1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 692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 Should the Rich Show off Their Wealth ? You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below. 1现在富人炫富正成为一 种社会现象 2人们对此现象看法不一 3我认为 Should the Rich Show off T
2、heir Wealth? 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 giv
3、en 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 Quantified Self-Counting Every Moment The idea of measuring things to chart progress towards a goal is commonplace in large organi
4、zations, governments and companies. But this quantitative method is rather less widespread among individuals, with the notable exceptions of people who are trying to lose weight or improve their fitness. Most people do not routinely record their moods, sleeping patterns or activity levels, track how
5、 much alcohol or coffee they drink or chart how often they walk the dog. But some people are doing just these things. What they share is a belief that gathering and analyzing data about their everyday activities can help them improve their lives an approach known as “ self-tracking“ or “self-quantif
6、ying“. In some ways this is not a new idea. Athletes and their coaches commonly make detailed notes on nutrition, training sessions, sleep and other variables. Similar strategies have long been used to combat health problems like allergies (过敏 ). But new technologies make it simpler than ever to gat
7、her and analyze personal data. Sensors have shrunk and become cheaper. This makes it much easier to take the quantitative methods used in science and business and apply them to the personal sphere. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the notion of marrying technology with self-improvement originated in San Fran
8、cisco, where Gary Wolf, a journalist and author, co-founded the “Quantified Self“ blog in 2007. This led to regular meetings, which are now held in about 50 cities around the world. “Almost everything we do generates data. “ says Mr. Wolf, “Data from phones, computers and credit cards are mostly use
9、d by companies to target advertising, recommend products or spot fraud. But tapping into the stream of data they generate can give people new ways to deal with medical problems or improve their quality of life in other ways. “ Quantify this Self-quantifying is being taken seriously by start-ups, in
10、Silicon Valley and elsewhere, which are launching new devices and software aimed at self-trackers. It may even provide a glimpse of the future of health care, in which a greater emphasis is placed on monitoring, using a variety of devises, to prevent disease, extend lives and reduce medical costs. T
11、o see how self-tracking rewards, consider the example of David, an investment banker in London. With his routine of early starts and 11 -hour days, he found that he had trouble falling asleep, and worried that this affected his concentration at work. He started using a headband made by Zeo, a start-
12、up based in Newton, Massachusetts. It tracks sleep quantity and quality by measuring brainwave activity to determine how long the wearer spends in light, deep and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. David recorded his sleep data along with information on his diet, health supplements, exercise and alcoho
13、l consumption, uploading it all onto the Zeo website. He now sleeps for an average of seven-and-a-half hours a night, up from six hours before he began his self-tracking experiment. “ I feel more relaxed, sharper and more switched on,“ he says. “ Seeing the facts on your computer screen makes them d
14、ifficult to ignore. “ Some self-quantifiers can come across as a little odd. Not everyone carries out experiments to see whether wearing orange glasses or performing regular hopping exercises can improve sleep quality, or whether (as has been claimed) eating butter improves arithmetic ability. An ob
15、vious problem is that self-quantification experiments lack strict controls and clinical trials. There could also be placebo (安慰 剂 ) effects. “With self-tracking you never really know whether it is your experiment that is affecting the outcome, or your expectations of the experiment,“ says Nancy Doug
16、herty, a self-tracking enthusiast who works as a hardware engineer at Proteus Biomedical, a medical-devices company in Redwood City, California. She found that taking virtual pills labelled “happy“ , “calm“ , “focus“ and “will power“ had a noticeable impact, even though she knew they were placebos.
17、But with careful design of experiments there is scope for self-tracking to produce useful data. The Zeo, for example, has already generated the largest-ever database on sleep stages, which revealed differences between men and women in REM-sleep quantity. Keeping track Tens of thousands of patients a
18、round the world are already sharing information about symptoms and treatments for hundreds of conditions on websites such as PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether. This has yielded valuable results. The growing number of self-tracking devices now reaching the market will increase the scope for large-scale
19、 data collection, enabling users to analyse their own readings and incorporate them with those of other people. The thumb-sized Fitbit, for example, made by a company of the same name based in San Francisco, clips onto a belt to measure activity levels and sleep patterns. A readout (读出器 ) shows step
20、s walked, stairs climbed and calories burned. Information is also uploaded wirelessly to a website that analyses and displays the data and lets users compare notes with their friends. Jawbone, also based in San Francisco, has released the Up, a wristband that communicates with an iPhone and can also
21、 measure physical activity and sleep patterns. GreenGoose, yet another San Francisco start-up, has devised tiny motion sensors that can be attached to everyday items, sending a wireless signal to a base-station whenever the item is used. A sensor can be attached to a toothbrush, for example, or a wa
22、tering can, or the collar of a dog, making it possible to measure and track how often you brush your teeth, water your plants or walk your dog. The companys aim is to establish a platform for the gamification (游戏化 ) of everyday activities. As populations age and health-care costs increase, there is
23、likely to be a greater emphasis on monitoring, prevention and maintaining “wellness“ in future, with patients taking a more active role an approach sometimes called “Health 2. 0“. With their sleep monitors and health dashboards, the aficionados (狂热爱好者 ) of self-tracking may end up being seen as pion
24、eers of this model. “ We were inspired by our knowledge of this history of personal computing. “ Mr. Wolf says. “ We asked ourselves what would happen if we convened (召唤 ) advanced users of self-tracking technologies to see what we could learn from each other. “ Self-tracking may look weird now, but
25、 the same was once true of e-mail. And what geeks do today, the rest of us often end up doing tomorrow. 2 As to the individual application of the quantitative method, the author is surprised to find that_. （ A） the number of people who use it is rather large （ B） the way people apply the method is n
26、ot scientific （ C） people who really need the method rarely use it （ D） most people dont approve the use of the method 3 People who conduct “self-tracking“ believe that the approach_. （ A） is helpful for life improvement （ B） can improve their mathematics （ C） can better personal relationships （ D）
27、is good for natural environment 4 What makes the use of quantitative methods easier in personal daily life? （ A） More professional instructors appear. （ B） Detailed instructions are released. （ C） Media coverage has increased greatly. （ D） Devices become smaller and cheaper. 5 According to Gary Wolf
28、, people can obtain new ways to solve medical problems and improve life quality through_. （ A） exploring the secrets of nature （ B） making use of the data they turn out （ C） tapping into the outer space （ D） developing computer technology 6 What did the headband made by Zeo help David do? （ A） Conce
29、ntrate on his daily work. （ B） Relieve his sleepiness and headache. （ C） Track his sleep quantity and quality. （ D） Record information on his daily life. 7 According to the author, what is an obvious disadvantage about self-quantification experiments? （ A） People who take them may be considered odd.
30、 （ B） The fee to take them is extraordinarily high. （ C） They lack strict controls and clinical trials. （ D） They may have side effects on the users. 8 Nancy Dougherty knows that_. （ A） the virtual pills she takes have placebo effects （ B） the experiments she takes affect her income （ C） she will pr
31、obably die from overdose （ D） she will get useless data from self-tracking 9 The launch of more and more self-tracking devices into the market will expand the scope of_. 10 GreenGoose establishes a platform for changing everyday activities into games for their sensors can be attached to_. 11 Self-tr
32、acking will probably gain world acceptance and popularity, even though it presently_. 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 a
33、nd 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） It is more interesting to watch the same television programs. （ B） Our great-great-grandfathers were
34、more hardworking. （ C） The life long ago was more interesting. （ D） The life nowadays is more colorful. （ A） The man needs to wait for half an hour. （ B） The bus has changed the leaving schedule. （ C） The man will go to the airport by taxi. （ D） The bus used to leave every hour. （ A） She will get pr
35、omotion. （ B） She is satisfied with her salary. （ C） She has got good achievement. （ D） She will get more money. （ A） Find some information in other ways. （ B） Rent an apartment in the college. （ C） Check out from a hotel. （ D） Buy an apartment of her own. （ A） Talk with the man for a few minutes. （
36、 B） Sign the lease as soon as possible. （ C） Read the lease more carefully. （ D） Make some new items in the lease. （ A） He will not celebrate birthday this year. （ B） He will not go to a restaurant this year. （ C） He will celebrate birthday in a new place. （ D） He likes Chinese restaurants more. （ A
37、） Whether shopping is good. （ B） Which shopping center is good. （ C） Bargaining to buy high heels. （ D） What they need to buy. （ A） The house is not as good as expected. （ B） The neighbors yard is perfect. （ C） It is the house that he wants. （ D） The fireplace is very huge. （ A） His roommates dialec
38、ts are difficult to understand. （ B） His roommates come back to the dormitory at midnight. （ C） He quarreled with his roommates last night. （ D） He cant fall asleep due to his roommates chatting. （ A） There will usually be a cold war after a quarrel. （ B） There should be clear duty divisions between
39、 roommates. （ C） Roommates should be careful with complaints. （ D） Roommates should remind each others duties. （ A） Ignoring the problem to avoid causing anything unpleasant. （ B） Trying to find a roommate who is considerate and careful. （ C） Being tolerant and understanding of each others shortcomi
40、ngs. （ D） Having a quarrel with your roommate with offensive words. （ A） The employees must work from 8 :30 a. m. to 5:30 p. m. （ B） The lunch break is always from 12 to 1. （ C） The employees sometimes have to work extra time. （ D） The working time depends on employees themselves. （ A） Take the lunc
41、h break on time. （ B） Work overtime every day. （ C） Finish the work on time. （ D） Cannot leave earlier. （ A） She has to be responsible to the man first. （ B） She shares the same office with the man. （ C） She is good at working independently. （ D） She needs to receive skill training first. （ A） Start
42、 her routine work. （ B） Learn how the work is done. （ C） Offer her bank account details. （ D） Drive the company car. 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
43、 once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） The nighttime and the highest daytime temperatures are close. （ B） Most people feel the weather is too hot to stand. （ C） The nighttime temperature is higher than that in daytime. （ D）
44、Several hot days follow each other for a long time. （ A） Heart disease. （ B） Severe headache. （ C） Heat stress. （ D） Muscle pain. （ A） The temperature may be higher. （ B） Muscle could get hurt. （ C） Conditions could be more serious. （ D） The doctors need time to arrive. （ A） Internet users will Goog
45、le some celebrities. （ B） The growth of Googling oneself wasnt higher. （ C） More and more Americans Google themselves. （ D） Self-Google is demanding around the world. （ A） Someone out of touch. （ B） Missing items. （ C） Job vacancies. （ D） Someone to date. （ A） To look for bankruptcies. （ B） To find
46、contact information. （ C） To get someone elses photos. （ D） To conduct research online. （ A） To make children buy something themselves. （ B） To make children learn to be independent. （ C） To make children know how to earn money. （ D） To make children have a good experience. （ A） How much pocket mone
47、y their children need. （ B） Whether their children know the value of money. （ C） What their children are likely to buy. （ D） Whether their children have a good plan. （ A） Asking their parents for more money. （ B） Stopping spending money for a long time. （ C） Waiting for pocket money for another time
48、. （ D） Making a plan for their pocket money. （ A） Children can learn the process of a business. （ B） Children can receive more pocket money. （ C） Children can understand how hard work is. （ D） Children can help parents share housework. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage t
49、hree 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 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 It is never too early for you to learn about the value of money as a teenag
