2010年12月大学英语四级考试模拟试题及答案.doc

2010年12月英语四级考试模拟试题及答案Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Online Education. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:1. 目前网络教育形成热潮2. 我认为形成这股热潮的原因是3. 我对网络教育的评价Online EducationPart 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 on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, markY (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information 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.For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.The World in a Glass: Six Drinks That Changed HistoryTom Standage urges drinkers to savor the history of their favorite beverages along with the taste.The author of A History of the World in 6 Glasses (Walker & Company, June 2005), Standage lauds the libations that have helped shape our world from the Stone Age to the present day.The important drinks are still drinks that we enjoy today, said Standage, a technology editor at the London-based magazine the Economist. They are relics (纪念物)of different historical periods still found in our kitchens.Take the six-pack, whose contents first fizzed at the dawn of civilization.BeerThe ancient Sumerians, who built advanced city-states in the area of present-day lraq, began fermenting(发酵)beer from barley at least 6,000 years ago.When people started agriculture the first crops they produced were barley or wheat. You consume those crops as bread and as beer, Standage noted. Its the drink associated with the dawn of civilization. Its as simple as that.Beer was popular with the masses from the beginning.Beer would have been something that a common person could have had in the house and made whenever they wanted, said Linda Bisson, a microbiologist at the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis.The guys who built the pyramids were paid in beer and bread, Standage added. It was the defining drink of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Everybody drank it. Today its the drink of the working man, and it was then as well.WineWine may be as old or older than beerthough no one can be certain.Paleolithic humans probably sampled the first wine as the juice of naturally fermented wild grapes. But producing and storing wine proved difficult for early cultures.To make wine you have to have fresh grapes, said Bisson, the UC Davis microbiologist. for beer you can just store grain and add water to process it at any time.Making wine also demanded pottery that could preserve the precious liquid.Wine may be easier to make than beer, but its harder to store, Bisson added. For most ancient cultures it would have been hard to catch fermenting grape juice as wine on its way to becoming vinegar.Such caveats and the expense of producing wine helped the beverage quickly gain more cachet(威望)than beer. Wine was originally associated with social elites and religious activities.Wine snobbery may be nearly as old as wine itself. Greeks and Romans produced many grades of wine for various social classes.The quest for quality became an economic engine and later drove cultural expansion.Once you had regions like Greece and Rome that could distinguish themselves as making good stuff, it gave them an economic boost, Bisson said. Beer just wasnt as special.SpiritsHard liquor, particularly brandy and rum, placated (安抚)sailors during the long sea voyages of the Age of Exploration, when European powers plied the seas during the 15th, 16th, and early 17th centuries.Rum played a crucial part of the triangular trade between Britain, Africa, and the North American colonies that once dominated the Atlantic economy.Standage also suggests that rum may have been more responsible than tea for the independence movement in Britains American colonies.Distilling molasses for rum was very important to the New England economy, he explained. When the British tried to tax molasses it struck at the heart of the economy. The idea of no taxation without representation originated with molasses and sugar. Only at the end did it refer to tea.Great Britains longtime superiority at sea may also owe a debt to its navys drink of rum-based choice, grog(掺水烈酒),which was made a compulsory beverage for sailors in the late 18th century.They would make grog with rum, water, and lemon or lime juice, Standage said. This improved the taste but also reduced illness and scurvy. Fleet physicians thought that this had doubled the efficiency of the fleet.CoffeeThe story of modern coffee starts in the Arabian Peninsula, where roasted beans were first brewed around A.D. 1000. Sometime around the 15th century, coffee spread throughout the Arab world.In the Arab world, coffee rose as an alternative to alcohol, and coffeehouses as alternatives to taverns(酒馆)both of which are banned by Islam, Standage said.When coffee arrived in Europe it was similarly hailed as an anti-alcohol that was quite welcome during the Age of Reason in the 18th century.Just at the point when the Enlightenment is getting going, heres a drink that sharpens the mind, Standage said. The coffeehouse is the perfect venue(聚会地点)to get together and exchange ideas and information. The French Revolution started in a coffeehouse.Coffee also fuelled commerce and had strong links to the rituals of business that remain to the present day. Lloyds of London and the London Stock Exchange were both originally coffeehouses.TeaTea became a daily drink in China around the third century A.D.Standage says tea played a leading role in the expansion of imperial and industrial might in Great Britain many centuries later. During the 19th century, the East India Company enjoyed a monopoly on tea exports from China.Englishmen around the world could drink tea, whether they were a colonial administrator in India or a London businessman, Standage said. The sun never set on the British Empirewhich meant that it was always teatime somewhere.As the Industrial Revolution of 18th and 19th centuries gained steam, tea provided some of the fuel. Factory workers stayed alert during long, monotonous shifts thanks to welcome tea breaks.The beverage also had unintended health benefits for rapidly growing urban areas. When you start packing people together in cities its helpful to have a water-purification technology like tea, which was brewed with boiling water, Standage explained.Coca-colaIn 1886 pharmacist John Stith Pemberton sold about nine Coca-colas a day.Today his soft drink is one of the worlds most valuable brands-sold in more countries than the United Nations has members.It may be the second most widely understood phrase in the world after OK, Standage said.The drink has become a symbol of the United Stateslove it or hate it. Standage notes that East Germans quickly reached for Cokes when the Berlin Wall fell, while Thai Muslims poured it out into the streets to show disdain for the U.S. in the days leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Coca-cola encapsulates what happened in the 20th century: the rise of consumer capitalism and the emergence of America as a superpower, Standage said. Its globalization in a bottle.While Coke may not always produce a smile, a survey by the Economist magazine (Standages employer), suggests that the soft drinks presence is a great indicator of happy citizens. When countries were polled for happiness, as defined by a United Nations index, high scores correlated with sales of Coca-Cola.Its not because Coke makes people happy, but because its sales happen in the dynamic free-market economies that tend to produce happy people, Standage said.1. The passage gives a brief description of the content of a new book, A History of the World in 6 Glasses.2. The ancient Sumerians began fermenting beer from barley at least 6,000 years ago.3. Today beer is the drink of the working man, which was not the case before.4. Greeks probably sampled the first wine as the juice of naturally fermented wild grapes.5. The caveats and the expense of producing wine helped it quickly gain more cachet than beer.6. Standage suggests that tea may have been more responsible than rum for the independence movement in Britains American colonies.7. Coffee is the best drink according to Standage.8. Sometime around the 15th century coffee spread throughout _.9. During the 19th century, the monopoly on tea exports from China is _.10. Coca-Cola has become a symbol of _.Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A They want to go downtown. C He doesnt know where to park the car.B He wants to go to the park, but she doesnt. D He wants to find out where the park is.12. A Company and customer. C Teacher and students parent.B Repairman and customer. DWife and husband.13. A She didnt like working in a company. C She was not good at doing business.B She disliked machines. D She didnt like accounting.14. A He has some money to buy a new car.B He fails in borrowing enough money from the woman.C He will spend much money on his house.D He wants to buy a new house and a new car.15. A He had much trouble with his pronunciation.B He had much trouble with his pronunciation.C No one can understand him.D He knew nothing about English.16. A Frustrated. C Excited.B Joyful. D Sorry.17. A He doesnt like that kind of food. C He doesnt intend to buy them.B The woman can do some cooking herself. D The woman should stop looking at him.18. A Mrs. Fisher wants to go abroad. C Mrs. Fisher has no family.B Mrs. Fisher is in hospital. D There are three people in Mrs. Fishers family.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A A study group. C The mans painting.B A history exam. D A professional artist.20. A Making a gift for the woman. C Discussing his career.B Working on a class assignment. D Preparing to teach an art class.21. A By listening to her father. C By talking to the studio art instructor.B By working for an artist. D By taking several art courses.22. A Take a history exam. C Meet some classmates.B Go to an art exhibit. D Help the man with his painting.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A A famous photographer. C Photographic equipment used in the 1800s.B Photographic processes in the 1800s. D A new museum.24. A Her subjects home. C Her subjects personality.B Her subjects social status. D Her subjects role in history.25. A Children. C Well-known people.B Historical scenes. D Landscapes.Section BDirections: 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 and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage oneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A Have to buy a special electronic ticket.B Have to travel a long way to visit the university.C Need an expensive device designed especially for the museum.D Need a computer linked to a telephone.27. A Provide a place for computer artists to show their work.B Sell the art works more easily.C Save space of museums for other purposes.D Provide more fun for the artists.28. A It helps a computer artist to record his pictures electronically.B It helps a computer artist to send his pictures to others.C It helps a computer artist to print pictures on paper.D It helps a computer artist to connect his computer to the art museum.Passage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.29. A 4 years. C 8 years.B 5 years. D at least 9 years.30. A Biology. C Philosophy.B Chemistry. D Medicine.31. A Each student must pass a national examination.B Students who do best in the studies have a greater chance.C They can seek to enter a number of medical schools.D There are good chances to gain the entrance.Passage ThreeQuestions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.32. A Guarding the coasts of the United States. C Guiding people along the coast.B Being part of the United States Navy. D Protecting people from enemy attacks.33. A Enforcing laws controlling navigation, shipping, immigration and fishing.B Enforcing laws affecting the privately-owned boats in the U.S.C Searching for missing boats and rescuing people.D Training people to be good swimmers along the beach.34. A 17,000 C 70,000.B 1,700. D 7,000.35. A Dangerous. C Exciting.B Hard. D Dull.Section CDirections: 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 exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blank, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.An old friend from abroad, whom I was expecting to stay with me, (36) _ from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was still at the office at the time, but I had made (37) _ for his arrival. After explaining where my new flat was, I told him that I had left the key under a piece of stone near the door. As I was likely to be at home rather late, I advised him to go into the (38) _ and help himself to food and drink.Two hours later, my friend telephoned me from the flat. At the moment, he said, he was listening to some of my (39) _ after having just had a truly (40 ) _ meal. He had found a pan on the gas (41) _ and fried two eggs and had helped himself to some cold chicken from the (42) _. Now he said, he was drinking a glass of orange (43) _ and he hoped I would join him. (44) _ , he answered that he had not been able to find the key under the piece of stone, (45) _. I listened to all this in astonishment. (46) _.Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 in bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.It seems you always forgetyour reading glasses when you are rushing to work, your coat when you are going to the cleaners, your credit card when you are shopping.Such absent-mindedness may be 47 to you; now British and German scientists are developing memory glasses that record everything the 48 sees.The glasses can play back memories later to help the wearer remember things they have forgotten such as where they left their keys. And the glasses also 49 the user to label items so that information can be used later on. The wearer could walk around an office or a factory identifying certain 50 by pointing at them. Objects indicated are then given a 51 label on a screen inside the glasses that the user then fills in.It could be used in 52 plants by mechanics looking to identify machine parts or by electricians wiring a 53 device.A spokesman for the project said: A car mechanic for 54 could find at a glance where a part on a certain car model is so that it can be identified and repaired. For the motorist the system could 55 accident black spots or dangers on the road.In other cases the glasses could be worn by people going on a guided tour, 56 points of interest or by people looking at panoramas where all the sites could be identified.A allowB instanceC blankD industrialE frustratingF itemsG indicatingH highlight I userJ complicatedK whiteL annoyingM suc