2017年12月大学英语四级仔细阅读第一篇答案及解析

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题和答案

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题及答案（第一套）Part I Writing （25 minutes）Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short easy on how to besthandle the relationship between doctors and patients. You should write at least120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （25 minutes）Section ADirections: 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) Her friend Erika. C) Her grandfather.B) Her little brother. D) Her grandmother.2. A) By taking pictures for passers-by. C) By selling lemonade and pictures.B) By working part time at a hospital. D) By asking for help on social media.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) Finding cheaper ways of highway construction.B) Generating electric power for passing vehicles.C) Providing clean energy to five million people.D) Testing the efficiency of the new solar panel.4. A) They can stand the wear and tear of natural elements.B) They can be laid right on top of existing highways.C) They are only about half an inch thick.D) They are made from cheap materials.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Endless fighting in the region. C) Inadequate funding for research.B) The hazards from the desert. D) The lack of clues about the species.6. A) To observe the wildlife in the two national parks.B) To identify the reasons for the lions’ disappearance.C) To study the habitat of lions in Sudan and Ethiopia.D) To find evidence of the existence of the “lost lions”.7. A) Lions walking. C) Some camping facilities.B) Lions’ tracks. D) Traps set by local hunters.Section BDirections：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the bestanswer 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) Her ‘lucky birthday’. C) Her wedding anniversary.B) A call from her dad. D) A special gift from the man.9. A) Gave her a big model plane. C) Took her on a trip overseas.B) Bought her a good necklace. D) Threw her a surprise party.10. A) The gift her husband has bought.B) The trip her husband has planned.C) What has been troubling her husband.D) What her husband and the man are up to.11. A) He will be glad t o be a guide for the couple’s holiday trip.B) He will tell the women the secret if her husband agrees.C) He is eager to learn how the couple’s holiday turns out.D) He wants to find out about the couple’s holiday plan.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.B) They see the importance of making compromises.C) They know when to adopt a tough attitude.D) They take the rival’s attitude into account.13. A) They know how to adapt. C) They know when to make compromises.B) They know when to stop. D) They know how to control their emotion.14. A) They are patient. C) They learn quickly.B) They are good at expression. D) They uphold their principles.15. A) Make clear one's intentions. C) Formulate one's strategy.B) Clarify items of negotiation. D) Get to know the other side.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you willhear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C), D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) When America's earliest space program started.B) When the International Space Station was built.C) How many space shuttle missions there will be.D) How space research benefits people on Earth.17. A) They accurately calculated the speed of the orbiting shuttles.B) They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.C) They tried to meet astronauts' specific requirements.D) They tried to make best use of the latest technology.18. A) They are extremely accurate. C) They were first made in space.B) They are expensive to make. D) They were invented in the 1970s.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It was when her ancestors came to America.B) People had plenty of land to cultivate then.C) It marked the beginning of something new.D) Everything was natural and genuine then.20. A) They believed in working for goals. C) They had all kinds of entertainment.B) They enjoyed living a living a life of ease. D) They were known to be creative.21. A) Chatting with her ancestors. C) Polishing all the silver work.B) Furnishing her country house. D) Doing needlework by the fire.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) Use a map to identify your location. C) Sit down and try to calm yourself.B) Call your family or friends for help. D) Try to follow your footprints back.23. A) You may find a way out without your knowing it.B) You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.C) You may get drowned in a sudden flood.D) You may end up entering a wonderland.24. A) Look for food. C) Start a fire.B) Wait patiently. D) Walk uphill.25. A) Inform somebody of your plan. C) Check the local weather.B) Prepare enough food and drink. D) Find a map and a compass.Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes )Section ADirections: 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.A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some 26 skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban 27 , but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the 28 of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive 29__ memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often 30 with spreading disease rather than 31 it, but this long-tailed animal is highly 32 . Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors （嗅觉感受器）, whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability to detect __33 smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB（肺结核）. When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to 34 a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to 35 , but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialistequipment. It is also more accurate — the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.A) associated I) slightB) examine J) specifyC) indicate K) superiorD) nuisance L) suspiciousE) peak M) tipF) preventing N) treatedG) prohibiting O) visualH) sensitiveSection BDirections: 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. Answerthe questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Do In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A] I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B] Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.[C] As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did someof my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. “That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn’t happen without the pressure of an in-cl ass exam,” he explained, “Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, and essential work skill.”[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled “Introduction To Congress.” Some colleges have what they call an “honor code,” though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn’t just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to herschool’s professors to refrain from take-hone exams. “Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learn ing and retention.”[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to find out,” says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.[G] Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. “I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, “I find thein-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment when the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze.”[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability toaccess the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, toldme, “We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Ourfellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last inschool.”[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When Iasked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams because the time isalready reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,” he responded.It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two inadvance, and then doing the actual test in class the ticking clock overhead.[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her finalexam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, “It is going to be apiece of cake.” When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38. Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.39. In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40. The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41. Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult thanthey actually are.42. Different students may prefer different types of exams.43. Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type ofcourse being taught.44. The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the “first-night” effect. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者). This led her to wonder if people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of the university’s Department of Psychological Sci ences. The participants each slept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, as expected, the participantsslept less well on their first night than they did on their second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping less overall. During deep sleep, the participants’ brains behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the left hemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as their right hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran the experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularly timed beeps (蜂鸣声) of the same tone and irregular beeps of a different tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemisphere was staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would react to the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore the regularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46. What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A) To what extent it can trouble people. C) What circumstances may trigger it.B) What role it has played in evolution. D) In what way it can be beneficial.47. What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research?A) She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B) She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way.C) She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD) She conducted studies on birds’ and dolphins’ sleeping patterns.48. What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A) She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.B) She recruited 35 participants from her Department of Psychological Sciences.C) She studied the differences between the two sides of participants’ brains.D) She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49. What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A) She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B) She recorded participants’ adaptation to changed environment.C) She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D) She compared the responses of different participants.50. What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment?A) They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B) They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C) They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D) They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.It’s time to reevalu ate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling “very tired” or “exhausted”, according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able todo it all volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals-and so their answer to any request is often “Y es, I can.”Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, this inability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-even if that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely – including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51. What does the author say is the problem with women?A) They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B) They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C) They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D) They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52. Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drained of energy?A) They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home.B) They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C) They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D) They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53. What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A) Their unwillingness to say “no”.B) Their desire to be considered powerful.C) An underestimate of their own ability.D) A lack of courage to face challenges.54. Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that______.A) women tend to be easily satisfiedB) men are generally more persuasiveC) men tend to put their personal interests firstD) women are much more ready to compromise55. What is important to a good leader?A) A dominant personality. C) The courage to admit failureB) The ability to delegate. D) A strong sense of responsibility.Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.华山位于华阴市，据西安120公里。

2017年12月英语四级阅读第1套完型

A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some [26] skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban [27 ]but they are just the latest in a long line of animal that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the[ 28] of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive [29] memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rat are often[ 30] with spreading disease rather than [31] it, but this long-tailed is highly [32 ]Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability to detect [33 ]smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect(肺结核). When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to [34 ]a sample is infected . Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to [35 ]but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn’t rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate——the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.(A) associated (I) slight(B) examine (J) specify(C) indicate ( K) superior(D) nuisance (L) suspicious(E) peak (M) tip(F) preventing (N) treated(G) prohibiting (O) visualH) sensitive一、解题步骤1、选项词性分类---------根据词后缀和基本词汇量2、原文空格处词性判断-------根据基本语法(时态语态基本句子结构词性搭配)3 、原文空格处语义判断-------根据逻辑关系4、结合词性和逻辑关系确定选项5、核对第一步：词性分类：名词：(D) nuisance (E) peak (M) tip动词：(B) examine (C) indicate (J) specify形容词，副词，分词：(A) associated (I) slight (F) preventing (N) treated ( K) superior (G) prohibiting (O) visual（H) sensitive一、A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some [26] skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.[26]、答案解析：第一个空，不易做对。

2017年12月四级仔细阅读(一)真题解析(第一套)

2017年12月四级仔细阅读篇真题解析（第一套）
46.D以何种方式它会对人有好处。

根据关键词puzzle定位原文出题处在第二段what benefit...同义替换选择D。

47.C定位在第二段She also knew....This led to...说明她从前人的研究中获得了一些灵感，
开始做自己的研究。

48.A定位在To take a closer look...参与者在不熟悉的环境unfamiliar environment...睡觉...
49.C 根据关键词re-run定位在第三段第二句话，有规律和无规律蜂鸣声交杂在一起。

50.B根据题文同序和关键词定位，在文章最后一句。

原文提到react to...by stirring people from sleep. 所以选择，人们可以感知无规律的蜂鸣声是一种威胁。

2017年12月英语四级真题及答案(第一套)

2017年12月英语四级真题及答案(第一套)Part I Writing (25 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short easy on how to best handle the relationship between doctors and patients. You should write at least120 words butno more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （25minutes）Section ADirections: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 bespoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer fromthe four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer 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) Her friend Erika. C) Her grandfather.B) Her little brother. D) Her grandmother.2. A) By taking pictures for passers-by. C) By selling lemonade and pictures.B) By working part time at a hospital. D) By asking for help on social media.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A) Finding cheaper ways of highway construction.B) Generating electric power for passing vehicles.C) Providing clean energy to five million people.D) Testing the efficiency of the new solar panel.4. A) They can stand the wear and tear of natural elements.B) They can be laid right on top of existing highways.C) They are only about half an inch thick.D) They are made from cheap materials.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Endless fighting in the region. C) Inadequate funding for research.B) The hazards from the desert. D) The lack of clues about the species.6. A) To observe the wildlife in the two national parks.B) To identify the reason s for the lions’ disappearance.C) To study the habitat of lions in Sudan and Ethiopia.D) To find evidence of the existence of the “lost lions”.7. A) Lions walking. C) Some camping facilities.B) Lions’ tracks. D) Traps set by local hunters.Section BDirections：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spokenonly once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C), and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) Her ‘lucky birthday’.C) Her wedding anniversary.B) A call from her dad. D) A special gift from the man.9. A) Gave her a big model plane. C) Took her on a trip overseas.B) Bought her a good necklace. D) Threw her a surprise party.10. A) The gift her husband has bought.B) The trip her husband has planned.C) What has been troubling her husband.D) What her husband and the man are up to.11. A) He will be glad to be a guide for the couple’s holiday trip.B) He will tell the women the secret if her husband agrees.C) He is eager to learn how the couple’s holiday turns out.D) He wants to find out about the couple’s holiday plan.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.B) They see the importance of making compromises.C) They know when to adopt a tough attitude.D) They take the rival’s attitude into account.13. A) They know how to adapt. C) They know when to make compromises.B) They know when to stop. D) They know how to control their emotion.14. A) They are patient. C) They learn quickly.B) They are good at expression. D) They uphold their principles.15. A) Make clear one's intentions. C) Formulate one's strategy.B) Clarify items of negotiation. D) Get to know the other side.Section CDirections: 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 choicesmarked A), B), C), D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with asingle line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) When America's earliest space program started.B) When the International Space Station was built.C) How many space shuttle missions there will be.D) How space research benefits people on Earth.17. A) They accurately calculated the speed of the orbiting shuttles.B) They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.C) They tried to meet astronauts' specific requirements.D) They tried to make best use of the latest technology.18. A) They are extremely accurate. C) They were first made in space.B) They are expensive to make. D) They were invented in the 1970s.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It was when her ancestors came to America.B) People had plenty of land to cultivate then.C) It marked the beginning of something new.D) Everything was natural and genuine then.20. A) They believed in working for goals. C) They had all kinds of entertainment.B) They enjoyed living a living a life of ease. D) They were known to be creative.21. A) Chatting with her ancestors. C) Polishing all the silver work.B) Furnishing her country house. D) Doing needlework by the fire. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) Use a map to identify your location. C) Sit down and try to calm yourself.B) Call your family or friends for help. D) Try to follow your footprints back.23. A) You may find a way out without your knowing it.B) You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.C) You may get drowned in a sudden flood.D) You may end up entering a wonderland.24. A) Look for food. C) Start a fire.B) Wait patiently. D) Walk uphill.25. A) Inform somebody of your plan. C) Check the local weather.B) Prepare enough food and drink. D) Find a map and a compass.Part ⅢReading Comprehension ( 40 minutes ) Section ADirections: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. Readthe passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some ___26___ skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban __27__, but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the _28_of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive___29___ memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often ___30___with spreading disease rather than___31___ it, but this long-tailed animal is highly___32___. Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors (嗅觉感受器), whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability todetect___33___smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB(肺结核). When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to ___34___ a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to ___35___, but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate — the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.Section BDirections: 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 theparagraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph morethan once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by markingthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Do In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A] I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B] Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.[C] As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. “That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn’t happen withou t the pressure of anin-class exam,” he explained, “Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, and essential work skill.”[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled “Introduction To Congress.” Some colleges have what they call an “honor code,” though if you are smart enough to get into these sch ools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn’t just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-hone exams. “Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learning and retention.”[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to find out,” says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more c oming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.[G] Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. “I pref er take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, “I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment whe n the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze.”[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability to access the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, told me, “We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school.”[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When Iasked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,” he responded.It se ems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class the ticking clock overhead.[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, “It is going to beapiece of cake.” When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38. Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.39. In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40. The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41. Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.42. Different students may prefer different types of exams.43. Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type of course being taught.44. The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section CDirections: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) andD). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the “first-night” effect. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者). This led her to wonder if people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of the university’s Department of Psychological Sciences. The participants each slept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, as expected, the participantsslept less well on their first night than they did on their second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping less overall. During deep sleep, the participants’ brains behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the left hemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as their right hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran the experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularly timed beeps (蜂鸣声) of the same tone and irregular beeps of a different tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemisphere was staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would react to the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore the regularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46. What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A) To what extent it can trouble people. C) What circumstances may trigger it.B) What role it has played in evolution. D) In what way it can be beneficial.47. What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research?A) She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B) She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way.C) She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD) She conducted studies on birds’ and dolphins’ sleeping patterns.48. What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A) She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.B) She recruited 35 participants from her Department of Psychological Sciences.C) She studied the differences between the two sides of participants’ brains.D) She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49. What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A) She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B) She recorded participants’ adaptation to changed environment.C) She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D) She compared the responses of different participants.50. What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment?A) They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B) They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C) They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D) They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.It’s time to reevaluate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked orover-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling “very tired” or “exhausted”, according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able to do it all volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals-and so their answer to any request is often “Yes, I can.”Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, this inability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-even if that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely – including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51. What does the author say is the problem with women?A) They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B) They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C) They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D) They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52. Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drained of energy?A) They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home.B) They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C) They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D) They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53. What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A) Their unwillingness to say “no”.B) Their desire to be considered powerful.C) An underestimate of their own ability.D) A lack of courage to face challenges.54. Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that______.A) women tend to be easily satisfiedB) men are generally more persuasiveC) men tend to put their personal interests firstD) women are much more ready to compromise55. What is important to a good leader?A) A dominant personality. C) The courage to admit failureB) The ability to delegate. D) A strong sense of responsibility.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.华山位于华阴市，据西安120公里。

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题与答案

2017 年 12 月大学英语四级考试真题及答案（第一套）Part I Writing（25 minutes）Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write ashort easy on how to besthandle the relationship between doctors and patients. You shouldwrite at least120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （ 25 minutes）Section ADirections: 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) Her friend Erika. C) Her grandfather.B) Her little brother. D) Her grandmother.2.A) By taking pictures for passers-by. C) By selling lemonade and pictures.B)By working part time at a hospital. D) By asking for help on social media.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) Finding cheaper ways of highway construction.B)Generating electric power for passing vehicles.C)Providing clean energy to five million people.D)Testing the efficiency of the new solar panel.4. A) They can stand the wear and tear of natural elements.B)They can be laid right on top of existing highways.C)They are only about half an inch thick.D)They are made from cheap materials.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5.A) Endless fighting in the region. C) Inadequate funding for research.B)The hazards from the desert. D) The lack of clues about the species.6. A) To observe the wildlife in the two national parks.B) To identify the reasons for the lions‘ disappearance.C) To study the habitat of lions in Sudan and Ethiopia.D) To find evidence of the existence of the―lost lions‖.7. A) Lions walking. C) Some camping facilities.B)Lions ‘ tracks. D) Traps set by local hunters.Section BDirections：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At theend of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both theconversation 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 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A) Her ?lucky birthday ‘. C) Her wedding anniversary. B) Acall from her dad. D) A special gift from the man.9.A) Gave her a big model plane. C) Took her on a trip overseas.B) Bought her a good necklace. D) Threw her a surprise party.10.A) The gift her husband has bought.B)The trip her husband has planned.C)What has been troubling her husband.D)What her husband and the man are up to.11. A) He will be glad to be a guide for the couple‘s holiday trip.B) He will tell the women the secret if her husband agrees.C) He is eager to learn how the couple‘s holiday turns out.D) He wants to find out about the couple‘s holiday plan.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A) They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.B) They see the importance of making compromises.C)They know when to adopt a tough attitude.D)They take the rival‘s attitude into account.13.A) They know how to adapt. C) They know when tomake compromises.B)They know when to stop. D) They know how to controltheir emotion.14. A) They are patient. C) They learn quickly.B)They are good at expression. D) They uphold their principles.15. A) Make clear one's intentions. C) Formulate one's strategy.B)Clarify items of negotiation. D) Get to know the other side.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you willhear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C), D). Then mark the corresponding letteron AnswerSheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A) When America's earliest space program started.B) When the International Space Station was built.C) How many space shuttle missions there will be.D) How space research benefits people on Earth.17.A) They accurately calculated the speed of the orbiting shuttles.B) They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.C) They tried to meet astronauts' specific requirements.D) They tried to make best use of the latest technology.18.A) They are extremely accurate. C) They were first made in space.B) They are expensive to make. D) They were invented in the 1970s.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It was when her ancestors came to America.B)People had plenty of land to cultivate then.C)It marked the beginning of something new.D)Everything was natural and genuine then.20.A) They believed in working for goals. C) They had all kindsof entertainment.B)They enjoyed living a living a life of ease. D) They were knownto be creative.21.A) Chatting with her ancestors. C) Polishing all the silver work. B)Furnishing her country house. D) Doing needlework by the fire.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A) Use a map to identify your location. C) Sit down and try to calm yourself.B)Call your family or friends for help. D) Try to follow your footprints back.23.A) You may find a way out without your knowing it.B) You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.C) You may get drowned in a sudden flood.D) You may end up entering a wonderland.24. A) Look for food. C) Start a fire.B) Wait patiently. D) Walk uphill.25.A) Inform somebody of your plan. C) Check the local weather.B) Prepare enough food and drink. D) Find a map and a compass.Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes )Section ADirections: 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.A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some 26 skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban 27 , but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the 28 of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive 29__ memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often 30 with spreading disease rather than 31 it, but this long-tailed animal is highly 32 . Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors （嗅觉感受器） , whereas humans only have 100to 200 types. This gives rats the ability to detect __33 smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB（肺结核）. When the rats detectthe smell, they stop and rub their legs to 34 a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to 35 , but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate— the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.A)associated I) slightB)examine J) specifyC)indicate K) superiorD)nuisance L) suspiciousE)peak M) tipF)preventing N) treatedG)prohibiting O) visualH)sensitiveSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in oneof the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraphis marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Do In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A]I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B]Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.[C]As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. ―That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldnhappen without the pressure of an inclass- exam,‖ he explained,―Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform underpressure, and essential work skill.‖[D]He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety.In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it wasdiscovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled― Introduction To Congress.‖ Some colleges have what theyonorcall an―code, ‖ though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you areeither smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical toconsider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, Imomentarily wondered if I couldn just call‘t anexpert on the subject matterwhich I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get megoing.[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean ofstudents at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school ofessors to ‘ s prrefrain from take- hone exams. ―Students risk health and well being, as wellas performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-homeexams without clear, time-limited boundaries,‖ she told me.―Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over thecourse of a term better enhance learning and retention.‖[F]Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largelydepends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely tobe sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help.Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on theother hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches ―History of BroadcastJournalism ‖ at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland,points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorizationof minute details. ― In my field, it ‘ s not what you know — it ‘ s what y how to find out, ‖ says Koch. ―There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.[G] Students‘ -testform preferences vary, too, often depending on thesubject and course difficulty.―-homIpr e f e rssaystake because it is thenreally about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor.Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says,-class― Ionesfind theare inmore stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallowinformation like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes requirethoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is nevera moment when the time is up.‖ Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers takehomes- true exams.―If youunderstand the material and have the ability to articulate 说(出 ) yourthoughts, they should be a breeze.‖[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on theirpersonal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the lastminute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there thosewho, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having noresources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fitboth those descriptions.[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式 ), in partbecause of my inability toaccess the information as quickly. As another returning studentat Columbia, Kate Marber, toldme, ―We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Ourfellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last inschool. ‖[J]If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When I-class―I likeexamsin asked his opinion on this matter, he responded,because the time isalready reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test, ‖ he responded.It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving theexam questions a day or two inadvance, and then doing the actual test in class the tickingclock overhead.[K]Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her finalexam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, ― It is going to be apiece of cake. ‖ When the students came in, sharpenedilspencinhand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and theyeach were given a slice.36.Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changesin education.37.Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38.Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimatelymore helpful to students.39.In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40.The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41.Students who put off their work until the last moment often findthe exams more difficult thanthey actually are.42.Different students may prefer different types of exams.43.Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type ofcourse being taught.44. The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section CDirections: 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 onthe best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the -night ‖ ―effectfirst. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put halfof their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者 ). This led her to wonderif people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of the university ‘ s Department of PsychogicaloSciences. The participants each slept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, asexpected, the participants slept less well on their first night than they did ontheir second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping lessoverall. During deep sleep, the participants ‘ brains behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the lefthemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as theirright hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran theexperiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularlytimed beeps (蜂鸣声 ) of the same tone and irregular beeps of adifferent tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemispherewas staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would reactto the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore theregularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46. What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A)To what extent it can trouble people. C) What circumstances maytrigger it.B)What role it has played in evolution. D) In what way it canbe beneficial.47.What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research?A) She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B) She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way.C) She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD) She conducted studies on birds‘ and dolphins‘ sleeping patterns.48. What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A)She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.B)She recruited 35 participants from her Department ofPsychological Sciences.C) She studied the differences between the two sides of participants‘brains.D)She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49. What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A)She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B)She recorded participants‘ adaptation to changed environment.C)She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D)She compared the responses of different participants.50.What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment?A) They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B)They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C)They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D)They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.It ‘s time to reevaluatehow women handle conflict at work. Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get youwhere you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinderyour career goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted?―very Nearly twice as many women than men ages 1844- reported feelingtired ‖ or ― exhausted ‖ , according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able todo it all volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals-and so their answer toany request is often― Yes, I can.‖Women struggle to say ―no‖ in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, thisinability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves,while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, becausethey don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there ‘ s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereaswomen may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-evenif that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely–including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51.What does the author say is the problem with women?A) They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B)They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C)They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D)They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52.Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drained of energy?A)They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home.B)They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C)They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D)They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53. What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A) Their unwillingness to say―no‖.B)Their desire to be considered powerful.C)An underestimate of their own ability.D)A lack of courage to face challenges.54.Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that______.A)women tend to be easily satisfiedB)men are generally more persuasiveC)men tend to put their personal interests firstD)women are much more ready to compromise55. What is important to a good leader?A)A dominant personality. C) The courage to admit failureB)The ability to delegate. D) A strong sense of responsibility.Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translatea passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.华山位于华阴市，据西安120 公里。

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题及答案

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题及答案（第一套）Part I Writing （25 minutes）Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short easy on how to besthandle the relationship between doctors and patients. You should write at least120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （25 minutes）Section ADirections: 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) Her friend Erika. C) Her grandfather.B) Her little brother. D) Her grandmother.2. A) By taking pictures for passers-by. C) By selling lemonade and pictures.B) By working part time at a hospital. D) By asking for help on social media.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) Finding cheaper ways of highway construction.B) Generating electric power for passing vehicles.C) Providing clean energy to five million people.D) Testing the efficiency of the new solar panel.4. A) They can stand the wear and tear of natural elements.B) They can be laid right on top of existing highways.C) They are only about half an inch thick.D) They are made from cheap materials.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Endless fighting in the region. C) Inadequate funding for research.B) The hazards from the desert. D) The lack of clues about the species.6. A) To observe the wildlife in the two national parks.B) To identify the reasons for the lions‘ disappearance.C) To study the habitat of lions in Sudan and Ethiopia.D) To find evidence of the existence of the ―lost lions‖．7. A) Lions walking. C) Some camping facilities.B) Lions‘ tracks. D) Traps set by local hunters.Section BDirections：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At theend of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both theconversation 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 witha single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) Her ?lucky birthday‘. C) Her wedding anniversary.B) A call from her dad. D) A special gift from the man.9. A) Gave her a big model plane. C) Took her on a trip overseas.B) Bought her a good necklace. D) Threw her a surprise party.10. A) The gift her husband has bought.B) The trip her husband has planned.C) What has been troubling her husband.D) What her husband and the man are up to.11. A) He will be glad to be a guide for the couple‘s holiday trip.B) He will tell the women the secret if her husband agrees.C) He is eager to learn how the couple‘s holiday turns out.D) He wants to find out about the couple‘s holiday plan.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.B) They see the importance of making compromises.C) They know when to adopt a tough attitude.D) They take the rival‘s attitude into account.13. A) They know how to adapt. C) They know when to make compromises.B) They know when to stop. D) They know how to control their emotion.14. A) They are patient. C) They learn quickly.B) They are good at expression. D) They uphold their principles.15. A) Make clear one's intentions. C) Formulate one's strategy.B) Clarify items of negotiation. D) Get to know the other side.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you willhear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C), D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) When America's earliest space program started.B) When the International Space Station was built.C) How many space shuttle missions there will be.D) How space research benefits people on Earth.17. A) They accurately calculated the speed of the orbiting shuttles.B) They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.C) They tried to meet astronauts' specific requirements.D) They tried to make best use of the latest technology.18. A) They are extremely accurate. C) They were first made in space.B) They are expensive to make. D) They were invented in the 1970s.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It was when her ancestors came to America.B) People had plenty of land to cultivate then.C) It marked the beginning of something new.D) Everything was natural and genuine then.20. A) They believed in working for goals. C) They had all kinds of entertainment.B) They enjoyed living a living a life of ease. D) They were known to be creative.21. A) Chatting with her ancestors. C) Polishing all the silver work.B) Furnishing her country house. D) Doing needlework by the fire.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) Use a map to identify your location. C) Sit down and try to calm yourself.B) Call your family or friends for help. D) Try to follow your footprints back.23. A) You may find a way out without your knowing it.B) You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.C) You may get drowned in a sudden flood.D) You may end up entering a wonderland.24. A) Look for food. C) Start a fire.B) Wait patiently. D) Walk uphill.25. A) Inform somebody of your plan. C) Check the local weather.B) Prepare enough food and drink. D) Find a map and a compass.Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes )Section ADirections: 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.A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some 26 skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban 27 , but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the 28 of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive 29__ memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often 30 with spreading disease rather than 31 it, but thislong-tailed animal is highly 32 . Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors （嗅觉感受器）, whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability to detect __33 smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB（肺结核）. When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to 34 a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to 35 , but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate — the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.A) associated I) slightB) examine J) specifyC) indicate K) superiorD) nuisance L) suspiciousE) peak M) tipF) preventing N) treatedG) prohibiting O) visualH) sensitiveSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in oneof 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.Do In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A] I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B] Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.[C] As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. ―That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldnhappen without the pressure of an in-c lass exam,‖ he explained,―Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform underpressure, and essential work skill.‖[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-classvariety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal whenit was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitledonor―Introduction To Congress.‖ Some colleges have what they call an ―ｈcode,‖ though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you areeither smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical toconsider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, Imomentarily wondered if I couldn‘ｔjust call an expert on the subject matterwhich I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get megoing.[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean ofofessors tostudents at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school‘s prrefrain from take-hone exams. ―Students risk health and well being, as wellas performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-homeexams without clear, time-limited boundaries,‖ she told me. ―Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over thecourse of a term better enhance learning and retention.‖[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largelydepends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely tobe sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help.Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on theother hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves totake-home testing. Chris Koch, who te aches ―History of BroadcastJournalism‖ at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland,points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorizationof minute details. ―In my field, it‘s not what you know—it‘s what y how to find out,‖ says Koch. ―There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to searchout the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the[G] Students‘ test-home essays because it is thensubject and course difficulty. ―I prefer takereally about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor.-class ones areFrancesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, ―I find the inmore stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallowinformation like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes requirethoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is nevera moment when the time is up.‖ Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. ―If youunderstand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) yourthoughts, they should be a breeze.‖[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on theirpersonal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the lastminute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there thosewho, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having noresources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fitboth those descriptions.[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in partbecause of my inability toaccess the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, toldme, ―We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Ourfellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last inschool.‖[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When I-class exams asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, ―I like in because the time isalready reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,‖ he responded.It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two inadvance, and then doing the actual test in class the ticking clock overhead.[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her finalexam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, ―It is going to be apiece of cake.‖ When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38. Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.39. In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40. The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41. Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult thanthey actually are.42. Different students may prefer different types of exams.43. Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type ofcourse being taught.44. The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the ―first-night‖ effect. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to dowith how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者). This led her to wonderif people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of thegical Sciences. The participants each university‘s Department of Psycholoslept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, asexpected, the participants slept less well on their first night than they did ontheir second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping lessoverall. During deep sleep, the participants‘ brains behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the lefthemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as theirright hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake toprocess information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasakire-ran the experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mixof regularly timed beeps (蜂鸣声) of the same tone and irregular beeps of adifferent tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemispherewas staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would reactto the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore theregularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46. What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A) To what extent it can trouble people. C) What circumstances maytrigger it.B) What role it has played in evolution. D) In what way it can bebeneficial.47. What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research?A) She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B) She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way.C) She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD) She conducted studies on birds‘ and dolphins‘ sleeping patterns.48. What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A) She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a newenvironment.B) She recruited 35 participants from her Department of PsychologicalSciences.C) She studied the differences between the two sides of participants‘　brains.D) She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49. What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A) She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B) She recorded participants‘ adaptation to changed environment.C) She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D) She compared the responses of different participants.50. What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment?A) They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B) They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C) They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D) They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.how women handle conflict at work. Being It‘s time to reevaluateoverworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get youwhere you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder yourcareer goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted?Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling ―very tired‖ or ―exhausted‖, according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying tobalance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able todo it allvolunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals-and so their answer toany request is often ―Yes, I can.‖Women struggle to say ―no‖ in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, thisinability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves,while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, becausethey don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there‘s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereaswomen may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-evenif that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor onwho gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely – including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51. What does the author say is the problem with women?A) They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B) They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C) They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D) They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52. Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drainedof energy?A) They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home.B) They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C) They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D) They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53. What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A) Their unwillingness to say ―no‖．B) Their desire to be considered powerful.C) An underestimate of their own ability.D) A lack of courage to face challenges.54. Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that______.A) women tend to be easily satisfiedB) men are generally more persuasiveC) men tend to put their personal interests firstD) women are much more ready to compromise55. What is important to a good leader?A) A dominant personality. C) The courage to admit failureB) The ability to delegate. D) A strong sense of responsibility.Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.华山位于华阴市，据西安120公里。

2017年12月英语四级真题答案及解析(第一套)

2017 年12 月大学英语四级考试真题答案与详解（第1 套）Part I Writing审题思路：父母与子女的关系是一个老生常谈的话题，学生自己也会非常有感触、有话说。

因此，关键是如何组织语言，并把重点落脚到“how”上面。

如果采用我们一贯熟悉的“三点式”来讲怎么做，当然无可厚非。

不过，也可以换一种思路，重点从子女如何做下笔，并分析原因，使文章显得有理有据。

考场上时间紧张，考生思维也易受局限，不管从哪个角度写，一定要先列好提纲，理顺思路。

高分范文：Communication Is the Best Gift for ParentsThe relationship between parents and children is an eternal and universal topic for mankind. Our relationship with parents might be different at different ages. And for young people at their 20s, I think it will depend more on what children do.The reason why I say so is that as we grow up, our parents who were our idols before gradually get old and even out-dated. However hard efforts they make, they could not catch up with our steps, leading to the so-called invisible generation gap. Thus, if we cannot slow down our pace, there will definitely be an awkward silence between parents and us, which is not rare now. As a result, young people should talk more with parents to share our feelings and to understand each other better.Everyone wants loving parents who are open and supportive. Only through frequent communication with them, can we establish such a harmonious relationship.全文翻译：交流是给父母的最好的礼物对人类而言，父母与子女的关系是一个永恒而又普通的话题。

2017年12月英语四级考试真题第一套附答案

WritingDirections:For this part,you are allowed30 minutes to write a short essayon how to best handle the relationship parents and children.You should write at least 120words but no more than 180words2017年12月四级卷一答案（郑家顺）卷一作文Directions：For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on how to best handle the relationship between parents and children. You should write at least 120 wordsbut no more than 180 words.范文参见：（郑家顺）大学英语四级模拟9How to best handle the relationship between parents and children?Nowadays there is often a lack of understanding between parent and child. Parents cannot accept such behaviors of their children as having hair colored, wearing erratic dresses and being crazy for super stars. Likewise, many children feel frustrated in their parents’ misunderstanding, and they express their longing for the support of their parents by the song “Long Li ve Understanding”.The most obvious reason for this situation is that they grew up at different times and therefore have different likes and dislikes for the things around them. Consequently, parents think their children are unreasonable and self-centered, while children feel their parents are hopelessly old fashioned. Both of them take it for granted that there is a “generation gap”.How to solve such serious problems? To begin with, parents should adapt some strategic changes in children education. They should consciously develop their children’s capabilities to think on their own. In addition, children should cope with the difficulties they encounter independently and may also sear ch for parents’ necessary guide only at critical moments.To bridge this gap, both parent and child should make an effort. The elder should be more accessible to new things and the younger should defer to the advisable proposals from parents.听力答案Section A1. D) Her little brother.2. B) By selling lemonade and pictures.3. B) Providing clean energy to five million people.4. C) They can be laid right on top of existing highways.5. C) Endless fighting in the region.6. D) To find evidence of the existence of the "lost lions".7. A) Lions' tracks.Section B8. D) Her 'lucky birthday'.9. A) Threw her a surprise party.10. C) The trip her husband has planned.11. B) He is eager to learn how the couple's holiday turns out.12. D) They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.13. A) They know when to stop.14. C) They learn quickly.15. C) Get to know the other side.Section C16. A) How space research benefits people on Earth.17. C) They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.18. B) They are extremely accurate.19. C)It marked the beginning of something new.20. D)They believed working for goals.21. B)Doing needlework by the fire.22. A) Sit down and try to calm yourself23. C) You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.24. A) Walk uphill.25. D) Inform somebody of your plan.阅读答案Section A 选词填空26. [K] superior27. [D] nuisance28. [M] tip29. [O] visual30. [A] associated31. [F] preventing32. [H] sensitive33. [I] slight34. [C] indicate35. [J] specifySection B 段落信息匹配36. [I] Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37. [E] Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performances in others courses.38. [C] Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students39. [D] In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40. [B] The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41. [H] Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.42. [G] Different students may prefer different types of exams.43. [F] Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on the type of course being taught.44. [A] The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45. [J] Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section C 仔细阅读Passage one46. D) In what way it can be beneficial.47. C) She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphins.48. A) She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.49. C) She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.50. B) They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.Passage two51. D) They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52. A) They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and done.53. A) Their unwillingness to say "no".54. D) women are much more ready to compromise.55. B) The ability to delegate.翻译范文翻译卷一：泰山位于山东省西部。

2017 年 12 月英语四级阅读真题(第一套) 女性处理职场冲突

2017 年 12 ⽉真题（第⼀套）⼥性处理职场冲突 Women HandleConﬂict at WorkIt's time to reevaluate how women handle conﬂict at work.是时候重新评估⼥性如何处理⼯作中的冲突了。

Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life.在家庭和⼯作中过度劳累或过度投⼊不会让你得到你想要的⽣活。

It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.这只会减慢你的速度，阻碍你的职业⽬标。

Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted?你知道⼥⼈⽐男⼈更容易感到疲惫吗？Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling "very tired" or " exhausted", according to a recent study.根据最近的⼀项研究，年龄在 18-44 岁之间的⼈中，⼥性感到“⾮常累”或“筋疲⼒尽”的⼈数⼏乎⽐男性多两倍。

This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children.考虑到这是⼥性⽣育孩⼦的年龄范围，这⼀结论可能并不让⼈惊讶。

It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home.这也是许多⼥性试图平衡事业和家庭的年龄范围。

2017年12月英语四级阅读真题及答案第1-3套

2017年12月英语四级阅读真题及答案第1套选词填空A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some __26__ skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban __27__ , but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the __28__ of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive __29__ memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often __30__ with spreading disease rather than __31__ it, but this long-tailed animal is highly __32__ . Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors (嗅觉感受器), whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability to detect __33__ smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB (肺结核). When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to __34__ a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to __35__ , but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate—the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.A.associatedB.examineC.indicateD.nuisanceE.peakF.preventingG.prohibitingH.sensitiveI.slight J.specify K.superior L.suspicious M.tip N.treated O.visualDo In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A]I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B]Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.[C]As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. "That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn't happen without the pressure of an in-class exam," he explained. "Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, an essential work skill."[D]He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled "Introduction To Congress." Some colleges have what they call an "honor code," though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn't just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.[E]Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school's professors to refrain from take-home exams. "Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries," she told me. "Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learning and retention."[F]Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches "History of Broadcast Journalism" at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. "In my field, it's not what you know—it's what you knowhow to find out," says Koch. "There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them."[G]Students' test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. "I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research," says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, "I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment when the time is up." Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. "If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze."[H]How students ultimately handle tests may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there are those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.[I]Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability to access the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, told me, "We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school."[J]If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share. When I asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, "I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test," he responded. It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class with the ticking clock overhead.[K]Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, "It is going to be a piece of cake." When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a blue book in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.36.Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37.Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38.Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.39.In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40.The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41.Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.42.Different students may prefer different types of exams.43.Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type of course being taught.44.The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45.Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Passage OneThat people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the "first-night" effect. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者). This led her to wonder if people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of the university's Department of Psychological Sciences. The participants each slept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, as expected, the participants slept less well on their first night than they did on their second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping less overall. During deep sleep, the participants' brains behaved in a similarmanner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the left hemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as their right hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran the experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularly timed beeps (蜂鸣声) of the same tone and irregular beeps of a different tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemisphere was staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would react to the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore the regularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46.What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A.To what extent it can trouble people.B.What role it has played in evolution.C.What circumstances may trigger it.D.In what way it can be beneficial.47.What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research?A.She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B.She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way.C.She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD.She conducted studies on birds' and dolphins' sleeping patterns.48.What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A.She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.B.She recruited 35 participants from her Department of Psychological Sciences.C.She studied the differences between the two sides of participants' brains.D.She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49.What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A.She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B.She recorded participants' adaptation to changed environment.C.She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D.She compared the responses of different participants.50.What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment?A.They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B.They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C.They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D.They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoIt's time to reevaluate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling "very tired" or "exhausted", according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able to do it all -- volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals -- and so their answer to any request is often "Yes, I can."Women struggle to say "no" in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, this inability to say "no" may be hurting women's health as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there'sa problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over who should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem -- even if that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely --including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51.What does the author say is the problem with women?A.They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B.They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C.They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D.They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52.Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drained of energy?A.They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home.B.They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C.They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D.They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53.What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A.Their unwillingness to say "no".B.Their desire to be considered powerful.C.An underestimate of their own ability.D.A lack of courage to face challenges.54.Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that ______.A.women tend to be easily satisfiedB.men are generally more persuasiveC.men tend to put their personal interests firstD.women are much more ready to compromise55.What is important to a good leader?A.A dominant personality.B.The ability to delegate.C.The courage to admit failureD.A strong sense of responsibility.26.K27.D28.M29.O30.A31.F32.H33.I34.C35.B36.I37.E38.C39.D40.B41.H42.G43.F44.A45.JPassage one46.D47.C48.A49.C50.BPassage two51.D52.A53.A54.C55.B2017年12月英语四级阅读真题及答案第2套选词填空We all know there exists great void (空白) in the public educational system when it comes to __26__ to STEM （Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics) courses. One educator named Dori Roberts decided to do something to change this system. Dori taught high school engineering for 11 years. She noticed there was a real void in quality STEM education at all __27__ of the public educational system. She said, "I started Engineering For Kids (EFK) after noticing a real lack of math, science and engineering programs to __28__ my own kids in."She decided to start an afterschool program where children __29__ in STEM-based competitions. The club grew quickly and when it reached 180 members and the kids in the program won several state __30__ , she decided to devote all her time to cultivating and __31__ it. The global business EFK was born.Dori began operating EFK out of her Virginia home, which she then expanded to __32__ recreation centers. Today, the EFK program __33__ over 144 branches in 32 states within the United States and in 21 countries. Sales have doubled from $5 million in 2014 to $10 million in 2015, with 25 new branches planned for 2016. The EFK website states, "Our nation is not __34__ enough engineers. Our philosophy is to inspire kids at a young age to understand that engineering is a great __35__ ."A.attractedB.careerC.championshipsD.degreesE.developingF.enrollG.exposureH.feasibleI.feeding J.graduating K.interest L.levels M.local N.operates O.participatedWhy aren't you curious about what happened?[A]"You suspended Ray Rice after our video," a reporter from TMZ challenged National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell the other day. "Why didn't you have the curiosity to go to the casino (赌场) yourself?" The implication of the question is that a more curious commissioner would have found a way to get the tape.[B]The accusation of incuriosity is one that we hear often, carrying the suggestion that there is something wrong with not wanting to search out the truth. "I have been bothered for a long time about the curious lack of curiosity," said a Democratic member of the New Jersey legislature back in July, referring to an insufficiently inquiring attitude on the part of an assistant to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who chose not to ask hard question about the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal. "Isn't the mainstream media the least bit curious about what happened?" wrote conservative writer Jennifer Rubin earlier this year, referring to the attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.[C]The implication, in each case, is that curiosity is a good thing, and a lack of curiosity is a problem. Are such accusations simply efforts to score political points for one's party? Or is there something of particular value about curiosity in and of itself?[D]The journalist Ian Leslie, in his new and enjoyable book Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It, insists that the answer to that last question is 'Yes'. Leslie argues that curiosity is a much-overlooked human virtue, crucial to our success, and that we are losing it.[E]We are suffering, he writes, from a "serendipity deficit." The word "serendipity" was coined by Horace Walpole in an 1854 letter, from a tale of three princes who "were always making discoveries, by accident, of things they were not in search of." Leslie worries that the rise of the Internet, among other social and technological changes, has reduced our appetite for aimless adventures. No longer have we the inclination to let ourselves wander through fields of knowledge, ready to be surprised. Instead, we seek only the information we want.[F]Why is this a problem? Because without curiosity we will lose the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. We will see unimaginative governments and dying corporations make disastrous decisions. We will lose a vital part of what has made humanity as a whole so successful as a species.[G]Leslie presents considerable evidence for the proposition that the society as a whole is growing less curious. In the U.S and Europe, for example, the rise of the Internet has led to a declining consumption of news from outside the reader's borders. But not everything is to be blamed on technology. The decline in interest in literary fiction is also one of the causes identified by Leslie. Reading literary fiction, he says, make us more curious.[H]Moreover, in order to be curious, "you have to be aware of a gap in your knowledge in the first place." Although Leslie perhaps paints a bit broadly in contending that most of us are unaware of how much we don't know, he's surely right to point out that the problem is growing: "Google can give us the powerful illusion that all questions have definite answers."[I]Indeed, Google, for which Leslie expresses admiration, is also his frequent whipping body (替罪羊). He quotes Google co-founder Larry Page to the effect that the "perfect search engine" will "understand exactly what I mean and give me back exactly what I want." Elsewhere in the book, Leslie writes: "Google aims to save you from the thirst of curiosity altogether."[J]Somewhat nostalgically (怀旧地), he quotes John Maynard Keynes's justly famous words of praise to the bookstore: "One should enter it vaguely, almost in a dream, and allow what is there freely to attract and influence the eye. To walk the rounds of the bookshops, dipping in as curiosity dictates, should be an afternoon's entertainment." If only![K]Citing the work of psychologists and cognitive (认知的) scientists, Leslie criticizes the received wisdom that academic success is the result of a combination of intellectual talent and hard work. Curiosity, he argues, is the third key factor—and a difficult one to preserve. If not cultivated, it will not survive: "Childhood curiosity is a collaboration between child and adult. The surest way to kill it is to leave it alone."[L]School education, he warns, is often conducted in a way that makes children incurious. Children of educated and upper-middle-class parents turn out to be far more curious, even at early ages, than children of working class and lower class families. That lack of curiosity produces a relative lack of knowledge, and the lack of knowledge is difficult if not impossible to compensate for later on[M]Although Leslie's book isn't about politics, he doesn't entirely shy away from the problem. Political leaders, like leaders of other organizations, should be curious. They should ask questions at crucial moments. There are serious consequence, he warns, in not wanting to know.[N]He presents as an example the failure of the George W. Bush administration to prepare properly for the after-effects of the invasion of Iraq. According to Leslie, those who ridiculed former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for his 2002 remark that we have to be wary of the "unknown unknowns" were mistaken. Rumsfeld's idea, Leslie writes, " wasn't absurd—it was smart." He adds, "The tragedy is that he didn't follow his own advice."[O]All of which brings us back to Goodell and the Christie case and Benghazi. Each critic in those examples is charging, in a different way, that someone in authority is intentionally being curious. I leave it to the reader's political preference to decide which, if any, charges should stick. But let's be careful about demanding curiosity about the other side's weaknesses and remanding determinedly incurious about our own. We should be delighted to pursue knowledge for its own sake—even when what we find out is something we didn't particularly want to know.36.To be curious, we need to realize first of all that there are many things we don't know.37.According to Leslie, curiosity is essential to one's success.38.We should feel happy when we pursue knowledge for knowledge's sake.39.Political leaders' lack of curiosity will result in bad consequences.40.There are often accusations about politicians' and the media's lack of curiosity to find out the truth41.The less curious a child is, the less knowledge the child may turn out to have.42.It is widely accepted that academic accomplishment lies in both intelligence and diligence.43.Visiting a bookshop as curiosity leads us can be a good way to entertain ourselves.44.Both the rise of the Internet and reduced appetite for literary fiction contribute to people's declining curiosity.45.Mankind wouldn't be so innovative without curiosity.Passage OneAging happens to all of us, and is generally thought of as a natural part of life. It would seem silly to call such a thing a "disease."On the other hand, scientists are increasingly learning that aging and biological age are two different things, and that the former is a key risk factor for conditions such as heart disease, cancer and many more. In that light, aging itself might be seen as something treatable, the way you would treat high blood pressure or a vitamin deficiency.Biophysicist Alex Zhavoronkov believes that aging should be considered a disease. He said that describing aging as a disease creates incentives to develop treatments."It unties the hands of the pharmaceutical (制药的.industry so that they can begin treating the disease and not just the side effects," he said."Right now, people think of aging as natural and something you can't control," he said. "In academic circles,people take aging research as just an interest area where they can try to develop interventions. The medical community also takes aging for granted, and can do nothing about it except keep people within a certain health range."But if aging were recognized as a disease, he said, "It would attract funding and change the way we do health care. What matters is understanding that aging is curable.""It was always known that the body accumulates damage," he added. "The only way to cure aging is to find ways to repair that damage. I think of it as preventive medicine for age-related conditions."Leonard Hayflick, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, said the idea that aging can be cured implies the human lifespan can be increased, which some researchers suggest is possible. Hayflick is not among them."There're many people who recover from cancer, stroke, or heart disease. But they continue to age, because aging is separate from their disease," Hayflick said. "Even if those causes of death were eliminated, life expectancy would still not go much beyond 92 years."46.What do people generally believe about aging?A.It should cause no alarm whatsoever.B.They just cannot do anything about it.C.It should be regarded as a kind of disease.D.They can delay it with advances in science.47.How do many scientists view aging now?A.It might be prevented and treated.B.It can be as risky as heart disease.C.It results from a vitamin deficiency.D.It is an irreversible biological process.48.What does Alex Zhavoronkov think of "describing aging as a disease"?A.It will prompt people to take aging more seriously.B.It will greatly help reduce the side effects of aging.C.It will free pharmacists from the conventional beliefs about aging.D.It will motivate doctors and pharmacists to find ways to treat aging.49.What do we learn about the medical community?A.They now have a strong interest in research on aging.B.They differ from the academic circles in their view on aging.C.They can contribute to people's health only to a limited extent.D.They have ways to intervene in people's aging process.50.What does professor Leonard Hayflick believe?A.The human lifespan cannot be prolonged.B.Aging is hardly separable from disease.C.Few people live up to the age of 92.D.Heart disease is the major cause of aging.Passage TwoFemale applicants to postdoctoral positions in geosciences were nearly half as likely to receive excellent letters of recommendation, compared with their male counterparts. Christopher Intagliata reports.As in many other fields, gender bias is widespread in the sciences. Men score higher starting salaries, have more mentoring (指导), and have better odds of being hired. Studies show they're also perceived as more competent than women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.fields. And new research reveals that men are more likely to receive excellent letters of recommendation, too.。

2017年12月英语四级真题卷一和答案解析

2017年12⽉英语四级真题卷⼀和答案解析2017年12 ⽉⼤学英语四级考试真题（第1 套）Part I Writing (30minutes)（请于正式开考后半⼩时内完成该部分，之后将进⾏听⼒考试）Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on how to best handle the relationship between parents and children. You should write at least120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)Section ADirections: 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) Her grandfather. C) Her friend Erika.B)Her grandmother. D) Her little brother.2.A) By taking pictures for passers-by. C) By working part time at a hospital.B)By selling lemonade and pictures. D) By asking for help on social media.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A) Testing the efficiency of the new solar panel.B)Providing clean energy to five million people.C)Generating electric power for passing vehicles.D)Finding cheaper ways of highway construction.4.A) They are only about half an inch thick. B) They are made from cheap materials.C)They can be laid right on top of existing highways.D)They can stand the wear and tear of natural elements.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5.A) The lack of clues about the species. C) Endless fighting in the region. B) Inadequate funding for research. D) The hazards from the desert.6.A) To observe the wildlife in the two national parks.B)To study the habitat of lions in Sudan and Ethiopia.C)To identify the reasons for the lions’ disappearance.D)To find evidence of the existence of the “lost lions”.7.A) Lions’ tracks. C) Some camping facilities.B)Lions walking. D) Traps set by local hunters.Section BDirections：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation 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 asingle line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) A special gift from the man. C) A call from her dad.B) Her wedding anniversary. D) Her ‘lucky birthday’.9. A) Threw her a surprise party. C) Bought her a gold necklace.B) Took her on a trip overseas. D) Gave her a big model plane.10.A) What her husband and the man are up to. B)What has been troubling her husband.C)The trip her husband has planned.D)The gift her husband has bought.11.A) He wants to find out about the couple’s holidayplan.B)He is eager to learn how the couple’s holiday turns out.C)He will tell the women the secret if her husband agrees.D)He will be glad to be a guide for the couple’s holiday trip.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A) They take the rival’s attitude into account. B)They know when to adopt a tough attitude.C)They see the importance of making compromises.D)They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.13. A) They know when to stop. C) They know when to make compromises.B) They know how to adapt. D) They know how to control their emotion.14. A) They are patient. C) They are good at expression.B) They learn quickly. D) They uphold their principles.15. A) Clarify items of negotiation. C) Get to know the other side.B) Make clear one's intentions. D) Formulate one's strategy.Section CDirections: 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), 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) How space research benefits people on Earth.B)When the International Space Station was built.C)How many space shuttle missions there will be.D)When America's earliest space program started.17.A) They tried to make best use of the latest technology. B) They tried to meet astronauts' specificrequirements.C)They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.D)They accurately calculated the speed of the orbiting shuttles.18.A) They are expensive to make. C) They were first made in space.B)They are extremely accurate. D) They were invented in the 1970s.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A) Everything was natural and genuine then.B)People had plenty of land to cultivate then. C) It marked the beginning of something new.D) It was when her ancestors came to America.20.A) They were known to be creative. C) They had all kinds of entertainment. B) They enjoyedliving a living a life of ease. D) They believed in working for goals.21.A) Chatting with her ancestors. C) Furnishing her country house. B) Doing needlework by the fire.D) Polishing all the silver work. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A) Sit down and try to calm yourself. C) Use a map to identify your location.B)Call your family or friends for help. D) Try to follow your footprints back.23.A) You may end up entering a wonderland. B) You may get drowned in a sudden flood.C)You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.D)You may find a way out without your knowing it.24. A) Wait patiently. C) Start a fire.B) Look for food. D) Walk uphill.25. A) Check the local weather. C) Prepare enough food and drink.B) Find a map and a compass. D) Inform somebody of your plan.Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension ( 40 minutes )Section ADirections: 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 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some 26 skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban 27 , but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the 28 of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive 29 memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often 30 with spreading disease rather than 31 it, but this long-tailed animal is highly 32 . Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors (嗅觉感受器), whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability to detect 33 smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB(肺结核). When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to 34 a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to 35 , but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate — the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.Section BDirections: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.Do In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A]I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B]Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly. [C]As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups.“That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn’t happen without the press ure of an in-class exam,” he explained, “Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, and essential work skill.”[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled “Introduction To Congress.”Some colleges have what they call an “honor code,” though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn’t just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.[E]Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-hone exams. “Students risk health and well bein g, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better e nhance learning and retention.”[F]Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery Community College in Rockvi lle, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to find out,” says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.[G]Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. “I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, “I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment when the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze.” [H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.[I]Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability to access the information asquickly. A s another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, told me, “We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school.”[J]If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When I asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,” he responded. It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class the ticking clock overhead.[K]Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, “It is going to be apiece of cake.” When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.36.Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37.Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38.Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.39.In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40.The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41.Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.42.Different students may prefer different types of exams.43.Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type of course being taught.44.The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45.Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the “first-night” effect. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕⾷者). This led her to wonder if people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environme nt of the university’s Department of Psychological Sciences. The participants each slept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, as expected, the participants slept less well on theirfirst night than they did on their second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping less overall. During deep sleep, the participants’ brains behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the firs t night only, the left hemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as their right hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran the experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularly timed beeps (蜂鸣声) of the same tone and irregular beeps of a different tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemisphere was staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would react to the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore the regularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46.What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A)To what extent it can trouble people. C) What circumstances may trigger it.B)What role it has played in evolution. D) In what way it can be beneficial.47.What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research? A) She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B) She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way. C)She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD) She conducted studies on birds’ and dolphins’ sleeping patterns.48.What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A)She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.B)She recruited 35 participants from her Department of Psychological Sciences.C)She studied the differences between the two sides of participants’ brains.D)She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49.What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A)She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B)She recorded participants’ adaptation to changed environment.C)She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D)She compared the responses of different participants.50.What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment? A) They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B)They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C)They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D)They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.It’s time to reevaluate how women handle conf lict at work. Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling “very tired” or “exhausted”, according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able to do it all volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals-and so their answer to any request is often “Yes, I can.”Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, this inability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, ther e’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-even if that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely – including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51.What does the author say is the problem with women?A)They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B)They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C)They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D)They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52.Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drained of energy? A) They struggle to satisfy the demandsof both work and home.B)They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C)They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D)They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53.What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A)Their unwillingness to say “no”.B)Their desire to be considered powerful.C)An underestimate of their own ability.D)A lack of courage to face challenges.54.Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that______.A)women tend to be easily satisfiedB)men are generally more persuasiveC)men tend to put their personal interests first D) women are much more ready to compromise55.What is important to a good leader?A)A dominant personality. C) The courage to admit failure B) The ability to delegate. D) A strong sense of responsibility.Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.泰⼭位于⼭东省西部。

2017年12月英语四级真题及答案(第一套)

2017年12月英语四级真题及答案(第一套)Part I Writing (25 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short easy on how to best handle the relationship between doctors and patients. You should write at least120 words butno more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （25minutes）Section ADirections: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 bespoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer fromthe four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer 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) Her friend Erika. C) Her grandfather.B) Her little brother. D) Her grandmother.2. A) By taking pictures for passers-by. C) By selling lemonade and pictures.B) By working part time at a hospital. D) By asking for help on social media.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A) Finding cheaper ways of highway construction.B) Generating electric power for passing vehicles.C) Providing clean energy to five million people.D) Testing the efficiency of the new solar panel.4. A) They can stand the wear and tear of natural elements.B) They can be laid right on top of existing highways.C) They are only about half an inch thick.D) They are made from cheap materials.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Endless fighting in the region. C) Inadequate funding for research.B) The hazards from the desert. D) The lack of clues about the species.6. A) To observe the wildlife in the two national parks.B) To identify the reason s for the lions’ disappearance.C) To study the habitat of lions in Sudan and Ethiopia.D) To find evidence of the existence of the “lost lions”.7. A) Lions walking. C) Some camping facilities.B) Lions’ tracks. D) Traps set by local hunters.Section BDirections：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spokenonly once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C), and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) Her ‘lucky birthday’.C) Her wedding anniversary.B) A call from her dad. D) A special gift from the man.9. A) Gave her a big model plane. C) Took her on a trip overseas.B) Bought her a good necklace. D) Threw her a surprise party.10. A) The gift her husband has bought.B) The trip her husband has planned.C) What has been troubling her husband.D) What her husband and the man are up to.11. A) He will be glad to be a guide for the couple’s holiday trip.B) He will tell the women the secret if her husband agrees.C) He is eager to learn how the couple’s holiday turns out.D) He wants to find out about the couple’s holiday plan.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) They are sensitive to the dynamics of a negotiation.B) They see the importance of making compromises.C) They know when to adopt a tough attitude.D) They take the rival’s attitude into account.13. A) They know how to adapt. C) They know when to make compromises.B) They know when to stop. D) They know how to control their emotion.14. A) They are patient. C) They learn quickly.B) They are good at expression. D) They uphold their principles.15. A) Make clear one's intentions. C) Formulate one's strategy.B) Clarify items of negotiation. D) Get to know the other side.Section CDirections: 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 choicesmarked A), B), C), D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with asingle line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) When America's earliest space program started.B) When the International Space Station was built.C) How many space shuttle missions there will be.D) How space research benefits people on Earth.17. A) They accurately calculated the speed of the orbiting shuttles.B) They developed objects for astronauts to use in outer space.C) They tried to meet astronauts' specific requirements.D) They tried to make best use of the latest technology.18. A) They are extremely accurate. C) They were first made in space.B) They are expensive to make. D) They were invented in the 1970s.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It was when her ancestors came to America.B) People had plenty of land to cultivate then.C) It marked the beginning of something new.D) Everything was natural and genuine then.20. A) They believed in working for goals. C) They had all kinds of entertainment.B) They enjoyed living a living a life of ease. D) They were known to be creative.21. A) Chatting with her ancestors. C) Polishing all the silver work.B) Furnishing her country house. D) Doing needlework by the fire. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) Use a map to identify your location. C) Sit down and try to calm yourself.B) Call your family or friends for help. D) Try to follow your footprints back.23. A) You may find a way out without your knowing it.B) You may expose yourself to unexpected dangers.C) You may get drowned in a sudden flood.D) You may end up entering a wonderland.24. A) Look for food. C) Start a fire.B) Wait patiently. D) Walk uphill.25. A) Inform somebody of your plan. C) Check the local weather.B) Prepare enough food and drink. D) Find a map and a compass.Part ⅢReading Comprehension ( 40 minutes ) Section ADirections: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. Readthe passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some ___26___ skills that could help the treatment of human diseases.Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban __27__, but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans. Despite having a brain no bigger than the _28_of your index finger, pigeons have a very impressive___29___ memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.Rats are often ___30___with spreading disease rather than___31___ it, but this long-tailed animal is highly___32___. Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors (嗅觉感受器), whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats the ability todetect___33___smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect TB(肺结核). When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to ___34___ a sample is infected.Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days to ___35___, but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate — the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.Section BDirections: 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 theparagraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph morethan once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by markingthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Do In-Class Exams Make Students Study Harder?Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.[A] I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.[B] Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.[C] As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. “That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn’t happen withou t the pressure of anin-class exam,” he explained, “Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, and essential work skill.”[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled “Introduction To Congress.” Some colleges have what they call an “honor code,” though if you are smart enough to get into these sch ools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn’t just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-hone exams. “Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learning and retention.”[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to find out,” says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more c oming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.[G] Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. “I pref er take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, “I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment whe n the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze.”[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability to access the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, told me, “We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school.”[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When Iasked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,” he responded.It se ems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class the ticking clock overhead.[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, “It is going to beapiece of cake.” When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.38. Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.39. In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.40. The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.41. Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.42. Different students may prefer different types of exams.43. Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type of course being taught.44. The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.Section CDirections: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) andD). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar surroundings is a phenomenon known as the “first-night” effect. If a person stays in the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate the origins of this effect.Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it when performance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者). This led her to wonder if people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look, her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of the university’s Department of Psychological Sciences. The participants each slept in the department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, as expected, the participantsslept less well on their first night than they did on their second, taking more than twice as long to fall asleep and sleeping less overall. During deep sleep, the participants’ brains behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the left hemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as their right hemispheres did.Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran the experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularly timed beeps (蜂鸣声) of the same tone and irregular beeps of a different tone during the night. She worked out that, if the left hemisphere was staying alert to keep guard in a strange environment, then it would react to the irregular beeps by stirring people from sleep and would ignore the regularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.46. What did researchers find puzzling about the first-night effect?A) To what extent it can trouble people. C) What circumstances may trigger it.B) What role it has played in evolution. D) In what way it can be beneficial.47. What do we learn about Dr. Yuka Sasaki doing her research?A) She found birds and dolphins remain alert while asleep.B) She found birds and dolphins sleep in much the same way.C) She got some idea from previous studies on birds and dolphinsD) She conducted studies on birds’ and dolphins’ sleeping patterns.48. What did Dr. Sasaki do when she first did her experiment?A) She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new environment.B) She recruited 35 participants from her Department of Psychological Sciences.C) She studied the differences between the two sides of participants’ brains.D) She tested her findings about birds and dolphins on human subjects.49. What did Dr. Sasaki do when re-running her experiment?A) She analyzed the negative effect of irregular tones on brains.B) She recorded participants’ adaptation to changed environment.C) She exposed her participants to two different stimuli.D) She compared the responses of different participants.50. What did Dr. Sasaki find about the participants in her experiment?A) They tended to enjoy certain tones more than others.B) They tended to perceive irregular beeps as a threat.C) They felt sleepy when exposed to regular beeps.D) They differed in their tolerance of irregular tones.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.It’s time to reevaluate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked orover-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling “very tired” or “exhausted”, according to a recent study.This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying "no." Women want to be able to do it all volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals-and so their answer to any request is often “Yes, I can.”Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, this inability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as their career.At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don't want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-even if that means doing the boring work themselves.This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to delegate and manage resources wisely – including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to delegate effectively.51. What does the author say is the problem with women?A) They are often unclear about the career goals to reach.B) They are usually more committed at home than on the job.C) They tend to be over-optimistic about how far they could go.D) They tend to push themselves beyond the limits of their ability.52. Why do working women of child-bearing age tend to feel drained of energy?A) They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home.B) They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result.C) They do their best to cooperate with their workmates.D) They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities.53. What may hinder the future prospects of career women?A) Their unwillingness to say “no”.B) Their desire to be considered powerful.C) An underestimate of their own ability.D) A lack of courage to face challenges.54. Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in that______.A) women tend to be easily satisfiedB) men are generally more persuasiveC) men tend to put their personal interests firstD) women are much more ready to compromise55. What is important to a good leader?A) A dominant personality. C) The courage to admit failureB) The ability to delegate. D) A strong sense of responsibility.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.华山位于华阴市，据西安120公里。

新东方刘涛：2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题解析阅读部分(新东方版)

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题解析阅读部分（第一套）各位同学大家好，2017年12月大学英语四级刚刚落下帷幕，大家肯定还存在着很多困惑，那么下面我们针对第一套真题中的阅读部分，给大家进行一下具体的解析和讲解。

一、先来看一下选词填空部分，这依然是阅读中最难的部分，但是因为分数占比仅有5%，所以不用太担心。

做题原则为：先判定词性，再判定词义。

26.K 根据some和skills判定填空处的词性为形容词，根据上下句得知此空词义应为“有优势的，较好的”。

27.D 根据填空前an urban..,确定此空词性为名词，根据and前的dirty birds判定为负面的并列，所以选负面可数名词，nuisance的意思为：令人生厌的东西。

28.M 此空后面有of引导的介宾结构，所以前后必定为从属关系，词义和手有关，而且词性为名词，所以选tip，表示指尖。

29.O 此空为形容词，而且和器官有关，前文说尽管鸽子的脑子很小很弱，而后文必须硕它们的另外器官功能很强，所以“视觉的”比较符合要求。

30.A 此处为固定搭配。

be associated with 表示前者与后者有关。

31.F rather than为肯前否后结构，前后语意相反，但词性相同，所以选ing形式的词，即，人们通常会把老鼠和传播疾病联系在一起，而不会把它们和预防疾病联系起来。

32.H 根据后句话中的中文提示（嗅觉感受器），可知老鼠的鼻子很灵敏，推导出32的词义应该和高度“敏感的”的相关。

33.I此空词性为形容词，词义根据前后文判断应该是和“小、细微的”有关。

因为后文中说“能探测出肺结核细菌”，所以“轻微的”比较符合文意。

34. C 不定式结构，所以此空为动词原形。

根据前后文，此处为“暗示”。

35.B不定式结构，所以此空也为动词原形。

根据后文，”this rat detection method”判定此处为“检测，实验”。

二、再来看一下，段落匹配题，此类占10%的分数，比较重要。

2017年12月四级真题答案及解析(第一套完整版)

Part I WritingDirections:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short easy on how to best handle the relationship between doctors and patients. You should write at least120 words but no more than 180 words.题目解析：一、审题：四级写作的第一步即读懂题目要求。

读题目时我们需要在题干中去找“关键词”。

本次作文中读完题目，建议同学们用笔勾画出来五个关键词，即五个要点，顺序依次是“30 minutes”、“essay”、“how”、“the relationship between doctors and patients”、“write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words”其中关于考试时间和作文字数的要求每年都一致。

接下来审题的重点：这次写作要求我们写一篇常见的议论文，并且去简述如何处理医生和病人的关系。

读完题目之后，我们了解到这次的写作主题即“医患关系（the relationship between doctors and patients）”。

二、谋篇：四级写作的第二步即布局三段结构，这次写作中强调“如何处理医患关系”，所以我们在第二段写作时，可以从两个维度出发—医生和患者—去叙述如何正确处理两个主体之间的关系。

三、框架：全文分为三个段落。

第一段为话题引出段（可结合情景作文第一段，先表明自己的观点）；第二段为原因分析段（主要从医生/患者两个方面进行原因论述）；第三段为意义阐述段。

四、填充：具体的范文如下，仅做参考。

写作范文：On the Relationship between Doctors and PatientsIn the present age, it is generally acknowledged that the relationship between doctors and patients is playing indispensable roles in our lives. As far as I am concerned, we should balance this kind of relationship from two aspects, doctors and patients.The causes of this perspective are multiple. In the first place, the reason has been cited as a major reason that doctors cannot be understood, for patients always maintain doctors can cure all kinds of disease. This is mainly due to the fact that although medical technology and science are advanced at an amazing rate, there exists a multitude of various kinds of diseases we cannot cure. Furthermore, the reason can contribute this perspective that patients are believed to be lack of the fundamental medical knowledge, which results in this relationship are worried. Plenty of evidence has shown that an increasing number of patients often go to extremes if their diseases cannot be cure instantly.When it comes to our modern society, it is universally acknowledged that dealing with the relationship between doctors and patients in a reasonable way plays a vitally important role in our lives. Undoubtedly, if we spare no efforts to do so, our future will be hopeful and promising.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection ANew report 11.答案: B) Her little brother.Q: Who did Edison raise money for?解析: 新闻首句原则,了解大致内容是Edison卖柠檬水和画画为生病需要做心脏手术(surgery)的弟弟筹资。

2017年12月全国大学英语四级考试阅读第一套答案

2017年12月全国大学英语四级考试阅读第一套答案参考答案：26-30 K D M O A31-35 F H I C BA. associated （v +ed.）与…相关联B. examine（v.）检查；检测C. indicate（v.）意味；指示；象征D. nuisance（n.）讨厌的人或事E. peak（n.）巅峰；峰值F. preventing（v +ing.）防止；组织G. prohibiting（v +ing.）禁止H. sensitive（a.）敏感的I. slight（a.）微小的J. specify（v.）详细说明；指定K. superior（a.）高超的；优秀的L. suspicious（a.）可疑的M. tip（n.）尖端N. treated（v +ed）被治疗的；被对待的O. visual（a.）视觉的36. I定位：段落第一句，”Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation ,in part because of my inability to access the information as quickly.”37. E定位：段落首句。

”Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-home exams.”38. C定位：段落第三句“He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups.”39. D定位：段落首句“He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety.”40. B定位： have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I Learned this, figuring I Had a full week to do the researh.41. H定位：here are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be.42. G定位：tudents’s test-form preferences vary ,too,often depending on the subject and course difficulty.43. F定位：Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the supject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help.44. A定位：So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago.45. J定位：“I like in-classs exams because the time is already reserved ,as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,”he responded.46-50 D C A C B51-55 D A A C B。

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