1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 889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 in about 120 words to the manager of a department store complaining about the poor quality of the color TV you bought there one month ago. 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and
2、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 contradicts t
3、he information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Holy Squid! Photos Offer First Glimpse of Live Deep-Sea Giant Like something straight out of a Jules Verne novel, an enormous tentacle creature looms out of the inky blackness of the deep Pacifi
4、c waters. But this isnt science fiction. A set of extraordinary images captured by Japanese scientists mark the first-ever record of a live giant squid (Architeuthis) in the wild. The animal-which measures roughly 25 feet (8 meters) long-was photographed 2,950 feet (900 meters) beneath the North Pac
5、ific Ocean. Japanese scientists attracted the squid toward cameras attached to a baited fishing line. The scientists say they snapped more than 500 images of the massive cephalopod before it broke free alter snagging itself on a hook. They also recovered one of the giant squids two longest tentacles
6、, which severed during its struggle. The photo sequence, taken off Japans Ogasawara Islands in September 2004, shows the squid homing in on the baited line and enveloping it in “a ball of tentacles.“ Tsunemi Kubodera of the National Science Museum in Tokyo and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Wat
7、ching Association report their observations this week in the journal proceedings of the Royal Society B. “Architeuthis appears to be a much more active predator than previously suspected, using its elongated feeding tentacles to strike and tangle prey,“ the researchers write. They add that the squid
8、 was found feeding at depths where no light penetrates even during the day. Giant Breakthrough Despite peoples fascination with this deep-sea behemoth, the giant squids life and habits have remained largely a mystery. The little information known has been mostly based on dead and dying specimens tha
9、t were caught by commercial fishing boats or washed ashore. The mysterious creature has inspired countless sea monster tales and has been the subject of various scientific expeditions. Since the mid 1990s there have been a number of research trips in search of giant squid. Cameras attached to deep-d
10、iving subs or sperm whales have been used to try to capture the elusive animals on film, but without success. The Japanese researchers used sperm whales as guides to help them pinpoint likely giant squid haunts. Over the years whalers have reported finding a high number of large squid beaks in the m
11、ammals stomachs, pegging sperm whales as primary predators of large squid. The images are generating considerable excitement among squid experts. “I think its wonderful that weve finally got a picture of a living giant squid,“ said Richard Ellis, a research associate at the American Museum of Natura
12、l History in New York and author of The Search for the Giant Squid. “I thought it would only be a matter of time before someone got images of Architeuthis,“ he added. “After all, its not an endangered species, not even all that rare, and its one of the largest of all invertebrates. So the Japanese f
13、ilm finaly breaks through and renders the statement nobody has ever seen a living giant squid inoperative.“ Squid expert Martin Collins of the British Antarctic Survey based in Cambridge, England, says the new images are a “fantastic“ achievement. The marine biologist says he was skeptical that a de
14、dicated giant squid hunt would succeed. He thought the first wild sighting would probably come by accident. “Fair play to these guys whove made the effort, gone out there and looked in what riley thought was a good area, and found it,“ he said. Hunting for Clues Collins is especially interested in c
15、lues the images might provide to the way giant squid swim and hunt in the deep ocean. “Seeing the animals on film gives you a tremendous insight into how they live down there,“ he said. “It shows they are pretty active animals, and that answers a big question thats been out there for some time.“ Col
16、lins says there were two competing schools of thought among giant squid experts. “One was the idea that giant squid were fairly inactive and just drifted around, dangling their tentacles below them like fishing lures to catch what came by,“ he said. “The other theory was that they were actually quit
17、e active. This new evidence supports this, suggesting they are active predators which can move reasonably quickly.“ “The efforts the squid want to untangle itself from the baited fishing line also shows they are capable of quite strong and rapid movement,“ he added. The study team reports that the s
18、evered tentacle repeatedly gripped the boat deck and crew after it was hauled aboard. The squids tentacles are armed with suckers, each ringed with tiny teeth to help snare prey. Measuring 18 feet (5.5 meters) long, analysis of the tentacle confirmed it came from a giant squid and allowed the resear
19、chers to estimate the total length of the animal. But the researchers caution that their data assume the tentacle was severed at its base. If not, the squid may have been considerably larger. The longest giant squid on record measured 59 feet (18 meters), including its two elongated tentacles. Shedd
20、ing Light on Giant Squid Giant squid, along with their close cousins colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis), have the largest eyes of any animal. “Giant squid do have particularly large eyes, which would suggest vision is important to them. Having a large eye isnt unusual in deep-sea animals-you see it q
21、uite often in fish.“ The fact that the animal caught on film was swimming in total darkness suggests the species detects prey using alternative light source. “The only light down there is likely to be light produced by other animals,“ said Collins of the British Antarctic Survey. The Japanese team t
22、hinks that research techniques similar to their own could be used to bring about more close encounters with giant squid. Ellis of the American Museum of Natural History agrees. “Im sure we can learn a lot from an analysis of these images,“ he said. “And now that we have an idea of where to look for
23、the squid , we will undoubtedly get more pictures.“ 2 The passage talks mainly about the studying of a live giant squid by American scientists. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The giant squid was photographed 2,950 feet beneath the North Pacific Ocean. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 The observations by Tsuaemi Kub
24、odem and Kyoichi Mori was reported in the journal Proceedings of Royal Society B. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The Japanese film is a breakthrough in the study of the giant squids life and habits. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 There are three competing schools of thought among giant squid experts. （ A） Y （ B）
25、N （ C） NG 7 The giant squid are capable of quite strong and rapid movement. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 The longest giant squid on record measured 18 feet. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Giant squid, along with their close cousins colossal squid, have the largest _. 10 The giant squid swimming in total darknes
26、s detects prey using _. 11 The Japanese team thinks that research techniques similar to their own could be used to bring about more _. 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 a
27、sked 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） Reading. （ B） Writing. （ C） Speaking. （ D） Grammar.
28、（ A） At a restaurant. （ B） At a hotel. （ C） At a bank. （ D） At a friends house. （ A） She could help him with the problems. （ B） He should go out for a while. （ C） She could go out together with him. （ D） He should do the problems himself. （ A） After class. （ B） At 11:00. （ C） At 10:00. （ D） At 10:30
29、. （ A） In September. （ B） In July. （ C） In August. （ D） In June. （ A） A cat and a dog. （ B） A cat. （ C） A dog. （ D） Any pet. （ A） The woman enjoyed the TV program. （ B） The man didnt like the TV program. （ C） The woman didnt want to listen to the music. （ D） The man put on a record. （ A） Dentist. （
30、B） Physician. （ C） Physicist. （ D） Surgeon. （ A） Reduce the staff in the company. （ B） Make the house of company in a smaller size. （ C） Reduce the business of the company. （ D） None of the above. （ A） Find a new job. （ B） Explore a new field. （ C） Stop job-seeking for companies and be a freelance(自
31、由职业者 ). （ D） None of the above. （ A） It will enable him to work all over the world. （ B） He will have his own office. （ C） Start a new career to explore his potentials. （ D） It can spare extra time to be with his family. （ A） A landscape artist. （ B） A teacher. （ C） A student. （ D） A school registra
32、r. （ A） Write a book. （ B） Attend an afternoon meeting. （ C） Enroll in another class. （ D） Go to the art museum. （ A） A textbook. （ B） Some paintbrushes. （ C） A bouquet of flowers. （ D） Some drawings. （ A） Encouraged. （ B） Annoyed. （ C） Surprised. （ D） Confused. Section B Directions: In this section
33、, 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） Attention problems. （ B） Participating
34、problems. （ C） Communication problems. （ D） Speaking problems. （ A） They cannot sit still or control their actions. （ B） They cannot talk fluently. （ C） They cannot study well. （ D） They cannot express their ideas well. （ A） The new study confirmed earlier findings. （ B） The new study is important,
35、but needs to be confirmed. （ C） The new study is important, and welcomed by educators. （ D） Children who watch ranch TV at the age of 7 have attention problems. （ A） About 3500 B.C. （ B） Long before history was written. （ C） When there was history record. （ D） About 4500 B.C. （ A） They thought milk
36、had great healing power. （ B） They thought milk could make their skin paler. （ C） They thought milk could stop beards growing. （ D） They rubbed bread soaked in milk on their faces. （ A） A Roman queen took a milk bath every day. （ B） A Greek queen took a milk bath every day. （ C） A German queen kept
37、500 cows. （ D） A Roman doctor used milk to cure illness. （ A） Leaves. （ B） Herbs. （ C） Fruit. （ D） Human. 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 rea
38、d 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
39、 the 33 In todays America, more and more educators have realized that computer ability is【 B1】 _necessary for college students. Many even argue that each incoming【 B2】_should have his or her own computer. What【 B3】 _do computers offer the college students? Some students will say that one【 B4】 _reaso
40、n for using a computer is to write papers. Although not all students feel comfortable typing a word and deleting it just by pressing a few keys, computers are really【 B5】 _for us. Furthermore, since the revision process is less of a burden, some students are more likely to【 B6】 _as much as possible.
41、 For these reasons, many freshman English courses in the USA【 B7】 _students to use computer to do homework. Science students take advantage of computers in many ways. Using computer graphic capabilities, for example, medical students can learn to【 B8】 _computerized images of internal body structures
42、. And【 B9】 _. Similarly, business and accounting students find that computer spreadsheet programs are necessary for many aspects of their work, while【 B10】_. Education majors learn to develop grading systems by using computers, and social science students use computers for analyzing and displaying t
43、heir research results.【 B11】 _. 34 【 B1】 35 【 B2】 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 ba
44、nk 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 each item with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. 44 Can mo
45、ney buy happiness? Yes,【 47】 the authors of a new study-but only up to a point. Psychology has shown that richer people generally rank the overall quality of their lives more【 48】 than poorer people do. At the same time, their actual happiness seems to be【 49】 less by their ability to buy more than
46、by being able to keep up with those with comparable resources in their own age group. “Our findings point to the possibility that, rather than promoting overall happiness, continued income growth could【 50】 an ongoing consumption race where people have to consume more and more, just to maintain a【 5
47、1】 level of happiness,“ writes Glenn Firebaugh of Pennsylvania State University. The study was【 52】 at the American Sociological Associations 100th Annual Meeting. Whether the rich are happier as a whole than their less【 53】 fellows is becoming an increasingly hot topic for debate. Recent years have
48、【 54】 many writings on the “science of happiness. “ Richer people are happier because money can help purchase goods and services and it is the【 55】 of these materials that increases ones enjoyment of life and ones sense of well-being. Firebaugh and his colleagues measured the age, total family incom
49、e, and general happiness of【 56】 aged 20 to 54, generally considered the working lifespan (工作寿命 ) for most Americans. Regardless of such standards as physical health, education, and marital status (婚姻状况 ), peoples happiness was affected by what others earned. The higher the income of others in ones age group, the lower ones happiness. A) constant B) wealthy C) claim D) deny E) motivated F) consumption G) consequently H) implement I) a
