大学英语四级考试模拟试卷及答案(14)

Part I Writing(30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Choosing an Occupation. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:

Choosing an Occupation

1. 选择职业是一个人要面对的众多难题之一。

2. 需要花时间去选择职业。

3. 选择职业时可以向多人寻求建议和帮助。

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 question 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.

Will We Run Out of Water?

Picture a "ghost ship" sinking into the sand, left to rot on dry land by a receding sea. Then imagine dust storms sweeping up toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers from the dry seabed and spewing them across towns and villages.

Seem like a scene from a movie about the end of the world? For people living near the Aral Sea in Central Asia, it's all too real. Thirty years ago, government planners diverted the rivers that flow into the sea in order to irrigate(provide water for)farmland. As a result, the sea has shrunk to half its original size, stranding ships on dry land. The seawater has tripled in salt content and become polluted, killing all 24 native species of fish.

Similar large scale efforts to redirect water in other parts of the world have also ended in ecological crisis, according to numerous environmental groups. But many countries continue to build massive dams and irrigation systems, even though such projects can create more problems than they fix. Why? People in many parts of the world are desperate for water, and more people will need more water in the next century.

"Growing populations will worsen problems with water," says Peter H. Gleick, an environmental scientist at the Pacific Institute for studies in Development, Environment, and Security, a research organization in California. He fears that by the year 2025, as many as one?third of the world's projected 8.3 billion people will suffer from water shortages.

Where Water Goes

Only 2.5 percent of all water on Earth is freshwater, water suitable for drinking and growing food, says Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project in Amherst, Mass. Two?thirds of this freshwater is locked in glaciers and ice caps. In fact, only a tiny percentage of freshwater is part of the water cycle, in which water evaporates and rises into the atmosphere, then condenses and falls back to Earth as precipitation(rain or snow).

Some precipitation runs off land to lakes and oceans, and some becomes groundwater, water that seeps into the earth. Much of this renewable freshwater ends up in remote places like the Amazon river basin in Brazil, where few people live. In fact, the world's population has access to only 12,500 cubic kilometers of freshwater-about the amount of water in Lake Superior. And people use half of this amount already. "If water demand continues to climb rapidly," says Postel, "there will be severe shortages and damage to the aquatic environment."

Close to Home

Water woes may seem remote to people living in rich countries like the United States. But Americans could face serious water shortages, too especially in areas that rely on groundwater. Groundwater accumulates in aquifers, layers of sand and gravel that lie between soil and bedrock. (For every liter of surface water, more than 90 liters are hidden underground).Although the United States has large aquifers, farmers, ranchers, and cities are tapping many of them for water faster than nature can replenish it. In northwest Texas, for example, over pumping has shrunk groundwater supplies by 25 percent, according to Postel.

Americans may face even more urgent problems from pollution. Drinking water in the United States is generally safe and meets high standards. Nevertheless, one in five Americans every day unknowingly drinks tap water contaminated with bacteria and chemical wastes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In Milwaukee, 400,000 people fell ill in 1993 after drinking tap water tainted with cryptosporidium, a microbe that causes fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

The Source

Where so contaminants come from? In developing countries, people dump raw sewage into the same streams and rivers from which they draw water for drinking and cooking; about 250 million people a year get sick from water borne diseases.

In developed countries, manufacturers use 100,000 chemical compounds to make a wide range of products. Toxic chemicals pollute water when released untreated into rivers and lakes. (Certain compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, have been banned in the United States.)

But almost everyone contributes to water pollution. People often pour household cleaners, car antifreeze, and paint thinners down the drain; All of these contain hazardous chemicals. Scientists studying water in the San Francisco Bay reported in 1996 that 70 percent of the pollutants could be traced to household waste.

Farmers have been criticized for overusing herbicides and pesticides, chemicals that kill weeds and insects but insects but that pollutes water as well. Farmers also use nitrates, nitrogen?rich fertilizer that helps plants grow but that can wreak havoc on the environment. Nitrates are swept away by surface runoff to lakes and seas. Too many nitrates "over enrich" these bodies of water, encouraging the buildup of algae, or microscopic plants that live on the surface of the water. Algae deprive the water of oxygen that fish need to survive, at times choking off life in an entire body of water.

What's the Solution?

Water expert Gleick advocates conservation and local solutions to water?related problems; governments, for instance, would be better off building small?scale dams rather than huge and disruptive projects like the one that ruined the Aral Sea.

"More than 1 billion people worldwide don't have access to basic clean drinking water," says Gleick. "There has to be a strong push on the part of everyone?governments and ordinary people-to make sure we have a resource so fundamental to life."

1. That the huge water projects have diverted the rivers causes the Aral Sea to shrink.

2. The construction of massive dams and irrigation projects does more good than harm.

3. The chief causes of water shortage are population growth and water pollution.

4. The problems Americans face concerning water are ground water shrinkage and tap water pollution.

5. According to the passage all water pollutants come from household waste.

6. The people living in the United States will not be faced with water shortages.

7. Water expert Gleick has come up with the best solution to water?related problems.

1.[Y][N][NG]2.[Y][N][NG]3.[Y][N][NG]4.[Y][N][NG]

5.[Y][N][NG]6.[Y][N][NG]7.[Y][N][NG]

8. According to Peter H. Gleick, by the year 2025, as many as of the world's people will suffer from water shortages.

9.Two thirds of the freshwater on Earth is locked in.

10.In developed countries, before toxic chemicals are released into rivers and lakes, they should be treated in order to avoid.

Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension(Reading in Depth)(25 minutes)

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 in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

Shopping habits in the United States have changed greatly in the last quarter of the 20th century. 47 in the 1900s most American towns and cities had a Main Street. Main Street was always the heart of a town. This street was lined on the both sides with many 48 businesses. Here, shoppers walked into stores to look at all sorts of merchandise: clothing, furniture, hardware, groceries. In addition, some shops offered 49 . There shops included drugstores, restaurants, shoe repair stores, and barber or hairdressing shops. But in the 1950s, a change began to 50 place. Too many automobiles had crowded into Main Street while too few parking places were 51 to shoppers. Because the streets were crowded, merchants began to look with interest at the open spaces outside the city limits. Open space is what their car driving customers needed. And open space is what they got when the first shopping centre was built. Shopping centers, or rather malls, 52 as a collection of small new stores away from crowded city centers. 53 by hundreds of free parking space, customers were drawn away from 54 areas to outlying malls. And the growing 55 of shopping centers led in turn to the building of bigger and better stocked stores. By the late 1970s, many shopping malls had almost developed into small cities themselves. In addition to providing the 56 of the stop shopping, malls were transformed into landscaped parks, with benches, fountains, and outdoor entertainment.

[A]designed

[B]take

[C]Early

[D]Attracted

[E] though

[F]convenience

[G]services

[H]fame

[I]various

[J] popularity

[K]cosmetics

[L]started

[M]downtown

[N]available

[O]cheapness

Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by a set of dynamic variables: language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions. To cope with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.

The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment stem from the fact that one cannot learn culture?one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural diversity. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald's. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from converging.

The other school proposes that companies must tailor business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia or even blindness.

Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your adversary, know your audience, and know your customer.

57. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

[A]All international managers can learn culture.

[B]Business diversity is not necessary.

[C]Views differ on how to treat culture in business world.

[D]Most people do not know foreign culture well.

58. According to the author, the model of Pepsi.

[A]is in line with the theories of the school advocating the business is business the world around.

[B]is different from the model of McDonald's

[C]shows the reverse of globalization

[D]has converged cultural differences

59. The two schools of thought.

[A]both propose that companies should tailor business approaches to individual cultures

[B]both advocate that different policies be set up in different countries

[C]admit the existence of cultural diversity in business world

[D]Both A and B

60. This article is supposed to be most useful for those.

[A]who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity

[B]who have connections to more than one type of culture

[C]who want to travel abroad

[D]who want to run business on International Scale

61. According to Fortune, successful international companies.

[A]earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas

[B]all have the quality of patience

[C]will follow the overseas local cultures

[D]adopt the policy of internationalization Part I Writing

【写作思路】

本文是一篇关于择业的议论文。说明慎重择业相当重要,并提出多种指导择业的方法。

【参考范文】

Choosing an Occupation

One of the most important problems a young person faces is deciding what to do. There are some people, of course, who from the time they are six years old "know" that they want to be doctors or pilots or fire fighters, but the majority of us do not get around to making a decision about an occupation or career until somebody or something forces us to face the problem.

Choosing an occupation takes time, and there are a lot of things you have to think about as you try to decide what you would like to do. You may find that you will have to take special courses to qualify for a particular kind of work, or you may find out that you will need to get actual work experience to gain enough knowledge to qualify for a particular job.

Fortunately, there are a lot of people you can turn to for advice and help in making your decision. At most schools, there are teachers who are professionally qualified to give you detailed information about job qualifications. And you can talk over your ideas with family members and friends who are always ready to listen and to offer suggestions.

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

1.【解析】[Y]该句的意思是巨大的河流改道水利工程使得咸海缩小。从第二段的中间两句话可得出结论。Thirty years ago, government planners diverted the rivers that flow into the sea in order to irrigate(provide water for)farmland. As a result, the sea has shrunk to half its original size, stranding ships on dry land.与原文意思相同。

2.【解析】[N]该句句意为:巨坝和灌溉工程的建设好处多于坏处。解题依据为本文第三段第二句话But many countries continue to build massive dams and irrigation systems, even though such projects can create more problems than they fix. (虽然产生更多问题,许多国家仍继续建巨坝和灌溉工程。)由此可知,坏处多于好处,所以该题与原文之义不合。

3.【解析】[Y]该句句意为:缺水的主要原因是人口增长和水污染。本题解题依据可定位到本文第四段第一句话 Growing populations will worsen problems with water… 及第十一段第一句话But almost everyone contributes to water pollution. 两者都是水资源缺乏的原因,与原文之义相符。

4.【解析】[Y]该句句意为:美国人面临的有关水的问题为地下水的减少和污染。本题解题依据为第七段第二句话和第八段第三句话,这两句话加在一起即为美国人所面临的水资源方面的问题,与原文之义相符。

5.【解析】[N]该句句意为:根据这篇文章,所有水的污染都来自于家庭废弃物。本题解题依据为第十一段最后一句话…70 percent of the pollutants could be traced to household waste (百分之七十的污染物源于家庭废弃物),据此,本题之意与原文之义不合。

6.【解析】[N]该句句意为:美国人将不会面临缺水问题。该题解题依据为文章第七段第二句话 But Americans could face serious water shortages, too, especially in areas that rely on groundwater, 显然本题之意与原文之义不合。

7.【解析】[NG]该句句意为:水利专家Gleick 提供了与水相关的最佳解决方案。根据本文第十三段第一句话所述,专家Gleick 并未提供任何最佳解决方案。

8.【解析】one?third 解题依据为第四段最后一句话:He fears that by the year 2025, as many as one?third of the world's projected 8.3 billion people will suffer from water shortages.

9.【解析】glaciers and ice caps 解题依据为第五段第二句话:Two?thirds of this freshwater is locked in glaciers and ice caps.

10.【解析】water pollution 解题依据为第十段第二句话:Toxic chemicals pollute water when released untreated into rivers and lakes.

Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension(Reading in Depth)

Section A

【短文大意】本文主要介绍了美国城镇人们购物方式的变化。

47.【解析】[C]20世纪早期,大多数美国城市和城镇都有一条主街道。20世纪早期即用early in the 1900s。

48.【解析】[I]这条街道排成一列,街道两边都是各式各样的商店。Various 意为"不同的、各种各样的"

49.【解析】[G]另外,一些商店还提供服务。提供服务可用固定的搭配 offer services。

50.【解析】[B]所填词take 才能与后面的词place搭配,take place 为固定词组,意为"发生"But in the 1950s, a change began to take place 意为20世纪50年代发生了巨大的变化。

51.【解析】[N]主街道充斥着太多的汽车,却没有地方给顾客停车。Available 意为"可用到的、可利用的",这里指没有可用的地方给顾客停车。

52.【解析】[L]Shopping centers, or rather malls, started as a collection of small new stores away from crowded city centers. 购物中心或者购物商场开始在拥挤的城市中心之外建小型的新商场。开始即用start。

53.【解析】[D]顾客们被许多免费的停车场所吸引,attracted 是被吸引之意。

54.【解析】[M]customers were drawn away from downtown areas to outlying malls.顾客们被从市区吸引到郊区的购物商场。市区即用downtown 一词。

55.【解析】[J]购物中心越来越流行,popularity即普及、流行之意。

56.【解析】[F]购物中心除了提供停车的便利之外,还提供其他服务。提供便利即用 provide convenience。 Section B

Passage One

【短文大意】本文主要讲述文化背景对商业运作的影响,文中列举了商界中存在的对于文化多样性的两种观点。

57.【解析】[C]推断题。意为"对在商业中怎样对待文化有着不同意见"。 文化在商业中是一个很具挑战性的因素。不同的国家与地区可能会有不同的文化体系。在商业中,应该怎样对待不同的文化,商业界存在着不同的看法。

58.【解析】[A]细节题。意为"……与同意世界商业一体化的派别的主张是一致的"。 Pepsi采纳的是国际化的商业风格,这与那些主张国际化的派别的意见是相一致的。

59.【解析】[C]推断题。意为"承认商业世界中文化的多元性"。两个派别都承认商业世界中文化的多元性。他们的不同在于,应该对待不同的文化,应该搞国际化还是对不同的文化采取不同的策略。

60.【解析】[D]主旨题。由文中的例子可以知道,作者主要关心的并不是研究多种文化形态,而是文化背景对商业运作的影响。所以D是正确答案。

61.【解析】[B]细节题。意为"都具有耐心这一素质"。并非所有成功的国际公司的海外收入都占总收入的20%或以上。它们也不一定全都接纳海外的当地文化,或是采纳国际化策略。

Passage Two

【短文大意】本文主要讲述垒球的特征及欣赏。