1、大学英语四级 271及答案解析(总分：746.58，做题时间：130 分钟)一、Writing (30 minutes)(总题数：1，分数：30.00)1.For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic: To Grow Up in the Countryside or in a Big City? You should write at least 120 words according to the outline given below: 1孩子在乡下长大好还是城市长大好，
2、人们对此有不同看法 2我的观点 3结论 （分数：30.00）_二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：1，分数：71.00)Christmas Day What is Christmas The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or “Christs Mass“. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion. Most historians peg the first cele
3、bration of Christmas to Rome in 336 AD. Christmas is both a holiday and a Holy Day. In America it is the biggest event of the year (especially for kids) , and for members of the Christian religions. It is an important day on the religious calendar. The federal government, all state governments, all
4、schools/colleges/universities and the vast majority of businesses in America give employees one or two days off at Christmas, making it an important holiday ( other federal holidays are: New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Washingtons Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus
5、Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day). In the Roman Catholic calendar, Christmas is one of 6 holy feast days celebrated in America, the others being: Circumcision (New Years Day) , Ascension, Assumption ( Marys Assumption into heaven, August 15), All Saints (November 1) , and the Immaculate Conceptio
6、n (December 8 ) . Why does everyone give each other presents on Christmas day? The tradition of gifts seems to have started with the gifts that the wise men (the Magi) brought to Jesus. As recounted in the Bibles book of Matthew, “ On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and
7、they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh(没药). “ As mentioned in the previous question, however, no one was really in the habit of exchanging elaborate gifts until late in the 1800s. The Santa Claus story com
8、bined with an amazing retailing phenomena that has grown since the turn of the century has made gift giving a central focus of the Christmas tradition. Why is there a small evergreen tree in your living room? This is a German tradition, started as early as 700AD. In the 1800s the tradition of a Chri
9、stmas Tree was widespread in Germany, then moved to England and then America through Pennsylvanian German immigrants. Why have you decorated this evergreen with ornaments, lights, fake snow and plastic tinsel? In Victorian times, people had already started decorating trees with candies and cakes hun
10、g with ribbon. In 1880 Woolworths first sold manufactured Christmas Tree ornaments, and they caught on very quickly. Martin Luther, in the 16th century, is credited as being the first person to put candles on a tree, and the first electrically lighted Christmas tree appeared in 1882. Calvin Coolidge
11、 in 1923 ceremoniously lit the first outdoor tree at the White House, starting that long tradition. Fake snow and tinsel Who knows? Its probably related to the song “White Christmas“. Why do you have holly drape over the mantel and staircase? Mistletoe (槲寄生) has apparently been used as a decoration
12、in houses for thousands of years and is also associated with many pagan rituals. According to the book Extraordinary Origins of Ordinary Things by Charles Panati, “ the church forbade the use of mistletoe in any form, mindful of its idolatrous associations. As a substitute, it suggested holly(冬青属植物)
13、. The sharply pointed leaves were to symbolize the thorns in Christs crown and the red berries drops of his blood. Holly became a nativity tradition. The Christian ban on mistletoe was in effect throughout the middle ages. Surprisingly, as late as the 20th century, there were churches in England tha
14、t forbade the wearing of mistletoe sprigs and corsages during services. “ Why is there a big log in the fireplace? According to the book The Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris, “ Yuletide for Christmastime is a term derived from the yule log, which in olden days was a h
15、uge log used as the foundation of the holiday fires. Bringing the yule log in was, as recently as the nineteenth century, as much a part of the pre-Christmas festivities as putting up an evergreen tree today. Yule can be traced back to the Middle English Yollen (cry aloud) and is thought to date fro
16、m early Anglo-Saxon revels in celebration of the discovery (after the Winter Solstice, December 22) that nights were becoming shorter. According to this page, “Up until the 19 th century, the custom of burning the Yule Log flourished in England, France, Germany and among the South Slavs. Out of oak,
17、 families carved a heavy, wood block. They placed it into the floor of their hearth. It glowed throughout the year under the flames of household fires. Gradually it became ash. “ Why are there poinsettias on the hearth? Poinsettias were attached to Christmas starting in 1828. Joel Roberts Poinsett,
18、then the first Mexican ambassador from the United States, imported the plant from Mexico. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “ In warm climates the poinsettia grows outdoors as a winter-flowering leggy shrub about 3 metres (10 feet) high; as a potted plant in northern areas it rarely grows be
19、yond 1 metre. What appear to be petals are actually colored leaflike bracts (苞片) that surround a central cluster of tiny yellow flowers. A milky latex in the stems and leaves can be irritating to persons or animals sensitive to it, but the claim that poinsettias are deadly poisonous is greatly exagg
20、erated. “ And what about these fruit cakes? According to The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauere and Marion Becker, “Many people feel that these cakes improve greatly with age. When they are well saturated with alcoholic liquors, which raise the spirits and keep down mold, and are buried in powdered su
21、gar in tightly closed tins, they have been enjoyed as long as 25 years after baking. “ Why are there oversized socks hanging on your mantel? According to a very old tradition, the original Saint Nicholas left his very first gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor girls who needed the mone
22、y for their wedding dowries. The girls had hung their stockings by the fire to dry. Up until lately it was traditional to receive small items like fruit, nuts and candy in your stocking, but these have been replaced in the last half-century by more expensive gifts in many homes. According to this pa
23、ge, the tradition of a lump of coal in the stockings of naughty children comes from Italy. Why are Christmas cards scattered all over the coffee table? Christmas cards started in London in 1843 and in America in 1846. Today about 2 billion Christmas cards are exchanged every year in the United State
24、s. Why do I keep hearing the same songs over and over again? There is a set of songs that are played continuously during the Christmas Season. Heres a pretty complete list; Away In A Manger Carol of the Bells Deck The Halls God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Jingle Bells Joy To The World Hark, The Herald A
25、ngels Sing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Ill Be Home For Christmas It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Little Drummer Boy O, Come All Ye Faithful O, Holy Night O, Little Town of Bethlehem O, Tannenbaum Rudolf, the Red Nose Reindeer Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Silent Night Silver Bells The Chris
26、tmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) The First Noel The Twelve Days of Christmas We Wish You A Merry Christmas What Child Is This? White Christmas Winter Wonderland Since this list is so short, you tend to hear each song 700 times over the course of the few weeks leading up to Christmas. （
27、分数：71.00）(1).Strictly speaking, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for people around the world.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(2).Most employees have one or two days off at Christmas.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(3).When people began to celebrate Christmas, they was really in the habit of exchanging elabo
28、rate gifts.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(4).People began to use fake snow and tinsel on the Christmas Tree in 1800s.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(5).Holly drape is to some extent used as religious symbol.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(6).Yuletide refers to several days before and after Christmastime.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(7).It was
29、Mexicans that first used poinsettias on the hearth to celebrate Christmas.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(8).By saying “Many people feel that these cakes improve greatly with age“ , it means that_.（分数：7.10）_(9).In the last half-century, the gifts children received have been replaced by _ rather than small items
30、 like fruit, nuts and candy.（分数：7.10）_(10).People may hear_700 times during Christmastime.（分数：7.10）_三、Listening Comprehens(总题数：1，分数：15.00)A.He will tell Mary how to operate the dishwasher.B.He will wash the dishes himself instead.C.He will help Bill to translate the manual.D.He himself will operate
31、the dishwasher.A.Lose weight.B.Quit smoking.C.Weigh himself frequently.D.Have a talk with the doctor.A.He believes dancing is enjoyable.B.He definitely does not like dancing.C.He admires those who dance.D.He wont dance until he has done his work.A.Check the figures later today.B.Do the calculations
32、again tomorrow.C.Bring a calculator tomorrow.D.Calculate the: number right now.A.Sending an e-mail.B.Working in an office.C.Talking on the phone.D.Doing spelling practice.A.She thinks the man should have helped earlier.B.She doesnt need the mans help.C.She doesnt know the boxes are heavy.D.She wants
33、 the man to help with the boxes.A.She wants to borrow the mans student ID card.B.The tickets are less expensive than she expected.C.She wont be able to get any discount for the ticket.D.The performance turned out to be disappointing.A.He is going to the store and then coming home.B.He has to stay in
34、 the library.C.He is going to the train station.D.He is going to the shop and then back to the library.四、Section B(总题数：2，分数：10.00)A.Making a video recording.B.Taping some music.C.Watching a film.D.Writing a letter.A.He gave her a good grade in her Japanese class.B.He told her about an interesting mo
35、vie to watch.C.He helped get her into the program.D.He recorded some tapes especially for her.A.Mastery of a foreign language.B.Flexibility and open-mindedness.C.Money to pay the tuition cost.D.Maturity and common sense.A.The apartment is too far from the campus.B.The apartment needs a lot of repair
36、 work.C.Shes having trouble with the owner of the apartment.D.Her roommate wont share expenses.A.Find another apartment.B.Talk to Ms. Connors.C.Ask Sam to repair the dishwasher.D.Buy a new dishwasher for the owner.A.He has some knowledge of the law.B.He had the same problem.C.He knows the owner.D.He
37、 can bring a lawsuit against the owner.A.It would be a great success.B.There was not hope of success.C.They would try their best to make it.D.They said nothing about it.A.They froze and stored a cats brain for about 203 days.B.They froze and stored a human beings brain for 203 days.C.They froze and
38、stored the dead body of Dr. James Hedford.D.They tried to find the cure for the disease which had killed the scientist.A.Heart.B.Lung.C.Liver.D.Brain.A.The thoughts of shy people,B.The cause of shyness.C.The effect of shyness on people.D.The questions in the minds of shy people.A.Harmful to people.B
39、.A weak point of shy people.C.The cause of unhappiness.D.A healthy characteristic.A.They are pleased by it.B.They feel it is not true.C.They are very sensitive to it.D.They feel they are worthy of it.A.He didnt like physics any more.B.His eyesight was too poor.C.Physics was too hard for him.D.He had
40、 to work to support himself.A.He was not happy with the new director.B.He was not qualified to be an engineer.C.He wanted to travel.D.He found his job boring.A.He wanted to work with his friend.B.He enjoyed traveling around the world.C.He wanted to go to Spain.D.He was rejected by the engineering fi
41、rm.A.He enjoyed teaching English.B.He wanted to earn more to support his family.C.The owner of the school promised him a good position.D.He could earn more as a teacher than as a travel agent.六、Section C(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Any mistake made in the (36) 1 of a stamp raises its value to stamp (37) 2. A mis
42、take on a (38) 3 stamp has made it worth a million and a half times its face value. Do you think it (39) 4? Well, it is true. And this is how it (40) 5. The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the former British (41) 6 of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847, an order
43、 for was sent to London. Mauritius was about to become the (42) 7 country in the world to put out . Before the order was filled and the (43) 8 arrived from England, a big dance was planned by the Commander-in-chief of all the armed forces on the island. (44) 9. Stamps were badly needed to post the l
44、etters. Therefore, an islander, who was a good printer, was told to copy the pattern of the . (45) 10. Today, there are only twenty-six of these misprinted leftfourteen One-penny Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues. Because there are so few Two-penny Blues and because of their age, (46) 11. （分数：10.00）填空
45、项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_七、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：2，分数：355.00)Believe it or not, optical illusion (错觉) can cut highway crashes. Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical il
46、lusion. Bent stripes, called chevrons (人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down. Now the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japans success. Starting
47、next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes. Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges. Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of dr
