2018年英语专四真题和参考答案与解析

2018英语专业四级考试真题及参考答案

PART III LANGUAGE USAGE

There are twenty sentences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four

options marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence or

answers the question. Mark hour answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO.

11. The Bent Pyramid outside Cairo __________ ancient Egypt’s first attempt to

build a smooth-sided pyramid.

A. has been believed to have been

B. was believed to be

C. is believed to have been

D. is believed to be

12. U.S. News ____________ rankings of colleges since 1983. They are a very

popular resource for students looking to apply to university campus.

A. maintains

B. is maintaining

.

C. maintained

D. has been maintaining

13. He was lured into a crime he would not ____________have committed.

A. actually

B. accidentally

C. otherwise

D. seldom

14. She was once a young country wife with chickens in the backyard and a view

of _____________ mountains behind the apple orchard.

A. blue hazy Virginia

B. hazy blue Virginia

C. Virginia hazy blue

D. Virginia blue hazy

15. I long to alleviate __________, but I cannot.

.

A. the evil

B. evil

C. evils

D. an evil

16. Indeed, it is arguable that body shattering is the very point of football, as

killing and maiming ______________.

A. war

B. are war

C. of war

D. are of war

17. At ____________, photography is a chemical process, during which a

light-sensitive material is altered when exposed to light.

A. its most basic

B. its basic

.

C. the most basic

D. the basic

18. She hired a lawyer to investigate, only to learn that Gabriel had removed her

name from the deed. The infinitive verb phrase “

only to learn”

is used __________.

A. to express an intended purpose

B. to indicate a high degree of possibility

C. to reveal an undesirable consequence

D. to dramatize a stated fact

19. Which of the following italicized words DOES NOT carry the metaphorical

meaning?

A. I wonder what’s

behind

this change of plan.

B. Jim turned to speak to the person standing

behind

him.

C. This work should have been finished yesterday. I’m getting terribly

behind

.

D. I suppose I’m lucky because my parents were

behind

me all the way.

.

20. My mother was determined to help those in need and she

would have been

immensely proud of what has been achieved these last 20 years. The italicized part in

the sentence expresses _______.

A. a hypothesis

B. a suggestion

C. a contradiction

D. a surprise

21. When the police officers who took part in the King beating were first brought

to ___________, their lawyers used the videotape as evidence against the prosecution.

A. justice

B. testimony

C. trial

D. verdict

22._________, the most controversial candidate in the election campaign, he has

been strongly criticized for his crude comments about women.

.

A. Questionably

B. Arguably

C. Contentiously

D. Debatably

23. Prices have recently risen in order to __________ the increased cost of raw

materials.

A. cut

B. buoy

C. offer

D. offset

24. The celebrity says in court papers she “has no __________ of giving any

authorization to anyone to proceed with a divorce.”

A. recommendation

B. recording

.

C. recollection

D. recognition

actually __________ a good angle — or a good selfie overall — is rooted

in what we consider beautiful.

A. consists

B. constitutes

C. composes

D. constructs

26. The school is going the ________ mile to create the next generation of sporting

stars thanks to its unique development program.

A. final

B. further

C. supplementary

D. extra

.

27. The teachers’ union _________ a lawsuit against the district calling for

repairing “deplorable” school conditions.

A. fired

B. filed

C. fined

D. filled

28. Last March the __________ of a 19

th

century cargo ship was found by an

underwater archaeological team.

A. debris

B. ruins

C. remains

D. wreck

29. She’s worn his designs on __________ occasions from red carpets to movie

premieres.

A. countless

.

B. countable

C. numerical

D. numeral

30. A leading ___________ intelligence and operations company has released its

analysis of worldwide reported incidents of piracy and crime against mariners.

A. oceangoing

B. oceanic

C. marine

D. maritime

PART IV CLOZE

Decide which of the words given in the box below would best complete the

passage if inserted in the corresponding blank. The words can be used ONCE ONLY.

Mark the letter for each word on ANSWER SHEET.

A. accompanies B. automatically C. couple D. goes E.

indebtedness

.

F. kind G. manner H. mercifully I. one J. obey

K. renowned L. subscribe M. unknown N. virtue O.

widespread

A Few years ago, a university professor tried a little experiment. He sent

Christmas cards to a sample of perfect strangers. Although he expected some

reaction, the response he received was amazing—holiday cards addressed to him

came pouring back from the people who had never met nor heard of him. The great

majority of those who returned a card never inquired into the identity of the

unknown professor. They received his holiday greeting card, and they automatically

sent one in return. This study shows the action of one of the most powerful of the

weapons of influence around us—the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we

should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. If a woman does us

a favor, we should do her one in return; if a man sends us a birthday present, we

should remember his birthday with a gift of our own; if a couple invites us to a party,

we should be sure to invite them to one of ours. By virtue of the reciprocity rule, then,

we are obligated to the future repayment of favors, gifts, invitations, and the like. So

typical is it for indebtedness to accompany the receipt of such things that a term like

“much obliged” has become a synonym for “thank you,” not only in the English

language but in others as well.

The impressive aspect of the rule for reciprocation and the sense of obligation

that goes with it is its pervasiveness in human culture. It is so widespread that after

intensive study, sociologists such as Alvin Goldener can report that there is no human

.

society that does not subscribe to the rule.

PART V READING COMPREHENSION

SECTION A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

In this section there are three passages followed by ten multiple choice

questions. For each multiple choice question, there are four suggested answers

marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer and mark

your answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO.

PASSAGE ONE

（1）The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish

colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They

wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments,

priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. The historic decisions made by those

first settlers have had a profound effect on the shaping of the American character. By

limiting the power of the government and the churches and eliminating a formal

aristocracy, they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the

individual. Individual freedom is probably the most basic of all the American values.

By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control

their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble

class, the church, or any other organized authority.

.

(2) There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance.

It means that Americans believe they should stand on their own feet, achieving both

financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually

by age 18 or 21.

(3) A second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn

to the United States is the belief that everyone has a equal chance to enter a race and

succeed in the game. Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no

formal class system developed in the U.S.

(4) There is, however, a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity:

competition. If much of life is seen as race, then a person must run the race in order

to succeed; a person must compete with others. The pressures of competition in the

life of an American begin in childhood and continue until retirement from work. In

fact, any group of people who does not compete successfully does not fit into the

mainstream of American life as well as those who do.

(5) A third reason why immigrants have traditionally come to the United States is

to have a better life. Because of its abundant natural resources, the United States

appeared to be a “land of plenty where millions could come to seek their fortunes.

The phrase “going from rags to riches” became a slogan for the American dream.

Many people did achieve material success. Material wealth became a value to the

American people, and it also became an accepted measure of social status.

(6) Americans pay a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work. Hard

.

work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughout their

history. In some ways, material possessions are seen as evidence of people’s

abilities. Barry Goldwater, a candidate for the presidency in 1964, said that most poor

people are poor because they deserve to be. Most Americans would find this a harsh

statement, but many might think there was some truth in it.

(7) These basic values do not tell the whole story of the American character.

Rather, they should be thought of as themes, as we continue to explore more facets

of the American character and how it affects life in the United States.

41. Para.4 seems to suggest that __________.

A. Americans are born with a sense of competition

B. the pressure of competition begins when one starts work

C. successful competition is essential in American society

D. competition results in equality of opportunities

42. Which of the following methods does the author mainly use in explaining

American values?

A. Comparison

D. Cause and effect

.

C. Definition

D. Process analysis

PASSAGE TWO

(1) The Nobels are the originals, of course. Alfred Nobel, the man who invented

deadly explosives, decided to try and do something good with all the money he

earned, and gave prizes to people who made progress in literature, science,

economics and —perhaps most importantly—peace.

(2) Not all rewards are as noble as the Nobels. Even though most countries have

a system of recognizing, honoring and rewarding people who have done something

good in their countries, there are now hundreds of awards and award ceremonies for

all kinds of things.

(3)The Oscars are probably the most famous, a time for the (mostly) American

film industry to tell itself how good it is and an annual opportunity for lots of big

stars to give each other awards and make tearful speeches. As well as that there are

also the Golden Globes, evidently for the same thing.

(4) But it’s not only films---there are also Grammies, Brits, the Mercury Prize

and the MTV for music. In Britain, a writer who wins the Booker Prize can expect to

see their difficult, literary novel hit the bestseller lists and compete with the Da Vinci

Code for popularity. The Turner Prize is an award for British contemporary artists—

.

each year it causes controversy by apparently giving lots of money to artists who do

things like displaying their beds, putting animals in glass cases or—this year—

building a garden shed.

(5) Awards don’t only exist for arts. There are now awards for Sports Personality

of the Year, for European Footballer of the Year and World Footballer of the Year. This

seems very strange—sometimes awards can be good to give recognition to people

who deserve it, or to help people who don’t make a lot of money carry on their

work without worrying about finances, but professional soccer players these days

certainly aren’t short of cash!

(6) Many small towns and communities all over the world also have their own

award ceremonies, for local writers or artists, or just for people who have graduated

from high school or, got a university degree. Even the British Council has its own

awards for “Innovation in English Language Teaching”.

(7) Why have all these awards and ceremonies appeared recently? Shakespeare

never won a prize, nor did Leonardo Da Vinci or Adam Smith or Charles Dickens.

(8) It would be possible to say, however, that in the past, scientists and artists

could win “patronage” form rich people—a king or a lord would give the artists or

scientists money to have them paint their palaces or help them develop new ways of

making money. With the change in social systems across the world, this no longer

happens. A lot of scientific research is now either funded by the state or by private

companies.

.

(9)Perhaps award ceremonies are just the most recent phase of this process.

(10) However, there is more to it than that. When a film wins an Oscar, many

more people will go and see it, or buy the DVD. When a writer wins the Nobel Prize,

many more people buy their books. When a group wins the MTV awards, the

ceremony is seen by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. The result?

The group sells lots more records.

(11) Most award ceremonies are now sponsored by big organizations or

companies. This means that it is not only the person who wins the award who

benefits---but also the sponsors. The MTV awards, for example, are great

for publicizing not only music, but also MTV itself!

(12) On the surface, it seems to be a “Win-win” situation, with everyone being

happy, but let me ask you a question—how far do you think that publicity and

marketing are winning here, and how much genuine recognition of achievement is

taking place?

43. What is the author’s tone when he mentions awards such as the Oscars, the

Golden Globes and Grammies (Paras. 3 & 4)

A. Amused.

B. Appreciative.

C. Sarcastic.

.

D. Serious.

44. According to Para. 4, what would happen to award winning writers?

A. They would enjoy a much larger readership.

B. They would turn to popular novel writing.

C. They would continue non-fiction writing.

D. They would try controversial forms of art.

45. Which of the following statements best sums up Para. 6?

A. Awards ceremonies are held for local people.

B. Awards ceremonies are held on important occasions.

C. Awards ceremonies are held in certain professions.

D. Awards ceremonies are held for all sorts of reasons.

46. According to Para. 8, one difference between scientists and artists in the past

and those at present lies in_____________.

A. nature of work

.

B. personal contact

C. source of funding

D. social status

47. It can be concluded from Para. 12 that the author thinks awards ________.

A. promote market rather than achievements

B. do good to both market and popularity

C. help those who are really talented

D. are effective in making people popular

PASSAGE THREE

(1) Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffered from a heart trouble, great care was taken

to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.

(2) It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences. Her husband’s

friend Richards was there, too. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when

news of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the

list of “killed”. He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second

telegram.

.

(3) She wept at once, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of sadness had spent

itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

(4) There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable armchair. Into this she

sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to

reach into her soul.

(5) She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees. The

delicious breath of rain was in the air. The notes of a distant song which someone was

singing reached her, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves).

(6) There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds

that had met and piled above the other in the west facing her window.

(7) She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite

motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who

has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.

(8) She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and

even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was

fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of

reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.

(9) There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully.

What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it,

.

creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the

color that filled the air.

(10) Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize

this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back

with her will-as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been.

(11) When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly

parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "Free, free, free!" The vacant

stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen

and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every

inch of her body.

(12) She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands

folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and

gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to

come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out

to them in welcome.

(13) There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would

live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence

with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a

fellow-creature.

(14) And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it

.

matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of

self-assertion, which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

(15)“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.

(16) Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole,

imploring for admission. "Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door-you will make

yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven's sake open the door."

(17) "Go away. I am not making myself ill." No; she was drinking in a very elixir(长

生不老药) of life through that open window.

(18) Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and

summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick

prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder

that life might be long.

(19) She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's importunities. There

was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess

of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs.

Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.

(20) Some one was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard

who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his gripsack and umbrella.

He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been

.

one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to

screen him from the view of his wife.

(21) But Richards was too late.

(22) When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that

kills.

48. How did Mrs Mallard get the news of her husband’s death?

A. Her husband’s friend told her.

B. She had read it from the paper.

C. Her sister Josephine told her.

D. Her doctor broke the news to her.

49. When Mrs Mallard was alone in her room, she ___________.

A. sat in an armchair all the time

B. sat with her back facing the window

C. sat and then walked around for while

.

D. sat in a chair and cried all the time.

50. How did she feel about her love towards her husband?

A. She hated her husband.

B. She was indifferent now.

C. She found it hard to describe.

D. She had loved him all along.

SECTION B SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

In this section there are five short answer questions based on the passages in

Section A. Answer the questions with NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS in the space

provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO.

PASSAGE ONE

51. Of all the values mentioned in the passage, which one is regarded as the

most fundamental?

Individual freedom.

PASSAGE TWO

.

52. What can be inferred from the sentence “Not all awards are as noble as the

Nobels.” according to Para. 2?

The author doubts the significance of some awards.

53. What conclusion can be drawn from Para. 5?

The author thinks it unreasonable to award rich people.

PASSAGE THREE

54. What was Mrs Mallard’s mood when she was left alone in the room?

Secret joy over the expectation of future freedom.

55. The doctors said that Mrs Mallard died of heart disease — of joy that kills.

What do you think is the real cause of her death?

Fright and disillusionment at the sight of her “dead” husband.

PART VI WRITING

(略)

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