1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 708及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Should Private Cars Be Encouraged in China? You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese. 1. 在中国，私人汽车拥有量在增加 2有些人赞成拥有私人汽车，有些人反对拥有私人汽
2、车 3你的观点 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
3、 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 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 pa
4、id by 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
5、 of 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 un
6、it of 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
7、. Anything 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, stampe
8、d coins 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 B
9、esides 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 g
10、o bad. 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
11、. That 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 chang
12、ed over 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 revolutio
13、nary 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 choc
14、olate. 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 w
15、ith 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 Athen
16、s, with 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
17、tools. 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 virtuall
18、y unchanged 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 m
19、oney 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
20、French 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
21、amount 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. Und
22、er this 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,
23、 it 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 tak
24、en to 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 c
25、irculation. 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 o
26、f currency. （ 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 p
27、ower 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
28、value 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 m
29、oney 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 as
30、ked 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） The woman may help David with his project. （ B） David
31、 hasnt even started working on his project yet. （ C） The man has told David to consult an expert on the project. （ D） The woman doesnt know much about accounting, either. （ A） He doesnt want the woman to pay him the money. （ B） He doesnt remember how much the groceries cost. （ C） Picking up grocerie
32、s for the woman is virtually worth nothing. （ D） The woman has forgotten about the concert tickets paid for him last week. （ A） He welcomes the woman telephoning at any time. （ B） He will telephone the woman as often as he can. （ C） He is not that far away if the woman wants to visit. （ D） He doesnt
33、 believe that the woman will really miss him. （ A） She wants to hand in her report as soon as possible. （ B） She cant even decide what she will do tonight. （ C） She will be very likely to go to the symphony with the man. （ D） She cant go to the symphony because of her unfinished report. （ A） She wil
34、l go when she feels better. （ B） She will go in spite of the cold weather. （ C） She wont go since she is not feeling well. （ D） She wont go as she hasnt finished his work （ A） Such a trip is necessary for the company. （ B） The boss has not yet decided where to go. （ C） He is afraid he wont be chosen
35、 for the trip. （ D） Its not certain whether the trip wilt take place. （ A） The doctor is not available until late the next morning. （ B） If the man wants the best doctor he Should try Dr. Noon. （ C） If the man wants a suitable doctor he should wait until 12 oclock. （ D） The doctor who usually handle
36、s these things is not in in the mornings. （ A） The woman should join the chess club. （ B） The woman needs a lot of time to play chess. （ C） He himself is not a very good chess player, either. （ D） Hes willing to teach the woman how to play chess. （ A） 4,000 years ago. （ B） 3,000 years ago. （ C） 2,00
37、0 years ago. （ D） 1,000 years ago. （ A） The small bowl was put above the large bowl. （ B） The large bowl was put above the small bowl. （ C） The small bowl was put inside the large bowl. （ D） The large bowl consisted of two equal parts. （ A） Horsemen. （ B） Brass doors. （ C） Drops of water. （ D） Metal
38、 balls. （ A） To get medical treatment. （ B） To take a final exam. （ C） To find out the exam schedule. （ D） To get an extension for a paper. （ A） He has been ill. （ B） He hasnt yet found a topic. （ C） He was busy studying for the exam. （ D） He didnt know the deadline. （ A） More days will be given. （
39、B） He can hand in the paper next term. （ C） He has to study the course again. （ D） He must hand in the paper as scheduled. （ A） Send a copy to professor Brown. （ B） See Dean Williams later. （ C） Ask the doctor to sign his form. （ D） Visit his professor. Section B Directions: In this section, you wil
40、l 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） In the second half of the 19th century. （ B） In
41、the first half of the 20th century. （ C） In the 1960s. （ D） In the early 1800s. （ A） Movies with sound. （ B） The radio. （ C） Nylon. （ D） The computer. （ A） Improved living conditions. （ B） Many inventions in industry. （ C） New ways to help people get over diseases. （ D） Industrialization in developi
42、ng countries. （ A） Males. （ B） Ethnic males. （ C） White males. （ D） Women. （ A） 40 cents for every dollar. （ B） 58 cents for every dollar. （ C） 65 cents for every dollar. （ D） 76 cents for every dollar. （ A） Work the same number of hours; same education, age and union status; live in different regio
43、ns of the country. （ B） Live in the same region of the country; same age and union status; work same number of hours. （ C） Worked for the government; lived in the same region of the country; education; same age; union status and education. （ D） Work the same number of hours; same age, union status a
44、nd education; lived in the same region of the country. （ A） She didnt want to be a typist. （ B） She was not enthusiastic about typing. （ C） She was not energetic enough to do the job. （ D） She never went to a university. （ A） Because nobody wanted to hire her as a pilot. （ B） Because she wanted to p
45、rove that a woman could fly an airplane. （ C） Her parents didnt want to hire a pilot. （ D） She did not have enough money to hire a pilot. （ A） Vienna. （ B） India. （ C） Baghdad. （ D） Australia. （ A） Reading magazine articles. （ B） Writing research papers. （ C） Reviewing book reports. （ D） Selecting i
46、nformation sources. 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 36 to 43 w
47、ith 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 37 The young man was a French 【 B1】 _, the son of one of the richest and most imp
48、ortant 【 B2】 _ of France. He had heard about the revolution taking place in America. He wanted to go and help. He was only eighteen years old. He was tall, handsome, and a familiar 【 B3】 _ in the high society of Paris. His family tried to stop him. They asked the King of France to throw him into jai
49、l in order to stop him, but the young nobleman had al ready 【 B4】_ his own ship and 【 B5】 _ some young friends to go with him. He 【 B6】_ and came to America. The young man was the Marquis de Lafayette. Upon his arrival, he 【 B7】 _ that no one knew him here. He had been 【 B8】_ that he would be an officer in the American army, 【 B9】 _. He could not go back to France. Instead, he offered to serve as a volunteer without pay. Congress accepted. Later Lafayette met Washin
