大学英语四级模拟考试试卷

大学英语四级模拟考试试卷1
（2008年6月15日）
Part I Writing(30minutes)
注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

Part II Reading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning)(15minutes)
Directions:In this part,you will have15minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer sheet1.
For questions1-7,mark
Y(for YES)if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;
N(for NO)if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;
NG(for NOT GIVEN)if the information is not given in the passage.
For questions8-10,complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
Easter
Every year as Easter approaches,the stores are filled with jelly beans,candy eggs,egg-coloring kits,stuffed,real and chocolate bunnies of all types,and baskets for carrying all of this Easter bounty.However,most of us know that Easter isn't simply a commercial spring festival about dyeing and hiding eggs or wearing new spring attire.Easter is the Christian observance of the crucifixion(受难)of Jesus Christ and his resurrection(复活)days later.It is the central festival of the Christian church and,after the Sabbath(安息日),it is the oldest Christian observance.
Easter's Date
Unlike festivals such as Christmas,Easter has been celebrated without interruption since New Testament times.The dates of all movable feasts are also calculated around the date of Easter.According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:
...Western Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon(the paschal moon)that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox on March21.If the paschal moon,which is calculated from a system of golden numbers and epacts and does not necessarily coincide with the astronomical full moon,occurs on a Sunday,Easter is the following Sunday.
The U.S.Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department says that Easter is determined by the"ecclesiastical(教会的)moon"as defined by church-constructed tables to be used permanently for calculating the phase of the moon.This full moon doesn't necessarily coincide with the astronomical full moon,which means,Navy researchers say,that Easter is not necessarily the very next Sunday after a full moon.It could be the next Sunday after the ecclesiastical moon.This happened in1876.
These calculations say that Easter can fall between March22and April25.This was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in1582as part of the Gregorian calendar.
During New Testament times,the Christian church celebrated Easter at the same time as the Jews observed Passover(逾越节).By the middle of the second century,Easter was celebrated on the Sunday after Passover.The Council of Nicaea decided in325A.D.that all churches should celebrate it together on a Sunday.
In some countries,Good Friday and the Monday after Easter are national holidays.In the United States,these two days are not federal holidays and observance varies from state to state.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus'resurrection.Along with Christmas,Easter is considered one of the oldest and most joyous days on the Christian calendar.Religious services and other Easter celebrations vary throughout the regions of the world and even from country to country.In the United States,many"sunrise services"are held outside on Easter morning.These early services are symbolic of the empty tomb that was found early that Sunday morning and of Jesus'arrival in Jerusalem before sunrise on the Sunday of his resurrection.
It is important to understand that Easter was not celebrated or mentioned in the Bible.Rather, the three-day period from Good Friday through Easter Sunday has become a traditional observance of when Christians believe that the crucifixion,burial and resurrection of Christ occurred.
Traditions
Easter Eggs
In addition to the religious celebrations and observances of Easter,many countries also celebrate Easter with sweets and baked goods.Eggs,a traditional symbol of new life,are hard-boiled and dyed.Chocolate candies of all shapes and sizes are bought.Cakes and breads are baked and carefully decorated.And in many homes,families celebrate Easter with a gathering of family for an elaborate Easter dinner.According to the book Festivals and Celebrations,eggs were dyed in ancient times by the Egyptians and Persians,who then exchanged them with friends. "It was in Mesopotamia that Christians first gave eggs to their friends at Easter to remind them of the resurrection of Jesus,"author Rowland Purton writes.
If Lent(大斋月)is observed as it was intended to be,eggs are a forbidden food(this is why eggs were used on Shrove Tuesday).Centuries ago,when Lent ended on Easter Sunday,it became tradition for people to give decorated eggs as presents to their friends and servants.Over time,the tradition of painting or decorating eggs has continued,particularly with the Ukrainians and other eastern Europeans known for their beautiful and intricate designs.
The bejeweled"Easter Egg"created by the artist Peter Carl Fabergéin the late1880s in St. Petersburg,Russia,is the extreme of egg decorating.The lapis lazuli(青金石)egg is a gold, enamel（瓷釉）,pearl,diamond and ruby creation that features a hinged,enameled"yolk"that
conceals a royal crown.This crown is also hinged and opens to reveal a ruby egg.Though this Easter egg is not documented among the Russian Imperial Eggs,experts say it was probably created for a member of Russian royalty.Visit The Cleveland Museum of Art:Special Exhibitions to view other intricate and bejeweled eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé.
Rabbits
Rabbits are a powerful symbol of fertility and new life,and therefore,of Easter.The Easter Bunny,like Santa Claus,has become a popular children's character.But it may be that the Easter Bunny is something of a historical mistake.
At some point,the hare was replaced by the rabbit(some say that this is because it is difficult to tell hares and rabbits,both long-eared mammals,apart).
Hot Cross Buns
According to the book Dates and Meanings of Religious&Other Festivals,hot cross buns "used to be kept specially for Good Friday with the symbolism of the cross,although it is thought that they originated in pagan times with the bun representing the moon and its four quarters."
The custom of eating hot cross buns goes back to pre-Christian times,when pagans offered their god,Zeus,a cake baked in the form of a bull,with a cross upon it to represent its horns. Throughout the centuries,hot cross buns were made and eaten every Good Friday,and it was thought that they had miraculous curative powers.People hung buns from their kitchen ceilings to protect their households from evil for the year to come.Good Friday bread and buns were said never to go moldy.This was probably because the buns were baked so hard that there was no moisture left in the mixture for the mold to live on.Hot cross buns and bread baked on Good Friday were used in powdered form to treat all sorts of illnesses.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答；8-10题在答题卡1上。

1.Easter has the longest history of being observed and celebrated by Christians.
2.The celebration of Easter has never been interrupted since New Testament times.
3.During New Testament times,Easter was observed on the Sunday after Passover.
4.Religious holidays are also celebrated as national holidays in the Western European countries.
5.In the US people usually stay at home to celebrate Easter in the morning on that day.
6.The tradition of decorating eggs and giving them as presents were ways to establish
friendship back to the old days.
7.People view rabbits as a symbol of Easter because it is a popular children's character.
8.The bejeweled Easter eggs created by Peter Carl Faberge can now be found in__________.
9.Hot cross buns eaten on Good Friday were believed to have_________________.
10.It can be attributed to_______________that Good Friday breads and buns hardly go moldy.。