1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 846及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write A Letter of Application. You should write at least 120 words according to the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 所修专业、学习成绩 2. 英语水平 3. 能力及业余爱好 A Letter of Application 二、 Part II Reading Comprehens
2、ion (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 passage; N (for NO) if the state
3、ment contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Right and Left-handedness in Humans Why do humans, virtually alone among all animal species, display a distinct left-or right-handedness? Not even our closest relatives among t
4、he apes possess such decided lateral asymmetry (不对称 ), as psychologists call it. Yet about 90 percent of every human population that has ever lived appears to have been right-handed. Professor Bryan Turner at Deakin University has studied the research literature on left-handedness and found that han
5、dedness goes with sidedness. So nine out of ten people are right-handed and eight are right-footed. He noted that this distinctive asymmetry in the human population is itself systematic. Humans think in categories: black and white, up and down, left and fight. Its a system of signs that enables us t
6、o categorize phenomena that are essentially ambiguous (含糊不清的 ). Research has shown that there is genetic or inherited element to handedness. But while left- handedness tends to run in families, neither left nor fight handers will automatically produce off- spring with the same handedness; in fact ab
7、out 6 percent of children with two fight-handed parents will be left-handed. However, among two left-handed parents, perhaps 40 percent of the children will also be left-handed. With one fight and one left-handed parent, 15 to 20 percent of the offspring will be left-handed. Even among identical twi
8、ns who have exactly the same genes, one in six pairs will differ in their handedness. What then makes people left-handed if it is not simply genetic? Other factors must be at work and researchers have turned to the brain for clues. In .the 1860s the French surgeon and anthropologist (人类学家 ), Dr. Pau
9、l Broca, made the remarkable finding that patients who had lost their powers of speech as a result of a stroke (a blood clot in the brain) had paralysis (瘫痪 ) of the right half of their body. He noted that since the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right half of the body, and vice versa, th
10、e brain damage must have been in the brains left hemisphere, Psychologists now believe that among right handed people, probably 95 percent have their language centre in the left hemisphere, while 5 percent have right-sided language. Left-handers, however, do not show the reverse pattern but instead
11、a majority also have left hemisphere language. Dr. Brinkman, a brain researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, has suggested that evolution of speech went with right-handed preference. According to Brinkman, as the brain evolved, one side became specialized for free control of mo
12、vement (necessary for producing speech) and along with this evolution came right-hand preference. According to Brinkman, most left-handers have left hemisphere dominance but also some capacity in the right hemisphere. She has observed that if a left-handed person is brain-damaged in the left hemisph
13、ere, the recovery of speech is quite often better and this is explained by the fact that left-handers have a more bilateral (双边的 ) speech function. In her studies of macaque (猕猴 ) monkeys, Brinkman has noticed that primates (monkeys) seem to learn a hand preference from their mother in the first yea
14、r of life but this could be one hand or the other. In humans, however, the specialization in function of the two hemispheres results in anatomical (人体的 ) differences; areas that are involved with the production of speech are usually larger on the left side than on the right. Since monkeys have not a
15、cquired the art of speech, one would not expect to see such a variation but Brinkman claims to have discovered a trend in monkeys towards the asymmetry that is evident in the human brain, Two American researchers, Geschwind and Galaburda, studied the brains of human embryos and discovered that the l
16、eft-right asymmetry exists before birth. But as the brain develops, a number of things can affect it. Every brain is initially female in its organization and it only becomes a male brain when the male foetus (胎儿 ) begins to secrete hormones, Geschwind and Galaburda knew that different parts of the b
17、rain mature at different rates; the right hemisphere develops first, then the left. Moreover, a girls brain develops somewhat faster than that of a boy. So, if something happens to the brains development during pregnancy, it is more likely to be affected in a male and the hemisphere more likely to b
18、e involved is the left. The brain may become, less lateralized (单侧性的 ) and this in turn could result in left-handedness and the development of certain superior skills that have their origins in the left hemisphere such as logic, rationality and abstraction. It should be no surprise then that among m
19、athematicians and architects, left-handers tend to be more common and there are more left-handed males than females. The results of this research may be some consolation to left-handers who have for centuries lived in a world designed to suit right-handed people. However, what is alarming, according
20、 to Mr. Charles Moore, a writer and journalist, is the way the word “right“ reinforces its own virtue. Subliminally, he says, language tells people to think that anything on the right can be trusted while anything on the left is dangerous or even sinister (险恶的 ). However, as more research is underta
21、ken on the causes of left handedness, attitudes towards left-handed people are gradually changing for the better. Indeed when the champion tennis player Ivan Lendl was asked what the single thing improve his game, he said he would like to become a left-hander. 2 On the whole, right-handed people mak
22、e up about 90 percent of human population. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 If two parents are both left-handed, the possibility that their children will also be left-handed increases. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 Identical twins have exactly the same genes and therefore they are the same in their handedness. （ A
23、） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 Psychologists have found that most left-handers have their language center in the right half of the brain. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 The right and the left sides of human brain play equal role in terms of the production of speech. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 In general, left-handers a
24、re more likely to succeed in their careers. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 For quite a long time, there has been a negative attitude towards left-handed people. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 With one right and one left-handed parent,_ of the children will be left-handed. 10 Left-handers are more common to be fou
25、nd among_. 11 Today, peoples attitude towards left-handers is changing_. 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 and the questi
26、ons 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） Before the man bought a new house. （ B） After the man and the woman talked about the purchase for the first time.
27、（ C） After the man bought a new house. （ D） After the man has given up looking for a new house. （ A） She says she doesnt mind if the man carries the case. （ B） She is angry when the man offers to carry the case. （ C） She refuses the help. （ D） She thanks the man and accepts his offer. （ A） Avoid the
28、 party. （ B） Attend the party （ C） Go home. （ D） Repeat himself. （ A） Mostly English. （ B） Japanese. （ C） Chinese. （ D） Each language about half the time. （ A） 45 （ B） 35 （ C） 32 （ D） 22 （ A） In a restaurant. （ B） In a bar. （ C） On a jet. （ D） On an oceanliner. （ A） Doctor and patient. （ B） Passenge
29、r and bus driver. （ C） Customer and merchant. （ D） Boss and secretary. （ A） Changing her clothes. （ B） Driving her car. （ C） Having a meal. （ D） Typing an essay. （ A） The problems of environment pollution. （ B） A material which can save fuel. （ C） The installation of pollution filters. （ D） The way
30、to spray a coat on the engines. （ A） A 1983 Toyota. （ B） A 1982 Toyota. （ C） A 1983 Bens. （ D） A 1982 Benz. （ A） Dark blue. （ B） Dark green. （ C） White. （ D） Black. （ A） $4,050. （ B） $4,150. （ C） $4,500. （ D） $5,400. （ A） He wants to make an appointment. （ B） He wants to visit his friend. （ C） He wa
31、nts to inquire about the car. （ D） He wants to invite his friend for a meal. 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 mu
32、st choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） To show his friendliness to her. （ B） To show his interest in reading. （ C） To tell her about the importance of the UN. （ D） To let her write her name and address inside. （ A） Pleased. （ B） Surprised. （ C） Satisfied. （ D） Wor
33、ried. （ A） An official of the UN. （ B） A coffee shop owner. （ C） A friend of the authors. （ D） Alexs friend from California. 28 How does the speaker feel about Tokyo? （ A） Convenient. （ B） Clean. （ C） Crowded. （ D） Lovely. 29 Why is it difficult to walk in the streets near Ginza? （ A） There are too
34、many people. （ B） People are impolite. （ C） The streets are not wide enough. （ D） Every one is in a rush. （ A） In the first semester. （ B） In the second semester. （ C） In the third semester. （ D） In the fourth semester. （ A） She is ill. （ B） She is too old. （ C） Her husband wants her to. （ D） Her hu
35、sband is ill. （ A） His sister. （ B） His mother. （ C） His girlfriend. （ D） His cousin. （ A） He has decided to continue his studies. （ B） He has still to make a decision. （ C） He has decided to give up his job. （ D） He has still to take a part-time job. Section C Directions: In this section, you will
36、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 exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44
37、 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 33 Its nearly midnight in the big city. But the big city is not【 B1】 _. The sidewalks are crowded with people. Some are【 B2】 _the movies, the plays,
38、and the concerts. Some are stopping to look in the bright store windows. Some are waiting for buses and taxis. The【 B3】 _are filled with people. The hotels are filled with【 B4】 _and businessmen who have come from all over the world. Many people work at night in the big city. Bright lights are shinin
39、g from the windows of the tall buildings. In newspaper offices, reporters are【 B5】 _up their stories and editors are【 B6】 _over their copy. In hospitals, night nurses are making their usual【 B7】 _. In the fire stations, an【 B8】 _is waking up the firemen. A fire has just broken out somewhere in the b
40、ig city.【 B9】 _.Taxis are taking tired people from the airport and the railroad stations to the hotels.【 B10】 _.Trucks are bringing fresh fruit and vegetables into the city. Ships loaded with food and fuel are tied up at the dock.【 B11】 _.But they are never deserted in the big city. 34 【 B1】 35 【 B2
41、】 36 【 B3】 37 【 B4】 38 【 B5】 39 【 B6】 40 【 B7】 41 【 B8】 42 【 B9】 43 【 B10】 44 【 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
42、gh carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. 44 One important cause of the generation gap in the US is
43、 the opportunity that young people have to【 S1】 _their own life-styles. In more【 S2】 _societies, when children grow up, they are expected to live in the【 S3】 _area as their parents, to marry people that their parents know and approve of, and often to continue the family occupation. In our society, y
44、oung people often travel great distances for their education,【 S4】 _out of the family home at an early age, marry-or live with-people whom their parents have【 S5】 _met and choose occupations【 S6】 _from those of their parents. In our upwardly mobile society, parents often【 S7】 _their children to do b
45、etter than riley did: to find better jobs, to make more money, and to do all the things that they were unable to do. Often, however, the【 S8】 _that parents have for their children are another cause of the division between them. Often, they discover that they have very little in【 S9】 _with each other
46、. Finally, the speed at which changes take place in our society is another cause of the gap between the generations. In a traditional culture,【 S10】 _people are valued for their wisdom, but in our society the knowledge of a lifetime may become obsolete overnight. The young and the old seem to live i
47、n two very different worlds, separated by different skills and abilities. Word Bank A)expect I)ambitions B)modern J)elderly C)move K)traditional D)object L)wonder E)choose M)never F)different N)same G)common O)young H)ever 45 【 S1】 46 【 S2】 47 【 S3】 48 【 S4】 49 【 S5】 50 【 S6】 51 【 S7】 52 【 S8】 53 【
48、S9】 54 【 S10】 Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice. 55 Most people can remember a phone number for up to thir
49、ty seconds. When this short amount of time passes, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short term memory (STM) does so via the sensory(感觉中枢的 )storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimulation that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM
