[大学英语四级考试全国统一模拟冲刺试卷]大学英语四级试卷模拟三试卷答案对照版

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CET-4 Test (3) 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 write the corresponding letter on the space given.

1.
A) To ask the woman to fix his watch.
B) To call the woman when the watch is fixed.
C) To visit the woman within one week.
D) To call the woman in a week.

2.
A) The man can sit down.
B) She doesn"t want the man to sit down.
C) She"ll mind if the man sits down.
D) She would like the man to sit with her.

3.
A) She should be careful about spending money.
B) She should buy the brown suit.
C) She should find another job to make money.
D) She shouldn"t buy the brown suit.

4.
A) The movie was not good.
B) The movie was excellent.
C) He wants to see the movie again.
D) He wants to stay at home.

5.
A) The wind has stopped, but it"s still raining.
B) The rain has stopped, but the wind is still blowing.
C) It"s still raining, and the wind is blowing.
D) Both the rain and wind have stopped.

6.
A) He gave half of it to his friend.
B) He threw half of it away.
C) He kept all the paper.
D) He threw half of it away and kept the rest.

7.
A) At 10:00.
B) At 10:30.
C) At 10:45.
D) At 11:45.

8.
A) On a telephone.
B) At a hotel.
C) In private.
D) In a guest house.

9.
A) He gambled it away.
B) He lost his money.
C) He had it with him.
D) He took it out of the bank.

10.
A) On the grass.
B) Near the pool.
C) At home.
D) On his bike.

Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then write the corresponding letter on the space given.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11.
A) Seventy-one percent.
B) Thirty percent.
C) Thirty-nine percent.
D) Twenty-nine percent.

12.
A) Shadow.
B) Deep.
C) Shallow.
D) Regular.

13.
A) The deep water area of the sea.
B) The end of the flat area.
C) The shallow water area near the continents.
D) Any place on the sea floor.

Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.

14.
A) Because John was a girl.
B) Because the barber wouldn"t like to cut it short.
C) Because John liked it to be long.
D) Because the hair grew too fast.

15.
A) The hair wasn"t funny.
B) John didn"t like jokes about his hair.
C) Nobody ever advised John to have his hair cut short.
D) John liked his hair very much.

16.
A) An agreement to the barber"s advice.
B) A great joke.
C) A great praise to the barber.
D) A threatening to the barber.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.

17.
A) Sutter.
B) Marshall.
C) Bennet.
D) A newspaperman.

18.
A) To ask the Governor for permission to make a home there.
B) To make sure that any gold found on his land would belong to him.
C) To prevent people from making a home in the Sacramento Valley.
D) To ask the Governor to keep a secret.

19.
A) By ship.
B) By freight cars.
C) By train.
D) By both A and B.

20.
A) Because the new-comers took all the gold from his land.
B) Because the new-comers killed one of his sons.
C) Because the new-comers seriously harmed him during the California Gold rush.
D) Because the new-comers prevented him from making use of the wealth of his land.

Part II Vocabulary and Structure (20 minutes)

Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentences there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence. Then write the corresponding letter on the space given.

21. There are many things to consider when you are looking for a house, _____ to buy or just intend to rent.
A) though
B) although
C) before
D) whether

22. Give her these pills and _____ her day and night for three weeks, and then she will become well.
A) watch
B) look for
C) find out
D) see to it

23. He thought a lot about _____.
A) how the crop to improved
B) how improved the crop
C) how to improve the crop
D) how improved the crop

24. When he _____ finally, the first sentence he said was "Where am I?"
A) came to
B) came down
C) came in
D) came for

25. Professor Byrd had _____ developing a new method of polar exploration.
A) succeeded in
B) won for
C) had victory of
D) includes in

26. Over the past few years medical researchers _____ for a means of controlling the virus.
A) have searching
B) are searching
C) have been searching
D) search

27. We preferred to postpone the sports meeting rather than _____ it without adequate preparation.
A) hold
B) held
C) to hold
D) holding

28. Since the beginning of the 20th century, scientists have become more and more interested in the way _____ the human brain works.
A) how
B) which
C) in which
D) what

29. It"s the most difficult problem we have met, but we must find the solution _____ or other.
A) by one way
B) somehow
C) anyway
D) anyhow

30. No one will take his advice, so he can do nothing but ____ himself to the situation.
A) assign
B) to resign
C) to assign
D) resign

31. Mr. D, a widower, was caught by a radar trap doing 41 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. area, ______ traveling near his home.
A) while
B) if
C) whenever
D) during

32. She certainly didn"t look ______ near 96. I thought she was in her middle sixties.
A) nowhere
B) anywhere
C) solely
D) somewhat

33. Whatever academic success the children achieve may also be a result of the small classes and the school"s experimental aspect, ____ encourages students to work.
A) therefore
B) also
C) that
D) which

34. Large continental telephone networks, _____ together by submarine cables and satellite connections, together form a working machine of unimaginable size and dimension.
A) maintained
B) linked
C) matched
D) completed

35. One first grader finds the most challenging aspect to computing is _____ her finger to reach the delete button.
A) stretching
B) touching
C) trying
D) utilizing

36. Regression, the tendency to look back over ____ you have just read, is a common bad habit in reading.
A) what
B) which
C) that
D) if

37. "Mr. Watson, come here; I want to see you." was the first sentence ____ by a telephone.
A) said
B) conveyed
C) created
D) broadcast

38. Water heats up more slowly than land, but once it has become warm it takes longer to ____ down.
A) cool
B) balance
C) keep
D) condense

39. In time, the expression was used in a broader sense, generally describing any man _____ days of power were coming to an end.
A) when
B) of which
C) of how
D) whose

40. Hardly two years have gone by without _____ of her husband.
A) words
B) a word
C) word
D) the word

41. Countries where cigarette smoking is only now becoming widespread can expect enormous increases in lung cancer during the 1990s or early in the next century, _____ prompt effective action is taken against the habit.
A) if
B) unless
C) provided
D) while

42. In the US, manufactures have made important strides in the development of the technology to bring down the cost of solar conversion systems _____ improving their reliability.
A) while
B) if
C) of
D) for

43. In time of power _____ we used to stay in the open air.
A) shortage
B) failure
C) absence
D) pause

44. In England a person accused _____ crime must always be supposed innocent until he has been proved guilty.
A) of
B) about
C) over
D) from

45. It was little wonder that the animals were retreating _____ deeper into the bush.
A) somehow
B) yet
C) ever
D) too

46. You have to go through something, _____ unpleasant the experience might be, because you know you have no choice.
A) whatever
B) so far
C) moreover
D) no matter how

47. I wished you and your wife many years of happiness together and look forward _____ you both.
A) see
B) to see
C) to seeing
D) in seeing

48. One can"t marry in these days of high prices and _____ taxes without a good income!
A) low
B) vital
C) light
D) heavy

49. Economic ties between China and the United States will have, in some respects, a favorable impact _____ political relations.
A) on
B) of
C) about
D) to

50. _____ the actual damage is keyed into the computer the operator is told by the computer what the implications are -- and what can be done to deal with the damage.
A) For
B) As
C) Since
D) Once

Part III 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 write the corresponding letter on the space given.

Passage One

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage:

Every time we open our mouths and speak we label ourselves -- I am English, you may be Bulgarian or African. We are all human beings, but sometimes we have communication problems which can lead to suspicion and misunderstanding.

If you speak English, you have an advantage. The English language means power and freedom to many. It dominates international relations. It affects nearly all our lives in one way or another, influencing everything from pop music to diplomatic relations. Yet only around 10% of the world"s population are native English speakers. Many of you reading now will have struggled to learn the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation of this very complicated language. But there could be another solution: learning Esperanto.

Esperanto, meaning "one who hopes", is an artificial language, said to be the easiest in the world to learn. It was invented in 1887 by Ludwig Zamnehof, a young Polish optician (眼镜商).

The usefulness of Esperanto has been recognized the world over. It is now estimated that around eight million people in over 100 countries have at least some knowledge of it.

In Esperanto, we have a language that is easy to learn and fair to all speakers because it belongs not to one nation but to us all. Many people who have tried to learn other languages and failed, have succeeded in Esperanto because it is so easy. Although it is often seen as a joke and not as an important living language, it has been considered dangerous and governments are sometimes afraid of it.

Your view of the world is largely based on the language you speak. If you are French, you have a French view, if you are Chinese view and so on. Peter Miles, of the Esperanto Translation Service in England, says that speaking Esperanto gives you a truly international view of the world. He regards himself as a citizen of the world looking down from a satellite circling the earth, who is able to communicate with people all over the world in Esperanto. A nice thought!

51. What is the best title for the passage?

A) Esperanto -- An Artificial Language
B) Esperanto -- A Language For All
C) Esperanto -- People"s Hope
D) Esperanto -- A Nice Thought

52. Esperanto is ______.
A) not an important living language
B) Zamnehof"s mother tongue
C) accepted by all people
D) a favorite of some linguists

53. It is implied but not stated that ______.
A) Zamnehof hated Russian
B) English is more difficult to learn than Esperanto
C) Peter Miles is an astronaut
D) Eight million people can speak Esperanto

54. Peter Miles is ______.
A) from the Esperanto Translation Service in England
B) in charge of the Esperanto Translation Organization of Britain
C) a member of the Esperanto Translation Organization in Britain
D) a member of the Translation Service of Europe

55. The author speaks of Esperanto _____.
A) in an objective way
B) in a subjective way
C) in an unfavorable way
D) in a favorable way

Passage Two

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage:

Honeybees cannot live alone. Their body structure and instincts equip them for life in a colony of community, where they have a complex social organization and the various duties are divided among the individuals according to physical fitness and age. An individual worker bee cannot reproduce itself. While it may continue to live if forcibly isolated from its mates, it fails to care for itself adequately, and soon dies. Most insects have the ability to hibernate in winter, but the honeybee seems to have lost this. Since at low temperatures the bee will die, it must have the ability to make its own environment, so far as temperature is concerned. This makes a colony necessity to the bees in winter, so that they may collectively warm each other. Efficiency, if not necessity, demands that the work of colony be divided, and such a division of labor tends to enhance the need to maintain the colony. The physical structure of the honeybee is further suited for the defense of the entire colony rather than for its own defense. The bee"s barbed sting is used only once and is made more effective by the fact that it is left behind in the victim. With the loss of the sting, however, the bee dies. This kind of defensive weapon is not of service to the individual, but to the community.

56. Bee are fitted for communal life by virtue of their ______.
A) flexibility and initiative
B) independence and endurance
C) intelligence and sensitivity
D) instincts and form

57. A worker bee may survive for a short time even if it is ______.
A) deprived of its sting
B) isolated from other bees
C) denied access to oxygen
D) exposed to a wide range of temperatures

58. It can be inferred from the passage that at one time bees had the ability to ______.
A) increase their activity in lower temperatures
B) leave cold climates during winter
C) remain dormant through periods of cold weather
D) construct insulated hives

59. Bees differ from most other communities of insects in their need to _____.
A) reproduce in large numbers
B) divide the work of their colonies
C) control the temperature where they live
D) have a complex defense system

60. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?
A) The Communal Life of Bees
B) The Organization of Insect Colonies
C) The Structure of the Bees
D) The Life of Social Insects

Passage Three

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage:

One of the most widely discussed subjects these days is the energy crisis. Automobile drivers cannot get gasoline, homeowners may not get enough heating oil, factories are threatened by a fuel shortage.

The crisis has raised questions about the large oil companies and windfall (意外收获) profits. Critics of the oil industry charge that the major companies are getting richer because of the oil shortage. Shortage, of course, drives prices up. As oil prices rise, the critics say, the oil companies will make more and more money -- windfall profits -- without doing a thing to earn the extra cash. "Windfall" profits are sudden unearned profits -- profits made because of luck, or some special turn of events.

The word itself tells what "windfall" means -- something blown down by the wing, such as trees, or fruit blown from trees. But the world has taken on a special meaning. This meaning -- getting something unearned -- was first used in medieval (中世纪的) England.

This is how it started: At that time much of the land was in the hands of a few barons (贵族). The rest of the people, commoners, lived and worked on their vast estates (领地). They planted the seed, cared for the farm animals and harvested the crops. Not all the land, however, was used for farming. Every land baron kept a large private forest for hunting deer and wild boar (野猪).

When hungry, the people sometimes would like kill the animals in the lord"s forest for food. And there were times when they might cut down trees for fuel. So, strong laws were passed to protect the forest and the animals. Violations were severely punished.

But there was one way people could get wood from the forest. If they found trees blown down by the wind -- "windfall" -- they were free to take them for use as fuel in their homes. And that is the meaning that has come down to us -- something gotten by luck or accident.

The poor common people of old England must often have prayed for a good strong wind. Critics today complain that the oil industry has also been praying for something just like it -- some political or military storm that might produce a windfall -- a rise in oil prices and profits.

The oil companies deny that this is so. In congress, critics of the oil companied have proposed a tax on such profits. The debate on rising oil prices will go on for some time, and most likely we will hear more and more about windfall profits.

61. "Critics of the companies" in the last paragraph means ______.
A) persons from the oil companies who are criticizing others
B) persons criticizing the oil companies
C) critical opinions from the oil companies
D) critical opinions to the oil companies

62. Which of the following couldn"t the commoners do in the medieval English?
A) Do farm work
B) Raise animals
C) Live on baron"s land
D) Kill animals for food

63. Which word(s) should be stressed?
A) `windfall profits
B) windfall `profits
C) `windfall `profits
D) windfall profits

64. The author"s attitude towards the "windfall profits" made by the major oil companies seems to be ______.
A) sympathetic
B) objective
C) indistinct
D) critical

65. Which do you think would be the best title for the article?
A) Windfall Profits
B) Energy Crisis
C) Windfall
D) The Origin of Windfall

Passage Four

Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following passage:

Dear Jack,

Thank you for your congratulations, my congratulations to you! I remember Margaret Field very well -- the girl with that wonderful red hair and those beautiful green eyes. She was the most popular girl in the college. You"re a very lucky fellow and I"m sure you"ll be very happy with her.

Brenda and I are very lucky, too. Her father gave us this house as a wedding present, so we haven"t to pay rent. The house and furniture are insured already, so I can"t help you by giving you that kind of business. I wish I"d known earlier that you were in the insurance business. I"d certainly have asked you to give me a policy for the house and its contents.

I"m rather doubtful about the value of life insurance. It"s my duty, I know, to see that there will be money for my wife, and later on for the children, in the event of my early death. But I feel that it"s wiser to put any money I can save into the shares of good business companies. You say I can get a policy that will provide "50,000 when I"m 65. Yes, but that time is nearly forty years away, and what will "50,000 be worth then? Ever since the First World War the real value of money has been going down. Prices go up a little every year, perhaps only 4% or 5%, but the movement is always up, never down. "50.000 in fifty years from now may be worth only two-thirds or even a half of what it is worth today. Now if I put my savings into the shares of the big oil companies, or aircraft manufacturers, the value of the shares will go up with the rise in costs and prices. So the real value of my money would remain about the same, wouldn"t it? I know your answer. You"ll say that your life insurance policy provides against my possible death. I"ve got to balance that possibility against the almost certain fall in the value of money.

I"d very much like you to meet Brenda. Can you come for a weekend some time? What about a fortnight next Saturday? If you can manage it, please let me know which train you"re coming by, and I"ll meet you at the station. We can have a talk about life insurance and perhaps you"ll succeed in making me see that life insurance is a good thing.

Yours sincerely,

Fred

66. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A) Margaret, Jack and Fred once studied in the same college
B) Margaret was unfamiliar to Fred
C) Margaret was Fred"s wife
D) Margaret and Brenda were friends

67. The word "policy" in paragraph 2 means _____.
A) statement of aims and ideas made by a government.
B) sensible conduct
C) written statement of the terms of a contract of insurance
D) art of government

68. "In the event of my early death" can be replaced by _____.
A) when I should die young
B) if I should die young
C) after I should die young
D) before I should die young

69. Which of the following can be used to modify Fred?
A) Practical.
B) Short-sighted.
C) Skeptical.
D) Narrow-minded.

70. Which of the following statements is not directly mentioned, but implied in this passage?
A) Fred admired the beauty of Margaret.
B) Fred didn"t ask Jack him a policy for the house and its contents.
C) Clearly Fred had his doubt about life insurance.
D) Fred worried about inflation in his country.

Part IV Translation from English into Chinese (15 minutes)

Directions: In this part, there are five items which you should translate into Chinese, each item consisting of one or two sentences. These sentences are all taken from the Reading Passages you have just read in Part III. You are allowed 15 minutes to do the translation. You should refer back to the passage so as to identify their meanings in the context.

71.(Passage One)
In Esperanto, we have a language that is easy to learn and fair to all speakers because it belongs not to one nation but to us all.

 

72.(Passage Two)
The bee"s barbed sting is used only once and is made more effective by the fact that it is left behind in the victim.

 

73.(Passage Three)
So, strong laws were passed to protect the forests and the animals. Violations were severely punished.

 

74.(Passage Four)
It"s my duty, I know, to see that there will be money for my wife, and later on for the children, in the event of my early death.

 

75.(Passage Four)
I"ve got to balance that possibly against the almost certain fall in the value of money.

 

Part V Writing (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Animals in three paragraphs. The opening sentence for each paragraph is give to you. Your composition should be no less than 100 words.

Animals

People realize that, although animals may not have the same intelligence as human beings, they are smart enough to learn certain things.

Furthermore, animals can learn to do many things that, while not necessarily useful, are very amusing to watch.

Most important of all, animals are human beings" good friends and can do many things for people.

模拟三答案
1. B
2. A
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. A

7. C
8. A
9. D
10. C
11. D
12. B

13. D
14. C
15. B
16. A
17. B
18. B

19. D
20. D
21. D
22. A
23. C
24. A

25. A
26. B
27. A
28. C
29. B
30. D

31. A
32. B
33. D
34. B
35. A
36. A

37. B
38. A
39. D
40. C
41. B
42. A

43. B
44. A
45. C
46. D
47. C
48. D

49. A
50. D
51. B
52. A
53. B
54. C

55. D
56. D
57. C
58. C
59. B
60. A

61. B
62. D
63. A
64. D
65. C
66. A

67. C
68. B
69. A
70. D
71. 有了世界语，我们就有了一种既容易学又对所有人公平合理的语言，因为它不属于哪一个民族，而属于全人类。
72. 蜜蜂的倒刺只能使用一次，因为这种倒刺留在被它叮过的人身上才能产生更大的的效果。
73. 因此，贵族们颁布了更严厉的法律来保护森林和动物，违反的人将受到严惩。
74. 我知道，我现在就有责任安排好后事，留下点钱给我的妻子及孩子们日后过日子，以防我不幸过早去世。
75. 我必须把那种可能性与几乎必然的币值下跌联系起来考虑，权衡其得失。
76. Dogs can be taught to obey commands, to protect property, to find lost people, and to hunt criminals. And horses can learn never to be frightened of noises, traffic, and other disturbances. ,
77. In circuses, lions and tigers can be taught to leap and spring gracefully when told to do so, or to stay in place on command. Elephants learn to walk in line, to stand on their hind legs, to lie on their sides, and to stand on their heads. They can also learn to dance. ,
78. For example, dogs are extremely useful as companions for blind people. Horses are used in guarding herds, carrying men in lands where there are no roads, and helping farmers work their land. Pigeons have long been used to carry message. On the whole, animals are people"s friends and we must be good to them. ,

以下是试题解析
Tape script

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 write the corresponding letter on the space given.

1.
W: How long will it take you to fix my watch?
M: I"ll call you when it"s ready but it shouldn"t take longer than a week.
Q: What is the man going to do?

2.
M: Excuse me, would you mind if I sit here?
W: No, of course.
Q: What does the woman"s answer mean?

3.
W: I certainly would like to buy the brown suit I saw in the department store, but I don"t have enough money.
M: Well, if you would budget your money carefully, you would be able to buy it.
Q: How does the man feel about the woman?

4.
W: Was the movie as good as you expected?
M: It was a waste of time and money. We should have stayed at home.
Q: What does the man mean?

5.
M: Is it still raining outside?
W: No. But the wind is still blowing.
Q: What can we conclude from this conversation?

6.
W: Did you throw away the extra paper?
M: No. I gave half of it to a friend and kept the rest.
Q: What did the man do with the extra paper?

7.
W: Wasn"t our appointment at 10:30?
M: It was. But I had to be 15 minutes late.
Q: What time would the man arrive?

8.
M: Is this 6825661? I"m trying to reach the guest house.
W: I"m sorry. You must have a wrong number. This is a private residence.
Q: Where did this conversation take place?

9.
W: Do you have a savings" account at the bank?
M: I used to. But I withdrew all the money last month.
Q: What happened to the man"s money?

10.
M: Do you know where Lee is? Tom told me he was on the grass by the pool, but he is not there.
W: He must be at home by now. I saw him leave on his bike half an hour ago.
Q: Where does the woman think Lee is?

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then write the corresponding letter on the space given.

Passage 1
The sea is the largest unknown part of our world. It covers seventy-one percent of the earth. There is still much to be discovered about this vast blanket of water.

If the waters of the ocean could be moved away, the sea floor with its wide valleys, irregular fountains and rivers in the sea would be an unbelievable sight. Around the edges of the continents the ocean floor is flat and the water does not become much deeper for about thirty miles. Where there are high young mountains along the coast, this flat part may be much less than thirty miles. But where rivers flow into the sea, the flat area may extend for hundreds of miles.

The region near the continents, where the water is not so deep, is the place where you can find a lot of living creatures and plants. Below these living creatures and plants are the largest known quantities of minerals.

At the end of the flat part the sea floor suddenly drops down, forming deep hollows which are shaped like bowls. These huge hollows hold most of the world"s water.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11. How much percent of the earth does the sea cover?
12. How is the water around the edges of the continents?
13. Where is the good place for living creatures in the sea?

Passage 2
John liked to wear his hair very long. Some of his friends thought that it looked like a girl"s hair, but they never made jokes about it, because John was a big, strong young man, and he did not think jokes about his hair funny.

John always went to the barber"s twice a month to have his hair cut and washed, and one day the barber said to him, "Now why don"t you let me cut most of this hair off and make your head tidy? Nobody would recognize you if I did that, I am sure."

John said nothing for a few seconds, and then he said, "Perhaps you are right -- but I am sure that nobody would recognize you either if you did that to my hair."

Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14. Why did John keep long hair?
15. Which of the following is true?
16. What was John"s answer to the barber?

Passage 3
One day in 1848, a carpenter named Marshall, who worked in a sawmill on the American River in California, made a surprising discovery. He noticed something bright and yellow, bent down to pick it up and took it to his friend, a Mr. Sutter. This was the beginning of the Californian Gold Rush. Sutter was a Swiss who had come to America to try to make a lot of money. The Governor of California had given him permission to make a home in the Sacramento Valley and his determination and energy had had him rich. He had built the mill together with Marshall in order to make use of the rich natural materials of his land.

Sutter realized the importance of the discovery and decided to ask the Governor for the right to the gold. So he sent a man named Bennet to San Francisco to see the Governor. He warned Bennet not to tell anyone because he was afraid that people would come before his right was recognized. Bennet could not keep the secret but people did not believe him at first. Then a newspaperman went to Sutter"s mill to make a report. When he came back he ran through the streets shouting, "Gold! Gold!" Within a month almost the entire population had gone to look for the gold.

Then news spread across America to Europe and thousands of people joined in the search. Those who went by ship had to sail round Cape Horn but some preferred to go across America by land, and freight cars were used for travelers. Even then there were some who were prepared to cross the terrible desert of Death Valley.

The Gold Rush proved to be fatal to Sutter himself. For years he trued to get rid of those new-comers so that his family might enjoy the wealth of his land, but his business failed. The new-comers did a great deal of harm, and even killed one of his sons, and at the end of his life he was a poor man who often stopped people in the street to tell them that gold was worse than anything else.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17. Who was the first to find the gold in California?
18. Why did Sutter send Bennet to San Francisco?
19. How did people come to California?
20. Why did Sutter become poor?

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