全国英语等级考试四级(PETS4)历年真题（五）.docx

1、全国英语等级考试四级（PETS4）历年真题（五）材料题（江南博哥）根据以下材料，回答1-20题In 1942, the HMS Edinburgh was sunk in the Barents Sea.lt was on its 21 back to Britainwith ninety-one boxes of Russian gold. 22 thirty-nine years it lay there, too deep for divers to 23 .No one was allowed to explode it, either, since the bodies of six

2、ty of the crew also lay inthe 24 .Then, in 1981, an ex-diver called Jessop decided to try using new diying techniques. 25 he could not afford to finance the 26 which was going to cost four million pounds, hehad to look for people who were 27 to takethe risk. 28 , they were not even sure the goldwas

3、going to be there! First a Scottish diving company, then a German shipping company agreedto join in the retrieval 29 .Not long after that, Jessop30 a fourth company to take a 31 .Since the gold was the 32 of the British and the soviet governments, they both hopedto make a 33 , too! The biggest probl

4、em was how to get 34 the gold.Fortunately, theywere able to examine the Edinburgh's sister ship, the HMS Belfast, to 35 out the exact locationof the bomb room, 36 the gold was stored.They knew it was to be an extremely difficult and dangerous undertaking.to reach the gold,they would have to cut

5、a large square 37 the body of the ship, go through the empty fuel tankand down tothe bomb room.After twenty-eight dives, they 38 to find the first bar.Evervoneworked 39 the clock, helping to clean and stack the gold, 40 as to finish the job as quick-ly as possible.1 单选题A. roadB. pathC. way.passage正确

6、答案:C参考解析：C road道路；path小路，小径;way路；passage通道，过道。这 四个词都有道路的含义，但只有way可用于固定搭配Oil one' s way to ,表示在去的路上。在此句中,So what can parents do to give their 4-year-old an edge? Schools know there is no easy way to pick a class when children are so young.Many schools give preference to children of their graduate

7、s.Some make the choice by drawing lots.But most rely on a mix of subjective and objective measures: tests that at best identify developmental maturity and cognitive potential, interviews with parents and observation of applicantsin classroom settings.They also want a diverse'mix.Children may end

8、 up on a waiting list simply because their birthdays fall at the wrong time of year; or because too many applicants were boys.The worst thing a patent can do is to pressure preschoolers to perform-for example, by pushing them to read or do math exercises before they're ready.lnstead, the experts

9、 say, parents should take a breath and look for alternatives.Another year in preschool may be all that's needed.21 单选题From this text we learn that it is .A. harder to make a choice between public and private schools.B. harder to go to private schools this year than before.C. more difficult to go

10、 to public schools than to private schools.D. as difficult to go to private schools this year as before.正确答案：B参考解析：B该题为细节题。根据第一段第一句''Competition for admission tothe country* s top private schools has always been tough , but thisyear Elisabeth realized it had reached a new level.n 可 知，进入国家的顶级

11、私立学校的竞争一直以来都很激烈，但是今年伊 丽莎白发现这种竞争达到了一个新的水平。由此可知，今年想进入私 立学校比往年更加困难，而不是跟往年一样困难，故选Bo22 单选题The sentence "Ne have people.down the road” (Line 4 , Paragraph 2)probably meansA. we have people calling US for parking space two years ahead of time.B. people called US for permission to use the places two ye

12、ars a90.C. we received calls from people down the road two years a90.D. people called US for school vacancies two years in advance.正确答案：D参考解析：D该题为释义题。根据后一句"We have grandparents calling forpregnant daughters/'可知， 有些家长会提前向私立学校咨询孩子入学的事情。因此可以推知We have people calling US for spotstwo years down t

13、he roa d：意为有人提前两年就打电话咨询学校是否会有名额。.故选 D。23 单选题The text indicates that private schools are very selective because theyA. have no reliable methods to pick students for a class.B. want a good mixture of boys and girls for classes.C. encounter more demand than they can cope with.D. prefer to enroll childr

14、en of their relatives.正确答案:C参考解析：C该题为推理题。根据第三段"The problem for the applicants isthat while demand has inc reased , supply has not."可知申请私立学校的人数在增加，但私 立学校的招生名额却没有增加。接着第四段详细讲了一些私立学校如 何选择学生。由此可推断，私立学校对学生如此精挑细选的原因在于 有太多的学生申请，他们不得不通过各种方法来选择学生。选项A 与文章的意思有所出入，第四段第二句“Schools know there is no easy w

15、ay topick a class when child ren are so young."可知学校认为选择学生没有简单的方法,并不 是如A项所表示的选择的方法不可靠。选项8是某些学校选择生源 的方法,即男女比例协调，由此可知A、B两项不能作为学校精心选 择学生的原因。选项D在文中没有提及，故选C。24 单选题From the text, we can infer that the authorA. favors the idea of putting children on a waiting list.B. agrees to test preschooler's co

16、gnitive potentials.C. thinks children should be better prepared academically.disapproves of the undue pressure on preschoolers.正确答案:D参考解析：D该题为态度题。由最后一段的第一句"The worst thing a parentcall do is to pressure preschoolers to performfor example.bypushing them to read or do math exercises before they7

17、re ready."可知作者认为强迫学龄前儿童 学习是父母做的最糟糕的事。由此可推断出作者反对给学龄前儿童过 度的压力，故选D。25 单选题Which of the following Can serve as a title of this text?A. Hard Time for the PreschoolersB. Prosperity of Private SchoolsC. The Problem for Public SchoolsD. Americans's NO 1 Concern正确答案:A参考解析：A该题为主旨题。全文主要讲述儿童进入顶级私立学校困难,名

18、额少, 学校筛选过程谨慎,许多父母都在提早为学龄前孩子做准备。选项A学龄前儿童的艰难时代"符合文意选项B私立学校的繁荣兴旺， 只是涉及文章的部分内容，文章主旨围绕的是学生申请私立学校困难 这一现象，而不是私立学校本身；选项C 公立学校的难题，而文 中并没有提到；选项D 美国人最关注的问题"即教育，涉及教育方 面的内容有很多,本文谈论的仅仅是其中一方面,该说法过于宽泛，B. C、D均不符合文意，故选A。材料题根据以下材料，回答2630题William Shakespeare described old age as" second childishness"

19、;-no teeth, no eyes, no taste.In the case of taste he may, musically speaking, have been more perceptive than he realised.A paper in Neurology byGiovanni Frisoni and his colleagues at the National Centre for Research and Care of Alzheimers's Disease in Italy, shows that frontotemporal dementia c

20、an affect musical desires in ways that suggest a regressionjf not to infancy,then at least to a patient's teens.Frontotemporal dementia, a disease usually found with old people, is caused, as its namesuggests, by damage to the front and sides of the brain.These regions are concerned with speech,

21、and with such" higher" functions as abstract thinking and judgment.Two of such patients intrigued Dr Frisoni.One was a 68-year-old lawyer, the other a 73-year-old housewife.Both had undamaged memories, but displayed the sorts of defect associated withfrontotemporal dementiaa diagnosis that

22、 was confmned by brain scanning.About two years after he was first diagnosed, the lawyer, once a classical music lover who referred to pop music as"mere noise", started listening to the Italian pop band "883".As his com-mand of language and his emotional attachments to friends an

23、d family deteriorated, he continued tolisten to the band at full volume for many hours a day.The housewife had not even had the lawyer'slove of classical music, having never enjoyed music of any sort in the past.But about a year afterher diagnosis she became very interested in the songs that her

24、 11-year-old grand daughter was listening to.This kind of change in musical taste was not seen in any of the Alzheimer's patients, and thusappears to be specific to those with frontotemporal dementia.And other studies have remarked onhow frontotemporal-dementia patients sometimes gain new talent

25、s.Five sufferers who developed artistic abilities are known.And in another case, one woman with the disease suddenly started com-posing and singing country and western songs.Dr Frisoni speculates that the illness is causing people to develop a new attitude towards novelexperiences, Previous studies

26、of novelty-seeking behaviour suggest that it is managed by the brain'sfight frontal lobe.A predominance of the right over the left frontal lobe, caused by damage to thelatter, might thus lead to a quest for new experience.Alternatively, the damage may have affectedsome specific nervous system th

27、at is needed to appreciate certain kinds of music.Whether that is again or a loss is a different matter.As Dr Frisoni puts it in his article, there is no accounting fortaste.26 单选题The writer quotes Shakespeare mainly toA. praise the keen perception of the great English writer.B. support Dr.Frisoni&#

28、39;s theory about a disease.C. start the discussion on a brain disease.D. show the long history of the disease.正确答案:C参考解析：C该题为细节加推理题。第一段第一句话莎士比亚把老年阶段比做第二次孩子气没有牙，视力差，失去味觉。接着整篇文章谈 论了一种跟音乐品味有关的大脑疾病额就痴呆症。由此可知，作 者弓I用莎士比亚的一句话只是为了引出后文，即 start discussion on a brain disease ,故选 Co27 单选题The word "regress

29、ion" in the I st paragraph is best replaced byA. backward movement.B. unconlled incfination.C. rapid advancement.unexpected restoration.正确答案:A参考解析：A该题为释义题。根据第一段最后一句".if not to infancy ,then atleast to a patient s teens."可知额顺痴呆症可以在某种程 度上引起音乐品味的退化，即便不是退到婴儿期，也至少会退到病人 十几岁时，故选A。28 单选题After

30、 contracting frontotemporal dementia.the 68-year-old lawyerA. became more dependent on his family.B. grew fond of classical music.C. recovered from language incompetence.D. enjoyed loud Italian popular music.正确答案:D参考解析：D该题为细节题。根据第四段第一句"About two years after he Wasfirst diagnosed , the lawyer; o

31、nce a classical music lover who re一ferred to pop music as 'mere noise7 ,started listening to the ItalianpoP band '883' 以及第二句he continued to listen to the bandat full volume for many ho urs a day."可知，在这位68岁的律师患有额顺痴呆症后,本来只 热爱古典音乐而把流行音乐比作纯粹噪音的他开始听意大利流行 乐队883的歌，而且把音量放到最大，每天持续听数小时，可知 他享受

32、意大利流行音乐，故选D。29 单选题Frontotemporal dementia is a diseaseA. identified with loss of memory.B. causing damage to certain parts of the brain.C. whose patients may develop new talents.D. whose symptoms are similar to those of Alzheimer's patients. 正确答案:C参考解析：C该题为细节题。根据第三段第三句"Both had undamaged me

33、mories ,but displayed the sorts of defect."可知额顺痴呆症患者的记忆 都没有受损，选项A不符合文意；根据第二段第一句"Frontotemporal dementia , a disease usually found、 with old people , iscaused , as its name suggests , by damage to the front and sides ofthe brain."可知I ,额聂贝痴呆 症是由大脑前部和侧面的损坏引起的，而选项B.表达的意思是额助痴 呆症会引起大脑某些部分的损

34、毁，与文章原意因果颠倒；根据第五段 第一句“This kind of change inmusical taste Was not seen in any of t he Alzheimer7 s patients , andthus appears to be specific to those with frontotemporal dementia."可矢口 ,阿尔茨海默氏病患并没有出现这种音乐品味的变 化，仅仅是那些患有额顺痴呆的病患有这样的症状，选项D所述额 顺痴呆的症状与阿尔茨海默氏病症状相似的说法是错误的；根据第五 段第二句"And other studies

35、 have remarked on how frontotemporal-d e-mentia patients sometimes gain new mlents."可矢口，有研究 表明额题痴呆症有可能使患者获得新的才能,故选c。30 单选题Dr Frisoni attributed the patients' changing music taste toA. man's desire to seek novel expefience.B. the damage to the left part of the brain.C. the shift of predo

36、minance from the fight lobe to the left.D. the weakening of some part of the nervous system.正确答案:D参考解析：D该题为细节题。该题可使用排除法。根据最后一段第三句和第四句A predominance of the right over the left frontal lobe , causedby damage to the latter zmight thus lead to a quest for new experience.Alternatively , the damage may ha

37、ve affected some specificnervous system t hat is needed to appreciate certain kinds of music."可知由于左 侧额叶的损伤,右侧额叶会占据主导地位,这样导致了病患对新体验 的追求。或者，左侧额叶的损伤可能会影响到一些控制音乐品味的特 定的神经系统。所以，作者将病患音乐品味的变化归结为左侧额叶受 损所导致一些控制音乐品味的特定神经系统的损坏。选项A 人们 追求新体验的渴望''并不是患者音乐品味变化的原因；选项B将原因 归结为大脑左半边的损坏，与文章中所述左侧额叶受损不符；选项C 将

38、原因归结为占主导地位的由右侧额叶转为左侧额叶,与文中提到的 因左侧额叶受损，而右侧额叶占主导地位不符，A、B、C三项均不 符合文意，故选Do材料题根据以下材料，回答31-35题Who's to blame? The trail of responsibility goes beyond poor maintenance of British railways,say industry critics.Stingy governments both Labor and tory have cut down on investments intrains and rails.In the

39、mid-1990s a Conservative government pushed through the sale of the entiresubsidy-guzzling rail network.Operating franchises were parceled out among private companies anda separate firm, Railtrack, was awarded ownership of the tracks and stations.In the future, thetheory ran back then, the private se

40、ctor could pay for any improvements with a little help from thestate and take the blame for any failings.today surveys show that travelers believe privatization is one of the reasons for the railways'sfailures.They ask whether the pursuit of profits is compatible with guaranteeing safety.Worse,s

41、plitting the network between companies has made coordination nearly impossible."The railway wastorn apart at privatization and the structure that was put in place was., designed, if we are honest,to maximize the proceeds to the Treasury," said Railtrack boss Gerald Corbett before resigning

42、 lastmonth in the wake of the Hatfield crash.Generally, the contrasts with mainland Europe are stark.Over the past few decades the Germans,French and Italians have invested 50 percent more than the British in transportation infrastructure.Asa result, a web of high-speed trains now crisscross the Con

43、tinent, funded by governments wilting tocommit state funds to major capital p.rojects.Spain is currently planning 1,000 miles of new high-speed track.In France superfast trains already shuttle between all major cities, often on dedicatedlines.And in Britain? When the Eurostar trains that link Paris,

44、 London and Brussels emerge fromthe Channel Tunnel onto British soil and join the crowded local network, they must slow down froml86 mph to a maximum of 100 mph-and they usually have to go even slower.For once, the government is tistening.After all, commuters are voters, too.In a pre-votespending sp

45、ree, the government has committed itseff to huge investment in transportation, as wellas education and the public health service.Over the next 10 years, the railways should get an extra60 billion, partly through higher subsidies to the private companies.As Blair ackoowledged lastmonth, "Britain

46、 has been underinvested in and investment is central to Britain's future." You don'thave to tell the 3 million passengers who use the railways every day.Last week trains to Darlingtonwere an hour late-and crawling at Locomotion No.l speeds.31 单选题In the first paragraph, the author tries

47、toA. trace the tragedy to its defective origin.B. remind people of Britain's glorious past.C. explain the failure of Britain's rail network.D. call for impartiality in assessing the situation.正确答案:C参考解析：C该题为细节题。在第一段中，作者回顾了英国铁路的现状产生的根 源，即铁路的私有化。根据第一段第一、二句"Who is to blame? The trail of re

48、sponsibility goes beyond poor maintenance of B ritishrailways , say industry critics."可知，英国铁路系统不健全, 铁路速度慢的原因不只在于英国铁路的养护不善。下文对其原因作出 了具体的解释，故选C。32 单选题Travelers now betieve that the root cause for failures of British railway isA. its structural design.B. the pursuit of profit.C. its inefficient ne

49、twork.D. the lack of safety guarantees.正确答案:B参考解析：B该题为细节题。文章第二段分析了英国铁路失败的原因。根据第二 段第二句："They ask whether the pursuit of profits is compati 一ble with guaranteeing safety."以及第二段最后一句"The railwayWas torn 印art at privatization and the structure that was put in placewas.designed , if we are

50、honest,to maximize the proceeds to theTreasury."可矢口，英国国家为 了追求财政的扩大，而缩减了铁路上的补贴，为了金钱利益而忽略了 铁路安全保障。所以乘客认为铁路失败的根本原因在于利益的追求。 故选B。33 单选题According to Gerald Corbett, British railway is structuredA. for the benefit of commuters.B. to the advantage of the government.C. for the effect of better coordinat

51、ion.D. as a replacement of the private system.正确答案：B参考解析：B该题为细节题。文章第二段最后一句提到杰拉尔德科贝特说的话"The railway was torn apart at privatization and the structure that Was put in place was.designed ,if we are honest ,to maxi 一mize the proceeds to the Treasury./',意思是铁路系统因 为私有化而四分五裂，老实说，铁路结构的设计是基于最大化地增加 财政

52、收入”,由此可知杰拉尔德科贝特认为英国的铁路结构是建立 在政府受益的基础之上的。故选B。34 单选题Comparing British railway with those of Europe , the author thinksA. trains in Britain can ran at 100 mph at least.B. Britain should build more express lines.C. rails in Britain need further privatization.British railway is left a long way behind.正确答

53、案:D参考解析：D该题为细节题。第三段第一句"Generally,the contrasts will mainland Europe are stark."通常,英国铁路 与欧洲大陆铁路的对比很明显。说明作者认为英国铁路和欧洲相比还 差很多。选项A和B并不是作者的态度，选项C与作者态度相反， 作者一直讲铁路私有化导致了现在英国铁路的失败，所以不可能需要 进一步的私有化。故选De35 单选题What does the author think of Blair' s acknowledgement?On its way back to Britain意为在巡洋舰返回

54、英国的路上，故 选C。2 单选题A. DuringB. ForC. AtD. Since正确答案：B参考解析：B这四个介词都可以用来表示时间，但用法却不尽相同。during在 期间,当之时，用来表示一段时间；for持续达，计，后面常跟具 体的时间段,如：for five months ; at在时刻，通常指时间的某 点，如at eight oz clock ; since自从之后，要与现在完成时连 用。根据旬意这艘巡洋舰三十九年以来就一直沉于海底可知，此 处需要一个表示时间段的介词，且能够与三十九年"搭配，只有' 化r符合要求，故选B。3 单选题A. findB. disco

55、verC. diveD. reach正确答案：D参考解析：D find找到；discover发现;dive潜水;reach到达。根据前文句 意可知，此处想要表达的意思是到达"，too deep for divers to reach意为（沉船的位置）太深以至于潜水 员无法到达，故选D。4 单选题A. wreckB. ruinC. relicD. wasteA. It's too late to improve the situation quickly enough.B. lt's a welcomed declaration of commitment.C. Bla

56、ir should preach it to other travelers.D. Empty words Can't solve the problem. 正确答案:D参考解析：D该题为细节题。最后一段倒数第三句，布莱尔说:英国投资不足， 而投资是英国未来的关键。最后一段的最后两句表明了作者对布莱 尔所说话的态度，"You don,t have to tell the 3 milhon passen-gers who use the railways e very day.Last week trains to Darlingtonwere an hour late-and

57、 crawling at Locomotion N0.1 speeds/1 意思是："你不必把这些 话告诉三百万每天坐火车的乘客。上周，去达灵顿的火车晚点了一个 小时以火车第一速度缓慢爬行。因此，作者认为布莱尔只是说空 话、喊口号解决不了问题，故选D。材料题根据以下材料，回答36-40题No man has been more harshly judged than Machiavelli, especially in the two centuries follow-ing his death.But he has since found many able champions a

58、nd the tide has turned.The prince hasbeen termed a manual for tyrants, the effect of which has been most harmful. But wereMachiavelli's doctrines really new? Did he discover them? He merely had the frankness and cour-age to write down what everybody was thinking and what everybody knew.He merely

59、 gives us theimpressions he had received from a long and intimate intercourse with princes and the affairs ofstate.lt was Lord Bacon who said that Machiavelli tells us what princes do, not what they ought todo.When Machiavelli takes Caesar Borgia as a model, he does not praise him as a hero at all, butmerely as a prince who was capable of attaining the end in view.The life of the state was the prima-ry object.lt must be maintained.And Machiavelli has laid down the principles, bas