1、大学英语四级模拟试卷 1005(无答案)一、Part I Writing (30 minutes)1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Changes in Peoples Daily Expenses based on the statistics provided in the table below(Peoples daily eocpenses from 2007 to 2011). Please give a brief description of the chart
2、first and then make comments on it. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Changes in Peoples Daily Expenses二、Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the que
3、stions attached to the passage. For questions 1-7, mark:Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage.1 Gas price warning as
4、cold March leads to short suppliesThe cold snap in March could lead to Britains gas supplies running out next month, forcing the nation to pay higher prices for fuel from elsewhere, as the demand increased quickly during the coldest March in 50 years. Forecasts suggest that gas supplies in the UK wi
5、ll be exhausted by 8 April, requiring Britain to turn to imports from Norway and Russia.The warning came on the day Scottish and Southern Energy, one of the UKs biggest power suppliers, warned that there could be electricity blackouts in the country within three years.A lack of gas storage facilitie
6、s, and rapid reduction at the UKs North Sea gas fields, has led to the UK having as little as two days supply of the fuel in reserve.Though experts have warned of the problem for years, and the government has championed a “ dash for gas“ that would see a massive rise in demand for the fuel, little h
7、as been done to increase storage facilities.Ian Marchant, chief executive of SSE(Scottish and Southern Energy), said there was a “ very real risk of the lights going out“ within the next three years. SSE intends shutting down power plants, enough to have supplied 2 million homes lights going out, as
8、 the stations are either uneconomic or coming to the end of their lives.Other firms are also planning to take power stations out of service, including the UKs fleet of ageing nuclear reactors, increasing the risk that demand for electricity will exceed the available supply.Marchant said: “ It appear
9、s the government is significantly underestimating the scale of the capacity crunch(危急情况)facing the UK in the next three years and there is a very real risk of the lights going out as a result. “His comments follow warnings by Alistair Buchanan, the departing chief of Ofgem(Office of the Gas and Elec
10、tricity Markets), that power shortages will be many times more likely in the next five years. Government estimates suggest that energy bills could rise by 100 a year this winter.The warnings are a particular blow to George Osborne, the chancellor(大臣), who has championed a new “ dash for gas“ in the
11、UK, that would see gas take over as the dominant fuel in the UKs power generation market.Much of the generating capacity that SSE plans to retire consists of gas-fired power stations, though the recent budget has given tax breaks for shale gas(页岩气)extraction in the UK and indicated what could be the
12、 biggest expansion of UK gas-fired power in a generation.SSE said gas-fired power was uneconomic because of the fuels high price compared with coal. The move by SSE highlights the disputes over energy policy and energy generation, following upheavals(激变)in the international markets for fossil fuels.
13、 It also brings into question whether targets to cut carbon dioxide can be met. Andrew Pendleton, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, said energy firms were trying to hold the government to ransom(救赎)by threatening power cut that would help them extract concessions to get financial benefits.
14、The UK has only six big energy suppliers to households, which campaigners say reduces competition and raises prices.Coal has become much cheaper because of the use of fossil fuel in the US in the past five years, where a massive increase in the supply of cheap gas is attributed to the controversial
15、method of blasting dense rocks apart under high pressure.The coal that would have been burned in the US is now available on international markets at cut-price, and has now become “the preferred fuel“ , according to SSE.That is the opposite of what the government, and the EU intended by their energy
16、policies in the past decade. Coal was supposed to become more expensive than gas, because of the EUs emissions trading scheme, which puts a price on carbon emissions.That has not happened, because flaws within the system mean the price of carbon is near an all-time low, meaning coal-fired power stat
17、ions are not penalised for their effect on the climate.Marchant urged the government to bring forward reforms favouring gas. “ The government can reduce this risk of power cuts very easily, by taking swift action to provide much greater clarity on its electricity market reforms. “An energy bill is u
18、nder discussion by parliament at the moment.SSEs warnings were dismissed by green campaigners as “ an attempt to force the governments hand“. Pendleton said: “The risk is that these companies are holding us to ransom, in order to make the environment more favourable to their forms of generation. The
19、re is a lot at stake here. Basing our energy strategy on gas rather than clean forms of energy such as renewables means we could be held to ransom more and more in the future in this way. It could do a huge amount of harm. “The government rebuffed(回绝)the claims from SSE. John Hayes, minister for ene
20、rgy, said: “Were alive to the challenge facing us. The bill before parliament will set the conditions for the investment needed to keep Britains lights on in the long-term. The amount of spare power available today is currently comfortable. As old infrastructure(设施)closes over the coming years we ex
21、pect this margin to reduce but we will make sure it stays manageable. “Most of the UKs nuclear power plants are planned for closure by 2022, and many coal-fired stations must be closed or run at reduced capacity within the next few years because of EU rules on pollution.Experts have warned for years
22、 of a looming “energy gap“ between demand and supply. The building of wind farms and other forms of renewable energy, which were supposed to fill the gap, has been below expectations, in part due to planning laws.Hayes said: “ We are not complacent(沾沾自喜的)about this. We are confident in our approach
23、and in the responsiveness of the market in providing secure power supplies. “Joss Garman, political director of Greenpeace, said: “ Not content with the profits theyre making from sky-high energy bills the gas industry now seems to be trying to hold everybody to ransom give us even more of your cash
24、 or well turn out the lights. “Cheap coal and the collapse of the carbon price have made gas burning less profitable, but thats a reason to ban unabated(未减弱的)coal burning and reform the carbon market, not to give hand-outs to the big six energy companies.“ Gas-fired generation should only be a last-
25、ditch backup for renewable energy sources, and ministers should prioritise support for interconnectors, storage, and combined heat and power stations that would compliment renewables and guarantee we have secure power. “2 Why did Britain have to import fuel from other countries at higher prices?(A)B
26、ecause the cold weather raised the demand for gas.(B) Because there was a power cut at the biggest power suppliers.(C) Because the gas storage facilities were in very poor condition.(D)Because the gas from the UKs North Sea gas fields was run out.3 What will cause the electricity shortage of 2 milli
27、on homes?(A)The ageing of nuclear reactors.(B) The shutdown of power plants at SSE.(C) The lack of gas storage facilities.(D)The massive rise in demand for the fuel.4 The “dash for gas“ championed by George Osborne_.(A)makes gas become the dominant fuel in Britains power generation market(B) takes p
28、ower stations and nuclear reactors out of service(C) causes the government to underestimate the risk of the lights going out(D)leads the energy bills to rise dramatically this year5 According to SSE, gas-fired power was not economic, because_.(A)energy policy does not support gas-fired power(B) tax
29、breaks are not for gas-fired power(C) gas is more expensive than coal(D)cutting carbon dioxide costs a lot6 According to Pendleton, what is the energy firms purpose of threatening power cut?(A)To reduce competition.(B) To get financial benefits.(C) To raise prices of electricity.(D)To save fossil fu
30、el for the future.7 The EUs emissions trading scheme may cause coal to be more expensive than gas by_.(A)promoting coal as the preferred fuel(B) cutting the price of gas on international markets(C) increasing the supply of cheap gas(D)putting a price on carbon emissions8 According to Pendleton, the
31、purpose of the companies forcing us to make no choice but agree with them is to_.(A)call for clean forms of energy such as renewable energy(B) try to force the government to pay more money to them(C) make the environment favourable to their forms of energy generation(D)oppose the gas-based energy st
32、rategy and future energy plan9 The closure of the UKs nuclear power plants and coal-fired stations is due to_.10 Hayes expressed their confidence in their approach and the responsiveness of the market in_.11 The sudden decrease of the carbon price and cheap coal have caused gas burning to be_.Sectio
33、n ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During
34、the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer.(A)Read the warning tag on it to the woman.(B) Refuse to refund the sweater.(C) Wash the sweater in cool water.(D)Teach the woman how to wash it properly.(A)Do something special.(B) Write certain book
35、s.(C) Go traveling for a rest.(D)Stay at home.(A)The woman is likely to do a part-time job to get some money.(B) The man is going to offer some money to the woman.(C) The woman has no choice but to ask for money from her parents.(D)The man will find a job for the woman.(A)The traffic jam is the only
36、 reason for the womans being late.(B) The woman shouldnt live in her house any more.(C) The woman should have come to work earlier than she did.(D)The womans problem of being late can never be solved.(A)He was not sure whether the woman knew her interests or expectation.(B) He would like to know som
37、ething first before giving some suggestions.(C) He would like to tell the woman her future career plan directly.(D)He is not interested in the womans question at all.(A)How to avoid noise at work.(B) How to get Tom out of the room.(C) Their working condition.(D)The mans noisy roommate.(A)He think it
38、 serious.(B) He is complaining about it.(C) He is already used to it.(D)He is not happy with it.(A)The woman is not allowed to go to the museum this weekend.(B) An exhibition will be held in the museum next weekend.(C) The tickets to the museum are almost sold out.(D)The woman decides to go to the m
39、useum next weekend.(A)The west coast of Canada.(B) A British seaside resort.(C) Sardinia.(D)The Rocky mountains.(A)It is very rich in culture.(B) Its weather is pleasant.(C) Its quiet and natural.(D)It is very developed.(A)He tried to avoid going to dangerous places.(B) He tried his best to travel w
40、ith someone else.(C) He learnt how to recognize dangerous people.(D)He usually traveled in the day instead of at night.(A)He gets a full scholarship.(B) He is appointed as an assistant.(C) His room expenses are relieved.(D)He gets full marks in the test.(A)Based on graduate credit.(B) Based on finan
41、cial condition.(C) Based on academic grade.(D)Based on educational system.(A)It usually requires an analysis of financial demand.(B) It is composed of research and graduate types.(C) Its amount ranges from $600 to $800.(D)Only full-time graduate students are qualified for it.(A)Help professors teach
42、 classes every month.(B) Teach or research for 20 hours a week.(C) Get the highest score in the examination.(D)Get 9 graduate credit hours.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the question
43、s will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.(A)Punish the child.(B) Take the child to school.(C) Make out the reason.(D)Impose fine on the parents.(A)If they are not satisfied with the educational system.(B) If the
44、y have an approved systematic educational plan.(C) If they are willing to take teachers as their jobs.(D)If their children are unable to go to school independently.(A)It has four terms with holidays.(B) It begins in August or September.(C) It runs with three holidays.(D)It runs differently in differ
45、ent schools.(A)Exercise only leads to modest weight loss without diet changes.(B) Exercise can help people lose as much weight as they expect.(C) Hoping to lose weight sometimes would be ruined due to bad habits.(D)People can lose extra weight fast in an appropriate way.(A)They didnt get any check.(
46、B) They were heart disease patients.(C) They were unwilling to join the research.(D)They were heavy and young.(A)The most exercised group lost the most of their weight.(B) The non-exercise group lost the least of their weight.(C) The moderately exercised group lost the most of their weight.(D)The th
47、ree groups almost have no distinction.(A)Ask someone else.(B) Skip them temporarily.(C) Look at the subtitles.(D)Stop and replay it.(A)Watching it without the subtitles.(B) Listening without watching it.(C) Being familiar with the scenes.(D)Reading after the characters.(A)Learn American English.(B)
48、Ask experts for suggestions.(C) Think over which movie to be selected.(D)Glance over the movie for the plots.(A)They may not understand everything about a movie.(B) It is also difficult for them to watch a movie without subtitles.(C) They can understand everything about a movie if they listen carefu
49、lly.(D)It is not necessary for them to read subtitles of a movie.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can