1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 981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 Continuing to Help Those in Need? You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below. 1不时有做好人好事反而让自己惹上麻 烦的报道 2有人认为这样会带来负面影响，如变得冷漠，不敢再帮助别人 3在我看来 Continuin
2、g to Help Those in Need? 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 inf
3、ormation given in the 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 It Aint Easy Being Green Over the summer, I stayed at four hotels in the United States. They were all owned by different c
4、ompanies, but they had one thing in common: A little card on the bathroom counter telling me that the establishment was very concerned about the environment, and appealing to me to do my part to help them save the earth by hanging up my wet towels and using them again the next day. Two of the hotels
5、 also placed a card next to the bed informing me that housekeeping would not change the sheets unless I left the card on the pillow. It is true that keeping all those towels clean requires an enormous amount of electricity and water and soap, and that cutting down on the number of loads of laundry w
6、ould be more eco-friendly than my insisting on a new towel each day. But am I a heartless cynic for doubting that a collective environmental anxiety has seized the hotel industry? Here is an alternative explanation: All that water, soap, and electricity costs a lot of money and eats into the hotels
7、profits. A little card on the counter telling customers that they wont get new towels because the hotel doesnt want to pay for laundry wouldnt go over very well. But by couching it as a green campaign, the hotels actually get credit for providing less service to their customers, while pocketing the
8、difference. Industry groups that advise hotels on becoming more environmentally friendly tend to stress the money theyll save just as much as the benefits to the planet. “Why should hotels be green?“ asks the Green Hotels Associations Web site. “Havent you heard? Being green goes directly to your bo
9、ttom line.“ The site explains that by getting guests to recycle towels and sheets, hotels can save 5 percent on utility bills. “Some days, housekeeping workers, who usually clean 15 rooms a day, dont change a single bed,“ said one satisfied hotel owner, who estimates that “70 percent of people stayi
10、ng more than one night participate in the program.“ Another member reports that far fewer guests ask for new towels. So lets review: We give up a nice luxury to save the hotel money; the hotel congratulates itself on being green for peer pressuring us into giving up the luxury under the excuse of en
11、vironmental consciousness; the hotel keeps the money. Nice work. After all, even if profit is the motive, the net result is a reduction in the hotels “carbon footprint“. But heres what gets me: the hotels I stayed in this summer didnt seem all that interested in being green when it came to other thi
12、ngs. The lobby of the big resort was air conditioned to meat locker temperatures. All day long, that frosty air rushed out the vast double doors, which were left open in the July heat. The resort also had a fleet of big, gas guzzling(耗油 )vans idling at the curb to transport guests around the grounds
13、. Hotels are not the only offenders in this kind of green fakery. Some companies have embraced conservation for real. They build headquarters with solar panels and rainwater collection systems; they think of the environmental impact of every aspect of their businesses and actually change the way the
14、y do things to reduce waste. But this is labor intensive, often expensive, and takes commitment. Faced with that, many corporations take a different approach: They dont do much of anything to change the way they do business, but make a big show of their contribution to Mother Earth. Its usually easy
15、 to spot these companies: They make their customers do the work, and then take the credit. In the name of saving the planet, my cable TV operator keeps asking for permission to stop sending paper statements in the mail each month. Instead, Im supposed to check my statement online. The real reason, o
16、f course, is that doing so would save them paper, printing and postage. This is a perfectly reasonable reason for them to want me to switch. But when they pretend that its all about the environment, it just makes me hate my cable company even more than I already do. Sometimes a good ad campaign does
17、 a better job of enhancing a companys green reputation than going through the expense and difficulty of adopting actual environmentally sound practices. Billboards in Washington appeal to me to join the cause. “I will unplug stuff more,“ reads one. Another says, “I will at least consider buying a hy
18、brid(合成物 ).“ These ads are the work of Chevron, the giant oil company, whose “Will You Join Us?“ ads try to convince people that saving the planet is at the top of their list. You might think that if Chevron was really worried about problems like global warming, they would spend some of those dollar
19、s lobbying Congress to adopt stricter gas mileage(英里数 )requirements for automobiles. They do not do this. Instead, Im apparently supposed to praise them as environmental heroes because they tell me to unplug my toaster and think about getting a Toyota Prius. Yet ad campaigns like these work. Chevron
20、 lands at No. 371 out of 500 companies on Newsweeks green rankings. But it claims the No. 62 spot when it comes to green reputation thanks in part to those pretty, polished ads. Green marketing has also helped Wal-Mart appear kinder and gentler in recent years. To be fair, the retailing giant has do
21、ne more than redesign its logo. The company, which ranks 59th on Newsweeks list, has embraced a series of in-house green initiatives and is demanding its suppliers do the same. The result: Wal-Mart scores first place in our reputation survey. Given the power of positive marketing, its easy to see wh
22、y those little towel cards are so popular-enough so that there are now a lot of companies that market them to hotels, along with all manner of products intended to make customers feel good about themselves while helping the hotels feel good about their bank balances. I suppose it is time that I step
23、 up and do my part. On behalf of the planet I will dutifully sleep on day-old sheets. But please, for the love of all that is good and right, keep the towels coming. 2 What was the similarity among the four hotels the author stayed in the summer? （ A） They belonged to the same company. （ B） They for
24、ced customers to use day-old sheets. （ C） They were luxury hotels that charged a lot. （ D） They appealed to customers to recycle towels. 3 The author thinks that the hotels purpose of not changing the towel is _. （ A） to become more eco-friendly （ B） to cut down bills of the laundry （ C） to increase
25、 their reputation （ D） to save money for customers 4 From one satisfied hotel owners words, it can be inferred that the cards to persuade guests to recycle towel is _. （ A） effective （ B） unpractical （ C） offensive （ D） useless 5 The air conditioning in the hotel lobby is mentioned to illustrate_. （
26、 A） the nice work the hotel has done （ B） the wastefulness of the hotels （ C） hotels eco-friendly behaviors （ D） hotels indifference to be green 6 What is considered to be the real action to embrace conservation by the author? （ A） Launching labor-intensive and expensive equipment. （ B） Adjusting wo
27、rking pattern to lower environmental impact. （ C） Making a long-term commitment to protect Mother Earth. （ D） Showing off the contribution to environmental protection. 7 What does the authors TV operator do to “save the planet“? （ A） Build its headquarters with solar panels. （ B） Persuade customers
28、to make contribution. （ C） Try to replace paper statements with online ones. （ D） Stop sending online statements to customers. 8 As a result of the change of the authors TV operator, _. （ A） the author increases his hatred toward the company （ B） the author changes his attitude toward the company （
29、C） the company thereby enhances its green reputation （ D） the company increases its customer satisfaction 9 The Chevrons “Will You Join Us“ ads attempt to show that the companys priority task is_ 10 In order to appear kinder and gentler, in recent years, Wal-Mark has adopted the strategy of_ 11 The
30、popularity of the little towel card in hotels owes to _. 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 spok
31、en 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） Add some parts to her report. （ B） Improve her writing. （ C） Get her report published. （ D） Rewrite her report. （ A） The man must
32、pay his fees right away. （ B） She accept check as well as cash. （ C） Paying a little bit late is acceptable. （ D） The man can pay within this month. （ A） Mike is good at Economics. （ B） Mike is good at Political Science. （ C） Mike likes Economics. （ D） Mike likes Political Science. （ A） The bank had
33、 fired the woman. （ B） The woman used to work for a lawyer. （ C） The work in the bank is more interesting. （ D） The woman used to work in a bank. （ A） He is successful in correcting the plan ahead of schedule. （ B） The woman is quite successful in correcting the plan. （ C） He is on his way doing the
34、 job. （ D） The woman had helped him a lot. （ A） The man went to Sams birthday party yesterday. （ B） The woman went to Sams birthday party yesterday. （ C） The woman has been terribly busy these days. （ D） The man went to his girlfriends birthday party. （ A） He cannot return the money right now. （ B）
35、He can return the money today. （ C） He cannot return the money this month. （ D） He wants to borrow more money. （ A） Join the team three years later. （ B） Spend less time on homework. （ C） Give up music for the moment. （ D） Try her best to win a prize. （ A） The color doesnt suit him. （ B） He finds it
36、 much too big. （ C） It is too small for him now. （ D） The quality is not good. （ A） Give his money back. （ B） Explain the washing instructions to him. （ C） Wash the shirt for him. （ D） Exchange for another shirt for him. （ A） Angry. （ B） Indifferent. （ C） Satisfied. （ D） Regretful. （ A） American lit
37、erature. （ B） Elementary education. （ C） Developmental psychology. （ D） Childrens literature. （ A） They are professional storytellers. （ B） They are the parents of young children. （ C） The stories will help improve their vocabulary. （ D） Reading the stories is required for the course. （ A） They are
38、the same person. （ B） They are friends of the speakers. （ C） They are psychology professors. （ D） They are fictional characters. （ A） It uses an extensive vocabulary. （ B） It is useful as a teaching tool. （ C） Children find it boring. （ D） Its author is unknown. Section B Directions: In this section
39、, 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） Markets where birds like parrots are so
40、ld. （ B） Zoos where there are no experts to manage the birds. （ C） Owners who cannot handle their pets. （ D） Forests where birds get wounded. （ A） He likes changes in life. （ B） He wants the birds to enjoy more music. （ C） He tries to prevent the parrots imitating the tone. （ D） He is not sure which
41、 tone is the best. （ A） Restricting the number of visitors. （ B） Raising money for his expanding operation. （ C） Accumulating wealth for himself. （ D） Raising money to support his study. （ A） The Washington Federation of Teachers. （ B） The National Labor Union. （ C） The American Federation of Teache
42、rs. （ D） The Washington Labor Union. （ A） The influence from Asian countries. （ B） The growing competition from foreign students. （ C） The growing competition for entrance into top universities. （ D） The teachers need of extra income from the tutoring. （ A） The Federal government. （ B） Students pare
43、nts. （ C） The school administrators. （ D） The Teachers Association. （ A） The transactions are under close supervision. （ B） Paperwork has been totally replaced by computers. （ C） The transactions are processed only by computers. （ D） There is no reason for the staff to steal money. （ A） It is hard t
44、o find evidence and witnesses. （ B） They dont use guns. （ C） Such kind of crimes are usually not detected. （ D） It is hard to catch them. （ A） By transferring money among different accounts. （ B） By replacing the missing money through gambling. （ C） By making computer errors artificially. （ D） By ch
45、anging the account information. （ A） Laws about computer crimes are imperfect. （ B） There are many potential criminals hiding in the bank. （ C） Computer crimes committed by minor employees exist widely. （ D） Computer crimes committed by real computer experts exist widely. Section C Directions: In th
46、is 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 exact words you have just heard. For bl
47、anks 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 In many countries seat belts are now compulsory for the driver and the front seat passenger at least. Doctors believe that se
48、at belts save people from being seriously hurt in a【 B1】_, but there are some people who still think it is more,【 B2】 _ to wear a seat belt than not to wear one. They think that seat belts may【 B3】 _ people in a car that is burning, or that has fallen into the water, so that they are burnt to death
49、or【 B4】_. But less than half of one percent of car accidents lead to fire or【 B5】 _, and in any case, a seat belt may easily save a person from being knocked【 B6】 _in an accident, so that he or she is able to【 B7】 _the seat belt immediately and get out of the【 B8】 _. Some people say that it is an attack on their freedom to force them to wear a seat belt.【 B9】 _though they want to do them. How does this affect seat belts?【 B10】 _
