1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 974及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are all owed 30 minutes to write a composition on the title Studying Abroad. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 近年来，出国留学呈增长趋 势； 2. 出国留学的益处是显而易见的，但也客观存在着一些负面影响； 3. 要正确看待和谨慎处理出国留学
2、 . 二、 Part II 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
3、passage; N (for 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 What is an El Nino An El Nino is a temporary change in the climate of the Pacific Ocean, in the region around the equator. You can see its effec
4、ts in both the ocean and atmosphere, generally in Northern Hemisphere winter. Typically, the ocean surface warms up by a few degrees Celsius. At the same time, the place where strong thunderstorms occur on the equator moves eastward. Although those might seem like small differences, it nevertheless
5、can. have big effects on the worlds climate. What muses it? Usually, the wind blows strongly from east to west along the equator in the Pacific. This actually piles up water (about half a meters worth) in the western part of the Pacific. In the eastern part, deeper water (which is colder than the su
6、nwarned surface water) gets pulled up from below to replace the water pushed west. So, the normal situation is warm water (about 30 ; ) in the west, cold (about 22 ) in the east. In an El Nine, the winds pushing that water around get weaker. As a result, some of the warm water piled up in the west s
7、lumps hack down to the east, and not as much cold water gets pulled up from below. Both these tend to make the water in the eastern Pacific warmer, which is one of the signs of an El Nine. But it doesnt stop there. The warmer ocean then affects the windsit makes the winds weaker! So if the winds get
8、 weaker, then the ocean gets warmer, which makes the winds get weaker, which makes the ocean get warmer. This is called a positive feedback, and is what makes an El Nino grow. So what makes it stop growing? The ocean is full of waves, but you might not know how many kinds of waves there are. Theres
9、one called a Rossby wave that is quite unlike the waves you see when you visit the beach. It is more like a distant cousin to a tidal wave. The difference is that a tidal wave goes very quickly, with all the water moving pretty much in the same direction. In a Rossby wave, the upper part of the ocea
10、n, say the top 100 meters or so, will be leisurely sliding one way, while the lower part, starting at 100 meters and going on down, will be slowly moving the other way. After a while they switch directions. Everything happens very slowly and inside the ocean, and you cant even see them on the surfac
11、e. These things are so slow; they can take months or years to cross the oceans. If you had the patience to sit there while one was going by, youd hardly notice it; the water would be moving 100 times slower than walking speed. But they are large, hundreds or thousands of kilometers in length (Not he
12、ight! Remember, you can hardly see them on the surface), so they can have an effect on things. Another wave you rarely hear about is called a Kelvin wave, and it had some characteristics in common with Rosaby waves, but is somewhat faster and can only exist closer to the equator (say, within about 5
13、 degrees of latitude around the equator). El Ninos often start with a Kelvin wave spreading from the western Pacific over towards South America. Perhaps you saw, on the TV news, the movie (produced by JPL) for the El Nine of 1997/98? It showed a whitish blob(白色团状物 ) (indicating a sea level some cent
14、imeters higher than usual) moving along the equator from Australia to South America. That is one of the hallmarks of a Kelvin wave, the early part of the El Nino process. When an El Nino gets going in the middle or eastern part of the Pacific, it creates Rossby waves that drift slowly towards Southe
15、ast Asia. After several months of traveling, they finally get near the coast and reflect back. The changes in interior ocean temperature that these waves carry with it “cancel out“ the original temperature changes that made the El Nino in the first place. The main point is that it shuts off when the
16、se funny interiorocean waves travel all the way ever to the coast of Asia, get reflected, and travel hack, a process that can take many months. What effects does it have? A strong El Nine is often associated with wet winters over the southern U.S., as well as drought in Indonesia and Australia. Keep
17、 in mind that youre not guaranteed these effects even though there is an El Nino going on; but the El Nino does make these effects more likely to happen. How long does it last? A strong El Nino can last a year or more before conditions return to normal. If you read the bit above about Rossby and Kel
18、vin waves (you did, didnt you?), then you know that it lasts more or less as long as it takes the interiorocean waves to travel all the way over to the coast of Asia, get reflected, and travel back. How often do we get them? El Nino happens irregularly, but if you want to impress people at cocktail
19、parties, you might mention that we usually get one every three to seven years. Note the word “usually“; sometimes they turn up more frequently, sometimes less. How well can we predict El Nino? On average, complex computer models designed to predict El Nino can successfully do so 12 to 18 months in a
20、dvance. However, it seems to vary by periods; sometimes El Nino is predicted quite well, with plenty of advance notice from the models, while other times they are predicted poorly, with the models not picking them up until the El Nino has already started. Trying to fix up the models is one of our re
21、search topics here at Scripps. 2 An El Nino causes a permanent change in the climate of the Atlantic Ocean, in the region around the equator. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The normal situation is warm water (about 30 ) in the east, cold (about 22 ) in the west. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 In an El Nino, the w
22、inds pushing the water around get weaker. As a result, some of the warm water piled up in the west slumps back down to the east, and not as much cold water gets pulled up from below. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 There are some similarities between a Rossby wave and a tidal wave. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 P
23、eople can hardly ever observe a Rossby wave since it doesnt occur on the surface and the process is very slow. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 When El Nino reaches a place, the temperature there would change a great deal. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 A strong El Nino is often associated with wet winters over the
24、 southern U.S., as well as drought in Indonesia, Philippines and Australia. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 9 A strong El Nino can last two or three years _. 10 El Nino occurs irregularly and we sometimes can _. 11 Generally, complex computer models can successfully predict El Nino Section A Directions: In th
25、is 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 the pause, you must
26、read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Swimming. （ B） Playing tennis. （ C） Boating. （ D） Playing golf. （ A） To remind him of the data he should take to the conference, （ B） To see if he is ready for the coming conference. （ C） To tell him something abou
27、t the conference. （ D） To help him prepare for the conference. （ A） The long wait. （ B） The broken-down computer. （ C） The mistakes in her telephone bill. （ D） The bad telephone service. （ A） They spent three hundred dollars on their vacation. （ B） They drew more money than they should have from the
28、 bank. （ C） They lost their bankbook. （ D） They had only three hundred dollars in the bank, （ A） To find out her position in the company. （ B） To apply for a job. （ C） To offer her a position in the company. （ D） To make an appointment with the sales manager. （ A） He is surprised. （ B） He feels very
29、 happy. （ C） He is indifferent. （ D） He feels very angry. （ A） He hasnt cleaned his room since Linda visited him. （ B） Linda is the only person who ever comes to see him. （ C） Hes been too busy to clean his room. （ D） Cleaning is the last thing he wants to do. （ A） She is a generous woman by nature.
30、 （ B） It doesnt have a back cover. （ C） She feels the mans apology is enough. （ D） It is no longer of any use to her. （ A） Friends. （ B） Coworkers. （ C） Interviewer and interviewee. （ D） Doctor and patient. （ A） He thought Art was useless. （ B） He was offered a job in a big accounting firm. （ C） He
31、wanted to go to London to study Art. （ D） He wanted to do some interesting things. （ A） Going to concerts frequently. （ B） Doing a lot of photography. （ C） Playing traditional jazz and folk music. （ D） Traveling in Africa. （ A） To see his old friend Ann Smith. （ B） To buy a two-bedroom apartment. （
32、C） To talk to the rental agent there. （ D） To rent a two -bedroom apartment. （ A） 410 dollars a month （ B） 430 dollars a month （ C） 450 dollars a month （ D） 500 dollars a month （ A） He is probably a teacher. （ B） He is probably a bus driver. （ C） He is probably a swimming trainer. （ D） He is probabl
33、y a manager. （ A） To talk to the rental agent. （ B） To find the best location. （ C） To pay some damage deposit. （ D） To sign a lease. 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 wi
34、ll 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） The Dutch. （ B） The Portuguese. （ C） The Spanish. （ D） The English. （ A） The history and geography of Australia and the United States have something in common. （ B） Eng
35、lish first settled in the eastern coast of Australia and the United States. （ C） Australia gained its independence from English by revolution. （ D） Economy in Australia was rooted in sheep raising and wheat growing. （ A） Because they were searching for better land. （ B） Because the population was in
36、creasing. （ C） Because western parts were more prosperous than eastern parts in these two countries. （ D） Because eastern parts in these two countries had been occupied by the Spanish. （ A） Because it isnt closed. （ B） Because the students have to pass all examinations before entering it. （ C） Becau
37、se there is no examination before they are accepted as students. （ D） Because its door is open. （ A） At the airport, （ B） By plane, （ C） Taking the air. （ D） On radio and TV. （ A） Four. （ B） Eight. （ C） Three. （ D） Five. （ A） In four or five years. （ B） In one year. （ C） In three or four years. （ D）
38、 In 36 weeks. （ A） Three groups of learners. （ B） The importance of business English. （ C） English for Specific Purposes. （ D） Features of English for different purposes. （ A） A product launch that didnt succeed. （ B） A new idea that became a commercial success. （ C） A manufacturing problem. （ D） A
39、new design of the bicycle helmet. （ A） He got help from a British manufacturing company. （ B） He got credit from a bank. （ C） He spent 1 million pounds. （ D） He got help from his friends. （ A） Because he wanted to sell the helmet in France. （ B） Because French consultants were good at making helmets
40、. （ C） Because he wanted to develop new helmets for other sports. （ D） Because he wanted to change the design of the helmet for mass production. 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 it
41、s 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 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact
42、words you have just heard or write down the 37 Solar power is one kind of clean energies that are forms of energy which do not pollute the air, the ground, or the sea. It【 B1】 _a number of methods of producing energy from the light of the Sun. For example, solar power is produced by collecting sunli
43、ght and【 B2】 _it into electricity. It has been present in many【 B3】 _ building methods for centuries, but has become of 【 B4】 _interest in developed countries as the environmental costs and limited【 B5】 _of other power sources such as fossil fuels are realized. It is already in widespread use where
44、other supplies of power are absent such as in remote【 B6】 _and in space. As the Earth orbits the Sun, it receives【 B7】 _ 1,400 watts per square meter of energy, as 【 B8】 _upon a surface kept normal at a right angle to the Sun. This number is referred to as the solar constant. Of the energy received,
45、 roughly 19% is absorbed by the atmosphere,【 B9】_. The generally accepted standard is 1,020 watts per square meter at sea level. 【 B10】 _. Plants use solar energy to create chemical energy through photosynthesis (光合作用 ).【 B11】 _. 38 【 B1】 39 【 B2】 40 【 B3】 41 【 B4】 42 【 B5】 43 【 B6】 44 【 B7】 45 【 B8
46、】 46 【 B9】 47 【 B10】 48 【 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 through carefully before making your choices. Each choice i
47、n 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. 48 The American Civil War was fought over 100 years ago. It began in 1861 and【 S1】_until 1865. The battles of t
48、he American Civil War resulted in the【 S2】 _of 620,000 Americans. What【 S3】 _this terrible civil war between the North and the South? Well, historians believe that there were many causes of the war. One of the important causes of the war was the【 S4】 _between the North and the South over the issue o
49、f slavery. The southern way of life and the southern economy were based on the use of【 S5】 _. For almost 250 years before the Civil War, the economy of the South【 S6】 _the use of black slaves. The slaves were used to plant and pick cotton and tobacco. Cotton and tobacco were the main crops【 S7】 _in the South. Most Southerners did not think it was wrong to own, buy, or sell slaves like farm animals. Slavery was, in fact, the foundation
