2008年大學(xué)英語四級考試AB卷真題及答案（三）

  聽力

  Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) 25%
  Section A  5%（10×0.5%）

  Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are requested to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

  Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

  Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three month of travel though Europe's had been aboard a couple of times, but I could hardly claim to know my way around the continent. Moreover, my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.

  I hesitated. How would I, unable to speak the language, totally unfamiliar with local geography or transportation systems, set up interviews and do research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable news. I sat down to write a letter begging off. Halfway through, thought ran through my mind: you can't learn if you don't try. So I accepted the assignment.

  There were some bad moments. But by the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. And ever since, I have never hesitated to head for even the most remote of places, without guides or even advanced bookings, confident that somehow I will manage.

  The point is that the new, the different, is almost by definition scary. But ach time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you.

  I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon. And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not, but I'll accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can accomplish wonders.

  注意：此部分試題請?jiān)?答題卡 2 上作答。

  A) accomplish                              I) manufacture

  B) advanced                                 J) moments

  C) balloon                                   K) news

  D) claim                                      L) reduced

  E) constantly                                M) regret

  F) declare                                    N) scary

  G) interviews                               O) totally

  H) limited 

   Section B  20%（10×2%）

  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.

  Passage One

  Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

  Global warming may or not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but regardless of weather it is or isn't -- we won't do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.

  Al gore calls global warming an "inconvenient truth," as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don't know enough to believe global warming, and -- without major technological breakthroughs -- we can't do much about it.

  From 2003 to 2050, the world's population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. IF energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. But that's too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn the world's poor to their present poverty and freeze everyone else's living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050.

  No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they're "doing something." Consider the Kyoto protocol. It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn't. But it hasn't reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories didn't adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.

  practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.

  The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it's really engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don't solve the engineering problem, we're helpless.

  注意：此部分試題請?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。

  57.  What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?

  A) It may not prove an environmental crisis at all.

  B) It is an issue requiring worldwide commitments.

  C) Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it.

  D) Very little will be done to bring it under control.

  58.According to the author's understanding, what is AL Gore's view on global warming?

  A) It is a reality both people and Politicians are unaware of.

  B) It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.

  C) It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.

  D) It is area we actually have little knowledge about.

  59.Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of _________.

  A) economic growth

  B) wasteful use of energy

  C) the widening gap between the rich and poor

  D) the rapid advances of science and technology

  60.The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, __________.

  A) politicians have started to do something to better the situation.

  B) few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use

  C) reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warming.

  D) international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems

  61.What is the message the author intends to convey?

  A) Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.

  B) The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology.

  C) The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.

  D) People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.

  Passage Two

  Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

  Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you've visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone Bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.

  In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen - the 2lst century equivalent of being caught naked.

  Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, Family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread Crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.

  The key question is: Does that matter?

  For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no"

  When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."

  But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收費(fèi)站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards, privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon.

  But privacy does matter- at least sometimes. It's like health; when you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.

  注意：此部分試題請?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。

  62.  When does the author means by saying "the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked" (Lines3-4, Para.2)

  A) People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.

  B) In the 21st century people try every means to look into others' secrets.

  C) People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.

  D) Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.

  63.  What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

  A) Friends should open their hearts to each other.

  B) Friends should always be faithful to each other.

  C) There should be a distance even between friends.

  D) There should be fewer disputes between friends

  64. Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret" (Line 5 Para.3)?

  A) Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.

  B) People leave traces around when using modern technology.

  C) There are always people who are curious about others' affairs.

  D) Many search engines profit by revealing people's identities/

  65.What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?

  A) They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.

  B) They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.

  C) They rely more and more on electronic devices.

  D) They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

  66.According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ________.

  A) people will make every effort to keep it

  B) its importance is rarely understood

  C) it is something that can easily be lost

  D) people don't cherish it until they lose it