1998年6月大学英语四级考试试题及参考答案
Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Example:
You will hear:
You will read:
A) 2 hours.
B) 3 hours.
C) 4 hours.
D) 5 hours.
From the conversation we know that the two were talking about some work they will start at 9 o’clock in the morning and have to finish at 2 in the afternoon. Therefore, D) “5 hours” is the correct answer. You should choose [D] on the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single line through the center.
Sample Answer [A] [B] [C] [D]
1.
A) They are twins.
B) They are classmates.
C) They are friends.
D) They are colleagues.
2.
A) The man is planning a trip to Austin.
B) The man has not been to Austin before.
C) The man doesn’t like Austin.
D) The man has been to Austin before.
3.
A) The size of the room.
B) Long working hours.
C) The hot weather.
D) The fan in the room.
4.
A) The man has changed his destination.
B) The man is returning his ticket.
C) The man is flying to New York tomorrow morning.
D) The man can’t manage to go to New York as planned.
5.
A) It is difficult to identify.
B) It has been misplaced.
C) It is missing.
D) It has been borrowed by someone.
6.
A) Looking for a timetable.
B) Buying some furniture.
C) Reserving a table.
D) Window shopping.
7.
A) Cold and windy.
B) Snow will be replaced by strong winds.
C) It will get better.
D) Rainy and cold.
8.
A) It is no longer available.
B) It has been reprinted four times.
C) The store doesn’t have it now, but will have it soon.
D) The information in the book is out of date.
9.
A) Henry doesn’t like the color.
B) Someone else painted the house.
C) There was no ladder in the house.
D) Henry painted the house himself.
10.
A) In a cotton field.
B) At a railway station.
C) On a farm.
D) On a train.
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) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage one
Question 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11.
A) They invited him to a party.
B) They asked him to make a speech.
C) They gave a special dinner for him.
D) They invited his wife to attend the dinner.
12.
A) He was embarrassed.
B) He felt greatly encouraged.
C) He felt sad.
D) He was deeply touched.
13.
A) Sam’s wife did not think that the company was fair to Sam.
B) Sam’s wife was satisfied with the gold watch.
C) Sam did not like the gold watch.
D) The company had some financial problems.
Passage Two
Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14.
A) The number of students they take in is limited.
B) They receive little or no support from public taxes.
C) They are only open to children from rich families.
D) They have to pay more taxes.
15.
A) Private schools admit more students.
B) Private schools charge less than religious schools.
C) Private schools run a variety of programs.
D) Private schools allow students to enjoy more freedom.
16.
A) The churches.
B) The program designers.
C) The local authorities.
D) The state government.
Passage Three
Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17.
A) She was found stealing in a bookstore.
B) She caught someone in the act of stealing.
C) She admitted having stolen something.
D) She said she was wrongly accused of stealing.
18.
A) A book.
B) $3,000.
C) A handbag.
D) A Christmas card.
19.
A) She was questioned by the police.
B) She was shut in a small room for 20 minutes.
C) She was insulted by the shopper around her.
D) She was body-searched by the store manager.
20.
A) They refused to apologize for having followed her through the town.
B) They regretted having wrongly accused her of stealing.
C) They still suspected that she was a thief.
D) The agreed to pay her $3,000 damages.
Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Direction: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B) C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Psychologist George Spilich and colleagues at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, decided to find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to “think and concentrate.” Spilich put young non-smokers, active smokers and smokers deprived（被剥夺）of cigarettes through a series of tests.
In the first test, each subject（试验对象）sat before a computer screen and pressed a key as soon as he or she recognized a target letter among a grouping of 96. In this simple test, smokers, deprived smokers and non-smokers performed equally well.
The next test was more complex, requiring all to scan sequences of 20 identical letters and respond the instant one of the letters transformed into a different one. Non-smokers were faster, but under the stimulation of nicotine（尼古丁）, active smokers were faster than deprived smokers.
In the third test of short-term memory, non-smokers made the fewest errors, but deprived smokers committed fewer errors than active smokers.
The fourth test required people to read a passage, then answer questions about it. Non- smokers remembered 19 percent more of the most important information than active smokers, and deprived smokers bested those who had smoked a cigarette just before testing. Active smokers tended not only to have poorer memories but also had trouble separating important information from insignificant details.
“As our tests became more complex.” Sums up Spilich, “non-smokers performed better than smokers by wider and wider margins” He predicts, “smokers might perform adequately at many jobs-until they got complicated. A smoking airline pilot could fly adequately if no problems arose, but if something went wrong, smoking might damage his mental capacity.”
21. The purpose of George Spilich’s experiments is ________.
A) to test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers
B) to show how smoking damages people’s mental capacity
C) to prove that smoking affects people’s regular performance
D) to find out whether smoking helps people’s short-term memory
22. George Spilich’s experiment was conducted in such a way as to __________.
A) compel the subjects to separate major information from minor details
B) put the subjects through increasingly complex tests
C) check the effectiveness of nicotine on smokers
D) register the prompt responses of the subjects
23. The word “bested” (Line 3, Para.5) most probably means _________.
A) beat
B) envied
C) caught up with
D) made the best of
24. Which of the following statements is true?
A) Active smokers in general performed better than deprived smokers.
B) Active smokers responded more quickly than the other subjects.
C) Non-smokers were not better than other subjects in performing simple tasks.
D) Deprived smokers gave the slowest responses to the various tasks.
25. We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A) smokers should not expect to become airline pilots
B) smoking in emergency cases causes mental illness
C) no airline pilots smoke during flights
D) smokers may prove unequal to handing emergency cases
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
There is no denying that students should learn something about how computers work, just as we expect them at least to understand that the internal-combustion engine（内燃机） has something to do with burning fuel, expanding gases and pistons（活塞）being driven. For people should have some basic idea of how the things that they use do what they do. Further, students might be helped by a course that considers the computer’s impact on society. But that is not what is meant by computer literacy. For computer literacy is not a form of literacy（读写能力）; it is a trade skill that should not be taught as a liberal art.
Learning how to use a computer and learning how to program one are two distinct activities. A case might be made that the competent citizens of tomorrow should free themselves from their fear of computers. But this is quite different from saying that all ought to know how to program one. Leave that to people who have chosen programming as a career. While programming can be lots of fun, and while our society needs some people who are experts at it, the same is true of auto repaid and violin-making.
Learning how to use a computer is not that difficult, and it gets easier all the time as programs become more “user-friendly”. Let us assume that in the future everyone is going to have to know how to use a computer to be a competent citizen. What does the phrase “learning to use a computer” mean? It sounds like “learning to drive a car”, that is, it sounds as if there is some set of definite skills that, once acquired, enable one to use a computer.
In fact, “learning to use a computer” is much more like “learning to play a game”, but learning the rules of one game may not help you play a second game, whose rules may not be the same. There is no such a thing as teaching someone how to use a computer. One can only teach people to use this or that program and generally that is easily accomplished.
26. To be the competent citizens of tomorrow, people should ________.
A) try to lay a solid foundation in computer science
B) be aware of how the things that they use do what they do
C) learn to use a computer by acquiring a certain set of skills
D) understand that programming a computer is more essential than repairing a car.
27. In the second paragraph “violin-making” is mentioned to show that _________.
A) programming a computer is as interesting as making a violin
B) our society needs experts in different fields
C) violin-making requires as much skill as computer programming
D) people who can use a computer don’t necessarily have to know computer programming
28. Learning to use a computer is getting easier all the time because _________.
A) programs are becoming less complicated
B) programs are designed to be convenient to users
C) programming is becoming easier and easier
D) programs are becoming readily available to computer users
29. According to the author, the phrase “learning to use a computer” (Lines3-4, Para.3) means learning ___________.
A) a set of rules
B) the fundamentals of computer science
C) specific programs
D) general principles of programming
30. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is _________.
A) to stress the impact of the computer on society
B) to explain the concept of the computer literacy
C) to illustrate the requirements for being competent citizens of tomorrow.
D) to emphasize that computer programming is an interesting and challenging job
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness, if fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment（承担的义务）, self-improvement.
Ask a bachelor（单身汉）why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
31. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________.
A) he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities
B) he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single
C) he finds more fun in dating than in marriage
D) he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement
32. Raising children, in the author’s opinion, is _________.
A) a moral duty
B) a thankless job
C) a rewarding task
D) a source of inevitable pain
33. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________.
A) hatred
B) misunderstanding
C) prejudice
D) ignorance
34. To understand what true happiness is one must ____________.
A) have as much run as possible during one’s lifetime
B) make every effort to liberate oneself from pain
C) put up with pain under all circumstances
D) be able to distinguish happiness from fun
35. What is the author trying to tell us?
A) Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain.
B) One must know how to attain happiness.
C) It is important to make commitments.
D) It is pain that leads to happiness.
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
It’s very interesting to note where the debate about diversity（多样化）is taking place. It is taking place primarily in political circles. Here at the College Fund, we have a lot of contact with top corporate（公司的）leaders; none of them is talking about getting rid of those instruments that produce diversity. In fact, they say that if their companies are to compete in the global village and in the global market place, diversity is an imperative. They also say that the need for talented, skilled Americans means we have to expand the pool means promoting policies that help provide skills to more minorities, more women and more immigrants. Corporate leaders know that if that doesn’t occur in our society, they will not have the engineers, the scientist, the lawyers, or the business managers they will need.
Likewise, I don’t hear people in the academy saying. “Let’s go backward. Let’s go back to the good old days, when we had a meritocracy（不拘一格选人才） “(which was never true-we never had a meritocracy, although we’ve come close to it in the last 30 years). I recently visited a great little college in New York where the campus had doubled its minority population in the last six years. I talked with an African American who has been a professor there for a long time, and she remembers that when she first joined the community, there were fewer than a handful of minorities on campus. Now, all of us feel the university is better because of the diversity. So where we hear this debate is primarily in political circles and in the media-not in corporate board rooms or on college campuses.
36. The word “imperative” (Line 5, Para.1) most probably refers to something _______.
A) superficial
B) remarkable
C) debatable
D) essential
37. Which of the following groups of people still differ in their views on diversity?
A) Minorities.
B) Politicians.
C) Professors.
D) Managers.
38. High corporate leaders seem to be in favor of promoting diversity so as to _________.
A) lower the rate of unemployment
B) win equal political rights for minorities
C) be competitive in the world market
D) satisfy the demands of a growing population
39. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A) meritocracy can never be realized without diversity
B) American political circles will not accept diversity
C) it is unlikely that diversity will occur in the U.S. media
D) minorities can only enter the fields where no debate is heard about diversity.
40. According to the passage diversity can be achieved in American society by ________.
A) expanding the pool of potential employees
B) promoting policies that provide skills to employees
C) training more engineers, scientists lawyers and business managers
D) providing education for all regardless of race or sex
Part III Vocabulary and Structure (20 minutes)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
41 The last half of the nineteenth century _________ the steady improvement in the means of travel.
A) has witnessed
B) was witnessed
C) witnessed
D) is witnessed
42 The shy girl felt _________ and uncomfortable when she could not answer her teacher’s questions.
A) amazed
B) awkward
C) curious
D) amused
43 Ann never dreams of ________ for her to be sent abroad very soon.
A) there being a chance
B) there to be a chance
C) there be a chance
D) being a chance
44 It was very kind of you to do the washing-up, but you __________ it.
A) mustn’t have done
B) wouldn’t have done
C) mightn’t have done
D) didn’t have to do
45 Frequently single-parent children ____________ some of the functions that the absent adult in the house would have served.
A) take off
B) take after
C) take in
D) take on
46 He gives people the impression _______ all his life broad.
A) of having spent
B) to have spent
C) of being spent
D) to spend
47 A peculiarly pointed chin is his most memorable facial __________.
A) mark
B) feature
C) trace
D) appearance
48 I’d rather you _________ make any comment on the issue for the time being.
A) don’t
B) wouldn’t
C) didn’t
D) shouldn’t
49 All things _________, the planned trip will have to be called off.
A) considered
B) be considered
C) considering
D) having considered
50 John Dewey believed that education should be a preparation for life, that a person learns by doing, and that teaching must ________ the curiosity and creativity of children.
A) seek
B) stimulate
C) shape
D) secure
51 Criticism and self-criticism is necessary _______ it helps us to find and correct our mistakes.
A) by that
B) at that
C) on that
D) in that
52 However, at times this balance in nature is ___________, resulting in a number of possibly unforeseen effects.
A) troubled
B) disturbed
C) confused
D) puzzled
53 If she doesn’t tell him the truth now, he’ll simply keep on asking her until she _______.
A) does
B) has done
C) will do
D) would do
54 The patient’s health failed to such an extent that he was put into __________ care.
A) tense
B) rigid
C) intensive
D) tight
55 Does everyone on earth have an equal right _________ an equal share of its resources?
A) by
B) at
C) to
D) over
56 Americans eat __________ as they actually need every day.
A) twice as much protein
B) twice protein as much twice
C) twice protein as much
D) protein as twice much
57 In 1914, an apparently insignificant event in a remote part of Eastern Europe __________ Europe into a great war.
A) inserted
B) imposed
C) pitched
D) plunged
58 The British are not so familiar with different cultures and other ways of doing things, ______ is often the case in other countries.
A) as
B) what
C) so
D) that
59 There are few electronic applications __________ to raise fears regarding future employment opportunities than robots.
A) likely
B) more likely
C) most likely
D) much likely
60 We had to ___________ a lot of noise when the children were at home.
A) go in for
B) hold on to
C) put up with
D) keep pace with
61 What he said just now had little to do with the question __________ discussion.
A) on
B) in
C) under
D) at
62 We need a chairman __________.
A) for whom everyone has confidence
B) in whom everyone has confidence
C) who everyone has confidence of
D) whom everyone has confidence on
63 Over a third of the population was estimated to have no _________ to the health service.
A) assessment
B) assignment
C) exception
D) access
64 Excuse me. If your call’s not too urgent, do you mind __________ mine first?
A) I make
B) if I make
C) me to make
D) that I make
65 Professor Taylor’s talk has indicated that science has a very strong ________ on the everyday life of non-scientists as well as scientists.
A) motivation
B) perspective
C) impression
D) impact
66 After a few rounds of talks, both sides regarded the territory dispute ________.
A) being settled
B) to be settled
C) had settled
D) as settled
67 Floods cause billions of dollars worth of property damage _________.
A) relatively
B) actually
C) annually
D) comparatively
68 We are all for your proposal that the discussion __________.
A) be put off
B) was put off
C) should put off
D) is to put off
69 These goods are __________ for export, though a few of them may be sold on the home market.
A) essentially
B) completely
C) necessarily
D) remarkably
70 The course normally attracts 20 students per year, ________ up to half will be from overseas.
A) in which
B) for whom
C) with which
D) of whom
Part IV Cloze (15 minutes)
Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
The task of being accepted and enrolled (招收) in a university begins early for some students. Long ___71___ they graduate from high school. These Students take special ___72___ to prepare for advanced study. They may also take one of more examinations that test how ___73___ prepared they are for the university. In the final year of high school, they ___74___ applications and send them, with their student records, to the universities which they hope to ___75___. Some high school students many be ___76___ to have an interview with representatives of the university. Neatly, ___77___, and usually very frightened, they are ___78___ to show that they have a good attitude and the ___79___ to succeed.
When the new students are finally ___80___, there may be one more step they have to ___81___ before registering for classes and ___82___ to work. Many colleges and universities ___83___ an orientation (情况介绍) program for new students. ___84___ these programs, the young people get to know the ___85___ for registration and student advising, university rules, the ___86___ of the library and all the other ___87___ services of the college or university.
Beginning a new life in a new place can be very ___88___. The more knowledge students have ___89___ the school, the easier it will be fore them to ___90___ to the new environment. However, it takes time to get used to college life.
71. A) as B) after C) since D) before
72. A) courses B) disciplines C) majors D) subjects
73. A) deeply B)widely C) well D) much
74. A) fulfill B) finish C) complete D) accomplish
75. A) attend B) participate C) study D) belong
76. A) acquired B) considered C) ordered D) required
77. A) decorated B) dressed C) coated D) worn
78. A) decided B) intended C) settled D) determined
79. A) power B) ability C) possibility D) quality
80. A) adopted B) accepted C) received D) permitted
81. A) make B) undergo C) take D) pass
82. A) getting B) putting C) falling D) sitting
83. A) offer B) afford C) grant D) supply
84. A) For B) Among C) In D) On
85. A) processes B) procedures C) projects D) provisions
86. A) application B) usage C) use D) utility
87. A) major B) prominent C) key D) great
88. A) amusing B) misleading C) alarming D) confusing
89. A) before B) about C) on D) at
90. A) fit B) suit C) yield D) adapt
Part V Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic Do “Lucky Numbers” Really Bring Good Luck?. You should write at least 100 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below.
1. 有些人认为某些数字会带来好运。
2. 我认为数字和运气无关，……
Do “Lucky Numbers” Really Bring Good Luck?
参考答案：
1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. A 8. B 9. B 10. D
11. C 12. D 13. A 14. B 15. C 16. A 17. D 18. D 19. B 20. C
21. A 22. B 23. A 24. C 25. D 26. C 27. D 28. B 29. C 30. B
31. A 32. C 33. B 34. D 35. A 36. D 37. B 38. C 39. A 40. D
41. C 42. B 43. A 44. D 45. D 46. A 47. B 48. C 49. A 50. B
51. D 52. B 53. A 54. C 55. C 56. A 57. D 58. A 59. B 60. C
61. C 62. B 63. D 64. B 65. D 66. D 67. C 68. A 69. A 70. D
71. D 72. A 73. C 74. C 75. A 76. D 77. B 78. D 79. B 80. B
81. C 82. A 83. A 84. C 85. B 86. C 87. A 88. D 89. B 90. D
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