2011年12月英语四级模拟试题及答案1.docx

2011年12月英语四级模拟试题及答案1 Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: The Importance of keeping A Good Mood. You should write at least 120 words according to the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 人们每天都生活在压力之下 2. 所以说保持一个好的心情是十分重要的 3. 我的观点和原因 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 questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, mark Y (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. Gulf Wracked By Katrinas Latest Legacy-Disease, Poisons, Mold A month after Hurricane Katrina tore through the U.S. Gulf Coast, medical experts are now struggling with the latest crisis in the region; contamination(污染). Katrina left New Orleans and other communities tainted with oil, sewage, and possibly poisons leached from federal toxic waste sites, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says. The pollution, combined with the lack of regular medical services in the region, has raised serious questions about the safety of New Orleans and other coastal towns as people longing for home begin to go back. I dont think New Orleans is safe for people to return to, from a public health and environmental health standpoint, said Miriam Aschkenasy, an environmental health expert working with Oxfam America in the region. Much of the contamination rests in the brown, filmy sediment(沉淀物) left behind by Katrinas polluted floodwaters. Recent EPA tests of the sediment confirmed high levels of E. coli bacteria, oil and gas chemicals, and lead, as well as varying quantities of arsenic. The health risks posed by the sediment are immediate, experts say, because the sludge(淤泥) is nearly impossible for returning residents to avoid. In New Orleans, it covers every surface that was flooded, from cars and now-dead lawns to the entire contents of flooded homes, stores, hospitals, and schools. When people come back, they are exposed to the sediment, said Wilma Subra, a chemist from New Iberia, Louisiana, who is analyzing the sediment. Its in their yards and houses. Old Pollution Resurfacing Plaquemines Parish, a rural county on the peninsula south of New Orleans, is now covered with even more toxic sediment than it was two weeks ago, thanks to Hurricane Rita. Six inches up to one foot (15 to 30 centimeters) of sludge, Subra reported. Much of the sludge in Plaquemines is the product of nearby bayous and bay bottoms, where sediment was lifted up by Katrinas and Ritas storm surges. The sediment has been polluted over the years with industrial chemicals and heavy metals, said Subra, who tested the sediment for the Southern Mutual Help Association, a nonprofit organization in New Iberia, Louisiana. These water bodies have received industrial wastes for decades, she said. This material has toxic chemicals, metals, and organic petrochemicals(石化产品). Matters have only been made worse by multiple oil spills caused by Katrina and Rita. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 11 oil spills have occurred in southern Louisiana, totaling 7.4 million gallons (28 million liters) of oil, most of which has been contained. Bacteria levels are also especially high in the Plaquemines sludge, said Rodney Mallett, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The sewage treatment plants were underwater, he explained. Between the animal waste and the human waste, youve got a lot of bacteria. Protection Kits Health and environmental agencies are advising people to avoid contact with the sludge. They recommend that people wear gloves, goggles, and dust masks, and that they wash promptly if exposure occurs. EPA officials are directing people to its Web site () to inform themselves of the contamination risks. But most people returning to the area dont have computers to get that information, said Erik Olson, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. If you do read the Web site, he added, you practically have to have a degree in chemistry to understand it. To better inform people of health risks, the Southern Mutual Help Association and Oxfam America are developing a program to give every returning resident a protective kit. Each kit would contain waterproof suits, goggles(风镜), shoe covers, and masks, along with information about potential hazards, Volunteers would give out the kits at the security checkpoints that now stand at the major entrances to affected cities. The groups have made a hundred demonstration kits, which cost about $100 (U.S.) each to produce, and have shown them to state leaders in Louisiana. The governor is really in favor of this, Subra said. We just have to determine how were going to fund them. Toxic Mold Blooms In addition to the toxic sediment, sprawling blooms of mold have now taken hold in many flooded homes. The mold is growing everywhere-homes are just coated with it, Subra said. The problem has become so widespread that federal health officials warned Wednesday of allergic reactions and toxic responses to the mold. Professionals should be hired to clean mold that covers more than ten square feet (one square meter), they urged. Those surfaces that cant be cleaned need to be removed, said Steven Redd, chief of the Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The effects of the mold are already surfacing in Mississippi, where respiratory(呼吸的) problems are among the illnesses doctors there are reporting. Were seeing a lot of asthma from inhaling the mold, said Richard Paat, team leader of a temporary East Biloxi clinic. And mouth sores from the bad water. Due to contact with unclean water, 33 people in the flood zone have contracted Vibrio infections, according to the CDC. The infections are caused by a family of bacteria that live in contaminated salt water. They can cause serious illness, especially in people with compromised immune systems. To date, six people have died from Vibrio infections. People had open wound and walked through floodwater with sewage in it, CDC spokesperson Von Roebuck said. And these folks were having these wounds infected with Vibrio. Disaster Response Care This is a highly contaminated area, said Susan Briggs, the physician overseeing FEMAs disaster-response medical teams in Louisiana and Alabama. Her teams have been inoculating residents for tetanus and Hepatitis A and B. Hepatitis is a danger when people are exposed to sewage, through water or food, Briggs explained. Tetanus can occur when people cut themselves on unclean materials, as may happen when cleaning debris. The rudimentary(根本的) living conditions in many Katrina-struck areas make it more likely that people will get sick and injured, Briggs said. They have no electricity, no clean water, no air conditioning, she said. There are collapsed structures and stray animals. There are huge amounts of stray dogs, and people have been bitten. Briggs and other doctors in the area have been treating many cases of diarrhea, rashes, and upper-respiratory illnesses. All of these conditions are to be expected after natural disasters, according to the CDC. But its too soon to know if these ailments are related to contamination, the CDCs Roebuck said. Were looking at that question, he said. Wed like to know the answer. 1. The passage gives a description of the contamination in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. 2. Katrina left New Orleans and other communities tainted with oil and sewage. 3. Plaquemines Parish is now covered with even more toxic sediment that it was two weeks ago. 4. People are being advised to avoid contact with the sludge by health and environmental agencies. 5. The Southern Mutual Help Association and Oxfam America are developing a program to sell every returning resident a protective kit. 6. The conditions in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina is special. 7. In addition to the toxic sediment, sprawling blooms of mold have now taken hold in many flooded homes, and it is growing everywhere. 8. To date, six people have died from_. 9. The rudimentary living conditions in many Katrina-struck areas make it more likely that people will get_. 10. All of these conditions are to be expected after_.Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section A 11. A She refuses to go to dinner. B She agrees to go to dinner. C She is angry. D She is surprised. 12. A She learns English quickly. B Her English isnt very good. C Her English is very good. D She learns new sentences slowly. 13. A At a bank. B At an inn. C On the river side. D On a basketball field. 14. A Go to Paris again. B Live in Paris. C Go somewhere else. D Difficult to say. 15. A Peter likes to do physical exercise. B Peter is absent-minded in class. C Peter is a naughty boy. D Peter usually walks to class. 16. A A driving test. B A traffic accident. C A police movie. D The best way to make signals. 17. A Her sister is a fashionable woman. B Her sister is designing a dress. C Her sister is studying Spanish. D Her sister is in the Philippines. 18. A She is going to see a movie. B She wants to see her friend. C She is going to see a film that she has seen before. D She is going to find out some information about the film. Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 19. A A desire to express oneself and display ones wealth. B Individual taste and love for beauty. C Love for beauty and a desire to impress other people. D Individual taste and a desire to express oneself. 20. A They may be homesick and feel insecure. B They are either cold or very sick. C They may try to attract other peoples attention. D They want to protect themselves from physical injuries. 21. A Green. B Yellow. C Red. D Grey. 22. A Reporter and fashion designer. B Husband and wife. C Shop assistant and customer. D Teacher and student. Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 23. A She felt embarrassed in class. B Her presentation received a poor grade. C She had not completed her assignment. D She was unable to attend her psychology class. 24. A Shed be able to leave quickly. B Shed be less nervous. C Shed be able to locate where the man was seated. D Shed know when her professor arrived. 25. A They blush more readily than women do. B Theyre uncomfortable when performing in front of adults. C They dont respond to stress well. D They blush less frequently than adults do. Section B Passage One Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard. 26. A The Black Plague. B Enemy of Humanity. C Common Animal pests. D Causes of World Hunger. 27. A They eat or spoil crops. B They destroy dams and buildings. C They attack birds and animals. D They carry diseases. 28. A In India. B In Europe. C Throughout the world. D Both A and B. Passage Two Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard. 29. A The island of Guam. B Yokoi Shoichis marriage. C The battles on Guam during World War II. D A Japanese soldier who hid on Guam. 30. A They met Yokoi Shoichi when he arrived. B They went to a department store to meet him. C They saw a display of Shoichis clothing and equipment. D They attended Yokoi Shoichis wedding. 31. A Because he hated the war. B Because he felt shame and dishonor. C Because he wanted to stay away from his friends and foes alike. D Because he didnt know that Japan had lost the war. Passage Three Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 32. A How to Make Violins. B Expensive Violins. C Stradivariuss Secret. D Italian Violin Makers. 33. A Hundreds of violins every day. B Over 100,000 violins during his career. C Only one violin. D Hundreds of violins during his career. 34. A His notes were never found. B His notes were left to his sons. C His notes were found by other violin makers. D There were not any written notes about his secret. 35. A Special properties of wood of the violin. B The shape and construction of the instrument. C Different steps involved in the violins construction. D The special coat of paint on the violin.Section C More and more Americans are reading their own credit report. Credit reports are (36) _ by lenders to decide how rrisky it would be to offer a loan or credit to an individual. The report holds information about a persons (37) _ loans and credit-card debt. It records late (38) _ of bills and any unpaid loans. It all adds up to a credit history. These days, though, lenders often welcome people with bad credit histories. They are (39) _ higher interest rates and other loan costs. Some Americans want to read their credit report to know if they have been a (40) _ of identity theft. They can see if any loans or credit cards have been (41) _ in their name with stolen personal information. Another reason is that credit reports are not always correct. They might (42) _ wrong information or old information. Before 1971, Americans could not see any of this information. One change, in 2001, permits people to see their FICO score. FICO is short for the Fair Isaac (43) _. (44) _. Fair Isaac says many lenders not just in the United States but around the world use its technology to create credit scores. (45) _. As of May, the company says it sold ten million credit scores to individuals. (46) _. Paying bills on time and paying off credit-card debt improves credit scores. 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 bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage. Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated _47 _? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it? Are you afraid to ask someone for a date. Many people are afraid to assert(表现)themselves. Dr. Alberti thinks its because their self-respect is low. Our whole _48 _ is designed to make people distrust themselves, says Alberti. Theres always _49 _ around-a parent, a teacher, a boss-who knows better. These superiors often gain when they chip(削弱) away at your self-image. But Alberti and other scientists are doing something to help people _50 _ themselves. They _51 _ assertiveness training courses-At for short. In the AT courses people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be more _52 _ without hurting other people. In one way. learning to speak out is to _53 _ fear. A group taking a course will help the timid person to lose his fear. But AT uses an even stronger _54 _-the need to share. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels. Whether or not you speak up for yourself depends on your self-image. If someone you face is more important than you, you may feel less of a person. You start to _55 _ your own good sense. You go by the other persons _56_ . But, why should you? AT says you can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do, you can learn to speak out. A doubt I peace B active J demand C system K ask D offer L superior E unfairly M overcome F unfortunately N confidence G motive O roar H image 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 center. Passage One Question 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. Among all the animals, the ape is most like human beings. Both people and apes have the similar brain structure, the similar nerve system, and the similar kind of blood. There are four kinds of apes: the chimpanzee(黑猩猩), the orangutan(猩猩), the gorilla(大猩猩), and the gibbon(长臂猿). They live in the deep forests and warm tropical regions of Africa and of Southeast Asia, including I