2009年12月英语四级模拟试卷

　　Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
　　Section A
　　Directions: 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 pas- sage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
　　Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.
　　The economic costs of noise are several. Airports are currently operating at less than 47 because of noise regulations which restrict their hours of operation. For instance, at Washington’s National Airport no jet traffic is allowed from 11 pm to 7 am. Other airports restrict the use of certain runway. One estimate is that noise 48 reduce possible airport use by 20 percent.
　　The 49 cargo trade is especially affected by night restrictions.
　　In the case of airports, jet engines may be 50 to reduce their noise level, or insulation from air traffic noise may be provided by the purchase of land around airports or the insulation of buildings.One estimate is that $5.7 billion would be required to 51 all existing jet engines with noise control devices. However, 52 the current state of the art, even taking this step will not reduce noise levels at all points to 53 values. Some combination of methods is probably necessary.
　　If all aircraft were made quieter by existing methods, there would be a number of economic benefits. An increase in airport capacity would 54 . Property values near airports might rise. Transportation costs to and from airports could be reduced since the airports now could be located closer to population center.
　　Much research still needs to be done on the economic 55 of noise reduction and noise effects.Although some of the effects of nose pollution are known, more must be discovered about its effects on health, productivity, property values and the quality of life. 56 , the cost of noise pollution control to the economy as a whole needs to be investigated.
　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
　　A) identification
　　B) equip
　　C) profitable
　　D) capacity
　　E) pollution
　　F) restrictions
　　G) transformed
　　H) significant
　　I) furthermore
　　J) acceptable
　　K) modified
　　L) accordingly
　　M) considering
　　N) occur
　　O) aspects
　　Section B
　　Directions: 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 letter on
　　Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.
　　Passage One
　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
　　Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory.
　　There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the short term memory. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long term storage.
　　When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”. By repeating something over and over again, we are able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear.When a pen and paper are not handy, you might attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks to come in before you get the opportunity to make your phone call, you will forget the number instantly. Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long term memory. A better way is to practice “elaborate rehearsal”. This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long term memories.
　　Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by recognition or recall. Humans can recall memories that are stored in the long term memory and used often. However, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a memory can be retrieved. This is why multiple choice tests are often used for subjects that require a lot of memorization.
　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
　　57. According to the passage, how do memories get transferred to the STM?
　　A) They revert from the long term memory.
　　B) They are filtered from the sensory storage area.
　　C) They get chunked when they enter the brain.
　　D) They enter via the nervous system.
　　58. How do theorists believe a person can remember more information in a short time?
　　A) By organizing it.
　　B) By repeating it.
　　C) By giving it a name.
　　D) By writing it down on paper.
　　59. Why does the author mention a dog’s bark?
　　A) To exemplify poor memory.
　　B) To analyze a type of interruption.
　　C) To compare human memory with dogs’ memory.
　　D) To illustrate the lack of efficiency of rote rehearsal.
　　60. Which of the following is true about retrieving information?
　　A) Elaborate rehearsal contributes to information retrieval.
　　B) The most efficient way of retrieving information is to assign semantic meaning to the information.
　　C) It’s impossible to retrieve forgotten information without picture prompts.
　　D) Encoding information is more efficient than chunking it.
　　61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
　　A) One’s memory capacity can be enhanced by rote rehearsal.
　　B) Putting information to writing is suggested to improve memory.
　　C) Providing sufficient prompts helps information retrieval.
　　D) Multiple choice exams are the most difficult.