2004年6月大學英語四級CET4真題及答案

guage be unlike any other on earth? it was 1955, when even deaf peopie dismissed their signing as "substandard". stokoes idea was academic heresy (異端邪說 ).

it is 37 years later. stokoe - now devoting his time to writing and editing books and journals and to producing video materials on asl and the deaf culture - is having lunch at a caf6 near the gallaudet campus and explaining how he started a revolution. for decades educators fought his idea that signed languages are natural languages like english, french and japanese. they assumed

language must be based on speech, the modulation (調節) of sound. but sign language is based on the movement of hands, the modulation of space. "what i said," stokoe explains, "is that language is not mouth stuff- its brain stuff."


11. the study of sign language is thought to be

a) an approach to simplifying the grammatical structure of a language

b) an attempt to clarify misunderstanding about the origin of language

c) a challenge to traditional views on the nature of language

d) a new way to took at the learning of language [c]

12.the present growing interest in sign language was stimulated by

a) a leading specialist in the study of liberal arts

b) an english teacer in a university for the deaf

"c) some senior experts in american sign language

d) a famous scholar in thestudy of the human brain

13. according to stokoe, sign language is

a) an international language c) an artificial language

b) a substandard language d) a genuine language [d]

14. most educators objected to stokoes idea because they thought

a) a language should be easy to use and understand

b) sign language was too artificial to be widely accepted

c) a language could only exist in the form of speech sounds

d) sign language was not extensively used even by deaf people [c]

15. stokoes argument is based on his belief that

a) language is a product of the brain

b) language is a system of meaningful codes

c) sign language is derived from natural language

d) sign language is as efficient as any other language [a]


passage two

questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.


a is for always getting to work on time.

b is for being extremely busy.

c is for the conscientious ( 勤勤懇懇的 ) way you do your job.

you may be all these things atthe office, and more. but when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the abcs of business should include a p, for politics, as in office politics.

dale carnegie suggested asmuch more than 50 years ag hard work alone doesnt ensure career advancemen. you have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind thescefies. yet, despite the ovious rewards of engaging in office politics - a better job, a raise, praise- many people are still unable or unwilling - to "play the game."

"people assume that office politics involves some manipulative (工於心計的) behavior," says deborah comer, an assistant professor of management at hofstra university. "but politics derives from the word polite. it can mean lobbying and forming associations. it can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying, to please your superior, and thenexpecting something in return."

in fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue ones own self-interest in the workplace. in many cases, this involves some form of socializing within the office environment - not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well.

"the first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis," says neil p. lewis, a management psychologist. "but if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or shelikes best. its simple human nature."

yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. still others associate politics withfiattery 奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors.