1、公共英语四级真题 2007 年 09 月及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Liste(总题数：1，分数：5.00)BPart A/BBDirections:/BI For Questions 1- 5, you will hear a report on a survey recently done in Britain. While you listen, fill out the table with the information you have heard. Some of the information has been given to
2、you in the table. Write only 1 word or number in each numbered box. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 25 seconds to read the table below./I（分数：5.00）(1).（分数：1.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_二、BPart B/B(总题数：1，分数：5.00)（分数：5.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_三、BPart C/B(总题数：3，分数
3、：10.00)IQuestions 11-13 are based on the following talk about prodigies, kids with unusual natural abilities. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 11-13./I（分数：3.00）(1).What was John Stuart Mill?（分数：1.00）A.A historianB.A composerC.A philosopherD.A mathematician(2).What has been found about child
4、ren of unusual talent?（分数：1.00）A.Many of them are from middle-class familiesB.There are more girls than boys among themC.They are mostly born by natural childbirthD.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 wit
5、h mental emptinessB.Environment plays a decisive role in the development of prodigiesC.Success has not always brought happiness to prodigiesD.Public praise will help prodigies to find the value of their livesQuestions 14-16 are based on the interview with British singer and songwriter Beth Orton. Yo
6、u now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14-16.（分数：3.00）(1).When did Beth Orton begin singing?（分数：1.00）A.After she met WilliamB.Before she went to acting classesC.After she dropped out of schoolD.Before she joined a traveling group(2).When is the best time of a womans life, as Beth Orton was told?（分数
7、：1.00）A.In her 60sB.In her 40sC.In her 30sD.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 drumsB.Learn how to play the violinC.Try some strange musical instrumentsD.Train herself in coordinationIQuestions 17-20 are based on the foll
8、owing discussion with Dr. Jane Richard about premarital contracting. You now have 20 seconds to read Questions 17-20./I（分数：4.00）(1).How do people see premarital contracting in general?（分数：1.00）A.It is unfeasible and unnecessaryB.It has no effect on true loveC.It is only effective for someone rich an
9、d famousD.It suggests 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 otherB.It makes a couples relationship more stableC.It helps to develop genuine love in a coupleD.It makes a couple feel more comfortable w
10、ith each other(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 statusB.Legal documentsC.Attitude to marriageD.Communication四、BSection Use o(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Believe i
11、t or not, airlines really are trying to do better. They promised to improve customer service last year U(21) /Upressure from a Congress which was U(22) /U stories of nightmare flights.So why is it that flying is getting U(23) /U for so many passengers, U(24) /U airlines are spending billions of doll
12、ars to improve service, U(25) /U in new equipment such as mobile check-in stations and portable phone banks so travelers can quickly U(26) /U a flight when it is delayed or canceled? The fact is that air travel has U(27) /U been such an annoyance, and customer complaints to the Transportation Depart
13、ment doubled in 1999 U(28) /U 1998.It seems Mother Nature would U(29) /U people by bus this year. An unusual run of bad weather, U(30) /U long walls of thunderstorms, has crippled airports lately and led to widespread delays and cancellations. After similar problems last summer, the FAA promised to
14、work more closely with airlines U(31) /U weather slowdowns-for example, FAA and airline representatives now gather at a single location in Herndon, Va. , to U(32) /U the best way to allocate the available airspace. But even the FAA U(33) /U the new initiative has fallen U(34) /U of expectations, and
15、 many passengers complain that the delays seem U(35) /U.Part of the problem is overcrowded planes. U(36) /U the strong economy, U.S. airlines are expected to carry a record 665 million passengers this year, up 5 percent from last year. On U(37) /U, planes are about 76 percent full these days, also a
16、 U(38) /U. Thats good news for the Transport Department, which are profitably loading more passengers U(39) /U each flight, and bad news for passengers, U(40) /U irritations build rapidly in fight quarters.（分数：20.00）A.underB.belowC.beneathD.beyondA.held back byB.fed up withC.taken in byD.filled in w
17、ithA.inferiorB.worseC.desperateD.fatalA.as ifB.so thatC.even thoughD.now thatA.upgradingB.purchasingC.installingD.investingA.reclaimB.reserveC.recallD.rebookA.neverB.oftenC.alsoD.alwaysA.sinceB.uponC.overD.fromA.persistB.presumeC.preferD.permitA.featuringB.capturingC.distinguishingD.characterizingA.
18、charged withB.responding toC.replying toD.abiding byA.draw inB.follow upC.figure outD.set asideA.admitsB.allowsC.revealsD.claimsA.laggingB.lackingC.scarceD.shortA.absoluteB.arbitraryC.plentifulD.superfluousA.According toB.Except forC.Thanks toD.Based onA.calculationB.averageC.estimateD.totalA.fantas
19、yB.monumentC.legendD.recordA.atB.forC.overD.onA.sinceB.althoughC.unlessD.if五、BSection Readi(总题数：4，分数：20.00)BPassage 1/BThe 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 import
20、ant the public feels space exploration is. The near future will see the continuation of human space flight in Earths 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 e
21、ven more distant, but a huge advance in space technology could drive space exploration into 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 moo
22、n, and a piloted mission to Jupiter. The real space activities of 2001 will not match this 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 pr
23、ogram of piloted space exploration, in Earths orbit and beyond. In 1998 no single government 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 sp
24、ace exploration experts is that future lunar and Martian expeditions should be aimed at 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 oxyg
25、en by heating lunar soil. In 1998 the Lunar Prospector discovered evidence of significant 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 pilot
26、ed lunar and planetary exploration remains largely unknown. Most space exploration scientists 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
27、 to be made in lowering the cost of getting people off Earth, the first step in any human 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 breakthroughsB.international co-operationC.market competitionD.public pressure(2).It can
28、 be inferred from Paragraph 2 that human society will become increasingly（分数：1.00）A.worried about life on other planetsB.dependent on space tourismC.accustomed to long-distance flightsD.associated with space exploration(3).According to this text, piloted space missions will need to be（分数：1.00）A.more
29、 exciting than earlier film versionsB.supported by international organizationsC.more cost-effective than they appear to be at presentD.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 encount
30、er thereB.depend on the natural resources available thereC.take most daily necessities along with themD.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 vehiclesB.the financial expenditure involved in space tr
31、avelC.controversial nature of space travelD.the uncertain future of space explorationBPassage 2/BEmpowering 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
32、wages for all workers increased as women, traditionally secondary earners, assumed greater responsibility for their own and their childrens 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 Governm
33、ent enacted, no new policies to facilitate the integration 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
34、are more than three times as likely as white men to be low-wage workers, and black or Hispanic men more than one-and-a-half times as likely. More than half of ail low-wage workers are the only wage workers in their families, or live alone.Employment no longer provides an escape from poverty. More th
35、an eight million working adults are poor; two million 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
36、 working at all; more than two-fifths of such children are poor.Even if generous income assistance were available, file 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.Ou
37、r research shows that Uunionization/U is among the most 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 Hispani
38、c women, 1.01 for black women, 0.68 for white 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 w
39、omen, and 4 percent for white men.（分数：5.00）(1).During the 1980s, women started to play a more important role in（分数：1.00）A.demanding political rightsB.improving social welfareC.supporting the familyD.earning better wages(2).According to Paragraph 2, who are most likely to be poor?（分数：1.00）A.Women of
40、colorB.White womenC.Men of colorD.White men(3).According to Paragraph 3, having a job（分数：1.00）A.means earning a low wageB.has never provided a way out of povertyC.does not mean that the children will become richD.may not be a guarantee for a poor family to become better off(4).The term “unionization
41、“ (Line 1, Paragraph 5) refers to（分数：1.00）A.mobilizing all workers to seize powerB.gathering workers into an organized groupC.working out strategies to raise workers payD.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 problemsB.Th
42、e inequality of workers payC.The improvement of the rates of payD.The economy and the rates of payBPassage 3/BDu 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 chall
43、enged what is called the “Tuskegee machine“ of Booker T. Washington, the leading educational spokesperson of the blacks in the U. SA sociologist and historian, Du Bois called for a more determined and activist leadership than Washington provided.Unlike Washington, whose roots were is southern black
44、agriculture, Du Boiss 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 S
45、outh. Du Bols 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 citys black
46、 population and made recommendations for the school system. Du Bolss 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 Associa
47、tion 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 opport
48、unity. This policy, which Du Bois helped to formulate, stressed the following themes: (1) public s chooling 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 ideolo
