1、公共英语四级-133 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Liste(总题数：1，分数：20.00)1.1-20 略（分数：20.00）_二、BSection Use o(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Read the following text. Choose the best word for or phrase each numbered blank and mark A, B, Cot D on ANSWER SHEET 1. The United States has historically had higher rates of marr
2、iage than those of other industrialized countries. The current annual marriage U(21) /U in the United Statesabout 9 new marriages for every 1,000 peopleis U(22) /U higher than it is in other industrialized countries. However, marriage is U(23) /U as widespread as it was several decades ago. U(24) /U
3、 of American adults who are married U(25) /U from 72 percent in 1970 to 60 percent in 2002. This does not mean that large numbers of people will remain unmarried U(26) /U their lives. Throughout the 20th century, about 90 percent of Americans married at some U(27) /U in their lives. Experts U(28) /U
4、 that about the same proportion of todays young adults will eventually marry. The timing of marriage has varied U(29) /U over the past century. In 1995 the average age of women in the United States at the U(30) /U of their first marriage was 25. The average age of men was about 27. Men and women in
5、the United States marry U(31) /U the first time at an average of five years later than people U(32) /U in the 1950s. U(33) /U , young adults of the 1950s married younger than did any previous U(34) /U in U. S. history. Todays later age of marriage is U(35) /U the age of marriage between 1890 and 194
6、0. U(36) /U , a greater proportion of the population was married (95 percent) during the 1950s than at any time before U(37) /U. Experts do not agree on U(38) /U the “marriage rush“ of the late 1940s and 1950s occurred, but most social scientists believe it represented a U(39) /U to the return of pe
7、aceful life and prosperity after 15 years of severe economic U(40) /U and war. （分数：20.00）A.ratioB.rateC.percentageD.pollA.potentiallyB.intentionallyC.substantiallyD.randomlyA.not any longerB.no moreC.not any moreD.no longerA.The proportionB.A proportionC.The numberD.A numberA.deterioratedB.declinedC
8、.deducedD.demolishedA.pastB.passingC.throughoutD.throughA.periodB.levelC.pointD.respectA.projectB.planC.promiseD.proposeA.unexpectedlyB.irregularlyC.flexiblyD.consistentlyA.timeB.yearC.stageD.ageA.atB.inC.ofD.forA.doB.didC.marryD.marriedA.BesidesB.HoweverC.WhereasD.NeverthelessA.descendantsB.ascenda
9、ntsC.generationD.populationA.in line withB.according toC.based onD.caused byA.MoreoverB.LikewiseC.SimilarlyD.ThereforeA.and afterB.or afterC.ever sinceD.or sinceA.whyB.howC.whenD.whatA.refusalB.realizationC.realityD.responseA.repressionB.aggressionC.depressionD.restriction三、BSection Readi(总题数：4，分数：2
10、0.00)BPart A/BRead the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. BText 1/BLast weekend Kyle MacDonald in Montreal threw a party to celebrate the fact that he got his new home in exchange for a red paper clip. Starting a
11、year ago, MacDonald bartered the clip for increasingly valuable stuff, including a camp stove and free rent in a Phoenix flat. Having announced his aim (the house) in advance, MacDonald likely got a boost from techies eager to see the Internet pass this daring test of its networking power. “My whole
12、 motto was Start small, think big, and have fun ,“ says MacDonald, 26, “I really kept my effort on the creative side rather than the business side. “ Yet as odd as the MacDonald exchange was, barter is now big business on the Net. This year more than 400, 000 companies worldwide will exchange some $
13、10 billion worth of goods and services on a growing number of barter sites. These websites allow companies to trade products for a virtual currency, which they can use to buy goods from other members. In Iceland, garment-maker Kapusalan sells a third of its output on the booming Vidskiptanetid excha
14、nge, earning virtual money that it uses to buy machinery and pay part of employee salaries. The Troc-Services exchange in France offers more than 4,600 services, from math lessons to ironing. This is not a primitive barter system. By creating currencies, the Internet removes a major barrierwhat Bob
15、Meyer, publisher of Barter News, calls “the double coincidence of wants. “ That is, two parties once not only had to find each other, but also an exchange of goods that both desired. Now, they can price the deal in virtual currency. Barter also helps firms make use of idle capacity. For example, adv
16、ertising is “hugely bartered“ because many media, particularly on the Web, can supply new ad space at little cost. Moreover, Internet ads dont register in industry-growth statistics, because many exchanges are arranged outside the formal exchanges. Like eBay, most barter sites allow members to “grad
17、e“ trading partners for honesty, quality and so on. Barter exchanges can allow firms in countries with hyperinflation or nontradable currencies to enter global trades. Next year, a nonprofit exchange called Quick Lift Two (QL2) plans to open in Nairobi, offering barter deals to 38,000 Kenyan farmers
18、 in remote areas. Two small planes will deliver the goods. QL2 director Gacii Waciuma says the farmers are excited to be “liberated from corrupt middlemen“. For them, barter evokes a bright future, not a precapitalist past. （分数：5.00）(1).The word “techies“ (Line 4, Para. 1) probably refers to those w
19、ho are _。（分数：1.00）A.afraid of technology.B.skilled in technologyC.ignorant of technologyD.incompetent in technology(2).Many people may have deliberately helped Kyle because they _.（分数：1.00）A.were impressed by his creativityB.were eager to identify with his mottoC.liked his goal announced in advanceD
20、.hoped to prove the power of the Internet(3).The Internet barter system relies heavily on _.（分数：1.00）A.the size of barter sitesB.the use of virtual currencyC.the quality of goods or servicesD.the location of trading companies(4).It is implied that Internet advertisements can help _。（分数：1.00）A.compan
21、ies make more profitB.companies do formal exchangesC.media register in statisticsD.media grade barter sites(5).Which of the following is true of QL2 according to the author?（分数：1.00）A.It is criticized for doing business in a primitive way.B.It aims to deal with hyperinflation in some countries.C.It
22、helps get rid of middlemen in trade and exchange.D.It is intended to evaluate the performance of trading partners.BText 2/BBold-faced, with a hyphen and ending in the adjectival, was coined by Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part I, when Lord Talbot, rescuing his son on a French battlefield, spoke of his “
23、proud desire of bold-faced Victoria. “ It was picked up in the 19th century by typesetters to describe a type like Clarendon, Antique or a thick version of Bodoni that stood out confidently, even impudently, from the page. The adjective was used in an 1880 article in The New York Times (we were hyph
24、enated then) : “One of the handbills“ distributed by the Ku Klux Klan, noted a disapproving reporter, was “printed in bold-faced type on yellow paper“. Newspaper gossip columnists in the 30s, to catch the readers eye, began using this bold type for the names that made news in what was then called “c
25、are society“ (in contrast to “high“ society, whose members claimed to prefer to stay out of those columns). In our time, the typeface metaphor was applied to a set of famous human faces. A fashion reporter John Duka of The Times was an early user of the phrase, as he wrote acerbically on Sept. 22, 1
26、981: “At the overheated parties at Calvin Kleins apartment, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Studio 54, the boldfaced names said the week had been so crammed that they were feeling a little under the breath, you know. “ Rita Kempley of The Washington Post noted in 1987 the sought-after status
27、 of “a boldfaced name in People magazine“; by 1999, Alan Peppard of The Dallas Morning News recalled to Texas Monthly that he began with a “social column,“ but “now we live in an age of celebrity, and there are very few people who care about what the debutantes are doing. So I call it celebrity, soc
28、iety, famous people, rich people, boldfaced names. “ The New York Times, which never had, does not have and is grimly determined never to have a “gossip column“ introduced a “people column“ in 2001. (When its current editor, Joyce Wadler, took a six-week break recently, she subheaded that item with
29、a self-mocking “Air Kiss! Smooch! Ciao!“) The column covers the doings of celebrities, media biggies, fashion plates, show-biz stars, haut-monde notables, perennial personages and others famous for their fame. Its confident, fashionable and modern moniker became the driving force behind the recent p
30、opularization of the phrase with the former compound adjective, now an attributive noun: Boldface Names. （分数：5.00）(1).The first person who used the word “bold faced“ is _.（分数：1.00）A.ShakespeareB.Lord TalbotC.Clarendon, AntiqueD.the editor of The New York Times(2).Judging from the context, “cafe soci
31、ety“(Line 2, Para 2) refers to _.（分数：1.00）A.a society that runs a cafeB.a society that cook good coffeeC.media people who regularly visit small informal restaurantsD.a group of people who have the same love of drinking coffee(3).Today, the “the boldfaced names“ is used to refer to _.（分数：1.00）A.famou
32、s human facesB.famous, rich and celebrated peopleC.overheated partiesD.social column(4).The contents of “people column“ in The New York Times include _.（分数：1.00）A.the doings of celebritiesB.the doings of media biggies, fashion platesC.the doings of show-biz stars, haut-monde notables, perennial pers
33、onagesD.all of the above(5).Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?（分数：1.00）A.Bold-faced.B.Boldface Names.C.The Origin of Boldface.D.The Driving Force Behind the Words.BText 3/BAsked what he would do to improve a government, the ancient Chinese sage Confucius answered that
34、 his first measure would be “to correct language“. He meant that if words dont mean what they seem to mean people cannot put any plan into action as intended. The state of language at the dawn of the twenty-first century appears to be more confused than everthanks in large part to the enormous influ
35、ence of television, radio, and print media over what we buy, desire, and believe. Benjamin Radford, managing editor of The Skeptical Inquirer magazine, offers hundreds of examples of deceptive practices in journalism, advertising, political activism, public relations, and charity appeals. The real d
36、anger to the public, he insists, comes not from outright lies about events or individuals, because in most cases facts can ultimately be proven and mistakes corrected. But the emotional power of images, sound bites, and slogans can exert deep and lasting influence on our opinions and behaviors as co
37、nsumers, voters, and citizens. The detailed coverage of violent crimes dominating local TV news shows seldom includes any larger context. The cumulative impression left in the minds of viewers is that violent crime is rampant and on the rise. As a result, many people live in fear and many more suppo
38、rt the idea of ever-larger police forces, tougher laws, and bigger prisons without considering the actual crime rates in their community or across the nation. Dramatic incidents like the sniper attacks in the Washington D. C. area in the fall of 2002 receive so much media attention that, again, the
39、actual numbers of people affected and the likelihood of such attacks being repeated anywhere else become wildly exaggerated in peoples minds. In the media-fueled emotional state following such spectacular disasters, the effort and expense of turning schools into locked fortresses or putting cameras
40、on every street to monitor suspicious individuals can seem insignificant compared to the hope of keeping our children safe from harm. Yet truly effective measures require clear thinking and clearly worded policies that citizensnot only lawyers and politicianscan understand. Too often the long-term f
41、uture implications of new anticrime laws and policies are not even considered in the rush to feel safer by taking rapid and visible action. Misleading practices by advertisers are another subject of public concern. Governments have long limited ads for alcohol and tobacco products and examined claim
42、s by drug companies, carmakers, food suppliers, and toy manufacturers to protect the public health. But advertising uses emotional appeals to shift the viewers focus away from facts. Viewers who do not take the trouble to distinguish between provable claims and pleasant but meaningless word play end
43、 up buying “the sizzle, not the steak“ and often paying high. （分数：5.00）(1).Confucius is cited by the author in paragraph 1 to imply that _.（分数：1.00）A.its urgent to improve a governmentB.its very important to use language correctlyC.words dont mean what they seem to meanD.todays language is in a stat
44、e of confusion(2).According to Benjamin Radford, the real danger to the public opinions lies in _.（分数：1.00）A.deceptive practicesB.outright liesC.unproved facts and mistakesD.emotional images, sound bites, and slogans(3).Which of the following may reflect the authors opinion?（分数：1.00）A.TV news shows
45、should include more backgroundB.We should have larger police forces, tougher laws, and bigger prisonsC.The report on the sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C. area is too dramaticD.The media has done too much to keep our children safe from harm(4).According to the author, the truly effective measur
46、es are _.（分数：1.00）A.clear thinking and clearly worded policiesB.policies that lawyers and politicians can understandC.measures that can be understood by the publicD.measures that people feel safer by taking rapid and visible action(5).What does the author probably mean by “the sizzle, not the steak“
47、 (Line 6, Par. 5)?（分数：1.00）A.Sth. worthwhile.B.Sth. worthless.C.Sth. of no practical value.D.Sth. which is unnecessary.BText 4/BA variety of significant, attractive short-term benefits will drive the development of modern self-sufficient homes. These include security from severe weather, climate cha
48、nges, and natural disasters; security from infectious diseases and related health problems; a fresh and nutritious diet; a dependable food supply; and security from global unrest. But the real benefit of Earth Homes will be the long-term sustainability of our planet. It should be no secret that the planet is experiencing unusual weather and climate abnormalities. The 10 hottest years in recorded history have all been in the last 15 years; the 1990s were the hottest decade on record. The Midwestern h
