1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 554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 on the topic My Idea on How for Beijing to Prepare the 2008 Olympic Games. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: My Idea on How for B
2、eijing to Prepare the 2008 Olympic Games 1. 简述北京目前准备 2008奥运会的情况 ; 2. 北京 2008奥运会筹备过程中尚存在的问题 ; 3. 我对北京如何办好这次奥运会的建议 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 t
3、o 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 The Government is going to give ne
4、w “job splitting“, grants to employers willing to offer part time work to people claiming unemployment benefit. The next scheme, which took many union leaders and large employers by surprise yesterday night, will be announced in detail in the autumn. It is intended to cost die taxpayer nothing becau
5、se of savings in unemployment benefit. The proposal, unveiled last night by Mr. Norman Tebbit, Secretary of State for Employment, will be in addition to the new Community Programme for the long-term unemployed. Mr. Tebbit said that under the scheme a vacancy could be offered to two unemployed people
6、, one existing full-time employee or two existing full-time employees if one of them would otherwise have been made redundant. The Employment Secretary suggested yesterday that workers reaching retirement might find the idea of sharing their job attractive, if pensions could be secured. But he also
7、said that firms might find it attractive to offer one vacancy to two school leavers. In a sharp reaction to the Community Programme, Mr. Nicholas Hinton, director of the National Council for Voluntary Organizations, whose members will be expected to sponsor many of the new places, said: “The Governm
8、ent is trying to spread too little money too thinly among too many people and many voluntary organizations are suspicious of its motives.“ Few people believe that unemployment in the United Kingdom will fall favorably below the 3.2 million mark, or 13.4 percent of the labour force, during the next f
9、ew years. The remarkable rise in productivity over the past year will, if it continues, make it even more difficult to tackle unemployment. Many firms are confident that they can meet any increase in demand without hiring extra staff. Remedies more imaginative and more permanent than those tried so
10、far are needed. The Governments job-splitting scheme announced on Tuesday is one example that should be welcomed. Another good idea is Rank Xeroxs “networking“ plan, by which executives would be able to work part time from home. The possibilities of work-sharing need to be more vigorously investigat
11、ed, on the lines indicated by a recent OECD study. If the total hours of work required are not going to increase with output rising thanks to improved productivity then let us try to share those working hours more equitably among the labour force. Work-sharing helps to produce new jobs by reducing t
12、he working hours of those in existing jobs. The danger with work-sharing is that employees may expect to be paid more per hour for working shorter hours, and that fixed labour costs will rise as the numbers on the payroll increase. Many employers therefore fear that the effect on costs and prices wo
13、uld be inflationary. The Government is therefore subsidizing employers to participate in its job-splitting scheme. Most kinds of work-sharing involve marginal cuts of a few per cent in total working hours, and thus only modest increases in the number of jobs. The biggest difference would be made if
14、a substantial number of full-time jobs could be tamed into part-time jobs. The Governments role would be to adapt the tax and social security sys tem to make part-time work more attractive to employers and employees, notably by ensuring that as many part time employees as possible escape both tax an
15、d social security payment. The social effects of work-sharing, are likely to be beneficial, since it would involve an attempt to match work opportunities to a wider variety of life styles. The combination of one full-time and one part-time spouse might become much more universal. Part-timers usually
16、 earn less per hour than a full-timer, have fewer fringe benefits and less job security. They have virtually no career prospects. Employers often think that working part-time means that a person has no ambition and no chance of promotion. But job-sharing bridges that gap and offers the chance of int
17、eresting work to people who can only work part-time and that does not mean just married women. As Adrienne Broyle of “New Ways to Work-formally the London Job-sharing Project points out. “There are various reasons why people want to job-share and so have more spare time. “A growing number of men wan
18、t to job-share so that they can play an active role in bringing up their children. It allows people to study at home in their free time, and means that disabled people or those who otherwise stay at home to look after them, can work. Job-sharing is also an ideal way for people to ease into retiremen
19、t. Many employers are wary of new work schemes, but an investigation carded out by the EOC shows that they can profit in various ways from sharing. If one sharer is away sick, at least half the job continues to be done. Skilled workers who cannot work full-time can bring years of experience to a job
20、. Half-timers have to work flat out without a tea break. Another attraction is that two people bring to one job twice as much experience, sets of ideas and discussion. But there are financial pitfalls for the job-sharers. If one becomes unemployed, he should be eligible for Unemployment Benefit. But
21、 he has to sign on as being available for full-time work. Otherwise, he can not claim the benefit. Pensions are a big block. The EOC paper points out that the Local Government Superannuation Scheme excludes people who work less than 30 hours a week. For those who are attracted to job-sharing, beware
22、. Most occupational pension schemes are based either on the average annual earnings during membership of the scheme or on the employees final salary. 2 The government will give support to employers, who offer part-time jobs. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Employers can benefit from having two people perfor
23、ming the same job. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 This article provides means for younger people to ease into retirement. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 Work-sharing schemes have so far been unsatisfactory. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Author approves the Governments plan. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 Work-sharing is becom
24、ing popular all over the western countries. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 Job-sharing can offer the chance of interesting work to people who can only work part-time. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Many organizations are doubting the motives of the government _. 10 _ work would destroy the scheme. 11 A rise in ou
25、tput does not _. 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 question there
26、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） Go to sleep. （ B） Watch the program later. （ C） Change the channel. （ D） Set the alarm clock. （ A） Shes reading a very long book. （ B） The man is mistaken. （ C） She needs
27、 to read the page carefully. （ D） Shes working on a long assignment. （ A） She doesnt understand. （ B） She wonders how many roofs were damaged. （ C） She isnt surprised. （ D） She closed the windows to prevent damage. （ A） She wont be able to get the book before class. （ B） The books there are too expe
28、nsive. （ C） She hopes to get a good deal on some second-hand books. （ D） The textbook she needs isnt in yet. （ A） She didnt bring the tickets. （ B） She doesnt want to attend the concert. （ C） She forgot her money. （ D） She wont be able to get the student discount. （ A） Doris wrote it for her. （ B） S
29、he didnt want Doris to borrow it. （ C） She enjoyed it but Doris didnt （ D） Doris purchased it for her. （ A） The man should buy a vacuum cleaner. （ B） The mans parents are eager to see their son. （ C） The mans parents should come at another time. （ D） The mans apartment is dirty. （ A） They were never
30、 sent. （ B） They eventually arrived. （ C） They were taken away. （ D） They went to the wrong address. （ A） The lectures are boring. （ B） The course is poorly designed. （ C） She prefers Philosophy to English. （ D） She enjoys literature more. （ A） Karens friend. （ B） Karens parents. （ C） Karens lecture
31、s （ D） Karen herself. （ A） Changing her major. （ B） Spending less of her parents money. （ C） Getting transferred to the English Department. （ D） Leaving the university. （ A） Writing papers for his classes. （ B） Meeting with his professors. （ C） Doing extra work in the chemistry lab. （ D） Working ove
32、rtime as a librarian. （ A） Spend more time in the library. （ B） Write just one paper for all his classes. （ C） Drop one of his courses. （ D） Do his research on closely related topics. （ A） She once wrote about it. （ B） She thinks the man should write about it. （ C） Shes been studying it recently. （
33、D） She particularly likes Romantic poetry. （ A） She knows hes very busy. （ B） Hes already helped her enough. （ C） He doesnt know enough chemistry. （ D） She doesnt need any help. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some ques
34、tions. 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 importance of good manners. （ B） The art of saying thank you. （ C） The secret of staying pretty. （ D） The difference bet
35、ween elegance and good manners. （ A） They were willing to spend more money on clothes. （ B） They paid more attention to their appearance. （ C） They were more aware of changes in fashion. （ D） They were nicer and gentler. （ A） By putting on a little make-up. （ B） By decorating our homes. （ C） By bein
36、g kind and generous. （ D） By wearing fashionable clothes. （ A） Children dont get enough education in safety. （ B） The playgrounds are in poor condition. （ C） The playgrounds are overcrowded. （ D） Children are keen on dangerous games. （ A） They should help maintain the equipment. （ B） They should tea
37、ch their children how to use the equipment. （ C） They should stop their children from climbing ladders. （ D） They should keep a watchful eye on their children. （ A） They can be creative when they feel secure. （ B） They may panic in front of high playground equipment. （ C） They should be aware of the
38、 potential risks in the playground. （ D） They tend to stay within shouting or running distance of their parents. （ A） A larger income often results in a lower living standard. （ B） No more money is left over in spite of a larger income. （ C） To put away some money has become a necessity. （ D） They d
39、ont know where their money has gone. （ A） It is the money spent every month. （ B） It is the money put away by every family. （ C） It is the money for families to make ends meet. （ D） It is the money paid for the necessities of life. （ A） Because people need more and better goods. （ B） Because quality
40、 goods are often in short supply. （ C） Because people earn less money nowadays. （ D） Because the dollar has lower value than before. （ A） To increase the value of their dollars. （ B） To put away more money every month. （ C） To make their income meet the cost of living. （ D） To limit their expenses o
41、n entertainment and clothes. Section 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 3
42、6 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 There are a lot of good cameras available at the moment-most of these
43、 are made in Japan but there are also good【 B1】 _models from Germany and the USA. We have【 B2】_a range of different models to see which is the best【 B3】 _for money. After a number of different tests and interviews with people who are【 B4】 _with the different cameras being assessed, our researchers【
44、B5】 _the Olympic BY model as the best auto-focus camera【 B6】 _at the moment. It costs $ 200 although you may well want to spend more-【 B7】_as much as another $200-on buying【 B8】 _lenses and other equipment. It is a good Japanese camera, easy to use.【 B9】 _whereas the American versions are considerab
45、ly more expensive. The Olympic BY model weighs only 320 grams which is quite a bit less than other cameras of a similar type. Indeed one of the other models we looked at weighed almost twice as much.【 B10】 _All the people we interviewed expressed almost total satisfaction with it.【 B11】_. 37 【 B1】 3
46、8 【 B2】 39 【 B3】 40 【 B4】 41 【 B5】 42 【 B6】 43 【 B7】 44 【 B8】 45 【 B9】 46 【 B10】 47 【 B11】 Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide
47、on the best choice. 47 Just five one-hundredths of an inch thick, light golden in color and with a perfect “saddle curl,“ the Lays potato chip seems an unlikely weapon for global domination. But its maker, Frito-Lay, thinks otherwise.“ Potato chips are a snack food for the world,“ said Salman Amin,
48、the companys head of global marketing. Amin believes there is no corner of the world that can resist the charms of a Frito-Lay potato chip. Frito-Lay is the biggest snack maker in America. owned by PepsiCo, and accounts for over half of the parent companys $ 3 billion annual profits. But the U. S. s
49、nack food market is largely saturated, and to grow, the company has to look overseas. Its strategy rests on two beliefs: first, a global product offers economies of scale with which local brands cannot compete. And second, consumers in the 21st century are drawn to “global“ as a concept. “Global“ does not mean products that are consciously identified as American, but ones that consumes- especially young people-see as part of a modern, innovative(创新的 )worl
