2004年6月四级A卷真题原文

Part I 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 a 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 single 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 conversation is most likely to have taken place at the office. Therefore, 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 saw Mark on the street two months ago.

B) The woman had forgotten Mark's phone number.

C) The woman made a phone call to Mark yesterday.

D) Mark and the woman had not been in touch for some time.

2. A) The man is late for the trip because he is busy.

B) The woman is glad to meet Mr. Brown in person.

C) The man is meeting the woman on behalf of Mr. Brown.

D) The woman feels sorry that Mr. Brown is unable to come.

3. A) At 10:30. B) At 10:25. C) At 10:40. D) At 10:45.

4. A) The man no longer smokes.

B) The man is under pressure from his wife.

C) The man usually follows his wife's advice.

D) The man refuses to listen to his doctor's advice.

5. A) Move to a big city. B) Become a teacher.
C) Go back to school. D) Work in New York.

6. A) Quit delivering flowers. B) Work at a restaurant.
C) Bring her flowers every day. D) Leave his job to work for her.

7. A) She can find the right person to help the man.

B) She can help the man out.

C) She's also in need of a textbook.

D) She picked up the book from the bus floor.

8. A) The man was confused about the date of the appointment.

B) The man wants to change the date of the appointment.

C) The man is glad he's got in touch with the doctor.

D) The man can't come for the appointment at 4:15.

9. A) The two speakers are at a loss what to do.

B) The man is worried about his future.

C) The two speakers are seniors at college.

D) The woman regrets spending her time idly.

10. A) She has learned a lot from the novel.

B) She also found the plot difficult to follow.

C) She usually has difficulty remembering names.

D) She can recall the names of most characters in the novel.


Section B Compound Dictation
The Library of Congress is America’s national library. It has millions of books and other objects. It has newspapers, (S1) publications as well as letters of (S2) interest. It also has maps, photographs, art (S3) , movies, sound recordings and musical (S4) . All together, it has more than 100 million objects.

The Library of Congress is open to the public Monday through Saturday, except for public holidays. Anyone may go there and read anything in the collection. But no one is (S5) to take books out of the building.

The Library of Congress was (S6) in 1800. It started with eleven boxes of books in one room of the Capitol Building. By 1814, the collection had increased to about 3,000 books. They were all (S7) that year when the Capitol was burned down during America’s war with Britain.

To help re-build the library, Congress bought the books of President Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson’s collection included 7,000 books in seven languages.

(S8) . Today, three buildings hold the library’s collection.

(S9) . It buys some of its books and gets others as gifts. It also gets materials through its copyright office. (S10) . This means the Library of Congress receives almost everything that is published in the United States.


Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

Directions: There are 4 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 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.

A is for always getting to work on time.

B is for being extremely busy.

C is for the conscientious ( 勤勤恳恳的 ) way you do your job.

You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics.

Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago: Hard work alone doesn't ensure career advancement. You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes. Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics—a better job, a raise, praise—many people are still unable—or unwilling—to "play the game."

"People assume that office politics involves some manipulative (工于心计的) behavior," says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University. "But politics derives from the word 'polite'. It can mean lobbying and forming associations. It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying to please your superior, and then expecting something in return."

In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue one's own self-interest in the workplace. In many cases, this involves some form of socializing within the office environment—not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well.

"The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis," says Neil P. Lewis, a management psychologist. "But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best. It's simple human nature."

Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. Still others associate politics with flattery(奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors.

Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion.

11. "Office politics" (Line 2, Para. 4) is used in the passage to refer to .

A) the code of behavior for company staff

B) the political views and beliefs of office workers

C) the interpersonal relationships within a company

D) the various qualities required for a successful career

12. To get promoted, one must not only be competent but .

A) give his boss a good impression

B) honest and loyal to his company

C) get along well with his colleagues

D) avoid being too outstanding

13. Why are many people unwilling to "play the game" (Line 4, Para. 5)?

A) They believe that doing so is impractical.

B) They feel that such behavior is unprincipled.

C) They are not good at manipulating colleagues.

D) They think the effort will get them nowhere.

14. The author considers office politics to be .
A) unwelcome at the workplace

B) bad for interpersonal relationships

C) indispensable to the development of company culture

D) an important factor for personal advancement

15. It is the author's view that .

A) speaking up for oneself is part of human nature

B) self-promotion does not necessarily mean flattery

C) hard work contributes very little to one's promotion

D) many employees fail to recognize the need of flattery


Passage Two

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

As soon as it was revealed that a reporter for Progressive magazine had discovered how to make a hydrogen bomb, a group of firearm (火器) fans formed the National Hydrogen Bomb Association, and they are now lobbying against any legislation to stop Americans from owning one.

"The Constitution," said the association's spokesman, "gives everyone the right to own arms. It doesn't spell out what kind of arms. But since anyone can now make a hydrogen bomb, the public should be able to buy it to protect themselves."

"Don't you think it's dangerous to have one in the house, particularly where there are children around?"

"The National Hydrogen Bomb Association hopes to educate people in the safe handling of this type of weapon. We are instructing owners to keep the bomb in a locked cabinet and the fuse (导火索) separately in a drawer."

"Some people consider the hydrogen bomb a very fatal weapon which could kill somebody."

The spokesman said, "Hydrogen bombs don't kill people—people kill people. The bomb is for self-protection and it also has a deterrent effect. If somebody knows you have a nuclear weapon in your house, they're going to think twice about breaking in."

"But those who want to ban the bomb for American citizens claim that if you have one locked in the cabinet, with the fuse in a drawer, you would never be able to assemble it in time to stop an intruder (侵入者)."

"Another argument against allowing people to own a bomb is that at the moment it is very expensive to build one. So what your association is backing is a program which would allow the middle and upper classes to acquire a bomb while poor people will be left defenseless with just handguns."

16. According to the passage, some people started a national association so as to .

A) block any legislation to ban the private possession of the bomb

B) coordinate the mass production of the destructive weapon

C) instruct people how to keep the bomb safe at home

D) promote the large-scale sale of this newly invented weapon

17. Some people oppose the ownership of H-bombs by individuals on the grounds that .

A) the size of the bomb makes it difficult to keep in a drawer

B) most people don't know how to handle the weapon

C) people's lives will be threatened by the weapon

D) they may fall into the hands of criminals

18. By saying that the bomb also has a deterrent effect the spokesman means that it .

A) will frighten away any possible intruders

B) can show the special status of its owners

C) will threaten the safety of the owners as well

D) can kill those entering others' houses by force

19. According to the passage, opponents of the private ownership of H-bombs are very much worried that .

A) the influence of the association is too powerful for the less privileged to overcome

B) poorly-educated Americans will find it difficult to make use of the weapon

C) the wide use of the weapon will push up living expenses tremendously

D) the cost of the weapon will put citizens on an unequal basis

20. From the tone of the passage we know that the author is .

A) doubtful about the necessity of keeping H-bombs at home for safety

B) unhappy with those who vote against the ownership of H-bombs

C) not serious about the private ownership of H-bombs

D) concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons