大学英语四级模拟题十五(含答案)

1、 A)participateA)participateB)ticketC)transferredF)advantageG)urgeH)constructivK)passionL)forefrontM)intellectualA)aretobechallengedhavebeenchallengedB)arechallengingmaybechallengedPartIVReadingComprehension(35)SectionA(05x10=5)Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtosel

2、ectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasewritethecorrespondingletterforeachitemontheAnsweSheet.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.(请在答题纸上写单词的代号)Youhavec

3、hosentoattendauniversitythatisnotonlyagreateducationalinstitutionbutisalsoagreatresearchinstitution.Iencourageyoutotake46ofthat.Takecoursesand47seminarsthatexplorethefrontiersoffieldswherenewknowledgeandunderstandingarebeingcreated.Forme,participatinginresearchasanundergraduateledmefrommymajorin48en

4、gineeringtomymajorincomputerscience,andit49apassionforbeingontheleadingedgeofdiscovery.This50sustainedmethroughmyPhDandcontinuestoexcitemeaftermorethan30yearsasaStanfordfacultymember.Beingatthe51ofdiscoveryandtakingpartinthecreationofnewknowledgeisan52rewardingandlife-alteringexperience.Asyoubeginyo

5、urtimeatStanfordandplanyourfouryearshere,Iwould53youtorememberthatyourundergraduateeducationisafoundationforlife.Itisaonce-in-a-lifetimejourney.Itismuchmorethanyour54toyourfirstjob.Itisanopportunitytodeveloptheskillsandpassionforbeingalifelonglearnerinareas55toandoutsideofyourcareer.SectionB(1x10=10

6、)Directions:/”thissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbywritingthecorrespond

7、ingletterontheAnswerSheet.TheEndoftheBook?Amazon,byfarthelargestbooksellerinthecountry,reportedonMay19thatitisnowsellingmorebooksinitselectronicKindleformatthanintheoldpaper-and-inkformat.Thatisremarkable,consideringthattheKindlehasonlybeenaroundforfouryears.E-booksnowaccountfor14percentofallbooksal

8、esinthecountryandareincreasingfarfasterthanoverallbooksales.E-booksalesareup146percentoverlastyear,whilehardbacksalesincreased6percentandpaperbacksdecreased8percent.Doesthisspellthedoomofthephysicalbook?Certainlynotimmediately,andperhapsnotatall.Whatitdoesmeanisthatthebookbusinesswillgothroughatrans

9、formationinthenextdecadeorsomoreprofoundthananyithasseensinceGutenbergintroducedprintingwithmoveabletypeinthe1450s.Physicalbookswillsurelybecomemuchrarerinthemarketplace.Massmarketpaperbacks,whichhavebeendecliningforyearsanyway,willprobablydisappear,aswillhardbacksformysteries,thrillers,“romancefict

10、ion,”etc.Suchbooks,whichonlyrarelyendupinpermanentcollections,eitherprivateorpublic,willprobablyonlybeavailablease-bookswithinafewyears.Hardbackandtradepaperbacksfor“serious”nonfictionandfictionwillsurelylastlonger.Perhapsitwillbecomethemarkofanauthortoreckonwiththatheorsheisstillpublishedinhardcopy

11、.DAsforchildrensbooks,whoknows?Childrensbooksarelikedogfoodinthatthepurchasersarenottheconsumers,sothemarket（andthemarketing）isinherentlystrange.Forcluestothebooksfuture,letslookatsomeexamplesoftechnologicalchangeandseewhathappenedtotheoldtechnology.Onetechnologyreplacesanotheronlybecausethenewtechn

12、ologyisbetter,cheaper,orboth.Thegreaterthedifference,thesoonerandmorethoroughlythenewtechnologyreplacestheold.Printingwithmoveabletypeonpaperdramaticallyreducedthecostofproducingabookcomparedwiththatoftheold-fashionedoneshandwrittenonvellum,whichcomesfromsheepskin.ABibletobesure,alongbookrequiredvel

13、lummadefrom300sheepskinsandcountlessman-hoursoflabor.Beforeprintingarrived,aBiblecostmorethanamiddle-classhouse.Therewereperhaps50,000booksinallofEuropein1450.By1500therewere10million.Butwhileprintingquicklycausedthehandwrittenbooktodieout,handwritinglingeredon（继续存在）wellintothe16thcentury.Veryspecia

14、lbooksarestilloccasionallyproducedonvellum,buttheyareone-of-a-kindshowpieces.Sometimesanewtechnologydoesntdrivetheoldoneout,butonlypartsofitwhileforcingtheresttoevolve.Themovieswerewidelypredictedtodrivelivetheateroutofthemarketplace,buttheydidnt,becausetheaterturnedouttohavequalitiesmoviescouldnotr

15、eproduce.Equally,TVwassupposedtoreplacemoviesbut,again,didnot.Moviesdid,however,fatallyimpactsomepartsoflivetheater.AndwhileTVdidntkillmovies,itdidkillsecond-ratepictures,shorts,andcartoons.NordidTVkillradio.Comedyanddramashows（“JackBenny,”“AmosandAndy,”“TheShadow”）allmigratedtotelevision.Butbecause

16、youcantdriveacarandwatchtelevisionatthesametime,rushhourbecameradiosprime,whilemusic,talk,andnewsradiogreatlyenlargedtheiraudiences.Radioistodayaverydifferentbusinessthaninthelate1940sandamuchlargerone.Sometimesoldtechnologylingersforcenturiesbecauseofitssymbolicpower.Mountedcavalry（骑兵）replacedthech

17、ariot（二轮战车）onthebattlefieldaround1000BC.ButchariotsmaintainedtheirplaceinparadesandtriumphsrightupuntiltheendoftheRomanEmpire1,500yearslater.Theswordhasnthadamilitaryfunctionforahundredyears,butisstillpartofanofficersfull-dressuniform,preciselybecauseaswordalwayssymbolized“anofficerandagentleman.”So

18、metimesnewtechnologyisalittlecranky(不稳定的)atfirst.Televisionrepairmanwasacommonoccupationinthe1950s,forinstance.Andsotheoldtechnologyremainsasabackup.SteamshipscapturedtheNorthAtlanticpassengerbusinessfromsailinthe1840sbecauseofitsmuchgreaterspeed.Butsteamshipsdidntlosetheirsailsuntilthe1880s,because

19、earlymarineengineshadanastyhabitofbreakingdown.Untilshipsbecamelargeenough(andenginessmallenough)tomounttwoenginessidebyside,theyneededtokeepsails.(Thehighcostofsteamandthelesserneedforspeedkeptthemajorityoftheworldsoceanfreightmovingbysailuntiltheearlyyearsofthe20thcentury.)Thenthereisthefireplace.

20、Centralheatingwaspresentineveryupper-andmiddle-classhomebythesecondhalfofthe19thcentury.Butfunctioningfireplacesremaintothisdayapowerfulsellingpointinahouseorapartment.Isuspectthereasonisadeep-rootedloveofthefire.Firewasoneoftheearliestmajortechnologicaladvancesforhumankind,providingheat,protection,

21、andcookedfood(whichismucheasiertoeatanddigest).Humancontroloffiregoesbackfarenough(overamillionyears)thatevolutioncouldhaveproducedageneticleaningtowardsfireasacentralaspectofhumanlife.Books一especiallybookstheaveragepersoncouldafford一haventbeenaroundlongenoughtoproduceevolutionarychangeinhumans.Butt

22、heyhaveapowerfulholdonmanypeoplenonetheless,aholdextendingfarbeyondtheirliterarycontent.Attheirbest,theyareworksofartandthereisatactile(触觉的)pleasureinbooksnecessarilylostine-bookversions.Theabilitytoquicklythumbthroughpagesisalsolost.Andaroomwithbooksinitinduces,atleastinsome,afeelingnotdissimilarto

23、thatofafireinthefireplaceonacoldwintersnight.ForthesereasonsIthinkphysicalbookswillhavealongerexistenceasacommercialproductthansomecurrentlypredict.Likeswords,bookshavesymbolicpower.Likefireplaces,theyinduceasenseofcomfortandwarmth.And,perhaps,similartosails,theymakeausefulback-upforwhenthelightsgoo

24、ut.Theincreaseofe-booksaleswillforcethebookbusinesstomakechangesnotseenforcenturies.Authorsstillpublishedinprintedversionswillbeconsideredimportantones.Theradiobusinesshaschangedgreatlyandnowattractsmorelisteners.Contrarytomanypeoplespredictionofitsdeath,thefilmindustrysurvived.Remarkablechangeshave

25、takenplaceinthebookbusiness.Anewtechnologyisunlikelytotaketheplaceofanoldonewithoutaclearadvantage.Ahousewithafireplacehasastrongerappealtobuyers.Oldtechnologysometimescontinuestoexistbecauseofitsreliability.Paperbacksofpopularliteraturearemorelikelytobereplacedbye-books.Somepeoplearestillinfavorofp

26、rintedbooksbecauseofthesenseoftouchtheycanprovide.SectionC(2x10=20)Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarked,B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasi

27、nglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions66to70arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Childrenareadelight.Theyareourfuture.Butsadly,hiringsomeonetotakecareofthemwhileyougotoworkisgettingmoreexpensivebytheyear.Earlierthismonth,itwasreportedthatthecostofenrollinganinfantorsmallkidatachildcarecenterrose3%in2

28、012,fasterthantheoverallcostofliving.Therearenowlargestripsofthecountrywheredaycareforaninfantcostsmorethanatenthoftheaveragemarriedcouplesincome.Thisisnotnecessarilyanewtrend,butitisasomewhatpuzzlingone.Thepriceofprofessionalchildcarehasbeenrisingsincethe1980s.Yetduringthattime,payforprofessionalch

29、ildcareworkershasstoodstill.Actuallycaregiversmakelesstoday,inrealterms,thantheydidin1990.Consideringthatlaborcostsareresponsibleforupto80%ofadaycarecentersexpenses,onewouldexpectflatwagestohavemeantflatprices.Sowhostoblameforhigherchildcarecosts?Childcareisacarefullyregulatedindustry.Stateslaydownr

30、ulesabouthowmanychildreneachemployeeisallowedtowatchover,thespacecarecentersneedperchild,andotherminutedetails.Andthestrictertheregulations,thehigherthecosts.Ifithastohireacaregiverforeverytwochildren,itcantreallyachieveanyeconomiesofscaleonlabortosavemoneywhenotherexpensesgoup.InMassachusetts,where

31、childcarecentersmusthireoneteacherforeverythreeinfants,thepriceofcareaveragedmorethan$16,000peryear.InMississippi,wherecentersmusthireoneteacherforeveryfiveinfants,thepriceofcareaveragedlessthan$5,000.Unfortunately,Idonthaveallthedaycare-centerregulationsathand.ButIwouldntbesurprisedifastheruleshave

32、becomemoreelaborate,priceshaverisen.Thetradeoff(交换)mightbeworthitinsomecases;afterall,thehealthandsafetyofchildrenshouldprobablycomebeforecheapservice.Butcertainly,itdoesntseemtobeanaccidentthatsomeofthecheapestdaycareavailableisintheleastregulatedSouth.Whatproblemdoparentsofsmallkidshavetoface?Thee

33、ver-risingchildcareprices.B)Thebudgetingoffamilyexpenses.C)Thebalancebetweenworkandfamily.D)Theselectionofagooddaycarecenter.Whatdoestheauthorfeelpuzzledabout?Whythepricesofchildcarevarygreatlyfromstatetostate.B)Whyincreasedchildcarepriceshavenotledtobetterservice.C)Whythereisasevereshortageofchildc

34、areprofessionalinanumberofstates.D)Whychildcareworkerspayhasnotincreasedwiththerisingchildcarecosts.Whatpreventchildcarecentersfromsavingmoney?Steadyincreaseinlaborcosts.B)StrictgovernmentregulationsLackofsupportfromthestate.D)Highadministrativeexpenses.WhyistheaveragecostofchildcareinMississippimuc

35、hlowerthaninMassachusetts?Theoverallqualityofserviceisnotasgood.B)Paymentsforcaregiverstherearenotashigh.C)Eachteacherisallowedtocareformorekids.D)Livingexpensestherearecomparativelylow.Whatistheauthorsviewondaycareservice?A)Caregiversshouldreceiveregularprofessionaltraining.B)Lesselaboraterulesabou

36、tchildcaremightlowercosts.C)Itiscrucialtostrikeabalancebetweenqualityandcosts.D)Itisbetterfordifferentstatestolearnfromeachother.PassageTwoQuestions71to75arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Whenitsfiveoclock,peopleleavetheiroffice.Thelengthoftheworkday,formanyworkers,isdefinedbytime.Theyleavewhentheclockt

37、ellsthemtheyredone.Thesedays,thetimeiseverywhere:notjustonclocksorwatches,butoncell-phonesandcomputers.Thatmaybeabadthing,particularlyatwork.Newresearchshowsthatclock-basedworkscheduleshindermorale(士气)andcreativity.Clock-timersorganizetheirdaybyblocksofminutesandhours.Forexample:ameetingfrom9a.m.to1

38、0a.m.,researchfrom10a.m.tonoon,etc.Ontheotherhand,task-timershavealistofthingstheywanttoaccomplish.Theyworkdownthelist,eachtaskstartswhentheprevioustaskiscompleted.Itissaidthatallofusemployamixofboththesetypesofplanning.What,then,aretheeffectsofthinkingabouttimeinthesedifferentways?Doesonemakeusmore

39、productive?Betteratthetasksathand?Happier?InexperimentsconductedbyTamarAvnetandAnne-LaureSellier,theyhadparticipantsorganizedifferentactivitiesfromprojectplanning,holidayshopping,toyogabytimeorto-dolisttomeasurehowtheyperformedunder“clocktime”vs“tasktime.”Theyfoundclocktimerstobemoreefficientbutless

40、happybecausetheyfeltlittlecontrolovertheirlives.Tasktimersarehappierandmorecreative,butlessproductive.Theytendtoenjoythemomentwhensomethinggoodishappening,andseizeopportunitiesthatcomeup.Theresearchersarguethattask-basedorganizingtendstobeundervaluedandunder-supportedinthebusinessculture.Smartcompan

41、ies,theybelieve,willtrytobakemoretask-basedplanningintotheirstrategies.Thismightbeasmallchangetothewayweviewworkandtheoffice,buttheresearchersarguethatitchallengesawidespreadcharacteristicoftheeconomy:workorganizedbyclocktime.Whilemostpeoplewillstillprobablyneed,andbe,tosomeextent,clock-timers,task-

42、basedtimingshouldbeusedwhenperformingajobthatrequiresmorecreativity.Itllmakethosetaskseasier,andthetask-doerswillbehappier.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftimedisplayedeverywhere?Itmakeseverybodytime-conscious.Itisaconvenienceforworkandlife.Itmayhaveanegativeeffectoncreativework.Itclearlyindicatesthefastpac

43、eofmodernlife.Howdopeopleusuallygoabouttheirworkaccordingtotheauthor?Theygiveprioritytothemosturgenttaskonhand.Theycombineclock-basedandtask-basedplanning.Theysetatimelimitforeachspecifictask.Theyaccomplishtheirtasksonebyone.WhatdidTamarAvnetandAnne-LaureSellierfindintheirexperimentsaboutclock-timers?Theytendtobemoreproductive.Theyalwaysgettheirworkdoneintime.Theyhavemorecontrolovertheirlives.Theyseizeopportunitiesastheycomeup.Whatdotheresearcherssayabouttodaysbusinessculture?Itdoesnotsupportthestrateg