2009年12月大学英语四级模拟试题(4)

　　Questions 86 to 90 are based on the following passage:
　　In 1791 the French nation, in the midst of a revolution, wished to breakwith the past, especially with those aspects of it which they consideredillogical and useless. One of those was the traditional system of weightsand measures in use. Not only was the system overtly complicated, but italso varied widely from place to place.
　　In constructing the new system, the French began by setting up a unitof distance equal to one forty-millionth part of the earth's circumference(?2?u). Unfortunately, later measurements showed that the unit designed wasnot exactly that fraction, but they continued to use it. (Today the unit isdefined simply as the distance between two marks on a platinumiridium (2??e)bar kept in a suburb of Paris). The unit is the meter, and the system ofmeasurements based on this unit is the metric system, the system today usedby scientists the world over.
　　The metric system is built in units of ten, Greek prefixes showingmultiples and Latin prefixes showing fractions. The Greeks had no word for anumber larger than ten thousand and the Romans had none for a number largerthan one thousand, but the system was extended by using less specific words;for instance megameter (one million meters) is derived from a Greek word thatmeans simply"large".
　　86. The French constructed a new system of weights and measures because _______.
　　A) their system did not conform to other nations' systems
　　B) they were in the midst of a revolution
　　C) simplifying the old system proved difficult
　　D) they wished to break with the past
　　87. The selection says that the traditional system of measurements in France _______.
　　A) varied widely from place to place
　　B) was useless
　　C) was based on a complicated logic
　　D) both A and B
　　88. The new system was to be developed from _______.
　　A) a single basic unit
　　B) a worldwide standard of measurement
　　C) an old Greek system
　　D) the smallest unit of traditional system
　　89. At first the basic unit was to equal _______.
　　A) one-millionth part of the earth's circumference
　　B) the distance between two marks on a platinumiridium bar
　　C) one forty-millionth part of the earth's circumference
　　D) one forty-millionth part of the earth's diameter
　　90. When the basic unit was proved inexact, the French _______.
　　A) reconstructed the entire system
　　B) changed to another system
　　C) redefined the meter
　　D) returned to the traditional system of measurements
　　WRITING来源：www.hxen.net
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composi-tion on Can Road Accident Be Avoided?#fs in three paragraphs. You are giventhe first sentence of each paragraph. Your part of the composition shouldbe no less than 100 words, not including the words given. Remember to writeclearly.
　　You should write this composition on the Composition Sheet.
　　Can Road Accidents Be Avoided?
　　There are more and more road accidents in our cities. _____________
　　Some people say that traffic accidents can hardly be cut down._____ _______________________________________________________________________
　　In fact, most road accidents can be avoided.