1、公共英语四级真题(4)及答案解析(总分：80.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Listening (总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：20.00)In the past decade, new scientific developments in communications have changed the way many people gather information about politics. The most important of these new 1 is the Internet. Recent
2、research suggests the use of the Internet for political information increases the 2 of participation. While a(n) 3 relationship between Internet news and political participation has been found, a theoretical link as to why the Internet is 4 from other media forms is largely 5 . This research is an a
3、ttempt to 6 the “black-box“ linking the Internet and political participation by building on two theoretical 7 . The first, surge and decline theory, comes out of political science and the second, media systems dependency theory, 8 from communications. Both explanations focus on individual costs and
4、benefits of political participation. The media can 9 the “costs“ by providing sufficient information to make 10 decisions about voting. Previous research 11 that the Internet benefits the public through the cost side of the equation. One of the media“s greatest 12 is information and the public 13 on
5、 media to provide them with the information they need. 14 the Internet is capable of providing information 15 , and from a multitude of sources, one would expect it to 16 political action through lowering the cost of information. Besides lowering participation costs, the media can 17 increase the be
6、nefits of participation. Intense media 18 of an event such as an election can 19 excitement that increases the perceived “benefit“ of participating. The Internet may encourage a unique participation benefit 20 increased mobilization efforts.（分数：20.00）A.technologiesB.materialsC.conceptsD.devicesA.pra
7、cticabilityB.feasibilityC.probabilityD.stabilityA.criticalB.analyticalC.empiricalD.technicalA.specificB.uniqueC.particularD.peculiarA.builtB.losingC.missingD.connectedA.unpackB.unrollC.untieD.unfoldA.experimentsB.commentsC.approachesD.investigationsA.orientatesB.initiatesC.correlatesD.originatesA.al
8、terB.decreaseC.induceD.coverA.informedB.acceptedC.understoodD.diversifiedA.declaresB.deniesC.promisesD.arguesA.databanksB.resourcesC.sourcesD.costsA.baseB.actC.relyD.liveA.BecauseB.WhileC.IfD.AlthoughA.casuallyB.objectivelyC.readilyD.skillfullyA.advertiseB.popularizeC.manageD.encourageA.alsoB.yetC.o
9、nlyD.justA.interferenceB.statementC.coverageD.imageA.generateB.promoteC.installD.exposeA.forB.viaC.atD.from三、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)五、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Paul Johnson“s A History Of The American People is what we have come to expect from this productive writerclear,
10、 colorful narrative, vivid character sketches, marvelous research, sweeping, confident statements, and an insistent conservative viewpoint which tempts him into serious omissions. He will not conceal his opinions, he tells us. Good. Then we can judge his history free of pretences to objectivityhis o
11、r ours. Almost at start, we notice something interesting: Johnson passes quickly over a defining moment in American historythe Columbus storyimportant because it is the first lesson every American schoolchild learns. How you treat that storywhat you choose to tell of itsignals your view of the longe
12、r American experience, reaching to our time. In school textbooks, Columbus has always been presented as a hero. Only recently has a new set of factsalways available but ignoredbegun to get into public attention: that Columbus, on landing, and desperate for gold, encountered native Americans who were
13、 peaceful and generous ( by his own admission) and tortured them, kidnapped them, enslaved them, murdered them. Johnson, who goes into much detail about other matters (like Ronald Reagan“s jokes) is silent on this. Among his numerous references there is none to Bartolome de las Casas, an eyewitness,
14、 who described in detail the horrifying evils committed by Columbus and his fellowmen against the Indians, which resulted in the native population of Hispaniola being wiped out genocide is an appropriate termby the year 1550. I suggest this is not an innocent omission. Johnson wants us to look posit
15、ively on the history of the United States. Yes, he says, there were “severe wrongs“ committed in “the dispossession of a native people“ and in the institution of slavery. But has the US, he asks at the start of his book, “made up for its organic sins“? His whole book suggests that it has, and that i
16、n doing so it has become (he says at the end) “a human achievement without parallel, the first, best hope for the human race“. Since Johnson has decided that the US is “the first, best hope for the human race“, he has shaped its history accordingly. If we prefer to see that history as a complex and
17、unfinished struggle of Americans for justice, against militarism, for economic, racial and sexual equality, we are badly served by a flattering admiration of those in power, pretending to be a history of “the people“.（分数：5.00）(1).The first paragraph shows that the author“s opinion of the book A Hist
18、ory Of The American People is（分数：1.00）A.critical.B.objective.C.defensive.D.admiring.(2).The way people have been treating Columbus story indicates their view of（分数：1.00）A.the American school education.B.great heroes in American history.C.the development of American history.D.the American society at
19、present.(3).The book makes no reference to Bartolome de las Casas probably because Paul Johnson（分数：1.00）A.is a writer fond of omissions.B.isn“t tempted to make references.C.bears an inborn hatred for horrifying evils.D.doesn“t want to see the image of the US stained.(4).The word “genocide“ (Line 8,
20、Paragraph 3) most probably means（分数：1.00）A.kilting of people of a particular race.B.driving-out of native inhabitants.C.extinction of a whole generation.D.assimilation of ethnic groups.(5).The author would agree with the statement that the US（分数：1.00）A.has compensated the natives for their earlier s
21、ufferings.B.has never committed serious evils to the natives in history.C.has not undone the wrongs committed in history.D.has become the best hope for the human race.六、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：5.00)In the 21 st century there“s no doubt that frightening new infectious diseases will appear. Today new viruses
22、are coming out of nature and “discovering“ the human species. Just since 1994, at least 30 new viruses have appeared. Viruses are moving into the human species because there are more of us all the time. From a virus“ point of view, we look like a free lunch that“s getting bigger. In nature viral dis
23、eases tend to break out when populations increase rapidly and become densely packed. Then many deaths occur and the population drops. This is nature“s population-control mechanism There is no reason to think the human race is free from the laws of nature. Giving these laws an extra push will be the
24、rise of megacitieshuge densely packed cities in less developed nations. A United Nations study predicts that by the year 2015, there will be 26 extremely big cities on the planet. By then, some megacities could have 30 million or more people. That is approximately the total population of California.
25、 Imagine all the people in California crowded together tightly into one vast city. Then remove most doctors and medical care, take away basic sanitation and hygiene, and you have a biological “time bomb“. Now make eight or ten such “bombs“ and plant them around the world. Also consider the biologica
26、l weapons the world will be capable of producing in the future. The 20th century saw the creation of great and terrible weapons based on the principles of nuclear physics. The 21 st century will see great and terrible weapons based on the knowledge of DNA and the genetic code. As biotechnology becom
27、es more sophisticated and powerful, biologists will learn how to mix genes of different microbes to create unnatural strains that can be turned into deadly, effective weapons. Biological weapons are a disgrace to biology. Most biologists haven“t wanted to talk or even think about them. The physicist
28、s lost their innocence when the first nuclear bomb went off in 1945. The biologists will lose their innocence when the first biological weapon spreads through the human species. Yet the 20th century survived despite the existence of the nuclear bomb. There was great economic and scientific progress
29、and much human happiness. The same can be true in the next century. We may not completely win the 21st century microbe war, but I am confident that we won“t lose it.（分数：5.00）(1).Infectious diseases are more likely to occur where（分数：1.00）A.different human races are mixed in living.B.many people live
30、in crowded communities.C.population drops due to nature“s control mechanism.D.new viruses appear for the first time.(2).It can be seen from the text that the author views extremely large cities as a(n)（分数：1.00）A.possible control mechanism of the nature.B.terrible burden in terms of public sanitation
31、 and hygiene.C.potential biological threat to human health.D.inevitable outcome of the law of nature.(3).The author implies in the text that（分数：1.00）A.weapons now fall into quite different categories.B.biological war may break out any time.C.most scientists are against nuclear weapons.D.science is l
32、iable to be used to create great evils.(4).As to the solution of the problems in the future, the author appears to be（分数：1.00）A.somewhat doubtful.B.much skeptical.C.moderately optimistic.D.extremely desperate.(5).What does the text mainly discuss?（分数：1.00）A.Threats from the new microbes in the next
33、century.B.How new viruses affect the human society.C.What megacities may bring to human species.D.The disastrous effect of nuclear and biological weapons.七、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Given the fact that each person is only one of approximately 90 million voters in this country, does it make sense to belie
34、ve that one person“s participation, one vote, will have any impact on a major election? Simply to raise the question “What if everyone felt the same way?“ does not remove the lingering impression that a single person is made to feel insignificant by the enormous number of people who do go to the pol
35、ls, especially in a national election. Supporters of the ruling elite theory insist that even though voters are given a choice among candidates, their choice is restricted to a narrow range of similar-minded individuals approved by the ruling elite. Elections do not express what most people want or
36、need, nor do they provide guidance for politicians (even if they want it) on what policies to enact. In this view, elections are primarily just rituals that perform a symbolic function for society. Still, since most people continue to show faces at the polls at one time or another, what arguments ca
37、n be made in favor of voting? One argument is that voting does have significance, if not in individual impact, then in group pressure. Because citizens collectively have the power to give or withhold votes, they directly control the term in office of elected officials. Even if the choice is between
38、Tweedledee and Tweedledum , Tweedledee knows that one must be accountable and this is fixed by law, and that minimally he or she must strive to avoid displeasing the constituents to lose the job. But perhaps political effectiveness and impact in voting are not the only consideration anyway. People d
39、o not vote only to influence policy. Millions go to the effort to register and vote for a variety of other reasons as well. Some people may participate just to avoid feeling guilty about not voting. They may have been taught that is their patriotic duty to vote and that they have no right to complai
40、n about the outcome if they stay at home. Still others may vote to derive satisfaction from feeling that they are somehow participants, not just spectators, in an exciting electoral contest. Even if their one vote may not be crucial to the outcome, it nevertheless affirms their role in and support f
41、or the political process. Indeed, perhaps it is this final need that fuels the desire for full democratic participation among people in many nations of the world.（分数：5.00）(1).What is the true nature of elections according to the ruling elite theory?（分数：1.00）A.They are routine practices in a modern s
42、ociety.B.They are political gathering for a small number of people.C.They are deceptive schemes manipulated by the ruling party.D.They are chances for those who want to utter their wishes.(2).According to Paragraph 3, people go to the polls because they（分数：1.00）A.believe it“s their responsibility to
43、 vote.B.believe their collective power makes a difference.C.want to show the strength and impact of each individual.D.don“t want to risk losing their jobs.(3).“Tweedledee and Tweedledum“ (Line 5, Paragraph 3) is used to refer to（分数：1.00）A.two voting individuals in an election.B.whatever parties in o
44、ffice.C.whichever candidates in an election.D.supporters in different constituencies.(4).What can be learnt from the last two paragraphs?（分数：1.00）A.The end result is decided by every step in the process.B.Democracy is more of a practice than of a theory.C.Participation will rid voters of any guilty
45、conscience.D.Supporting the winner may bring great excitement.(5).Which of the following is the best title for the text?（分数：1.00）A.Why Vote?B.How to Vote?C.Whom to Vote for?D.Do Elections Work?八、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：5.00)As time goes on, how to do good critical thinking is increasingly marginalized or ev
46、en left out of the modern educational process. Critical thinking involves a mental process that is highly disciplined and therefore requires most practitioners to be trained in it. This training is best begun in the formative years, and it is best taught by energetic, motivated teachers who continua
47、lly challenge, and debate, and demand increasingly rigorous thinking of their young students. However, as in all things, it is never too late to begin. Critical thinking is the process of evaluating and analyzing a proposition or an argument that has been offered to the thinker, for criticism, as be
48、ing true. There follows a process of reasoning, evaluation of the offered evidence, and reflection, always begun from a point of skepticism. A proper critique of the offered argument involves more than direct observation. Besides reasoning, cognition and experience, proper critical thinking also inv
49、olves intellectual values that go beyond the specific argument or object being critically examined. These intellectual values involve objective truth. Objective truth is that truth which comes from somewhere outside of our minds. Subjective truth is that truth which comes from within us; that which we feel, or sense, or believe to be true. Objective truth stands alone, and does not depend upon us to remain true; it“s completely independent of the mind of man. No matter what we think about it, how we think about it, or even if we think about it, objective truth remains objectiv
