1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 833及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a letter of complaint. You should write at least 120 words based on the following situation given below in Chinese: 你到书店买书，对书店导购员的服务态度不满意； 你写信给书店经理投诉。 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimmi
2、ng 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 passage; N (for NO) if the statement contra
3、dicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 The Ancient Greek Olympics Todays Olympic Games are based on what took place at Olympia, in Greece, nearly three millennia ago. What were the ancient Olympics like, and how different were
4、 they from those of modern times? Origins Traditionally it has always been said that the Games started at Olympia in 776 BC, about the time that Homer was born. But for several centuries before that date Olympia had been a cult(祭祀仪式 ) site for the worship of Zeus, a numinous (精神上的 ) location away fr
5、om human dwellings, overlooked by a hill, with the sacred River Alph flowing through it. What was it that caused people to change from honouring Zeus solely with dedicatory offerings, to honouring him through athletics? Several factors seem to have been involved. One is the rise of the Greek polls(城
6、邦 ), or city-state. As city-states in different locations grew, each wanted a means of asserting its supremacy, so would send representatives to Olympia to become supreme in physical competition. Connected with this is the development of military training. The Games were an attractive means of getti
7、ng men fit. Another factor is the traditional Greek view that the gods championed a winner, so by establishing a competition aimed at producing supreme winners, they were thereby asserting the power and influence on humans of the supreme god, Zeus. Earliest Races For the first 13 Olympics there was
8、only one event, the stadium race, which was a running race up one length of the stadium. How long this race was is a matter for conjecture(猜想 ), as the ancient stadium, 192 meters long, visible at Olympia now, did not exist then. Boxing, wrestling, and the pancration (the all-power race, combining a
9、ll types of physical attack) soon followed, along with the pentathlon (五项全能 ), and horse-and-chariot racing. A race while wearing armour was introduced in 520 BC, and even a mule race ( in 500 BC, but it was not generally popular). Religion and Politics Religion pervaded the ancient Olympics. Zeus w
10、as thought to look down on the competitors, favouring some and denying victory to others. You could spur on a man with natural talent to strive to wards great glory with the help of the gods, says Pindar in a victory-ode. If an athlete was fined for cheating or bribery (human nature stays much the s
11、ame over a few millennia) , the money exacted was used to make a cult statue of Zeus. A grand sacrifice of 100 oxen was made to Zeus during the Games. Olympia was home to one of Greeces great oracles, an oracle to Zeus, with an altar to him consisting of the bonfire-heap created by burnt sacrificial
12、 offerings. As the offerings were burnt, they were examined by a priest, who pronounced an oracle - an enigmatic and often ambiguous prediction of the future - according to his interpretation of what he saw. Some athletes consulted the oracle to learn what their chances in the Games were. The Greeks
13、 tried to keep some aspects of politics out of the Olympics, but their efforts met then, as such efforts do now, with limited success. The Olympic truce was meant to lead to a cessation of hostilities throughout Greece, to allow competitors to travel and participate safely, but it was not al ways ob
14、served. And it is clear from the victory odes of Pindar and Bacchylides that the Sicilian tyrants in the fifth century aimed to strengthen their grip on affairs by competing in the equestrian events at the Games, and by commissioning famous poets to compose and publicly perform odes celebrating thei
15、r victories. Nakedness and Women Sow naked, plough naked, harvest naked, the poet Hesiod ( a contemporary of Homer) advises. He might have added compete in the Games naked , for that is usually understood to be the standard practice among the ancient Greeks. Some dispute this, for although the visua
16、l evidence for it - the painted decorations on vases - generally shows athletes performing naked, all sorts of other people (e. g. soldiers departing for war, which they would presumably have done clothed) are also shown unclad. Also, some vases do show runners and boxers wearing loin-cloths, and Th
17、ucydides says that athletes stopped wearing such garments only shortly before his time. Another argument is that it must have been impractical to compete naked. On balance, however, it is generally thought probable that male athletes were naked when competing at the Games. Women did not participate
18、at the main Olympic festival. They had their own Games, in honour of Hera, where the sole event was a run of five-sixths of the length of the stadium - which would have preserved in male opinion the inferior status of women. Whether women could even watch the festival is disputed. Unmarried virgins,
19、 not soiled by sex or motherhood and thus maintaining the religious purity of the occasion, probably could. Festivals (and, for example, funerals) were among the limited occasions when women, especially virgins, or parthenoi, had a public role. At the Games unmarried girls, besides helping with the
20、running of the festival, may have taken the opportunity to find a fit future husband. Athletics Fans and Haters Not all Greeks admired athletes. It isnt right to judge strength as better than good wisdom, writes Xenophanes (sixth to fifth century BC). Just because someone has won an Olympic victory,
21、 he says, they wont improve the city. The tragedian Euripides expressed similar sentiments in his play Autolycus, now only surviving in fragments. In it he describes how athletes are slaves to their stomachs, but they cant look after themselves, and although they glisten like statues when in their p
22、rime, become like tattered old car pets in old age. Galen, physician and polymath of the first century AD, also attacked athletics as un natural and excessive. He thought that athletes eat too much, sleep too much and put their bodies through too much. But in the end the detractors of athletics lost
23、 out to the sympathisers. The person who most idealised tile Olympics was Pindar, from Thebes, midway between Delphi and Athens. Pindar composed odes for victors at the Olympic and other Games in the fifth century BC, comparing their achievements to those of the great heroes of the past - such as He
24、racles or Achilles - thus raising them to an almost divine level. He thought that, though mortals, their superhuman feats of strength had temporarily elevated them to another realm and given them a taste of incomparable bliss. For the rest of his life the victor enjoys a honey-sweet calm, he writes.
25、 For Pindar, the Olympics stood out among the Games. Water is best; gold like fire that is burning during the night is conspicuous outshining great wealth; but if, my heart, you desire song to celebrate the Games, look no further than the sun for an other radiant star hotter in the empty day-time sk
26、y, nor let us proclaim a contest better than Olympia. 2 The earliest Olympic Games started 3,000 years ago at Olympia. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The original purpose of Olympia is to be used as a playground for choosing the best athletes. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The original running race is about 12 m
27、eters long. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 There is a fine for those who cheat in the Games. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Good athletes would not consult the oracle to know if they will win or not. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 The Greeks managed to get politics out of the Olympics. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 Women coul
28、d neither participate nor watch at the main Olympic Festival. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Xenophanes considered that it wasnt right to judge strength as better than _. 10 Galen attacked athletics as _. 11 Pindar admires victors greatly, raising them to an almost _. Section A Directions: In this section,
29、 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 will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the fo
30、ur choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） He was offered a movie ticket. （ B） He received a traffic ticket. （ C） He worked very carefully. （ D） He drove carelessly. （ A） They had a misunderstanding four years ago. （ B） They really like each other very much. （ C） They
31、ve been angry with each other for a long time. （ D） Theyve never learned how to express their feelings. （ A） Run in town. （ B） Jog more carefully. （ C） Buy shoes from a catalog. （ D） Find an easier place to exercise. （ A） He needs a long-sleeved shirt. （ B） It doesnt fit him very well. （ C） He hasnt
32、 had time to try it on yet. （ D） He is not sure he likes the style. （ A） Buy some stamps. （ B） Wait for the postman. （ C） Mail the letter himself. （ D） Deliver a package to the postman. （ A） He likes the black and white sweater. （ B） He doesnt like either sweater. （ C） He likes the white dress. （ D）
33、 He likes both of the sweater. （ A） Buy something for the picnic. （ B） Go for a ride around town. （ C） Go shopping with the man. （ D） Have a picnic. （ A） In a kitchen. （ B） In a market. （ C） In a garden. （ D） At a picnic. （ A） To invite him to a cookout. （ B） To ask if she can borrow his car. （ C） T
34、o tell him about a trip she took. （ D） To convince him to go on a canoe trip. （ A） Food. （ B） A sleeping bag. （ C） A canoe. （ D） A tent. （ A） Because she will tell him what time they are leaving. （ B） Because she will ask him whether his car is available. （ C） Because she will find out what kind of
35、food he is bringing. （ D） Because she will find out whether he wants to go canoeing. （ A） Different countries. （ B） Income, race and age. （ C） Americans. （ D） Both men and women who are interested in lt. （ A） Most African Americans belong to lower wage groups. （ B） Asian Americans belong to a higher
36、 income group than white Americans. （ C） All the local Americans belong to the highest income group. （ D） Hispanic Americans earn more than African Americans. （ A） Technology site. （ B） Medical care site. （ C） Financial site. （ D） Ethnic problents site. （ A） Buy a computer. （ B） Go online. （ C） Stud
37、y the income gap among different ethnic groups. （ D） Study the gender divide. 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 once. After you hear a question, you m
38、ust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） The longest street in the world. （ B） An advertisement on TV. （ C） A place of interest. （ D） A TV program. （ A） Children have learned a lot from watching it. （ B） It is very popular around the world because it is funny. （ C）
39、 Only American children like watching it. （ D） Teachers dont think it is helpful to children. （ A） Educational ideas of its creators. （ B） Creation in TV tricks. （ C） Motivating children to learn more. （ D） Popular stars liked by children. （ A） She didnt want to be a typist. （ B） She was not energet
40、ic enough to do the job. （ C） She was not enthusiastic about typing. （ D） She never went to a university. （ A） Because nobody wanted to hire her as a pilot. （ B） Because she wanted to prove that a woman could fly an airplane. （ C） Her parents didnt want to hire a pilot. （ D） She did not have enough
41、money to hire a pilot. （ A） Vienna. （ B） Baghdad. （ C） India. （ D） Australia. （ A） As a French translator while stationed in Paris. （ B） While serving in the army. （ C） As a dramatist in the American theater. （ D） His college life. （ A） Three years. （ B） Almost four years. （ C） Two years. （ D） Three
42、 years and one semester. （ A） At least three. （ B） Four. （ C） Only two foreign languages. （ D） At least two. （ A） To assign a person poorly. （ B） To assign language translators. （ C） To assign a person in their best language. （ D） To assign a person a job that is not consistent with his best qualifi
43、cations. 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 with the exa
44、ct 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 As we know, it is very important that a firm should pay attention to the training of its
45、staff as there exist many weak parts in its 【 B1】 _ departments. Staff training must have a purpose, which is 【 B2】 _ when a firm considers its training needs, which are in turn based on job descriptions and job specifications. A job description should give 【 B3】 _ of the performance that is require
46、d for a 【 B4】 _ job, and a job specification should give information about the 【 B5】 _ , knowledge and skills that are 【 B6】 _ of an employee who works in it. When all of this has been collected, it is possible to make a training specification. This 【 B7】 _ what the Training Department must teach fo
47、r the successful performance of the job, and also the best methods to use in the training 【 B8】 _ There are many different training methods, and there are advantages and disadvantages of all of them. 【 B9】 _ It is frequently said that learning about skills takes place “off the job“ in the classroom,
48、 but 【 B10】 _ It is always difficult to evaluate the costs and savings of a training programme. The success of such a programme depends not only on the methods used but also on the quality of the staff who do the training. 【 B11】 _ The evaluation of management training is much more complex than that
49、. 37 【 B1】 38 【 B2】 39 【 B3】 40 【 B4】 41 【 B5】 42 【 B6】 43 【 B7】 44 【 B8】 45 【 B9】 46 【 B10】 47 【 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 through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for
