四级模拟练习(八)

四级练习（八）考试时间： 90 分钟 满分： 分

Part 1 Skimming and Scanning (Multiple Choice + Blank Filling)

Directions:Read the following passage and then answer the questions. For questions

1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Questions 1 to 10 are based on the same passage or dialog.

Two Major Parties in Britain

Politicians can be roughly divided into those who are reasonably satisfied with things as they are, and those who are not. The former respect tradition, and oppose rapid changes; the latter believe more in progress, and they want to change some things quickly and completely. When we talk of \the second.

The Conservative Party

In Britain, the party of the Right is the Conservative Party. Their opponents often call them the Tories (保守党), which was their old name. The Conservatives are supported by most land-owners and businessmen, i.e. those who have something to conserve; and generally speaking it is true to say that the older and more successful you are in life the more likely you are to be a Conservative. Farmers too, are businessmen of a sort, self-employed, independent owners of land; and country people generally, are mostly Conservatives. The party is associated particularly with the middle class, though it has many working class supporters too, especially among non-industrial workers. Beliefs and opposition

One of the central characteristics of Conservatives is a belief in \enterprise\They believe in the capacity of a private individual to build up his own business, working hard, sacrificing his leisure, having the courage to risk his own money, making his own decisions and working out his own plans and in the end, harvesting his own reward. That is the right of everyone. And it is people like this, they believe, who have built up our modern civilization, benefiting not only themselves, but the society as a whole.

Thus, Conservatives are against too much government control of industry. They feel that people and business as a whole, in doing what is best for them, can be trusted to do what is best for the community. They are particularly opposed to the taking-over of private industries by the state, for not only does this take the control away from the owners and the builders of industry, but it leads to inefficiency. A man who runs a business for his own profit cannot afford to be inefficient, and he has a personal reason for seeing that his employees are efficient too. But the state is impersonal. The leader of a state-run industry is merely a representative. He has a fixed salary. If he and his staff are inefficient, what difference does it make to him? There is always government money to make good the lack of profit: the taxpayers will be a little poorer, that is all. Conservatives also tend to believe in a governing class. Certain kinds of people with certain backgrounds have a tradition of governing and therefore develop a natural ability for it. To these we may add the newer leaders of industry whose very success is the evidence to their capabilities. All those who have a recognized position in life, all those who have a share in their country by virtue of owning land or business in it, also deserve a special share in its government and future.

The worst type of Conservatives are those who live an easy life as a result of luck rather than effort, hating those who are less fortunate than themselves, knowing nothing about them, having no sympathy for them, and making no efforts to understand their difficulties. Such groups oppose all changes because they themselves have nothing to complain of.

But the Conservative Party as a whole has survived because it has shown a willingness to accept controls and changes when it sees that they are inevitable. And it has shown itself able to make them work. The Labor Party

The party of the Left is the Labor Party, whom their opponents prefer to call Socialists. This is a comparatively new party, having formed its first government in 1924. It is with the working class that the Labor Party is particularly associated. Beliefs

The central belief of the Labor Party is that businessmen cannot be trusted to serve the best interests of the community. They point to the past troubles of the workers at the hands of their masters: long hours of labor, poor wages, lack of holidays, hard and sometimes dangerous work in unpleasant conditions, periods of unemployment, poor housing, and a lack of welfare services. This is no fiction, as anyone who has studied the history of the last two centuries knows. Some people have personal memories of the poverty and unemployment of the early 1930's, when the over-confidence of businessmen caused a world economic crisis. The workers themselves reacted early to their sufferings by forming %unions\so as to be strong enough to bargain with their employers, and if necessary to force them to do what they wanted by collective refusal to work, and the Labor Party was formed with the strong support of the trade unions so as to give the workers political power.

Thus the Labor Party believes in the supervision of industry by government, and prefers the government take over certain industries, which means public ownership instead of private enterprise. They do not agree that a state-owned industry is necessarily less efficient than a privately-owned one. True, the drive for profit is lacking, but on the other hand a state industry has all the aids to efficiency which belong to large-scale organizations: mass production, sharing of resources between one department and another, and the like. And above all the workers are protected. Which is better, to put huge profits into the pockets of a few owners, or to sacrifice profit for the sake of better wages and better conditions for everybody? Opposition

The Labor Party believes that no businessmen, however clever and hardworking they might be, deserve the high salaries that some of them get. And further, that many rich men have done nothing for their money: they are just living an easy life on money they inherited from their family or received from playing the stock market, gathering the fruits of someone else's labor, while the people who do the hard work do not even have enough money to live on. Thus, by means of heavy taxes on high profits and incomes, the Labor Party seeks to even out the distribution of wealth so that everyone has a fair share. This is the main principle of socialism.

Naturally, the Labor Party has no patience with the belief that certain people have a natural right to govern and to enjoy special privileges. They believe in equal opportunity for everybody, with merit as the only standard.

The worst type of Labor supporter is the ignorant and self-pitying worker who does as little work as he or she can for as much as he or she can get, and do not trust anyone who tries to do

more. Such people never recognize any merit in their superiors: they are jealous (妒嫉的) of them and never cooperate with them. But the Labor Party as a whole has unselfish ideals which have made a very important contribution to the general improvement in living standards during the present century. Commons

Both the Conservative Party and the Labor Party have a nation-wide organization, with hundreds of local branches. The Conservative organization is richer, and its members often have a higher standard of culture and experience. The Labor Party has fewer resources, and relies heavily on the trade unions for financial help, but it has always attracted a strong body of intellectuals who have supported the struggle of the workers on more theoretical grounds. When it comes to concrete problems, particularly problems of foreign policy, there is not always much difference in the attitude of the great parties. It is perhaps fair to say, however, that where the Conservatives tend to stand for existing authority (Particularly British authority), the Labor people show more kindness. Thus it is the Labor party that has shown rather more readiness to oppose racial discrimination, to promote self-government in the Commonwealth (英联邦), to abolish capital punishment for criminals, and to organize the welfare state. 1.

Politicians of \ A. are reasonably satisfied B. oppose rapid changes C. believe more in progress D. respect tradition 2.

________________ can be considered as Tories by their opponents. A. The Conservatives B. Successful people C. Non-industrial workers D. People of the Left 3.

Characteristically, Conservatives believe that a private individual is able to __________. A. become a non-industrial worker B. do what's best for their party C. build up his own business D. control the government 4.

The Conservatives are against the idea that the state take charge of the private industries because ________________. A. the state will take the rewards B. the state will then fix salaries C. the state opposes the community D. the state causes inefficiency 5.

________________ are considered as the worst kind of Conservatives. A. People who have nothing to complain about

B. People who oppose all changes C. People who lead an easy life due to luck D. People who set up business through hard work 6.

Because of ________________, Labor Party members don't believe that businessmen are the best leaders for the country. A. the workers' poor wages B. the past troubles of the workers C. the poverty and unemployment D. the unpleasant conditions 7.

According to the Labor Party, the best advantage of governmental supervision of the industry is ________________. A. the drive for profit B. mass production C. the resources are shared D. the workers get protection 8. 9.

10. The party that is more willing to fight racial discrimination and organize the welfare state is

_____________________________________.

___________________has theoretical reasons for supporting the struggle of the workers. The Labor Party tries to distribute the wealth evenly by_____________________ on high profits and incomes in order that everyone shares fairly.

Part 2 Understanding Short Conversations

Directions:In this section you'll hear some short conversations. Listen carefully and

choose the best answer to the questions you hear. 11.

A. He's afraid of crashing. B. He gets sick on planes. C. He misunderstood the woman. D. He dislikes traveling alone. 12.

A. A person. B. A dog. C. A bird. D. A monkey. 13.