2011年12月英语四级冲刺预测试题及答案(2)

　　■Section C

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

　　Some people’s ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose. Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It (36)_______ dirt and other matter and keeps (37)_______ out. Doctors think it might also help protect against (38)_______. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry. So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. There are two kinds of cerumen. Most people of (39)_______ or African ancestry have the “wet” kind: thick and (40)_______. East Asians commonly have “dry” earwax.

　　But you can have too much of a good thing. The glands in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax is normally (41)_______; it falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can (42)_______ and form a blockage that (43)_______ with sound waves and reduces hearing. (44)_____________________

　　_______________________. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.

　　Experts suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself. (45)_________________________. Another way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal. (46)__________________

　　____________________________. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.

　　Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

　　■ Section A

　　Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required 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. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

　　Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its 47 lie mainly in blues, rhythm and blues, country, folk, gospel, and jazz. The style subsequently spread to the rest of the world and developed further, leading ultimately to 48 rock music.

　　The term “rock and roll” now covers at least two different meanings, both in common usage. The American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both 49 rock and roll as synonymous with rock music.

　　50 , Allwords.com defines the term as referring specifically to the music of the 1950s.

　　Classic rock and roll is 51 played with one or two electric guitars, a string bass or an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit. In the 52 rock and roll styles of the late 1940s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally 53 or supplemented by the guitar in the middle to late 1950s.

　　The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a 54 social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and in the new medium of television, 55 lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It went on to spawn various sub-genres, often without the initially 56 backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply “rock music” or “rock”.

　　A) define I) followed

　　B) characteristic J) modern

　　C) unique K) explanation

　　D) roots L) Conversely

　　E) usually M) replaced

　　F) Basically N) prepare

　　G) earliest O) seldom

　　H) influenced

　　■Section B

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished sentences. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　According to a report, around 30,000 pupils started secondary school last year with the math skills of a seven-year-old. MPs (国会议员) warned that many young people would need “expensive” remedial lessons in later life to get a job — posing major problems for the economy. The findings came just months after Ofsted(教育标准办公室)claimed almost half of math lessons in English schools were not good enough. It said many teachers relied on textbooks and mundane exercises to make sure pupils passed exams at the expense of a proper understanding of the subject. MPs backed the conclusions, saying too many pupils found lessons “boring”. They insisted improvements had been made under Labor but achievement had “leveled off” in recent years.

　　In 2008, 79 percent of pupils met the Government’s expected standard at the end of primary school, well short of the 85 percent target set for 2006. Around five percent moved to secondary school with the math skills of a seven- year-old, said the committee. In 2006, ￡2.3 billion was spent teaching the subject. It equates to around a quarter of the ￡10 billion total budget for primary teaching and support staff.

　　The report said the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) needed to “radically rethink its strategy for improving pupil attainment; otherwise we seriously doubt that the department will meet its 2011 target”. The target demands that 84.5 percent of pupils will make the necessary progress between 7 and 11.

　　Last year, the DCSF published a major review of math education in England to boost standards. It called for a math specialist in every primary school within 10 years and more emphasis on mathematical “play” in nursery schools. Mr. Leigh said, “The department’s 10-year program to train 13,000 specialist math teachers will not benefit some primary schools for another decade. That’s far too long; the department needs to look for ways to accelerate the program.” Sarah McCarthy Fry, the Schools Minister, said, “We have already accepted the main recommendation from a recent independent review of primary math that every school should have a specialist math teacher and have pledged ￡24 million over the next three years for a training program for teachers.”

　　Nick Gibb, the Tory shadow schools secretary, said, “The Government is not getting value for the money they have piled into education and the country is falling behind in international league tables as a result. The Government has failed to replace methods of teaching which have failed with tried and tested methods used in countries that have much higher levels of math achievement.”

　　57. What do we learn from the first paragraph?

　　A) 30,000 pupils started secondary school with poor math skills.

　　B) MPs insist more improvements should be made under Labor.

　　C) Young people need medical lessons to get a job.

　　D) Half of English schools were not good enough.

　　58. According to the passage, what happened in 2006?

　　A) 21% of pupils didn’t meet the Government’s expected standard.

　　B) The target set for 2006 was 87 percent.

　　C) ￡2.3 billion was spent on math teaching.

　　D) The total budget for primary teaching and support staff was ￡5 billion in 2006.

　　59. What will people probably do to improve math education in England?

　　A) Spend money on training specialist math teachers.

　　B) Hire a math specialist for every primary school.

　　C) Allow pupils to have more mathematical “play”.

　　D) Spend more time on math education.

　　60. What do Nick Gibb’s words mean?

　　A) The British government should put more money into math education.

　　B) Britain is falling behind in the international knowledge competition.

　　C) The British government should learn from other countries’ failures.

　　D) The British government should change their teaching methods every few years.

　　61. What’s the passage mainly talking about?

　　A) There aren’t enough math teachers in British primary schools.

　　B) The British government didn’t spend enough money on math education.

　　C) British pupils are not good at math.

　　D) Math lessons in British primary schools need to be improved.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

　　Bananas, always the fashion victims of the produce section, are wearing another new label this spring. Bananas with “Fair Trade Certified” stickers have been available in the United States since October. They represent the new front of an international effort to help first-world consumers improve the living standards of the third-world farmers who grow much of their food.

　　By expanding its reach to the produce section, Fair Trade is now trying to reach the American supermarket shopper. Fair Trade deals directly with farmer cooperatives. It helps organize, avoiding brokers (代理人) and middlemen. It guarantees higher prices for the farmers’ goods and helps them set up schools and health clinics.

　　The Fair Trade movement took root in Europe in the 1990’s as a way of bolstering coffee farmers as prices were collapsing. Since Fair Trade began, more than a million coffee growers and other farmers have joined cooperatives that sell their products through Fair Trade channels instead of directly to a commercial producer.

　　Not everyone is greeting the Fair Trade label with open arms. Several American coffee importers recently pulled out of Fair Trade, citing TransFair’s “corporate friendly” policies that allow large companies to use the Fair Trade logo in their marketing even if only a small amount of the company’s overall purchases are Fair Trade certified.

　　Edmund LaMacchia, the national produce coordinator for Whole Foods, said Fair Trade is only one of many consumer choices. “Whole Foods has its own team of inspectors and has no plans to carry Fair Trade products”, Mr. LaMacchia said. “Our standards are higher than Fair Trade’s, actually.” Fair Trade is only one of several labels your bananas might be wearing this year. Another is that of the Rainforest Alliance, which certifies the use of sustainable agriculture methods.

　　So far, though, Fair Trade is the biggest. A Fair Trade label by itself does not guarantee an organic product, but most Fair Trade bananas are also organic, Ms. Bourque said, because pesticides are usually too costly for the small farmers who grow them. If the bananas are organic, they will be labeled as such, and will probably be wearing a sticker to prove it.

　　62. Why are bananas wearing “Fair Trade Certified” stickers?

　　A) It means bananas are the fashion victims of the produce section.

　　B) It means bananas have got a new label.

　　C) It means bananas with these stickers are available in the United States.

　　D) It represents an international effort to help the third-world farmers.

　　63. What does Fair Trade do?

　　A) It helps farmers sell their products for a higher profit.

　　B) It appoints brokers and middlemen to deal with farmer cooperatives.

　　C) It brings down the price of farmers’ goods.

　　D) It sets up schools and health clinics for American farmers.

　　64. What was the original purpose of the Fair Trade movement?

　　A) To cooperate with coffee growers and other farmers.

　　B) To help coffee farmers as prices were collapsing.

　　C) To prevent farmers from selling their products to commercial producers.

　　D) To sell products through coffee growers and other farmers.

　　65. What can we infer from this passage?

　　A) American coffee importers will never buy their products through Fair Trade channels.

　　B) Fair Trade is the only label that bananas might be wearing this year.

　　C) Not every consumer considers Fair Trade products the only choice.

　　D) Whole Foods and the Rainforest Alliance are more influential than Fair Trade.

　　66. What is the best title for this passage?

　　A) Helping the Third World: One Banana at a Time

　　B) Consumers Face More Choices

　　C) Fair Trade — the Best Sticker

　　D) The Fair Trade Movement

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