1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 909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: Styles of Living. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1有些人愿意和父母居住在一起 2 有些人想自己独立居住 3我的看法 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension
2、(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 statement
3、 contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Landfills You have just finished your meal at a fast food restaurant and you throw your uneaten food, food wrappers, drink cups, utensils and napkins into the trash can. You dont t
4、hink about that waste again. On trash pickup day in your neighborhood, you push your can out to the curb, and workers dump the contents into a big truck and haul it away. You dont have to think about that waste again, either. But maybe you have wondered, as you watch the trash truck pull away, just
5、where that garbage ends up. Americans generate trash at an astonishing rate of four pounds per day per person, which translates to 600.000 tons per day or 210 million tons per year! This is almost twice as much trash per person as most other major countries. What happens to this trash? Some gets rec
6、ycled (回收利用 ) or recovered and some is burned, but the majority is buried in landfills. How Much Trash Is Generated? Of the 210 million tons of trash, or solid waste, generated in the United States annually, about 56 million tons, or 27 percent, is either recycled (glass, paper products, plastic, me
7、tals) or composted (做成堆肥 ) (yard waste). The remaining trash, which is mostly unrecyclable, is discarded. How Is Trash Disposed of? The trash production in the United States has almost tripled since 1960. This trash is handled in various ways. About 27 percent of the trash is recycled or composted,
8、16 percent is burned and 57 percent is buried in landfills. The amount of trash buried in landfills has doubled since 1960. The United States ranks somewhere in the middle of the major countries (United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan) in landfill disposal. The United Kingdom ranks highes
9、t, burying about 90 percent of its solid waste in landfills. What Is a Landfill? There are two ways to bury trash: Dump-an open hole in the ground where trash is buried and that is full of various animals (rats, mice, birds). (This is most peoples idea of a landfill!) Landfill-carefully designed str
10、ucture built into or on top of the ground in which trash is isolated from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air, rain). This isolation is accomplished with a bottom liner and daily covering of soil. Sanitary landfill-landfill that uses a clay liner to isolate the trash from the environment M
11、unicipal solid waste (MSW) landfill landfill that uses a synthetic (plastic) liner to isolate the trash from the environment. The purpose of a landfill is to bury the trash in such a way that it will be isolated from groundwater, will be kept dry and will not be in contact with air. Under these cond
12、itions, trash will not decompose (腐烂 ) much. A landfill is not like a compost pile, where the purpose is to bury trash in such a way that it will decompose quickly. Proposing the Landfill For a landfill to be built, the operators have to make sure that they follow certain steps. In most parts of the
13、 world, there are regulations that govern where a landfill can be placed and how it can operate. The whole process begins with someone proposing the landfill. In the United States, taking care of trash and building landfills are local government responsibilities. Before a city or other authority can
14、 build a landfill, an environmental impact study must be done on the proposed site to determine: the area of land necessary for the landfill the composition of the underlying soil and bedrock the flow of surface water over the site the impact of the proposed landfill on the local environment and wil
15、dlife the historical value of the proposed site Building the Landfill Once the environmental impact study is complete, the permits are granted and the funds have been raised, then construction begins. First, access roads to the landfill site must be built if they do not already exist. These roads wi
16、ll be used by construction equipment, sanitation (环卫 ) services and the general public. After roads have been built, digging can begin. In the North Wake County Landfill, the landfill began 10 feet below the road surface. What Happens to Trash in a Landfill? Trash put in a landfill will stay there f
17、or a very long time. Inside a landfill, there is little oxygen and little moisture. Under these conditions, trash does not break down very rapidly. In fact, when old landfills have been dug up or sampled, 40-year-old newspapers have been found with easily readable print. Landfills are not designed t
18、o break down trash, merely to bury it. When a landfill closes, the site, especially the groundwater, must be monitored and maintained for up to 30 years! How Is a Landfill Operated? A landfill, such as the North Wake County Landfill, must be open and available every day. Customers are typically muni
19、cipalities and construction companies, although residents may also use the landfill. Near the entrance of the landfill is a recycling center where residents can drop off recyclable materials (aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers and paper products). This helps to reduce the amount of material in
20、 the landfill. Some of these materials are banned from landfills by law because they can be recycled. As customers enter the site, their trucks are weighed at the scale house. Customers are charged tipping fees for using the site. The tipping fees vary from 10 to 40 per ton. These fees are used to p
21、ay for operation costs. The North Wake County Landfill has an operating budget of approximately 4. 5 million, and part of that comes from tipping fees. Along the site, there are drop-off stations for materials that are not wanted or legally banned by the landfill. A multi-material drop-off stations
22、used for tires, motor oil, lead-acid batteries. Some of these materials can be recycled. In addition, there is a household hazardous waste drop-off station for chemicals (paints, pesticides, other chemicals) that are banned from the landfill. These chemicals are disposed of by private companies. Som
23、e paints can be recycled and some organic chemicals can be burned in furnaces or power plants. Other structures alongside the landfill are the borrowed area that supplies the soil for the landfill, the runoff collection pond and methane (甲烷 ) station. Landfills are complicated structures that, when
24、properly designed and managed, serve an important purpose. In the future, new technologies called bioreactors will be used to speed the breakdown of trash in landfills and produce more methane. 2 The passage gives a general description of the structure and use of a landfill. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3
25、Most of the trash that Americans generate ends up in landfills. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 Compared with other major industrialized countries, America buries a much higher percentage of its solid waste in landfills. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 Landfills are like compost piles in that they speed up decompos
26、ition of the buried trash. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 In most countries the selection of a landfill site is governed by rules and regulations. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 In the Untied States the building of landfills is the job of both federal and local governments. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 Hazardous waste
27、s have to be treated before being dumped into landfills. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 Typical customers of a landfill are _. 10 To dispose of a ton of trash in a landfill, customers have to pay a tipping fee of _. 11 Materials that are not permitted to be buried in landfills should be dumped at _. Sectio
28、n 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 questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During
29、 the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） She doesnt like to go shopping. （ B） She went shopping yesterday. （ C） She doesnt live near the shops. （ D） She prefers shopping to studying. （ A） He injured his neck. （ B） Hes tired of swimmin
30、g. （ C） Hes too busy to go swimming. （ D） Hes afraid to swim in deep water. （ A） Booking a flight to Spain. （ B） Giving Spanish tests to students. （ C） Paying for private lessons. （ D） Studying continually. （ A） Its hard to know what to believe about it. （ B） He doesnt believe its hard for everybody
31、. （ C） Its even harder than people say. （ D） Its not as hard as hed thought. （ A） She has finished only one step. （ B） She doesnt have any more time for redecorating. （ C） Its time for the work to be finished. （ D） The redecorating is being done gradually. （ A） Shes worried that she will make mistak
32、es. （ B） Shed like to get started as soon as possible. （ C） It doesnt matter to her when they start. （ D） Its so far in the future that they can start anytime. （ A） She cant decide which class to take. （ B） Shes having trouble getting to school. （ C） She has trouble finding a subject for an assignme
33、nt. （ D） She cant find the kind of paper she needs. （ A） They shouldnt make too many requests. （ B） They shouldnt push the project. （ C） They shouldnt push the project buttons. （ D） They should wish the professor good luck. （ A） They dont get rid of fat arms. （ B） They can damage arm muscles. （ C） T
34、hey arent acceptable to most people. （ D） They can raise ones blood pressure. （ A） By talking to an expert. （ B） By reading an article. （ C） By attending an exercise class. （ D） By listening to the radio. （ A） Wearing arm weights while you are swimming. （ B） Jogging energetically in one place for a
35、long time. （ C） Using bicycles that require you to use both your arms and legs. （ D） Walking slowly while swinging your arms back and forth. （ A） English beginners. （ B） Low-intermediate English learners. （ C） High-intermediate English learners. （ D） Advanced English learners. （ A） Words that you ar
36、e eager to learn. （ B） Words that you find difficult to understand. （ C） Words that you understand but seldom use. （ D） Words that you often use in speech and writing. （ A） It is totally useless to have a very large passive vocabulary. （ B） Ones passive vocabulary is larger than his active vocabular
37、y. （ C） There are thousands of words we dont understand at all. （ D） People need to guess the meaning of many difficult words. （ A） It is important to have a very large English vocabulary. （ B） Active vocabulary is more important than passive vocabulary. （ C） Active vocabulary is not enough to expre
38、ss our meaning. （ D） It is unnecessary to worry about using too few English words. 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,
39、you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） Because every engineer must work with these sciences. （ B） Because every engineer knows a lot of them. （ C） Because the two sciences are taught in every school. （ D） Because the two sciences are too difficult. （ A） Chem
40、istry, mechanical drawing. （ B） Social science. （ C） A good command of language. （ D） Economics and history. （ A） Before finishing high school. （ B） After a year or two in college. （ C） After graduation from college. （ D） Before entering college. （ A） In Africa. （ B） In Chicago. （ C） In Washington.
41、（ D） In California. （ A） It is found that people who work at mental jobs experience fewer heart attacks than other people. （ B） It is found that people who work at physical jobs experience fewer heart attacks than other people. （ C） It is found that people who work at heavy jobs experience fewer hea
42、rt attacks than other people. （ D） It is found that people who work at easy jobs experience fewer heart attacks than other people. （ A） Machines can do ,iil the physical work for man. （ B） Machines cab do all the mental work for man. （ C） All heavy labor should be replaced by machines. （ D） All heav
43、y labor shouldnt be replaced by machines. （ A） They eat entirely different food. （ B） They choose food in similar ways. （ C） They are not satisfied with their food. （ D） They depend on one sense in choosing food. （ A） The white butterfly. （ B） The small bird. （ C） The bear. （ D） The fox. （ A） When t
44、he season changes. （ B） When the food color changes. （ C） When they move to different places. （ D） When they are attracted by different smells. （ A） French and British food is good. （ B） Food is chosen for a good reason. （ C） Some people have few choices of food. （ D） Some people care little about h
45、ealthy diet. 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
46、 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 36 For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill tow
47、ards all. Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress,【 B1】 _, pressure, disappointment and loneliness. These feelings, often known as the “holiday blues“, may be even more【 B2】_this year, due to the emotional disturbance of the past few months, not to mention the【 B3】 _ economy. Exports sa
48、y even the more ritual tasks of shopping, 【 B4】 _, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family【 B5】 _can be holiday stressors. Most experts say the predominant culprits (罪魁祸首 ) responsible for the depression many 【 B6】 _during the holidays are the very people they love the most their family. “H
49、oliday blues or depression makes sense,“ says John Stutesman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. “In reality,“ he explains, “family gatherings bring on stress due to feelings of obligation, 【 B7】 _and being judged.“ And with family get-togethers【 B8】 _less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right. “Families are much more different now. 【 B9】 _, Stu
