四级考试完形填空对名词的考查主要集中在三个方面:含有名词的固定搭配；形近义异或义近形异名词的辨析；特定语境下名词的选择。
　　一、含有名词的固定搭配
　　四级完形填空经常出现的考点之一便是对固定搭配的考查,例如:动词词组、介词词组和名词词组。在上述三类词组中,会出现交叉测试现象,即对同一词组的考查,有时侧重名词,有时则侧重介词等。考生需具备深厚扎实的基础知识,注意在平时练习中对常见词组进行积累,例如:beyond one’s means(不能用measure,也不能用method,更不能用approach)；by mistake (这个短语就不能说成by error或者by fault)；in the long run (而不是period, interval或time)等等。
　　Sleep Smart records the distinct pattern of brain waves produced during each phase of sleep, via a head-band equipped with electrodes (电极) and a microprocessor. This measures the electrical activity of the wearer’s brain, in much the same way as some machines used for medical and research , and communicates wirelessly with a clock unit near the bed. You program the clock with the latest time at which you want to be wakened, and it then duly (适时地) wakes you during the last light sleep phase before that.
　　A) findings 　　B) prospects　　C) proposals 　　D) purposes
　　(2006年6月,CET-4)
　　[解析]此题是对名词的考查。固定搭配for ... purpose 表示"被用于……目的"。此句句意为:它测量被测试者脑电活动,其方式如同一些机器被用于医疗和研究一样。正确选项应为D)。含有名词的固定搭配在完形填空的测试中虽对考生对文章整体的把握要求较低,但对考生掌握英语固定搭配短语的质和量都提出了很高的要求,这也是对四级旧题型词汇和语法部分的沿袭和延伸。
　　二、形近义异或义近形异名词的辨析
　　形近义异或义近形异名词的辨析是对四级旧题型词汇和语法部分的另一类沿袭和延伸,它在要求考生对所给四个名词做出确切中文解释的同时,也要求考生对其细微差异做出准确判定。名词常在用途和数量上有所区分。例如:英语中的license (执照,许可证) 和certificate (证书,证明),前者是许可某人从事某种职业的证书,而后者则是证明某人有能力或者曾经做过某事的证书,还有:incident (有历史意义的事件,插曲),event (重大事件,体育比赛的赛事),affair (时事,要事),emergency (紧急事件)。数量标准是考(试大区分英语名词的关键,因为名词最大的特点就在于其可数与不可数、单数与复数的划分。例如:work不可数意义是工作,变成复数works 则指作品,也可用来指工厂。所以,在平时练习中,考生应培养进一步查阅单词英文解释的习惯,并了解单词背后的文化蕴涵,捕获名词近义词之间的微妙差异。
　　For most of the refugees, the thought of going back brings mixed emotions. The past six months have been difficult. Families of as many as 10 people have had to shelter under a single tent and share cook stoves and bathing 1 with neighbors. "They are looking forward to the clean water of their rivers,"officials say. "They are dreaming of free fresh fruit. They want to get back to their herds and start farming again."But most will be returning to nothing but heaps of ruins. In many villages, electrical lines have not been repaired, nor have roads. Aid workers estimate that it will take years to re-build what the earthquake took away. And for the thousands of survivors, the 2 will never be complete.
　　1. A) facilities　 B) instruments　C) implements　 D) appliances
　　2. A) reservation 　B) retreat 　C) replacement 　D) recovery
　　(2007年6月,CET-4)[解析]1题属于完形填空中义近形异名词的辨析,亦即俗称的名词近义词的辨析。给定的四个名词都含"工具,器械"的意思,但按照名词的用途,很容易区分它们的异同。instrument 指"用于精细工作或科学技术的工具"；implement指"在工作中任何有用或必需的器械", 尤指"较简单的农田或园艺工具"；appliance特指"家用电器"；facility 常用作复数形式表示"设施"。故得出正确选项A),bathing facilities,洗澡设施。此外,表示"设施,工具"的其他近义词还有:equipment (军用装备,野营用具) ,apparatus (一整套相连的设施) ,device (专门用途的设施)等。
　　2题属于完形填空中形近义异名词的辨析。四个词含义分别为:reservation"保留"；retreat"退却,退避"；replacement"取代,代替"；re-covery"恢复"。由句意:对于成千上万的幸存者,是不可能完全彻底地从这场地震中恢复的,得出正确选项D)。
　　三、特定语境下名词的选择
　　四级完形填空对名词的考查不仅仅定位于名词的固定搭配和辨析,更多考查的是特定语境下名词的选择,这也是完形填空的特点所在。考生解答此类问题的关键便是理解名词所在的上下文的语篇含义。例如:An earthquake hit Kashmir on Oct. 8, 2005. It took some 75,000 lives, injured 130,000 and left nearly 3.5 million without food, jobs or homes. Almost overnight, scores of tent villages bloomed across the re-gion, tended by international aid organizations, military and aid groups working day and night to shelter the survivors before winter set in. A) ranks B) equipment C) personnel D) installations (2007年6月,CET-4)[解析]此题目是对特殊语境下名词选择的考查。先确定四个给定名词的含义:rank"军衔,军阶"；equipment"设备"；personnel"人员,职员"；installation"安装,设置"。再根据句意:军队人员帮助照顾受灾民众,得出正确选项C)。　　
　　Try out
　　Directions:
　　In this section, there are 4 blanks in the following passage. For each blank, there are four choices marked A),B),C) and D).You should choose the one that best fits into the passage.
　　Wise buying is a positive way in which you can make your money go further. The 1 you go about purchasing an article or a service can actually save you money or can add to the cost. Take the simple example of a hairdryer. If you are buying a hairdryer, you might think that you are making the best buy if you choose one whose look you like and which is also the cheapest in price. But when you get it home you may find that it takes twice as long as a more expensive model to dry your hair. The cost of the electricity plus the cost of your time could well make your hairdryer the most expensive one of all. So what principles should you adopt when you go out shopping? If you keep your home, your car or any valuable possession in excellent condition, you’ll be saving money in the long 2 . Before you buy a new 3 , talk to someone who owns one. If you can, use it or borrow it to check if it suits your particular 4 . Before you buy an expensive item, or a service, do check the price and what is on offer. If possible, choose from three items or three estimates.
　　1. A) form 　B) way 　C) method　 D) fashion
　　2. A) interval 　B) period　　C) run 　D) time
　　3. A) equipment　 B) appliance 　C) utility 　D) facility
　　4. A) goal 　B) task　 C) function 　D) purpose
　　(2005年1月,CET-4)　　
　　答案&解析
　　1题属于完形填空中义近形异名词的辨析。给定的前三个名词都有“形式”的意思，按照名词的用途，form 指“具体事物的形式或形态”；way指“手段，方法(manner, how to do sth )”，比method更为通用，可指单一的技巧也可指复杂的操作方法，还可以指一些人处理某一问题所采用的特殊方法；method指“方法，方式”，指相当精心地拟订的一组方法，并强调实施的效率和精确性。fashion表示“时尚”，与前三个名词词义差别较大。故得出正确选项考(试大B）：你买一件物品或一项服务的方式往往可以决定你是在节省钱财还是在增加额外花费。
　　2题是对名词的考查。固定搭配“in the long run”表示“长远，最后”。此句句意为：如果你一直很好地维持你的小家、车子和宝贵财产，那从长期看来，你就是在节省金钱。最后得出正确选项C）。
　　3题仍然考查义近形异名词的辨析。给定的四个名词都含“工具，器械”的意思，按照名词的用途，equipment 表示“军用装备，野营用具”；appliance特指“家用电器”；utility常用于短语public utilities“公用事业”；facility 常用考(试大作复数形式表示“设施”。此处表示电器，故得出正确选项B）。
　　4题是对特殊语境下名词选择的考查。先确定四个给定名词的含义：goal“目标”；task“任务”；function“功能，作用”；purpose “目的”。再根据句意：如果可以的话，先试用或借来使用，看它是否能满足你特定的使用需求，得出正确选项D）。