1994年英语专业四级真题.doc

1994年英语专业四级真题Part I Reading Comprehension (35 minutes) Directions: 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 centre. Passage A A Wise Man He was a funny looking man with a cheerful face, good natured and a great talker. He was described by his student, the great philosopher Plato, as “the best and most just and wisest man. ”Yet, this same man was condemned to death for his beliefs.The man was the Greek philosopher, Socrates, and he was condemned for not believing in the recognized gods and for corrupting young people. The second charge stemmed from his association with numerous young men who came to Athens from all over the civilized world to study under him. Socrates method of teaching was to ask questions and, by pretending not to know the answers, to press his students into thinking for themselves. His teachings had unsurpassed influence on all the great Greek and Roman schools of philosophy. Yet, for all his fame and influence, Socrates himself never wrote a word.Socrates encouraged new ideas and free thinking in the young, and this was frightening to the conservative people. They wanted him silenced. Yet, many were probably surprised that he accepted death so readily.Socrates had the right to ask for a lesser penalty, and he probably could have won over enough of the people who had previously condemned him. But Socrates, as a firm believer in law, reasoned that it was proper to submit to the death sentence. So, he calmly accepted his fate and drank a cup of poison hemlock in the presence of his grief-stricken friends and students. 1.In the first paragraph, the word yet is used to introduce _. A.contrast B.a sequence C.emphasis D.an example 2.Socrates was condemned to death because he _. A.believed in law B.was a philosopher C.published outspoken philosophical articles D.advocated original opinions 3.The word unsurpassed in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to _. A.untold B.unequalled C.unnoticed D.unexpected 4.By mentioning that Socrates himself never wrote anything, the writer implies that _. A.it was surprising that Socrates was so famous B.Socrates was not so learned as he is reputed to have been C.Socrates used the work of his students in teaching D.the authorities refused to publish Socrates works 5.Socrates accepted the death penalty to show _. A.his belief in his students B.his contempt for conservatives C.his recognition of the legal system D.that he was not afraid of death Passage B In England, along a stretch of the north-east coast which gently curves from Northumberland to the estuary of the river Tees, there was a spot, typical of many on that coast, where sea-coal collected richly and effortlessly. This coal was a coarse powder, clean and brilliant. It seemed to bear little resemblance to the large, filthy lumps put onto the fire. Although it was coal, it was perfectly clean and it was silently deposited at high tide in a glittering carpet a kilometre long for the local community to gather up. The gear needed for sea-coaling expeditions was a curious and traditionally proven assortment which never varied from community to community along the entire north-east coastline. Sacks were essential to put the coal in, and string to tie the neck of each sack when it was full. A wooden rake was used to serape the coal from the beach. The only alternative to the rake was a flat piece of board held in the hand. A flat, broad shovel to lift the raked coal into the bags, completed the portable hardware. But the most crucial item of equipment was a bicycle, a special kind of rusty, stripped down model which was the symbol of the sea-coaling craft. A ladys bike was no good because it lacked a crossbar, and that was an essential element in transporting sea-coal. One full sack could be slung through the triangular frame of a mans bike, another over the crossbar and, sometimes, even a third on top of that. It not only enabled one to move the sea coal from place to place, but the pressure of the metal bar against the full, wet sacks forced excess water out of the coal while it was being wheeled home. On a good day, the path to the beach was generally a double snailtrack of water that had been forced from each end of a trail of coal sacks. 6.The difference between the two types of coal was that _. A.sea coal burnt better B.sea coal was cheaper C.sea coal was more finely-grained D.sea coal came in big pieces 7.Certain equipment was used because _. A.the people were very traditional B.it could be made by the communities themselves C.it had proved to be practical D.the communities had curious habits 8.Which piece of equipment was not vital to sea-coal collecting? A.rake B.A sack C.A ladys bike D.A piece of string 9.To carry three sacks of coal on a bicycle it was necessary to _. A.put one of them on the saddle B.balance them all on the crossbar C.balance two on the crossbar D.put two through the framework 10.By using the bicycle _. A.the collectors could ride home B.the coal could be moved easily over the sand C.the collectors could sell more coal D.excess liquid could be removed Passage C Did you know that all human beings have a “comfort zone” regulating the distance they stand from someone when they talk? This distance varies in interesting ways among people of different cultures.Greeks, others of the Eastern Mediterranean, and many of those from South America normally stand quite close together when they talk, often moving their faces even closer as they warm up in a conversation. North Americans find this awkward and often back away a few inches. Studies have found that they tend to feel most comfortable at about 21 inches apart. In much of Asia and Africa, there is even more space between two speakers in conversation. This greater space subtly lends an air of dignity and respect. This matter of space is nearly always unconscious, but it is interesting to observe. This difference applies also to the closeness with which people sit together, the extent to which they lean over one another in conversation, how they move as they argue or make an emphatic point. In the United States, for example, people try to keep their bodies apart even in a crowded elevator; in Paris they take it as it comes! Although North Americans have a relatively wide “comfort zone” for talking, they communicate a great deal with their handsnot only with gesture but also with touch. They put a sympathetic hand on a persons shoulder to demonstrate warmth of feeling or an arm around him in sympathy; they nudge a man in the ribs to emphasize a funny story; they pat an arm in reassurance or stroke a childs head in affection; they readily take someones arm to help him across a street or direct him along an unfamiliar route. To many peopleespecially those from Asia or the Moslem countriessuch bodily contact is unwelcome, especially if inadvertently done with the left hand. (The left hand carries no special significance in the U. S. Many Americans are simply left-handed and use that hand more. ) 11.In terms of bodily distance, North Americans _. A.are similar to South Americans B.stand farthest apart C.feel ill at ease when too close D.move nearer during conversations 12.For Asians, the comfort zone _. A.is deliberately determined B.measures 21 inches C.varies according to status D.implies esteem 13.It can be inferred from the passage that in a crowded elevator, a Frenchman _. A.would behave in the same way as an American would B.would make no particular effort to distance himself C.would be afraid of bodily contact D.would do his best to leave 14.When Americans tell a joke, they often _. A.pat people on the head B.give people a hug C.dig people in the ribs D.touch people on the arm 15.The passage mainly concerns _. A.distance and bodily contact B.body language C.cultural differences between the East and the West D.hand signals Passage D Do Insects Think? In a recent book entitled The Psychic Life of Insects, Professor Bouvier says that we must be careful not to credit the little winged fellows with intelligence when they behave in what seems like an intelligent manner. They may be only reacting. I would like to confront the Professor with an instance of reasoning power on the part of an insect which cannot be explained away in any other manner.During the summer of 1899, while I was at work on my doctoral thesis, we kept a female wasp at our cottage. It was more like a child of our own than a wasp, except that it looked more like a wasp than a child of our own. That was one of the ways we told the difference. It was still a young wasp when we got it (thirteen or fourteen years old) and for some time we could not get it to eat or drink, it was so shy. Since it was a female we decided to call it Miriam, but soon the childrens nickname for it“Pudge”became a fixture, and“Pudge” it was from that time on. One evening I had been working late in my laboratory fooling around with some gin and other chemicals, and in leaving the room I tripped over. a nine of diamonds which someone had left lying on the floor and knocked over my card index which contained the names and addresses of all the larvae worth knowing in North America. The cards went everywhere.I was too tired to stop to pick them up that night, and went sobbing to bed, just as mad as I could be. As I went, however, I noticed the wasp was flying about in circles over the scattered cards. “Maybe Pudge will pick them up”, I said half laughingly to myself, never thinking for one moment that such would be the case. When I came down the next morning Pudge was still asleep in her box, evidently tired out. And well she might have been. For there on the floor lay the cards scattered all about just as I had left them the night before. The faithful little insect had buzzed about all night trying to come to some decision about picking them up and arranging them in the boxes for me, and then had figured out for herself that, as she knew practically nothing of larvae of any sort except wasp larvae, she would probably make more of a mess of rearranging them than if she had left them on the floor for me to fix. It was just too much for her to tackle, and, discouraged, she went over and lay down in her box, where she cried herself to sleep. If this is not an answer to Professor Bouviers statement, I do not know what is. 16.Professor Bouvier believes that insects _. A.do not have intelligence B.behave in an intelligent way C.are capable of reasoning D.are more intelligent than we thought 17.On the evening the author fell over, someone _. A.had moved his card index B.had been playing card games C.had knocked over his boxes containing cards D.had looked at his collection of diamonds 18.When he came to the laboratory the next morning, the author _. A.saw that his cards had already been rearranged B.realized that the wasp had been trying to help C.found evidence of the wasps intelligence D.found his index cards still scattered about the room 19.The authors account of his wasps intelligence _. A.is imaginary B.is convincing C.firmly proves his point of view D.is valuable for insect study 20.The purpose of this article is to _. A.oppose Professor Bouviers point of view B.support Professor Bouvier with his own experience C.further discuss whether insects are intelligent D.illustrate the working theory behind the authors thesis Passage E Maybe youd like to have a vegetable garden, but you live in a room, an apartment, a townhouse or a mobile home, and you think there is no place at all for such activity. But if you have a doorstep, a balcony or even just a windowsill, you can have your own mini-garden. Mini-gardening with vegetables, fruit trees and herbs can be fascinating fun, and you can mix or match all vegetables or vegetables and flowers. You can grow them in greenhouses, under fluorescent lights, or in a sunny window.Perhaps now, with the prices of fresh vegetables competing with those of meats and dairy products, this is more than ever an important aspect of indoor gardening. But entirely aside from the economic dividends, there is the pleasure of enjoying a truly fresh product, one you grew yourself from plant to plate.Vegetable plants grow better in full sunlight than in the shade. Some vegetables need more light than others. Leafy vegetables (lettuce) can stand more shade than root vegetables (beets). Root vegetables can stand more shade than vegetable fruit plants (cucumbers) which do very poorly in the shade. Plant your vegetable fruit plants where they will get the most sun, and your leafy vegetables and root vegetables in the shadier areas. 21.The passage is mainly concerned with _. A.fruit growing B.outdoor gardening C.leafy vegetables D.indoor gardening 22.The authors attitude towards the topic in the passage is _. A.neutral B.positive C.contradictory D.indifferent Part II Vocabulary (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 correspondeing letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre. 23.A ship with a heavy load of timber is reported to have sunk _ the coast of California. A.off B.on C.at D.in 24.Arriving at the bus stop, _ waiting there. A.a lot of people were B.he found a lot of people C.a lot of people D.people were found 25._ your timely advice, I would never have known how to go about the work. A.Unless B.But for C.Except for D.Not for 26.We can assign the task to _ is capable and trustworthy. A.whomever B.who C.whom D.whoever 27._ regular training in nursing, she could hardly cope with the work at first. A.Not received B.Since receiving C.Having received D.Not having received 28.So badly _ in the car accident that he had to stay in hospital for a few months. A.did he injure B.injured him C.was he injured D.he was injured 29.The countrys chief exports are coal, cars and cotton goods, cars _ the most important of these. A.have been B.are C.being D.are being 30.It was recommended that passengers _ smoke during the flight. A.not B.need not C.could not D.would not 31.“She must be in the dormitory now. ”“No, she _ be there. I saw her in the classroom a minute ago.” A.mustnt B.cant C.couldnt D.wouldnt 32._ human problems that repeat themselves in _ life repeat themselves in _ literature. A./,/,the B./,the,/ C.The, /,/ D.The, the, the 33.Only take such clothes _ really necessary. A.as were B.as they are C.as they were D.as are 34._you were busy, I wouldnt have bothered you with my questions. A.If I realized B.Had I realized C.I realized that D.As I realized 35.She has taken great pains to conceal her emotions, and thereby made them _conspicuous. A.all the more B.all the much C.all more D.all much 36.He _ the 8:20 bus because he didnt leave home till 8:25. A.couldnt have caught B.ought to have caught C.shouldnt have caught D.must not have caught 37._ is often the case with a new idea, much preliminary activity and optimistic discussion produced no concrete proposals. A.That B.It C.This D.As 38.Please dispose _ those old newspapers while youre cleaning up the room. A.out B.of C.away D.in 39.One can _ even from ones unpleasant experiences. A.obtain B.improve C.benefit D.continue 40.This automobile plant has a monthly _ of 500 cars. A.proficiency B.capability C.strength D.capacity 41.At present there is a _ of iron and steel and more must be produced. A.limit B.loss C.poverty D.scarcity 42.He was _ admittance to the concert hall for not being properly dressed. A.rejected B.denied C.withheld D.deprived 43.Because of the strong sun the new sitting-room curtains have _ from dark blue to grey. A.fainted B.paled C.bleached D.faded 44.My new sweater _ when I washed it. A.shrank B.shortened C.contracted D.condensed 45.He was so _ on his work that he didnt hear her come in. A.intent B.absorbed C.engrossed D.involved 46.George has a big coffee _ on the front of his jacket. A.spot B.mark C.stain D.patch. 47.The problem has _ simply because you didnt follow the instructions in the handbook. A.assembled B.arisen C.risen D.resulted 48.Try not to say anything hurtful to her. She is a very _ person. A.sensible B.sensitive C.tough D.reasonable 49.The _ driver thinks accidents only happen to other people. A.average B.common C.usual D.normal 50.The boxer _ his opponent as hard as he could. A.punched B.slapped C.knocked D.whipped 51.The Christmas present were all _ in shiny paper. A.done over B.done with C.done out D.done up 52.In the next few years major changes will be _ in Chinas industries. A