and practice 4 According to S. Seiler and S. Sailer, _
31、. （ A） female athletes will have run faster than male ones by the middle of the next century （ B） men intend to run faster than women because they are in a more advantageous physical condition （ C） women have improved much more in running speed than men because the former seem to have greater endura
32、nce （ D） the rate of improvement in running speed for female athletes has much reduced since the research began 5 Men are said to be more aggressive and enjoy taking risks for_. （ A） biological reasons （ B） social reasons （ C） economic reasons （ D） reasons not mentioned in the passage 6 When it come
33、s to the social considerations of “gender“, the real problem lies in _. （ A） whether sex differences exist or not （ B） the pressure to deny sex differences （ C） our narrow concepts of what gender behavior is appropriate （ D） whether biological evidence disproves sex differences 7 According to the au
34、thor, we shouldnt neglect _ while others put too much stress on gender differences. （ A） gender similarities （ B） gender roles （ C） the free will of us （ D） the effect of learning 8 The difference between males and females in visual-spatial skills and verbal ability seems to originate _. （ A） in adu
35、lthood （ B） in childhood （ C） from school experiences （ D） from inborn hormonal conditions 9 It is generally believed that _ are more likely to be successful at school. 10 On average, men experience heart attacks_ earlier than women, and have a better rate of survival after one year. 11 Females have
36、 more verbal ability than males, while males have better_ skills. 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 wil
37、l 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） What information the person left. （ B） Where Margaret went. （ C） What Margaret said about the person. （ D） When the messa
38、ge was left. （ A） She has probably some free time this week. （ B） She is probably not coming on Sunday. （ C） Shes probably back at home. （ D） She has probably tried to call. （ A） Buy a new television before Friday, （ B） Check if the womans television is new. （ C） Fix the womans television. （ D） orde
39、r a new television for the woman. （ A） The movie was more interesting than he thought. （ B） He had enjoyed the movie with the woman. （ C） The woman knew nothing about the reviews. （ D） He agrees with the woman about the movie. （ A） He almost slept through the movie. （ B） He wishes he could go to the
40、 movie. （ C） He wants to rewrite his notes. （ D） Hes planning to go to the movie after exam, （ A） He should do the experiment later. （ B） He must extremely careful. （ C） She is willing to do the experiment for him. （ D） Shes sure he is not right. （ A） The man should buy a meal ticket every month. （
41、B） Individuals pay differently for the same meal. （ C） Buying the meal ticket wont save the man money. （ D） The price of a meal varies according to the date. （ A） She finished her model a week ago. （ B） She completed her model quickly. （ C） She will help him build his model. （ D） She thinks she can
42、find him a model. （ A） She knows how to write best-selling novels. （ B） She can earn a lot of money by writing for adults. （ C） She is able to win enough support from publishers. （ D） She can make a living by doing what she likes. （ A） The characters. （ B） The readers. （ C） Her ideas. （ D） Her life
43、experiences. （ A） She doesnt really know where they originated. （ B） She mainly drew on stories of ancient saints. （ C） They popped out of her childhood dreams. （ D） They grew out of her long hours of thinking. （ A） Food canning. （ B） Kinds of fish. （ C） A new snack food. （ D） A food flavoring. （ A）
44、 Its colors. （ B） Its texture. （ C） Its sales. （ D） Its taste. （ A） To keep it longer. （ B） To give it a particular taste. （ C） To make it rougher. （ D） To fasten the process. （ A） Hospital staff only. （ B） Many officials. （ C） Many Packer Hall residents. （ D） The art students. Section B Directions:
45、 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 the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） The English. （ B） The D
46、utch. （ C） American Indians. （ D） Blacks from Africa. （ A） Over 210 million. （ B） Less than 200 million. （ C） Around 40 million. （ D） About 140 million. （ A） There are more American Indians than Blacks in the U. S. （ B） A large portion of American Blacks now live in the southwest. （ C） The first imm
47、igrants to America were English and Dutch. （ D） African Blacks came earlier than either the English or the Dutch. （ A） Keeping warm and dry. （ B） Drinking a lot of liquid. （ C） Living close to the hospital. （ D） Kissing the nose of an animal. （ A） Men who live in windy areas. （ B） Women who voluntee
48、red to stay outside. （ C） Travelers who take showers. （ D） People who are under stress. （ A） Because cold viruses can endure unfavorable climates. （ B） Because winters are wet and cold. （ C） Because people tend to stay more time indoors. （ D） Because the disease may be caused by contaminated foods.
49、（ A） The best universities in the United States. （ B） High school students choices after graduation. （ C） Electronic application in college admission. （ D） The increasing competition for the top schools in the U. S. （ A） High school students are using electronic forms to apply for colleges. （ B） High school students are sending more applications compared with the past. （ C） The number of high school students entering college is increasing. （ D） High school students have to wait for the admissi
