1、公共英语四级真题 2008年 09月及答案解析(总分：80.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSection Liste(总题数：1，分数：20.00)略BSection Use of English/BDirections :Read the following text. Choose the best word or phrase for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.Many people who fly at least occasionally have come down with a co
2、ld or the flu shortly after disembarking. Is the air in airborne commercial jets U(21) /U? The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), U(22) /U which 42,000 flight attendants with 27 airlines are represented, evidently thinks so. The organization claims that the incidence of air-quality-related dise
3、ases has U(23) /U among its members and demands that prompt actions be U(24) /U to improve the conditions in the airplane cabin.A study the AFA U(25) /U in 1997 uncovered about 1,000 self-reported incidents of headaches, dizziness and memory loss U(26) /U flight attendants and passengers. Some fligh
4、t attendants were too ill to U(27) /U their safety duties, while others have been permanently disabled.Because of airlines efforts to U(28) /U their expenses, cabin-air filters are not cleaned U(29) /UThe complaints of flight attendants do not always give U(30) /U to correct maintenance. Airlines tu
5、rned to recycled air, U(31) /U that they would reduce some of their costs. They are not required to put filters in. Airlines are U(32) /U great pressure to get their flights out U(33) /U. So they do not pay as much attention to systems that are not as U(34) /U to flight schedule and safety.Recent re
6、search findings emphasize the concern that filters can U(35) /U engine chemicals into the cabin air. This may not happen U(36) /U every flight, but it is a persistent problem.In a study published in October 1998 an investigation was made U(37) /U complaints of crew members U(38) /U air quality and h
7、ealth. More than half of the 200 subjects reported health problems they U(39) /U to cabin air. It was concluded that these health problems were consistent with U(40) /U harmful gases and substances.（分数：20.00）A.humidB.unhealthyC.unbearableD.crispA.ofB.inC.byD.toA.suspendedB.droppedC.raisedD.increased
8、A.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.chanceA.confidedB.promisedC.ensuredD.convincedA.beyondB.unde
9、rC.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.blamedD.appealedA.exposure toB.exploration ofC.formation ofD
10、.compensation for二、BSection Readi(总题数：4，分数：20.00)BPart A/BDirections :Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.BText 1/BRevolutionary innovation is now occurring in all scientific and technological fields. This
11、wave of unprecedented change is driven primarily by advances 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 Eme
12、rging Technologies was launched at the start of the 1990s. We have now completed four rounds of our Delphi survey - in 1990,1992,1994,and 1996 - giving 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
13、decades.Time horizons play a crucial role in forecasting 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 than30 or 40 years away are mostly speculation. This leaves a 10-to 20-year window in which to make
14、 useful forecasts. It is this time frame that our Forecast 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 m
15、ost important technologies for further study, and a modified 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 aft
16、er an additional time period of about two years.Finally, 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 cond
17、ucted in 1996, we selected 85 emerging technologies representing the 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 tha
18、t it would, happen, and the estimated size of the economic 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
19、.science.D.technology.(2).The purpose of the Delphi survey 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
20、 - 30 years.D.30 - 40 years.(4).Various research methods are employed 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 technologi
21、cal developments.B.forecast the significant technologies of the future.C.prepare the potential market for each technology.D.adjust the time of arrival of new technologies.BText 2/BWith a new Congress drawing near, Democrats and Republicans are busily designing competing economic stimulus packages. T
22、he 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 crafted extension of the federal
23、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 780,000 Americans will abruptly
24、 stop tomorrow, even though most recipients have not yet 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.Thats
25、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. Bushs scheme, federal benefits would be extended only for those who were already receiving them on Dec.28. The extension would
26、not cover the jobless workers who will exhaust their regular state-funded benefits after Dec. 28 - an estimated 95,000 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 category.The Senate saw this problem
27、 coming, and under the leadership of Hillary Rodham Clinton 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, fo
28、r 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 suit. One of the Houses complaints
29、 last year was that, at $ 5 billion, the Clinton-Nickles bill was too expensive. Thats 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 th
30、e 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 reconsider.B.excluded from the economic stimulus packages.C.a relief program carefully designed by the House.D.put forward
31、by both Republicans and Democrats.(2).What does the author refer to as one of the greatest failures of the 107th 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 t
32、o those in need was not offered.(3).Who may benefit from 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 a
33、uthor say the Houses complaint was ridiculous?（分数：1.00）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 Presidents re
34、quest for the extension and its coverage?（分数：1.00）A.Short of vision.B.Late and incomplete.C.Lacking in consistency.D.Exhaustive but ineffective.BText 3/BHuman intelligence and the IQ scales used to measure it once again are becoming the focus of fiery debate.As argument rages over declining test sco
35、res in the nations schools ,an old but explosive issue is reappearing ;What is intelligence - and 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-entr
36、ance tests.Now, the racial issue is being joined by others. Teachers, psychologists, scientists and lawyers argue over the question of whether IQ - intelligence quotient - tests actually measure mental ability, or if findings are skewed by such factors as family background, poverty and emotional dis
37、orders.Moreover, some authorities assert that the rise in the number of college-educated Americans and their tendency to marry among themselves are creating a class of supers mart children of brainy parents - and, on the other side of the scale, a lumpenproletariat of children reflecting the suppose
38、dly inferior brainpower of their parents.Critics 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 marg
39、inally effective. He comments:“Genetic determinism could be used to justify existing social injustice as predetermined and in-evitable 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
40、maintains that IQ levels can be raised significantly by exposing children at an early age to stimulating environments. Hunts studies show that early help in such areas as education and nutrition can raise a childs IQ by an average of 30 to 35 points.At stake in the uproar over IQ is the national com
41、mitment to improve the capabilities of the 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
42、 performance in their studies.C.the long-standing 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 authoritie
43、s, there will be expected a class of supers mart 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
44、：1.00）A.was a matter of genetic traits.B.had little 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 educa
45、tional, medical and job programs is non-profitable.C.the author disapproves the idea of genetic determination.D.there will soon be an uproar over IQ tests.BText 4/BQueuse 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 st
46、ruggles with more than its share of bureaucratic practices - a small industry is emerging that will queue for you to get everything from a drivers license to a seat in a congressional hearing.Michael Dorsey, one of the pioneering“ service expediters“, began going to traffic courts for other people b
47、ack in 1988. Today his fees start at $ 20 and can go into the thousands to plead individual cases at the Bureau of Traffic Adjudication( his former employer). Mr. Dorsey knows what properly written parking ticket looks like, and often gets fines invalidated on its failures in formality. His clients
48、include congressmen and diplomats, 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. Dor
49、sey alone relieves that fund of $150, 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 seat. Why should a well-heele
