1、2010 年 12 月大学英语四级考试全真预测试卷三Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:给你的外国朋友写一封信，告诉他(她) 你已经被美国的一所大学录取，但你苦恼的是自己的听力和口语水平不够，你想寻求他(她) 对于如何提高听力和口语的建议。Part II Reading C
2、omprehension (skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, markY (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;N (for NO) if the stateme
3、nt contradicts the information given in the passage;NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage.For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Robot Cars to Do Battle in Desert RaceWhen 15 competitors lined up in Nevada last year for the U.
4、S. Defense Departments first million-dollar robot race, hopes were high. The challenge: to drive a vehicle without a human driver or remote control some 150 miles (241 kilometers) through the Mojave Desert.But those hopes quickly went up in a cloud of dust as most robots barely managed to get off th
5、e starting line. The best performer, a modified Humvee built by engineers at Pennsylvanias Carnegie Mellon University, traveled 7 miles (11 kilometers) before breaking down.To robot devotees(热爱者 ), however, it was a minor hiccup.No surprise, then, that 43 teams showed up to try out for this years ra
6、ce, dubbed(被称作) the Grand Challenge. For the past week, teams ranging from garage enthusiasts to well-funded university engineers have been fine-tuning their machines at qualifying rounds here at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. (Watch the robots in action in our exclusive video.)Twen
7、ty-three finalists were announced Thursday for Saturdays Grand Challenge. The 175-mile (282-kilometer) course starts and finishes in Primm, Nevada.The race promises to be even tougher than last years run. But 18 months is an eternity in the robotics world, and the technology has vastly improved.Orga
8、nizers believe several teams have a real shot of finishing the race in less than ten hours to earn the grand prize of two million U.S. dollars.“When the first team out of the chute(斜道)Mojavaton, a small team out of Coloradomade it successfully around the 2.2-mile (3.5-kilometer) qualification course
9、, I knew right there and then that we had something special,“ said Ron Kurjanowicz, the chief of staff for the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is sponsoring the race.Unknown CourseThe aim of the Grand Challenge, Defense Department officials say, is to spur developm
10、ent of autonomous ground vehicles that can operate in dangerous environments, such as war zones, keeping soldiers out of harms way.A U.S. Congress mandate(训令)requires that one-third of military ground vehicles drive themselves by 2015, but the technology to meet that mandate does not yet exist.So th
11、e government looked to enterprising teams to develop the technology for driverless vehicles, sweetening its offer with the two-million-dollar purse.None of the 23 teams knows what lies ahead for this years race. DARPA wont reveal the exact route until two hours before the start of the race on Saturd
12、ay.But the obstacles on the Fontana qualification course-including a steelenforced tunnel that wipes out a vehicles global positioning systemare made to resemble the rugged, real-life conditions that the vehicles will have to navigate.The vehicles use sensors such as lasers, cameras, and radar to he
13、lp them avoid obstacles such as rocks and cliffs. The computers brain has to figure out how to resolve unexpected conflicts, like a boulder sitting in the middle of the road.“Think about all the decisions that you and I have to make when we drive from our house to the store,“ Kurjanowicz said. “Thes
14、e vehicles have to do the same thing, without a driver.“Among the top contenders in Saturdays race is TerraMax, a massive truck originally built by the Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Truck Corporation for the U.S. Marine corps.In last years race, TerraMax managed to go only 1.2 miles (2 kilometers). Team l
15、eader Gary Schmiedel expects to do much better this year. He pointed to the new all-wheel steering feature on the truck as an important addition.“We can move this large, 15-ton (13.5-metric ton) payload vehicle in a turn thats equivalent to that of a Humvee,“ he said.GhostriderThe resources of teams
16、 like TerraMax or Carnegie Mellon University, which has two vehicles in the race this year, are a far cry from those of some of the other competitors, including inventors, electricians, and even a high school team.One entry, from a Southern California team of engineers, racers, and hot-rodders, is c
17、alled It Came From the Garage. It has a beer keg(小桶)stuck on the back and an on-off switch that says “brain.“Most of the schools and organizations were up against are just accessorizing conventional vehicles,“ said team leader Chris “C.J.“ Pedersen, a former actor. “Our vehicle is a custom-built, 21
18、st-century hot rod. complete with hood scoop and exhaust coming off the side.“Anthony Levandowski, a robotics builder from Berkeley, California, is back with Ghostrider, the only motorcycle robot in the qualifications. Studded with sensors and computers, it toppled (翻倒)over after 3 feet (1 meter) in
19、 last years race.Levandowski, who had to postpone his graduate studies when he couldnt find a faculty advisor who believed it would be possible to build the motorcycle robot, says his vehicle has some distinct advantages.“Were smaller and go a lot more places,“ he said while tinkering with the robot
20、 before another trial run. “Were also a lot less expensive. This bike costs as much as a tire or a wheel of some of these other guys machines.“Smart MoneyNeither Ghostrider nor It Came From the Garage made the final cut this weeks qualifying races.However, another crowd-pleaser, Cajunbotor the Ragin
21、 Cajuna converted all-terrain vehicle developed by a team from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, did.The smart money in Saturdays race may be on Stanley, a converted Volkswagen Touareg made by a team at Californias Stanford University. It was the only vehicle that didnt hit an obstacle in th
22、e trial runs.Even if none of the vehicles finishes the race this year, DARPAs Kurjanowicz said, the event has succeeded in galvanizing robotics developers and pushing the creation of new technologies.“The beauty of the Grand Challenge is that it doesnt tell people how to solve the problem,“ he said.
23、 “The community has come up with its own elegant solutions.“1. The passage mainly describes the advantages and disadvantages of robot car races.2. Last years robot race in Nevada was a great success.3. It is a surprise that up to 43 teams came for this years race called the Grand Challenge.4. The Pe
24、ntagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA) is sponsoring the race.5. The aim of the Grand Challenge is to spur development of autonomous ground vehicles.6. Ghostrider and It Came From the Garage both made the final cut at this weeks qualifying races.7. TerraMax will finish the race and
25、 win the grand prize of two million U.S. dollars.8. The obstacles on the Fontana qualification course are made to resemble the _.9. The only motorcycle robot in the qualifications is _.10. The only vehicle that didnt hit an obstacle in the trial runs is _Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Dep
26、th) (25 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 bank is identi
27、fied by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passageA sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone
28、. But can you 47 the two to do something for your local 48 ?It may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to 49 it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.50 , a biodegradable (生物可降解的)mobile phone was introduced by scientists. It is hoped that
29、 the new type of phone will encourage 51 to recycle.Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other 52 and can be hard or soft. and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any toxic 53 . British researchers
30、used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it 54 nitrates(硝酸盐). These feed the seed and help the flower grow.Engineers have designed a small 55 window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone
31、is thrown away.“Weve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant 56 to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time,“ said one scientist.A RecentlyB consumersC chemicalsD environmentE combineF transparentG buyH companion I expert
32、sJ formsK buryL paperM paperN plasticO UsuallySection BDirections: 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
33、letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.It is difficult to imagine what life would be like without memory. The meanings of thousands of everyday perceptions, the basis for the decisions we make, and the roots of
34、our habits and skills are to be found in our past experiences, which are brought into the present by memory.Memory can be defined as the capacity to keep information available for later use. It not only includes “remembering“ things like arithmetic or historical facts, but also involves any change i
35、n the way an animal typically behaves. Memory is involved when a rat gives up eating grain because he has sniffed (嗅出)something suspicious in the grain pile.Memory exists not only in humans and animals but also in some physical objects and machines. Computers, for example, contain devices for storin
36、g data for later use. It is interesting to compare the memory storage capacity of a computer with that of a human being. The instant access memory of a large computer may hold up to 100,000 “words“string of alphabetic or numerical charactersready for instant use. An average U.S. teenager probably re
37、cognizes the meaning of about 100,000 words of English. However, this is but a fraction of the total amount of information that the teenager has stored. Consider, for example, the number of faces and places that the teenager can recognize on sight.The use of words is the basis of the advanced proble
38、m-solving intelligence of human beings. A large part of a persons memory is in terms of words and combinations of words. But while language greatly expands the number and the king of things a person can remember, it also requires a huge memory capacity. It may well be this capacity that distinguishe
39、s humans, setting them apart from other animals.57. Which of the following is TRUE about memory?A It helps us perceive things happening around us every day.B It is based on the decisions we made in the past.C It is rooted in our past habits and skills.D It connects our past experiences with the pres
40、ent.58. According to the passage, memory is helpful in ones life in the following aspects EXCEPT that _.A it involves a change in ones behaviorB it keeps information for later useC it warns people not to do things repeatedlyD it enables one to remember events that happened in the past59. What is the
41、 authors view about computers and human beings in terms of intelligence?A Computers have better memory than a child does.B Computers are as intelligent as a teenager is.C Computers can understand as many as 100,000 words.D Human beings are far superior to computers.60. What is the major characterist
42、ic of mans memory capacity according to the author?A It can be expanded by language. C It may keep all the information in the past.B It can remember all the combined words. D It may change what has been stored in it.61. Human beings make themselves different from other animals by _.A having the abil
43、ity to perceive dangerB having a far greater memory capacityC having the ability to recognize faces and places on sightD having the ability to draw on past experiences Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based in the following passage.“Family“ is of course an elastic word. But when British people say
44、that their society is based on family life, they are thinking of “family“ in its narrow, peculiarly European sense of mother, father and children living together alone in their own house as an economic and social unit. Thus, every British marriage indicates the beginning of a new and independent fam
45、ily hence the tremendous importance of marriage in British life.For both the man and the woman, marriage means leaving ones parents and starting ones own life. The mans first duty will then be to his wife, and the wifes to her husband. He will be entirely responsible for her financial support, and s
46、he for the running of the new home. Their children will be their common responsibility and theirs alone. Neither the wifes parents nor the husbands, nor their brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles, have any right to interfere with themthey are their own masters.Readers of novels like Jane Austens Pri
47、de and Prejudice will know that in former times marriage among wealthy families was arranged by the girls parents, that is, it was the parents duty to find a suitable husband for their daughter, preferably a rich one, and by skillful encouragement to lead him eventually to ask their permission to ma
48、rry her. Until that time, the girl was protected and maintained in the parents home, and the financial relief of getting rid of her could be seen in their giving the newly married pair a sum of money called a dowry(嫁妆). It is very different today. Most girls of today get a job when they leave school
49、 and become financially independent before their marriage. This has had two results: a girl chooses her own husband, and she gets no dowry.62. What does the author mean by “Family is of course an elastic word“?A Different families have different ways of life.B Different definitions could be given to the word.C Different nations have different families.D Different times produce different fam
