1、公共英语四级真题(8)及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Listening (总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Part A(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Survey Results Reader“s profession Reading time per week Favored type of books 1 5 hours and 15 minutes all types of fiction secretaries almost 5 hours Jane Austin“s works 2 politicians under 5 hours hist
2、ory books taxi drivers 4 hours and 1 minutes 3 self-help books 4 4 hours and 33 minutes crime fiction teachers 4 hours and 27 minutes 2 fiction 5 （分数：5.00）填空项 1:_三、Part B(总题数：1，分数：5.00)（分数：5.00）(1). What is the most important quality for a dog trainer? （分数：1.00）填空项 1:_(2). When does Rosemary usually
3、 work? （分数：1.00）(3). There is a clearer career path overseas because there are 1. （分数：1.00）(4). Dogs may lose all their trust in people if they are 1. （分数：1.00）(5). What is the starting monthly salary for a dog trainer with a degree? （分数：1.00）四、Part C(总题数：3，分数：10.00)Questions 1113 are based on the f
4、ollowing talk about prodigies, kids with unusual natural abilities. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 1113. （分数：3.00）(1).What was John Stewart Mill?（分数：1.00）A.A historian.B.A composer.C.A philosopher.D.A mathematician.(2).What has been found about children of unusual talent?（分数：1.00）A.Many o
5、f them are from middle-class families.B.There are more girls than boys among them.C.They are mostly born by natural childbirth.D.Their parents are usually ambitious and humorous.(3).What can be inferred from the talk?（分数：1.00）A.Material wealth goes hand in hand with mental emptiness.B.Environment pl
6、ays a decisive role in the development of prodigies.C.Success has not always brought happiness to prodigies.D.Public praise will help prodigies to find the value of their lives.Questions 1416 are based on the interview with British singer and song writer Beth Orton. You now have 15 seconds to read Q
7、uestions 1416. （分数：3.00）(1).When did Beth Orton begin singing?（分数：1.00）A.After she met William.B.Before she went to acting classes.C.After she dropped out of school.D.Before she joined a traveling group.(2).When is the best time of a woman“s life, as Beth Orton was told?（分数：1.00）A.In her 60s.B.In he
8、r 40s.C.In her 30s.D.In her 20s.(3).What does Beth Orton Want to do in the next year or so?（分数：1.00）A.Improve her skills in playing the drums.B.Learn how to play the violin.C.Try some strange musical instruments.D.Train herself in coordination.Questions 1720 are based on the following discussion wit
9、h Dr. Jane Richard about premarital contracting. You now have 20 seconds to read Questions 1720. （分数：4.00）(1).How do people see premarital contracting in general?（分数：1.00）A.It is unfeasible and unnecessary.B.It has no effect on true love.C.It is only effective for someone rich and famous.D.It sugges
10、ts distrust between the two partners.(2).What does the woman think of premarital contracting?（分数：1.00）A.It helps a couple know more about each other.B.It makes a couple“s relationship more stable.C.It helps to develop genuine love in a couple.D.It makes a couple feel more comfortable with each other
11、.(3).What is the divorce rate, according to the interviewer?（分数：1.00）A.50%.B.30%.C.20%.D.10%.(4).What is essential in premarital contracting, according to the woman?（分数：1.00）A.Financial status.B.Legal documents.C.Attitude to marriage.D.Communication.五、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Believe it or
12、not, airlines really are trying to do better. They promised to improve customer service last year 1 pressure from a Congress which was 2 stories of nightmare flights. So why is it that flying is getting 3 for so many passengers, 4 airlines arc spending billions of dollars to improve service, 5 in ne
13、w equipment such as mobile check-in stations and portable phone banks so travelers can quickly 6 a flight when it is delayed or canceled? The fact is that air travel has 7 been such an annoyance, and customer complaints to the Transportation Department doubled in 1999 8 1998. It seems Mother Nature
14、would 9 people by bus this year. An unusual run of bad weather, 10 long walls of thunderstorms, has crippled airports lately and led to widespread delays and cancellations. After similar problems last summer, the FAA promised to work more closely with airlines 11 weather slowdownsfor example, FAA an
15、d airline representatives now gather at a single location in Herndon, Va., to 12 the best way to allocate the available airspace. But even the FAA 13 the new initiative has fallen 14 of expectations, and many passengers complain that the delays seem 15 . Part of the problem is overcrowded planes. 16
16、 the strong economy, U.S. airlines are expected to carry a record 665 million passengers this year, up 5 percent from last year. On 17 , planes are about 76 percent full these days, also a 18 . That“s good news for the Transport Department, which are profitably loading more passengers 19 each flight
17、, and bad news for passengers, 20 irritations build rapidly in tight quarters.（分数：20.00）A.underB.belowC.beneathD.beyondA.held back byB.fed up withC.taken in byD.filled in withA.inferiorB.worseC.desperateD.fatalA.as ifB.so thatC.even thoughD.now thatA.upgradingB.purchasingC.installingD.investingA.rec
18、laimB.reserveC.recallD.rebookA.neverB.oftenC.alsoD.alwaysA.sinceB.uponC.overD.fromA.persistB.presumeC.preferD.permitA.featuringB.capturingC.distinguishingD.characterizingA.charged withB.responding toC.replying toD.abiding byA.draw inB.follow upC.figure outD.set asideA.admitsB.allowsC.revealsD.claims
19、A.laggingB.lackingC.scarceD.shortA.absoluteB.arbitraryC.plentifulD.superfluousA.According toB.Except forC.Thanks toD.Based onA.calculationB.averageC.estimateD.totalA.fantasyB.monumentC.legendD.recordA.atB.forC.overD.onA.sinceB.althoughC.unlessD.if六、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)七、Part A(总题数：0，分数：
20、0.00)八、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：5.00)The future of space exploration depends on many things. It depends on how technology evolves, how political forces shape competition and partnerships between nations, and how important the public feels space exploration is. The near future will see the continuation of hum
21、an space flight in Earth“s orbit and unpiloted space flight within the solar system. Piloted space flight to other planets, or even back to the moon, still seems far away. Any flight to other solar systems is even more distant, but a huge advance in space technology could drive space exploration int
22、o realms currently explored only by science fiction. The 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted commercial shuttles flying to and from a giant wheel-shaped space station in orbit around Earth, bases on the moon, and a piloted mission to Jupiter. The real space activities of 2001 will not match thi
23、s cinematic vision, but the 21st century will see a continuation of efforts to transform humanity into a spacefaring species. Perhaps the most difficult problem space planners face is how to finance a vigorous program of piloted space exploration, in Earth“s orbit and beyond. In 1998 no single gover
24、nment or international enterprise had plans to send people back to the moon, much less to Mars. Such missions are unlikely to happen until the perceived value exceeds their cost. One belief shared by a number of space exploration experts is that future lunar and Martian expeditions should be aimed a
25、t creating permanent settlements. The residents of such outposts would have to “live off the land,“ obtaining such necessities as oxygen and water from the harsh environment. On the moon, pioneers could obtain oxygen by heating lunar soil. In 1998 the Lunar Prospector discovered evidence of signific
26、ant deposits of ice, a valuable resource for settlers, mixed with soil at the lunar poles. On Mars, oxygen could be extracted from the atmosphere and water could come from buried deposits of ice. The future of piloted lunar and planetary exploration remains largely unknown. Most space exploration sc
27、ientists believe that people will be on the moon and Mars by the middle of the 21st century, but how they get there, and the nature of their visits, is a subject of continuing debate. Clearly, key advances will need to be made in lowering the cost of getting people off Earth, the first step in any h
28、uman voyage to other worlds.（分数：5.00）(1).A flight to other solar systems will be made more possible by（分数：1.00）A.technological breakthroughs.B.international co-operation.C.market competition.D.public pressure.(2).It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that human society will become increasingly（分数：1.00
29、）A.worried about life on other planets.B.dependent on space tourism.C.accustomed to long-distance flights.D.associated with space exploration.(3).According to this text, piloted space missions will need to be（分数：1.00）A.more exciting than earlier film versions.B.supported by international organizatio
30、ns.C.more cost-effective than they appear to be at present.D.financed by individual governments.(4).It is predicted that people who will live on other planets would have to（分数：1.00）A.appreciate the harsh conditions they encounter there.B.depend on the natural resources available there.C.take most da
31、ily necessities along with them.D.engage in scientific research.(5).It is difficult to send people to other planets because of（分数：1.00）A.lack of capacity of space exploration vehicles.B.the financial expenditure involved in space travel.C.controversial nature of space travel.D.the uncertain future o
32、f space exploration.九、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Empowering workers constitutes the first step toward a stronger economy and stronger citizenry. It is a vital step toward overcoming inequality in American society. During the 1980s, the need for better wages for all workers increased as women, traditionall
33、y secondary earners, assumed greater responsibility for their own and their children“s well-being. Yet the ability to raise families to a decent living standard through wage work decreased; real wages fell for most workers. And the Federal Government enacted no new policies to facilitate the integra
34、tion of work and family, as working women and working families suffered a loss in political power as well. Black or Hispanic women are four times as likely to be low-wage workers as are white men with comparable skills and experience. White women are more than three times as likely as white men to b
35、e low-wage workers, and black or Hispanic men more than one-and-a-half times as likely. More than half of all low-wage workers are the only wage workers in their families, or live alone. Employment no longer provides an escape from poverty. More than eight million working adults are poor; two millio
36、n of them work full-time, year-round. More than seven million poor children have at least one working parent. When that one working parent is a low-wage worker, the children have no better chance of escaping from poverty than if the parent were not working at all; more than two-fifths of such childr
37、en are poor. Even if generous income assistance were available, the wages employers pay would be held to a minimum. In addition, policies such as tax credits for working parents do nothing to increase the political power of working women and men. Our research shows that unionization is among the mos
38、t effective strategies for raising pay, especially for women and minority men. Being a union member, or being covered by a collective-bargaining agreement, raised 1984 wages by $ 1.79 per hour for Hispanic men, $ 1.32 for black men, $ 1.26 for Hispanic women, $ 1.01 for black women, $ 0.68 for white
39、 women, and $ 0.41 for white men, when all other factors, such as occupation, industry, firm size, education and experience were held constant. In percentage terms, the union increase was more than 15 percent for blacks and Hispanics, 11 percent for white women, and 4 percent for white men.（分数：5.00）
40、(1).During the 1980s, women started to play a more important role in（分数：1.00）A.demanding political rights.B.improving social welfare.C.supporting the family.D.earning better wages.(2).According to Paragraph 2, who are most likely to be poor?（分数：1.00）A.Women of color.B.White women.C.Men of color.D.Wh
41、ite men.(3).According to Paragraph 3, having a job（分数：1.00）A.means earning a low wage.B.has never provided a way out of poverty.C.does not mean that the children will become rich.D.may not be a guarantee for a poor family to become better off.(4).The term “unionization“ (Line 1, Paragraph 5) refers
42、to（分数：1.00）A.mobilizing all workers to seize power.B.gathering workers into an organized group.C.working out strategies to raise workers“ pay.D.changing wage policies for women and minority men.(5).What is the theme of the text?（分数：1.00）A.The causes of low-wage problems.B.The inequality of workers“
43、pay.C.The improvement of the rates of pay.D.The economy and the rates of pay.十、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Du Bois was a sociological and educational pioneer who challenged the established system of education that tended to restrict rather than to advance the progress of black Americans. He challenged what
44、 is called the “Tuskegee machine“ of Booker T. Washington, the leading educational spokesperson of the blacks in the U. S A sociologist and historian, Du Bois called for a more determined and activist leadership than Washington provided. Unlike Washington, whose roots were is southern black agricult
45、ure, Du Bois“s career spanned both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. He was a native of Massachusetts, received his undergraduate education from Fisk University in Nashville, did his graduate study at Harvard University, and directed the Atlanta University Studies of Black American Life in the South. D
46、u Bois approached the problem of racial relations in the United States from two dimensions: as a scholarly researcher and as an activist for civil rights. Among his works was the famous empirical sociological study, The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study , in which he examined that city“s black popu
47、lation and made recommendations for the school system. Du Bois“s Philadelphia study was the pioneer work on urban blacks in America. Du Bois had a long and active career as a leader in the civil rights movement. He helped to organize the Niagara Movement in 1905, which led to the National Associatio
48、n for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), established in 1909. From 1910 until 1934, Du Bois edited The Crisis , the major journal of the NAACP. In terms of its educational policy, the NAACP position was that all American children and youth should have genuine equality of educational opportun
49、ity. This policy, which Du Bois helped to formulate, stressed the following themes: (1) public schooling should be free and compulsory for all American children; (2) secondary schooling should be provided for all youth; (3) higher education should not be monopolized by any special class or race. As a leader in education, Du Bois challenged not only the tradition of racial segregation in the schools but also the accommodationist ideology of Booker T. Washington. The major difference between the two men was that Washington sought change that was evo
