2021年大学英语四级考试试题及答案.doc

1月大学英语四级考试试题
试卷一
Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes
Section A

1. A) The woman is s close friend of the man.
B) The woman has been working too hard.
C) The woman is seeing a doctor.
D) The woman is tired of her work.
2. A) This apple pie tastes very good.
B) His mother likes the pie very much
C) This pie can’t match his mother’s.
D) His mother can’t make apple pies.
3. A) Take a walk. B) Give a performance.
C) Listen to the music. D) Dance to the music.
4. A) Read an article on political science.
B) Present a different theory to the class.
C) Read more than one article.
D) Choose a better article to read.
5. A) The woman would understand if she did Mary’s job.
B) The woman should do the typing for Mary.
C) The woman should work as hard as Mary.
D) The woman isn’t a skillful typist.
6. A) He wants to make an appointment with Mr. Smith.
B) He wants to make sure that Mr. Smith will see him.
C) He wants to change the time of the appointment.
D) He wants the woman to meet him at three o’clock.
7. A) He gets nervous vastly. B) He is an inexperienced speaker.
C) He is an awful speaker. D) He hasn’t prepared his speech well.
8. A) She didn’t like the books the man bought.
B) There wasn’t a large selection at the bookstore.
C) The man bought a lot of books.
D) She wanted to see what the man bought.
9. A) Buy a ticket for the ten o’clock flight.
B) Ask the man to change the ticket for her.
C) Go to the airport immediately.
D) Switch to a different flight.
10. A) Dr. Lemon is waiting for a patient.
B) Dr. Lemon is busy at the moment.
C) Dr. Lemon has lost his patience.
D) Dr. Lemon has gone out to visit a patient.

Section B
Passage One
Questions 11 to 14 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. A) A car outside the supermarket. B) A car at the bottom of the hill.
C) Paul’s car. D) The sports car.
12. A) Inside the car. B) At the foot of the hill.
C) In the garage. D) In the supermarket.
13. A) The driver of the sports car. B) The two girls inside the car.
C) The bus driver. D) Paul.
14. A) Nobody. B) The two girls.
C) The man standing nearby. D) The salesman from London.

Passage Two
Questions 15 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.
15. A) His friend gave him the wrong key.
B) He didn’t know where the back door was.
C) He couldn’t find the key to his mailbox.
D) It was too dark to put the key in the lock.
16. A) It was getting dark.
B) He was afraid of being blamed by his friend.
C) The birds might have flown away.
D) His friend would arrive any time.
17. A) He looked silly with only one leg inside the window.
B) He knew the policeman wouldn’t believe him.
C) The torchlight made him look very foolish.
D) He realized that he had made a mistake.

Passage Three
Questions 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
18. A) The threat of poisonous desert animals and plants.
B) The exhaustion of energy resources.
C) The destruction of oil wells.
D) The spread of the black powder from the fires.
19. A) The underground oil resources have not been affected.
B) Most of the desert animals and plants have managed to survive.
C) The oil lakes soon dried up and stopped evaporating.
D) The underground water resources have not been polluted.
20. A) To restore the normal production of the oil wells.
B) To estimate the losses caused by the fires.
C) To remove the oil left in the desert.
D) To use the oil left in the oil lakes.

Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids(小行星)now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it，say some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星)that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don’t threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy $50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one，the scientists say，we’ll have a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn’t　be cheap.
Is it worth it?Two things experts consider when judging any risk are：1) How likely the event is；and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years. Sounds pretty rare—but if one did fall，it would be the end of the world. “If we don’t take care of these big asteroids，they’ll take care of us,” says one scientist. “It’s that simple.”
The cure，though，might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth?“The world has less to fear from doomsday(毁灭性) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them,” said a New York Times article.

21. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
A) They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B) They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C) There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D) Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
22. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
A) It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B) Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C) Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.
D) It’s still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.
23. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?
A) It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B) It may create more problems than it might solve.
C) It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.
D) Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
24. We can conclude from the passage that .
A) while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world
B) asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future
C) the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime
D) workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth.
25. Which of the following best describes the author’s tone in this passage?
A) Optimistic. B) Critical. C) Objective. D) Arbitrary.

Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Believe it or not，optical illusion (错觉) can cut highway crashes.
Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent stripes，called chevrons (人字形) painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are，and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C is planning to rep eat Japan’s success. Starting next year，the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents，according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents，the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest-curves，exit slopes，traffic circles，and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight，horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However，traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bar. Chevrons，scientists say，not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane spear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.

26. The passage mainly discusses .
A) a new way of highway speed control
B) a new pattern for painting highways
C) a new approach to training drivers
D) a new type of optical illusion
27. On roads painted with chevrons drivers tend to feel that .
A) they should avoid speed-related hazards
B) they are driving in the wrong lane
C) they should slow down their speed
D) they are approaching the speed limit
28. The advantage of chevrons over straight，horizontal bars is that the former .
A) can keep drivers awake
B) can cut road accidents in half
C) will have a longer effect on drivers
D) will look more attractive
29. The American Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to .
A) try out the Japanese method in certain areas
B) change the road signs across the country
C) replace straight，horizontal bars with chevrons
D) repeat the Japanese road patterns
30. What does the author say about straight，horizontal bars painted across roads?
A) They are falling out of use in the United States.
B) They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.
C) They are applicable only on broad roads.
D) They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.

Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Amtrak (美国铁路客运公司) was experiencing a downswing in ridership (客运量) along the lines comprising its rail system. Of major concern to Amtrak and its advertising agency DDB Needham， were the long-distance western routes where ridership had been declining significantly.
At one time，trains were the only practical way to cross the vast areas of the west. Trains were fast，very luxurious，and quite convenient compared to other forms of transportation existing at the time. However，times change and automobile became America’s standard of convenience. Also，air travel had easily established itself as the fastest method of traveling great distances. Therefore，the task for DDB Needham was to encourage consumers to consider other aspects of train travel in order to change their attitudes and increase the likelihood that trains would be considered for travel in the west.
Two portions of the total market were targeted：1) anxious fliers-those concerned with safety，relaxation，and cleanliness and 2) travel-lovers-those viewing themselves as relaxed，casual，and interested in the travel experience as part of their vacation. The agency then developed a campaign that focused on travel experiences such as freedom，escape，relaxation，and enjoyment of the great western outdoors. It stressed experiences gained by using the trains and portrayed western train trips as wonderful adventures.
Advertisements showed pictures of the beautiful scenery that could be enjoyed along some of the more famous western routes and emphasized the romantic names of some of these trains (Empire Builder，etc.). These ads were strategically placed among family-oriented TV shows and programs involving nature and America in order to most effectively reach target audiences. Results were impressive. The Empire Builder，which was focused on in one ad，enjoyed a 15 percent increase in profits on its Chicago to Seattle route.

31. What’’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A) To show the inability of trains to compete with planes with respect to speed and convenience.
B) To stress the influence of the automobile on America’s standard of convenience.
C) To emphasize the function of travel agencies in market promotion.
D) To illustrate the important role of persuasive communication in changing consumer attitudes.
32. It can be inferred from the passage that the drop in Amtrak rider ship was due to the fact that .
A) trains were not suitable for short distance passenger transportation
B) trains were not the fastest and most convenient form of transportation
C) trains were not as fast and convenient as they used to be
D) trains could not compete with planes in terms of luxury and convenience
33. To encourage consumers to travel by train，DDB Needham emphasized .
A) the freedom and convenience provided on trains
B) the practical aspects of travel
C) the adventurous aspects of train trips
D) the safety and cleanliness of train trips
34. The train ads were placed among family-oriented TV programs involving nature and America because .
A) they could focus on meaningful travel experiences
B) they could increase the effectiveness of the TV programs
C) their profits could be increased by some 15 percent
D) most travel-lovers and nervous fliers were believed to be among the audiences
35. According to the passage，the Empire Builder enjoyed an increase in rider ship and profits because .
A) the attractiveness of its name and route was effectively advertised
B) it provided an exciting travel experience
C) its passengers could enjoy the great western outdoors
D) it was widely advertised in newspapers and magazines in Chicago and Seattle

Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Why does cream go bad faster than butter?Some researchers think they have the answer，and it comes down to the structure of the food，not its chemical composition—a finding that could help rid some processed foods of chemical preservatives.
Cream and butter contain pretty much the same substances，so why cream should sour much faster has been a mystery. Both are emulsions—tiny globules (小球体) of one liquid evenly distributed throughout another. The difference lies in what’s in the globules and what’s in the surrounding liquid，says Brocklehurst，who led the investigation.
In cream，fatty globules drift about in a sea of water. In butter，globules of a watery solution are locked away in a sea of fat. The bacteria which make the food go bad prefer to live in the watery regions of the mixture. “This means that in cream，the bacteria are free to grow throughout the mixture,” he says.
When the situation is reversed，the bacteria are locked away in compartments (隔仓室) buried deep in the sea of fat. Trapped in this way，individual colonies cannot spread and rapidly run out of nutrients (养料). They also slowly poison themselves with their waste products. “In butter，you get a self-limiting system which stops the bacteria growing.” says Brocklehurst.
The researchers are already working with food companies keen to see if their products can be made resistant to bacterial attack through alterations to the food’s structure. Brockiehurst believes it will be possible to make the emulsions u