1、公共英语四级真题(7)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)Many people who fly at least occasionally have come down with a cold or the flu shortly after disembarking. Is the air in airborne commercial jets 1 ? The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA
2、), 2 which 42,000 flight attendants with 27 airlines are represented, evidently thinks so. The organization claims that the incidence of air-quality-related diseases has 3 among its members and demands that prompt actions be 4 to improve the conditions in the airplane cabin. A study the AFA 5 in 199
3、7 uncovered about 1,000 self-reported incidents of headaches, dizziness and memory loss 6 flight attendants and passengers. Some flight attendants were too ill to 7 their safety duties, while others have been permanently disabled. Because of airlines“ efforts to 8 their expenses, cabin-air filters a
4、re not cleaned 9 . The complaints of flight attendants do not always give 10 to correct maintenance. Airlines turned to recycled air, 11 that they would reduce some of their costs. They are not required to put filters in. Airlines are 12 great pressure to get their flights out 13 . So they do not pa
5、y as much attention to systems that are not as 14 to flight schedule and safety. Recent research findings emphasize the concern that filters can 15 engine chemicals into the cabin air. This may not happen 16 every flight, but it is a persistent problem. In a study published in October 1998 an invest
6、igation was made 17 complaints of crew members 18 air quality and health. More than half of the 200 subjects reported health problems they 19 to cabin air. It was concluded that these health problems were consistent with 20 harmful gases and substances.（分数：20.00）A.humidB.unhealthyC.unbearableD.crisp
7、A.ofB.inC.byD.toA.suspendedB.droppedC.raisedD.increasedA.takenB.doneC.madeD.givenA.foundedB.underlinedC.consideredD.undertookA.betweenB.withinC.amongD.insideA.performB.achieveC.comprehendD.proceedA.declineB.cutC.shrinkD.saveA.definitelyB.efficientlyC.smoothlyD.regularlyA.hopeB.attentionC.riseD.chanc
8、eA.confidedB.promisedC.ensuredD.convincedA.beyondB.underC.againstD.belowA.on timeB.at onceC.in lineD.in turnA.influentialB.inevitableC.criticalD.efficientA.encloseB.blockC.introduceD.detectA.byB.onC.atD.alongA.onB.fromC.toD.inA.concerningB.includingC.relatingD.attachingA.presentedB.attributedC.blame
9、dD.appealedA.exposure toB.exploration ofC.formation ofD.compensation for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)Revolutionary innovation is now occurring in all scientific and technological fields. This wave of unprecedented change is driven primarily by adva
10、nces in information technology, but it is much larger in scope. We are not dealing simply with an Information Revolution but with a Technology Revolution. To anticipate developments in this field, the George Washington University Forecast of Emerging Technologies was launched at the start of the 199
11、0s. We have now completed four rounds of our Delphi surveyin 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1996giving us a wealth of data and experience. We now can offer a reasonably clear picture of what can be expected to happen in technology over the next three decades. Time horizons play a crucial role in forecasting
12、technology. Forecasts of the next five to ten years are often so predictable that they fall into the realm of market research, while those more than 30 or 40 years away are mostly speculation. This leaves a 10-to 20-year window in which to make useful forecasts. It is this time frame that our Foreca
13、st addresses. The Forecast uses diverse methods, including environmental scanning, trend analysis, Delphi surveys, and model building. Environmental scanning is used to identify emerging technologies. Trend analysis guides the selection of the most important technologies for further study, and a mod
14、ified Delphi survey is used to obtain forecasts. Instead of using the traditional Delphi method of providing respondents with immediate feedback and requesting additional estimates in order to arrive at a consensus, we conduct another survey after an additional time period of about two years. Finall
15、y, the results are portrayed in time periods to build models of unfolding technological change. By using multiple methods instead of relying on a single approach, the Forecast can produce more reliable, useful estimates. For our latest survey conducted in 1996, we selected 85 emerging technologies r
16、epresenting me most crucial advances that can be foreseen. We then submitted the list of technologies to our panel of futurists for their judgments as to when ( or if) each technological development would enter the mainstream, the probability that it would happen, and the estimated size of the econo
17、mic market for it. In short, we sought a forecast as to when each emerging technology will have actually “emerged.“（分数：5.00）(1).What we are faced with at present can be best described as a revolution in（分数：1.00）A.information.B.advanced method.C.science.D.technology.(2).The purpose of the Delphi surv
18、ey is to（分数：1.00）A.foresee future technologies.B.influence future technologies.C.provide new technologies.D.design new technologies.(3).Market researchers focus on the technologies that will emerge in（分数：1.00）A.5-10 years.B.10-20 years.C.20-30 years.D.30-40 years.(4).Various research methods are emp
19、loyed in order to（分数：1.00）A.reach a consensus of opinions.B.provide immediate feedback.C.increase the accuracy of predictions.D.select crucial technologies.(5).The job of the futurist is to（分数：1.00）A.estimate the frequency of technological developments.B.forecast the significant technologies of the
20、future.C.prepare the potential market for each technology.D.adjust the time of arrival of new technologies.六、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：5.00)With a new Congress drawing near, Democrats and Republicans are busily designing competing economic stimulus packages. The Republicans are sure to offer tax cuts, the Dem
21、ocratsamong other thingsfinancial 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 crafted extension of the federal unemployment insurance program. The Senate approved such
22、 an extension before it adjourned in November. The House of Representatives refused to go along. It was among the greatest failures of the 107 th Congress. One consequence is that jobless benefits for an estimated 780,000 Americans will abruptly stop tomorrow, even though most recipients have not ye
23、t exhausted their benefits. President Bush failed to show any leadership on this matter during the November Congress. Later, he finally asked Congress to extend the program for these workers and to make the benefits effective from Dec. 28. That“s not enough. The way unemployment insurance typically
24、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 them on Dec. 28. The extension would not cover the jobless workers who will exhaust thei
25、r regular state-funded benefits after Dec. 28an estimated 95,000 every weekbut will receive no federal help unless the program is re-authorized. By the end of March, 1.2 million workers could fall into this category. The Senate saw this problem coming, and under the leadership of Hillary Rodham Clin
26、ton for New York and Don Nickles 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 in the new year. The House, for largely trivial reasons, refused to go along. Bill Fri
27、st, 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 suit. One of the House“s complaints last year was that, at $5 billion, the Clinton-Nickle
28、s 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-1994. The country could use a $5 billion shot in the arm fight about now. So could a lot of increasingly
29、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 reconsider.B.excluded from the economic stimulus packages.C.a relief program carefully designed by the House.D.put forward by both Republicans and Democrats.(2).What does the au
30、thor refer to as one of the greatest failures of the 107m Congress?（分数：1.00）A.The House of Representatives did not agree with the Senate.B.The unemployment insurance extension was not approved.C.A boost to the economy was not provided.D.Relief to those in need was not offered.(3).Who may benefit fro
31、m the Clinton-Nickles bill?（分数：1.00）A.Only those enrolled in the federal program.B.The estimated 95,000 unemployed workers.C.Just those exhausting their state-funded benefits.D.Laid-off workers, with or without federal benefits.(4).Why did the author say the House“s complaint was ridiculous?（分数：1.00
32、）A.The reasons it offers are largely insignificant.B.The Clinton-Nickles bill was too expensive.C.Its tax cuts proposal is even more costly.D.The estimated cost for the bill is just $ 5 billion.(5).How does the author feel about the President“s request for the extension and its coverage?（分数：1.00）A.S
33、hort of vision.B.Late and incomplete.C.Lacking in consistency.D.Exhaustive but ineffective.七、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Human intelligence and the IQ scales used to measure it once again are becoming the focus of fiery debate. As argument rages over declining test scores in the nation“s schools, an old bu
34、t explosive issue is reappearing ;What is intelligenceand is it determined largely by genetics? The controversy erupted more than a decade ago when some U. S. scholars saw a racial pattern in the differing scores of students taking intelligence and college-entrance tests. Now, the racial issue is be
35、ing joined by others. Teachers, psychologists, scientists and lawyers argue over the question of whether IQintelligence quotienttests actually measure mental ability, or if findings are skewed by such factors as family background, poverty and emotional disorders. Moreover, some authorities assert th
36、at the rise in the number of college-educated Americans and their tendency to marry among themselves are creating a class of supersmart children of brainy parentsand, on the other side of the scale, a lumpenproletariat of children reflecting the supposedly inferior brainpower of their parents. Criti
37、cs such as Harvard University biologist Richard C. Lewontin disagree. If mental ability were largely determined by inheritance, he says, efforts to enhance intelligence through the betterment of both home and child-rearing environments could only be marginally effective. He comments: “Genetic determ
38、inism could be used to justify existing social injustice as predetermined and inevitable and would render efforts made toward equalitarian goals as useless.“ Supporting Lewontin in this is J. McVicker Hunt, a professor at the University of Illinois, who maintains that IQ levels can he raised signifi
39、cantly by exposing children at an early age to stimulating environments. Hunt“s studies show that early help in such areas as education and nutrition can raise a child“s IQ by an average of 30 to 35 points. At stake in the uproar over IQ is the national commitment to improve the capabilities of the
40、poor by investing billions of dollars annually in educational, medical and job programs.（分数：5.00）(1).The controversy over IQ tests is reappearing because of（分数：1.00）A.the newly found racial pattern underlying students“ performance.B.the worsening students“ performance in their studies.C.the long-sta
41、nding division in the definition of intelligence.D.the dubious IQ scales used to measure intelligence.(2).The word “skewed“ (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means（分数：1.00）A.determined.B.directed.C.disclosed.D.distorted.(3).According to some authorities, there will be expected a class of supersmar
42、t children because of（分数：1.00）A.the booming of higher learning.B.the revived zeal for marriage.C.the denial of the supposed inferiority of parents.D.the shift of one scale of measurement to another.(4).In the view of biologist Lewontin, intelligence（分数：1.00）A.was a matter of genetic traits.B.had lit
43、tle to do with environments.C.could be improved with human efforts.D.was profoundly affected by inheritance.(5).From the text we can infer that（分数：1.00）A.the commitment to improve the capacities of the poor will hardly be made.B.the investment in educational, medical and job programs is non-profitab
44、le.C.the author disapproves the idea of genetic determination.D.there will soon be an uproar over IQ tests.八、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Queuse are long. Life is short. So why waste time waiting when you can pay someone to do it for you? In Washington D. C.a city that struggles with more than its share of
45、bureaucratic practicesa small industry is emerging that will queue for you to get everything from a driver“s license to a seat in a congressional hearing. Michael Dorsey, one of the pioneering “service expediters“, began going to traffic courts for other people back in 1988. Today his fees start at
46、$ 20 and can go into the thousands to plead individual cases at the Bureau of Traffic Adjudication (his former employer). Mr. Dorsey knows what a properly written parking ticket looks like, and often gets fines invalidated on its failures in formality. His clients include congressmen and diplomats,
47、as well as firms for which tickets are an occupational hazard, such as taxi operators and television broadcasters. Service expediters are not universally loved. Non-tax income, like fines and fees, makes up about 7% of local-government revenue in Washington. Mr. Dorsey alone relieves that fund of $1
48、50, 000 a year. Meanwhile, citizen advocacy groups keep complaining about expediters such as the Congressional Services Company and CVK Group that specialise in saving places for congressional hearings. Committees hearing hot topics such as energy regulation often do not have enough seats. Why shoul
49、d a well-heeled lobbyist who has paid $ 30 an hour to a professional place-holder grab the place? Critics say this perpetuates a two-layered system :the rich get good government service, but the poor still have to wait. This seems a little harsh. Service expeditors can hardly be blamed for creating the unfair system they profit from. Anyway, it“s not only rich corporate types who benefit from their services. Poor foreigners with little English hire expediters to navigate the ticket-fighting process; so do elderly and disabled people who want to save time on errands that requi
