1、公共英语四级-146 及答案解析(总分：65.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：20.00)All the wisdom of the ages, all the stories that have delighted mankind for centuries, are easily and cheaply 1 to all of us 2 the covers of books - but we must know how to avail ourselves 3 this treasure and how to get 4 from
2、it. The most 5 people all over the world, are 6 who have never discovered how 7 it is to read good books. I am very interested in people, in meeting them and 8 about them. Some of the most 9 people I“ve met existed only in a Writer“s imagination, then 10 the pages of his book, and then, again, in my
3、 imagination. I“ve found in books new friends, new societies, new words. If I am interested in people, others are interested not so much in who 11 in how. Who in the books includes everybody from science-fiction superman two hundred centuries in the future all the way back to the first 12 in history
4、; how 13 everything from the ingenious explanations of Sherlock Holmes 14 the discoveries of science and ways of teaching manners to children. Reading can make our minds feel pleased, 15 means that it is a little like a sport: your eagerness and knowledge and quickness 16 you a good reader. Reading
5、is 17 , not because the writer is telling you something, 18 because it makes your mind work. Your own imagination works together with the 19 or even goes beyond his. Your experience, 20 his, brings you to the same or different conclusions, and your ideas develop as you understand his.（分数：20.00）A.use
6、fulB.newC.readableD.availableA.inB.atC.withinD.withA.ofB.withC.forD.inA.the moreB.the mostC.the muchD.the lessA.luckyB.fortunateC.unfortunateD.misfortuneA.theseB.thatC.thisD.thoseA.satisfiedB.dissatisfiedC.satisfyingD.dissatisfyingA.to find outB.finding outC.to findD.findingA.remarkableB.notoriousC.
7、hostileD.rudeA.onB.inC.offD.withA.likeB.andC.orD.asA.numberB.pointC.partD.figureA.recoversB.discoversC.uncoversD.coversA.toB.inC.untillD.intoA.thatB.whichC.whatD.asA.doB.convertC.imposeD.makeA.funB.funnyC.uninterestingD.exhaustingA.andB.forC.sinceD.butA.the authorB.the author“sC.I the compilerD.the
8、compiler“sA.comparing withB.compared withC.comparing toD.compared by二、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Passage 1(总题数：1，分数：5.00)You can“t beat it, but you don“t have to join it. Maybe it got the name common cold because it“s more common in winter. The fact is, though, being cold doesn“t have anythi
9、ng to do with getting one. Colds are caused by the spread of rhinoviruses, and, at least so far, medical science is better at telling you how to avoid getting one than how to get rid of one. Children are the most common way cold viruses are spread to adults, because they have more colds than adultsa
10、n average of about eight per year. Why do kids seem so much more easily to get colds than their parents? Simple. They haven“t had the opportunity to become immune to many cold viruses. There are more than 150 different cold viruses, and you never have the same one twice. Being infected by one makes
11、you immune to itbut only it. Colds are usually spread by direct contact, not sneezing or coughing. From another person“s hand to your hand and then to your nose or eyes is the most common route. The highest concentration of cold viruses anywhere is found under the thumbnails of a boy, although the v
12、iruses can survive for hours on skin or other smooth surfaces. Hygiene is your best defense. Wash your hands frequently preferably with a disinfectant soap, especially when children in your household have colds. But even careful hygiene won“t ward off every cold. So, what works when a coughing, snee
13、zing, runny nose strikes? The old prescription of two aspirins, lots of water, and bed rest is a good place to start. But you“ll also find some of the folk remedies worth using. Hot mixtures of sugar (or honey), lemon, and water have real benefits.（分数：5.00）(1).According to the essay, you may have a
14、cold because_.（分数：1.00）A.the weather is too coldB.the spread of rhinoviruses gets people infectedC.another person“s coughing passes the cold to youD.you wash your hands too often(2).The best way to keep yourself from getting colds is_.（分数：1.00）A.to keep yourself cleanB.to use a disinfectant soapC.to
15、 take two aspirins every dayD.to drink lots of water(3).Children have more colds because_.（分数：1.00）A.they are usually infected about eight times each yearB.they are not immune to many cold viruses yetC.they never wash their hands so that their thumbnails are dirtyD.they don“t like eating lemon(4).Wh
16、en you are having a cold, _.（分数：1.00）A.it is always the same kind of cold that you had last timeB.it may be the same kind of cold that you had last timeC.it is certainly not the same kind of cold that you had last timeD.it is probably not the same kind of cold that you had last time(5).When one is h
17、aving a cold, he may often have all the following symptoms EXCEPT_.（分数：1.00）A.coughingB.having a sore throatC.having a runny noseD.having a stomachache五、Passage 2(总题数：1，分数：5.00)The universities have trained the intellectual pioneers of our civilization the priests, the lawyers, the statesmen, the do
18、ctors, the men of science, and the men of letters. The conduct of business now requires intellectual imagination of the same type as that which in former times has mainly passed into those other occupations. There is one great difficulty which hinders all the higher types of human effort . In modern
19、 times, this difficulty has even increased in its possibilities for evil. In any large organization the younger men, who are novices, must be set to jobs which consist in carrying out fixed duties in obedience to orders. No president of a large corporation meets his youngest employee at his office d
20、oor with the offer of the most responsible job which the work of that corporation includes. The young men are set to work at a fixed routine, and only occasionally even see the president as he passes in and out of the building. Such work is a great discipline. It imparts knowledge, and it produces r
21、eliability of character; also it is the only work for which the young men, in that novice stage, are fit, and it is the work for which they are hired. There can be no criticism of the custom, but there may be an unfortunate effect: prolonged routine work dulls the imagination. The way in which a uni
22、versity should function in the preparation for an intellectual career, is by promoting the imaginative consideration of the various general principles underlying that career. Its students thus pass into their period of technical apprenticeship with their imaginations already practiced in connecting
23、details with general principles. Thus the proper function of a university is the imaginative acquisition of knowledge. Apart from this importance of the imagination, there is no reason why businessmen, and other professional men, should not pick up their facts bit by bit as they want them for partic
24、ular occasions. A university is imaginative or it is nothing at least nothing useful.（分数：5.00）(1).What is a basic requirement for work in all professions according to the passage?（分数：1.00）A.Imagination.B.Reliability of character.C.Discipline.D.Obedience to orders.(2).Which of the following serves be
25、st as the title of the passage?（分数：1.00）A.Limitations of the University.B.The Proper Function of the University.C.Importance of Intellectual Imagination.D.Foolery of Apprenticeship Period.(3).In modern times the period of technical apprenticeship_.（分数：1.00）A.may have bad effects upon the young menB.
26、can very well train the young menC.is a root cause of many evilsD.is unnecessary for the employees and the business(4).If a university is to be of any use, it should prepare the students for an intellectual career by_.（分数：1.00）A.imparting knowledge and developing skillsB.developing students“ indepen
27、dence in thinkingC.disciplining the students in their subject fieldsD.promoting the imagination in connecting details with general principles(5).What does the “great difficulty which hinders all the higher types of human effort“ mean?（分数：1.00）A.Prolonged and fixed routine work in the apprenticeship
28、period.B.The young employee“s seldom seeing the president of the company.C.Universities“ failure to get young people ready for future work.D.Young men having to obey orders in the early stage of their work.六、Passage 3(总题数：1，分数：5.00)In recent years, railroads have been combining with each other, merg
29、ing into super systems, causing heightened concerns about monopoly. As recently as 1995, the top four railroads accounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails. Next year, after a series of mergers are completed, just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the f
30、reight moved by major rail carriers. Supporters of the new super systems argued that these mergers will allow for substantial cost reductions and better coordinated service. Any threat of monopoly, they argue, is removed by fierce competition from trucks. But many shippers complain that for heavy bu
31、lk commodities travelling long distances, such as coal, chemicals, and grain, trucking is too costly and the railroads therefore have them by the throat. The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that only one rail company serves most shippers. Railroads typically charge such “captive“ s
32、hippers 20 to 30 percent more than they do when another railroad is competing for the business. Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal governments Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work o
33、nly in truly extreme cases. Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone“s cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of trans
34、portation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. Its theory to, which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. “Do we really want railroads to
35、be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?“ asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shipper. Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be this with a round of huge rate increases. The railroad industry as a whole, despite its brightening fortunin
36、g fortunes, still does not earn enough to cover the cost of the capital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic. Yet railroads continue to borrow billions to acquire one another, with Wall Street cheering them on. Consider the $ 10.2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conr
37、ail this year. Conrail“s net railway operating income in 1996 was just $ 427 million, less than half of the carrying costs of the transaction. Who“s going to pay for the rest of the bill? Many captive shippers fear that will, as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.（分数：5.00）(1)
38、.According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is likely because _.（分数：1.00）A.cost reduction is based on competitionB.services call for cross-trade coordinationC.outside competitors will continue to existD.shippers will have the railway by the throat(2).What is many captive shippers attitu
39、de towards the consolidation in the rail industry?（分数：1.00）A.Indifferent.B.Supportive.C.Indignant.D.Apprehensive.(3).It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that _.（分数：1.00）A.shippers will be charged test without a rival railroadB.there will soon be only one Railroad Company nationwideC.overcharged ship
40、pers are unlikely to appeal for rate reliefD.a government board ensures fair play in railway business(4).The word “arbiters“ ( line 6, paragraph 4 ) most probably refers to those _.（分数：1.00）A.who work as coordinatorsB.who function as judgesC.who supervise transactionsD.who determine the price(5).Acc
41、ording to the passage, the cost increase in the rail industry is mainly caused by _.（分数：1.00）A.the continuing acquisitionB.the growing trafficC.the cheering Wall StreetD.the shrinking market七、Passage 4(总题数：1，分数：5.00)With a new Congress drawing near, Democrats and Republicans are busily designing com
42、peting economic stimulus packages. The Republicans are sure to offer tax cuts, the Democrats among other things financial relief for the states. There is one measure, however, that would provide not only an immediate boost to the economy but also immediate relief to those most in need: a carefully c
43、rafted extension of the federal unemployment insurance program The Senate approved such an extension before it adjourned in November. The House of Representatives refused to go along. It was among the greatest failures of the 107th Congress. One consequence is that jobless benefits for an estimated
44、780000 Americans will abruptly stop tomorrow, even though most recipients have not yet exhausted their benefits. President Bush failed to show any leader- ship on this matter during the November Congress. Later, he finally asked Congress to extend the program for these workers and to make the benefi
45、ts effective from Dec. 28. That“s not enough. The way unemployment insurance typically works is that states provide laid-off workers with 26 weeks of benefits, followed by 13 weeks of federal aid. Under Mr Bush“s scheme, federal benefits would be extended only for those who were already receiving th
46、em on Dec. 28. The extension would not cover the jobless workers who will exhaust their regular state-funded benefits after Dec. 28 an estimated 95000 every week but will receive no federal help unless the program is re-authorized. By the end of March, 1.2 million workers could fall into this catego
47、ry. The Senate saw this problem coming, and under the leadership of Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Don Niekles of Oklahoma, passed a bill that would not only have covered people already enrolled in the federal program but provided 13 weeks of assistance for those losing their state benefits
48、in the new year. The House, for largely trivial reasons, refused to go along. Bill Frist, the new Senate majority leader, says he is looking for ways to put a kinder, gentler face on the Republican Party. Passing the Clinton-Nickles bill would be a good way to begin. The House should then follow sui
49、t. One of the House“s complaints last year was that, at $ 5 billion, the Clinton-Nickles bill was too expensive. That“s ridiculous, considering the costs of the tax cuts that House Republicans have in mind. The unemployment rate last month stood at 6 percent, the highest since mid-994. The country could use a $ 5 billion shot in the arm right about now. So could a lot of increasingly desperate people.（分数：5.00）(1).According to the author, the proposed extension is _.（分数：1.00）A.what the coming Congress should reco
