2014年12月英语四级考试冲刺模拟试卷(2)

英语自学网

　　Section A
        　　Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks.
        　　Questions1-10 are based on thefollowingpassage.
        　　“THINKING is hard，”(36)__________Daniel Dennet，a professor of philosophy at Tufts University.“Thinking about some problems is so hard that it can make your head ache just thinking about thinking about them.”He has spent hA.f a century pondering some of the knottiest problems around：the nature of meaning，the(37)__________of minds and whether freewill is possible.His latest book，Intuition Pumps(直觉泵)and Other Tools for Thinking，is a precis of those 50 years，distilled into 77(38)__________ and mostly bite-sized chapters.
        　　“Intuiuon pumps”are what Mr Dennet calls thought experiments that aim to get at the rub of concepts.But the aim of this book is not(39)__________to show how the pumps work,but to(40)__________them to help readers think through some of the most profound conundrums.
        　　This pump which Mr Dennet calls a“cascade of homunculi(级联侏儒)”，was(41)__________by the field of artificial Intelligence,An programmer begins by taking a problem a computer is meant to solve and breaking it down into smaller tasks，to be dealt with by particular(42)__________.These，in turn，are(43)__________ of sub.subsystems，and so on.In this way,we are in depth of thinking profound problems.
        　　Of course，Mr Dennet’s book is not a(44)__________solution to such mind-benders;it is philosophy in action.Like all good philosophy,it works by getting the reader to examine deeply held but(45)__________ beliefs about some of our most fundamental concems，like personal autonomy.It is really not all easy read.
        　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
        　　A.consist
        　　B.actually
        　　C.nature
        　　D.concedes
        　　E.inspired
        　　F.definable
        　　G.composed
        　　H.readable
        　　I.substance
        　　J.merely
        　　K.unspoken
        　　L.apply
        　　M.suppose
        　　N.subsystem
        　　O.definitive
        　　1、第36题应填__________.
        　　2、第37题应填__________.
        　　3、第38题应填__________.
        　　4、第39题应填__________.
        　　5、第40题应填__________.
        　　6、第41题应填__________.
        　　7、第42题应填__________.
        　　8、第43题应填__________.
        　　9、第44题应填__________.
        　　10、第45题应填__________.
        　　Part I Writing.(30 minutes)
        　　Part II Listening Comprehension.(30 minutes)
        　　Section B
        　　Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
        　　根据以下内容，回答47-56题。
        　　Being Objective on Climate Change
        　　A.Last week，Craig Rucker,a climate-change skeptic and the executive director of a nonprofit organization called the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow(CFACT)，tweeted a quotation supposedly taken from a 1922 edition of the Washington Post：“Within a few years it is predicted due to ice melt the sea will rise&make most coastal cities uninhabitable.”The intent，of course，was to poke fun at current headlines about climate change.
        　　B.Rucker’s organization is a member ofthe Cooler Heads Coalition，an umbrella organization operated by the Competitive Enterprise Institute，a nonprofit that prides itself on its opposition to environmental ists.Rucker himself is part of a network of bloggers，op-cd writers，and policy-shop executives who argue that climate change is either a hoax or all example of left-wing hysteria.Surfacing old newspaper clips is one of their favorite games.They also make substantive arguments about climate policy,but the sniping may be more effective.There is no stronger rhetorical tool than ridicule.
        　　C.In this case，Ruckcr’s ridicule seems misplaced.After spending a few minutes poking around online，1 was able to find both the Washington Post article and the longer SourCe material that it came from—a weather report issued by the U.S.consul in Bergen，Norway,and sent to the State Department on october 1 0，1 922.The report didn’t say anything about coasts being inundated.This isn’t surprising.Scientists wete smart back then，too,and they knew that melting sea ice wouldn’t appreciably raise sea levels.any more than a melting ice cube raises the level of water in a glass.
        　　D.Rucker ultimately corrected his tweet once commenters pointed out the misquote.Through Twitter,he informed me that he had taken the line from a Washington Times op—ed by Richard Rahn，a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.When I contacted Rahn’s office.a press representative acknowledged that Rahn had copied the quote from other bloggers and columnists;the fabricated sentence appears in articles at reason.corn and texasgopvote.corn.The fabricated line seems to have been inserted around 2011.but the original article has been circulating online since 2007.
        　　E. The statement about rising sea levels aside，1 922 really was a strange period in the Svalbard archipelago.the area described by the weather report.The islands lie halfway between Norway and the North Pole,at a latitude that puts them several hundred miles farther north than Barrow,alaska.“The Arctic seems to be warming up.”the report read.In August of that year,a geologist near the island of Spitsbergen sailed as far north as eighty-one degrees.twenty.nine minutes in ice-free water.This was highly unusual.The previous several summers had likewise been warrn.Seal populations had moved farther north，and formerly unseen stretches of coast were now accessible.
        　　F.What are we to take from this historical evidence?A central tenet for Rucker and his colleagues is mat today’s sea.ice retreat。warming surface temperatures，and similar observations are short-lived anomalies of a kind that often happened in the past—and that overzealous scientists and gullible media are quick to drum up crises where none exist.Favorite examples include numerous newspaper articles from the nineteen.seventies that predicted the advent of a new ice age.In fact.it's possible to find articles from nearly every decade of the past century that seem to imply information about the climate that turned out to be premature or wrong.
        　　G.The 1922 article has been quoted repeatedly by Rucker’s comrades-in-arms since its 2007 rebirth in the Washington Times.For nearly that long，scientists have been objecting.Gavin Schmidt，a climate modeler and the deputy director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies，points out that what was an anomaly in 1922 is now the norm：the waters near Spitsbergen are clear of ice at the end of every summer.More important，long-term temperature and sea-ice records indicate that the dramatic sea-ice retreat in the early nineteen.twenties was short-lived.It also occurred locally around svalbard—the unusual conditions didn’t even encompass the whole Norwegian Sea，let alone the rest of the Arctic.
        　　H. 0ver the weekend，after retracting his previous tweet，Rucker posted a link to a blog item about a different article.this one a 1932 New York Times story.The eighty-year-old headline reads，“The Next Great Deluge Forecast By Science：Melting Polar Ice Caps to Raise the Level of the Seas and Flood the Continents.”That one sounded juicy,and，indeed，this time the text was correct：that really is what the headline said.Ironically,the lcad researcher cited in the piece was a German scientist named Alfred Wegener,who has sometimes been considered a hero of climate-change deniers for a completely different reason.Wegener is known for proposing the phenomenon of continental drift starting around the First Wbrid War,The idea was ridiculed before gaining acceptance in the nineteen-sixties，once
        　　ample evidence had been amassed.Wegener’s lifc story,then，is used to support the idea that the small number of researchers in the field who downplay the risk of anthropogenic climate change will one day prevail.
        　　I.In reality,the potential for anthropogenic global warming was being discussed earlier than continental drift.and took even longer to gain wide acceptance.The versatile Professor Wegener was a geophysicist and polar researcher who spent much of his career studying meteorology in Greenland，and trying to unlock the secrets of the Earth’s past.His elevated place in the current climate-change debate is
        　　abstracted from history.
        　　J.In any case，it’s not clear that the bloggers linking to the 1932 article read much beyond the headline.Thc article does discuss a collapse of the ice sheets that would raise sea levels by more than a hundred feet—but it says that event lies thirty to forty thousand years in the future.There’s nothing wrong with examining old newspaper articles for clues about climate conditions in the past.Legitimate climate researchers look at historical documents of all kinds.However,a good-faith effort to arrive at the truth would not rely on cherry-picking catchy headlines.It would require considering the context and looking at all the evidence.At the very least.it wouldn’t allow for deliberate distortions.A prediction that the ice caps might melt by the year 42，000 is hardly all example of climate alarmism.
        　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
        　　47、Unlike melting ice in the glass，the melting sea ice cannot easily raise sea level.
        　　48、 Rucker maintains that the climate.change is just a terrible fantasy of the left-wing or even a totally distrustful matter.
        　　49、 It is fair to search for every piece of evidence to approach the truth without distortion.
        　　50、 As for Rucker,the clear purpose of tweeting this quotation is to laugh at the articles about climate change.
        　　51、 The various unusual phenomena about climate change are merely non-exist alarms claimed by the scientists and media，would be short-lived.
        　　52、 The drastic sea-ice melt occurred around Svalbard was only local and limited.
        　　53、 It is normal for the waters at northern latitude 8 1 degrees，29 minutes to be covered with ice.
        　　54、 It is embraced that the number of climate-change researchers will be multiplied one day.
        　　55、 It is ironic for the leading figure of climate-change opponents to quote this piece.
        　　56、 In reality,the universal information in articles about climate change is eventually proved to be unbelievable.
            
            

enfour

        　　Section C
        　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
        　　Questions 57-66 are based on thefollowingpassage.
        　　You had me at“Hello”!It turns out our opening words make people take less than a second to form an impression of someone’s personality based on their voice alone.
        　　We know that our voices Call transmit subtle signals about our gender，age，even body strength and certain personality traits，but Phil Mcaleer at the University of Glasgow and his colleagues wondered whether we make an instant impression.To find out，mey recorded 64 people as they read a passage.They then extracted the word“hello”and asked 320 people to rate the voices on a scale of 1 to 9 for one of 10 perceived personality traits—including trustworthiness，dominance and attractiveness.
        　　Although it’s not clear how accurate such snap judgments are，what is apparent is that we all make them，and very quickly.“We were surprised by just how similar people’s ratings were.”says Mcaleer.Using a scale in which orepresents no agreement on a perceived trait and l reflects complete agreement，all10 traits scored on average 0.92—meaning most people agreed very closely to what extent each voice represented each trait.
        　　It makes sense that decisions about personality should happen really fast，says Mcaleer.“There’s this evolutionary‘approach/avoidance’idea—vou want to quickly know if you call trust a person so you can approach them or run away and that would be redundant if it took too long to figure it out.”
        　　The impression that our voices convey—even from an audio clip lasting just 390 milliseconds—appears to be down to several factors，for example，the pitch of a person’s voice influenced how trustworthy they seemed.“A guy who raises his pitch becomes more trustworthy,”says Mcaleer.“While girls are on the opposite.”
        　　The methods used in this paper are familiar,but the conclusions are novel and interesting.The way the study links personality to attractiveness and reproductive fitness makes sense biologically.The team hope that their work can be used to help create artificial voices for people who have lost their own due to a medical condition and create likable and engaging voices for satnavs，and other robotics.
        　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
        　　57、What’s the meaning of“You had me at‘Hello”’?
        　　A.When I say“hello”，you will get my greeting.
        　　B.When I say“hello”,you will give me a response.
        　　C.When I say“hello”,you will form an impression of my voice.
        　　D.When I say“hello”，you will reA.ize my personA.ity in a second.
        　　58、 What conclusion Call we get from the research performed by professor Mcaleer and his colleagues?
        　　A.Most people agreed each voice represented each trait.
        　　B.0ur voices can tansmit subtle signals about ourselves.
        　　C.People can make accurate snap judgments very quickly.
        　　D.People cannot form all instant impression through voice.
        　　59、 What does Mcaleer mean by saying the line that‘'there’s this evolutionary approach/avoidance’idea”(Line 2，Para.4)?
        　　A.People can avoid others quickly if they trust them.
        　　B.People can approach others quickly if they distrust them.
        　　C.People hope to know others quickly to approach or avoid them.
        　　D.People dislike to spend much time to understand others.
        　　60、 When does a girl become more trustworthy compared with a guy?
        　　A.A girl would be more trustworthy when she raises her voice up at the end of word.
        　　B.A girl would be more trustworthy as she glides from a high to a low pitch.
        　　C.A girl would be more trustworthy as she keeps the same pitch during conversation.
        　　D.A girl would be more trustworthy when she alter the pitch from time to time.
        　　61、 What is the purpose of this study?
        　　A.To help create artificiA.voices for people who have lost it.
        　　B.To create likable and engaging voices for satnavs.
        　　C.To make contribution to the creation of voices for robots.
        　　D.All ofthe above.
        　　Questions 62-71 are based oB thefollowingpassage.
        　　The unemployment rate continues to improve.It was 10%in the fall of 2009.It was 7.5%at this time last year.It has been fluctuatin9 6.3%and 6.7%for the last couple months.
        　　But before we celebrate.we need to examine the numbers behind the numbers.These can mask deeper problems.
        　　Youth unemployment.is one such problem.Young people face higher hurdles to and in the job market.
        　　They have fewer skills.1ess work experience and smaller networks.
        　　The consequences are devastating and the facts bear this out.
        　　Those with more education do beaer but no group is held harmless.Unemployment rates for recent college graduates increased from 3.1%in 2008 to 8%in 2010.High youth unemployment rates predate the recession.In 2000.the general unemployment rate was approximately 4%.For 15 to 24 year olds it was over9%.
        　　High youth unemployment is not confined to the United States.For the 33“developed”countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD)，combined 2013 youth unemployment was 16%.But more importantly,individuals，society and the economy suffer from a generation hamstrung by pool little or no work experience.
        　　Solutions are complicated because we are part of a global economy and recession，we are shifting to a knowledge-based economy,and unemployment is tied to complex social problems.
        　　But solutions do exist.
        　　Create a“youth guarantee”similar to the one adopted by leaders of the European Union.It states that“all young people under the age of 25 years receive a good-quality offer of employment，continued education，an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemfDloyed or leaving
        　　formal education.”This has had success in some countries.
        　　Require that middle and high school programs greatly strengthen their workplace ties through vocational education，apprenticeships，internships，and teaching ofjob skills.
        　　As the economic recovery continues，we must ensure that we understand the numbers behind the numbers.This means not only paying close attention to the needs of our young workers but also responding with significant and decisive action.
        　　The United States has a population of over 300 million.of these.120 million are under the age of 30.Their future is Our future.
        　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
        　　62、What Can we infer from the lines of paragraph two?
        　　A.The reA.problem of youth unemployment is still severe.
        　　B.We can not only concentrate on the surface of numbers.
        　　C.The unemployment rate continues to be improveD.
        　　D.We should not celebrate for the lower unemployment rate.
        　　63、 What is the main micro reason of youth unemployment according to the 3-6paragraphs?
        　　A.They are not with good education and skill backgrotmds.
        　　B.There are no adequate iobs for youths in the competitive iob market.
        　　C.Tlley have fewer skills，less work experience and smaller networks.
        　　D.The development of society and economy does not satisfy.
        　　64、 What is the main macro reason of youth unemployment?
        　　A.The global economy is suffering from a serious recession.
        　　B.It iS closely tied with global economy and complex social problems.
        　　C.The shifting to a knowledge.based economy causes this problem.
        　　D.All nations encounter this annoyed employment issue.
        　　65、 What is the crucial point of these two solutions for high youth unemployment?
        　　A.Government is wholly responsible for this troublesome problem.
        　　B.The youth can completely depend on the offered help of govemment.
        　　C.The good combination of education and occupation would be embraceD.
        　　D.The education for youth should be work.orienteD.
        　　66、 What is the main idea ofthis passage7
        　　A.Youth unemployment will be serious for many.years even with solutions.
        　　B.Youth unemployment Can be solved by government and schools.
        　　C.Unemployment could be reduced by the efforts ofyouth.
        　　D.We should be clear-headed about numbers and take actions effectively.
        　　Part III Reading Comprehension.(40 minutes)
        　　Part IV Translation.(30minutes)
        　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
        　　67、饺子(Chinese dumplings)是中国的传统食品。按照中国的传统风俗习惯，全家人都要在除夕那天聚在一起包饺子。他们会在其中一个饺子里藏个硬币，谁能吃到藏硬币的饺子就代表那个人在新的一年里会有好运气。此外，饺子的形状颇像中国古代的金元宝(gold ingots)，因而象征着财富。因此，饺子是中国人民必不可少的食物，也是多数人钟爱的食物。
        　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。