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 passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a let. 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 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.

Britain is not just one country and one people; even if some of its inhabitants think so. Britain is, in fact, a nation which can be divided into several (36) parts, each part being an individual country with its own language, character and cultural (37) . Thus Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales do not claim to (38) to "England" because their inhabitants are not (39) "English". They are Scottish, Irish or Welsh and many of them prefer to speak their own native tongue, which in turn is (40) to the others.

These cultural minorities (少数名族) have been Britain's original inhabitants. In varying degrees they have managed to (41) their national characteristics, and their particular customs and way of life. This is probably even more true of the (42) areas where traditional life has not been so affected by the (43) of industrialism as the border areas have been. The Celtic races are said to be more emotional by nature than the English. An Irish temper is legendary. The Scots would rather (44) about their reputation for excessive thrift and prefer to be remembered for their folk songs and dances, while the Welsh are famous for their singing. The Celtic (45) as a whole produces humorous writers and artists, such as the Irish Bernard Shaw, the Scottish Robert Bums, and the WelshDylan Thomas, to mention but a few.英语四级各题分值

A) incomprehensible

B) temper

C) remote

D) separate

E) understandable

F) forget

G) generally

H) temperament

I) preserve

J) strictly

K) traditions

L) reserve

M) growth

N) apply

O) belong

答案：

36.【解析】 D。此处应填形容词，修饰名词parts。文章首句即提出观点Britain is notjust one country and one people“英国不只是一个国家和一个民族”，又从后文的divided int0，each part以及individual corn.时可知英国被分成几个分离的部分，选项中只有separate表达了这个意思，故D正确。

37.【解析】 K。此处应填名词。选项中有四个词temper temperament，traditions和growth，能和language和character并列且能被cultural修饰只有traditions，其他几个名词不符合文意。

38.【解析】 0。此处应填动词原形。前文中说明英国被分成独立的几部分，各自保留自己的文化传统;后文中“because…”说明苏格兰、北爱尔兰以及威尔士的居民不承认自己是“English”，说明他们并不承认自己属于“England”，故这里应该选择belon9。apply也可以和t0连用，但apply t0表示“将……应用于”，不符合上下文意思。

39.【解析】 J。此处应填形容词或副词修饰English。选项中的副词有generally和strictly，文中要表达的意思是因为这几个部分都有自己的语言和文化传统，所以严格来说，他们不是“English”，但他们都属于English。故strictly符合文意。generally“一般地，大体地”放在原文意义上不够严谨。三个形容词不能使语义通顺。

40.I解析l A。此处应填形容词。从前文中“prefer to speak their own native tongue”，即苏格兰语、爱尔兰语和威尔士语，而这些语言对the others来说是陌生的，听不懂的。那么就不难从选项中的in come.sensible和understandable中选择前者，故incomprehensible“不能理解的”正确。

41.【解析】I。由manage t0结构可知此处要填的是动词原形。选项中的动词原形还有forget，preserve，re.serve和apply。从下文中“traditional life has not been SO affected”可知他们成功地保留了自己的传统，排除forget和apply;reserve和preserve都有“保留”的意思，前者指存留起来以派别的用场，后者指想办法保持原样，强调抵制破坏因素，故preserve符合文意。

42.【解析】C。此处应填形容词修饰areas。从后文“where traditional life has not been SO affected by the…of industrialism…人们的传统生活受工业化……的影响没有那么大的地方”可以推知，这些地方是比较偏远的地方，选项中的remote。偏僻的，遥远的”符合上下文意思。