在我们平凡的。日常里，大家一定都接触过作文吧，借助作文人们可以反映客观事物、表达思想感情、传递知识信息。那么一般作文是怎么写的呢？这次漂亮的小编为您带来了历年四级作文范文优秀9篇，如果能帮助到您，小编的一切努力都是值得的。
Upon graduation, virtually all college students will confront the problem of the career choice，which is truly a tough choice. Students opinions differ greatly on this issue. Some hold that priority should be given to take a job, but others take the attitude that going to a graduate school is the most critical factor influencing their future career choices.
As to myself, I prefer the latter view. A higher educational background exerts a tremendous fascination on a great number of people, with no exception to me. This phenomenon that the graduates have difficulties in finding job after their graduation can easily be found anywhere in our daily life, especially on campus. On the one hand, with the improved high education of Chinese college students which directly brought the result that there are more and more graduates every year. On the contrary, job vacancies don’t increase that fast. More people, less food, which is the exact description of the hard condition. On the other hand, more and more people go on to pursue their master and doctor degree; more and more Chinese oversea students come back to China to hunt better working chances. It is sure that the competition is more and more fierce.
Therefore, it is high time that we took effective measures to improve our own competitiveness. That is the secret of success in the future employment market after our graduation.
Directions：For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled How Should Parents Help Children to Be Independent? You should write at least 120 words folllowing the outline given below.
1、 目前不少父母为孩子包办一切
2、 为了让孩子独立， 父母应该……
How Should Parents Help Children to Be Independent?
It is nothing unusual to find overprotective parents who help their children in all aspects of life. The question is, are they sure their heart loaded with love will bring good to their children? Let’s look at the real situation of the second-rich generation. Some of them, rather than becoming the second-strong generation, becomes the defeated generation which is notorious for their life focused on consumption rather than creation.
Because of the changes of education in history, most Chinese parents, though successfully accumulate wealth, don’t know much about the right value they should pass on to the new generation. They have tried all that they can to be good parents while neglecting the core value they should address, which is INDEPENDENCE.
How should parents help children to be independent?
They should give their children the freedom to make choices for themselves. Children cannot be happy if they don’t have control over their life, which in daily life, means they make choices for themselves, like, what to eat, what to wear, what career to do, what kind of spouse they are going to marry. Some parents may be open-minded enough to let their children to make these tiny decisions about food and clothes, but when it comes to the big ones, they are too anxious to let their children have a try. They used to be young and they made mistakes and now it is their sons and daughters’ turn to be young—the deep love and care is so intense that it becomes even suffocating--they are reluctant to give their children opportunities to start to be responsible for their own lives.
6月英语四级真题试卷
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the following topic. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
Suppose a foreign friend of yours is coming to visit your hometown, what is the most interesting place you would like to take him/her to see and why?
Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1. A) See a doctor about her strained shoulder.
B) Use a ladder to help her reach the tea.
C) Replace the cupboard with a new one.
D) Place the tea on a lower shelf next time.
2. A) At Mary Johnson’s. C) In an exhibition hall.
B) At a painter’s studio. D) Outside an art gallery.
3. A) The teacher evaluated lacks teaching experience.
B) She does not quite agree with what the man said.
C) The man had better talk with the students himself.
D) New students usually cannot offer a fair evaluation.
4. A) He helped Doris build up the furniture.
B) Doris helped him arrange the furniture.
C) Doris fixed up some of the bookshelves.
D) He was good at assembling bookshelves.
5. A) He doesn’t get on with the others. C) He has been taken for a fool.
B) He doesn’t feel at ease in the firm. D) He has found a better position.
6. A) They should finish the work as soon as possible.
B) He will continue to work in the garden himself.
C) He is tired of doing gardening on weekends.
D) They can hire a gardener to do the work.
7. A) The man has to get rid of the used furniture.
B) The man’s apartment is ready for rent.
C) The furniture is covered with lots of dust.
D) The furniture the man bought is inexpensive.
8. A) The man will give the mechanic a call.
B) The woman is waiting for a call.
C) The woman is doing some repairs.
D) The man knows the mechanic very well.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. A) She had a job interview to attend.
B) She was busy finishing her project.
C) She had to attend an important meeting.
D) She was in the middle of writing an essay.
10. A) Accompany her roommate to the classroom.
B) Hand in her roommate’s application form.
C) Submit her roommate’s assignment.
D) Help her roommate with her report.
11. A) Where Dr. Ellis’s office is located. C) Directions to the classroom building.
B) When Dr. Ellis leaves his office. D) Dr. Ellis’s schedule for the afternoon.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. A) He finds it rather stressful. C) He can handle it quite well.
B) He is thinking of quitting it. D) He has to work extra hours.
13. A) The 6:00 one. C) The 7:00 one.
B) The 6:30 one. D) The 7:30 one.
14. A) It is an awful waste of time.
B) He finds it rather unbearable.
C) The time on the train is enjoyable.
D) It is something difficult to get used to.
15. A) Reading newspapers. C) Listening to the daily news.
B) Chatting with friends. D) Planning the day’s work.
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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Passage One
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
16. A) Ignore small details while reading.
B) Read at least several chapters at one sitting.
C) Develop a habit of reading critically.
D) Get key information by reading just once or twice.
17. A) Choose one’s own system of marking.
B) Underline the key words and phrases.
C) Make as few marks as possible.
D) Highlight details in a red color.
18. A) By reading the textbooks carefully again.
B) By reviewing only the marked parts.
C) By focusing on the notes in the margins.
D) By comparing notes with their classmates.
Passage Two
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. A) The sleep a person needs varies from day to day.
B) The amount of sleep for each person is similar.
C) One can get by with a couple of hours of sleep.
D) Everybody needs some sleep for survival.
20. A) It is a made-up story. C) It is a rare exception.
B) It is beyond cure. D) It is due to an accident.
21. A) His extraordinary physical condition.
B) His mother’s injury just before his birth.
C) The unique surroundings of his living place.
D) The rest he got from sitting in a rocking chair.
Passage Three
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
22. A) She invested in stocks and shares on Wall Street.
B) She learned to write for financial newspapers.
C) She developed a strong interest in finance.
D) She tenderly looked after her sick mother.
23. A) She made a wise investment in real estate.
B) She sold the restaurant with a substantial profit.
C) She got 1.5 million dollars from her ex-husband.
D) She inherited a big fortune from her father.
24. A) She was extremely mean with her money.
B) She was dishonest in business dealings.
C) She frequently ill-treated her employees.
D) She abused animals including her pet dog.
25. A) She made a big fortune from wise investment.
B) She built a hospital with her mother’s money.
C) She made huge donations to charities.
D) She carried on her family’s tradition.
Section C
Direction: In the section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Among the kinds of social gestures most significant for second-language teachers are those which are (26)______ in form but different in meaning in the two cultures. For example, a Colombian who wants someone to (27)______ him often signals with a hand movement in which all the fingers of one hand, cupped, point downward as they move rapidly (28)_______. Speakers or English have a similar gesture through the hand may not be cupped and the fingers may be held more loosely, but for them the gesture means goodbye or go away, quite the (29)______ of the Colombian gesture. Again, in Colombian, a speaker of English would have to know that when he (30)________ height he most choose between different gestures depending on whether he is (31)_______ a human being or an animal. If he keeps the palm of the hand (32)_________ the floor, as he would in his own culture when making known the height of a child, for example, he will very likely be greeted by laughter, in Colombia this gesture is (33)_________ for the description of animals. In order to describe human beings he should keep the palm of his hand (34)_________ to the floor. Substitutions of one gesture for the other often create not only humorous but also (35)________ moment. In both of the examples above, speakers from two different cultures have the same gesture, physically, but its meaning differs sharply.
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
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 letter. Please mark the corresponding letter 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.
Many Brazilians cannot read. In , a quarter of those aged 15 and older were functionally illiterate (文盲). Many 36 do not want to. Only one literate adult in three reads books. The 37 Brazilian reads 1.8 non-academic books a year, less than half the figure in Europe and the United States. In a recent survey .of reading habits, Brazilians came 27th out of 30 countries. Argentines, their neighbors, 38 18th.
The government and businesses are all struggling in different ways to change this. On March 13 the government 39 a National Plan for Books and Reading. This seeks to boost reading, by founding libraries and financing publishers among other things.
One discouragement to reading is that books are 40 . Most books have small print-runs, pushing up their price.
But Brazilians' indifference to books has deeper roots. Centuries of slavery meant the counties leaders long 41 education. Primary schooling became universal only in the 1990s.
All this me Brazil’s book market has the biggest growth 42 in the western world.
But reading is a difficult habit to form. Brazilians bought fewer books in , 89 million, including textbooks 43 by the government, than they did in 1991. Last year the director of Brazil's national library 44 . He complained that he had half the librarians he needed and termites (白蚁） had eaten much of the 45 . That ought to be a cause for national shame.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
A)average
B)collection
C)distributed
D)exhibition
E)expensive
F)launched
G)named
H)neglected
I) normal
J) particularly
K) potential
L) quit
M) ranked
N) simply
O) treasured
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The Touch-Screen Generation
A) On a chilly day last spring, a few dozen developers of children’s apps（应用程序）for phones and tablets（平板电脑）gathered at an old beach resort in Monterey, California, to show off their games. The gathering was organized by Warren Buckleitner, a longtime reviewer of interactive children’s media. Buckleitner spent the breaks testing whether his own remote-control helicopter could reach the hall's second story, while various children who had come with their parents looked up in awe（敬畏）and delight. But mostly they looked down, at the iPads and other tablets displayed around the hall like so many open boxes of candy. I walked around and talked with developers, and several quoted a famous saying of Maria Montessori’s, “The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.”
B) What, really, would Maria Montessori have made of this scene? The 30 or so children here were not down at the shore poking（戳）their fingers in the sand or running them along stones or picking seashells. Instead they were all inside, alone or in groups of two or three, their faces a few inches from a screen, their hands doing things Montessori surely did not imagine.
C) In , the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its policy on very young children and media. In , the group had discouraged television viewing for children younger than 2, citing research on brain development that showed this age group’s critical need for “direct interactions with parents and other significant care givers.” The updated report began by acknowledging that things had changed significantly since then. In , 90% of parents said that their children younger than 2 consumed some form of electronic media. Nevertheless, the group took largely the same approach it did in 1999, uniformly discouraging passive media use, on any type of screen, for these kids. (For older children, the academy noted, “high-quality programs” could have “educational benefits.”) The 2011 report mentioned “smart cell phone” and “new screen” technologies, but did not address interactive apps. Nor did it bring up the possibility that has likely occurred to those 90% of American parents that some good mightcome from those little swiping（在电子产品上刷）fingers.
D) I had come to the developers’ conference partly because I hoped that this particular set of parents, enthusiastic as they were about interactive media, might help me out of this problem, that they might offer some guiding principle for American parents who are clearly never going to meet the academy’s ideals, and at some level do not want to. Perhaps this group would be able to express clearly some benefits of the new technology that the more cautious doctors weren’t ready to address.
E) I fell into conversation with a woman who had helped develop Montessori Letter Sounds, an app that teaches preschoolers the Montessori methods of spelling. She was a former Montessori teacher and a mother of four. I myself have three children who are all fans of the touch screen. What games did her kids like to play, I asked, hoping for suggestions I could take home.
“They don’t play all that much.”
Really? Why not?
“Because I don’t allow it. We have a rule of no screen time during the week, unless it’s clearly
educational. ”
No screen time? None at all? That seems at the outer edge of restrictive, even by the standards of
overcontrolling parents.
“On the weekends, they can play. I give them a limit of half an hour and then stop. Enough.”
F) Her answer so surprised me that I decided to ask some of the other developers who were also parents what their domestic ground rules for screen time were. One said only on airplanes and long car rides. Another said Wednesdays and weekends, for half an hour. The most permissive said half an hour a day, which was about my rule at home. At one point I sat with one of the biggest developers of e-book apps for kids, and his family. The small kid was starting to fuss in her high chair, so the mom stuck an iPad in front of her and played a short movie so everyone else could enjoy their lunch. When she saw me watching, she gave me the universal tense look of mothers who feel they are being judged. “At home,” she assured me, “I only let her watch movies in Spanish. ’’
G) By their reactions, these parents made me understand the problem of our age: as technology becomes almost everywhere in our lives. American parents are becoming more, not less, distrustful of what it might be doing to their children. Technological ability has not, for parents, translated into comfort and ease. On the one hand, parents want their children to swim expertly in the digital stream that they will have to navigate（航行）all their lives; on the other hand, they fear that too much digital media, too early, will sink them. Parents end up treating tablets as precision surgical（外科的）instruments, devices that might perform miracles for their child's IQ and help him win some great robotics competition—but only if they are used just so. Otherwise, their child could end up one of those sad, pale creatures who can’t make eye contact and has a girlfriend who lives only in the virtual world.
H) Norman Rockwell, a 20th-century artist, never painted Boy Swiping Finger on Screen, and our own vision of a perfect childhood has never been adjusted to accommodate that now-common scene. Add to that our modern fear that every parenting decision may have lasting consequences - that every minute of enrichment lost or mindless entertainment indulged（放纵的）will add up to some permanent handicap（障碍）in the future—and you have deep guilt and confusion. To date, no body of research has proved that the iPad will make your preschooler smarter or teach her to speak Chinese, or alternatively that it will rust her nervous system the device has been out for only three years, not much more than the time it takes some academics to find funding and gather research subjects. So what is a parent to do?
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
46. The author attended the conference, hoping to find some guiding principles for parenting in the electronic age.
47. American parents are becoming more doubtful about the benefits technology is said to bring to their children.
48. Some experts believe that human intelligence develops by the use of hands.
49. The author found a former Montessori teacher exercising strict control over her kids, screen time.
50. Research shows interaction with people is key to babies’ brain development.
51. So far there has been no scientific proof of the educational benefits of iPads.
52. American parents worry that overuse of tablets will create problems with their kids’ interpersonal relationships.
53. The author expected developers of children's apps to specify the benefits of the new technology.
54. The kids at the gathering were more fascinated by the iPads than by the helicopter.
55. The author permits her children to use the screen for at most half an hour a day.
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
When young women were found to make only 82 percent of what their male peers do just one year out of college, many were at a loss to explain it.
All the traditional reasons put forward to interpret the pay gap—that women fall behind when they leave the workforce to raise kids, for example, or that they don’t seek as many management roles—failed to justify this one. These young women didn’t have kids yet. And because they were just one year removed from their undergraduate degrees, few of these women yet had the chance to go after (much less decline) leadership roles.
But there are other reasons why the pay gap remains so persistent. The first is that no matter how many women may be getting college degrees, the university experience is still an unequal one. The second is that our higher education system is not designed to focus on the economic consequences of our students’ years on campus.
Now that women arc the majority of college students and surpass men in both the number of undergraduate and advanced degrees awarded, one might think the college campus is a pretty equal place. It is not. Studies show that while girls do better than boys in high school, they start to trail off during their college years. They enroll in different kinds of classes, tend to major in less rigorous（非常严格的）subjects, and generally head off with less ambitious plans.
As a result, it's not surprising that even the best educated young women enter the workplace with a slight disadvantage. Their college experience leaves them somewhat confused, still stumbling（栽倒）over the dilemmas their grandmothers' generation sought to destroy. Are they supposed to be pretty or smart? Strong or sexy（性感的）? All their lives, today's young women have been pushed to embrace both perfection and passion to pursue science and sports, math and theater and do it all as well as they possibly can. No wonder they are not negotiating for higher salaries as soon as they get out of school. They are too exhausted, and too scared of failing.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
56. Traditionally, it is believed that women earn less than men because_________.
A) they have failed to take as many rigorous courses
B) they do not feel as fit for management roles
C) they feel obliged to take care of their kids at home
D) they do not exhibit the needed leadership qualities
57. What does the author say about America's higher education system?
A) It does not offer specific career counseling to women.
B) It does not consider its economic impact on graduates.
C) It does not take care of women students' special needs.
D) It does not encourage women to take rigorous subjects.
58. What does the author say about today's college experience?
A) It is different for male and female students.
B) It is not the same as that of earlier generations.
C) It is more exhausting than most women expect.
D) It is not so satisfying to many American students.
59. What does the author say about women students in college?
A) They have no idea how to bring out their best.
B) They drop a course when they find it too rigorous.
C) They are not as practical as men in choosing courses.
D) They don't perform as well as they did in high school.
60. How does the author explain the pay gap between men and women fresh from college?
A) Women arc too worn out to be ambitious.
B) Women are not ready to take management roles.
C) Women are caught between career and family.
D) Women are not good at negotiating salaries.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Reading leadership literature, you’d sometimes think that everyone has the potential to be an effective leader.
I don’t believe that to be true. In fact, I sec way fewer truly effective leaders than I see people stuck in positions of leadership who arc sadly incompetent and seriously misguided about their own abilities.
Part of the reason this happens is a lack of honest self-assessment by those who aspire to (追求）leadership in the first place.
We've all met the type of individual who simply must take charge. Whether it's a decision-making session, a basketball game, or a family outing, they can't help grabbing the lead dog position and clinging on to it for dear life. They believe they're natural born leaders.
Truth is, they're nothing of the sort. True leaders don't assume that it's their divine（神圣的）right to take charge every time two or more people get together. Quite the opposite. A great leader will assess each situation on its merits, and will only take charge when their position, the situation, and or the needs of the moment demand it.
Many business executives confuse leadership with action. They believe that constant motion somehow generates leadership as a byproduct. Faced with any situation that can’t be solved by the sheer force of activity, they generate a dust cloud of impatience. Their one leadership tool is volume: if they think you aren't working as hard as they think you should, their demands become increasingly louder and harsher.
True leaders understand the value of action, of course, but it isn’t their only tool. In fact, it isn’t ever their primary tool. Great leaders see more than everyone else: answers, solutions, patterns, problems, opportunities. They know it’s vitally important to do, but they also know that thinking, understanding, reflection and interpretation are equally important.
If you're too concerned with outcomes to the extent that you manipulate and intimidate others to achieve those outcomes, then you aren't leading at all, you're dictating. A true leader is someone who develops his or her team so that they can and do hit their targets and achieve their goals.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
61. What does the author think of the leaders he knows?
A) Many of them are used to taking charge.
B) Few of them are equal to their positions.
C) Many of them fail to fully develop their potential.
D) Few of them are familiar with leadership literature.
62. Why are some people eager to grab leadership positions?
A) They believe they have the natural gift to lead.
B) They believe in what leadership literature says.
C) They have proved competent in many situations.
D They derive great satisfaction from being leaders.
63. What characterizes a great leader according to the author?
A) Being able to take prompt action when chances present themselves.
B) Having a whole-hearted dedication to their divine responsibilities.
C) Having a full understanding of their own merits and weaknesses.
D) Being able to assess the situation carefully before taking charge.
64. How will many business executives respond when their command fails to generate action?
A) They reassess the situation at hand. C) They resort to any tool available.
B) They become impatient and rude. D) They blame their team members.
65. What is the author’s advice to leaders?
A) Concentrate on one specific task at a time.
B) Use different tools to achieve different goals.
C) Build up a strong team to achieve their goals.
D) Show determination when faced with tough tasks.
Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
中国应进一步发展核能，因为核电目前只占其总发电量的2%。该比例在所有核国家中居第3 0位，几乎是最低的。
3月日本核电站事故后，中国的核能开发停了下来，中止审批新的核电站，并开展全国性的核安全险查。到10月，审批才又谨慎地恢复。
随着技术和安全措施的改进，发生核事故的可能性完全可以降到最低程度。换句话说，核能是可以安全开发和利用的。
部分真题参考答案(完整版)
Part Ⅰ Writing
A Tour to Mount Tai
I am delighted to learn that my foreign friend, Bill, is going to take vacation in my hometown. For the sake of his hospitality I enjoyed in England, I will show him around the landscape, among which Mount Tai unquestion-ably on the top of my list.
Centuries ago, at the summit of the mountain, Confucius exclaimed that the world was small; in modern times, everyone is bound to appreciate its spectacularity and sacredness. Mount Tai is more than a mountain; it is a place which symbolizes hope and auspiciousness, embodying profound culture. Furthermore, Mount Tai is considered to be scared to the point where almost every ancient Chinese emperor came here to make offerings to Heaven and Earth, praying for a prosperous country and a peaceful living environment.
Visiting Mount Tai is more than a mountain climbing excursion, but a hands-on engagement in ancient culture and contemporary prosperity. Thus, I assure you that you will like this wonderful experience.
Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension
A. 短对话
1. 参考原文：
W: I can’t seem to reach the tea at the back of the cupboard.
M: Oh… Why don’t you use the ladder? You might strain your shoulder.
Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?
点评：本题考点：计划或者建议。考点在第二个男士的提议。答案选B：Use a ladder to help her reach the tea. strain v.表示拉伸，扭伤 strain your shoulder 拉伤肩膀。
2. 参考原文：
W: Since it’s raining so hard, let’s go and see the new exhibits.
M: That’s a good idea. Mary Johnson is one of my favorite painters.
Q: Where does the conversation most probably take place?
点评：本题考点：对话场景题。通过女士提到的“new exhibits”和男士提到的“favorite painters”可推出答案为D：Outside an art gallery.
3. 参考原文：
M: I hear the students gave the new teacher an unfair evaluation.
W: It depends on which student you are talking about.
Q: What does the woman imply?
点评：本题考查语义推断。考点在第二个女士的回应，面对男士的说法，她并没有表示认同，而是婉转表达了质疑。对应选项B. She does not quite agree with what the man said. “unfair evaluation”意思是“不公平的评价”。
4. 参考原文：
W: It must have taken you a long time to fix up all these book shelves.
M: It wasn’t too bad. I got Doris to do some of them.
Q: What does the man mean?
点评：本题考查事实细节。考点在第二个男士的话。对应选项C. Doris fixed up some of the book shelves.原文中男士说的 “do some of them”指的就是修理书架。
5. 参考原文：
W: Rod, I hear you’ll be leaving at the end of this month. Is it true?
M: Yeah. I’ve been offered a much better position with another firm. I’d be a fool to turn it down.
Q: Why is the man quitting his job?
点评：本题考查因果关系。考点在第二个男士所解释的原因。对应D. He has found a better position. “position”即“职位”， “firm”即“公司”。 “quit”即“放弃，辞职”的意思。
6. 参考原文：
W: I honestly don’t want to continue the gardening tomorrow, Tony?
M: Neither do I. But I think we should get it over within this weekend.
Q: What does the man mean?
点评：本题考查转折关系。考点在第二个男士语义转折之后的内容。对应选项A. They should finish the work as soon as possible. 选项 “finish”同义替换原文中的 “get it over”，而 “as soon as possible”则改写了 “within this weekend”。
7. 参考原文：
W: You’ve already furnished your apartment?
M: I found some used furniture that was dirt cheap.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
点评：本题考查事实细节。考点在第二个男士所说的话，习惯用语 “dirt cheap”就是“很便宜，白菜价”的意思。对应答案D. The furniture the man bought is inexpensive. 其中 “inexpensive”同义改写了“dirt cheap”。
8. 参考原文：
W: Has the mechanic called the bus repairers?
M: Not yet .I’ll let you know when he calls.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
点评：本题考查语义推断。考点要结合女士的提问和男士的回答。对应B. The woman is waiting for a call. “mechanic”指“机械工”，“bus repairers”指“公车修理师”。
B.长对话和短文
Conversation one:
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. Why couldn’t the woman’s roommate attend the Shakespearean English class that afternoon?
10. What favor is the woman going to do for her roommate?
11. What does the woman want to know at the end of the conversation?
答案：
9. 点评：前2句都是礼节性问答，第3句开始出现新人物 “Janet Holmes”, 即考点预警信号。关键信息就是女士接下来的回答：“It’s just that she submitted a job application yesterday and the company asked her in for an interview today”。对应A选项：She had a job interview to attend.
10. 点评：前文刚刚提到“Janet Holmes”所遇到的问题(因面试不能上课交作业)，接着就提到了解决这一问题的方法，关键听取原文中“I’m calling to see whether it would be OK if I gave you her essay.”对应选项C：Submit her roommate’s assignment.
11. 点评：从四个选项都以特殊疑问词开头的特征可以预判，本题考点是某人的疑问。关键信息是女士在最后所提到的问题：“And Dr. Ellis, one more thing, could you tell me where your office is?”对应选项A. Where Dr. Ellis’s office is located.
【综合点评】：本题完全符合长对话 “问答结构”的惯有出题套路，分别针对problem和solution进行提问，而且并没有出现逆序出题现象为难考生，整体难度一般。
Conversation 2:
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. What does the man say about his job?
13. Which train does the man take to work every day?
14. How does the man feel about commuting to work every day now?
15. How does the man spend his time on the morning train?
答案：
12.点评：第一题完全符合“前3句出考点”的套路，考点信息出现在明显的信号词 “But”之后：“But it’s bearable now that I’ m used to it”。 bearable 表示可以忍受的，be used to 表示为习惯做某事。对应选项C：He can handle it quite well.
13. 点评：本题考查时间细节，所听即所选。关键信息是“It was terrible at first, especially getting up before dawn to catch that 6:30 train” 对应选项B：The 6:30 train.
14. 点评：本题考点再次出现在明显信号词But之后：“But now I quite enjoy it.”对应选项C：The time on the train is enjoyable
15. 点评：长对话最后一题往往对应整个对话的结尾部分。女士最后问男士在车上如何消磨时光，男士的回答则是考点信息：“In the morning, I just sit in comfort and read the papers to catch up with the news.”对应选项A：Reading newspapers.
【综合点评】：本题完全符合顺序出题原则，有2道题的答案更是直接出现在信号词But之后，答案直来直往基本不需要进行推断，出题思路中规中矩，整体难度一般。
Passage One
16. What should American college students do to cope with their heavy reading assignments?
17. What suggestion does the speaker give about marking a textbook?
18. How should students prepare for an exam according to the speaker?
答案：
16. 点评：根据短文理解“前3句出考点”原则，如果本文前1、2句的因果关系没有成为考点，考点则顺延到第3句和第4句，关键信息为“They need to extract as much information as possible from the first or second reading.”extract表示提取、选取， 对应选项D：Get key information by reading just once or twice.
17. 点评：从第二段开始，marking skill被反复提到，无疑是重要考点。就做标记的技巧，作者一共提了3个建议，其中 “Third, decide on your own system for marking”几乎完整地被选项A照搬下来：Choose one's own system of marking.根据所听基本即所选原则，答案就是A。
18. 点评：最后一题考察了转折结构，考点信息出现在明显的信号词 ‘Instead”之后：“Instead, you just need to review your marks and you can save a lot of time.”对应选项B：By reviewing only the marked parts.
Passage Two
19. What is taken for granted by most people?
20. What do doctors think of Al Herpin's case?
21. What could have accounted for Al Herpin's sleeplessness?
答案：
19. 点评：答案出现在明显的信号词 “But”之后，即：“But everyone needs some rest to stay alive.”对应选项D：Everybody needs some sleep for survival.
20. 点评：答案出现在明显的信号词 “But”之后，即：“But a man named Al Herpin turned out to be a rare exception”对应选项C：It is a rare exception. rare表示稀有的，少见的。
21. 点评：根据顺序出题原则，本题对应文章结尾部分。文章最后提到医生对Al Herpin不用睡觉感到困惑，紧接着就解释了原因。 “clue”(表示线索)是本题的考点信号词，随后就是考点信息：“He remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he had been born.” 对应选项B：His mother's injury just before his birth.
22. What do we learn about Hetty Green as a child?
23. How did Hetty Green become rich overnight?
24. Why was Hetty Green much hated?
25. What do we learn about Hetty's daughter?
答案：
22. 点评：本题略有难度。考点即没有出现在前3句话，也没有出现在明显的信号词之后，但是只要提前划记好了本题关键词，根据“所听基本即所选”原则还是可以找到答案C：She developed a strong interest in finance. 该选项对应原文信息 “At the age of six she started reading the daily financial newspapers and opened her own bank account.”
23. 点评：本题略有难度。考点紧跟在上一题考点句之后，即 “Her father died when she was 21 and she inherited 7.5 million dollars.”对应选项D. She inherited a big fortune from her father.
24. 点评：本题难度较大。错误选项中的细节有较强干扰性，但如果考生对最后一段的整体结构有所把握，就会发现在第一句提到了Hetty的 “meanness”(吝啬，小气) 之后，后文 “always argued about prices” “buy broken biscuits” “refused to pay for a doctor”这些细节都属于次要信息，是对“meanness”的例证。对应选项A. She was extremely mean with her money.
25. 点评：本题考点就是本文最后一句话 “her daughter built a hospital with her money”对应选项B. She built a hospital with her mother's money.
Part III Reading Comprehension
Section A
选词填空
题目一：
本文选自5月16日的经济学人
参考原文
A nation of non-readers: A strange and costly disregard for books
MANY Brazilians cannot read. In 2000, a quarter of those aged 15 and older were functionally illiterate. Many simply do not want to. Only one literate adult in three reads books. The averageBrazilian reads 1.8 non-academic books a year—less than half the figure in Europe and the United States. In a recent survey of reading habits, Brazilians came 27th out of 30 countries, spending 5.2 hours a week with a book. Argentines, their neighbours, ranked 18th.
In rare accord, government, businesses and NGOs are all striving in different ways to change this. On March 13th the government launched a National Plan for Books and Reading. This seeks to boost reading, by founding libraries and financing publishers among other things. The Brazil Reader Institute, an NGO, brings books to people: it has installed lending libraries in two S?o Paulo metro stations, and is planning one in a Carnival samba school. It is starting to be common to see characters in television soap operas shown reading. Cynics note that Globo, the biggest broadcaster, is also a big publisher of books, newspapers and magazines.
One discouragement to reading is that books are expensive. At S?o Paulo's book fair this week, “O Código Da Vinci” was on sale for 32 reais—more than a tenth of the official minimum monthly wage. Most other books have small print-runs, pushing up their price.
But Brazilians' indifference to books has deeper roots. Centuries of slavery meant the country's leaders long neglected education. Primary schooling became universal only in the 1990s. Radio was ubiquitous by the 1930s; libraries and bookshops have still not caught up. “The electronic experience came before the written experience,” says Marino Lobello, of the Brazilian Chamber of Books, an industry body.
All this means that Brazil's book market has the biggest growth potential in the western world, reckons Mr Lobello. That notion has attracted foreign publishers, such as Spain's Prisa-Santillana, which bought a local house last year. American evangelical publishers are eyeing the market for religious books, which outsell fiction in Brazil.
But reading is a difficult habit to form. Brazilians bought fewer books in 2004—289m, including textbooks distributed by the government—than they did in 1991. Last year the director of Brazil's national library quit after a controversial tenure. He complained that he had half the librarians he needed and termites had eaten much of the collection. Along with crime and high interest rates, that ought to be a cause for national shame.
答案及解析
36. N. simply
本空所在句不缺其它成分，该空应为副词。备选副词J) particularly(专门地、特别地)与N) simply(简单地、仅仅)中，simply符合句意“许多人仅仅是不想学着识字。”
37. A. average
本空修饰名词Brazilian，需要形容词。备选形容词A) average(平均的、普通的)E) expensive(昂贵的)K) potential(潜在的)中，average符合句意“普通的巴西人每年读1.8本非学术书目”。且reads 1.8 non-academic books a year也在提示这里是在描述平均值。
38. M. ranked
本空是该句谓语，缺动词。且与前句并列，而前句用的过去式，因此本空需动词过去式。备选的有C) distributed(分发、散布)、F) launched(发射、发动)、G) named(取名、提名)、H) neglected(忽视)、L) quit(退出、辞职)、M) ranked(排名)和O) treasured(珍惜)。能与空后的18th构成合理搭配的只有ranked，表示“排在第18位”。另外前句描述的也是巴西的排名。
39. F. launched
本空是该句谓语，缺动词。由于描述的是过去的日子，需要过去式。备选的有C) distributed(分发、散布)、F) launched(发射、发动)、G) named(取名、提名)、H) neglected(忽视)、L) quit(退出、辞职)和O) treasured(珍惜)。本空后的专有概念National Plan for Books and Reading明显是个活动或计划之类，能与之构成合理搭配的只有launched，表示“发起了此计划”。
40. E. expensive
本空做表语，主语是books，形容词、动词分词可能性较大。注意到后句提到push up their price，因此这里描述的应该是书的价格，expensive符合话题。
41. H. neglected
本空是所在从句的谓语，且描述的是过去、主句也为过去式，因此这里需要过去式。备选的有C) distributed(分发、散布)、G) named(取名、提名)、H) neglected(忽视)和L) quit(退出、辞职)O) treasured(珍惜)。注意前句引出的话题是巴西对书籍的漠视，本句提到的也是巴西长期奴隶制的影响，因此本空应选择neglected，表示巴西“长期忽视教育”。distributed意思不合理，treasured则与这里想表示的意思相反。
42. K. potential
本空一种可能是副词，但备选副词只剩particularly，而其意思在这里并不合适，这里也没有构成其所表示的递进关系的条件。因此只能考虑本空另一种可能：名词。备选的有B) collection(收集)、D) exhibition(展览)和K) potential(潜力)。potential是唯一意思合理的，表示巴西的图市场“有着最大的增长潜力”。
43. C. distributed
本空位于名词后，应为后置定语，需要动词分词；by提示了这里需要过去分词。备选的有C) distributed(分发、散布)、G) named(取名、提名)和L) quit(退出、辞职)O) treasured(珍惜)。这里意思合理的只有distributed，表示“被政府分发的书籍”。
44. L. quit
本空是该句谓语，其描述的是过去，需要过去式，备选的有G) named(取名、提名)、L) quit(退出、辞职)、和O) treasured(珍惜)。同时该空后无宾语，因此必须是不及物动词，符合此要求的只有quit，表示国家图书馆负责人辞职。
45. B. collection
空前的定冠词提示本空需要名词，备选的有B) collection(收集)和D) exhibition(展览)。这里意思较合理的是collection，它可以表示图书馆的馆藏书籍。意思是“白蚁吃掉了大部分馆藏书籍”。
Section B
46. D
47. G
48. A
49. E
50. C
51. H
52. G
53. D
54. A
55. F
Section C
56. C
57. B
58. A
59. D
60. A
61. B
62. A
63. D
64. B
65. C
Part IV Translation
China should further develop nuclear energy because currently，nuclear power accounts for only 2% of its total generating capacity . Such proportion ranks the thirtieth in all the countries possessing nuclear power, which is almost the last.
After Japan’s nuclear power accident in March 2011, nuclear power development in China was suspended, so was the approval of new nuclear power plants. Also, the national safety check for the nuclear power was carried out. IT was not until October that the approval was prudently resumed.
With the improvement of technology and safety measures, there is little possibility for nuclear accidents to happen. In other words, there won’t be any trouble to develop and exploit the nuclear power.
这篇略难，恭喜人品。第一二句，注意逻辑；第三句，注意“排”这个字要用主动；
第二段主要注意时态：过去时。
最后一段，伴随状语和句子间的逻辑。
详解：
第一句，考察词汇 进一步，占据，以及句子逻辑关系的判断。
第二句注意使用非限制性定语从句。
第三句话是全文最长的一句话，注意几个简单句的合并(so was B以及用逻辑词);考察词汇 停止，开展。
第四句，考察“直到。。。才”(not until)句型。
第五句，简单句，无难度，考察with表伴随。
最后一句，简单句，考察短语换句话说， 以及词汇开发利用。
1. 短语动词
be about to do 刚要，即将
be friends with 与。友好
bear in mind 记住
bring into effect 实行；使生效
bring into operation 实施；使生效
can not help 禁不住，忍不住
carry into effect 施行；使生效
cast light on/upon 阐明，使了解
catch fire 着火，烧着
catch one“s breath 喘气，松口气；屏息
catch one”s eye 引人注目
catch sight of 看到，发现
come into effect 生效；实施
come into operation 施行，实行，生效
come to one“s senses 醒悟；苏醒
come true 实现
could not help 禁不住，忍不住
cut short 中断，打断
do one”s best 尽力，努力
enjoy oneself 过得快活
fall in love with 爱 上
find fault(with) 找岔
gain an advantage over 胜过，优于
get hold of 得到，获得
get rid of 丢弃，摆脱，
get the best of 战胜
get the better of 战胜，占上风
get together 会面，装配
give rise to 引起，导致
give way 让路，让步
go ahead 开始，进行
go into effect 施行，实行，生效
go into operation 生效，实施
go wrong 出错，出故障
had better 应该
had rather 宁愿
had rather...than 宁愿。而不愿。
have an advantage over 胜过，优于
have in mind 想到；记得；打算
have nothing to do with 和。毫无关系
have(something/much/little)to do with 和。(有些/有很大/没有什么)关系
help oneself 自用，自取
keep an eye on 留意，照看
keep in mind 记住
keep one“s head 保持镇静
keep one”s word 守信用
keep pace(with) (与。)齐步前进
lead the way 引路，带路
learn by heart 记住，背诵
leave alone 不打扰，不干预
let alone 更别提，不打扰
let go (of) 放，松手
lose heart 失去勇气，丧失信心
lose one“s head 慌乱，仓皇失措
lose one”s temper 发脾气，发努
lose sight of 忘记，忽略；看不见
make a /the difference 有影响，起作用
make friends 交朋友
make fun of 取笑，嘲弄
make one“s way 去，前往
make sense 讲得通，言之有理
make sure 查明；务必
make the best of 充分利用
make the most of 充分利用
make up one”s mind 下决心，打定主意
make use of 使用，利用
make way 让路，让出地方
may as well 还不如，不妨
never mind 不要紧；不用担心
pay attention to 注意
piece together 拼合
play a part(in) 起作用，参于
put into effect 实施；使生效
put into operation 实施；使生效
put into practice 实施；实行
put to use 使用
see to it that 注意，务必，保证
see that 注意，务必，保证
set fire to 使燃烧，点燃
take...for 把。认为是
take a chance 冒险，投机
take(a)delight in 以。为乐
take advantage of 利用，趁。之机
take care 当心，注意
take care of 照顾，照料
take charge 管理，接管
take effect 生效，起作用
take into account 考虑
take…… for granted 认为。理所当然
take one’s time 不着急，不着慌
take pains 努力，尽力，下苦功
take part (in) 参加，参于
take place 发生，进行，举行
take the place of 代替，取代
take turns 依次，轮流
think better of 经考虑改变对。的看法
try one“s best 尽力，努力
Part IWriting(三十 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay about a course thathas impressed you most in college.You should state the reasons and write at least 120words but no more than 180 words.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Part IIListening Comprehension (30 minutes) Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1. A． She used to be in poor health.
B． She was popular among boys.
C． She was somewhat overweight.
D． She didn't do well at high school.
2. A． At the airport.
B． In a restaurant.
C． In a booking office.
D． At the hotel reception.
3. A． Teaching her son by herself.
B． In a restaurant.
C． Asking the teacher for extra help.
D． Telling her son not to worry.
4. A． Have a short break.
B． Take two weeks off.
C． Continue her work outdoors.
D． Go on vacation with the man.
5. A． He is taking care of his twin brother.
B． Take two weeks off.
C． He is worried about Rod's health.
D． He has been in perfect condition.
6. A． She sold all her furniture before she moved house.
B． She still keeps some old furniture in her new house.
C． She plans to put all her old furniture in the basement.
D． She bought a new set of furniture from Italy last month.
7. A． The woman wondered why the man didn't return the book.
B． The woman doesn't seem to know what the book is about.
C． The woman doesn't find the book useful any more.
D． The woman forgot lending the book to the man.
8. A． Most of the man's friends are athletes.
B． Few people share the woman's opinion.
C． The man doesn't look like a sportsman.
D． The woman doubts the man's athletic ability.
Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. A． She has packed it in one of her bags.
B． She is going to get it at the airport.
C． She has probably left it in a taxi.
D． She is afraid that she has lost it.
10. A． It ends in winter.
B． It will cost her a lot.
C． It will last one week.
D． It depends on the weather.
11. A． The plane is taking off soon.
B． The taxi is waiting for them.
C． There might be a traffic jam.
D． There is a lot of stuff to pack.
12. A． At home.
B． At the airport.
C． In the man's car.
D． By the side of a taxi.
Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
13. A． She is thirsty for promotion.
B． She wants a much higher salary.
C． She is tired of her present work.
D． She wants to save travel expenses.
14. A． Translator.
C． Language instructor.
B． Travel agent.
D． Environmental engineer.
15. A． Lively personality and inquiring mind.
B． Communication skills and team spirit.
C． Devotion and work efficiency.
D． Education and experience.
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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Passage One
Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. A． They care a lot about children.
B． They need looking after in their old age.
C． They want to enrich their life experience.
D． They want children to keep them company.
17. A． They are usually adopted from distant places.
B． Their birth information is usually kept secret~
C． Their birth parents often try to conceal their birth information.
D． Their adoptive parents don't want them to know their birth parents.
18. A． They generally hold bad feelings towards their birth parents.
B． They do not want to hurt the feelings of their adoptive parents.
C． They have mixed feelings about finding their natural parents.
D． They are fully aware of the expenses involved in the search.
19. A． Early adoption makes for closer parent-child relationship.
B． Most .people prefer to adopt children from overseas.
C． Understanding is the key to successful adoption.
D． Adoption has much to do with love.
Passage Two
Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.
20. A． He suffered from mental illness.
B． He bought The Washington Post.
C． He turned a failing newspaper into a success.
D． He was once a reporter for a major newspaper.
21. A． She was the first woman to lead a big U.S. publishing company.
B． She got her first job as a teacher at the University of Chicago.
C． She committed suixide because of her mental disorder.
D． She took over her father's position when he died.
22. A． People came to see the role of women in the business world.
B． Katharine played a major part in reshaping Americans' mind.
C． American media would be quite different without Katharine.
D． Katharine had exerted an important influence on the world.
Passage Three
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
23. A． It'll enable them to enjoy the best medical care.
B． It'll allow them to receive free medical treatment.
C． It'll protect them from possible financial crises.
D． It'll prevent the doctors from overcharging them.
24. A． They can't immediately get back the money paid for their medical cost.
B． They have to go through very complicated application procedures.
C． They can only visit doctors who speak their native languages.
D． They may not be able to receive timely medical treatment.
25. A． They don't have to pay for the medical services.
B． They needn't pay the entire medical bill at once.
C． They must send the receipts to the insurance company promptly.
D． They have to pay a much higher price to get an insurance policy.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Final- ly, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
More and more of the world's population are living in towns or cities. The speed at which cities are growing in the less developed countries is (26)__________. Between 1920 and 1960 big cities in developed countries increased two and a half times in size, but in other parts of the world the growth was eight times their size.
The (27) __________size of growth is bad enough, but there are now also very disturb-ing signs of trouble in the (28)__________ of percentages of people living in towns and per-centages of people working in industry. During the nineteenth century cities grew(29)__________ the growth of industry. In Europe the proportion of people living in citiesWasalwayssmallerthanthatoftheworkForceworkingin
,however,the(30) __________ is almost always tree in the newly industrialised world: the percentage of people living in cities is much higher than the percentage working in industry.
Without a base of people working in industry, these cities cannot(31) __________their growth;thereis not enough money tobuildadequatehousesfor thepeoplethatlivethere,(32)__________ the new arrivals. There has been little opportunity to build water supplies orother (33) __________ So,thefiguresforthegrowthoftownsandcities(34)__________ proportional growth of unemployment and underemployment, a growth in the number of hopeless and (35)__________ parents and starving children.
Part ⅡIReading Comprehension (40 minutes) 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 letter. 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.
As an Alaskan fisherman, Timothy June,54, used to think that he was safe from industrial pollutants(污染物) at his home in Haines--a town with a population of 2,400 people and 4,000 eagles,with 8 million acres of protected wild land nearby. But in early , June agreed to take part in a 36 of 35 Americans from seven states. It was a biomonitoring project, in which people's blood and ur/ne (尿) were tested for 37 of chemicals--in this case, three potentially dangerous classes of compounds found in common household 38 like face cream, tin cans, and shower curtains. The
results--39 in November in a report called”Is It in Us?“ by an environmental group--were rather worrying. Every one of the participants,40 from an minois state senator to a Massachusetts minister, tested positive for all three classes of pollutants. And while the 41 presence of these chemicals does not 42 indicate a health risk, the fact that typical Americans carry these chemicals at all 43 June and his fellow participants.
Clearly, there are chemicals in our bodies that don't 44 there. A large, ongoing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found 148 chemicals in Americans of all ages.
And in , the Environmental Working Group found an 45 of 200 chemicals in the blood of 10 new-borns.”Our babies are being born pre-polluted,“ says Sharyle Patton of Commonweal, which cosponsored ”Is It in Us?This is going to be the next big environmental issue after climate change.“
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
A． analyses
B． average
C． belong
D． demonstrated
E．excess
F． extending
G． habitually
H． necessarily
I． products
J． ranging
K． released
L． shocked
M． simple
N． survey
O． traces
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
In Hard Economy for All Ages, Older Isn't Better... It's Brutal
[A] Young graduates are in debt, out of work and on their parents' couches. People in their 30s and 40s can't afford to buy homes or have children. Retirees are earning near-zero interest on their savings.
[B] In the current listless (缺乏活力的) economy, every generation has a claim to having been most injured. But the Labor Department's latest jobs reports and other recent data present a strong case for crowning baby boomers (二战后生育高峰期出生的人) as the greatest victims of the recession and its dreadful consequences.
[C] These Americans in their 50s and early 60s--those near retirement age who do not yet have access to Medicare and Social Security--have lost the most earnings power of any age group, with their household incomes 10 percent below what they made when the recovery began three years ago, according to Sentier Research, a data analysis company. Their retirement savings and home values fell sharply at the worst possible time: just before they needed to cash out. They are supporting both aged parents and unemployed young-adult children,earning them the unlucky nickname ”Generation Squeeze.“
[D] New research suggests that they may die sooner, because their health, income security and mental well-being were battered (重创) by recession at a crucial time in their lives. A recent study by economists at Wellesley College found that people who lost their jobs in the few years before becoming qualified for Social Security lost up to three years from their life expectanv'y (预期寿命), largely because they no longer had access to affordable health care.
[E] Unemployment rates for Americans nearing retirement are far lower than those for young people, who are recently out of school, with fewer skills and a shorter work history. But once out of a job, older workers have a much harder time finding another one. Over the last year, the average duration of unemployment for older people was 53 weeks, compared with 19 weeks for teenagers, according to the Labor Department's jobs report released on Friday.
[F] The lengthy process is partly because older workers are more likely to have been laid off from industries that are downsizing, like manufacturing. Compared with the rest of the population, older people are also more likely to own their own homes and be less mobile than renters, who can move to new job markets.
[G] Older workers are more likely to have a disability of some sort, perhaps limiting the range of jobs that offer realistic choices. They may also be less inclined, at least initially, to take jobs that pay far less than their old positions.
[H] Displaced boomers also believe they are victims of age discrimination, because employers can easily find a young, energetic worker who will accept lower pay and who can potentially stick around for decades rather than a few years.
[I]In a survey of older workers who were laid off during the recession, just one in six had found another job, and half of that group had accepted pay cuts.14% of the re-employed said the pay in their new job was less than half what they earned in their previous job. ”I just say to myself: 'Why me? What have I done to deserve this?'“ said John Agati,56, whose last full-time job, as a product developer, ended four years ago when his employer went out of business. That position paid $90,000, and his resume lists jobs at companies like American Express, Disney and USA Networks. Since being laid off, though, he has worked a series of part-time, low-wage, temporary positions, including selling shoes at Lord & Taylor and making sales calls for a car company.
[J] The last few years have taken a toil not only on his family's finances, but also on his feelings of self-worth. ”You just get sad,“ Mr. Agati said. ”I see people getting up in the morning, going out to their careers and going home. I just wish I was doing that. Some people don't like their jobs, or they have problems with their jobs, but at least they're working. I just wish I was in their shoes.“
He said he cannot afford to go back to school, as many younger people without jobs have done. Even if he could afford it, economists say it is unclear whether older workers like him benefit much from more education.
[K] ”It just doesn't make sense to offer retraining for people 55 and older,“ said Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor.”Discrimination by age, long-term unemployment, and the fact that they're now at the end of the hiring queue just don't make it sensible to invest in them.“
[L]Many displaced older workers are taking this message to heart and leaving the labor force entirely. The share of older people applying for Social Security early rose quickly during the recession as people sought whatever income they could find. The penalty they will pay is permanent, as retirees who take benefits at age 62 will receive as much as 30% less in each month's check for the rest of their lives than they would if they had waited until full retirement age (66 for those born after 1942).
[M] Those not yet qualified for Social Security are increasingly applying for another, comparable kind of income support that often goes to people who expect never to work again: disability benefits. More than one in eight people in their late 50s is now on some form of federal disability insurance program, according to Professor Mark Duggan at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
[N] The very oldest Americans, of course, were battered by some of the same ill winds that tormented(折磨) those now nearing retirement, but at least the most senior were cushioned by a more readily available social safety net. More important, in a statistical twist, they may have actually benefited from the financial crisis in the most fundamental way: longer lives.
[O] Death rates for people over 65 have historically fallen during recessions, according to a November study by economists at the University of California, Davis. Why? The researchers argue that weak job markets push more workers into accepting relatively undesirable work at nursing homes, leading to better care for residents.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
46. Greater mobility puts younger people at an advantage in seeking new jobs.
47. Many of the older workers laid off during the recession had to accept lower pay in their new jobs.
48. Those who lose their jobs shortly before retirement age live a shorter-than-average life.
49. Seniors at nursing homes could benefit from the weak job market.
50. Age discrimination in employment makes it pointless retraining older workers.
51. According to recent reports and data analyses, boomers suffer most from the weak economy.
52. Unemployed boomers are at a disadvantage in job-hunting because employers tend to hire younger workers.
53. People in their fifties and early sixties bear the heaviest family burdens.
54. People who take benefits from Social Security before official retirement age will get much less for the rest of their lives.
55. Older workers' choice of jobs can be limited because of disability.
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more pedaling (骑车的) passengers on those shining blue Citi Bikes. But what about local bike shops? Is Citi Bike rolling up riders at their expense?
At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, manager W. Ben said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program.”It's getting more people on the road,“ he said. James Ryan, an employee at Danny's Cycles in Gramercy also said Citi Bike is a good option for people to ease into biking in a city famed for its traffic jams and aggressive drivers.”They can try out a bike without committing to buying one,“ he said.
Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles. But for Frank's Bike Shop, a small business on Grand St., the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arroyo said his rental business has decreased by 90％ since Citi Bike was rolled out last month.
Arroyo's main rental customers are European tourists, who have since been drawn away by Citi Bikes.
However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop.”People have used the bike- share and realized how great it is to bike in the city, then decide that they want something nicer for themselves,“ he noted.
Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. just north of Christopher St., said initially he was concerned about bike-share, though, he admitted, ”I was happy to see people on bikes.“
Farrell's early concerns were echoed by Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second Ave. ”It seemed like a great idea, but one that would be difficult to implement,“ Crooks said of Citi Bike. He saidhe worried about inexperienced riders' lack of awareness of bildng rules and strong negative reaction from non-cyclists. However, he said, it's still too early to tell ff his business has been impacted.
While it's possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks allowed that the idea is a positive step forward for New York City.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
56. What is the author's chief concern about the increasing use of Citi Bikes in New York?
A． How non-cyclists will respond to it.
B． Whether local bike shops will suffer.
C． Whether local bike businesses will oppose it.
D． How the safety of bike riders can be ensured.
57. What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike-share program?
A． It found its bike sales unaffected.
B． It shifted its business to rentals.
C． It saw its bike sales on the rise.
D． It rented more bikes to tourists.
58. Why is the bike-share program bad news for Frank's Bike Shop?
A． It cannot meet the demand of the bike-share program.
B． Its customers have been drawn away by Citi Bikes.
C． Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again.
D． It has to compete with the city's bike rental shops.
59. Why did Andrew Crooks think that the bike-share program would be difficult to execute?
A． Inexperienced riders might break biking rules.
B． Conflicts might arise among bike rental shops.
C． Traffic conditions might worsen in the downtown area.
D． There are not enough lanes to accommodate the bikes.
60. What is the general attitude of local bike shops towards Citi Bike?
A． Wait-and-see.
B． Negative.
C． Indifferent.
D． Approving.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Various studies have shown that increased spending on education has not led to measurable improvements in learning. Between 1980 and , staff and teachers at U.S. public schools grew roughly twice as fast as students. Yet students showed no additional learning in achievement tests.
Universities show similar trends of increased administration personnel and costs without greater learning, as documented in Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa's recent book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.
A survey shows that 63% of employers say that recent college graduates don't have the sldlls they need to succeed and 25% of employers say that entry-level writing skills are lacking.
Some simplistically attribute the decline in our public education system to the drain of skilled students by private schools, but far more significant events were at work.
Public schools worked well until about the 1970s. In fact, until that time, public schools provided far better education than private ones. It was the underperforming students who were thrown out of public schools and went to private ones.
A prominent reason public schools did well was that many highly qualified women had few options for worldng outside the house other than being teachers or nurses. They accepted relatively low pay,difficult working conditions, and gave their very best.
Having such a large supply of talented women teachers meant that society could pay less for their services. Women's liberation opened up new professional opportunities for women, and, over time, some of the best left teaching as a career option, bringing about a gradual decline in the quality of schooling.
Also around that time, regulations, government, and unions came to dictate pay, prevent ac~ustments,and introduce bureaucratic (官僚的) standard for advancement. Large education bureaucracies and unions came to dominate the landscape, confusing activity with achievement. Bureaucrats regularly rewrite curriculums, talk nonsense about theories of education, and require ever more admires” trators. The end result has been that, after all the spending, students have worse math and reading skills than both their foreign peers and earlier generations spending far less on education--as all the accumulating evidence now documents.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答
61. What do we learn from various studies on America's public education?
A． Achievement tests have failed to truly reflect the quality of teaching.
B． Public schools-lack the resources to compete with private schools.
C． Little improvement in education has resulted from increased spending.
D． The number of students has increased much faster than that of teachers.
62. How do some people explain the decline in public education?
A． Government investment does not meet schools' needs.
B． Skilled students are moving to private schools.
C． Qualified teachers are far from adequately paid.
D． Training of students' basic skills is neglected.
63. What was a significant contributor to the past glory of public schools?
A． Well-behaved students.
B． Efficient admirestration.
C． Talented women teachers.
D． Generous pay for teachers.
64. Why did some of the best women teachers leave teaching?
A． New career opportunities were made available to them by women's liberation.
B． Higher academic requirements made it difficult for them to stay in their jobs.
C． They were unhappy with the bureaucratic administration in their schools.
D． The heavy teaching loads left them little time and energy for family life.
65. What does the author think is one of the results of government involvement in education?
A． Increasing emphasis on theories of education.
B． Highly standardized teaching methods.
C． Students' improved academic performance.
D． An ever-growing number of administrators.
Part IVTranslation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
中国的互联网社区是全世界发展最快的。，中国约有4．2亿网民(netizen)，而且人数还在迅速增长。互联网的日渐流行带来了重大的社会变化。中国网民往往不同于美国网民。美国网民更多的是受实际需要的驱使。用互联网为工具发电子邮件、买卖商品、做研究、规划旅程或付款。中国网民更多是出于社交原因使用互联网，因而更广泛地使用论坛、博客、聊天室等。
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
1.历年英语四级真题练习
2.12月英语四级真题练习
3.12月英语四级翻译真题练习：地铁报
4.大学英语四级听力真题练习
5.英语四级写作预热练习
6.2017英语四级听力练习试题
7.英语四级作文日常练习方法
8.英语四级练习试题
9.英语四级练习题及答案
10.大学英语四级考试历年真题词汇详解
206月英语四级考试真题试卷
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an advertisement on your campus website to sell a you used at college. Your advertisement may include its brand, specifications/features, condition and price, and your contact information. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
听力音频MP3文件，点击进入听力真题页面
Section A News Report
Directions： In this section， you will hear three news reports。 At the end of each news report， you will hear two or three questions。 Both the news report 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre。
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
1. A) The majority of drivers prefer to drive and park themselves.
B) Human drivers become easily distracted or tired while driving.
C) Most drivers feel uncertain about the safety of self-driving cars.
D) Most drivers have test driven cars with automatic braking features.
2. A) Their drivers would feel safe after getting used to the automatic devices.
B) They would be unpopular with drivers who only trust their own skills.
C) Their increased comfort levels have boosted their sales.
D) They are not actually as safe as automakers advertise.
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
3. A) Thefts of snowmobile dogs in Alaska.
B) A series of injuries to snowmobile drivers.
C) Attacks on some Iditarod Race competitors.
D) A serious accident in the Alaska sports event.
4. A) He stayed behind to look after his injured dogs.
B) He has won the Alaska Iditarod Race four times.
C) He received a minor injury in the Iditarod Race.
D) He has quit the competition in Alaska for good.
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
5. A) It sank into the sea due to overloading.
B) It ran into Nicaragua's Big Corn Island.
C) It disappeared between two large islands.
D) It turned over because of strong winds.
6. A) 13.
B) 25.
C) 30.
D) 32.
7. A) He has helped with the rescue effort.
B) He is being investigated by the police.
C) He was drowned with the passengers.
D) He is among those people missing.
Section B Conversation
Directions： In this section， you will hear two long conversations。 At the end of each conversations you will hear four questions。 Both the conversations and the question-s 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
8. A) At a shopping centre.
B) At a community college.
C) At an accountancy firm.
D) At an IT company.
9. A) Helping out with data input.
B) Arranging interviews.
C) Sorting application forms.
D) Making phone calls.
10. A) He enjoys using computers.
B) He needs the money badly.
C) He wants to work in the city centre.
D) He has relevant working experience.
11. A) Purchase some business suits.
B) Learn some computer language.
C) Improve his programming skills.
D) Review some accountancy terms.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. A) They are keen on high technology.
B) They are poor at technology skills.
C) They often listen to National Public Radio.
D) They feel superior in science and technology.
13. A) Japanese.
B) Germans.
C) Poles.
D) Americans.
14. A) Emailing.
B) Texting.
C) Science.
D) Literacy.
15. A) It is undergoing a drastic reform.
B) It lays emphasis on creative thinking.
C) It has much room for improvement.
D) It prioritizes training of practical skills.
Section C Passage
Directions： In this section， you will hear three passages。 At the end of each passage， you will hear three or four 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 mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. A) They have small roots.
B) They grow white flowers.
C) They taste like apples.
D) They come from Central Africa.
17. A) They turned from white to purple in color.
B) They became popular on the world market.
C) They became an important food for humans.
D) They began to look like modern-day carrots.
18. A) They were found quite nutritious.
B) There were serious food shortages.
C) People discovered their medicinal value.
D) Farm machines helped lower their prices.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19. A) She could update her family any time she liked.
B) She could call up her family whenever she liked
C) She could locate her friends wherever they were.
D) She could download as many pictures as she liked.
20. A) She liked to inform her friends about her success.
B) She enjoyed reading her friends' status updates.
C) She felt quite popular among them.
D) She felt she was a teenager again.
21. A) She could barely respond to all her 500 Facebook friends.
B) She spent more time updating her friends than her family.
C) She could barely balance Facebook updates and her work.
D) She didn't seem to be doing as well as her Facebook friends.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22. A) They have strong muscles.
B) They live a longer life than horses.
C) They eat much less in winter.
D) They can work longer than donkeys.
23. A) It was a pet of a Spanish king.
B) It was bought by George Washington.
C) It was brought over from Spain.
D) It was donated by a U.S. Ambassador.
24. A) They met and exchanged ideas on animal breeding.
B) They participated in a mule-driving competition.
C) They showed and traded animals in the market.
D) They fed mules with the best food they could find.
25. A) The wider use of horses.
B) The arrival of tractors.
C) A shrinking animal trade.
D) A growing donkey population.
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
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 letter. Please mark the corresponding letter 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.
As if you needed another reason to hate the gym, it now turns out that exercise can exhaust not only your muscles, but also your eyes. Fear not, however, for coffee can stimulate them again. During __26__ exercise, our muscles tire as they run out of fuel and build up waste products. Muscle performance can also be affected by a __27__ called ”central fatigue,“ in which an imbalance in the body's chemical messengers prevents the central nervous system from directing muscle movements __28__. It was not known, however, whether central fatigue might also affect motor systems not directly __29__ in the exercise itself, such as those that move the eyes. To find out, researchers gave 11 volunteer cyclists a carbohydrate （碳水化合物的）__30__ either with a moderate dose of caffeine （***），which is known to stimulate the central nervous system, or as a placebo （安慰剂）without, during 3 hours of __31__. After exercising, the scientists tested the cyclists with eye-tracking cameras to see how well their brains could still __32__ their visual system. The team found that exercise reduced the speed of rapid eye movements by about 8%, __33__ their ability to capture new visual information. The caffeine, the equivalent of two strong cups of coffee, was __34__ to reverse this effect, with some cyclists even displaying __35__ eye movement speeds. So it might be a good idea to get someone else to drive you home after that marathon.
A) cautiously B) commit C) control D) cycling E) effectively F) increased G) involved H) limited I) phenomenon J) preventing K) sensitive L) slowing M) solution N) sufficient O) vigorous
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Team spirit
A）Teams have become the basic building blocks of organisations. Recruitment advertisements routinely call for ”team players“. Business schools grade their students in part on their performance in group projects. Office managers knock down walls to encourage team building. Teams are as old as civilisation, of course: even Jesus had 12 co-workers. But a new report by Deloitte, ”Global Human Capital Trends“，based on a survey of more than 7,000 executives in over 130 countries, suggests that the fashion for teamwork has reached a new high. Almost half of those surveyed said their companies were either in the middle of restructuring or about to embark on （开始）it; and for the most part, restructuring meant putting more emphasis on teams.
B）Companies are abandoning conventional functional departments and organising employees into cross- disciplinary teams that focus on particular products, problems or customers. These teams are gaining more power to run their own affairs. They are also spending more time working with each other rather than reporting upwards. Deloitte argues that a new organisational form is on the rise: a network of teams is replacing the conventional hierarchy （等级体制）.
C）The fashion for teams is driven by a sense that the old way of organising people is too rigid for both the modern marketplace and the expectations of employees. Technological innovation places greater value on agility（灵活性）. John Chambers, chairman of Cisco Systems Inc., a worldwide leader in electronics products, says that ”we compete against market transitions（过渡）, not competitors. Product transitions used to take five or seven years; now they take one or two. “ Digital technology also makes it easier for people to co-ordinate their activities without resorting to hierarchy. The ” millennials“ （千禧一代）who will soon make up half the workforce in rich countries were raised from nursery school onwards to work in groups.
D）The fashion for teams is also spreading from the usual corporate suspects (such as GE and IBM) to some more unusual ones. The Cleveland Clinic, a hospital operator, has reorganised its medical staff into teams to focus on particular treatment areas; consultants, nurses and others collaborate closely instead of being separated by speciality （专业）and rank. The US Army has gone the same way. In his book, Team of Teams, General Stanley McChrystal describes how the army's hierarchical structure hindered its operations during the early stages of the Iraq war. His solution was to learn something from the rebels it was fighting: decentralising authority to self-organising teams.
E）A good rule of thumb is that as soon as generals and hospital administrators jump on a management bandwagon （追随一种管理潮流）, it is time to ask questions. Leigh Thompson of Kellogg School of Management in Illinois warns that, ”Teams are not always the answer—teams may provide insight, creativity and knowledge in a way that a person working independently cannot; but teamwork may also lead to confusion, delay and poor decision-making. “ The late Richard Hackman of Harvard University once argued, ”I have no question that when you have a team, the possibility exists that it will generate magic, producing something extraordinary ... But don't count on it. “
F）Hackman （who died in ） noted that teams are hindered by problems of co-ordination and motivation that chip away at the benefits of collaboration. High-flyers （能干的人）who are forced to work in teams may be undervalued and free-riders empowered. Group-think may be unavoidable. In a study of 120 teams of senior executives, he discovered that less than 10% of their supposed members agreed on who exactly was on the team. If it is hard enough to define a team's membership, agreeing on its purpose is harder still.
G）Profound changes in the workforce are making teams trickier to manage. Teams work best if their members have a strong common culture. This is hard to achieve when, as is now the case in many big firms, a large proportion of staff are temporary contractors. Teamwork improves with time: America's National Transportation Safety Board found that 73% of the incidents in its civil-aviation database occurred on a crew's first day of flying together. However, as Amy Edmondson of Harvard points out, organisations increasingly use ”team“ as a verb rather than a noun: they form teams for specific purposes and then quickly disband them.
H）The least that can be concluded from this research is that companies need to think harder about managing teams. They need to rid their minds of sentimentalism（感情用事）:the most successful teams have leaders who are able to set an overall direction and take immediate action. They need to keep teams small and focused: giving in to pressure to be more ”inclusive“ is a guarantee of dysfunction. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's boss, says that ”If I see more than two pizzas for lunch, the team is too big.“ They need to immunise teams against group-think: Hackman argued that the best ones contain ”deviant“ （离经叛道者）who are willing to do something that may be upsetting to others.
I）A new study of 12,000 workers in 17 countries by Steelcase, a furniture-maker which also does consulting, finds that the best way to ensure employees are ”engaged“ is to give them more control over where and how they do their work—which may mean liberating them from having to do everything in collaboration with others.
J）However, organisations need to learn something bigger than how to manage teams better: they need to be in the habit of asking themselves whether teams are the best tools for the job. Team-building skills are in short supply: Deloitte reports that only 12% of the executives they contacted feel they understand the way people work together in networks and only 21% feel confident in their ability to build cross-functional teams. Loosely managed teams can become hotbeds of distraction—employees routinely complain that they can't get their work done because they are forced to spend too much time in meetings or compelled to work in noisy offices. Even in the age of open-plan offices and social networks some work is best left to the individual.
36.Successful team leaders know exactly where the team should go and are able to take prompt action.
37.Decentralisation of authority was also found to be more effective in military operations.
38.In many companies, the conventional form of organisation is giving way to a network of teams.
of poorly managed teams are easily distracted from their work.
is most effective when team members share the same culture.
41.According to a report by Deloitte, teamwork is becoming increasingly popular among companies.
42.Some team members find it hard to agree on questions like membership and the team's purpose.
43.Some scholars think teamwork may not always be reliable, despite its potential to work wonders.
ensure employees' commitment, it is advisable to give them more flexibility as to where and how they work.
45.Product transitions take much less time now than in the past.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time，you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for the second time，you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally，when the passage is read for the third time，you should check what you have written.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Shoppers in the UK are spending less money on toilet paper to save money, research has shown.
Penny-pinching UK consumers choose cheaper products from discounters such as Aldi and Lidl rather than luxury alternatives.
This has wiped 6% off the value of the soft tissue paper market in the UK. It has shrunk from 1.19 billion pounds in 2011 to 1.12 billion pounds in , according to a new report from market research company Mintel. Furthermore, the future of the market looks far from rosy, with sales expected to fall further to 1.11 billion pounds in .
In the last year alone, despite an increase in the UK population and a subsequent rise in the number of households, sales of toilet paper fell by 2%, with the average household reducing their toilet roll spending from 43 pounds in to 41 pounds in 2015.
Overall, almost three in five people say they try to limit their usage of paper—including facial tissue and kitchen roll—to save money. ”Strength, softness and thickness remain the leading indicators of toilet paper quality, with just a small proportion of consumers preferring more luxurious alternatives, such as those with flower patterns or perfume,“ said Mintel analyst Jack Duckett. ”These extra features are deemed unnecessary by the majority of shoppers, which probably reflects how these types of products are typically more expensive than regular toilet paper, even when on special offer.“
While consumers are spending less on toilet paper, they remain fussy—in theory at least—when it comes to paper quality. Top of Britons' toilet paper wish list is softness (57%) followed by strength (45%) and thickness (36%).
One in 10 buyers rank toilet rolls made from recycled paper among their top considerations, highlighting how overall the environment is much less of a consideration for shoppers than product quality. In a challenge for manufacturers, 81% of paper product users said they would consider buying recycled toilet tissue if it were comparable in quality to standard paper.
46. The market sales of toilet paper have decreased because ______.
A. Britons have cut their spending on it.
B. its prices have gone up over the years.
C. its quality has seen marked improvement.
D. Britons have developed the habit of saving.
47. What does the author think of the future of the tissue paper market in the UK?
A. It will expand in time.
B. It will remain gloomy.
C. It will experience ups and downs.
D. It will recover as population grows.
48. What does Jack Duckett say about toilet paper?
A. Special offers would promote its sales.
B. Consumers are loyal to certain brands.
C. Luxurious features add much to the price.
D. Consumers have a variety to choose from.
49. What do we learn about Britons concerning toilet paper?
A. They are particular about the quality of toilet paper.
B. They emphasize the strength of toilet paper the most.
C. They prefer cheap toilet paper to recycled toilet paper.
D. They reject using toilet paper with unnecessary features.
50. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. More and more Britons buy recycled toilet paper to protect the environment.
B. Toilet paper manufacturers are facing a great challenge in promoting its sales.
C. Toilet paper manufacturers compete with one another to improve product quality.
D. Environmental protection is not much of a concern when Britons buy toilet paper.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
”One of the reasons I find this topic very interesting is because my mom was a smoker when I was younger,“ says Lindson-Hawley, who studies tobacco and health at the University of Oxford.
By studying about 700 adult smokers, she found out that her mom quit the right way—by stopping abruptly and completely.
In her study, participants were randomly （随机地）assigned to two groups. One had to quit abruptly on a given day, going from about a pack a day to zero. The other cut down gradually over the course of two weeks. People in both groups used nicotine （尼古丁）patches before they quit, in addition to a second form of nicotine replacement, like gum or spray. They also had talk therapy with a nurse before and after quit day.
Six months out, more people who had quit abruptly had stuck with it—more than one-fifth of them, compared to about one-seventh in the other group. Although these numbers appear low, it is much higher than if people try without support.
And the quit rates were particularly convincing given that before the study started, most of the people had said they'd rather cut down gradually before quitting. ”If you're training for a marathon, you wouldn't expect to turn up and just be able to run it. And I think people see that for smoking as well. They think, 'Well, if I gradually reduce, it's like practice,'“ says Lindson-Hawley. But that wasn't the case. Instead of giving people practice, the gradual reduction likely gave them cravings （瘾）and withdrawal symptoms before they even reached quit day, which could be why fewer people in that group actually made it to that Point. ”Regardless of your stated preference, if you're ready to quit, quitting abruptly is more effective,“ says Dr. Gabriela Ferreira. ”When you can quote a specific number like a fifth of the patients were able to quit, that's compelling. It gives them the encouragement, I think, to really go for it,“ Ferreira says.
People rarely manage to quit the first time they try. But at least, she says, they can maximize the odds of success.
51. What does Lindson-Hawley say about her mother?
A. She quit smoking with her daughter's help.
B. She succeeded in quitting smoking abruptly.
C. She was also a researcher of tobacco and health.
D. She studied the smoking patterns of adult smokers.
52. What kind of support did smokers receive to quit smoking in Lindson-Hawley's study?
A. They were given physical training.
B. They were looked after by physicians.
C. They were encouraged by psychologists.
D. They were offered nicotine replacements.
53. How does Dr. Gabriela Ferreira view the result of Lindson-Hawley's experiment?
A. It is idealized.
B. It is unexpected.
C. It is encouraging.
D. It is misleading.
54. The idea of ”a marathon“ (Line 2，Para. 5) illustrates the popular belief that quitting smoking _____.
A. is something few can accomplish
B. needs some practice first
C. requires a lot of patience
D. is a challenge at the beginning
55. What happens when people try to quit smoking gradually?
A. They find it even more difficult.
B. They are simply unable to make it.
C. They show fewer withdrawal symptoms.
D. They feel much less pain in the process.
Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
长江是亚洲最长、世界上第三长的河流。长江流经多种不同的生态系统，是诸多濒危物种的栖息地，灌溉了中国五分之一的土地。长江流域（river basin）居住着中国三分之一的人口。长江在中国历史、文化和经济上起着很大的作用。长江三角洲（delta）产出多大20%的中国国民生产总值。几千年来，长江一直被用于供水、运输和工业生产。长江上还坐落着世界最大的水电站。
Part Ⅰ Writing
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Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension
1. C.Most drivers feel uncertain about the safety of self-driving cars.
2. A.Their drivers would feel safe after getting used to the automatic devices.
3. C.Attacks on some Iditarod race competitors.
4. B.He has won the Alaska Iditarod Race four times.
5. D.It turned over because of strong winds.
6. D.32.
7. B.He is being investigated by the police.
8. C.At an accountancy firm.
9. A.Helping out with data input.
10. B.He needs the money badly.
11. D.Review some accountancy terms.
12. B.They are poor at technology skills.
13. A.Japanese.
14. D.Literacy.
15. C.It has much room for improvement.
16. A.They have small roots.
17. D.They began to look like modern-day carrots.
18. B.There were serious food shortages.
19. A.She could update her family any time she liked.
20. B.She enjoyed reading her friends' status updates.
21. D.She didn't seem to be doing as well as her Facebook friends.
22. A.They have strong muscles.
23. C.It was brought over from Spain.
24. C.They showed and traded animals in the market.
25. B.The arrival of tractors.
Part III Reading Comprehension
26-35：OIEGM DCJNF
36-45：HDBJG AFEIC
46-55：ABCAD BDCBA
Part IV Translation
The Yangtze River is the longest in Asia and the third longest in the world. The river, which flows through varied ecosystems along its passage, offers habitats for many endangered species and provides irrigation for 1/5 of China's land. The Yangtze River basin is home to 1/3 of China's population. The river plays a very important role in China historically, culturally and economically. The Yangtze River Delta contributes up to 20% of China's GDP. For millennia, the Yangtze River has been used for water supply, shipment and industrial activities. The world's largest hydropower station is also built on the river.
一、印象最深活动
The Most Beneficial Activity in My Campus
It is well known that university is greatly different from high school mainly due to that university will hold a large number of activities, which benefits college students a lot. From my perspective, the most beneficial one is “Long-distance Running for Love” organized by the Students Union when I am a freshman. The money collected by this activity is contributed to Project Hope.
It is really my honor to participate the long running, because it benefits me greatly not only in body but also in mind. To begin with, the activity reminds me of the great importance of physical health. Before I go to college, I only focus on academic achievements while the physical health misses my attention. But, the long-running tells me in time that a sound mind lies in a sound body. Additionally, during my participation in this activity, I am informed well that there are still many children in rural areas who have to drop out of school because of impoverished families. Thus, for one thing, I fully realize the great importance of helping them fulfill their dreams. For another thing, I cherish the opportunity to study in university more, for when compared with those children in poverty-stricken areas, we should harbor a grateful heart.
By and large, although I have taken part in many campus activities, I deem the long running for love most beneficial to me. And I am looking forward to that more wonderful and meaningful activities will be held in our campus.
范文译文：
众所周知，大学与高中截然不同，主要原因是大学里会举办很多校园活动，而这些大学活动使大学生受益匪浅。我认为最有益的校园活动是大一时，由学生会举办的“爱心长跑”。这次长跑筹集的善款用于捐助希望工程。
我很荣幸参加了这次长跑，因为这次活动使我的身心都获得了很大裨益。首先，这次活动提醒我身体健康的重要性。在我上大学前，我只关心自己的学习成绩，而忽视了健康。但是，这次长跑及时提醒我――健康的身体孕育健康的灵魂。此外，通过参加此次长跑，我深刻了解到还有许多偏远山区的小孩因为家庭贫困被迫辍学。因此，一方面我充分意识到帮助这些小孩实现梦想是何其重要；另一方面，我更珍惜自己能上大学的机会。因为，和那些贫困地区的小孩相比，我们应该怀有一颗感恩的心。
总体而言，虽然我参加过许多校园活动，但是我认为这次爱心长跑最为有益。我也期待有更多精彩而有意义的校园活动举行。
二、印象最深课程
The Most Impressing Course in My College Life
印象最深的一门课
During the two years of college life, I have attended many special courses, among which the most impressed one is psychology. I still remembered the days when I was fed up with my major Math, which frustrated me so much. Till I fortunately select one of the most fascinating optional courses lectured by Professor Wang.
Time gone back to the first class of Mr. Wang, I found a little old man came in the classroom with a thick book of psychology. Mysteriously, I first unveiled and explored the myth within it by the vivid demonstration of Mr. Wang, and became fascinated with this course. In the following days, it enclosed an assorted of psychological phenomenon reflected in ordinary people’s daily lives by illustrating examples in reality.
To be frank, it is the psychology class that enlightens my soul of exploring the unknown world and stimulate my desire to learn. And it is no surprise to say that psychology is the most impressing course for me in college.
最新四级写作点评：
今年12月20号的最新四级写作的出题类型延续了6月的形式，较以往更加趋向于灵活性，重点考察的是考生的英语基础知识，不再依赖于过去的传统模版或套句。因此这样的考察形式更需要考生在平时英语的学习过程中去积累，注重英语书面表达运用技巧。而在出题的话题上也更偏向于大学生的校园学习和生活话题，文体形式比较自由。因此建议广大四级考生能通过平时的基础练习和专业课程指导，摒弃模版，达到理想的写作分数。
三、印象最深同学
In my memory, there are so many unforgettable men who have rendered me assistance。Among them, the most impressive one is Lucy, my roommate. During the freshman year with her, it has exerted considerable influence on me。
First and foremost, when I entered the university, Lucy set good examples to me in terms of independence. She adapts the new environment quickly. Moreover, she has a cheerful personality, and participates in the Students’ Union soon . With her advice, I soon follow her step and join more activities. Last but not least, what I have learnt most from her is the self-study ability. She spends much time in reading and mastering a new language in the library and often recommend me useful books and information 。
In a word, I really appreciate it for her modeling power. I wish I can be excellent like her and have a great friendship with Lucy.
12月大学英语四级真题试卷一阅读答案及解析
Part III Reading Comprehension
Section A
26. [C] essential
27. [M] suspicion
28. [G] miserable
29. [A] constantly
30. [O] watching
31. [J] records
32. [K] removed
33. [F] load
34. [I] properly
35. [H] pressure
解析：
26题根据上下文得知，此处应该是说人与人之间信任的重要性。很明显答案C. essential符合条件，B选项有可信的意思，看到此选项可能下意识地会选这个答案，但翻译成“信任是可信的”，和主旨无关，此处还是讨论信任的重要性。
29题容易选一个名词比如records和”mistakes”并列，但是后面的选项并没有双引号，后面是一个动词reminding，可以推测前面需要填入副词来修饰reminding，根据语义“要求你做这做那”，可以推出是不断要求，而不是properly恰当地，排除完可以得出constantly.
31题，此处判断应填名词，有同学可能会和pressure弄混淆，但此处并不能得出公司要施加压力。公司出于自我保护和信任问题，对于任何交易记录都会留有根据和存根，这些都是记录，所以答案应该是records,
Section B
36. [G] The Chetty data shows that neighborhoods and places mattered for children born in the San Jose area of the 1980s.
37. [D] The reasons kids in San Jose performed so well might seem obvious.
38. [K] The idea that those at the bottom can rise to the top is central to America's ideas about itself.
39. [B] Indeed, data suggests that this is one of the best places to grow up poor in America.
40. [J] But in today's America-a land of rising inequality
41. [I] Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure that the city regains its status as a place where even poor kids can access the resources to succeed.
42. [E] Indeed, the streets of San Jose seem, in some ways, to embody the best of America.
43. [C] By contrast, just 4.4 percent of poor kids in Charlotte moved up to the top
44. [H] Some San Jose residents say that as inequality has grown in recent years
45. [F] But researchers aren 't sure exactly why poor kids in San Jose did so well.
解析：
38题干主旨表达的是如果该市的问题不解决将会动摇美国的根本信仰，对应K项中的America's ideas about itself.和foundational belief.可以进行匹配。
41题干第一句该市的官员，可以定位到[I]选项第一句Leaders in San Jose, 且 该句直接表明了目的，就是为了提升贫困孩子触达成功的机会。
42题中的manifest词汇较为生僻，但后面的some of the best features可以理解说的是关于美国最好的几点特质，对应到[E]选项to embody the best of America.
44 题干关键信息是 increases in housing prices，快速浏览后可以定位到[H]项多次提到如Rent，homelessness problem, housing prices等与住房相关的信息
Section C
Passage One
46. [D] They lack the necessary resources to address pupils’ mental problems.
47. [A] They have deteriorated due to budget cuts.
48. [B] At school.
49. [C] Students are more comfortable seeking counselling in school.
50. [D] A change in the conception of what schools are.
解析：
46题A和B选项属于无中生有，C选项说的是学校在实施干预方面举措不利，但是根据原文第二段第二句，how ill-equipped they feel 可以看出主体是老师自己而不是学校，此处是一个偷换概念的陷阱，还是要基于文章的意思判断。
47题的C选项与原文第三段最后一句意义相反；B和D选项也是无中生有，A选项中出现了一个生词，但最后出现的budgets cuts还是可以帮助我们定位到第三段第二句。
49. A和B均属无中生有，D选项则偷换了概念，原文是指学生们更愿意在校内进行心理辅导而不是外面的心理咨询，D选项则替换成了校外活动。
Passage Two
51. [A] To illustrate people’s peculiar shopping behavior.
52. [D] To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.
53. [B] The E conomist’s promotional strategy works.
54. [C] To trap customers into buying the more pricey item.
55. [B] By comparing it with other choices.
解析：
51题的BD选项都属于捏造的信息，C选项具有一定迷惑性，但描述的是表面的信息，并不是作者举例的真实目的，此处挑选饮料本质是想要阐述一种特定购物行为。
52题讨论的是中罐苏打水定价的理由，A选项吸引更多人去买很明显不对，因为中罐苏打水重量减半价格却很贵，同理B项也不符合，C项本文并未提及，属于生造的信息。所以中罐苏打是为了让顾客以同样价格买到更大罐的饮料从而觉得占到便宜。
53 题A选项看似符合常理，但并不是Dan的研究成果内容，属于张冠李戴；C项文中并没有提及是卖的最好的； 最后的D项也偷换了概念，很有迷惑性，研究结果的意思是如果没有纸质加电子版这个选项的话，大部分人还是会选择更便宜的电子版，但和纸质版对比，同样的价格还可以获得电子版，所以人们会更倾向选择print plus digital，而不是digital
话题：
让我们在电脑普及的今天，谈一谈电脑给我们带来了什么。
参考例文：
With the rapid development of computer, computers are becoming growing popular among people all over the world. And the popularity of using computer is increasing year by year. It is obvious that the computer is playing an important role in our daily life.
Due to the comprehensive applications of the Computer, it has been gradually taking place of human beings in some areas. Such as people can use computers to compose, purchase goods, or hold meetings. Whats more, computer can greatly improve peoples working efficiency. However, every coin has its two aspects. Computer also brings some disadvantages. For example, since computer games now have been prevalent among students, they almost spend more than 6 hours for entertainment on computer, and not study any more. Besides, many people now favor talk with their friends on line, and they meet less frequently than ever before. As a consequence, the lack of speaking leads to their terrible expression.
To sum up, we are supposed to keep balance between entertainment and study, make the best use of its good aspect to get further more improvement.