1990年1月四级真题及答案

part 1 listening comprehension (20 minutes)
section a
directions: in this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. at the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once. after each question there will be pause. during the pause, you must read the four choices marked a), b), c) and d), and decide which is the best answer. then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a line through the centre.
example: you will hear:
you will read:
a) at the office. c) at the airport.
b) in the waiting room. d) in a restaurant.
from the conversation we know that the two were talking about some work they had to finish in the evening. this is most likely to have taken place at the office. there fore, a) “at the office” is the best answer. you should choose [a] on the answer sheet and mark it with a single line through the centre.
sample answer [a][b][c][d]
1. (a) the man wants to go to los angeles.
(b) the man wants to go to san francisco.
(c) there are no flights to los angeles for the rest of the day.
(d) there are two direct flights to los angeles within the next two hours.
2. (a) he enjoys writing home every week.
(b) he never fails to write a weekly letter home.
(c) he doesn’t write home once a week now.
(d) he has been asked to write home every week.
3. (a) because she has got an appointment.
(b) because she doesn’t want to.
(c) because she has to work.
(d) because she wants to eat in a new restaurant.
4. (a) the teacher postponed the meeting.
(b) there won’t be a test this afternoon.
(c) the students will be attending the meeting.
(d) the students will take an english test this afternoon.
5. (a) on the whole, she liked the film.
(b) she didn’t see the film.
(c) the film was very exciting.
(d) the film wasn’t as good as she’d expected.
6. (a) around 5:00. (c) at 2:00
(b) around 3:00. (d) at 1:00
7. (a) he had to work overtime. (c) his car ran out of gas.
(b) he was held up in traffic. (d) he had a traffic accident.
8. (a) john smith isn’t in right now.
(b) john smith can’t come to the phone right now.
(c) john smith doesn't want to speak to the caller.
(d) the caller dialed the wrong number.
9. (a) yesterday. (c) two days ago.
(b) three days ago. (d) early last week.
10.(a) she got up later than usual. (c) she forgot she had classes.
(b) the bus was late. (d) her clock was slow.
section b
directions: in this section, you will hear 3 short passages. at the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. after you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked a), b), c) and d), then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
passage one
questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. (a) 4,000 years ago. (c) 2,000 years ago.
(b) 3,000 years ago. (d) 1,000 years ago.
12. (a) the small bowl was put above the large bowl.
(b) the large bowl was put above the small bowl.
(c) the small bowl was put inside the large bowl.
(d) the large bowl consisted of two equal parts.
13. (a) horsemen. (c) drops of water.
(b) brass doors. (d) metal balls.
passage two
questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14. (a) they are the most attractive women in britain.
(b) they are the most popular film stars.
(c) they are the first women news announcers on british television.
(d)they appear almost every night in tv plays.
15. (a) at 10 in the evening. (c) at 9 in the morning.
(b) at 9 in the evening. (d) at 10 in the morning.
16. (a) people still talk a lot about it.
(b) fewer people watched susan’s programme from then on.
(c) anna’s photographs appeared frequently in newspapers.
(d) the number of viewers of her programme that day increased by millions.
passage three
questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17. (a) it is completely flat. (c) it has many large lakes.
(b) it has few rivers. (d) it is hilly.
18. (a) the soil has been overworked. (c) the weather is too dry.
(b) the climate is cold. (d) the soil is sandy.
19. (a) by raising cattle. (c) by working in factories.
(b) by working on farms. (d) by raising sheep.
20. (a) at school (c) from books.
(b) from their parents. (d) in factories.

part ii reading comprehension (35 minutes)
directions: there are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
passage one
questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
oceanography has been defined as “the application of all sciences to the study of the sea”.
before the nineteen century, scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between. certainly newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings, but he was reluctantto go to sea to further his work.
for most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it, let alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. the first time that question “what is at the bottom of the oceans?” had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from europe to america was proposed. the engineers had to know the depth profile（起伏形状）of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.
it was to maury of the us navy that the atlantic telegraph company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter. in the 1840s, maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings（测身） were taken to investigate the depths of the north atlantic and pacific oceans. later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book the physical geography of the sea.
the cable was laid, but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. at the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.
within a few years oceanography was under way. in 1872 thomson led a scientific expedition(考察), which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the last volume being published in 1895.
21. the proposal to lay a telegraph cable from europe to america made oceanographic studies take on ______.
a) an academic aspect c) a business aspect
b) a military aspect d) an international aspect
22. it was ______ that asked maury for help in oceanographic studies.
a) the american navy
b) some early intercontinental travelers
c) those who earned a living from the sea
d) the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable
23. the aim of the voyages maury was responsible for in the 1840s was ______.
a) to make some sounding experiments in the oceans
b) to collect samples of sea plants and animals
c) to estimate the length of cable that was needed
d) to measure the depths of the two oceans
24. “defied” in the 5th paragraph probably means “______”.
a) doubted c) challenged
b) gave proof to d) agreed to
25. this passage is mainly about ______.
a) the beginnings of oceanography
b) the laying of the fi