2013年6月全国大学英语四级考试真题及参考答案

2013年6月全国大学英语四级考试真题
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

Directions:For this part,you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short easy entitled How Will Our Life Go on without Internet. You should write at least 120words
following the outline given below in Chinese:
1. 网络提供给了人们丰富多彩和便捷的生活
2. 很多人开始感觉离开网络寸步难行
3. 你对网络依赖症的看法
How Will Our Life Go on without Internet
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Part II Reading Comprehension (skimming and scanning)
(15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer
from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete
the sentences with the information given in the passage.
Time Off from Work Gains in Importance
American workers are saying they need a break. As their number of hours clocked on the job has crept higher, more time off has become a bigger priority. In the past few years, human resources experts say time off has consistently placed among the top three employee concerns, along with compensation and staffing levels, whereas it used to be farther down the list. In a poll taken online in November 2004, 39% of workers said if given
the choice, they would choose time off over the equivalent in additional base salary. Of course, most of the 4,600 respondents are still opting for the bigger paycheck, but the desire for time off is up almost 20% from just three years ago when conducted a similar poll.
The reasons for this shift are many and varied. Some have to do with the way a new generation is thinking about work, while others are driven by how companies are responding to recent economic pressures.
A New Generation
The results may in part represent the needs of a new breed of workers. The average American is working one month (160 hours) more each year than a generation ago. According to recruiting and human capital management expert John Sumser, younger workers work for meaning first and money second. He goes on to warn employers that these are the people who are the foundation for the next workforce and they may not buy the existing paradigm (范例). A study released in late 2004 by the New York-based Families and Work Institute concludes that the new brand of young workers is rejecting the
work-centric style of their parents’ generation. The study, which examines changes in the workforce over the past 25 years, found that younger workers are more likely to be “family-centric” or “dual-centric” (with equal priorities on both career and family) rather than “work-centric” when compared to members of the Boomer Generation.
September 11th and the End of the Roaring Nineties
The impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11th cut across all age groups of the workforce. We collectively entered a new era, reevaluating life’s priorities and making changes in our attitude toward time spent at work versus hobbies and family. “I started looking a t things completely differently. I’ve been far less willing to put in the 14-hour days necessary to get noticed and climb the corporate ladder,” said Tony Jackson, a 43-year-old employee of a New York City-based financial services company. “Frankly, I can’t see that changing.”
Even before September 11th, some experts say the slow shift in worker attitudes was already underway due to the end of the roaring 1990’s, when hours were long and significant personal wealth was created. For those who fared well financially, some opted for careers of contract work where they could call more of the shots pertaining to (与……有关的) time off, or new occupations with greater personal rewards. For others, even if their bank accounts were not spilling over from America’s econ omic heyday (全盛时期), their own energy had been depleted due to unrelenting (毫不松懈的) years of work hours and high stress. They were ready for something less taxing.
Families and Work Institute President and co-founder Ellen Galinsky agrees. She says the poll numbers show evidence of an increase in need for time off and a shift in thinking due to the fact that workers have been pushed to their limit in recent years. “This new generation of workers is at the edge of how long they can work. It just feels like too much. They are not slackers (懒虫); they just don’t want more,” says Galinsky.
Monetary Needs Less Intense Due to Dual Income Households
“We’ve decided we prefer to have more time to ourselves,” says Carol Kornhaber, a New England software programmer in her late twenties. Kornhaber and her husband are both working but have sought out jobs where they are not pressed to put in long hours. Instead, they have insisted upon eight-hour days and having enough vacation time to travel, a major interest they share. Financial pressures are eased by both of them working and keeping a careful watch on their expenses. “We are lucky in a lot of ways to have found bosses who understand our needs.”
Burnout
Trying to squeeze more productivity out of workers may be nothing new, but it has become particularly acute in recent years. This has been due in large measure to
recession-induced layoffs and other trends such as the rising cost of healthcare benefits. After a layoff, workers who remain behind are often asked to pick up most or even all the load of the people who were let go, requiring more and more hours at the office. As new corporate initiatives are planned, the inverse is also true. As Sumser observes, “the additional workload, which runs across the economy from the office worker to the manufacturing line, seems to be a function of the cost of benefits. The regulations make it cheaper to add workload for existing employees than to hire new players.” The Families and Work Institute reports that nearly one third of U.S. employees often or very often feel overworked or overwhelmed by how much work they have to do. Nearly three out of four report that they frequently dream about doing something different from their current job.
Show Me the Money
Overworked or not, the majority in the poll still chose to fatten their paycheck if given the choice. For many, it was a practical matter. Says Peggy Jones, an accountant in a Boston area business services company, “I already get three weeks a year that I c an’t use up because I’m so busy. I’d definitely go for the extra money to pay some bills or make a big purchase I’ve been holding off on.” For Jones, the realities of running a household and saving up for college for her children simply need to take precedence over extra free time.
Companies Are Already Responding
To many human resources experts it is inevitable that, given the growing health of the economy and the upcoming population-driven labor shortages as the Boomer Generation moves into retirement, the pendulum of control in the employee-employer relationship will swing back to the employee side. That is expected to begin in just a few years. According to human resources expert, Larry Schumer, at , “since most companies succeed based on a motivated and capable workforce, they have offered and will continue to offer more paid flexibility, whether it be through tried and tested time-off programs or the next great idea.” Where will that new balance of employer versus employee needs lie? Time, or perhaps time off, surely will tell.
1. Which of the following has been rising in importance in the past few years?
A) Compensation. B) Time off. C) Right to vote. D) Staffing levels.
2. According to the passage, we know that the Boomer Generation is concerned ________.
A) about family and work equally B) more about work
C) more about family D) about neither work nor family
3. What can be inferred about Tony Jackson?
A) He is 43 years old.
B) He works in a financial services company.
C) He has changed his life and work attitude.
D) He spends 14 hours a day on his work.
4. When did American workers gradually begin to change their attitudes towards work?
A) After September 11. B) In November 2004.
C) In late 2004. D) At the end of the roaring 1990’s.
5. According to Ellen Galinsky, why did workers change their mind about work?
A) They have been pushed to the limit of their working hours.
B) They increased their need to enjoy life.
C) They have more rights than before.
D) They don’t want to work for a living.
6. Carol Kornhaber and her husband don’t have too much financial pressure because ___________.
A) they have parents who are rich
B) they don’t have children to feed
C) they both have a high salary
D) they both have work and they are thrifty
7. After a layoff, the employees who keep their jobs usually have to ___________.
A) find another job in case they are fired
B) do what their bosses tell them to
C) work longer hours to avoid being fired
D) do the work left by the laid-off workers
8. According to , compared with three years ago, the desire for time off is up almost ________________________.
9. According to the poll from , the majority of employees preferred to ________________________ if they had the choice.
10. Larry Schumer said that most companies succeeded based on a motivated and capable __________________________.
Part ⅢListening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section A
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11. 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.
12. A) At the airport. B) In a restaurant.
C) In a booking office. D) At the hotel reception.
13. A) Teaching her son by herself. B) Having confidence in her son.
C) Asking the teacher for extra help. D) Telling her son not to worry.
14. A) Have a short break. B) Take two weeks off.
C) Continue her work outdoors. D) Go on vacation with the man.
15. A) He is taking care of his twin brother.
B) He has been feeling ill all week.
C) He is worried about Rod’s health.
D) He has been in perfect condition.
16. A) She sold all her furniture before she moved house.
B) She still keeps some old furniture in her new house.
C) She plants to put all her old furniture in the basement.
D) She bought a new set of furniture from Italy last month.
17. 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.
18. 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 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. 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.
20. A) It ends in winter. B) It will cost her a lot.
C) It will last one week. D) It depends on the weather.
21. 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.
22. A) At home. B) At the airport.
C) In the man’s car.D) By the side of a taxi.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23. 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.
24. A) Translator. B) Travel agent.
C) Language instructor. D) Environmental engineer.
25. A) Lively personality and inquiring mind.
B) Communication skills and team spirit.
C) Devotion and work efficiency. 、
D) Education and experience.
Section B
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答
Passage One
Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
30. 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.
31. 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 suicide because of her mental disorder.
D) She took over her father’s position when he died.
32. A) People came to see the role of women in the business world.
B) Katharine played a major part in r eshaping Americans’ mind.
C) American media would be quite different without Katharine.
D) Katharine had exerted an important influence on the world.
Passage Three
Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
33. A) It’ll enabl e 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.
34. A) They can’t immediately get back the m oney paid for their medical cost.
B) They have to go through very complicated application procedures.
C) They can only visit doctor who speak their native languages.
D) They may not be able to receive timely medical treatment.
35. 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
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 (36)________. Between 1920 and 1960 big cities in developed countries (37) ________ two and a half times in size, but in other parts of the world the growth was eight times their size.
The (38) _________ size of growth is bad enough, but there are now also very (39) _________ signs of trouble in the (40) ___________of percentages of people living in towns and percentages of people working in industry. During the nineteenth century cities grew as a result of the growth of industry . In Europe the (41) ___________of people living in cities was always smaller than that of the (42) __________working in factories. Now, however, the (43) ____________ is almost always true in the newly industrialized world : (44)
_____________________.
Without a base of people working in industry, these cities cannot pay for their growth; (45) __________________________. There has been little opportunity to build water supplies or other facilities. (46) _______________________________ a growth in the number of hopeless and despairing parents and starving children.
Part ⅣReading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)
(25 minutes) Section A
Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its 47____ lie mainly in blues, rhythm and blues, country, folk, gospel, and jazz. The style subsequently spread to the rest of the world and developed further, leading ultimately to 48 ____rock music.
The term “rock and roll” now covers at least two different meanings, both in common usage. The American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both 49____ rock and roll as synonymous with rock music.
50____ , defines the term as referring specifically to the music of the 1950s.
Classic rock and roll is 51____ played with one or two electric guitars, a string bass or an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit. In the 52 ____rock and roll styles of the late 1940s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally
53____ or supplemented by the guitar in the middle to late 1950s.
The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a 54____ social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and in the new medium of television, 55____ lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It went on to spawn various sub-genres, often without the initially 56____ backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply “rock music” or “rock”.
A) define I) followed
B) characteristic J) modern
C) unique K) explanation
D) roots L) Conversely
E) usually M) replaced
F) Basically N) prepare
G) earliest O) seldom H) influenced
Section B
Passage One
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
According to a report, around 30,000 pupils started secondary school last year with the math skills of a seven-year-old. MPs (国会议员) warned that many young people would need “expensive” remedial lessons in l ater life to get a job — posing major problems for the economy. The findings came just months after Ofsted(教育标准办公室)claimed almost half of math lessons in English schools were not good enough. It said many teachers relied on textbooks and mundane exercises to make sure pupils passed exams at the expense of a proper understanding of the subject. MPs backed the conclusions, saying too many pupils found lessons “boring”. They insisted improvements had been made under Labor but achievement had “leveled off” in r ecent years.
In 2008, 79 percent of pupils met the Government’s expected standard at the end of primary school, well short of the 85 percent target set for 2006. Around five percent moved to secondary school with the math skills of a seven- year-old, said the committee. In 2006, ￡2.3 billion was spent teaching the subject. It equates to around a quarter of the ￡10 billion total budget for primary teaching and support staff.
The report said the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) needed to “radically rethink its strategy for improving pupil attainment; otherwise we seriously doubt that the department will meet its 2011 target”. The target demands that 84.5 percent of pupils will make the necessary progress between 7 and 11.
Last year, the DCSF published a major review of math education in England to boost standards. It called for a math specialist in every primary school within 10 years and more emphasis on mathematical “play” in nursery schools. Mr. Leigh said, “The department’s
10-year program to train 13,000 specialist math teachers will not benefit some primary schools for another decade. That’s far too long; the department needs to look for ways to accelerate the program.” Sarah McCarthy Fry, the Schools Minister, said, “We have alre ady accepted the main recommendation from a recent independent review of primary math that every school should have a specialist math teacher and have pledged ￡24 million over the next three years for a training program for teachers.”
Nick Gibb, the Tory shadow schools secretary, said, “The Government is not getting value for the money they have piled into education and the country is falling behind in
international league tables as a result. The Government has failed to replace methods of teaching which have failed with tried and tested methods used in countries that have much higher levels of math achievement.”
57. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A) 30,000 pupils started secondary school with poor math skills.
B) MPs insist more improvements should be made under Labor.
C) Young people need medical lessons to get a job.
D) Half of English schools were not good enough.
58. According to the passage, what happened in 2006?
A) 21% of pupils didn’t meet the Government’s expected standard.
B) The target set for 2006 was 87 percent.
C) ￡2.3 billion was spent on math teaching.
D) The total budget for primary teaching and support staff was ￡5 billion in 2006.
59. What will people probably do to improve math education in England?
A) Spend money on training specialist math teachers.
B) Hire a math specialist for every primary school.
C) Allow pupils to have more mathematical “play”.
D) Spend more time on math education.
60. What do Nick Gibb’s words mean?
A) The British government should put more money into math education.
B) Britain is falling behind in the international knowledge competition.
C) The British government should learn from other countries’ failures.
D) The British government should change their teaching methods every few years.
61. What’s the passage mainly talking about?
A) There aren’t enough math teachers in British primary schools.
B) The British government didn’t spend enough money on math education.
C) British pupils are not good at math.
D) Math lessons in British primary schools need to be improved.
Passage Two
Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
Conservationists call them hot spots —habitats that cover just 1.4 percent of the earth’s land surface but are so rich in biological diversity that preserving them could keep an astonishing number of plant and animal species off the endangered list.
Since 1988, when Dr. Norman Myers and his colleagues began describing these hot spots in a series of scientific papers and arguing for their protection, they have become a focus of worldwide conservation efforts. Private organizations and government agencies, including the World Bank, have made preserving 25 such ecological arks a top priority for financing and protective legislation. But a growing chorus of scientists is warning that directing conservation funds to hot spots may be a recipe for major losses in the future. Of species that live on land, nearly half of all plants and more than a third of all animals are found only in the hot spots. But they do not include many rare species and major animal groups that live in less biologically rich regions (“cold spots”). And the hot-spot concept does not factor in the importance of some ecosystems to human beings, the scientists argue.
This debate has been simmering quietly among biologists for years; however, it is coming to a boil now with the publication of an article in the current issue of American Scientist arguing that “calls to direct conservation funding to the world’s biodiversity hot spots may be bad investment advice.” “The hot-spot concept has grown so popular in recent years within the larger conservation community that it now risks eclipsing all other approaches,” write the authors of the paper. “The officers and directors of a ll too many foundations,
non-governmental organizations and international agencies have been seduced by the simplicity of the hot spot idea,” they go on. “We worry that the initially appealing idea of getting the most species per unit area is, in fact, a t horoughly misleading strategy.”
But hot spots have their ardent defenders, notably Dr. Norman Myers and Dr. Russell Mittermeier. Dr. Myers says hot spots have been successful at attracting attention and financing for conservation in tropical countries. “And that has been good,” he said. “No one is suggesting that one invest solely in hot spots, but if you want to avoid extinctions, you have to invest in them.”
62. The best title for this passage would be ________.
A) A Debate on Preserving Hot Spots B) An Introduction to Hot Spots
C) Hot Spots vs. Cold Spots D) How to Finance Hot Spots
63. Hot spots occupy a small percentage of the earth’s land surface with _____________.
A) a third of all plants
B) many major animal groups living in cold spots
C) rich biological diversity
D) many rare species living in cold spots
64. Critics of hot spots hold the opinion that ________.
A) hot spots are always as important as cold spots
B) it is unwise to invest largely in hot spots
C) governments should choose the best time to invest in hot spots
D) the hot-spot approach is a misleading strategy from the very beginning
65. According to Dr. Norman Myers, _________.
A) protecting and investing in hot spots can save species from extinction
B) conservation efforts should not center on hot spots
C) governments should invest most in cold spots
D) the hot-spot approach now is not as good as it was in the past
66. What is the writer’s attitude towards the hot-spot approach?
A) Critical. B) Neutral. C) Supportive. D) Doubtful.
Part V Cloze (15 minutes) Directions:There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should
choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding
letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Everyone knows hand washing is important. But a new study shows how washing your hands _67_ , and at the ri ght time, can have a big impact on your family’s risk of getting sick.
Most studies on hand washing focus on _68_ and food service workers. But this month’s American Journal of Infection Control focuses on washing hands at _69_ as a way to stop infections from _70_. Several studies show hands are the single most important _71_ route for all types of infections.
Even though most people know to wash their hands after using the toilet or handling a diaper (尿布), studies_72_ many people are still ending up with germs on their hands.
One study looked in homes of _73_recently vaccinated against polio (脊髓灰质炎). After vaccination, the virus is
_74_ to be shed in the baby’s feces (粪便). Researchers found the virus on 13 percent of bathroom, living room and kitch en surfaces. _75_ the virus from the vaccine didn’t pose a health risk, feces-borne viruses can _76_through the home.
Doorknobs and toilet flush handles are key _77_ of germ transmission in the home. That’s why people should focus on cleaning such surfac es _78_ and always wash their hands after touching them. In one study, a _79_ touched a door handle contaminated with a virus. He then shook hands _80_ other volunteers, and spread the virus to six people.
The study authors note that the timing of hand wa shing is key. It’s _81_to wash hands after using the toilet, before eating or handling food. Other crucial times for hand washing are after _82_ a diaper or cleaning up after a pet, or after touching garbage cans, dish rags and utensils that may have come _83_ contact with raw food.
While it may be hard to _84_ that something as simple as regular hand washing can make a difference in your 7family’s health, consider what happened during the 2003 outbreak of SARS. The outbreak _85_ extensive public and community health measures,。