2015年6月大学英语四级考试真题第3套

2015年6月大学英语四级考试真题(第3套)Part I Writing (30 mi nu tes)(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 an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and comme nt on this kind of moder n life. You shouldwrite at least 120 words but no more tha n 180 words.THIS MODERN LIFEPart II Liste ning Comprehe nsion (30 minu tes)Section ADirections: In this sect ion, you will hear 8 short con versati ons and 2 long con versati ons. At the end of each con versati on, one or more questi ons will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and thequestions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A),B),C)and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark thecorresponding letter on An swer Sheet 1 with a sin gle line through the cen tre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

Part 川Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this sect ion, there is a passage with ten bla nks. You are required toselect one word for each bla nk from a list of choices give n in a word bank follow ing the passage. Readthe passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by aletter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a sin gle line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more tha n once.Questio n 36 to 45 are based on the follow ing passage.The U.S. Departme nt of Educati on is making efforts to en sure that all stude nts have equal access to a quality education. Today it is __36_ _the launch of the Excellent Educators for All Initiative. The initiative will help states and school districts support great educators for the stude nts who n eed them most.“ All childre n are 37 to a high-quality educati on regardless of their race, zip code or family in come. It is —38- importa nt that we provide teachers and prin cipals the support they n eed tohelp students reach their full 39 __ , ” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “ Despite theexcellent work and deep 40 ___ of our nation's teachers and principals, students in high-poverty,high-minority schools are un fairly treated across our coun try. We have to do better. Local leaders and educators will 41 their own creative solutions, but we must work together to 42 our focus on how to better recruit, support and 43_______________________________________ effective teachers and prin cipals for all stude nts,especially the kids who need them most. ”Today ' announcement is another important step forward in improving access to quality educati on, a 44 of Preside nt Obama ' s year of action. Later today, Secretary Duncan will lead a roun dtable discussi on with prin cipals and school teachers from across the country about the 45 of working in high-need schools and how to adapt promising practices for supporting great educators in these schools.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

A) announcingB) beneficialC) challengesD) commitmentE) componentF) con testsG) criticallyH) developI) distributingJ) enhanceK) entitledL) potentialM) properlyN) qualifiedO) retainSection BDirections: In this sect ion, you are going to read a passage with ten stateme nts attached to it. Each stateme nt contains in formatio n give n in one of the paragraphs. Ide ntify the paragraph from which the in formati on is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Chan ges Faci ng Fast Food[A] Fast-food firms have to be a thick-sk inned bun ch. Health experts regularly criticize them severely for selling food that makes people fat. Critics even complain that McDonald's, whose logo symbolizes calorie excess, should not have bee n allowed to spon sor the World Cup. Theseare things fast-food firms have lear nt to cope with. But not perhaps for much Ion ger. The burger bus in ess faces more pressure from regulators at a time whe n it is already adapt ing strategies in resp onse to shifts in the global economy.[B] Fat food was once thought to be recessi on-proof. Whe n con sumers n eed to cut spe nding, the logic goes, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive. Such "trad ing down" proved true for much of the latest recession, when fast-food companies picked up customers who could no Ion ger afford to eat at casual restaura nts. Traffic was boosted in America, the home of fast food, with disco un ts a nd promoti ons, such as $1 menus and cheap comb in ati on meals.[C] As a result, fast-food chains have weathered the recession better than their more expensive competitors .In 2009sales at full-service restaura nts in America fell by more tha n 6%, bur total sales remained about the same at fast-food chains. In some markets, such as Japan, France and Britai n, total spe nding on fast food in creased. Same-store sales in America at McD on ald's, the world's largest fast-food company, did not decline throughout the downturn, Panera Bread, an America n fast-food cha in known for its fresh in gredie nts, performed well, too, because it offers higher-quality food at lower prices than restaurants.[D] But not all fast-food compa nies have bee n as fortun ate. Many, such as Burger King, have see n sales fall. In a severe recessi on, while some people trade dow n to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money. David Palmer, an analyst at UBS, a bank, says smaller fast-food cha ins in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr., have bee n hit particularly hardin this dow ntur n because they are competi ng with the global gia nt McDon ald's, which in creased spe nding on advertis ing by more tha n 7% last year as others cut back.[E] Some fast-food compa nies also sacrificed their own profits by trying to give customers better value. During the recession companies set prices low, hoping that once they had tempted customers through the door they would be persuaded to order more expensive items. But in many cases that strategy did not work. Last year Burger King franchisees sued the company over its double-cheeseburger promoti on, clai ming it was un fair for them to be required to sell these for $1 when they cost $1.10 to make. In May a judge ruled in favour of Burger King. Nevertheless, the company may still be cursing its decision to promote cheap choices over more expensive ones because items on its "value menu" mow acco unt for around 20% of all sales, up from 12% last October.[F] An alysts expect the fast-food in dustry to grow modestly this year. But the dow ntur n is mak ing companies rethink their strategies. Many are now introducing higher-priced items to entice（引诱） con sumers away from $1 specials. KFC, a divisio n of Yum! Bran ds, which also owns Taco Belland Pizza Hut, has laun ched a chicke n san dwich that costs around $5. And in May Burger King in troduced barbecue（烧烤）pork ribs at $7 for eight.[G] Companies are also trying to get customers to buy new and more items, including drinks, McDonald's started selling better coffee as a challenge to Starbucks. Its "McCafe" line now accounts for an estimated 6% of sales in America. Starbucks has sold rights to its Seattle's Best coffee brand to Burger King, which will start selling it later this year.[H] As fast-food compa nies shift from "super size" to "more buys", they n eed to keep customer traffic high throughout the day. Many see breakfast as a big opport un ity, and just for fatty food. McD on ald's will start sell ing porridge （粥）in America n ext year. Breakfast has the pote ntial to be very profitable, says Sara Senatore of Bernstein, a research firm, because the margins can be high. Fast-food companies are also adding midday and late-night snacks, such as blended drinks and wraps. The idea is that by havi ng a greater range of things on the menu. "we can sell to con sumers products they want all day," says Rick Carucci, the chief finan cial offers of Yun! Bran ds.[I] But when about those growing waistlines? So far, fast-food firms have cleverly avoided government regulation. By providing healthy options, like salads and low-calorie sandwiches, they have at least given the impression of doing something about helping to fight obesity（肥胖症）. These offerings are not necessarily loss-leaders, as they broaden the appeal of outlets to groups of diners that in clude some people who don't want to eat a burger. But customers cannot be forced to order salads in stead of fries.[J] In the future, simply offeri ng a healthy optio n may not be good eno ugh. "Every packaged-food and restaura nt compa ny I know is concerned about regulatio n right no w," says Mr. Palmer of UBS. America's health-reform bill, which Con gress passed this year, requires restaura nt cha ins with 20 or more outlets to put the calorie-content of items they serve to the menu. A study by the National Bureau of Econo mic Research, which tracked the effects on Starbucks of a similar calorie-post ing law in New York City in 2007, found that the average calorie-amount per transaction fell 6% and revenue in creased 3% at Starbucks stores where a Dunkin Donuts outlet was n earby —a sign, it is said, that menu-labell ing could favour cha ins that have more healthy offeri ngs.[K] In order to avoid other legislation in America and elsewhere, fast-food companies will have to continue innovating （创新）,Wait Riker of McDonald's claims the change it has made in its menu means it offers more healthy items than it did a few years ago, "We probably sell more vegetables, more milk, more salads, some apples tha n any restaura nt bus in ess in the world, "he says. But the recent proposal by a county in California to ban McDonald's from including toys in its high-calorie "Happy Meals", because legislators believe it attracts children to unhealthy food, suggest there is a lot more left to do.46. Some people propose laws be made to stop McDonald's from attaching toys to its food specials for childre n.47. Fast-food firms may not be able to cope with pressures from food regulation in the near future.48. Burger Ki ng will start to sell Seattle's Best coffee to in crease sales.49. Some fast-food firms provide healthy food to give the impressi on they are help ing to tackle the obesity problem.50. During the recession, many customers turned to fast food to save money.51. Many people eat out less often to save money in times of recessi on.52. During the recessi on, Burger Ki ng's promoti onal strategy of offeri ng low-priced items ofte n proved in effective.53. Fast-food restaura nts can make a lot of money by sell ing breakfast.54. Many fast-food compa nies now expect to in crease their revenue by in troduci ng higher-priced items.55. A n ewly-passed law asks big fast-food cha ins to specify the calorie count of what they serve on the menu. Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this sect ion. Each passage is followed by some questi ons or unfini shed stateme nts. 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 OneQuestio ns 56 to 60 are based on the follow ing passage.If you thi nk a high-factor sun scree n（防晒霜）keeps you safe from harmful rays, you may be wrong. Research in this week's Nature shows that while factor 50 reduces the number of mela no mas（黑瘤）and delays their occurre nee, it can't preve nt them. Mela no mas are the most aggressive skin cancers. You have a higher risk if you have red or blond hair, fair skin, blue or gree n eyes, or sunburn easily, or if a close relative has had one. Mela no mas are more com mon if you have periodic intense exposure to the sun. Other skin cancers are increasingly likely with Ion g-term exposure.There is con ti nuing debate as to how effective sun scree n is in reduci ng mela no mas—the evidence is weaker than it is for preventing other types of skin cancer. A 2011 Australian study of 1,621 people found that people ran domly selected to apply sun scree n daily had half the rate of mela no mas of people who used cream as n eeded. A sec ond study, compari ng 1,167 people with mela no mas to 1,101 who did n't have the can cer, found that using sun scree n routi nely, alon gside other protect ion such as hats, l ong sleeves or stay ing in the shade, did give some protect ion. This study said other forms of sun protecti on —not sun scree n—seemed most ben eficial. The study relied on people remembering what they had done over each decade of their lives, so it's not en tirely reliable. But it seems reas on able to thi nk sun scree n gives people a false sense of security in the sun.Many people also don't use sun scree n properly-appl ying in sufficie nt amoun ts, faili ng to reapply after a couple of hours and staying in the sun too long. It is sunburn that is most worry in g-rece nt shows five episodes of sunburn in the tee nage years in creases the risk of all skin can cers.The good n ews is that a comb in ati on of sun scree n and coveri ng up can reduce mela noma rates, as shownby Australian figures from their slip-slop-slap campaign. So if there is a heat wave this summer, it would be best for us, too, to slip on a shirt, slop on（抹上）sun scree n and slap on ahat.56. What is people's com mon expectati on of a high-factor sun scree n?A. It will delay the occurrence of skin cancer.B. It will protect them from sunburn.C. It will keep their skin smooth and fair.D. It will work for people of any skin color.57. What does the research in Nature say about a high-factor sun scree n?A. It is in effective in preve nting mela no mas.B. It is in effective in case of intense sun light.C. It is in effective with Ion g-term exposure.D. It is in effective for people with fair skin.58. What do we learn from the 2011Australian study of 1,621 people?A. Sun scree n should be applied alon gside other protecti on measures.B. High-risk people ben efit the most from the applicatio n of sun scree n.C. Irregular applicatio n of sun scree n does wome n more harm tha n good.D. Daily applicatio n of sun scree n helps reduce the in cide nce of mela no mas.59. What does the author say about the sec ond Australia n study?A. It misleads people to rely on sun scree n for protect ion.B. It helps people to select the most effective sun scree n.C. It is not based on direct observati on of the subjects.D. It con firms the results of the first Australia n study.60. What does the author suggest to reduce mela noma rates?A. Using both coveri ng up and sun scree n.B. Stay ing in the shade whe never possible.C. Using coveri ng up in stead of sun scree n.D. Appl ying the right amount of sun scree n.Passage TwoQuestio ns 61 to 65 are based on the follow ing passage.Across the rich world, well-educated people in creas in gly work Ion ger tha n the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only ahigh-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepe ning divide betwee n the well-educati on well off and the un skilled poor. Rapid tech no logical adva nce has raised the in comes of the highly skilled while squeez ing those of the un skilled. The con seque nces, for in dividual and society, are profo und.The world is facing as ast on ishi ng rise in the nu mber of old people, and they will live Ion ger than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater Iongevity （长寿）translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create gover nment budget problems.But the no ti on of a sharp divisi on betwee n the work ing young and the idle old misses a new trend, the grow ing gap betwee n the skilled and the un skilled. Employme nt rates are falli ng among youn ger un skilled people, whereas older skilled folk are work ing Ion ger. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers （二战后生育高峰期出生的美国人）areputti ng off retireme nt while many less-skilled youn ger people have dropped out of the workforce.That even the better-off must work Ion ger to have a comfortable retireme nt. But the cha nging nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive tha n the precedi ng gen erati on. Tech no logical cha nge may well rei nforce that shift: the skills that compleme nt computers, from man ageme nt kno whow to creativity. Do not n ecessarilydecli ne with age.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。