2003年四級英語考試最新模擬試題(四)

part ii reading comprehension (35 minutes)

directions:there are four reading passages in this part. each passage is followed by some questions. for each question there are four suggested answers marked a,b,c and d, you should choose the one best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a pencil.

passage 1

legal and accounting firms throughout australia could streamline their advice to clients seeking a divorce with a new expert program that “thinks" like family court judges.

the software package, appropriately called “split up" was developed by dr. john zeleznikow and a team of researchers in la trobe university's department of computer science.

it is the first in the world designed to weigh up court judgments in previous cases to predict the way property would be divided for a particular divorce if proceeded to court.

while anyone can get a divorce, the rules on the division of property are up to the judge. deciding who gets what is a complex procedure based on future needs and past contributions.

split up, which can be installed on any pc, asks a sequence of relevant questions about the health, work history, children, property and future needs of the partners in a divorce. it then decides what percentage allocation to each partner would be in court and provides a series of arguments in favour of the decision.

its major advantage, says dr. zeleznikow, is that people are less likely to litigate once they know the likely court outcome. “let's say the program predicts that each partner will get $250 000 from a property settlement. if they go to court the cost to each could be $ 50 000 to litigate. this is a powerful incentive to negotiate instead."

the la trobe research team has attracted international attention for its devleopment of systems which can reason with both statutes (rules) and precedents (cases). the systems are being used in fields which include legal aid and credit law.

1. in the passage means “previous cases”.

a. statutes

b. precedents

c. clients

d. incentives

2. what is not taken into consideration during a divorce case?

a. the family house.

b. the bank deposit.

c. the time duration of the marriage.

d. children's education.

3. split up can do all but .

a. to persuade the judge that its decision is the right one

b. to recall past divorce cases when necessary

c. to seek and then process the information it need

d. to do complex calculation and reasoning

4. the second “it" in para. 3 refers to .

a. the software

b. a previous case

c. the way the property would be divided

d. a particular divorce

5. what is not implied in the passage?

a. family law court judges judge according to both rules and precedents.

b. if the parties in a divorce know they will not profit from a lawsuit, they would settle outside the court.

c. there is clear-cut law on how to divide property between parties in a divorce.

d. split up will help reduce the number of divorce cases presented in court.

passage 2

the producers of instant coffee found their product strongly resisted in the market places despite their product's obvious advantages. furthermore, the advertising expenditure for instant coffee was far greater than that for regular coffee. efforts were made to find the cause of the consumers seemingly unreasonable resistance to the product. the reason given by most people was dislike for the taste. the producer suspected that there might be deeper reasons, however. this was confirmed by one of motivation research's classic studies, one often cited in the trade.

mason haire, of the university of california, constructed two shopping lists that were identical except for one item. there were six items common to both lists: hamburger, carrots, bread, baking powder, canned peaches, and potatoes, with the brands or amounts specifie d. the seventh item, in fifth place on both lists, read “one pound maxwell house coffee" on the list and “nescafe instant coffee" on the other. one list was given to each one in a group of fifty women, and the other list to those in the other group of the same size. the women were asked to study their list and then to describe, as far as they could, the kind of woman (“personality and character")who would draw up that shopping list. nearly half of those who had received the list including instant coffee described a housewife who was lazy and a poor planner. on the other hand, only one woman in the other group described the housewife, who had included regular coffee on her list, as lazy; only six of that group suggested that she was probably not a good wife. no one in the other group drew such a conclusion about the housewife who intended to buy regular coffee.

6. in the opinion of instant coffee producers.

a. people should buy regular coffee

b. regular coffee is superior to instant coffee

c. instant coffee should have a good market because of its obvious advantages

d. the advertising expenditure for regular coffee is very great

7. in this instance, the purpose of motivation study was to discover .

a. why there were deeper reasons

b. why instant coffee did not taste good

c. why regular coffee was successful

d. the reason why people resisted instant coffee

8. the list on which “nescafe instant coffee" was written as an item was given to a group consisting of .

a. 7 people

b. 7 women

c. 14 people

d. 50 women

9. on the result of this test, the producers of instant coffee probably would advertise on tv to show a .

a. lazy wife drinking instant coffee

b. stupid wife using instant coffee

c. hard-working woman drinking instant coffee

d. good wife using regular coffee

10. which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

a. it is reasonable for people to resist instant coffee.

b. advertising does not always assure favorable sales results.

c. people pay little attention to advertising.

d. regular coffee has better taste than instant coffee.

passage 3

it is a curious fact that as we leave the most impoverished peoples of the world, where the human being with his too few calories of energy scratches out for himself a bare subsistence, we find the economic insecurity of the individual many times multiplied. the solitary eskimo, bushman, indonesian, nigerian, left to his own devices, will survive a considerable time. living close to the soil or to their animal prey, the peoples with the lowest standard of living in the world can sustain their own lives, at least for a while, almost single-handed. with a community numbering only a few hundred, they can live indefinitely. indeed, a very large percentage of the human race today lives in precisely such fashion - in small, virtually self-contained peasant communities which provide for their own survival with a minimum of contact with the outside world. this large majority of mankind suffers great poverty, but it also knows a certain economic independence.

when we turn to the new yorker or the chicagoan, on the other hand, we are struck by exactly the opposite condition, by a prevailing ease of material life, coupled at the same time by an extreme dependence of the individual in his search for the means of existence. in the great metropolitan areas where most americans live, we can no longer imagine the solitary individual or the small community surviving, short of robbing for food and necessities. the majority of americans have never grown food, caught game, raised meat, ground grain into flour. faced with the challenge of clothing themselves or building their own homes, they would be hopelessly untrained and unprepared. even to make minor repairs in the machines which surround them, they must call on other members of the community whose business it is to fix cars, or to repair plumbing, or whatever. perhaps, the richer the nation, the more apparent is this inability of its average inhabitant to survive unaided and alone.

11. which is the best title for this passage?

a. the poor and the rich.

b. the individual and the society.

c. the division of labor.

d. the making of a society.

12. “left to his own devices" in line 4, para. 1 most probably means .

a. to be left alone

b. to be left to make plans

c. to be left to invent new devices

d. to be left to devil

13. it is most likely to find people like robinson crusoe

a. in great metropolitan area

b. in a large community

c. in modern america

d. near the north pole

14. which of the following is indicated in the passage?

a. modern american society is a self-contained society.

b. division of labor improves efficiency.

c. the survival ability of a man is decided by the degree of his dependence on others.

d. a man living alone will survive longer than a man living in a small community.

15. one can not make a living in modern america by .

a. buying things one need from stores

b. hiring the services of others

c. robbing others of food and necessities

d. learning to do things all by oneself

passage 4

if women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. when you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.

changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

no one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability. they are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. there can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.

when comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualites of inconstancy and instability? men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? that is for you to decide.

16. designers and big stores always make money .

a. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

b. because they are capable of predicting new fashions

c. by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

d. because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing

17. to the writer, the fact that women alter their old -fashioned dresses is seen as .

a. a waste of money

b. a waste of time

c. an expression of taste

d. an expression of creativity

18. the writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the of clothing.

a. cost

b. appearance

c. comfort

d. suitability

19. according to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

a. new fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.

b. the constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of character.

c. the fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.

d. fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.

20. by saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious"(paragraph 4), the writer means that .

a. women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing if often laughed at

b. women are better able to put up with discomfort

c. men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

d. men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion

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 answer that best completes the sentence. then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.

21. enquires the condition of patients may be made personally or by telephone.

a. revealing

b. concerning

c. affecting

d. containing

22. the king's order has been very well .

a. put to rights

b. put through

c. put into effect

d. put forth

23. the child disturbed the class.

a. continuously

b. continually

c. considerably

d. contrarily

24. something that is is not relevant to the subject that you are considering or discussing.

a. out of place

b. in no case

c. to the point

d. beside the point

25. some days go by much more quickly than others. some hours seem as if they .

a. would never end

b. will never end

c. might never end

d. should never end

26. his ignorance of the best ways of investing in the stock market brought him on the of ruin.

a. bank

b. peak

c. edge

d. break

27. as more and more facts were revealed, the conclusion became .

a. apparent

b. visible

c. logical

d. reasonable

28. he declined the invitation partly because he was busy and .

a. for lack of money

b. partly because his lack of money

c. partly because he lacked money

d. partly his lack of money

29. there was a good of the countryside from the front of the bus.

a. sight

b. view

c. look

d. scenery

30. the smiths have bought a vase in the department store.

a. beautiful large green chinese

b. green large beautiful chinese

b. beautiful green large chinese

d. chinese large green beautiful

31. money, he is quite rich, but this does not mean he is happy.

a. as to

b. in terms of

c. concerning

d. in the light of

32. we must that the telegram arrives in time.

a. assure

b. endure

c. ensure

d. secure

33. let me take this to thank you publicly for all you have done for our company.

a. occasion

b. chance

c. opportunity

d. occurrence

34. when jane fell off the bike, the other children .

a. were not able to help laughing

b. could not help but laughing

c. could not help laughing

d. could not help laugh

35. in order to be issued a passport, one must either present legal documents or call a witness to give concerning one's identity.

a. reference

b. evidence

c. indication

d. confidence

36. peter will what his parents expect of him.

a. watch out for

b. live up to

c. stand up to

d. get along with

37. there are many on the scene of the accident.

a. lookers-on

b. lookers-ons

c. looker-ons

d. looker-on

38. i don't care we are invited to the dinner.

a. if or not

b. whether or not

c. what

d. that

39. the country has a system of , most of which date from 19th century.

a. channels

b. rivers

c. streams

d. canals

40. the experience might be very to her.

a. thankful

b. thoughtful

c. helpful

d. successful

41. watt carefully what was happening at the time.

a. objected

b. attempted

c. delivered

d. observed

42. that famous actor seems content to play a minor in the play.

a. part

b. act

c. character

d. player

43. recently there has been a great for small cars that use little petrol.

a. claim

b. application

c. request

d. demand

44. the school authority doesn't permit on campus.

a. demonstrate

b. to demonstrate

c. to hold a demonstration

d. demonstrating

45. the class had a short break, then the teacher his lecture.

a. proceeded

b. proceeded to

c. proceeded from

d. proceeded with

46. to take no notice of something is to it.

a. forget

b. ignore

c. refuse

d. lose sight of

47. the reason she failed in the exam was .

a. that she hadn't worked hard

b. because she hadn't worked hard

c. why she hadn't worked hard

d. because she was too careless

48. next time i catch you , i'll turn you in to the police.

a. stealing from others' pockets

b. steal from other's pockets

c. stealing other's pockets

d. to steal from other's pockets

49. external appearances are concerned, radioactive materials do not look different from other substances.

a. as far as

b. as good as

c. as soon as

d. as well as

50. the children are opposed to without their uncle.

a. have a party

b. have held a party

c. take part in a party

d. having a party

答案:

1.分析與解答:從第3、7段可推出答案為b)

2.分析與解答:從第4、5段可知c)“婚姻的持續時間”沒有涉及到。故答案為c)。而其它三項“房子、銀行存款、孩子教育”都屬於財產及孩子問題。

3.分析與解答:從第3、5、7段可知b)、c)、d)正確,但a)項內容文中並未提到。故答案為a)。

4.分析與解答:第3段中講:“這是世界上首次設計出來的(軟體),是用於權衡法庭對以往案件的判決,從而預測某個特定的離婚案--如果它繼續訴諸法庭的話--的財產分分配方式。”可見答案為d)。

5.分析與解答:第4段講“任何人都可以離婚,但財產分配取決於法官判決。而決定誰得到什麼是建立在未來需求和過去貢獻基礎上的一個複雜過程。”可見並沒有明確可依的離婚財產法律 。故答案為c)。

6.分析與解答:從第1段第1句可得出答案為c)。此句為虛擬語氣結構。

7.分析與解答:從第1段尤其是第1句和最後兩句可知答案為d)。

8.分析與解答:從第2段第4句可知答案為d)。

9.分析與解答:因為“動機調查”顯示人們不買“即沖咖啡”的原因是它暗示了女主人的懶惰lazy,所以為提高銷量,生產商必定要排除這種副面暗示,故答案為c)。

10.分析與解答:本題考察對文章的推斷。結合全文,尤其是從第1段中可推出答案b)。而a)、c)、d)都過於絕對,所以不正確。

11.分析與解答:文章第1段講,生活在簡單環境下物質條件差的個體獨立生存能力強;第2段,大都市中生活優越的個體卻很難離開社會獨立生存下來。可見全文講的是“個體與社會”的問題。故答案為b)。

12. 分析與解答:從第1、2段的對比以及該結構下文緊接著講的“living close to the soil or to their animal prey, the peoples with the lowest standard of living ... almost single-handed.”可見起意思為獨立生存。故答案為a)。

13.分析與解答:從第1段第2句講到“當愛斯基摩人...獨立生存時,可以存活相當長的一段時間。”第2段中講大都市的現代美國人卻難以獨立生存。所以能象魯濱遜那樣自己獨立生活的人應該是前者,即生活在北極圈附近的人。故答案為d)。

14.分析與解答:很容易排除a)、b)、d)。故答案為d)。

15.分析與解答:從第2段後半部分內容可得出答案為d)。

16.分析與解答:從第1段第2句可知答案為c)。

17.分析與解答:從第2段第3句可知答案為b)。

18.分析與解答:從第3段第2句得出答案為c)。

19.分析與解答:從第2段及第2段第1、2句可得出答案為a)。其它三項很容易排除。

20.分析與解答:從第4段尤其是第3句(too...to...結構)可得出答案為d)。

21.分析與解答:本題考察單詞意思。revealing揭露,concerning關於,affecting影響,contain-ing含有。結合題義答案應為b)。

22.分析與解答:本題考察詞組意思。put to rights沒有此詞組, put through使...通過,put into effect使生效,put forth使用、使行動。結合題義答案應為c)。

23.分析與解答:continually再三地;不斷地,continuously連續不斷地,強調中間沒有一點停頓;considerably相當地,十分地;contrarily固執地,倔強地。從題意看應選b)。

24.分析與解答:本題考察詞組意思。out of place不適當的,in no case無論如何也不,to the point中肯,beside the point離題。結合題義答案應為d)。

25.分析與解答:本題考察as if 引出的虛擬語氣。當as if從句所表示的意思可能性極小時,謂語動詞用虛擬語氣形式。先排除b)。而might表可能,should多用於第一人稱。故答案為a)。

26.分析與解答:本題考察固定詞組“on the edge of在...的邊緣”, 故答案為c)。

27.分析與解答:本題考察單詞意思。apparent明顯的,visible可看見的,logical合乎邏輯的,reasonable合理的。結合題義答案應為a)。

28.分析與解答:本題考察並列原因狀語結構。a)、b)無此搭配首先排除。d)為名詞結構無法與前面的because(引導從句)結構並列搭配。故答案為c)。

29.分析與解答:本題考察固定搭配。表示從...看到的風景用“view”。故答案為b)。

30.分析與解答:本題考察多個形容詞修飾名詞時的順序--“形容詞型代詞-數量詞-描繪性形容詞(性質-尺寸形狀-新舊、溫度-顏色-國籍-材料)”。故答案應為a)。

31.分析與解答:本題考察詞組意思。as to關於,in the terms of就...而言、依照...的標準,concerning關於,in the light of根據... 。結合題義答案應為b)。

32.分析與解答:本題考察單詞意思。assure使確信,endure忍受,ensure確保,secure使安全。結合題義答案應為c)。

33.分析與解答:occasion機會,一般的用語;chance機會,指偶然而來的機會,含有僥倖的意味在內;opportunity好機會。一件偶然的事情,卻正是我們所希望的。這種偶然的事情被稱為opportunity.所以occasion常有,而opportunity不常有。如:she waited a long time without finding opportunity for a new departure.答案應為c)。

34.分析與解答:本題考察固定詞組搭配“can/could not help doing禁不住做某事”,故答案為c)。

35.分析與解答:本題考察單詞意思。reference參考,evidence證據,indication暗示,confiden-ce自信心。結合題義答案應為b)。

36.分析與解答:本題考察詞組意思。watch out for注意、警惕,live up to追求/維持高水平,stand up to無此詞組,get along with與...相處。結合題義答案應為b)。

37.分析與解答:本題考察複合名詞的複數形式。首先判斷此處需要複數名詞。而由“名詞+副詞”構成 的複合名詞,其複數形式是將主體名詞變為複數。故答案為a)。此類名詞還有:runner-up/runners-up,passer-by/passers-by等。

38.分析與解答:本題考察表示“是否...”的賓語從句,應該用“whether or not”引出, 故答案為 b)。

39.分析與解答:本題考察單詞意思。channel海峽,river河流,stream溪流,canal運河。結合題義答案應為d)。

40.分析與解答:helpful的意思是giving help, 有幫助的,有益的;thankful意思是grateful感謝的,欣慰的;thoughtful意思是深思的,體貼的。如:a thoughtful friend體貼的朋友。答案應為c)。

41.分析與解答:observe看,觀察;deliver遞送(信件、包裹、貨物等)至收件處、收件人或購貨人;交付。故答案為d)。

42.分析與解答:本題考察固定詞組搭配“play a part in a/the play 在某劇中扮演角色”。故答案為a)。

43.分析與解答:本題考察單詞意思。claim正式要求,application套用、申請,request要求,dem-and 需求。結合題義答案應為d)。

44.分析與解答:本題考察固定搭配“permit doing”,故答案為d)。

45.分析與解答:本題考察單詞、詞組意思。proceed繼續(不及物),proceed to繼續做(+動詞原形)、獲取(+名詞),proceed from由...造成,proceed with繼續進行(+名詞).結合題義答案應為d)。

46.分析與解答:forget忘記,遺忘;ignore忽略,忽視;refuse拒絕;lose sight of喪失視力。答案應為b)。

47.分析與解答:主句由reason作主語的句子,其表語從句應由that引出,故答案為a)。

48.分析與解答:本題考察固定詞組搭配“catch sb. doing sth.當場抓獲某人在做某事”和“steal sth.偷某物”、“steal from...從...里偷”,結合題義答案應為a)。

49.分析與解答:as(so)far as…be concerned就……而論,這是一個詞組,as far as這部分不可用其它詞替換。答案應為a。

50.分析與解答:本題考察固定詞組搭配“be opposed to doing sth.反對做某事”,故答案應為d).