1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 703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 On College Students Renting Houses Outside Campus. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below: 1. 眼下大学生在外租房居住的现象十分普遍 2. 对比分析在外租房居住和住在学校宿舍的利弊 3. 我
2、的看法 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
3、 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 Currency seems like a very simple idea. Its only money, after all, and thats just what we use to buy the things we want and need. We get paid b
4、y our employers, and we use that money to pay tile bills, buy our food, and purchase goods and services. We might put some in a savings account at the bank or invest it in stocks or real estate, but for the most part, currency seems like a fairly straightforward concept. In fact, the development of
5、currency has shaped human civilization. Currency has stopped wars, and it has started many more. Cities and nations as we know them would not exist without it. It is difficult to overstate the importance of currency in modem life. Currency as Substitute Currency, or money, can be defined as a unit o
6、f purchasing power. It is a medium of exchange, a substitute for goods or services. It doesnt have to be the coins or bills with which youre probably most familiar. In fact, through the ages, everything from large stone wheels, knives, slabs of salt, and even human beings have been used as money. An
7、ything that people agree represents value is currency. For example, if you have one barrel of wheat, and you want a cow, without currency you have to find someone who not only has a cow, but also wants a barrel of wheat and will agree to the trade. Now, if you live in a place where round, stamped co
8、ins are widely considered to have a certain value and can be exchanged for other things, then you just have to find someone who needs wheat. That person will take the wheat in exchange for an agreed-upon amount of coins which you can later use to buy a cow from someone else. Currency as Wealth Besid
9、es serving as a substitute in trades, moneys other important use is as a store of wealth. In a straight barter system, the commodities being traded are generally perishable. You can gather tons and tons of wheat by making shrewd trade deals, but if you try to save the wheat, it will eventually go ba
10、d. Money allows people to accumulate wealth. This had an enormous impact on civilization, because it meant that power wouldnt always be passed through families. People who had been excluded from any possibility of holding political power could amass wealth through trade or by providing a service. Th
11、at wealth could then be used to purchase political or even military power. So money made civilization more democratic by taking some power out of the hands of noble families that had monopolized it for hundreds of years. Forms of Currency: Commodity The forms and functions of currency have changed o
12、ver the last 3,000 years or so, generally falling into four categories: Commodity currency Coins Paper money Electronic currency Commodity Currency The development of commodity-based currency systems represents more of a blurring between barter systems and later currency systems than a revolutionary
13、 change. In a commodity system, the money used is not only a “place-holder“ for purchasing power, but it is something that has an inherent value by itself. A good example of a commodity system is the one used by the Aztecs. They placed great value on cacao beans, which could be used to make chocolat
14、e. The beans were small and easy to carry, so they were often used to balance out or make change in barter agreements. Forms of Currency: Coins The first coins were minted in Lydia, an ancient empire in the area of modem Turkey. The Lydian king Croesus started making small metal ingots stamped with
15、an imperial emblem around 640 B. C. This Lydian custom spread to the Greeks and eventually to the Romans. Coins were usually made of silver or gold, and their value was enforced by the authority of the government that issued them. If the Athenian officials declared that all coins minted in Athens, w
16、ith the official stamp of Athens, were 97 percent silver, then those coins would be traded at that value. In China, coins developed at about the same time that they did in the West. In the fifth century B. C. , the Chinese began using a form of commodity currency in the shape of knives or other tool
17、s. The metal blades had a round hole at one end, so the money could be strung onto a rod or rope. Eventually, the tools became more stylized. Over the years, they became smaller and smaller, until only the round end with a hole in it was left. These round, pierced Chinese coins remained virtually un
18、changed until the 1800s. Forms of Currency: Paper Paper money was developed first by the Chinese, who used stag skins, bark, or parchment marked with the imperial seal as “bills of payment.“ The penalty for counterfeiting was death. Paper money had trouble gaining acceptance in Europe. Leather money
19、 was used around 1100, but only as a temporary substitute when silver supplies ran low. A Swedish bank issued paper money in 1661, but they eventually flooded the market with it, and it lost its value. The use of paper money really caught on in Europe in the 1700s, when the official bank of the Fren
20、ch government began issuing paper money. The idea came from goldsmiths, who often gave people bills of receipt for their gold. The bills could be exchanged for the gold at a later date. Thats an important fact in the development of paper money, because it means that the money represented a real amou
21、nt of gold or silver that actually existed somewhere. A piece of money was actually a promise from the institution that issued it( either a government or a bank)that the institution would give the holder of the hill a certain amount of gold or silver from its stockpile whenever he wanted it. Under t
22、his kind of system, the money is said to be “backed by gold.“ With a few temporary exceptions, during wars or other emergencies, all currency in the world was backed by a real supply of precious metal until 1971. Forms of Currency: Electronic Since money is really just a representation of value, it
23、didnt take long for people to realize they could just send information about money by telegraph or other electronic means, and it was just as “real“ as sending the money itself. After World War , banks would record information about the days transactions onto large magnetic reels, which were taken t
24、o the regional Federal Reserve Bank. This system eliminated the need for the large denominations that were printed prior to the war to facilitate these large-scale transfers. Today, the $ 500, $1,000, $ 5,000, and $10,000 bills printed during this period are very rare, though some are still in circu
25、lation. Later, wire connections were established between the banks, so the transfer information could be sent directly. By the early 1990s, all transfers between banks and the Federal Reserve were clone electronically. 2 This passage gives a general description of the development and functions of cu
26、rrency. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 In history human beings, as well as many other things, have served as money. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 Money allows people to accumulate wealth because they can save as much wheat as they like. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 People can purchase political or even military power
27、 because it is always passed through families. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 The forms and functions of money have remained more or less the same over the past 3,000 years. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 In a commodity system, the money can not only be used to purchase something, but it also has an inherent valu
28、e by itself. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 The coins minted in Lydia were originally in circulation among the imperial army. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 The Chinese began using commodity currency in the shape of knives or other tools in_. 10 The official bank of the French government began issuing paper money
29、 in _. 11 People realized they could send information about money by telegraph or other electronic means since money is just a _. 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
30、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 which is the best answer. （ A） Whether to ask for a raise. （ B） Whether to buy a new hou
31、se. （ C） Whether to employ the woman. （ D） Whether to take up the new job. （ A） The woman enjoys traveling a lot. （ B） The man and the woman are husband and wife. （ C） The womans experience during her last trip was not very pleasant. （ D） The woman cannot decide whether to go to New Orleans or stay
32、at home. （ A） She hopes his recovery will continue quickly enough for the game. （ B） She thinks he needs to exercise a lot if he wishes to compete. （ C） She thinks he should take it easy or otherwise he may not be able to compete. （ D） She hopes his back will get into shape in time for the game. （ A
33、） It looks exactly like Susan. （ B） It makes Susan look older than she really is. （ C） It makes Susan look younger than she really is. （ D） It makes Susan look better than she looks in person. （ A） The airport is closed due to bad weather. （ B） The flight is following its regular schedule. （ C） The
34、plane will return to its point of departure. （ D） An earlier closure affected the airports schedule. （ A） They both enjoyed watching the game. （ B） People were surprised at their winning the game. （ C） They both felt good about the results of the game. （ D） The man thought the results were beyond th
35、eir expectations. （ A） The location of the session has been changed. （ B） She will definitely go to the session this evening. （ C） Shell probably be too tired to walk to the session. （ D） The session might be canceled because of a heavy snow. （ A） He thinks it is difficult to get fuel for the car. （
36、 B） He can manage to get the gasoline they need. （ C） He doesnt think it necessary to refuel the car. （ D） He hopes the woman will help him select a fuel. （ A） The problems of environment pollution. （ B） A material which can save fuel. （ C） The installation of pollution filters. （ D） The way to spra
37、y a coat on the engines. （ A） Soft and yellow. （ B） Hard and red. （ C） Medium and blue. （ D） Medium and red. （ A） 1.40. （ B） 2.80. （ C） 0.89. （ D） 1.78. （ A） 4.20. （ B） 2.80. （ C） 2.29. （ D） 1.78. （ A） Cars Magazine. （ B） Readers Digest. （ C） Neither of them. （ D） Both of them. Section B Directions:
38、 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 mother does not enj
39、oy the performance of her son. （ B） The mother does not like to communicate with her son. （ C） The mother does not like her son. （ D） The mother is short of emotions towards her son. （ A） His father knows how to show respect for his son. （ B） His father knows little about how to educate his son. （ C
40、） His father is the best father in the world. （ D） His father shows little emotion to his son. （ A） To cause the depression. （ B） To create fulfilled, creative adults. （ C） To create intelligent exam-takers. （ D） To love conditionally on performance. （ A） They think they should follow the current tr
41、end. （ B） Nursing homes are well-equipped and convenient. （ C） Adult day-care centers are easily accessible. （ D） They have jobs and other commitments. （ A） They dont want to use up all their life savings. （ B） They fear they will regret it afterwards. （ C） They would like to spend more time with th
42、em. （ D） They dont want to see their husbands poorly treated. （ A） Provide professional standard care. （ B） Be affectionate and cooperative. （ C） Be frank and seek help from others. （ D） Make full use of community facilities. （ A） The consequence of stress. （ B） The negative effect of stress. （ C） T
43、he realities of stress. （ D） The positive effect of stress. （ A） By finding out how to get rid of it. （ B） By exercising vigorously. （ C） By getting more of it. （ D） By getting the right amount of it. （ A） Health. （ B） Training. （ C） A disaster. （ D） Music. （ A） Teach people how to reduce stress. （
44、B） Teach people where stress comes from. （ C） Teach people how to use stress effectively. （ D） Teach people how to be more productive. 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
45、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
46、have just heard or write down the 34 The first flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia in the spring of 1981 was a revolutionary development in space【 B1】 _. Unlike the rockets of the previous 20 years, Columbia has the【 B2】 _advantage of being specially designed to return to earth and make【 B3】 _fligh
47、ts. Among the large number of projects scientists are【 B4】 _for its future use, the most exciting, perhaps, is that the first steps can now be taken towards【 B5】 _human【 B6】 _in space. The present Space Shuttle can only stay in space for about a week, but it could take people out to【 B7】_ “islands“
48、where they stay for longer periods. By the year 2050, scientists estimate that man will be able to construct permanent【 B8】 _ The first “islands“ would be energy stations.【 B9】 _. However, if the original could【 B10】 _, allowing the Space Shuttle to refuel and stay in orbit longer periods of time. I
49、f this initial project was successful, much larger solar energy stations would be constructed later with materials brought out by the Shuttle. 【 B11】 _. 35 【 B1】 36 【 B2】 37 【 B3】 38 【 B4】 39 【 B5】 40 【 B6】 41 【 B7】 42 【 B8】 43 【 B9】 44 【 B10】 45 【 B11】 Section A Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage throu
