1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 650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 College Graduates Choose to Teach in Western China. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below: 1面对工作市场中的剧烈竞争，许多大学生选择去中国的西部体验义务教学 2大学生选择去西部义务教学的好
2、处 3作为大学生，我的看法 College Graduates Choose to Teach in Western China 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 Y
3、ES) 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 Earthquake Can Scientists Predict Killer Earthquakes? The date was November 23, 19
4、80. People near Naples, in Southern Italy, felt the earth roll and shake. Earthquake! Suddenly buildings came tumbling down. Cracks appeared in the earth. Within minutes, entire towns were destroyed. Thousands of people were dead. Thousands more were injured. As rescuers searched through the rubble,
5、 many people must have wondered, if only the victims had known ahead of time, many, lives could have been saved. Actually, an Italian scientist did predict that such a quake would happen. In 1977 Dr. M. Caputo of the Universite Degiles Studi in Rome warned that a large quake would soon strike the ea
6、st of Naples. Unfortunately, he couldnt predict the exact time and date of the quake. Dr. Caputo made his general prediction after talking with scientists at 54 earthquake-monitoring stations throughout Italy. He learned that many earthquakes had recently rocked different areas around Naples. But no
7、ne had occurred in one particular spot east of Naples for many years. Dr. Caputo felt that the area was long overdue for a large quake. And it was. Earthquake Strikes in Gap The quake occurred in a region that Dr. Caputo called a seismic gap. A seismic gap is an area in an active earthquake region w
8、here no earthquake or seismic activity has been recorded in a long time. Seismic gaps are located where two large plates in the earth have become stuck. When the plates slide past each other, they sometimes became locked in place. A similar thing happens when you make a running leap on a sidewalk wh
9、ile wearing sneakers. When you land on both feet, the sneakers grab onto rough surface. Friction tends to hold your feet back while the rest of your body goes forward. You may end up falling flat on your face. In the case of plates, however, the uneven surfaces between the plates cause the plates to
10、 remain locked in place for years. Huge pressure builds up behind each plate. Periodically, a shudder, or tremor, is recorded as some of this energy is released. Finally, after about 50 years, rock in the seismic gap either suddenly breaks or moves under the great stress. This sudden release of ener
11、gy sends shock waves through the rock layers above. The ground shakes, sidewalks crack, and buildings tumble. A mighty quake has struck. Gaps Used to Predict Quakes Many geologists have used what is called the seismic gap technique to accurately predict earthquakes. The technique was first developed
12、 by Soviet earthquake expert Dr. V. Fodotov during his studies of ancient and recent Japanese earthquakes. Dr. Fodotov was marking the location, size, and date of all known quakes in Japan when he noticed a striking pattern. All major earthquakes were found to occur in only a few isolated spots in J
13、apan. Each of these spots, he noted, experienced a major quake only once every 50 to 60 years. Dr. Fodotov concluded that spots that hadnt had a quake in more than 50 years were “ripe“ for a quake. The Russian scientist named these locations seismic gaps. In the past several years, geologists from o
14、ther countries have found seismic gaps in other parts of the world. After making detailed studies of past quakes in these regions, the geologists were able to make an accurate prediction of when a quake would occur. How Do Animals Know When an Earthquake Is Coming? Scientists who try to predict eart
15、hquakes have gotten some new helpers recentlyanimals. Thats right, animals. Scientists have begun to catch on to what farmers have known for thousands of years. Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in strange ways. Before a Chinese qu
16、ake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their coop. All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, alerted Chinese scientists to the coming quake.
17、 They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives. One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. Its not an easy job. First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in 1977
18、, for example, an Arabian stallion became very nervous and tried to break out of his stall. The horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. Its also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves“. A zookeeper once called earthquake resea
19、rchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach. A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive. They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and
20、smell things that people do not even notice. Some can detect tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of earth. This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes. A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were penned up in an area that was being shaken by a serie
21、s of tiny earthquakes. Several small quakes often come before or after a large one. Before each quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording tile quakes looked at his machine. It was a
22、cting as though there was a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise. They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing. In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing.
23、Many times, however, our machines record nothing out of the ordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be sensing something we do measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for fut
24、ure scientists. 2 Since_of the earthquake striking east of Naples, people there suffered heavy loss in the destruction. （ A） no prediction had been made （ B） no correct prediction had been made （ C） no one had predicted the precise date （ D） no one had cared about Dr. Caputos prediction 3 A seismic
25、gap is_. （ A） a region where no seismic activity has ever been recorded （ B） an area where no large earthquake has ever been detected （ C） a deep and wide crack in a large plate （ D） located at the junction of two interlocking plates in the earth, and where no seismic activity has been recorded for
26、a long time 4 By describing a leaper in sneakers the author intends to_. （ A） define the cause of an earthquake analogically （ B） warn the readers about the danger of friction （ C） explain how friction works （ D） both B and C 5 During an earthquake in China 1975, cows_. （ A） broke their halters and
27、tried to escape （ B） awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air （ C） refused to enter their coop （ D） ran away from their sheds 6 As it is used in paragraph 1the word “cat“ refers to a typical_. （ A） domestic cat （ B） cougar （ C） tiger （ D） lion 7 _can notice tiny ch
28、anges in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of earth. （ A） All animals （ B） Some animals （ C） Mammals （ D） Men 8 The dogs mentioned in paragraph 16 had sensed_. （ A） nothing （ B） only the low booms （ C） only the minor quakes following the booms （ D） both the low booms and the minor quakes follo
29、wing them 9 Dr. Caputo based his prediction upon the fact that lots of earthquakes had recently occurred in all areas around Naples but its_. 10 According to the authors information, once every 50 years or so, a mighty earthquake will be recorded at_. 11 Chinese scientists evacuated people from_afte
30、r they had noticed the strange behavior of some animals as well as physical changes in the earth. 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 co
31、nversation 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 which is the best answer. （ A） She seldom reads books from cover to cover. （ B） She is interested in reading novels. （ C
32、） She read only part of the book. （ D） She was eager to know what the book was about. （ A） She was absent all week owing to sickness. （ B） She was seriously injured in a car accident. （ C） She called to say that her husband had been hospitalized. （ D） She had to be away from school to attend to her
33、husband. （ A） The speakers want to rent the Smiths old house. （ B） The man lives two blocks away from the Smiths. （ C） The woman is not sure if she is on the right street. （ D） The Smiths new house is not far from their old one. （ A） The man had a hard time finding a parking space. （ B） The woman fo
34、und they had got to the wrong spot. （ C） The woman was offended by the mans late arrival. （ D） The man couldnt find his car in the parking lot. （ A） Jim is at a meeting now. （ B） Jims roommate is out. （ C） Jim has moved to another room. （ D） Jim is with his girlfriend now. （ A） She rejects their req
35、uest. （ B） She accepts their request. （ C） She agrees to consider their request. （ D） She asks them to come with the others. （ A） She thinks they are expensive. （ B） She doesnt think they are expensive. （ C） She thinks some are not expensive. （ D） She has no idea about this. （ A） Tell his professor
36、about the condition of the lecture hall. （ B） Organize a team of students to clean the lecture hall. （ C） Find out who has been making a mess. （ D） Wait to see if the problem will be solved. （ A） She is complaining to her manager. （ B） She is talking on the phone with her friend. （ C） She is talking
37、 with her friend in person. （ D） She is checking phone messages. （ A） She gave him a dirty look and finally turned around to get his coffee. （ B） She practically threw the coffee at him. （ C） She gave him the wrong coffee. （ D） She told him that he had made a mistake in telling her his order. （ A） C
38、all the manager to complain. （ B） Pour the coffee over the waitresss head. （ C） Ask the manager to uninstall the phone in the coffee shop. （ D） Call on all his relatives and friends not to go to that coffee shop again. （ A） The banana is still green. （ B） Their pet ate part of it. （ C） The daughter
39、hates bananas. （ D） The banana smells weird. （ A） Rice and eggs. （ B） Steak and bacon. （ C） Pancakes. （ D） Cereal. （ A） Because she helped him in the kitchen. （ B） Because its the girls birthday. （ C） Because she cant cook well. （ D） Because her father enjoys cooking. （ A） The girls friend drops by
40、and brings breakfast. （ B） The father decides to make his daughter fish. （ C） The girl might be getting married. （ D） The girl has no time to have a long chat with the father. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questi
41、ons. 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 advertisement. （ B） The societys great need of advertisement. （ C） The origin of advertisement. （ D） The pro
42、sperity of advertisement. （ A） The local governments. （ B） Their owners families. （ C） Advertisements. （ D） The audience. （ A） Advertising is personal. （ B） Advertisements are convincing. （ C） Advertisements are unreliable. （ D） Advertisements are misleading. （ A） It eliminated many factory jobs. （
43、B） It allowed workers to live far from their jobs: （ C） It gave workers opportunity for better training. （ D） It allowed workers to spend more time at home. （ A） Increased transportation costs. （ B） The lack of a qualified sales force. （ C） A decline in the number of customers. （ D） Difficulty in tr
44、ansporting merchandise. （ A） Because property is more valuable in the city. （ B） Because prices are higher in downtown stores. （ C） Because job opportunities are better in the city. （ D） Because highway commuting has become unpleasant. （ A） The good points of the federal system; （ B） How power is di
45、vided under the federal system. （ C） The difference between the central government and the states. （ D） The different functions of the central government and the states. （ A） Printing money. （ B） Limiting state taxes. （ C） Making treaties with foreign countries. （ D） Passing laws affecting trade bet
46、ween the states. （ A） All the states have respective powers. （ B） The central government and the states share the same powers. （ C） The powers of the country are fairly divided up between states. （ D） It is the Constitution that specifies the power for the central government and the states. （ A） The
47、 central government cannot be too powerful. （ B） Bigger states have more power than smaller ones. （ C） The central government can put a limit on state taxes. （ D） The states and the central government have the same powers. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. W
48、hen 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 fi
49、ll in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the 36 Knowledge may be acquired through conversation, watching television or traveling, but the deepest and most【 B1】 _way is through reading. If we consider the【 B2】 _population of the world, we may conclude that a few spend their whole lives on academic readings many read something light for【 B3】 _, and a few dip into something more serious; while
