1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 918及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Paying Kids for Chores? You should write at least 120 words according to the outline given below. 1现在有不少家长付钱让孩子做家务 2有 人对此赞成，也有人表示反对 3你的看法 Paying Kids for Chores? 二、 Part II
2、 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 the passage; N (f
3、or 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 Small Schools Rising This years list of the top 100 high schools shows that today, those with fewer students are flourishing. Fifty years ago, they were the
4、latest thing in educational reform: big, modern, suburban high schools with students counted in the thousands. As baby boomers (二战后婴儿潮出生的人 ) came of high-school age, big schools promised economic efficiency, a greater choice of courses, and, of course, better football teams. Only years later did we
5、understand the trade-offs this involved: the creation of excessive bureaucracies (官僚机构 ), the difficulty of forging personal connections between teachers and students. SAT scores began dropping in 1963; today, on average, 30% of students do not complete high school in four years, a figure that rises
6、 to 50% in poor urban neighborhoods. While the emphasis on teaching to higher, test-driven standards as set in No Child Left Behind resulted in significantly better performance in elementary (and some middle) schools, high schools for a variety of reasons seemed to have made little progress. Size is
7、nt everything, but it does matter, and the past decade has seen a noticeable counter-trend toward smaller schools. This has been due, in part, to the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda-tion, which has invested $1.8 billion in American high schools, helping to open about 1,000 small schools most of them w
8、ith about 400 kids each, with an average enrollment of only 150 per grade. About 500 more are on the drawing board. Districts all over the country are taking notice, along with mayors in cities like New York, Chicago, and San Diego. The movement includes independent public charter schools, such as N
9、o. 1 BASIS in Tucson, with only 120 high-schoolers and 18 graduates this year. It embraces district-sanctioned magnet schools, such as the Talented and Gifted School, with 198 students, and the Science and Engineering Magnet, with 383, which share a building in Dallas, as well as the City Honors Sch
10、ool in Buffalo, N.Y., which grew out of volunteer evening seminars for students. And it includes alternative schools with students selected by lottery (抽签 ), such as H-B Woodlawn in Arlington, Va. And most noticeable of all, there is the phenomenon of large urban and suburban high schools that have
11、split up into smaller units of a few hundred, generally housed in the same grounds that once boasted thousands of students all marching to the same band. Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, Calif, is one of those, ranking No. 423 among the top 2% in the country on Newsweeks annual ranking of America
12、s top high schools. The success of small schools is apparent in the listings. Ten years ago, when the first Newsweek list based on college-level test participation was published, only three of the top 100 schools had graduating classes smaller than 100 students. This year there are 22. Nearly 250 sc
13、hools on the full Newsweek list of the top 5% of schools nationally had fewer than 200 graduates in 2007. Although many of Hillsdales students came from wealthy households, by the late 1990s average test scores were sliding and it had earned the unaffectionate nickname (绰号 ) “Hillsjail.“ Jeff Gilber
14、t, a Hillsdale teacher who became principal last year, remembers sitting with other teachers watching students file out of a graduation ceremony and asking one another in astonishment, “How did that student graduate?“ So in 2003 Hillsdale remade itself into three “houses,“ romantically named Florenc
15、e, Mar-rakech and Kyoto. Each of the 300 arriving ninth graders are randomly (随机地 ) assigned to one of the houses, where they will keep the same four core subject teachers for two years, before moving on to another for 11th and 12th grades. The closeness this system cultivates is reinforced by the i
16、nstitution of “advisory“ classes. Teachers meet with students in groups of 25, five mornings a week, for open-ended discussions of everything from homework problems to bad Saturday-night dates. The advisers also meet with students privately and stay in touch with parents, so they are deeply invested
17、 in the students success. “Were constantly talking about one anothers advisees,“ says English teacher Chris Crockett. “If you hear that yours isnt doing well in math, or see them sitting outside the deans office, its like a personal failure.“ Along with the new structure came a more demanding academ
18、ic program; the percentage of freshmen taking biology jumped from 17 to 95. “It was rough for some, but by senior year, two-thirds have moved up to physics,“ says Gilbert. “Our kids are coming to school in part because they know there are adults here who know them and care for them.“ But not all sch
19、ools show advances after downsizing, and it remains to be seen whether smaller schools will be a cure-all solution. The Newsweek list of top U.S. high schools was made this year, as in years past, according to a single metric, the proportion of students taking college-level exams. Over the years thi
20、s system has come in for its share of criticism for its simplicity. But that is also its strength: its easy for readers to understand, and to do the arithmetic for their own schools if theyd like. Ranking schools is always controversial, and this year a group of 38 superintendents (地区教育主管 ) from fiv
21、e states wrote to ask that their schools be excluded from the calculation. “It is impossible to know which high schools are the best in the nation,“ their letter read, in part. “Determining whether different schools do or dont offer a high quality of education requires a look at many different measu
22、res, including students overall academic accomplishments and their subsequent performance in college, and taking into consideration the unique needs of their communities.“ In the end, the superintendents agreed to provide the data we sought, which is, after all, public information. There is, in our
23、view, no real dispute here; we are all seeking the same thing, which is schools that better serve our children and our nation by encouraging students to tackle tough subjects under the guidance of gifted teachers. And if we keep working toward that goal, someday, perhaps, a list wont be necessary. 2
24、 Fifty years ago, big, modern, suburban high schools were established in the hope of_. （ A） ensuring no child is left behind （ B） increasing economic efficiency （ C） improving students performance on SAT （ D） providing good education for baby boomers 3 What happened as a result of setting up big sch
25、ools? （ A） Teachers workload increased. （ B） Students performance declined. （ C） Administration became centralized. （ D） Students focused more on test scores. 4 What is said about the schools funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation? （ A） They are usually magnet schools. （ B） They are often l
26、ocated in poor neighborhoods. （ C） They are popular with high-achieving students. （ D） They are mostly small in size. 5 What is most noticeable about the current trend in high school education? （ A） Some large schools have split up into smaller ones. （ B） A great variety of schools have sprung up in
27、 urban and suburban areas. （ C） Many schools compete for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds. （ D） Students have to meet higher academic standards. 6 Newsweek ranked high schools according to_ （ A） their students academic achievement （ B） the number of their students admitted to college （ C）
28、 the size and number of their gradating classes （ D） their college-level test participation 7 What can we learn about Hillsdale s students in the late 1990s? （ A） They were made to study hard like prisoners. （ B） They called each other by unaffectionate nicknames. （ C） Most of them did not have any
29、sense of discipline. （ D） Their school performance was getting worse. 8 According to Jeff Gilbert, the “advisory“ classes at Hillsdale were set up so that students could （ A） tell their teachers what they did on weekends （ B） experience a great deal of pleasure in learning （ C） maintain closer relat
30、ionships with their teachers （ D） tackle the demanding biology and physics courses 9 _is still considered a strength of Newsweeks school ranking system in spite of the criticism it receives. 10 According to the 38 superintendents, to rank schools scientifically, it is necessary to use 11 To better s
31、erve the children and our nation, schools should hire gifted teachers and encourage students to take_. 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 t
32、he 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） It will be very far. （ B） It will take place, as planned. （ C） It was canceled on Sa
33、turday. （ D） The arrangements are uncertain so far. （ A） She painted it by herself. （ B） She hired her brother to paint it. （ C） It needs to be painted. （ D） It isnt beautifully painted. （ A） She was slimmer then. （ B） She was 140 pounds then. （ C） She was 160 pounds then. （ D） She was in very good
34、figure then. （ A） The audience helped the pianist. （ B） The audience shook the pianists hand. （ C） The audience disliked the pianists performance. （ D） The audience applauded the pianists performance. （ A） She feels fine. （ B） She feels sick. （ C） She feels better. （ D） She feels tired. （ A） The stu
35、dents took a physical test that afternoon. （ B） The students had to take part in the physical labor. （ C） The teacher put off the physical labor. （ D） There wont be a physical test this afternoon. （ A） Sing the song for his friends first. （ B） Continue to practice the song for a week. （ C） Pretend t
36、hat he is performing for his friends. （ D） Join in the acting group to make a few friends. （ A） The woman will arrive at the station in ten minutes. （ B） The woman has fifteen minutes to get to the station. （ C） The man thinks he will be able to reach the station in ten minutes. （ D） The man thinks
37、he will not be able to get to the station on time. （ A） Fishes die in lakes. （ B） Elements needed for healthy plant growth are washed out of soft. （ C） Trees grow much more slowly than they should. （ D） It contributes to climate change and causes frost. （ A） Scientists have managed to persuade indus
38、tries to take measures to reduce emissions of gases into the atmosphere. （ B） There is no general agreement on the causes and effects of acid rain yet. （ C） Special glasshouses are set up in order to investigate the effects of air pollution on plants. （ D） Ozone is mainly emitted by the oil refining
39、 industry, （ A） Ozone is not always associated with acid rain. （ B） Cold weather would make the effects of pollution worse. （ C） Many industries are unwilling to accept responsibility for air pollution. （ D） Plants in warm weather are dying faster. （ A） Dean Williams. （ B） Professor Brown. （ C） An a
40、ssistant dean. （ D） A student. （ 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） That same day. （ B） The next day. （ C） In two days. （ D） In four days. （ A） His parents. （ B） A doctor. （ C） Professor Brown. （ D） D
41、ean Williams. 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 must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C
42、and D. （ A） The United State. （ B） The United Kingdom. （ C） Rome. （ D） Greece. （ A） They should place bowls of food outside. （ B） They should give the children more candies. （ C） They should buy more masks for the children. （ D） They should remind their children of what is real and what is not. （ A）
43、 Most parents overestimate the influence of Halloween on the kids. （ B） The modern customs of candy and costume are rooted in medieval England. （ C） For most kids, Halloween is often their first introduction to the subjects. （ D） For adults, Halloween provides an opportunity for them to confront the
44、 uncomfortable topics like death. （ A） Benjamin Franklins life. （ B） Lightning electricity. （ C） The lightning rod. （ D） The Empire State Building. （ A） Thirty. （ B） Forty-eight. （ C） Seven. （ D） Thirteen. （ A） Under a tall tree. （ B） On top of a building. （ C） In a closed car. （ D） Beside a metal p
45、ole. （ A） Die. （ B） Become such people as George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison. （ C） Become very successful. （ D） Find it extremely difficult to get a job. （ A） A college diploma will help one to get a successful career more easily. （ B） After college education, one should not pursue further ed
46、ucation. （ C） After college education, one must have an MBA from a first-rate university. （ D） After college education, the more one gets education, the less he will earn after graduation. （ A） Physics or chemistry. （ B） English or history. （ C） Anthropology or political science. （ D） Language or ph
47、ilosophy. （ A） High school teachers. （ B） Taxi drivers. （ C） Waiters. （ D） Fruit sellers, 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
48、 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 the 37 To us it
49、 seems 【 B1】 _ to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. The history of umbrella can 【 B2】 _ back to the 11th century B.C. We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a 【 B3】 _. And there was a strange thing 【 B4】 _ with its use: it became a symbol of 【 B5】_. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And
