2016年大学英语四级模拟试题备考强化卷(二)

　　2016年大学英语四级模拟试题备考强化卷(二)

　　Part I Reading Comprehension (共20小题，每小题2分，共40分)

　　Directions: In this part there are four passages. Each passage is followed by four comprehension questions. Read the passage and answer the questions. Then mark your answer on the Answer Sheet.

　　Passage 1

　　Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

　　In Washington D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a very special address. It is the address of the White House, the home of the president of the United States.

　　Originally the White House was gray and was called the Presidential Palace. It was built from 1792 to 1800. at this time, the city of Washington itself was being built; it was to be the nation’s new capital city. George Washington, the first president, and Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French engineer, chose the place for the new city. L’Enfant then planned they city. The president’s home was an important part of the plan.

　　A contest was held to pick a design for the president’s home. An architect named James Hoban won. He designed a large three-story house of gray stone.

　　President Washington never lived in the President Palace. The first president to live there was John Adams, the second president of the United States, and his wife Mrs. Adams did not really like hew new house. In her letters, she often complained about the cold. Fifty fireplaces were not enough to keep the house warm!

　　In 1812 the United States and Britain went to war. In 1814 the British invaded Washington. Theu burned many buildings, including the Presidential Palace.

　　After the war James Hoban, the original architect, partially rebuilt the president’s homes. To cover the marks of the fire, the building was painted white. Before long it became known as the White House.

　　The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Every year more than 1.5 million visitors go through the five rooms that are open to the public.

　　1. The White House was built in Washington .

　　A. because a French engineer was invited to design it

　　B. because President George Washington liked to live in it

　　C. because the British invaders lived in it in 1812-1814

　　D. because it was to be the nation’s capital city

　　2. The Presidential Palace was .

　　A. painted gray and white B. made of gray stone

　　C. made of white stone D. made very warm in winter

　　3. The president’s home and the city of Washington were .

　　A. built by the American army B. built by the British troops

　　C. planned by George Washington D. planned by the French

　　4. The original home of the president needed to be rebuilt .

　　A. because John Adam’s wife did not like it

　　B. because it was cold in winter even with 50 fireplaces

　　C. because it had burned down during the war

　　D. because George Washington was not willing to live in it

　　5. The new presidential home was painted white to .

　　A. cover the marks of fire B. attract tourist from France

　　C. to please Mrs. John Adams D. keep it warm in winter

　　Passage 2

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:

　　There are two kinds of memory: shot-term and long-term. Information in long-term memory can be remembered at a later time when it is needed. The information may be kept for days or weeks. However, information over and over. The following experiment shows how short-term memory has been studied.

　　Henning studied how students who are learning English as a second language remember vocabulary. The subjects in his experiment were 75 college students. They represented all levels of ability in English: beginning, intermediate, and native-speaking students.

　　To begin, the subjects listened to a recording of a native speaker reading a paragraph in English. Following the recording, the subjects took a 15-question test to see which words they remembered, each question had four choices. The subjects had to circle the word they had heard in the recording. Some of the questions had four choices that sound alike. For example, weather, whether, wither, and wetter are four words that sound alike. Some of the questions had four choices that have the same meaning. Method, way, manner, and system would be four words with the same meaning. Finally the subjects took a language proficiency test.

　　Henning found that students with a lower proficiency in English made more of their mistakes on words that sound alike; students with a higher proficiency made more of their mistakes on words that have the same meaning. Henning’s results suggest that beginning students hold the sound of words in their short-term memory, and advanced students hold the meaning of words in their short-term memory.

　　6. Henning made the experiment in order to study .

　　A. how students remember English vocabulary by short-term memory

　　B. how students learn English vocabulary

　　C. how to develop students’ ability in English

　　D. how long information in short-term memory is kept

　　7. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. Information in short-term memory is different from that in long-term memory.

　　B. Long-term memory can be achieved only by training.

　　C. It is easier to test short-term memory than long-term memory.

　　D. Henning gave a separate test on vocabulary to his students.

　　8. From Henning’s result we can see that .

　　A. beginners have difficulty distinguishing the pronunciation of words

　　B. advanced students remember words by their meaning

　　C. it is difficult to remember words that sound alike

　　D. it is difficult to remember words that have the same meaning

　　9. The word “subjects” in the passage means .

　　A. memory B. the theme of listening material

　　C. a branch of knowledge studied D. the students experimented on

　　Passage 3

　　Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:

　　The cowboy is the hero of many movies,. He is, even today, a symbol of courage and adventure. But what was the life of the cowboy really like?

　　The cowboy’s job is clear from the word cowboy. Cowboy were men who took care of cows and other cattle. The cattle were in the West and in Texas. People in the cities of the East wanted beef these cattle. Trains could take the cattle east. But first the cattle had to get to the trains. Part of the cowboy’s job was to take the cattle hundreds of miles to the railroad town. The trips were called cattle drivers. A cattle drive usually took several months. Cowboys rode for sixteen hours a day. Because they rode so much, each cowboy brought along about eight horses. A cowboy changed horses several times each day.

　　The cowboys had to make sure that cattle arrived safely. Before starting on a drive, the cowboys branded the cattle. They burned a mark on the cattle to show who they belonged to. But these marks didn’t stop rustlers, or cattle thieves. Cowboys had to protect the cattle from rustlers. Rustlers made the dangerous trip even more dangerous.

　　Even though their work was very difficult and dangerous, cowboys did not earn much money. They were paid badly. Yet cowboys liked their way of life. They lived in a wild and open country. They lived a life of adventure and freedom.

　　11. A cowboy is a symbol of .

　　A. courage and adventure B. a hard life and big pay

　　C. movies in the past D. cows and other cattle

　　12. The cowboys’ job was .

　　A. to be a hero in real life B. to be a hero of the movie

　　C. to take care of cattle D. to be a dangerous rustler

　　13. During a cattle driver, cowboys took a group of cows from a wild and open country to .

　　A. the West states and Texas B. the cities of the East States

　　C. the people who eat beef in cities D. the railroad towns hundred miles away

　　14. On their way of cattle drivers, the cowboys protected the cattle by .

　　A. burning a mark on their cows B. keeping an eye on cattle thieves

　　C. making the trip more dangerous D. looking after eight cows each person

　　15. Cowboys enjoyed themselves because .

　　A. they liked their way of life B. they made a lot of money

　　C. they had a vary difficult job D. they were heroes in movies

　　Passage 4

　　Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:

　　Successful innovations have driven many older technologies to extinction and have resulted in higher productivity, greater consumption of energy, increased demand of raw materials, accelerated flow of materials through the economy and increased quantities of metals and other substances in use each person. The history of industrial development abounds with examples.

　　In 1870, horses and mules were the prime source of power on U.S. farms. One horse or mule was required to support four human beings a ratio that remained almost constant for many decades. At that time, had a national commission been asked to forecast the population for 1970, its answer probably would have depended on whether its consultants were of an economic or technological turn of mind. Had they been “economists”, they would probably have projected the 1970 horses or mule population to be more than 50 million. Had they been “technologists”, they would have recognized that the power of steam had already been harnessed to industry and to learn and ocean transport. They would have recognized further that it would be the prime source of power on the farm. It would have been difficult for them to avoid the conclusion that the horse and mule population would decline rapidly.

　　16. According to the passage, what supplied most of the power on U.S. farms in 1870?

　　A. Animals B. Humans C. Engines D. Water

　　17. Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the author as a consequence of new technological developments?

　　A. Older technologies die away. B. The quality of life is Improved.

　　C. Overall productivity increase. D. More raw materials become necessary.

　　18. It can be inferred from the passage that by 1870 .

　　A. technology began to be more economical

　　B. the steam engine had been invented

　　C. the U.S. horse population was about 10 million

　　D. a national commission was about 10 million

　　19. In the second paragraph, the author suggests that “economists” would .

　　A. plan the economy through yearly forecasts

　　B. fail to consider the influence of technological innovation

　　C. value the economic contribution of farm animals

　　D. consult the national commission on the economy

　　20. What is the author’s attitude toward changes brought on by technological innovations?

　　A. He is excited about them. B. He accept them as natural.

　　C. He is disturbed by them. D. He questions their usefulness.

　　Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:

　　This semester I began to have a series of teacher nightmares, something that had not happened to me for years, not since my first year of teaching when I was in a perpetual state of dread. I would be rushing to get to class on time, trying to gather up notes from a maelstrom of papers on my desk, not certain what subject we were covering today, indeed not even certain what course I was teaching. My heart was pounding. I was late. I would not find my notes. A hundred people were waiting for me in the classroom, their pens poised to take down my every syllable, and I had nothing to say. Them Mr. Winthrop’s big blonde face with those dark eyes would loom at the door of my office, and with that mocking grin, he would say, “Professor, the class is waiting for you,” and I would faint dead onto the floor. Or sometimes in my dream I would make it to the podium (讲台), start to lecture on some aspect of criminal law or causation, only to have Mr. Winthrop raise his hand, and without even waiting to be called upon, presumably ask a question. Presumably because I could not make out his words. I could see his mouth moving underneath his baseball cap, and muffled sounds resounded in my ears, but I could not understand him. All eyes in the classroom were on me, and my students began to laugh, but not Mr. Winthrop. He continued to move his mouth, and I felt as if I was watching TV with the sound off except that my head was all a buzz with the laughter and the shuffling of feet as my students exited in disgust. Again, I ended the nightmare by fainting dead away onto the floor, and then I would wake up, my sheets damp from desperation. It was enough to make a man get out of bed and mix a drink at four in the morning even if he had the eight o’clock class.

　　16. From this passage, it is indicated that .

　　A. the first year of teaching is unforgettable and frightening for me forever

　　B. nightmares have happened to me more often than not since my first year of teaching

　　C. in my first year of teaching, I was always full of fears

　　D. as a teacher, I feel uneasy all the time

　　17. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A. I was quite clear about the subject I was to deal with before class.

　　B. I would give the lectures on time.

　　C. I prepared the notes carefully before class. However, I forgot to take them with me to the classroom.

　　D. My heart was beating faster and faster before class.

　　18. Mr. Winthrop is .

　　A. a presumable student

　　B. a baseball lover

　　C. the student who often teases the teacher

　　D. the student who answers the teacher’s question in a humorous way

　　19. In my nightmare, it would happen to me except that .

　　A. I sometimes was very calm to see that my students were in disguise

　　B. when I gave the lecture, Mr. Minthrop was the only student to ask a question

　　C. I often fall down to the floor losing my consciousness before I woke up

　　D. I would rather wake up to have a good drink in the early morning than have the nightmare

　　20. The tone of this passage is .

　　A. provoking B. sensational C. desperate D. profound