1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 94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 refusal. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline given below in Chinese: 假设朋友 Gary邀请你参加一个聚会，但你 因故不能参加，写信向他说明原因，并祝聚会成功。 二、 Part II Reading Comprehe
2、nsion (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 sta
3、tement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 2 You hear the same complaint all the time as people get older: My memory is terrible. Is it all in the mind, or do real changes take place in the brain with age to justify suc
4、h grumbling(抱怨 )? The depressing answer is that the brains cells, the neurons, die and decline in efficiency with age. Professor Arthur Shimamura, of the University of California at Berkeley, says there are three main ways in which mental function changes. The first is mental speed, for example how
5、quickly you can react to fast-moving incidents on the road. Drivers in their late teens react quickly but tend to drive too fast, while the over sixties are more cautious but react more slowly. The near-inevitable slowing with age also partly explains why soccer players are seen as old in their thir
6、ties, while golf professionals are still in their prime at that age. This type of mental slowing results from a reduction in the efficiency with which the brains neurons work. The fact that adults find it harder to learn musical instruments than children points to a second type of mental loss with a
7、ge a reduction in learning capacity. The parts of the brain known as the temporal lobes control new learning, and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of aging. This means that, as we get older, we take longer to learn a new language, are slower to master new routines and technologies at work,
8、 and we have to rely more on diaries and other mental aids. Working memory is the third brain system which is vulnerable to the effects of aging. Working memory is the brains blackboard, where we juggle from moment to moment the things we have to keep in mind when solving problems, planning tasks an
9、d generally organizing our day-to-day life. Absent-mindedness occurs at all ages because of imperfections in the working memory system so, for instance, you may continually lose your glasses, or find yourself walking into a room of your house only to find that you cannot remember what you came for.
10、Such absent-mindedness tends to creep up on us as we age and occurs because our plans and intentions, which are chalked up on the mental blackboard, are easily wiped out by stray thoughts and other distractions. Stress and preoccupation can also cause such absent-mindedness, in addition to age-relat
11、ed changes in the brain. The frontal lobes of the brain located behind the forehead and above the eyes are where the working memory system is located. Like the temporal lobes, which handle new learning, the frontal lobes are more vulnerable to the aging process than other parts of the brain. The new
12、s, however, is not all bleak. Although neurons reduce in number with age, the remaining neurons send out new and longer connecting fibres(dendrites) to maintain connections and allow us to function reasonably well with only relatively small drops in ability. This and other evidence suggests that the
13、 principle use it or lose it might apply to the aging brain. Professor Shimamura studied a group of university professors who were still intellectually active, and compared their performance on neuropsychological tests with that of others of their age group, as well as with younger people. He found
14、that on several tests of memory, the mentally active professors in their sixties and early Seventies were superior to their contemporaries, and as good as the younger people. Research on animals provides even stronger evidence of the effects of stimulation on the brain structure. Professor Bryan Kol
15、b, of the University of Lethbridge in Canada, has shown that animals kept in stimulating environments show sprouting(生长 ) and lengthening of the connecting nerve fibres in their brains, in comparison With animals kept in unstimulating environments. The beneficial effects of continued mental activity
16、 are shown by the fact that older contestants in quiz shows are just as fast and accurate in responding to general knowledge questions as younger competitors, suggesting that at least part of their intellectual apparatus is spared the effects of aging because of practice and skill. Such findings lea
17、d to the intriguing possibility of mental fitness training to accompany jogging and workouts for the health conscious. Research in Stockholm by Professor Lars Backman and his colleague has shown that older people can be trained to use their memory better, with the effects of this training lasting se
18、veral years. Just as people go bald or grey at different rates, so the same is true for their mental faculties. Why this should be the case for memory and other mental functions is not yet clear, If Professor Shimamura is fight, then the degree to which people use and stretch their mental faculties
19、may also have a role to play. 2 The passage gives a description of several methods of testing mental ability. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Professor Shimamura identified a number of areas in which mental function may change. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 As the temporal lobes of the brain are affected by aging
20、, it becomes harder to pick up new skills. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 Absent-mindedness is not necessarily a sign of aging. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Research indicates that physical training can help to improve memory. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 Taking part in quizzes is the best way to stimulate the brain
21、. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 Scientists now understand why peoples mental faculties decline at different rates. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 If a person is under stress, _ may become more frequent. 10 When the frontal lobes of the brain are affected by aging, there is a gradual deterioration in _. 11 If an
22、animals brain is kept active and stimulated, _. 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 questions will be spoken only o
23、nce. 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） He gambled it away. （ B） He lost his money. （ C） He bad it with him. （ D） He took it out of the bank. （ A） John must have been working hard
24、. （ B） John probably did not work hard. （ C） The woman was surprised to hear the news. （ D） The man and the woman are sorry to hear the news. （ A） She has a few questions about the mans schedule. （ B） Shell have the test ready in a few days. （ C） She doesnt understand the mans question. （ D） The man
25、 is not allowed to take the test early. （ A） Manager and clerk. （ B） College adviser and student. （ C） Boss and secretary. （ D） English department head and typist. （ A） It gives a 30% discount to all customers. （ B） It is run by Mrs. Winters husband. （ C） It hires Mrs. Winter as an adviser. （ D） It
26、encourages husbands to shop on their own. （ A） Hes going to visit a photo studio. （ B） Hes just bad his picture taken. （ C） Hes on the way to the theater. （ D） Hes just back from a job interview. （ A） The customer was very rude but the waitress was not. （ B） The waitress was very rude but the custom
27、er was not. （ C） The waitress shouted at the customer. （ D） The customer and the waitress had a quarrel. （ A） He is not supposed to give the information the woman wants. （ B） He does not know anything about the Councils plans. （ C） The woman bas put him in a very difficult position by asking him tha
28、t. （ D） The woman bad better ask someone else for the information on that matter. （ A） In less than five minutes. （ B） In less than ten minus. （ C） In less than fifteen minutes. （ D） In less than twenty minutes. （ A） To a party. （ B） To a restaurant. （ C） To a concert. （ D） To a business meeting. （
29、A） Between five and ten dollars. （ B） Between ten and fifteen dollars. （ C） Between fifteen and twenty dollars. （ D） More than twenty dollars. （ A） He wanted to have a filling replaced. （ B） He came in for a dental check up. （ C） He came in for some dental advice. （ D） He needed to have a tooth pull
30、ed. （ A） The man bas a decayed back tooth. （ B） The man bas discolored teeth. （ C） The man bas a chipped front tooth. （ D） The man bas a crowned tooth. （ A） When he chews on hard foods. （ B） When he eats up hard foods. （ C） When he drinks something cold. （ D） When he drinks something hot. （ A） A loc
31、al anesthetic. （ B） A laughing gas. （ C） A pain killer. （ D） No drug is needed in the case. 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 q
32、uestion, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） Because he was a cook at a country music club. （ B） Because he performed for guests while he worked as a cook. （ C） Because he often sang while cooking. （ D） Because he liked singing better than cooking. （ A） A
33、t a club. （ B） On a farm. （ C） At a construction site. （ D） In a record company. （ A） His ability to live independently. （ B） His sense of responsibility in whatever he did. （ C） His courage in the face of rejections. （ D） His hard work in his early days. （ A） Women enjoy equal fights in America. （
34、B） Discrimination against women still exists in America. （ C） Women should be allowed to vote for their leaders. （ D） Women are inferior to men in managing school affairs. （ A） New laws against discrimination should be passed to protect womans equal rights with men. （ B） Changing peoples ideas about
35、 women is less difficult than changing their behavior. （ C） There are some changes in peoples ideas about women and their place in society. （ D） It is impossible to change the social conception about women. （ A） There is no equality for women in any country of the world. （ B） Womens organization mad
36、e some progress in improving womens status. （ C） Women are more respected in small countries than in big countries. （ D） Women should never obey men in their lives. （ 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）
37、 She is too old. （ C） Her husband wants her to. （ D） Her husband 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
38、-time job. 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 e
39、xact 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 The human brain contains 10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousan
40、d connections. Such 【 B1】 _ numbers used to discourage us and cause us to 【 B2】 _ the possibility of making a machine with humanlike ability, hut now that we here grown used to moving forward at such a 【 B3】 _ we can be less sure. Quite soon, in only to or 20 years perhaps, we will he able to 【 B4】
41、_ a machine as complex as the human brain. It may then take us a long time to 【 B5】 _ it intelligent by leading in the right software or by 【 B6】 _ the architecture but that too will happen. I think it certain that in 【 B7】 _ , not centuries, machines of silicon(硅 ) will arise first to 【 B8】 _ and t
42、hen exceed their human ancestors. 【 B9】_. Silicon will have ended carbons long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest intelligence in the known universe. As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost declines, 【 B10】 _, first on
43、 earth through their ability to withstand environments. Further, by a combination of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, 【 B11】 _. 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 th
44、is 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 corr
45、esponding 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. 48 In West Virginia and in New York, one out of four students drops out of high school. In Washington, DC, the 【 S1】 _ are even worse. One half of all high school studen
46、ts never 【 S2】 _ Nationwide, the overall dropout rate is 【 S3】_ 29%. Many say they drop out because they are bored. Because of this, U.S. educators are trying to figure out a way to stop this 【 S4】 _ trend. In Milwaukee, some schools are having lotteries for used cars for students who stay in school
47、. In Philadelphia, at-risk students are being 【 S5】 _ summer jobs for staying in school. But in a New Jersey high school, one principal is using money, not jobs, as an incentive(刺激 ). This school received a hundred thousand dollar 【 S6】 _ to pay students who are at risk of dropping out. When these s
48、tudents go to school on time, bring their notebooks, and do their homework, they 【 S7】 _ five dollars a day. This means students can bring home a twenty-five dollar check every week for going to classes five days in a row. While the program is new, the principal claims that he has already achieved a
49、 higher rate of 【 S8】 _ with this money incentive. But some say it is too early to talk about the programs 【 S9】 _. Still others feel that even if it does work, using money as an incentive is 【 S10】 _. Word Bank: A. appropriately I. statistics B. misleading J. graduate C. positive K. approximately D. success L. rewarded E. absence M. earn F. disturbin
