1990年6月大学英语四级考试真题

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.
B) In the waiting room.
C) At the airport.
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) Every day.
B) Every other day.
C) Every week.
D) Every other week.
2.　　A) Saturday morning.
B) Saturday afternoon.
C) Sunday morning.
D) Sunday afternoon.
3.　　A) The unsmiling faces.
B) The sun.
C) The Londoners.
D) The weather.
4.　　A) Maria’s friends don’t call her very often.
B) Maria doesn’t like to talk on the phone with her friends.
C) Maria likes to talk on the phone with her friends.
D) Maria doesn’t have any friends.
5.　　A) The chemistry book.
B) The English book.
C) The math book.
D) The history book.
6.　　A) Hold the phone.
B) Make another call.
C) Pay the manager a visit.
D) Ask the woman to find Mr. White for him.
7.　　A) He will pay a visit to Prof. Wang.
B) He will congratulate Prof. Wang.
C) He is ready to help Prof. Wang.
D) He will tell Prof. Wang the good news.
8.　　A) To take a bus.
B) To make a phone call.
C) To do shopping.
D) To give them to the woman.
9.　　A) Listening to the radio.
B) Reading a newspaper.
C) Watching television.
D) Watching a sports game.
10.　　A) He hasn’t seen any movie for a long time.
B) The movie he saw was “Gone with the Wind”.
C) It is one of the best movies he has ever seen.
D) He likes seeing movies very much.
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 based on the passage you have just heard.
11.　　A) Go and visit friends.
B) Have a dinner together with friends.
C) Go around making new friends.
D) Play jokes on friends.
12.　　A) For seven hundred years.
B) For several decades.
C) For several hundred years.
D) For seventy years.
13.　　A) A new means of transportation from London to Australia.
B) A newly-published newspaper in London.
C) A non-existent island in the Pacific.
D) A new kind of Italian noodle.
Passage Two
Questions 14 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14.　　A) More than nine million.
B) About half a million.
C) More than five million.
D) About two and a half million.
15.　　A) It is for students of the same community only.
B) It only offers a two-year basic course.
C) It only trains students to be office managers.
D) It only accepts students rejected by universities.
16.　　A) One who is staying in that state as a writer.
B) One whose home is in that state.
C) One who has been in the army.
D) One who has been in health services.
17.　　A) Community colleges in the U.S.
B) The number of high school graduates.
C) Higher education in the U.S.
D) The difference between private and state universities.
Passage Three
Questions 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
18.　　A) He had to get a job.
B) He was afraid of failure.
C) He wanted to join the Army.
D) He wasn’t interested in studying.
19.　　A) Attending patients.
B) Repairing machines.
C) Driving taxis.
D) Delivering letters.
20.　　A) She encouraged him.
B) She was disappointed.
C) She expressed doubt.
D) She was shocked.

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.
You are a German living in Berlin. One day you’re walking down the street, minding your own business, when suddenly a stranger approached with a smile on his face. After stopping you, he holds a small electronic device close to his face and speaks slowly into it, saying, in English: “Can you tell me where I can buy some sauerkraut?” What should you do? (a) Run away; (b) Call the police; or, (c) Listen closely for the device to say, in German, “Konnen Sie mir bitte sager, which Sauerkraut Kaufen Kann?”
The most appropriate response would be (c) because the person in front of you is only a tourist trying to enjoy himself. The device is said to he the world’s first portable transistor—a hand-held microcomputer that—at the same time converts one spoken language into another.
The four-pound battery-operated product is called the Voice, and it is the creation of Advanced Products and Technologies an American electronics company. When the Voice is introduced in the United States in late April—at a price of $1,500—it will be capable of converting spoken English into Italian, German, French and Spanish. The product comes with separate cartridges (盒式储存器) for each of the four languages, which can be changed when the user travels from one country to another. The item will be sold in Europe soon after the U.S. Introduction, with cartridges that covert Italian, German, French and Spanish into English.
The Voice uses a microchip (微型集成块) and artificial Intelligence to translate Languages. It is started by voice command and produces voice output through a built-in speaker. Then the user makes a statement or asks a question, the Voice immediately repeats what has been said in another Language.
21.　　The stranger holding the Voice seems to be ________.
A) asking for some information
B) greeting the German
C) amusing himself
D) practising his German
22.　　The German sentence “Konnen Sie Kann?” means ________.
A) “Why don’t you ask the policeman.”
B) “Would you listen closely for the device to say?”
C) “Can you say it again, please?”
D) “Can you tell me where I can buy some sauerkraut?”
23.　　The word “speaker” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A) the person who speaks to the device
B) a component part of the Voice
C) the person who speaks German
D) the speech produced by the Voice
24.　　Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A) The voice is an invention of an electronics company.
B) The voice is a hand-held translator.
C) The voice is new product in wide use.
D) The voice is mainly a microcomputer.
25.　　The Voice can translate ________.
A) from German into any of the other four languages mentioned
B) from and into English by using the same cartridges
C) between any two of the above-mentioned languages
D) from English into any of the other four languages or the other way round
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
Computers may one day turn night into day—with good old, natural sunlight.
Colossal computer-controlled mirrors, thousands of feet across, may one day orbit the earth, reflecting sunlight onto a darkened United States.
Some Scientists say that 16 of these mirrors, each about a half mile across, could aim their reflected light at one area on the earth that was about 200 miles by 300 miles. That much light would equal about 56 moons.
The mirrors would be so high that they could catch the sun’s light as it was shining on the other side of the earth. The mirrors could orbit—thousands of miles high—at the same speed as the earth turns on its axis (轴). That way, the mirrors would always be over the same spot.
The aluminum-coated (涂铝的), plastic mirrors could be folded up and packed into a spaceship, according to the scientists. Once released a few hundred miles in space, the mirrors, powered by a solar-powered engine, could mark the rest of the trip into space on their own.
The scientists say that the computer-controlled mirrors could also be made to tilt (倾斜) slowly, so the reflected sunlight would sweep slowly along the surface of the earth. For example, as night fell, the mirrors could be tilted to light up Boston. Later on, as darkness spread slowly westward. Chicago, for example, then San Francisco could be lit up. The reflected sunlight would allow these cities to save up electricity. And in emergencies, such as power-failures, the mirrors could light up the affected area.
What no one knows yet is what effect this artificial daytime would have on plants, animals, and humans. Would it confuse some animals and harm plants that are used to regular day-night cycles? The scientists recommend that studies be done to find out what had effects there might be.
26.　　The word “colossal” in Line 3 most likely means ________.
A) nuclear-powered
B) orbiting
C) giant
D) spinning
27.　　Which of the following is NOT TRUE of the mirrors?
A) They would be made of plastic and coated with aluminum.
B) They could be launched directly into space.
C) They would stay in the same position over the earth.
D) They could reflect sunlight to a large area on the earth.
28.　　The reflected light should sweep slowly along the surface of the earth because the mirrors ________.
A) would be operated by solar-powered engines
B) would orbit thousands of miles high to catch the sun’s light
C) could move around the earth at the same speed as the earth turns on its axis
D) could be made to adjust their angles
29.　　The purpose for turning night into day is to ________.
A) confuse animals and plants
B) light up more cities
C) save energy and deal with emergencies
D) enable people to work longer hours
30.　　The writer of this passage ________.
A) gives an objective account of the mirrors
B) seems to be much worried about the effect of the mirrors
C) is in favour of the wide use of the mirrors
D) suggests that artificial daylight is harmful to living being
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
As supplier of most of the food we eat and of raw materials for many industrial processes, agriculture is clearly an important area of the economy. But the industrial performance of agriculture is even more important than this. For in nations where the productivity of farmers is low, most of the working population is needed to raise food and few people are available for production of investment goods or for other activities required for economic growth. Indeed, one of the factors related most closely to the per capital income (人均收入) of a nation is the fraction of its population engaged in farming. In the poorest nations of the world more than half of the population lives on farms. This compares sharply with less than 10 per cent in Western Europe and less than 4 per cent in the United States.
In short, the course of economic development in general depends in a fundamental way on the performance of farmers. This performance in turn, depends on how agriculture is organized and on the economic environment, or market structure, within which it function. In the following pages the performance of American agriculture is examined. It is appropriate to begin with a conversation of its market structure.
31.　　This passage is most probably ________.
A) a news item
B) part of an introduction of a book
C) part of a lecture
D) an advertisement
32.　　What is most important to agriculture is ________.
A) the amount of food it produces
B) the per capital income of farmers
C) its industrial performance
D) the production of investment goods
33.　　The word “this” in Line 4 refers to ________.
A) the provision of food and raw materials
B) the productivity of farmers
C) the production of investment goods
D) the economy as a whole
34.　　The performance of farmers essentially determines ________.
A) the size of the working population
B) the organization of agriculture
C) the market structure
D) the general development of economy
35.　　This passage will most probably be followed by a discussion of ________.
A) the structure of American farming population
B) the market structure of American agriculture
C) the various functions of American agriculture
D) the organization of American agriculture
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Before 1945, hardly anyone outside of New Mexico had ever heard of Alamogordo. In 1960 its population numbered 21,723. Ever since 1898, when the town had been built by the Southern Pacific Railroad, Alamogordo had been a lonely town. The land around it was largely desert, and largely empty.
Because it was isolated and because the weather was almost always clear and peaceful, a spot of desert near Alamogordo was chosen as the last site for the first atomic bomb ever exploded. The secret name of the test was Zeo.
At dawn on July 16, 1945, the atomic bomb was set off. Observers agreed that they had witnessed something unlike anything ever seen by men before, a huge, colorful fireball, more brilliant than the sun flashing as it rose for miles into the air. Never before had men released so much power at one time, nor had any nation ever possessed weapon as terrible and destructive as the atomic bomb.
For several weeks, the test was kept secret. When an atomic bomb was dropped from an American plane on Hiroshima, Japan, newspapers and radio stations all over America told of the test of the bomb in New Mexico. Almost everybody was amazed to learn where the bomb had been made and tested; the deserts of the Southwest had hidden the secret well.
When news of the atomic bomb and its destructiveness was announced, people all over the world wondered what other new weapons were being prepared in the New Mexico desert. Some people doubted that the secret of making atomic bombs could be kept from other countries. Some even doubted the wisdom of using so powerful a weapon. But no one doubted that a new kind of war—and a new kind of world—had begun at Alamogordo, one summer morning in 1945.
36.　　What is the main topic of this passage?
A) The secret of Alamogordo.
B) A new kind of war.
C) The destructive force of the first atomic bomb.
D) The selection of the test site for the first atomic bomb.
37.　　Which of the following is the main reason for choosing Alamogordo as the test site?
A) It always had an enjoyable climate.
B) It was connected to other cities by a railway.
C) Its location would hide the secret well.
D) It was situated in southwestern New Mexico.
38.　　When was the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima?
A) As soon as the secret was revealed
B) At dawn on July 16, 1945
C) Immediately after the test
D) Several weeks after the test
39.　　After the first atomic bomb explosion, everybody agreed that ________.
A) it was wise to choose Alamogordo as the test site
B) man had entered the age of nuclear warfare
C) it was not wise to use such a powerful weapon
D) it was not possible to keep the technology of making atomic bombs secret
40.　　The tone of this passage is one of ________.
A) anxiety
B) satisfaction
C) encouragement
D) fear

Vocabulary and Structure (20 minutes)
Directions:　　There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four Choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE answer that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single time through the centre.
41.　　The boy’s father bought him a large toy train ________.
A) which to play with
B) to play with it
C) to play with
D) at which to play
42.　　________ you poor record in school, we think you should study harder.
A) In view of
B) In charge of
C) In spite of
D) In case of
43.　　There are more than fifty proposals ________ at the conference.
A) discussed
B) to be discussed
C) discussing
D) having been discussed
44.　　Police have ________ to the public to come forward with any information which might help them in their inquiries.
A) urged
B) claimed
C) appealed
D) called
45.　　I am sorry I ________ your glasses off the desk when I was wiping it.
A) drew
B) hit
C) struck
D) knocked
46.　　Why don’t you have a night out? It would take your ________ off your worries.
A) cares
B) heart
C) head
D) mind
47.　　Some hard plastics can be ________ metals in manufacturing machine parts.
A) substituted for
B) taken the place of
C) replaced in
D) given way to
48.　　His understanding made a deep impression ________ the young girl.
A) in
B) on
C) for
D) to
49.　　They have been trying to arrive at a practical solution ________ the problem.
A) in
B) to
C) on
D) with
50.　　In many American families, parents feel that children should make important decisions ________.
A) to themselves
B) on themselves
C) of themselves
D) by themselves
51.　　There is hardly an environment on earth ________ some species of animal or other has not adapted successfully.
A) to which
B) wherever
C) so that
D) as to
52.　　Some metals are better conductors of electricity than others ________ means that the former have atom that contain more free electron than the latter.
A) that
B) this
C) which
D) it
53.　　A good friend is one who will ________ you when you are in trouble.
A) stand for
B) stand by
C) stand up to
D) stand up with
54.　　The speaker ________ his notes before the lecture.
A) ran down
B) ran into
C) ran out
D) ran over
55.　　I find this treatment very ________ to my health.
A) advisable
B) invaluable
C) beneficial
D) worthy
56.　　Don’t have him for a friend. He’s ________ a criminal.
A) anything but
B) but for
C) rather than
D) nothing but
57.　　Most doctors recognize that medicine is ________.
A) an art as much it is a science
B) as much an art as it is a science
C) as an art as much it is science
D) much an art as it is a science
58.　　As a ________ president, his views are treated with respect when he is interviewed.
A) prior
B) previous
C) late
D) former
59.　　It is highly desirable that a new president ________ for this college.
A) appointed
B) be appointed
C) is appointed
D) has been appointed
60.　　The supply of electric power to Madrid and neighboring districts has had to be ________.
A) weakened
B) omitted
C) restricted
D) lowered
61.　　If the earth suddenly ________ spinning, we would all fly off it.
A) had stopped
B) stopped
C) has stopped
D) would stop
62.　　Is it advisable to ________ our body to the sunlight.
A) reveal
B) display
C) expose
D) show
63.　　He demanded that we explain what was happening, ________?
A) hadn’t we
B) didn’t we
C) hadn’t he
D) didn’t he
64.　　It was impossible to avoid ________ by the stormy weather.
A) being much affected
B) to be much affected
C) having much affected
D) to have been much affected
65.　　________ in England. Anne Bradstreet both admired and imitated several English poets.
A) Having born and educated
B) To be born and educated
C) Since born and educated
D) Born and educated
66.　　After searching for half an hour, she realized that her glasses ________ on the table all the time.
A) had been lying
B) had been lain
C) have been lying
D) were lain
67.　　They hurried there only to find the meeting cancelled. In fact, they ________ at all.
A) might not have gone
B) mustn’t have gone
C) needn’t have gone
D) wouldn’t have gone
68.　　The time has come ________ we can make extensive use of nuclear energy.
A) when
B) while
C) as
D) since
69.　　Hardly ________ the helicopter ________ when the waiting crowd ran toward it.
A) had ..., landed
B) has ..., landed
C) did..., land
D) was..., landing
70.　　________ the punishment was unjust. Helen accepted it without complaint.
A) However
B) So long as
C) Even though
D) Since

Close (15 minutes)
Directions:　　There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
An elderly woman died yesterday after being knocked down by a motorist. The driver had __71__ no attempt to brake (刹车). When a policeman asked him, a man of __69__, to read the number plate of a car parked on the __72__ side of the road, the man said this was __73__, because it was foggy. In fact, it was a sunny day, __74__ several attempts, get from __75__ distance of two metres, the man __76__ failed to read the number plate __77__. He said he had never needed glasses, though he had been __78__ in a similar accident the day before. The question __79__ fitness to drive comes up every time some, medical condition __80__ to an accident like this. Last week traffic accidents __81__ the death of two motorists, one of __82__ died as a result of blackouts (眩晕) while driving. The __83__, a man whose car hit a tree, had __84__ from blackouts for years. The second died __85__ his sports car crashed at 60 m.p.h. He had a brain disease which causes him to __86__ consciousness when he had a headache. With such cased __87__ mind, it is not surprising that __88__ prevention organizations are trying to __89__ the government to introduce stricter __90__ over drivers.
71.　　A) done
B) made
C) given
D) had
72.　　A) contrary
B) further
C) across
D) opposite
73.　　A) uncertain
B) unreal
C) unfair
D) untrue
74.　　A) After
B) For
C) With
D) At
75.　　A) any
B) some
C) a
D) such
76.　　A) too
B) even
C) yet
D) still
77.　　A) correctly
B) definitely
C) perfectly
D) exactly
78.　　A) linked
B) associated
C) involved
D) combined
79.　　A) to
B) of
C) in
D) with
80.　　A) directs
B) guides
C) conducts
D) reads
81.　　A) created
B) resulted
C) caused
D) formed
82.　　A) whom
B) these
C) which
D) those
83.　　A) former
B) one
C) other
D) first
84.　　A) troubled
B) suffered
C) undergone
D) tolerated
85.　　A) when
B) till
C) where
D) although
86.　　A) loose
B) lost
C) lose
D) lock
87.　　A) on
B) in
C) at
D) within
88.　　A) accident
B) accident’s
C) accidents
D) accidental
89.　　A) enable
B) affect
C) drive
D) persuade
90.　　A) arrangements
B) controls
C) measures
D) warnings

Writing (30 minutes)
Directions:　　For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the title: Make Our City Greener, your composition should be based on the following outline:
1.　　城市绿色的状况
2.　　绿化的好处(如：清洁空气，美化城市，改善气候…)
3.　　怎样才能实现绿化
Your composition should be no less than 100 words. Write your composition on the Answer Sheet. Remember to write it clearly.

Part I

1.　　B　　2.　　D　　3.　　D　　4.　　C　　5.　　A
6.　　B　　7.　　C　　8.　　A　　9.　　B　　10.　　C
11.　　D　　12.　　C　　13.　　D　　14.　　A　　15.　　B
16.　　B　　17.　　C　　18.　　A　　19.　　D　　20.　　A
Part II

21.　　C　　22.　　D　　23.　　B　　24.　　C　　25.　　D
26.　　D　　27.　　B　　28.　　D　　29.　　C　　30.　　A
31.　　B　　32.　　C　　33.　　A　　34.　　D　　35.　　B
36.　　A　　37.　　C　　38.　　D　　39.　　B　　40.　　B
Part III

41.　　C　　42.　　A　　43.　　B　　44.　　C　　45.　　D
46.　　D　　47.　　A　　48.　　B　　49.　　B　　50.　　D
51.　　A　　52.　　C　　53.　　B　　54.　　D　　55.　　C
56.　　D　　57.　　B　　58.　　D　　59.　　B　　60.　　C
61.　　B　　62.　　C　　63.　　D　　64.　　A　　65.　　D
66.　　A　　67.　　C　　68.　　A　　69.　　A　　70.　　C
Part IV

71.　　B　　72.　　D　　73.　　C　　74.　　A　　75.　　C
76.　　D　　77.　　A　　78.　　C　　79.　　B　　80.　　D
81.　　C　　82.　　A　　83.　　D　　84.　　B　　85.　　A
86.　　C　　87.　　B　　88.　　A　　89.　　D　　90.　　B