2016下半年公共英语四级专项试题及答案

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2016下半年公共英语四级专项试题及答案

　　text 1

　　No one should be forced to wear a uniform under any circumstance. Uniforms are demeaning to the human spirit and totally unnecessary in a democratic society. Uniforms tell the world that the person who wears one has no value as an individual but only lives to function as a part of the whole. The individual in a uniform loses all self-worth. There are those who say that wearing a uniform gives a person a sense of identification with a large, more important concept. What could be more important than the individual oneself? If an organization is so weak that it must rely on cloth and buttons to inspire its members, that organization has no right to continue its existence. Others say that the practice of making persons wear uniforms, say in school, eliminates all envy and competition in a matter of dress, such that a poor person who cannot afford good-quality clothing, why would anyone strive to be better? It is only a short step from forcing everyone to wear the same clothing to forcing everyone to drive the same car, have the same type of house, eat the same type of food. When this happens, all incentive to improve one’s life is removed. Why would parents bother to work hard so that their children could have a better life than they had when they know that their children are going to be forced to have exactly the same life that they had? Uniforms also hurt the economy. Right now, billions of dollars are spent on the fashion industry yearly. Thousands of persons are employed in designing, creating, and marketing different types of clothing. If everyone were forced to wear uniforms, artistic personnel would be unnecessary. Salespersons would be superfluous as well: why bother to sell the only items that are available? The wearing of uniforms would destroy the fashion industry which in turn would have a ripple effect on such industries as advertising and promotion. Without advertising, newspapers, magazines, and television would not be able to remain in business. Our entire information and entertainment industries would founder.

　　1、The author’s viewpoint on uniforms can best be described as __________.

　　A. practical

　　B. hysterical

　　C. radical

　　D. critical

　　(【正确答案】C

　　2、Judged from its style, this passage might be found in __________.

　　A. a children’s comics book

　　B. an editorial in a paper

　　C. a sociology textbook

　　D. a political platform

　　(【正确答案】B

　　3、It can be inferred that the author believes that __________.

　　A. individuals have no self-worth when they become part of an organization

　　B. individuals are more important than organizations

　　C. individuals are not so important as organizations

　　D. individuals are the same important as organizations

　　(【正确答案】B

　　4、The author brings in the example of a parent striving to make life better for his children to make the point that __________.

　　A. parents have responsibilities for their children

　　B. uniforms would be less expensive than clothing for children

　　C. uniforms cause dissension between parents and children

　　D. individual motivation would be destroyed by uniforms

　　(【正确答案】D

　　5、The last word of the passage "founder" probably means __________.

　　A. collapse

　　B. shrink

　　C. disappear

　　D. establish

　　(【正确答案】A

　　text 2

　　A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment. For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world. The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn’t take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation. Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner-amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition. As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor’s language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

　　1、In the eyes of visitors from the outside world, ___________.

　　A. rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US

　　B. small-minded officials deserve a serious comment

　　C. Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors

　　D. most Americans are ready to offer help

　　(【正确答案】D

　　2、It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ___________.

　　A. culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship

　　B. courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated

　　C. various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends

　　D. social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions

　　(【正确答案】A

　　3、Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers ___________.

　　A. to improve their hard life

　　B. in view of their long-distance travel

　　C. to add some flavor to their own daily life

　　D. out of a charitable impulse

　　(【正确答案】C

　　4、The tradition of hospitality to strangers ___________.

　　A. tends to be superficial and artificial

　　B. is generally well kept up in the united States

　　C. is always understood properly

　　D. has something to do with the busy tourist trails

　　(【正确答案】B

　　5、What’s the author’s attitudes toward the American’s friendliness?

　　A. Favorable.

　　B. Unfavorable.

　　C. Indifferent.

　　D. Neutral.

　　(【正确答案】A

　　text 3

　　Today, there are many avenues open to those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one’s career in order to attend school full time. Part-time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one’s career and family time. Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible and accommodating is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method, which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals, which are so necessary in today’s world. The time required to study many be set aside at the student’s convenience with due regard to all life’s other requirements. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning courses from virtually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. Tutorial assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet. Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subject evaluation tool with every subject. This precludes the requirement for a student to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance-learning program is the equivalence of the distance-learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the course on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance-learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual students but also the corporation or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Sponsoring distance learning programs for their employees gives the business the advantage of retaining career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education.

　　1、According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of part-time education?

　　A. It requires some break in one’s career.

　　B. It tends to last too long for many people to complete a degree program.

　　C. It affects one’s career.

　　D. It gives the student less time to share with the family.

　　(【正确答案】A

　　2、Which of the following is NOT an advantage of distance learning?

　　A. The students may choose his or her own pace.

　　B. The students may study at any time to his or her convenience.

　　C. They can pursue their chosen career while studying.

　　D. Their tutorial assistance comes through regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, etc.

　　(【正确答案】D