2019年12月大学英语四级真题完整版(第三套)

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2019年12月大学英语四级第三套卷附答案

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第3套)Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions : For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to teach English in China. Please recommend a city to him. You should write at least 120 wordsbut no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25minutes) 说明：由于2019年12月大学英语四级考试全国共考了2套听力，本套真题听力与第2套内容完全一样.只是选项顺序不一样.因此在本套真题中不再重复给出oPart ID 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 thepassage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identifiedby a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Finally, some good news about airplane travel. If you are on a plane with a sick passenger, you are unlikely to get sick. That is the 26 of a new study that looked at how respiratory(呼吸道)viruses 27 on airplanes. Researchers found that only people who were seated in the same row as a passenger with the flu, for example—or one row in front of or behind that individual—had a high risk of catching the illness. All other passengers had only a very 28 chance of getting sick, according to the findings. Media reports have not necessarily presented 29 information about the risk of getting infected on an airplane in the past. Therefore, these new findings should help airplane passengers to feel less30 to catching respiratory infections while traveling by air.Prior to the new study, little was known about the risks of getting 31 infected by common respiratory viruses, such as the flu or common cold, on an airplane, the researchers said. So, to 32 the risks of infection, the study team flew on 10 different 33 in the U. S. during the flu season. The researchers found that passengers sitting within two seats on 34 side of a person infected with flu, as well as those sitting one row in font of or behind this individual, had about an 80 percent chance of getting sick. But other passengers were 35 safe from infection. They had a less than 3 percent chance of catching the flu.Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each state-ment contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph fromwhich the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Eachparagraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letteron Answer Sheet 2.A South Korean city designed for the future takes on a life of its ownA)Getting around a city is one thing — and then there's the matter of getting from one city to another.One vision of the perfect city of the future is a place that offers easy access to air travel. In 2011, a University of North Carolina business professor named John Kasarda published a book called Aerotropolis :The Way We'll Live Next. Kasarda says future cities should be built intentionally around or near airports. The idea, as he has put it, is to offer businesses “rapid, long-distance connectivity ona massive scale. ”B)“The 18th century really was a waterborne(水运的)century, the 19th century a rail century. the 20thcentury a highway, car, truck century—and the 21st century will increasingly be an aviation century, as the globe becomes increasingly connected by air,” Kasarda says. Songdo, a city built from scratch in South Korea, is one of Kasarda's prime examples. It has existed for just a few years. “ From the outset, it was designed on the basis of connectivity and competitiveness,n says Kasada. "The gov-ernment built the bridge directly from the airport to the Songdo International Business District. And the surface infrastructure was built at the same time as the new airport. ”C)Songdo is a stone's throw from South Korea's Incheon Airport, its main international hub (枢纽). Butit takes a lot more than a nearby airport to be a city of the future. Just building a place as an “ in-ternational business district” doesn't mean it will become one. Park Yeon Soo conceived (构想)this city of the future back in 1986. He considers Songdo his baby. Park sees himself as a visionary. Thirty years after he imagined the city, Park's baby is close to 70 percent built, with 36,000 people living in the business district and 90,000 residents in greater Songdo. It's about an hour outside Seoul, built on former tidal flats along the Yellow Sea, There's a Coast Guard building and a tall trade tower, as well as a park, golf course and university.D)Chances are you've actually seen this place. Songdo appears in the most famous music video ever tocome out of South Korea. "Gangnam Style” refers to the fashionable Gangnam district in Seoul. But some of the video was filmed in Songdo. "I don't know if you remember, there was a scene in a sub-way station. That was not Gangnam. That was actually Songdo, ” sa ys Jung Won Son, a professor of urban development at London's Bartlett School of Planning, “Part of the reason to shoot there is that it's new and nice. ”E)The city was supposed to be a hub for global companies, with employees from all over the world. But that's not how it has turned out. Songdo's reputation is as a futuristic ghost town. But the reality is more complicated. A bridge with big, light-blue loops leads into the business district. In the center of the main road, there's a long line of flags of the world. On the corner, there's a Starbucks and a 7- Eleven一all of the international brands that you see all over the world nowadays.F）The city is not empty. There are mothers pushing bady carriages, old women with walkers—even in the middle of the day, when it's 90 degrees out. Byun Young-Jin chairs the Songdo real estate association and started selling property here when the first phase of the city opened in 2005. He says demand has boomed in the past couple of years. Most of his clients are Korean. In fact, the developer says, 99 percent of the homes here are sold to Koreans. Young families move here because the schools are great. And that's the problem: Songdo has become a popular Korean city—more popular as a residential area than a business one. It's not yet the futuristic international business hub that planners imagined. "It's a great place to live. And it's becoming a great place to work,” says Scott Summers, vice-president of Gale International, the developer of the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows of his company's offices overlook Songdo Central Park, with a canal full of small boats and people fishing.Shimmering（闪烁的）glass towers line the canal5s edge.G）“What's happened is that our focus on creating that quality of life first has enabl ed the residents to live here, ” Summers says. But there needs to be strong economic incentives for companies to locate here. The city is still unfinished, and it feels a bit like a theme park. It doesn't feel all that futuristic.There's a high-tech underground trash disposal system. Buildings are environmentally friendly.Everybody's television set is connected to a system that streams personalized language or exercise classes.H） But this is not Star Trek. And to some of the residents, Songdo feels hollow. "I'm, like, in prison for weekdays. That's what we call it in the workplace, ” says a woman in her 20s. She doesn't want to use her name for fear of being fired from her job. She goes back to Seoul every weekend. “ I say I'm prison-breaking on Friday nights. " But she has to make the prison break in her own car. There's no high-speed train connecting Songdo to Seoul, just over 20 miles away.I） Park Yeon Soo, the man who first imagined Songdo, feels frustrated, too. He says he built South Ko-rea a luxu ry vehicle, “like Mercedes or BMW. It's a good car now. But we're waiting for a good driver to accelerate. ” But there are lots of other good cars out there, too. The world is dotted with fu-turistic ,high-tech cities trying to attract the biggest international companies.J）S ongdo's backers contend that it's still early, and business space is filling up—about 70 percent of fin-ished offices are now occupied. Brent Ryan, who teaches urban design at MIT, says Songdo proves a universal principle. "There have been a lot of utopian（乌托邦的）cities in history. And the reason we don't know about a lot of them is that they have vanished entirely. " In other words, when it comes to cities一or anything else一it is hard to predict the future.36.Songdo5s popularity lies more in its quality of life than its business attraction.37.The man who conceives Songdo feels disappointed because it has fallen short of his expectations.38. A scene in a popular South Korean music video was shot in Songdo.39.Songdo still lacks the financial stimulus for businesses to set up shop there.40.Airplanes will increasingly become the chief means of transportation, according to a professor.41.Songdo has ended up different from the city it was supposed to be.42.Some of the people who work in Songdo complain about boredom in the workplace.43. A business professor says that a future city should have easy access to international transportation.44.Acording to an urban design professor, it is difficult for city designers to foresee what will happen inthe future.45.Park Yeon Soo, Who envisioned Songdo, feels a parental connection with the city.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished 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 2with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.The fifth largest city in the US passed a significant soda tax proposal that will levy(征税)1. 5 cents per liquid ounce on distributors.Philadelphia's new measure was approved by a 13 to 4 city council vote. It sets a new bar for similar initiatives across the county. It is proof that taxes on sugary drinks can win substantial support outside su-per-liberal areas. Until now, the only city to successfully pass and implement a soda tax was Berkeley, California, in 2014.The tax will apply to regular and diet sodas, as well as other drinks with added sugar, such as Gatorade and iced teas. It's expected to raise $ 410 million over the next five years, most of which will go toward funding a universal pre-kindergarten program for the city.While the city council vote was met with applause inside the council room, opponents to the meas-ure, including soda lobbyists made sharp criticisms and a promise to challenge the tax in court.“ The tax passed today unfairly singles out beverages—including low-and no-calorie choices，” said Lauren Kane, spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association. "But most importantly, it is against the law. So we will side with the majority of the people of Philadelphia who oppose this tax and take legal action to stop it. ”An industry-backed anti-tax campaign has spent at least $ 4 million on advertisements. The ads criti-cized the measure, characterizing it as a 44grocery tax. ”Public health groups applauded the approved tax as a step toward fixing certain lasting health issues that plague Americans. "The move to recapture a small part of the profits from an industry that pushes a product that contributes to diabetes, obesity and heart disease in poorer communities in order to reinvest in those communities will sure be inspirational to many other places, ” said Jim Krieger, executive direc-tor of Healthy Food America. "Indeed, we are already hearing from some of them. It's not ‘just Berkeley5 anymore. nSimilar measures in California's Albany, Oakland, San Francisco and Colorado's Boulder are be-coming hot-button issues. Health advocacy groups have hinted that even more might be coming.46.What does the passage say about the newly-approved soda tax in Philadelphia?A)It will change the lifestyle of many consumers.B)It may encourage other US cities to follow suit.C)It will cut soda consumption among low-income communities.D)It may influence the marketing strategies of the soda business.47.What will the opponents probably do to respond to the soda tax proposal?A)Bargain with the city council.B)Refuse to pay additional tax.C)Take legal action against it.D)Try to win public support.48.What did the industry-backed anti-tax campaign do about the soda tax proposal?A)It tried to arouse hostile feelings among consumers.B)It tried to win grocers5 support against the measure.C)It kept sending letters of protest to the media.D)It criticized the measure through advertising.49.What did public health groups think the soda tax would do?A)Alert people to the risk of sugar-induced diseases.B)Help people to fix certain long-time health issues.C)Add to the fund for their research on diseases.D)Benefit low-income people across the country.50.What do we leam about similar measures concerning the soda tax in some other cities?A)They are becoming rather sensitive issues.B)They are spreading panic in the soda industry.C)They are reducing the incidence of sugar-induced diseases.D)They are taking away lot of profit from the soda industry.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. And the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “status” items, owners are throwing away microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.A study by the University of Manchester calculated the emissions of CO2—the main greenhousegas responsible for climate change—at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. “It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment, ” say the authors. The authors also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour. For example, consumers could use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.However, David Reay, professor of carbon management, argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recen data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.51.What is the finding of the new study?A)Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.B)The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.C)CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment.D)The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.52.Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?A)They are becoming more affordable.B)They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.C)They are getting much easier to operate.D)They take less time to cook than other appliances.53.What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?A)Cooking food of different varieties.B)Improving microwave users5 habits.C)Eating less to cut energy consumption.D)Using microwave ovens less frequently.54.What does Professor David Reay try to argue?A)There are far more emissions from cars than from micro waves.B)People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often.C)The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU.D)More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful.55.What does Professor David Reay think of the use of micro waves?A)It will become less popular in the coming decades.B)It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.C)It plays a positive role in environmental protection.D)It consumes more power than conventional cooking.Part IV Translation (30 minutes) Directions : For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国家庭十分重视孩子的教育。

大学英语2019年12月四级真题第3套(1)

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第三套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, .you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay about a campus activity that has benefited you most. You should write at least120 words but No more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) （说明：由于2019年12月六级考试全国共考了2套听力，本套真题听力与前2套内容完全一样，只是顺序不一样，因此在本套真题中不再重复出现）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 wordbank following the passage: Read the passage through carefully beforemaking your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words inthe bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.For decades, Americans have taken for granted the United States’leadership position in the development of new technologies. The innovations (创新) that resulted from research and development during World War II and afterwards were 36 to the prosperity of the nation in the second half of the 20th century. Those innovations, upon which virtually all aspects of 37 society now depend, were possible because the United States then 38 the world in mathematics and science education. Today, however, despite increasing demand for workers with strong skills in mathematics and science, the 39 of degrees awarded in science, math, and engineering are decreasing.The decline in degree production in what are called the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math) seems to be 40 related to the comparatively weak performance by U.S. schoolchildren on international assessments of math and science. Many students entering college have weak skills in mathematics. According to the 2005 report of the Business-Higher Education Forum, 22 percent ofcollege freshmen must take remedial (补习的) math 41 , and less than half of the students who plan to major in science or engineering 42 complete a major in those fields.The result has been a decrease in the number of American college graduates who have the skills, 43 in mathematics, to power a workforce that can keep the country at the forefront (前沿) of innovation and maintain its standard of living. With the 44 performance of American students in math and science has come increased competition from students from other countries that have strongly supported education in these areas. Many more students earn 45 in the STEM disciplines in developing countries than in the United States.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 theparagraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information isderived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraphis marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Ban Sugary Drinks—That Will Add Fuel to the Obesity War[A] On a train last Thursday, I sat opposite a man who was so fat he filled more thanone seat. He was pale and disfigured and looked sick to death, which he probably was: obesity(肥胖症) leads to many nasty ways of dying. Looking around the carriage, I saw quite a few people like him, including a couple of fatty children with swollen cheeks pressing against their eyes. These people are part of what is without exaggeration an epidemic (流行病) of obesity.[B] But it is quite unnecessary: there is a simple idea—far from new—that couldspare millions of such people a lifetime of chronic (长期病) ill health, and at the same time save the National Health Service (NHS) at least £14 billion a year inEngland and Wales. There would, you might think, be considerable public interest in it. This simple idea is that sugar is as good—or as bad—as poison and should be avoided. It is pure, white and deadly, as Professor John Yudkin described it 40 years ago in a revolutionary book of that name. The subtitle was How Sugar Is Killing Us.[C] In its countless hidden forms, in ready meals, junk food and sweet drinks, sugarleads to addiction (瘾), to hormonal upsets to the appetite, to metabolic (新陈代谢的) malfunctions and obesity and from there to type 2 diabetes (糖尿病) and its many horrible complications. If people really grasped that, they would try to kick the habit, particularly as Britain is the “fat man of Europe”. They might even feel driven to support government measures to prevent people from consuming this deadly stuff. Yet so far this idea has met little but resistance.[D] It is not difficult to imagine the vested interests (既得利益集团) lined up againstany sugar control—all the food and drink manufacturers, processors, promoters and retailers who make such easy pickings out of the magic powers of sugar.Then there are the liberals, with whom I would normally side, who protest that government regulation would be yet another instance of interference in our lives.[E] That is true, but people should realise that you cannot have a welfare state withouta nanny state (保姆国家), to some degree. If we are all to be responsible for oneanother’s health insurance, through socialised medicine, then we are all closely involved in one another’s health, including everyone’s eating and drinking. That has already been admitted, finally, with smoking. But it has yet to be admitted with overeating, even though one in four adults in this country is obese and that number is predicted to double by the year 2050. Quite apart from anything else, obesity will cripple the NHS.[F] Recently, though, there have been signs that the medical establishment is trying tosound the alarm. Last month the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMRC) published a report saying that obesity is the greatest public health issue affecting the UK and urging government to do something.[G] The report offers 10 recommendations, of which the first is imposing a tax of 20percent on sugary drinks for at least a year, on top of the existing 20 percent value-added tax. That at least would be an excellent start. The amounts of sugarin soft drinks are horrifying, and turn straight to fat. As Professor Terence Stephenson, head of the AMRC, has said, sugary soft drinks are “the ultimate bad food. You are just consuming neat sugar. Your body didn’t evolve to handle this kind of thing.”[H] Precisely. The risks of eating too much fat or salt (which are very different) paleinto insignificance compared with the harm done by sugar. And it is everywhere.[I]It is difficult to buy anything in a supermarket, other than plain, unprepared meat,fish or vegetables, that doesn’t have a large amount of sugar in it. This has come about because the prevailing scientific views of the 1960s and 1970s ignored the evidence about sugar, and instead saw fat as the really serious risk, both to the heart and other organs, as well as the cause of obesity.[J] The fashion was to avoid fat. But finding that food with much of its fat removed is not very appetising, food producers turned to sugar as a magic alternative flavour enhancer, often in the forms of syrups (糖浆) that had recently been developed from corn, and put it generously into most prepared foods and soft drinks.[K] This stuff is not just fattening. It is addictive. It interferes with the body’s metabolism, possibly via the activity of an appetite-controlling hormone. There’s plenty of evidence for this, for those who will accept the troth.[L] Theoretically, people ought to make “healthy choices” and avoid overeating. But sugar additives are not easy to identify and are hard to avoid. So the snacking, over-drinking and over-eating that makes people fat is not really their own fault: obesity is in large part something that is being done to them. It should be stopped, or rather the government should stop it.[M] Going round my local supermarket, I am constantly astonished that it is still legal to sell all the poisons stacked high on the shelves. The problem is that they are worse than useless. They are poisonous. They are known to be addictive. They are known to make people obese. And giving small children sweet drinks or bottles of fake juice all day long is nothing less than child abuse.[N] Clearly, the sale of such stuff ought to be illegal. I hate to think of yet more government regulation. But a bit of tax on sweet soda and a little more healtheducation, a bit of cooking in schools and banning vending machines (自动售货机) here and there—as suggested by the AMRC report—is not going to achieve very much. Labelling is quite inadequate. What is needed is legislation banning high levels of sugary syrups used in foods and drinks.[O] In June 2012, the then minister for public health said the government was not scared of the food industry and had not ruled out legislation, because of the costs of obesity to the NHS. However, nothing has happened yet. Why not have another Jammie Dodger biscuit and forget about it.46. Avoiding over-consumption of sugar can improve people’s health as well as savemedical expenses.47. Laws should be passed to make it illegal to produce overly sweet foods or drinks.48. Giving small children sweet juices to drink all the time is equal to child abuse.49. Looking around, the author found obesity quite widespread.50. The number of obese people is expected to increase quickly in the next fewdecades.51. If people really understood the horrible consequences of sugary foods and drinks,they would support government measures against sugar consumption.52. It would be a very good beginning to impose an additional tax on sugary drinks.53. The government has not yet taken any action to regulate sugar consumptionalthough it indicated its intention to do so some time ago.54. Sugar is far more harmful to health than fat and salt.55. Consumers of sweet foods are not really to blame because they cannot tell whatfood is sugary.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 fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choiceand mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on following passage.The rise of the Internet has been one of the most transformative developments in human history, comparable in impact to the invention of the printing press and the telegraph. Over two billion people worldwide now have access to vastly moreinformation than ever before, and can communicate with each other instantly, often using Web-connected mobile devices they carry everywhere. But the Internet’s tremendous impact has only just begun.“Mass adoption of the Internet is driving one of the most exciting social, cultural, and political transformations in history, and unlike earlier periods of change, this time the effects are fully global,”Schmidt and Cohen write in their new book, The New Digital Age.Perhaps the most profound changes will come when the five billion people worldwide who currently lack Internet access get online. The authors do an excellent job of examining the implications of the Internet revolution for individuals, governments, and institutions like the news media. But if the book has one major shortcoming, it’s that the authors don’t spend enough time applying a critical eye to the role of Internet businesses in these sweeping changes.In their book, the authors provide the most authoritative volume to date that describes—and more importantly predicts—how the Internet will shape our lives in the coming decades. They paint a picture of a world in which individuals, companies, institutions, and governments must deal with two realities, one physical, and one virtual.At the core of the book is the idea that “technology is neutral, but people aren’t.”By using this concept as a starting point, the authors aim to move beyond the now familiar optimist vs. pessimist dichotomy(对立观点) that has characterized many recent debates about whether the rise of the Internet will ultimately be good or bad for society. In an interview with TIME earlier this week, Cohen said although he and his co-author are optimistic about many aspects of the Internet, they’re also realistic about the risks and dangers that lie ahead when the next five billion people come online, particularly with respect to personal privacy and state surveillance (监视). 56. In what way is the rise of the Internet similar to the invention of the printing pressand the telegraph?A) It transforms human history.B) It facilitates daily communication.C) It is adopted by all humanity.D) It revolutionizes people’s thinking.57. How do Schmidt and Cohen describe the effects of the Internet?A) They are immeasurable.B) They are worldwide.C) They are unpredictable.D) They are contaminating.58. In what respect is the book The New Digital Age considered inadequate?A) It fails to recognize the impact of the Internet technology.B) It fails to look into the social implications of the Internet.C) It lacks an objective evaluation of the role of Internet businesses.D) It does not address the technical aspects of Internet communication.59. What will the future be like when everybody gets online?A) People will be living in two different realities.B) People will have equal access to information.C) People don’t have to travel to see the world.D) People don’t have to communicate face to face.60. What does the passage say about the authors of The New Digital Age?A) They leave many questions unanswered concerning the Internet.B) They are optimistic about the future of the Internet revolution.C) They have explored the unknown territories of the virtual world.D) They don’t take sides in analyzing the effects of the Internet.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.In 1950, a young man would have found it much easier than it is today to get and keep a job in the auto industry. And in that year the average autoworker could meet monthly mortgage (抵押贷款) payments on an average home with just 13.4 percent of his take-home pay. Today a similar mortgage would claim more than twice that share of his monthly earnings.Other members of the autoworker’s family, however, might be less inclined to trade the present for the past. His retired parents would certainly have had less economic security back then. Throughout much of the 1960s, more than a quarter of men and women age 65 and older lived below the poverty level, compared to less than 10 percent in 2010.In most states, his wife could not have taken out a loan or a credit card in her own name. In 42 states, a homemaker had no legal claim on the earnings of her husband. And nowhere did a wife have legal protection against family violence.Most black workers would not want to return to a time when, on average, they earned 40 percent less than their white counterparts (职位相对的人), while racially restrictive agreements largely prevented them from buying into the suburban neighborhoods being built for white working-class families.Today, new problems have emerged in the process of resolving old ones, but the solution is not to go back to the past. Some people may long for an era when divorce was still hard to come by. The spread of no-fault divorce has reduced the bargaining power of whichever spouse is more interested in continuing the relationship. And the breakup of such marriages has caused pain for many families.The growing diversity of family life comes with new possibilities as well as new challenges. According to a recent poll, more than 80 percent of Americans believe that their current family is as close as the one in which they grew up, or closer. Finding ways to improve the lives of the remaining 20 percent seems more realistic than trying to restore an imaginary golden age.61. What do we learn about American autoworkers in 1950?A) They had less job security than they do today.B) It was not too difficult for them to buy a house.C) Their earnings were worth twice as much as today.D) They were better off than workers in other industries.62. What does the author say about retired people today?A) They invariably long to return to the golden past.B) They do not depend so much on social welfare.C) They feel more secure economically than in the past.D) They are usually unwilling to live with their children.63. Why couldn’t black workers buy a house in a white suburban neighborhood?A) They lacked the means of transportation.B) They were subjected to racial inequality.C) They were afraid to break the law.D) They were too poor to afford it.64. What is the result of no-fault divorce?A) Divorce is easier to obtain.B) Domestic violence is lessened.C) It causes little pain to either side.D) It contributes to social unrest.65. What does the author suggest society do?A) Get prepared to face any new challenges.B) Try to better the current social security net.C) Narrow the gap between blacks and whites.D) Improve the lives of families with problems.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.大熊猫（giant panda）是一种温顺的动物，长着独特的黑白皮毛。

(完整版)2019年12月四级真题三套(全)

2019年12月四级第一套Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to teach English in China. Please recommend a city to him. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part ⅡListening 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 then 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 1with a single line through the centre.Questions l and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A) Many facilities were destroyed by a wandering cow.B) A wandering cow knocked down one of its fences.C) Some tourists were injured by a wandering cow.D) A wandering cow was captured by the police.2. A) It was shot to death by a police officer. B) It found its way back to the park’s zoo.C) It became a great attraction for tourists. D) It was sent to the animal control department. Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) It is the largest of its kind. B) It is going to be expanded.C) It is displaying more fossil specimens. D) It is staring an online exhibition.4. A) A collection of bird fossils from Australia. B) Photographs of certain rare fossil exhibits.C) Some ancient wall paintings from Australia. D) Pictures by winners of a wildlife photo contest. Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Pick up trash. B) Amuse visitors.C) Deliver messages. D) Play with children.6. A) They are especially intelligent. B) They are children’s favorite.C) They are quite easy to tame. D) They are clean and pretty.7. A) Children may be harmed by the rooks. B) Children may be tempted to drop litter.C) Children may contract bird diseases. D) Children may overfeed the rooks.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 a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) It will be produced at Harvard University. B) It will be hosted by famous professors.C) It will cover different areas of science. D) It will focus on recent scientific discoveries.9. A) It will be more futuristic. B) It will be more systematic.C) It will be more entertaining. D) It will be easier to understand.10. A) People interested in science. B) Youngsters eager to explore.C) Children in their early teens. D) Students majoring in science.11. A) Offer professional advice. B) Provide financial support.C) Help promote it on the Internet. D) Make episodes for its first season.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Unsure. B) Helpless. C) Concerned. D) Dissatisfied.13. A) He is too concerned with being perfect. B) He loses heart when faced with setbacks.C) He is too ambitious in achieving goals. D) He takes on projects beyond his ability.14. A) Embarrassed. B) Unconcerned. C) Miserable. D) Resentful.15. A) Try to be optimistic whatever happens. B) Compare his present with his past only.C) Always learn from others’ achievements. D) Treat others the way he would be treated.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) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) They have a stronger sense of social responsibility.B) They are more likely to succeed in the humanities.C) They are more likely to become engineers.D) They have greater potential to be leaders.17. A) Praise girls who like to speak up frequently.B) Encourage girls to solve problems on their own.C) Insist that boys and girls work together more.D) Respond more positively to boys’ comments.18. A) Offer personalized teaching materials. B) Provide a variety of optional courses.C) Place great emphasis on test scores. D) Pay extra attention to top students.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It often rains cats and dogs. B) It seldom rains in summer time.C) It does not rain as much as people think. D) It is one of the most rainy cities in the US.20. A) They drive most of the time. B) The rain is usually very light.C) They have got used to the rain. D) The rain comes mostly at night.21. A) It has a lot of places for entertainment.B) It has never seen thunder and lighting.C) It has fewer cloudy days than any other coastal city.D) It has mild weather both in summer and in winter.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) It occurs when people are doing a repetitive activity.B) It results from exerting one’s muscles continuously.C) It happens when people engage in an uncommon activity.D) It comes from staining one’s muscles in an unusual way.23. A) Blood flow and body heat increase in the affected area.B) Body movements in the affected area become difficult.C) They begin to make repairs immediately.D) They gradually become fragmented.24. A) About one week. B) About two days.C) About ten days. D) About four weeks.25. A) Apply muscle creams. B) Drink plenty of water.C) Have a hot shower. D) Take pain-killers..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. 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.When travelling overseas, do you buy water in plastic bottles or take your chances with tap water? Imagine you are wandering about on a Thai island or 26 the ruins of Angkor. It’s hot so you grab a bottle of water from a local vendor. It’s the safe, sane thing to do, right? The bottle is 27 , and the label says “pure water”, but maybe what’s inside is not so 28 . Would you still be drinking it if you knew that more than 90 percent of all bottled water sold around the world 29 microplastics?That’s the conclusion of a recently 30 study, which analyzed 259 bottles from 11 brands sold in nine countries, 31 an average of 325 plastic particles per liter of water. These microplastics included a 32 commonly known as PET and are widely used in the manufacture of clothing and food and 33 containers. The study was conducted at the State University of New York on behalf of Orb Media, a journalism organization. About a million bottles are bought every minute, not only by thirsty tourists but also by many of the 2.1 billion worldwide who live with unsafe drinking water.Confronted with this 34 , several bottled-water manufacturers including Nestle and Coco-Cola undertook their own studies using the same methodology. These studies showed that their water did contain microplastics, but far less than the Orb study suggested. Regardless, the World Health Organization has now launched a review into the 35 health risks of drinking water from plastic bottles.Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Quiet Heroism of Mail Delivery[A] On Wednesday, a polar wind brought bitter cold to the Midwest. Overnight, Chicago reached a low of 21degrees Fahrenheit below zero, making it slightly colder than Antarctica, Alaska, and the North Pole. Wind chills were 64 degrees below zero in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and 45 degrees below zero in Buffalo, North Dakota, according to the National Weather Service. Schools, restaurants, and businesses closed, and more than 1,000 flights have been canceled.[B] Even the United States Postal Service (USPS) suspended mail delivery temporarily. “Due to this arctic outbreak and concerns for the safety of USPS employees,” USPS announced Wednesday morning, “the Postal Service is suspending delivery Jan. 30 in the following 3-digit ZIP Code locations.” Twelve regions were listed as unsafe on Wednesday; on Thursday, eight remained.[C] As global surface temperatures increase, so does the likelihood of extreme weather. In 2018 alone, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, mudslides, and other natural disasters cost at least $49 billion in the United States. As my colleague V ann Newkirk reported, Puerto Rico is still confronting economic and structural destruction and resource scarcity from 2017’s Hurricane Maria. Natural disasters can wreck a community’s infrastructure, disrupting systems for months or years. Some services, however, remind us that life will eventually return, in some form, to normal.[D] Days after the deadly 2017 wildfires in Santa Rosa, California, a drone caught footage of a USPS worker, Trevor Smith, driving through burned homes in that familiar white van, collecting mail in an affected area. The video is striking: The operation is familiar, but the scene looks like the end of the world. According to Rae Ann Haight, the program manager for the national-preparedness office at USPS, Smith was fulfilling a request made by some of the home owners to pick up any mail that was left untouched. For Smith, this was just another day on the job. “I followed my route like I normally do,” Smith told a reporter. “As I’d come across a box that was up but with no house, I checked, and there was mail—outgoing mail—in it. And so we picked those up and carried on.”[E] USPS has sophisticated emergency plans for natural disasters. Across the country, 285 emergency-management teams are devoted to crisis control. These teams are trained annually using a framework known as the three Ps: people, property, product. After mail service stops due to weather, the agency’s top priority is ensuring that employees are safe. Then it evaluates the health of infrastructure, such as the roads that mail carriers drive on. Finally, it decides when and how to re-open operations. If the destruction is extreme, mail addressed to the area will get sent elsewhere. In response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, USPS redirected incoming New Orleans mail to existing mail facilities in Houston. Mail that was already processed in New Orleans facilities was moved to an upper floor so it would be protected from water damage.[F] As soon as it’s safe enough to be outside, couriers start distributing accumulated mail on the still-accessible routes. USPS urges those without standing addresses to file change-of-address forms with their new location. After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, mail facilities were set up in dozens of other locations across the country in the two weeks that USPS was unable to provide street delivery.[G] Every day, USPS processes, on average, 493.4 million pieces of mail—anything from postcards to Social Security checks to medicine. Spokespeople from both USPS and UPS told me all mail is important. But some mail can be extremely sensitive and timely. According to data released in January 2017, 56 percent of bills are paid online, which means that just under half of payments still rely on delivery services to be completed. [H] It can be hard to identify which parcels are carrying crucial items such as Social Security checks, but USPS and UPS try their best to prioritize sensitive material. They will coordinate with the Social Security Administration to make sure that Social Security checks reach the right people in a timely fashion. After Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael last fall, USPS worked with state and local election boards to make sure that absentee ballots were available and received on time.[I] Mail companies are logistics companies, which puts them in a special position to help when disaster strikes.In a 2011 USPS case study, the agency emphasized its massive infrastructure as a “unique federal asset” to be called upon in a disaster or terrorist attack. “I think we’re unique as a federal agency,” USPS official Mike Swigart told me, “because we’re in literally every community in this country … We’re obligated to deliver to that point on a daily basis.”[J] Private courier companies, which have more dollars to spend, use their expertise in logistics to help revitalize damaged areas after a disaster. For more than a decade, FedEx has supported the American Red Cross in its effort to get emergency supplies to areas affected by disasters, both domestically and internationally. In 2012, the company distributed more than 1,200 MedPacks to Medical Reserve Corps groups in California, and donated space for 3.1 million pounds of charitable shipping globally. Last October, the company pledged $1 million in cash and transportation support for Hurricanes Florence and Michael. UPS’s charitable arm, the UPS Foundation, uses the company’s logistics to help disaster-struck areas rebuild. “We realize that as a company with people, trucks, warehouses, we needed to play a larger role,”said Eduardo Martinez, the president of the UPS Foundation. The company employs its trucks and planes to deliver food, medicine, and water. The day before I spoke to Martinez in November, he had been touring the damage from Hurricane Michael in Florida with the American Red Cross. “We have an obligation to make sure our communities are thriving, prosperous,” he said.[K] Rebuilding can take a long time, and even then, impressions of the disaster may still remain. Returning to a sense of normalcy can be difficult, but some small routines—mail delivery being one of them—may help residents remember that their communities are still their communities. “When they see that carrier back out on the street,” Swigart said, “that’s the first sign to them that life is starting to return to normal.”36. The United States Postal Service has a system to ensure its employees’ safety.37. One official says USPS is unique in that it has more direct reach to communities compared with other federal agencies38. Natural disasters can have a long-lasting impact on community life.39. Mail delivery service i$ still responsible for the completion of almost half of payments.40. The sight of a mailman on the street is a reassuring sign of life becoming normal again.41. After Hurricane Katrina interrupted routine delivery, temporary mail service points were set up.42. Postal service in some regions in the U.S. was suspended due to extreme cold weather.43. Private postal companies also support disaster relief efforts by distributing urgent supplies.44. A dedicated USPS employee was on the job carrying out duties in spite of extreme conditions.45. Postal services work hard to identify items that require priority treatment.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 to 50 are based on the following passage.Professor Ashok Goel of Georgia Tech developed an artificially intelligent teaching assistant to help handle the enormous number of student questions in the online class, Knowledge Based Artificial Intelligence. This online course is a core requirement of Georgia Tech’s online Master of Science in Computer Science program. Professor Goel already had 8 teaching assistants, but that wasn’t enough to deal with the overwhelming number of questions from students.Many students drop out of online courses because of the lack of teaching support. When students feelisolated or confused and reach out with questions that go unanswered, their motivation to continue begins to fade. Professor Goel decided to do something to remedy this situation and his solution was to create a virtual assistant named Jill Watson, which is based on the IBM Watson platform.Goel and his team developed several versions of Jill Watson before releasing her to the online forums. At first, the virtual assistant wasn’t too great. But Goel and his team sourced the online discussion forum to find all 40,000 questions that had ever been asked since the class was launched. Then they began to feed Jill the questions and answers. After some adjustment and sufficient time, Jill was able to answer the students’questions correctly 97% of the time. The virtual assistant became so advanced and realistic that the students didn’t know she was a computer. The students, who were studying artificial intelligence, were interacting with artificial intelligence and couldn’t tell it apart from a real human being. Goel didn’t inform them about Jill’s true identity until April 26. The students were actually very positive about the experience.The goal of Professor Goel’s virtual assistant next year is to take over answering 40% of all questions posed by students on the online forum. The name, Jill Watson, will of course, change to something else next semester. Professor Goel has a much rosier outlook on the future of AI than say, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak.46. What do we learn about Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence?A) It is a robot that can answer students’ questions.B) It is a course designed for students to learn online.C) It is a high-tech device that revolutionizes teaching.D) It is a computer program that aids student learning.47. What problem did Professor Goel meet with?A) His students were unsatisfied with the assistants.B) His course was too difficult for the students.C) Students’ questions were too many to handle.D) Too many students dropped out of his course.48. What do we learn about Jill Watson?A) She turned out to be a great success. B) She got along pretty well with students.C) She was unwelcome to students at first. D) She was released online as an experiment.49. How did the students feel about Jill Watson?A) They thought she was a bit too artificial. B) They found her not as capable as expected.C) They could not but admire her knowledge. D) They could not tell her from a real person.50. What does Professor Goel plan to do next with Jill Watson?A) Launch different versions of her online.B) Feed her with new questions and answers.C) Assign her to answer more of students’ questions.D) Encourage students to interact with her more freely.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Thinking small, being engaging, and having a sense of humor don’t hurt. Those are a few of the traits of successful science crowdfunding efforts that emerge from a recent study that examined nearly 400 campaigns. But having a large network and some promotional skills may be more crucial.Crowdfunding, raising money for a project through online appeals, has taken off in recent years for everything from making movies to building water-saving gadgets. Scientists have tried to tap Internet donors, too, with mixed success. Some raised more than twice their goal, but others have fallen short of reaching moremodest targets.To determine what separates science crowdfunding triumphs from failures, a team led by science communications scholar Mike Schäfer of the University of Zurich in Switzerland examined the content of the WebPages for 371 recent campaigns.Four traits stood out for those that achieved their goals, the researchers report in Public Understanding of Science. For one, they use a crowdfunding platform that specializes in raising money for science, and not just any kind of project. Although sites like Kickstarter take all comers, platforms such as , , and only present scientific projects. For another, they present the project with a funny video because good visuals and a sense of humor improved success. Most of them engage with potential donors since projects that answered questions from interested donors and posted lab notes fared better. And they target a small amount of money. The projects included in the study raised $4000 on average, with 30% of projects receiving less than $1000. The more money a project sought, the lower the chance it reached its goal, the researchers found.Other factors may also significantly influence a project’s success, most notably, the size of a scientist’s personal and professional networks, and how much a researcher promotes a project on his or her own. Those two factors are by far more critical than the content on the page. Crowdfunding can be part of researchers’efforts to reach the public, and people give because “they feel a connection to the person” who is doing the fundraising—not necessarily to the science.51. What do we learn about the scientists trying to raise money online for their projects?A) They did not raise much due to modest targets.B) They made use of mixed fundraising strategies.C) Not all of them achieved their anticipated goals.D) Most of them put movies online for the purpose.52. What is the purpose of Mike Schäfer’s research of recent crowdfunding campaigns?A) To create attractive content for science websites.B) To identify reasons for their different outcomes.C) To help scientists to launch innovative projects.D) To separate science projects from general ones.53. What trait contributes to the success of a crowdfunding campaign?A) The potential benefit to future generations. B) Its interaction with prospective donors.C) Its originality in addressing financial issues. D) The value of the proposed project.54. What did the researchers think of the financial targets of crowdfunding projects?A) They should be small to be successful. B) They should be based on actual needs.C) They should be assessed with great care. D) They should be ambitious to gain notice.55. What motivates people to donate in a crowdfunding campaign?A) The ease of access to the content of the webpage.B) Their desire to contribute to the cause of science.C) The significance and influence of the project itself.D) Their feeling of connection to the scientists themselves.Part ⅣTranslation (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国家庭十分重视孩子的教育。

2019年12月四级真题及答案

2019年12月英语四级听力真题原文及答案News report 11）New York City police captured a cow on the loose in Prospect Park onTuesday after the animal became an attraction for tourists while walking along the streets and enjoying the park facilities. The confused creature and camera-holding humans stared at each other through a fence for several minutes. At other times the cow wandered around the 526 acre park and the artificial grass field normally used for human sporting events. Officers use soccer goals to fence the animal in. However, the cow then moved through one of the nets knocking down a police officer in the process. Police eventually trapped the cow between two vehicles parked on either side of a baseball field’s bench area. An officer then shot an arrow to put it t o sleep. Then officers waited for the drug to take effect. After it fell asleep they loaded the cow into a horse trailer. It was not clear where the cow came from or how it got lost. 2）Police turned it over to the animal control department after they caught it.一头奶牛于周二出现在公园里，警察最终抓住了它并将其送还至动物管理局。

2019年12月四级真题第三套附答案

2019年12月四级真题（第三套）答案附后面Part I WritingDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to study in China. Please recommend a university to him. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension❤温馨提示：每年的四级考试全国共考两套听力，其中的第三套真题听力与前两套内容相同，只是选项顺序不同而已，故不再重复给出。

Part III Reading ComprehensionSection 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.Millions of people travel by plane every single day. If you’re planning on being one of them soon, you might not be looking forward to the 26 feeling air travel often leaves you with.Besides the airport crowds and stress, traveling at a high altitude has real effects on the body. Although the pressure of the cabin is 27 to prevent altitude sickness, you could still 28 sleepiness or a headache. The lower oxygen pressure found in an aircraft cabin is 29 to that at 6,000 – 8,000 feet of altitude. A drop in oxygen pressure can cause headaches in certain 30 . To help prevent headaches, drink plenty of water, and avoid alcohol and coffee.Airplane food might not really be as tasteless as you 31 thought. The air you breathe in a plane dries out your mouth and nose, which can affect your sense of taste. Perception of sweet and salty foods dropped by almost 30 percent ina simulation of air travel. However, you can make your taste buds active again by drinking water. A dry mouth may 32 taste sensitivity, but taste is restored by drinking fluids.Although in-flight infections 33 in dry environments like airplanes, your risk of getting sick from an airplane is actually low because of the air 34 used. Unless you’re sitting next to someone who is coughing or sneezing, you shouldn’t worry too much about getting sick. However, bacteria have been shown to live on cabin surfaces, so wash your hands 35 .A) adjustedB) channelsC) equivalentD) experienceE) filtersF) frequentlyG) individualsH) originall I) particular J) primarily K) reduceL) renovated M) smooth N) thriveO) unpleasantSection 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.A South Korean city designed forthe future takes on a life of its ownA) Getting around a city is one thing –and then there’s the matter of getting from one city to another. One vision of the perfect city of the future is a place that offers easy access to air travel. In 2011, a University of North Carolina business professor named John Kasarda published a book called Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next. Kasar da says future cities should be built intentionally around or near airports. The idea, as he has put it, is to offer businesses “rapid, long-distance connectivity on a massive scale.”B) “The 18th century really was a waterborne (水运的) century, the 19th century a rail century, the 20th century a highway, car, truck century – and the 21st century will increasingly be an aviation century, as the globe becomes increasingly connected by air,” Kasarda says. Songdo, a city built from scratch in South Korea, is one of Kasarda’s prime examples. It has existed for just a few years. “From the outset, it was designed on the basis of connectivity and competitiveness,” says Kasarda. “The government built the bridge directly fromthe airport to the Songdo International Business District. And the surface infrastructure was built at the same time as the new airport.”C) Songdo is a stone’s throw from South Korea’s Incheon Airport, its main international hub (枢纽). But it takes a lot more than a nearby airport to be a city of t he future. Just building a place as an “international business district” doesn’t mean it will become one. Park Yeon Soo conceived (构想) this city of the future back in 1986. He considers Songdo his baby. Park sees himself as a visionary. Thirty years after he imagined the city, Park’s baby is close to 70 percent built, with 36,000 people living in the business district and 90,000 residents in greater Songdo. It’s about an hour outside Seoul, built on former tidal flats along the Yellow Sea. There’s a Coast G uard building and a tall trade tower, as well as a park, golf course and university.D) Chances are you’ve actually seen this place. Songdo appears in the most famous music video ever to come out of South Korea. “Gangnam Style” refers to the fashionable Gangnam district in Seoul. But some of the video was filmed in Songdo. “I don’t know if you remember, there was a scene in a subway station. That was not Gangnam. That was actually Songdo,” says Jung Won Son, a professor of urban development at London’s Bart lett School of Planning. “Part of the reason to shoot there is that it’s new and nice.”E) The city was supposed to be a hub for global companies, with employees from all over the world. But that’s not how it has turned out. Songdo’s reputation is as a futuristic ghost town. But the reality is more complicated. A bridge with big, light-blue loops leads into the business district. In the center of the main road, there’s a long line of flags of the world. On the corner, there’s a Starbucks and a 7-Eleven – all of the international brands that you see all over the world nowadays.F) The city is not empty. There are mothers pushing baby carriages, old women with walkers –even in the middle of the day, when it’s 90 degrees out. Byun Young-Jin chairs the Songdo real estate association and started selling property here when the first phase of the city opened in 2005. He says demand has boomed in the past couple of years. Most of his clients are Korean. In fact, the developer says, 99 percent of the homes here are sold to Koreans. Young families move here because the schools are great. And that’s the problem: Songdo has become a popular Korean city – more popular as a residential area than a business one. It’s not yet the futuristic international business hub that pl anners imagined. “It’s a great place to live. And it’s becoming a great place to work,” says Scott Summers, the vice president of Gale International, the developer of the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows of his company’s offices overlook Songdo Central Park, with a canal full of small boats and people fishing. Shimmering (闪烁的) glass towers line the canal’s edge.G) “What’s happened is that our focus on creating that quality of life first has enabled the residents to live here,” Summers says. But there nee ds to bestrong economic incentives for companies to locate here. The city is still unfinished, and it feels a bit like a theme park. It doesn’t feel all that futuristic. There’s a high-tech underground trash disposal system. Buildings are environmentally friendly. Everybody’s television set is connected to a system that streams personalized language or exercise classes.H) But this is not Star Trek. And to some of the residents, Songdo feels hollow. “I’m, like, in prison for weekdays. That’s what we call it in the workplace,” says a woman in her 20s. She doesn’t want to use her name for fear of being fired from her job. She goes back to Seoul every weekend. “I say I’mprison-breaking on Friday nights.” But she has to make the prison break in her own car. Th ere’s no high-speed train connecting Songdo to Seoul, just over 20 miles away.I) Park Yeon Soo, the man who first imagined Songdo, feels frustrated, too. He says he built South Korea a luxury vehicle, “like Mercedes or BMW. It’s a good car now. But we’re waiting for a good driver to accelerate.” But there are lots of other good cars out there, too. The world is dotted with futuristic, high-tech cities trying to attract the biggest international companies.J) Songdo’s backers contend that it’s still early, and business space is filling up – about 70 percent of finished offices are now occupied. Brent Ryan, who teaches urban design at MIT, says Songdo proves a universal principle. “There have been a lot of utopian (乌托邦的) cities in history. And the reason we d on’t know about a lot of them is that they have vanished entirely.” In other words, when it comes to cities – or anything else – it is hard to predict the future.36. Songdo’s popularity lies more in its quality of life than its business attraction.37. The man who conceives Songdo feels disappointed because it has fallen short of his expectations.38. A scene in a popular South Korean music video was shot in Songdo.39. Songdo still lacks the financial stimulus for businesses to set up shop there.40. Airplanes will increasingly become the chief means of transportation, according to a professor.41. Songdo has ended up different from the city it was supposed to be.42. Some of the people who work in Songdo complain about boredom in the workplace.43. A business professor says that a future city should have easy access to international transportation.44. According to an urban design professor, it is difficult for city designers to foresee what will happen in the future.45. Park Yeon Soo, who envisioned Songdo, feels a parental connection with the city.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 to 50 are based on the following passage.The fifth-largest city in the US passed a significant soda tax proposal that will levy (征税) 1.5 cents per liquid ounce on distributors.Philadelphia’s new measure was approved by a 13 to 4 city council vote. It sets a new bar for similar initiatives across the county. It is proof that taxes on sugary drinks can win substantial support outside super-liberal areas. Until now, the only city to successfully pass and implement a soda tax was Berkeley, California, in 2014.The tax will apply to regular and diet sodas, as well as other drinks with added sugar, such as Gatorade and ic ed teas. It’s expected to raise $410 million over the next five years, most of which will go toward funding a universalpre-kindergarten program for the city.While the city council vote was met with applause inside the council room, opponents to the measure, including soda lobbyists, made sharp criticisms and a promise to challenge the tax in court.“The tax passed today unfairly singles out beverages – including low- andno-calorie choices,” said Lauren Kane, spokeswoman for the American Beverage Associat ion. “But most importantly, it is against the law. So we will side with the majority of the people of Philadelphia who oppose this tax and take legal action to stop it.”An industry-backed anti-tax campaign has spent at least $4 million on advertisements. The ads criticized the measure, characterizing it as a “grocery tax.”Public health groups applauded the approved tax as a step toward fixing certain lasting health issues that plague Americans. “The move to recapture a small part of the profits from an industry that pushes a product that contributesto diabetes, obesity and heart disease in poorer communities in order to reinvest in those communities will sure be inspirational to many other places,” said Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food Amer ica. “Indeed, we are already hearing from some of them. It’s not just ‘Berkeley’ anymore.”Similar measures in California’s Albany, Oakland, San Francisco and Colorado’s Boulder are becoming hot-button issues. Health advocacy groups have hinted that even more might be coming.46. What does the passage say about the newly-approved soda tax in Philadelphia?A) It will change the lifestyle of many consumers.B) It may encourage other US cities to follow suit.C) It will cut soda consumption among low-income communities.D) It may influence the marketing strategies of the soda business.47. What will the opponents probably do to respond to the soda tax proposal?A) Bargain with the city council.B) Refuse to pay additional tax.C) Take legal action against it.D) Try to win public support.48. What did the industry-backed anti-tax campaign do about the soda tax proposal?A) It tried to arouse hostile feelings among consumers.B) It tried to win grocers’ support against the measure.C) It kept sending letters of protest to the media.D) It criticized the measure through advertising.49. What did public health groups think the soda tax would do?A) Alert people to the risk of sugar-induced diseases.B) Help people to fix certain long-time health issues.C) Add to the fund for their research on diseases.D) Benefit low-income people across the country.50. What do we learn about similar measures concerning the soda tax in some other cities?A) They are becoming rather sensitive issues.B) They are spreading panic in the soda industry.C) They are reducing the incidence of sugar-induced diseases.D)They are taking away lot of profit from the soda industry.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ovens emits as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. And the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “status” items, owners are throwing away microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.A study by the University of Manchester calculated the emissions of CO2 – the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change – at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. “It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment,” say the authors. The authors also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour. For example, consumers could use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.However, David Reay, professor of carbon management, argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.51. What is the finding of the new study?A) Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.B) The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.C) CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment.D) The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.52. Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?A) They are becoming more affordable.B) They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.C) They are getting much easier to operate.D) They take less time to cook than other appliances.53. What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?A) Cooking food of different varieties.B) Improving microwave users’ habits.C) Eating less to cut energy consumption.D) Using microwave ovens less frequently.54. What does Professor David Reay try to argue?A) There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.B) People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often.C) The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU.D) More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful.55. What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?A) It will become less popular in the coming decades.B) It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.C) It plays a positive role in environmental protection.D) It consumes more power than conventional cooking.Part IV TranslationDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国汉族人的全名由姓和名组成。

大学英语2019年12月四级真题第3套

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第三套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions：For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief account of theimpact of the Internet on the way people communicate and thenexplain whether electronic communication can replace face-to-facecontact. You should write at least 120 words but no more than, 180words.Part ⅡListening Comprehension (30 minutes) （说明：由于2019年12月六级考试全国共考了2套听力，本套真题听力与前2套内容完全一样，只是顺序不一样，因此在本套真题中不再重复出现）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 wordbank following the passage: Read the passage through carefully beforemaking your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words inthe bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.The mobile phone is a magic device widely used these days. Although it has been nearly 30 years since the first commercial mobile-phone network was launched, advertisers have yet to figure out how to get their 36 out to mobile-phone users in a big way. There are 2.2 billion cell-phone users worldwide, a 37 that is growing by about 25% each year. Yet spending on ads carried over cell-phone networks last year 38 to just $1.5 billion worldwide, a fraction of the $424 billion global ad market.But as the number of eyeballs glued to 39 screens multiplies, so too does the mobile phone’s value as a pocket billboard(广告的). Consumers are 40 using their phones for things other than voice calls, such as text messaging, downloading songs and games, and 41 the Internet. By 2010, 70 million Asians are expected to be watching videos and TV programs on mobile phones. All of these activities give advertisers 42 options for reaching audiences. During soccer’s World Cup last summer, for example, Adidas used real-time scores and games to 43 thousands of fans to a website set up for mobile-phone access. “Our target audience was males aged 17 to 25,”says Marcus Spurrell, Adidas regional manager for Asia. “Their mobiles are always on, always in their pocket—you just can’t 44 cell phones as an advertising tool.”Mobile-phone marketing has become as 45 a platform as TV, online or print.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 theparagraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information isderived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraphis marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.A Mess on the Ladder of Success[A] Throughout American history there has almost always been at least one centraleconomic narrative that gave the ambitious or unsatisfied reason to pack up and seek their fortune elsewhere. For the first 300 or so years of European settlement, the story was about moving outward: getting immigrants to the continent and then to the frontier to clear the prairies (大草原), drain the wetlands and build new cities.[B] By the end of the 19th century, as the frontier vanished, the US had a mild panicattack. What would this energetic, enterprising country be without new lands to conquer? Some people, such as Teddy Roosevelt, decided to keep on conquering (Cuba, the Philippines, etc.), but eventually, in industrialization, the US found a new narrative of economic mobility at home. From the 1890s to the 1960s, people moved from farm to city, first in the North and then in the South. In fact, by the 1950s, there was enough prosperity and white-collar work that many began to move to the suburbs. As the population aged, there was also a shift from the cold Rust Belt to the comforts of the Sun Belt, We think of this as an old person’s migration, but it created many jobs for the young in construction and health care, not to mention tourism, retail and restaurants.[C] For the last 20 years—from the end of the cold war through two burst bubbles in asingle decade—the US has been casting about for its next economic narrative.And now it is experiencing another period of panic, which is bad news for much of the workforce but particularly for its youngest members.[D] The US has always been a remarkably mobile country, but new data from theCensus Bureau indicate that mobility has reached its lowest level in recorded history. Sure, some people are stuck in homes valued at less than their mortgages (抵押贷款), but many young people—who don’t own homes and don’t yet have families—are staying put, too. This suggests, among other things, that people aren’t packing up for new economic opportunities the way they used to. Rather than dividing the country into the 1 percenters versus(与……相对) everyone else, the split in our economy is really between two other classes: the mobile and immobile.[E] Part of the problem is that the country’s largest industries are in decline. In thepast, it was perfectly clear where young people should go for work (Chicago in the 1870s, Detroit in the 1910s, Houston in the 1970s) and, more or less, whatthey’d be doing when they got there (killing cattle, building cars, selling oil). And these industries were large enough to offer jobs to each class of worker, from unskilled laborer to manager or engineer. Today, the few bright spots in our economy are relatively small (though some promise future growth) and decentralized. There are great jobs in Silicon Valley, in the biotech research capitals of Boston and Raleigh-Durham and in advanced manufacturing plants along the southern I-85 corridor. These companies recruit all over the country and the globe for workers with specific abilities. (You don’t need to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, to get a job in one of the microhubs (微中心), by the way. But you will almost certainly need at least a B, A. in computer science or a year or two at a technical school.) This newer, select job market is national, and it offers members of the mobile class competitive salaries and higher bargaining power.[F] Many members of the immobile class, on the other hand, live in the America ofthe gloomy headlines. If you have no specialized skills, there’s little reason to uproot to another state and be the last in line for a low-paying job at a new auto plant or a green-energy startup. The surprise in the census (普查) data, however, is that the immobile workforce is not limited to unskilled workers. In fact, many have a college degree.[G] Until now, a B.A. in any subject was a near-guarantee of at least middle-classwages. But today, a quarter of college graduates make less than the typical worker without a bachelor’s degree. David Autor, a prominent labor economist at M.I.T., recently told me that a college degree alone is no longer a guarantor ofa good job. While graduates from top universities are still likely to get a good jobno matter what their major is, he said, graduates from less-famous schools are going to be judged on what they know. To compete for jobs on a national level, they should be armed with the skills that emerging industries need, whether technical or not.[H] Those without such specialized skills—like poetry, or even history, majors—arealready competing with their neighbors for the same sorts of second-rate, poorer-paying local jobs like low-level management or big-box retail sales. And with the low-skilled labor market atomized into thousands of microeconomies, immobile workers are less able to demand better wages or conditions or to acquire valuable skills.[I] So what, exactly, should the ambitious young worker of today be learning?Unfortunately, it’s hard to say, since the US doesn’t have one clear national project. There are plenty of emerging, smaller industries, but which ones are the most promising? (Nanotechnology’s(纳米技术) moment of remarkable growth seems to have been 5 years into the future for something like 20 years now.) It’s not clear exactly what skills are most needed or if they will even be valuable in a decade.[J] What is clear is that all sorts of government issues education, health-insurance portability, worker retraining—are no longer just bonuses to already prosperous lives but existential requirements. It’s in all of our interests to make sure that as many people as possible are able to move toward opportunity, and, America’s ability to invest people and money in exciting new ideas is still greater than that of most other wealthy countries. (As recently as five years ago, U.S. migration was twice the rate of European Union states.) That, at least, is some comfort at a time when our national economy seems to be searching for its next story line.46. Unlike in the past, a college degree alone does not guarantee a good job for itsholder.47. The census data is surprising in that college graduates are also among theimmobile workforce.48. New figures released by the government show that Americans today are lessmobile than ever before.49. The migration of old people from cold to warm places made many jobs availableto the young.50. America is better at innovation than most other rich nations.51. Early American history is one of moving outward.52. Young people don’t know what to learn because it is hard to predict what skillsare most needed or valued ten years from now.53. Computer or other technical skills are needed to get a well-paying job in high-tech,or advanced manufacturing.54. When the frontier vanished about a century ago, America found new economicmobility in industrialization.55. America today can be divided into two classes: those who move and those whodon’t.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 fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choiceand mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on following passage.A new study shows a large gender gap on economic policy among the nation’s professional economists, a divide similar to the gender divide found in the general public.“As a group, we are pro-market,” says Ann Marl May, co-author of the study and a University of Nebraska economist. “But women are more likely to accept government regulation and involvement in economic activity than our male colleagues.”“It’s very puzzling,”says free market economist Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. “Not a .day goes by that I don’t ask myself why there are so few women economists on the free market side.”A native of France, de Rugy supported government intervention (干预) early in her life but changed her mind after studying economics. “We want many of the same things as liberals—less poverty, more health care—but have radically different ideas on how to achieve it.”Liberal economist Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic Policy and Research, says male economists have been on the inside of the profession, confirming each other’s antiregulation views. Women, as outsiders, “are more likely to think independently or at least see people outside of the economics profession as forming their peer group,” he says.The gender balance in economics is changing. One-third of economics doctorates (博士学位) now go to women. “More diversity is needed at the table when public policy is discussed,” May says.Economists do agree on some things. Female economists agree with men that Europe has too much regulation and that Wal-mart is good for society. Male economists agree with their, female colleagues that military spending is too high.The genders are most divorced from each other on the question of equality for women. Male economists overwhelmingly think the wage gap between men and women is largely the result of individuals’ skills, experience and voluntary choices. Female economists overwhelmingly disagree by a margin of 4-to-1.The biggest disagreement: 76% of women say faculty opportunities in economics favor men. Male economists point the opposite way: 80% say women are favored or the process is neutral.56. What is the finding of the new study?A) The gender divide is a big concern of the general public.B) Men and women understand economics quite differently.C) The gap between male and female economists needs to be closed.D) Male and female economists disagree widely on economic policy.57. What does Ann Mari May say about female economists?A) They are strongly against male domination in the economics profession.B) They tend to support government intervention in economic activity.C) They usually play an active role in public policy-making.D) They are mostly strong advocates of free market economy.58. What do we learn about economist Veronique de Rugy?A) She represents most female economists’ standpoint.B) She devotes herself to eliminating women’s poverty.C) Her study of economics changed her view on government’s role ineconomic activities.D) Her academic background helped her get into the inner circle of the economicsprofession.59. What does Ann Marl May imply about public policy, making?A) More female economists should get involved.B) It should do justice to female economists’ studies.C) More attention should be paid to women’s rights.D) It should aim at sustainable development.60. On what issue do male and female economists differ most?A) Government regulation.B) Job creation.C) Military spending.D) Gender equality.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.The number of postgraduate students travelling from non-EU countries to study at UK universities has fallen for the first time in 16 years, fuelling fears that the government’s immigration crackdown is discouraging thousands of the brightest students from continuing their studies in Britain.Jo Beall, British Council director of education and society, said the fall would cause alarm among UK vice-chancellors (大学行政主管). “The sector was expecting a decline in growth, but the actual reduction in postgraduate numbers is of real concern as international-students make up the majority of numbers in many postgraduate courses and research teams in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”“Attracting the brightest and most ambitious postgraduate and research students is critical if the UK is to maintain its quality reputation for research,” Beall said.Universities get a third of their tuition (学费) fee revenue from non-EU students. There is growing fear among vice-chancellors that this revenue—as well as the cultural, academic and economic benefit international students bring—is being put at risk.Tim Westlake, director for the student experience at Manchester University, said students whose families relied on them working in the UK after their studies to gain experience and repay the fees were starting to look elsewhere.Last month the home secretary, Theresa May, announced that embassy staff would interview more than 100,000 applicants in an attempt to prevent bogus (假冒的) ones entering the country. She also said immigrants were responsible for pushing up UK house prices. The comments followed the introduction of new limitations on students’ right to work during and after their studies.Beall said: “Government statistics for the first time provide real evidence that the changes to UK visa regulations may have discouraged many students from applying to the UK, and in particular postgraduate students who are so important to the UK’s research output. The UK enjoys an excellent reputation around the world for the high quality of our education system, so the government needs to ensure that institutions have all the support they need to attract international students who make a tremendous academic, cultural and economic contribution to the UK.”61. What has caused the decline of the number of non-EU postgraduates in the UK?A) The increase in tuition and fees.B) The ever-rising living expenses.C) Changed immigration policies.D) Universities’ tightened budgets.62. What is UK vice-chancellors’ biggest concern?A) How to obtain financial support from the government.B) How to keep the academic reputation of their institutions.C) How to prevent bogus applicants entering their universities.D) How to stimulate the creativity of their research teams.63. Why do UK universities try to attract postgraduate students from outside the EU?A) A substantial part of their revenue comes from non-EU students’ tuition and fees.B) Non-EU postgraduate students are usually highly motivated.C) The number of UK postgraduate students has fallen sharply.D) Some of the postgraduate programmes are specially designed for non-EUstudents.64. What were the expectations of some non-EU students’ families?A) Their children could enjoy the UK’s cultural benefits.B) Their children could find well-paying jobs upon their return.C) Their children could become established academically.D) Their children could work in the UK after graduation.65. What does Beall suggest the UK government should do?A) Allow promising international students to work in research teams.B) Revise UK visa regulations to accommodate non-EU students.C) Give universities adequate support to attract non-EU students.D) Try to address the needs of international students in the UK.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.“你要茶还是要咖啡?”是用餐人常被问到的问题。

2019年12月英语四级考试真题试卷(完整版第3套)

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题完整版（第三套）Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to learn Chinese. Please recommend a city to him. You should write at least 120 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 l and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1.A) The number of male nurses has gone down.B) There is discrimination against male nurses.C) There is a growing shortage of medical personnel.D) The number of nurses has dropped to a record low.2. A) Working conditions.B) Educational system.C) Inadequate pay.D) Cultural bias.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) He fell out of a lifeboat.B) He was almost drowned.C) He lost his way on a beach.D) He enjoyed swimming in the sea.4. A) The lifeboats patrol the area round the clock.B) The beach is a good place to watch the tide.C) The emergency services are efficient.D) The beach is a popular tourist resort.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) It climbed 25 storeys at one go.B) It broke into an office room.C) It escaped from a local zoo.D) It became an online star.6. A) Release it into the wild.B) Return it to its owner.C) Send it back to the zoo.D) Give it a physical checkup.7. A) A racoon can perform acts no human can.B) A racoon can climb much higher than a cat.C) The racoon did something no politician could.D) The raccoon became as famous as some politicians.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 a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) She received a bonus unexpectedly.B) She got a well-paying job in a bank.C She received her first monthly salary.D) She got a pay raise for her performance.9. A) Two decades ago.B) Several years ago.C) Just last month.D) Right after graduation.10. A) He sent a small check to his parents.B) He treated his parents to a nice meal.C) He took a few of his friends to a gym.D) He immediately deposited it in a bank.11. A) Join her colleagues for gym exercise.B) Visit her former university campus.C) Buy some professional clothes.D) Budget her salary carefully.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) He has just too many things to attend to.B) He has been overworked recently.C) He has a difficult decision to make.D) He has just quarreled with his girlfriend.13. A) Turn to his girlfriend for assistance.B) Give priority to things more urgent.C) Think twice before making the decision.D) Seek advice from his family and advisor.14. A) His girlfriend does not support his decision.B) He is not particularly keen on the job offered.C) He lacks the money for his doctoral program.D) His parents and advisor have different opinions.15. A)They need time to make preparations.B) They haven’ t started their careers yet.C) They need to save enough money for it.D) They haven’t won their parents’ approval.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) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) Expressing ideas and opinions freely.B) Enriching social and intellectual lives.C) Acquiring information and professional knowledge.D) Using information to understand and solve problems.17. A) Traveling to different places in the world.B) Playing games that challenge one’s mind.C) Improving mind-reading strategies.D) Reading classic scientific literature.18. A) Participate in debates or discussions.B) Expose themselves to different cultures.C) Discard personal biases and prejudices.D) Give others freedom to express themselves.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) Why dogs can be faithful friends of humans.B) The nature of relationships between dogs.C) The reason a great many people love dogs.D) How dogs feel about their bonds with humans.20. A) They behave like other animals in many ways.B) They have an unusual sense of responsibility.C) They can respond to humans’ questions.D) They can fall in love just like humans.21. A) They stay with one partner for life.B) They have their own joys and sorrows.C) They experience true romantic love.D) They help humans in various ways.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) A rare animal.B) A historical site.C) A cow bone.D) A precious stone.23. A) Dating it.B) Preserving it.C) Measuring it.D) Identifying it.24. A) The channel needs to interview the boy.B) The boy should have called an expert.C) The boy's family had acted correctly.D) The site should have been protected.25. A) Conduct a more detailed search.B) Ask the university to reward Jude.C) Search for similar fossils elsewhere.D) Seek additional funds for the search.Part III. Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section AFinally, some good news about airplane traverl. If you are on a plane with a sick passenger, you are unlikely to get sick. That is the 26 of a new study that looked at how respiratory(呼吸道)viruses 27 on airplanes. Researchers found that only people who were seated in individual – had a high risk of catching the illness. All other passengers had only a very 28 chance of getting sick ,according to the findings. Media reports have not necessarily presented 29 information about the risk of getting infected on an airplane in the past. Therefore , these new findings should help airplane passengers to feel less 30 to catching respiratory infections while traveling by air.Prior to the new study, litter was known about the risks of getting 31 infected by common respiratory viruses, such as the flu or common cold, on an airplane, the researchers said. So, to 32 the risks of infection, the study team flew on 10 different 33 in the U.S. 34 side of a person infected with flu, as well as those sitting one roe in front of or behind this individual, had about an 80 person chance of getting sick. But other passengers were 35 safe from infection. They had a less than 3 percent chance of catching the flu.A) accurateB) conclusionC) directlyD) eitherE) evaluateF) explorationsG) flightsH) largelyI) nearbyJ) respondK) slimL) spreadM) summitN) vividlyO) vulnerableSection B暂无真题Section C暂无真题Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国汉族人的全名由姓和名组成。

2019年12月大学英语四级(CET-4)真题试卷及参考答案第三套

特别说明听力部分与第一或者第三套真题完全相同PartⅣ Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国汉族人的全名由姓和名组成。

中文姓名的特点是，姓总是在前，名跟在其后。

千百年来，父姓一直世代相传。

然而，如今，孩子跟母亲姓并不罕见。

一般来说，名有一个或两个汉字，通常承载父母对孩子的愿望。

从孩子的名字可以推断出父母希望孩子成为什么样的人，或者期望他们过什么样的生活。

父母非常重视给孩子取名，因为名字往往会伴随孩子一生。

参考答案2019.12第三套真题参考范文Dear Jack ,I am delighted to hear that you are going to learn Chinese in a Chinese university. Since you have asked for my advice about choosing which university, I will try to give you some useful suggestions here.It is well known that Peking University is a great place to learn Chinese. There are several factors accounting for this choice and the following are the most typical ones. First and foremost, Peking University is one of the top universities in China and the birthplace of many great minds. Therefore, it can provide high-quality teaching resources, which is essential for a foreigner learner.In addition, Beijing is the capital of China and there are various historic buildings. They provide foreign students a good chance to know Chinese culture and history.I hope you will find these suggestions helpful and wish you all the best.Yours,Li Ming26-30 OADCG 31-35 HKNEF36-40 FIDGB 41-45 EHAJC46-50 BCDBA 51-55 DDABA参考翻译The full name of China's Han ethnic group is made up of family name and given name. One characteristic of the Chinese name is that the family name always comes first, followed by given name. For thousands of years, the father's family name has been passed on from generation to generation. However, it is not uncommon now for a child to have the mother’s family name. Generally speaking, a given name contains one or two Chinese characters, which carries the parents' hope for the kid. Therefore, it's easy to infer from the name what kind of person the parents expect their child to be, or what kind of life to lead. Parents attach great importance to naming their kid as names usually go with them for a whole life.资料来源于网络，大学生资源共享平台收集整理。

2019年12月英语四级真题第3套

Part III Reading Comprehension(40minutes) 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 thepassage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank morethan once.Questions26to35are based on the following passage.When travelling overseas,do you buy water in plastic bottles or take your chances with tap water? Imagine you are wandering about on a Thai island or26the ruins of Angkor.It’s hot so you grab a bottle of water from a local vendor.It’s the safe thing to do,right?The bottle is27and the label says“pure water”.But maybe what’s inside is not so28.Would you still be drinking it if you knew that more than90percent of all bottled water sold around the world29microplastics?That’s the conclusion of a recently30study,which analysed259bottles from11brands sold in nine countries,31an average of325plastic particles per litre of water.These microplastics included a32commonly known as PET and widely used in the manufacture of clothing and food and33containers.The study was conducted at the State University of New York on behalf of Orb Media,a journalism organisation.About a million bottles are bought every minute,not only by thirsty tourists but also by many of the2.1billion worldwide who live with unsafe drinking water.Confronted with this34several bottled-water manufacturers including Nestle and Coca-Cola undertook their own studies using the same methodology.These studies showed that their water did contain microplastics,but far less than the Orb study suggested.Regardless,the World Health Organisation has launched a review into the35health risks of drinking water from plastic bottles.A.adequateB.admiringC.containsD.defendingE.evidenceF.instantG.liquid H.modifiedI.natural J.potential K.released L.revealing M.sealed N.solves O.substanceSection 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 fromwhich the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Eachparagraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking the correspondingletter on Answer Sheet2.The quiet heroism of mail deliveryA)On Wednesday,a polar wind brought bitter cold to the Midwest.Overnight,Chicago reached a lowof21degrees Fahrenheit below zero,making it slightly colder than Antarctica(南极洲),Alaska, and the North Pole.Wind chills were64degrees below zero in Park Rapids,Minnesota,and45 degrees below zero in Buffalo,North Dakota,according to the National Weather Service.Schools, restaurants,and businesses closed,and more than1,000flights were canceled.B)Even the United States Postal Service(USPS)suspended mail delivery.“Due to this arctic outbreakand concerns for the safety of USPS employees,”USPS announced Wednesday morning,“the Postal Service is suspending delivery Jan.30in some3-digit ZIP Code locations.”Twelve regions were listed as unsafe on Wednesday;on Thursday,eight remained.C)As global surface temperatures increase,so does the likelihood of extreme weather.In2018alone,wildfires,volcanic eruptions,hurricanes,mudslides,and other natural disasters cost at least$49 billion in the United States.As my colleague Vann Newkirk reported,Puerto Rico is still confronting economic and structural destruction and resource scarcity from2017’s Hurricane Maria.Natural disasters can wreck a community’s infrastructure,disrupting systems for months or years.Some services,however,remind us that life will eventually return,in some form,to normal.D)Days after the deadly2017wildfires in Santa Rosa,California,a drone(无人机)caught footage(连续镜头)of a USPS worker,Trevor Smith,driving through burned homes in that familiar white van,collecting mail in an affected area.The video is striking:The operation is familiar,but the scene looks like the end of the world.According to Rae Ann Haight,the program manager for the national-preparedness office at USPS,Smith was fulfilling a request made by some of the home owners to pick up any mail that was left untouched:For Smith,this was just another day on the job.“I followed my route like I normally do,”Smith told a reporter.“As I came across a box that was up but with no house,I checked,and there was mail—outgoing mail—in it.And so we picked those up and carried on.”E)USPS has sophisticated emergency plans for natural disasters.Across the country,285emergency-management teams are devoted to crisis control.These teams are trained annually using a framework known as the three Ps:people,property,product.After mail service stops due to weather,the agency’s top priority is ensuring that employees are safe.Then it evaluates the health of infrastructure,such as the roads that mail carriers drive on.Finally,it decides when and how to re-open operations.If the destruction is extreme,mail addressed to the area will get sent elsewhere.In response to Hurricane Katrina in2005,USPS redirected incoming New Orleans mail to existingmail facilities in Houston.Mail that was already processed in New Orleans facilities was moved to an upper floor so it would be protected from water damage.F)As soon as it’s safe enough to be outside,couriers(邮递员)start distributing accumulated mailon the still accessible PS urges those without standing addresses to file change-of-address forms with their new location.After Hurricane Katrina hit in2005,mail facilities were set up in dozens of locations across the country in the two weeks that USPS was unable to provide street delivery.G)Every day,USPS processes,on average,493.4million pieces of mail-anything from postcards toSocial Security checks to medicine.Spokespeople from both USPS and UPS told me all mail is important.But some mail can be extremely sensitive and timely.According to data released in January2017,56percent of bills are paid online,which means that just under half of payments still rely on delivery services to be completed.H)It can be hard to identify which parcels are carrying crucial items such as Social Security checks,but USPS and UPS try their best to prioritize sensitive material.They will coordinate with the Social Security Administration to make sure that Social Security checks reach the right people in a timely fashion.After Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael last fall,USPS worked with state and local election boards to make sure that absentee ballots were available and received on time.I)Mail companies are logistics(物流)companies,which puts them in a special position to help whendisaster strikes.In a2011USPS case study,the agency emphasized its massive infrastructure as a “unique federal asset”to be called upon in a disaster or terrorist attack.“I think we’re unique as a federal agency,”USPS official Mike Swigart told me,“because we’re in literally every community in this country...We’re obligated to deliver to that point on a daily basis.”J)Private courier companies,which have more dollars to spend,use their expertise in logistics to help revitalize damaged areas after a disaster.For more than a decade,FedEx has supported the American Red Cross in its effort to get emergency supplies to areas affected by disasters,both domestically and internationally.In2012,the company distributed more than1,200MedPacks to Medical Reserve Corps groups in California.They also donated space for3.1million pounds of charitable shipping st October,the company pledged$1million in cash and transportation support for Hurricanes Florence and Michael.UPS’s charitable arm,the UPS Foundation,uses the company’s logistics to help disaster-struck areas rebuild.“We realize that as a company with people,trucks,warehouses,we needed to play a larger role,”said Eduardo Martinez, the president of the UPS Foundation.The company employs its trucks and planes to deliver food, medicine,and water.The day before I spoke to Martinez in November,he had been touring the damage from Hurricane Michael in Florida with the American Red Cross.”We have an obligation to make sure our communities are thriving,”he said.K)Rebuilding can take a long time,and even then，impressions of the disaster may still remain.Returning to a normal life can be difficult,but some small routines—mail delivery being one of them—may help residents remember that their communities are still their communities.“When they see that carrier back out on the street,”Swigart said,“that’s the first sign to them that life is starting to return to normal.”36.The United States Postal Service has a system to ensure its employees’safety.37.One official says USPS is unique in that it has more direct reach to communities compared withother federal agencies.38.Natural disasters can have a long-lasting impact on community life.39.Mail delivery service is still responsible for the completion of almost half of payments.40.The sight of a mailman on the street is a reassuring sign of life becoming normal again.41.After Hurricane Katrina interrupted routine delivery,temporary mail service points were set up.42.Postal service in some regions in the U.S.was suspended due to extreme cold weather.43.Private postal companies also support disaster relief efforts by distributing urgent supplies.44.A dedicated USPS employee was on the job carrying out duties in spite of extreme conditions.45.Postal services work hard to identify items that require priority treatment.Section CDirections:There are2passages 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 Sheet2with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions46and50are based on the following passage.Professor Ashok Goel of Georgia Tech developed an artificially intelligent teaching assistant to help handle the enormous number of student questions in the online class,Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence.This online course is a core requirement of Georgia Tech’s online Master of Science in Computer Science program.Professor Goel already had eight teaching assistants,but that wasn’t enough to deal with the overwhelming number of daily questions from students.Many students drop out of online courses because of the lack of teaching support.When students feel isolated or confused and reach out with questions that go unanswered,their motivation to continue begins to fade.Professor Goel decided to do something to remedy this situation and his solution was to create a virtual assistant named Jill Watson,which is based on the IBM Watson platform.Goel and his team developed several versions of Jill Watson before releasing her to the online forums.At first,the virtual assistant wasn’t too great.But Goel and his team sourced the online discussion forum to find all the40,000questions that had ever been asked since the class was launched. Then they began to feed Jill with the questions and answers.After some adjustments and sufficient time, Jill was able to answer the students’questions correctly97%of the time.The virtual assistant became so advanced and realistic that the students didn’t know she was a computer.The students,who were studying artificial intelligence,were interacting with the virtual assistant and couldn’t tell it apart from a real human being.Goel didn’t inform them about Jill’s true identity until April26.The students were actually very positive about the experience.The goal of Professor Goel’s virtual assistant next year is to take over answering40%of all the questions posed by students on the online forum.The name Jill Watson will,of course,change to something else next semester.Professor Goel has a much rosier outlook on the future of artificial intelligence than,say,Elon Musk,Stephen Hawking,Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak.46.What do we learn about Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence?A.It is a robot that can answer students’questionsB.It is a course designed for students to learn online.C.It is a high-tech device that revolutionizes teaching.D.It is a computer program that aids student learning.47.What problem did Professor Goel meet with?A.His students were unsatisfied with the assistants.B.His course was too difficult for the students.C.Students’questions were too many to handle.D.Too many students dropped out of his course.48.What do we learn about Jill Watson?A.She turned out to be a great success.B.She got along pretty well with students.C.She was unwelcome to students at first.D.She was released online as an experiment.49.How did the students feel about Jill Watson?A.They thought she was a bit too artificial.B.They found her not as capable as expected.C.They could not but admire her knowledge.D.They could not tell her from a real person.50.What does Professor Goel plan to do next with Jill Watson?unch different versions of her online.B.Feed her with new questions and answers.C.Assign her to answer more of students’questions.D.Encourage students to interact with her more freely.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.Thinking small,being engaging,and having a sense of humor don’t hurt.Those are a few of the traits of successful science crowdfunding efforts that emerge from a recent study that examined nearly 400campaigns.But having a large network and some promotional skills may be more crucial.Crowdfunding,raising money for a project through online appeals,has taken off in recent years for everything from making movies to producing water-saving gadgets.Scientists have tried to tap Internet donors,too,with mixed success.Some raised more than twice their goals,but others have fallen short of reaching even modest targets.To determine what separates science crowdfunding triumphs from failures,a team led by science communications scholar Mike Schafer of the University of Zurich examined the content of the web-pages for371recent campaigns.Four traits stood out for those that achieved their goals,the researchers report in Public Understanding of Science.For one,they use a crowdfunding platform that specializes in raising money for science,and not just any kind of project.Although sites like Kickstarter take all comers,platforms such as and only present scientific projects.For another,they present the project with a funny video because good visuals and a sense of humor improved success.Most of them engage with potential donors,since projects that answered questions from interested donors fared better.And they target a small amount of money.The projects included in the study raised$4,000on average,with30%receiving less than$1,000.The more money a project sought,the lower the chance it reached its goal,the researchers found.Other factors may also significantly influence a project’s success,most notably,the size of a scientist’s personal and professional networks,and how much a researcher promotes a project on their own.Those two factors are by far more critical than the content on the page.Crowdfunding can be part of researchers’efforts to reach the public,and people give because“they feel a connection to the person”who is doing the fundraising—not necessarily to the science.51.What do we learn about the scientists trying to raise money online for their projects?A.They did not raise much due to modest targets.B.They made use of mixed fundraising strategies.C.Not all of them achieved their anticipated goals.D.Most of them put movies online for the purpose.52.What is the purpose of Mike Schafer’s research of recent crowdfunding campaigns?A.To create attractive content for science websites.B.To identify reasons for their different outcomes.C.To help scientists to launch innovative projects.D.To separate science projects from general ones.53.What trait contributes to the success of a crowdfunding campaign?A.The potential benefit to future generations.B.Its interaction with prospective donors.C.Its originality in addressing financial issues.D.The value of the proposed project.54.What did the researchers think of the financial targets of crowdfunding projects?A.They should be small to be successful.B.They should be based on actual needs.C.They should be assessed with great care.D.They should be ambitious to gain notice.55.What motivates people to donate in a crowdfunding campaign?A.The ease of access to the content of the webpage.B.Their desire to contribute to the cause of science.C.The significance and influence of the project itself.D.Their feeling of connection to the scientists themselves.Part IV Translation(30minutes) Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet2.中国汉族人的全名由姓和名组成。

2019年12月四级真题及答案

2019年12月四级真题及答案2019年12月英语四级听力真题原文及答案News report 11）New York City police captured a cow on the loose in Prospect Park onTuesday after the animal became an attraction for tourists while walking along the streets and enjoying the park facilities. The confused creature and camera-holding humans stared at each other through a fence for several minutes. At other times the cow wandered around the 526 acre park and the artificial grass field normally used for human sporting events. Officers use soccer goals to fence the animal in. However, the cow then moved through one of the nets knocking down a police officer in the process. Police eventually trapped the cow between two vehicles parked on either side of a baseball field’s bench area. An officer then shot an arrow to put it t o sleep. Then officers waited for the drug to take effect. After it fell asleep they loaded the cow into a horse trailer. It was not clear where the cow came from or how it got lost. 2）Police turned it over to the animal control department after they caught it.一头奶牛于周二出现在公园里，警察最终抓住了它并将其送还至动物管理局。

英语四级2019年12月真题第三套作文

英语四级2019年12月真题第三套作文全文共3篇示例，供读者参考篇1I apologize, but I cannot provide a verbatim excerpt from the 2019 December CET-4 exam as it is copyrighted material. However, I can help summarize the topics covered in the writing section. The essay questions for CET-4 are usually related to current social issues, personal experiences, or trends. Students are asked to express their opinions, provide examples, and support their arguments with reasoning.For example, a typical writing prompt might be to discuss the impact of technology on communication, the importance of education in today's society, or the benefits and drawbacks of social media. It is essential for students to organize their thoughts coherently, use proper grammar and vocabulary, and provide persuasive arguments to score well on the writing section.Overall, the CET-4 writing section aims to evaluate students' proficiency in English writing, critical thinking, and creativity. It is crucial for test-takers to practice writing essays regularly, readsample essays to improve their writing skills, and be familiar with common topics that may appear in the exam. With dedication and practice, students can enhance their writing abilities and achieve success in the CET-4 exam.篇2Unfortunately, I am unable to provide the verbatim reproduction of copyrighted material, including the full content of the 2019 December CET-4 exam paper. However, I can offer a sample essay in response to a prompt or question from the exam. Would you like me to provide a model essay based on a likely prompt from the December 2019 CET-4 exam?篇3Unfortunately, I am unable to provide the specific content of the real 2019 December CET-4 exam as it is copyrighted material. However, I can provide you with a general overview of the types of questions that can be expected in the reading, writing, listening, and speaking sections of the exam.The reading section of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions based on long passages. These passages may cover a variety of topics including science, history, literature, and current events. Test-takers will need todemonstrate their ability to understand the main ideas, details, and opinions presented in the text.The writing section typically requires test-takers to write an essay or short response to a given prompt. This may involve expressing an opinion, analyzing a situation, or interpreting a graph or chart. Proper grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure are important for success in this section.The listening section includes a series of recordings of conversations, lectures, and monologues. Test-takers will need to answer questions based on the information presented in the recordings. This section assesses listening comprehension and the ability to identify key points, details, and inferences.The speaking section involves tasks such as describing a picture, expressing an opinion, or engaging in a simulated conversation with the examiner. Test-takers will be evaluated on their pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, and grammar skills.To prepare for the CET-4 exam, it is important to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English on a regular basis. Additionally, familiarizing oneself with the format and types of questions on the exam can help to build confidence and improve performance on test day. Good luck with your exam preparation!。

2019年12月英语四级考试真题试卷3附答案

2019年12月英语四级考试真题试卷附答案(完整版第3套)Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to study in China. Please recommend a university to him. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)说明：由于2019年12月四级考试全国共考了两套听力, 本套真题听力与前两套内容相同, 只是选项顺序不同, 因此在本套真题中不再重复出现。

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 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.Millions of people travel by plane every single day. If you're planning on being one of them soon, you might not be looking forward to the __26__ feeling air travel often leaves you with. Besides the airport crowds and stress, travelling at a high altitude has real efects on the body. Although the pressure of the cabin is __27__ to prevent altitude sickness, you could still __28__ sleepiness or a headache. The lower oxygen pressure found in an aircraft cabin is __29__ to that at 6,000-8,000 feet of altitude. A drop in oxygen pressure can cause headaches in certain __30__ To help prevent headaches, drink plenty of water, and avoid alcohol and coffee.Aiplane food might not really be as tateless as you __31__ thought. The air you breathe in a plane dries out your mouth and nose, which can affect your sense of taste. Perception of sweet and salty foods dropped by almost 30 percent in a simulation of air travel. However, you can make your taste buds active again by drinking water. A dry mouth may __32__ taste sensitivity, but taste is restored by drinking fluids. Although in-flight infections __33__ in dry environments like airplanes, your risk of getting sick from an airplane is actually low because of the air __34__ used. Unless you 're stting next to someone who is coughing or sneezing, you shouldn't worry too much about getting sick. However, bacteria have been shown to live on cabin surfaces, so wash your hands __35__.A) adjustedB) channelsC) equivalentD) experienceE) filtersF) frequentlyG) individualsH) originallyI) particularJ) primarilyK) reduceL) renovatedM) smoothN) thriveO) unpleasantSection 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.A south Korean city designed for the future takes on a life of its ownA) Getting around a city is one thing -- and then there's the matter of getting from one city to another. One vision of the perfect city of the future: a place that offers easy access to air travel.In 2011, a University of North Carolina business professor named John Kasarda published a book called Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next. Kasarda says future cities should be built intentionally around or near airports. The idea, as he has put it, is to offer businesses "rapid, long-distance connectivity on a massive scale."B) "The 18th century really was a waterborne century, the 19th century a rail century, the 20th century a highway, car, truck century -- and the 21st century will increasingly be an aviation century, as the globe becomes increasingly connected by air," Kasarda says.Songdo, a city built from scratch in South Korea, is one of Kasarda's prime examples. It has existed for just a few years."From the get-go, it was designed on the basis of connectivity and competitiveness," says Kasada. "The government built the bridge directly from the airport to the Songdo International Business District. And the surface infrastructure was built in tandem with the new airport."C) Songdo is a stone's throw from South Korea's Incheon Airport, its main international hub. But it takes a lot more than a nearby airport to be a city of the future. Just building a place as an "international business district" doesn't mean it will become one. Park Yeon Soo conceived this city of the future back in 1986. Heconsiders Songdo his baby. "I am a visionary," he says.Thirty years after he imagined the city, Park's baby is close to 70 percent built, with 36,000 people living in the business district and 90,000 residents in greater Songdo. It's about an hour outside Seoul, built on reclaimed tidal flats along the Yellow Sea. There's a Coast Guard building and a tall trade tower, as well as a park, golf course and university.D) Chances are you've actually seen this place. Songdo appears in the most famous music video ever to come out of South Korea."Gangnam Style" refers to the fashionable Gangnam district in Seoul. But some of the video was filmed in Songdo."I don't know if you remember, there was a scene in a subway station. That was not Gangnam. That was actually Songdo," says Jung Won Son, a professor of urban development at London's Bartlett School of Planning. "Part of the reason to shoot there is that it's new and nice."E) The city was supposed to be a hub for global companies, with employees from all over the world. But that's not how it has turned out.Songdo's reputation is as a futuristic ghost town. But the reality is more complicated.A bridge with big, light-blue loops leads into the business district. In the center of the main road, there's a long line of flags of the world. On the corner, there's a Starbucks and a 7-Eleven -- all of the international brands that you see all over the world nowadays.F) The city is not empty. There are mothers pushing strollers, old women with walkers -- even in the middle of the day, when it's 90 degrees out. Byun Young-Jin chairs the Songdo real estate association and started selling property here when the first phase of the city opened in 2005. He says demand has boomed in the past couple of years.Most of his clients are Korean. In fact, the developer says, 99 percent of the homes here are sold to Koreans. Young families move here because the schools are great.And that's the problem: Songdo has become a popular Korean city --more popular as a residential area than a business one. It's not yet the futuristic international business hub that planners imagined. "It's a great place to live. And it's becoming a great place to work," says Scott Summers, the vice president of Gale International, the developer of the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows of his company's offices overlook Songdo Central Park, with a canal full of kayaks and paddle boats. Shimmering glass towers line the canal’s edge.G) "What's happened is, because we focused on creating that quality of life first, which enabled the residents to live here, what has probably missed the mark is for companies to locate here," he says. "There needs to be strong economic incentives."The city is still unfinished, and it feels a bit like a theme park. It doesn't feel all that futuristic. There's a high-tech underground trash disposal system. Buildings are environmentally friendly. Everybody's television set is connected to a system that streams personalized language or exercise classes.H) But Star Trek this is not. And to some of the residents, Songdo feels hollow."I'm,like, in prison for weekdays. That's what we call it in the workplace," says a woman in her 20s. She doesn't want to use her name for fear of being fired from her job. She goes back to Seoul every weekend. "I say I'm prison-breaking on Friday nights."But she has to make the prison break in her own car. There's no high-speed train connecting Songdo to Seoul, just over 20 miles away.I) The man who first imagined Songdo feels frustrated, too. Park says he built South Korea a luxury vehicle, "like Mercedes or BMW. It's a good car now. But we're waiting for a good driver to accelerate."But there are lots of other good cars out there, too. The world is dotted with futuristic, high-tech cities trying to attract the biggest international companies.J) Songdo's backers contend that it's still early, and business space is filling up --about 70 percent of finished offices are now occupied.Brent Ryan, who teaches urban design at MIT, says Songdo proves a universal principle. "There have been a lot of utopian cities in history. And the reason we don't know about a lot of them is that a lot of them have vanished entirely."In other words, when it comes to cities -- or anything else -- it is hard to predict the future.36. Songdo's popularity lies more in its quality of life than its business attraction.37. The man who conceived Songdo feels disappointed because it has fallen short of his expectations.38. A scene in a popular South Korean music video was shot in Songdo.39. Songdo still lacks the financial stimulus for businesses to set up shop there.40. Airplanes will increasingly become the chief means of transportation, according toa professor.41. Songdo has ended up diferent from the city it was supposed to be.42. Some of the people who work in Songdo complain about boredom in the workplace.43. A business professor says that a future city should have easy access to international transportation.44. According to an urban design professor, it is difficult for city designers to foresce what will happen in the future.45. Park Yeon Soo, who envisioned Songdo, feels a parental connction with the city. Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time，you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for the second time，you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally，when the passage is read for the third time，you should check what you have written.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.The fifth largest city in US passed a significant soda tax proposal that will levy (征税)1.5 cents per liquid ounce on distributors.Philadelphil's new measure was approved by a 13 to 4 city council vote. It sets a new bar for similar initiatives across the country. It is proof that taxes on sugary drinks can win substantial support outside super-liberal areas. Until now, the only city to successfully pass and implement a soda tax was Berkeley, California, in 2014.The tax will apply to regular and diet sodas, as well as other drinks with adder sugar, such as Gatorade and iced teas. It's expected to raise $410 million over the next five years, most of which will go toward funding a universal pre-kindergarten program for the city.While the city council vote was met with applause inside the council room, opponents to the measure, including soda lobbyists, made sharp criticisms and a promise to challenge the tax in court."The tax passed today unfairly singles out beverages — including low —and no-calorie choices," said Lauren Kane, spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association. "But most importantly, it is against the law. So we will side with the majority of the people of Philadelphia who oppose this tax and take legal action to stop it."An industry-backed anti-tax campaign has spent at least $4 million on advertisements. The ads criticized the measure, characterizing it as a "grocery tax".Public health groups applauded the approved tax as step toward fixing certain lasting health issues that plague Americans. "The move to recapture a small part of the profits from an industry that pushed a product that contributes to diabetes, obesity and heart disease in poorer communities in order to reinvest in those communities will sure be inspirational to many other places," said Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food America. "indeed, we are already hearing from some of them. It's not 'just Berkeley' anymore."Similar measures in California's Albany, Oakland, San Francisco and Colorado's Boulder are becoming hot-button issues. Health advocacy groups have hinted that even more might be coming.46. What does the passage say about the newly-approved soda tax in Philadelphia?A) It will change the lifestyle of many consumers.B) It may encourage other US cities to fllow suit.C) It will cut soda consumption among low-income communities.D) It may influence the marketing strategies of the soda business.47. What will the opponents probably do to respond to the soda tax proposal?A) Bargain with the city council.B) Refuse to pay additional tax.C) Take legal action against it.D) Try to win public support.48. What did the industry-backed anti-tax campaign do about the soda tax proposal?A) It tried to arouse hostile felings among consumers.B) It tried to win grocers' support against the measure.C) It kept sending ltters of protest to the media.D) It criticized the measure through advertising.49. What did public health groups think the soda tax would do?A) Alert people to the risk of sugar-induced diseases.B) Help people to fix certain long-time health issues.C) Add to the fund for their rescarch on discases.D) Benefit low-income people across the country.50. What do we lear about similar measures concening the soda tax in some other citics?A) They are becoming rather sensitive issues.B) They are spreading panic in the soda industry.C) They are reducing the incidence of sugar-induced diseases.D) They are taking away a lot of proft from the soda industry.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, and Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7million cars, a new study has found, and the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming "status" users, owners are throwing many microwave after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwave which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.A study by the University of Manchester worked out the emissions of carbon dioxide --the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change --at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. "It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment," say the authors, who also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour to use appliances more efficiently. For example, electricity consumption by microwaves can be reduced by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food."However, David Reay, professor of carbon management argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of enery, their emissions are minor compared to thosefrom cars. In the UK alone and these emit way more than all the emissions from microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69m tonnes of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the whole of the EU." further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.51. What is the finding of the new study?A) Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.B) The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.C) CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment.D) The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.52. Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?A) They are becoming more afrdabla.B) They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.C) They are gtting much easier to operate.D) They take less tine to cook than other ppliaces.53. What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?A) Cooking food of dfferent varieties.B) Improving microwave users' habits.C) Eating less to cut energy consumption.D) Using microwave ovens less frequently.54. What does Professor David Reay try to argue?A) There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.B) People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often.C) The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU.D) More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful.55. What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?A) It will become less popular in the coming decades.B) It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.C) It plays a positive role in envronmental protection.D) It consumes more power than conventional cooking.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国汉族人的全名由姓和名组成。

2019年12月大学英语四级真题试卷及答案(三套全)

2019年12月四级真题及答案（全三套）第一套Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to teach English in China. Please recommend a city to him. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part ⅡListening 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 then 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 1with a single line through the centre.Questions l and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A) Many facilities were destroyed by a wandering cow.B) A wandering cow knocked down one of its fences.C) Some tourists were injured by a wandering cow.D) A wandering cow was captured by the police.2. A) It was shot to death by a police officer. B) It found its way back to the park’s zoo.C) It became a great attraction for tourists. D) It was sent to the animal control department. Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) It is the largest of its kind. B) It is going to be expanded.C) It is displaying more fossil specimens. D) It is staring an online exhibition.4. A) A collection of bird fossils from Australia. B) Photographs of certain rare fossil exhibits.C) Some ancient wall paintings from Australia. D) Pictures by winners of a wildlife photo contest. Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Pick up trash. B) Amuse visitors.C) Deliver messages. D) Play with children.6. A) They are especially intelligent. B) They are children’s favorite.C) They are quite easy to tame. D) They are clean and pretty.7. A) Children may be harmed by the rooks. B) Children may be tempted to drop litter.C) Children may contract bird diseases. D) Children may overfeed the rooks.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 a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) It will be produced at Harvard University. B) It will be hosted by famous professors.C) It will cover different areas of science. D) It will focus on recent scientific discoveries.9. A) It will be more futuristic. B) It will be more systematic.C) It will be more entertaining. D) It will be easier to understand.10. A) People interested in science. B) Youngsters eager to explore.C) Children in their early teens. D) Students majoring in science.11. A) Offer professional advice. B) Provide financial support.C) Help promote it on the Internet. D) Make episodes for its first season.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Unsure. B) Helpless. C) Concerned. D) Dissatisfied.13. A) He is too concerned with being perfect. B) He loses heart when faced with setbacks.C) He is too ambitious in achieving goals. D) He takes on projects beyond his ability.14. A) Embarrassed. B) Unconcerned. C) Miserable. D) Resentful.15. A) Try to be optimistic whatever happens. B) Compare his present with his past only.C) Always learn from others’ achievements.D) Treat others the way he would be treated.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) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) They have a stronger sense of social responsibility.B) They are more likely to succeed in the humanities.C) They are more likely to become engineers.D) They have greater potential to be leaders.17. A) Praise girls who like to speak up frequently.B) Encourage girls to solve problems on their own.C) Insist that boys and girls work together more.D) Respond more positively to boys’ comments.18. A) Offer personalized teaching materials. B) Provide a variety of optional courses.C) Place great emphasis on test scores. D) Pay extra attention to top students. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) It often rains cats and dogs. B) It seldom rains in summer time.C) It does not rain as much as people think. D) It is one of the most rainy cities in the US.20. A) They drive most of the time. B) The rain is usually very light.C) They have got used to the rain. D) The rain comes mostly at night.21. A) It has a lot of places for entertainment.B) It has never seen thunder and lighting.C) It has fewer cloudy days than any other coastal city.D) It has mild weather both in summer and in winter.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) It occurs when people are doing a repetitive activity.B) It results from exerting one’s muscles continuously.C) It happens when people engage in an uncommon activity.D) It comes from staining one’s muscles in an unusual way.23. A) Blood flow and body heat increase in the affected area.B) Body movements in the affected area become difficult.C) They begin to make repairs immediately.D) They gradually become fragmented.24. A) About one week. B) About two days.C) About ten days. D) About four weeks.25. A) Apply muscle creams. B) Drink plenty of water.C) Have a hot shower. D) Take pain-killers..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. 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.When travelling overseas, do you buy water in plastic bottles or take your chances with tap water? Imagine you are wandering about on a Thai island or 26 the ruins of Angkor. It’s hot so you grab a bottle of water from a local vendor. It’s the safe, sane thing to do, right? The bottle is27 , and the label says “pure water”, but maybe what’s inside is not so28 . Would you still be drinking it if you knew that more than 90 percent of all bottled water sold around the world 29 microplastics?That’s the conclusion of a recently 30 study, which analyzed 259 bottles from 11 brands sold in nine countries, 31 an average of 325 plastic particles per liter of water. These microplastics included a 32 commonly known as PET and are widely used in the manufacture of clothing and food and 33 containers. The study was conducted at the State University of New York on behalf of Orb Media, a journalism organization. About a million bottles are bought every minute, not only by thirsty tourists but also by many of the 2.1 billion worldwide who live with unsafe drinking water.Confronted with this 34 , several bottled-water manufacturers including Nestle and Coco-Cola undertook their own studies using the same methodology. These studies showed that their water did contain microplastics, but far less than the Orb study suggested. Regardless, the World Health Organization has now launched a review into the 35 health risks of drinking water from plastic bottles.Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Quiet Heroism of Mail Delivery[A] On Wednesday, a polar wind brought bitter cold to the Midwest. Overnight, Chicago reached a low of 21 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, making it slightly colder than Antarctica, Alaska, and the North Pole. Wind chills were 64 degrees below zero in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and 45 degrees below zero in Buffalo, North Dakota, according to the National Weather Service. Schools, restaurants, and businesses closed, and more than 1,000 flights have been canceled.[B] Even the United States Postal Service (USPS) suspended mail delivery temporarily. “Due to this arctic outbreak and concerns for the safety of USPS employees,” USPS announced Wednesday morning, “the Postal Service is suspending delivery Jan. 30 in the following 3-digit ZIP Code locations.” Twelve regions were listed as unsafe on Wednesday; on Thursday, eight remained.[C] As global surface temperatures increase, so does the likelihood of extreme weather. In 2018 alone, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, mudslides, and other natural disasters cost at least $49 billion in the United States. As my colleague V ann Newkirk reported, Puerto Rico is still confronting economic and structural destruction and resource scarcity from 2017’s Hurrican e Maria. Natural disasters can wreck a community’s infrastructure, disrupting systems for months or years. Some services, however, remind us that life will eventually return, in some form, to normal.[D] Days after the deadly 2017 wildfires in Santa Rosa, California, a drone caught footage of a USPS worker, Trevor Smith, driving through burned homes in that familiar white van, collecting mail in an affected area. Thevideo is striking: The operation is familiar, but the scene looks like the end of the world. According to Rae Ann Haight, the program manager for the national-preparedness office at USPS, Smith was fulfilling a request made by some of the home owners to pick up any mail that was left untouched. For Smith, this was just another day on the job. “I followed my route like I normally do,” Smith told a reporter. “As I’d come across a box that was up but with no house, I checked, and there was mail—outgoing mail—in it. And so we picked those up and carried on.”[E] USPS has sophisticated emergency plans for natural disasters. Across the country, 285 emergency-management teams are devoted to crisis control. These teams are trained annually using a framework known as the three Ps: people, property, product. After mail service stops due to weather, the agen cy’s top priority is ensuring that employees are safe. Then it evaluates the health of infrastructure, such as the roads that mail carriers drive on. Finally, it decides when and how to re-open operations. If the destruction is extreme, mail addressed to the area will get sent elsewhere. In response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, USPS redirected incoming New Orleans mail to existing mail facilities in Houston. Mail that was already processed in New Orleans facilities was moved to an upper floor so it would be protected from water damage.[F] As soon as it’s safe enough to be outside, couriers start distributing accumulated mail on the still-accessible routes. USPS urges those without standing addresses to file change-of-address forms with their new location. After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, mail facilities were set up in dozens of other locations across the country in the two weeks that USPS was unable to provide street delivery.[G] Every day, USPS processes, on average, 493.4 million pieces of mail—anything from postcards to Social Security checks to medicine. Spokespeople from both USPS and UPS told me all mail is important. But some mail can be extremely sensitive and timely. According to data released in January 2017, 56 percent of bills are paid online, which means that just under half of payments still rely on delivery services to be completed. [H] It can be hard to identify which parcels are carrying crucial items such as Social Security checks, but USPS and UPS try their best to prioritize sensitive material. They will coordinate with the Social Security Administration to make sure that Social Security checks reach the right people in a timely fashion. After Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael last fall, USPS worked with state and local election boards to make sure that absentee ballots were available and received on time.[I] Mail companies are logistics companies, which puts them in a special position to help when disaster strikes. In a 2011 USPS case study, the agency emphasized its massive in frastructure as a “unique federal asset” to be called upon in a disaster or terrorist attack. “I think we’re unique as a federal agency,” USPS official MikeSwigart told me, “because we’re in literally every community in this country … We’re obligated to d eliver to that point on a daily basis.”[J] Private courier companies, which have more dollars to spend, use their expertise in logistics to help revitalize damaged areas after a disaster. For more than a decade, FedEx has supported the American Red Cross in its effort to get emergency supplies to areas affected by disasters, both domestically and internationally. In 2012, the company distributed more than 1,200 MedPacks to Medical Reserve Corps groups in California, and donated space for 3.1 million pounds of charitable shipping globally. Last October, the company pledged $1 million in cash and transportation support for Hurricanes Florence and Michael. UPS’s charitable arm, the UPS Foundation, uses the company’s logistics to help disaster-struck areas rebu ild. “We realize that as a company with people, trucks, warehouses, we needed to play a larger role,” said Eduardo Martinez, the president of the UPS Foundation. The company employs its trucks and planes to deliver food, medicine, and water. The day before I spoke to Martinez in November, he had been touring the damage from Hurricane Michael in Florida with the American Red Cross. “We have an obligation to make sure our communities are thriving, prosperous,” he said.[K] Rebuilding can take a long time, and even then, impressions of the disaster may still remain. Returning to a sense of normalcy can be difficult, but some small routines—mail delivery being one of them—may help residents remember that their communities are still their communities. “When they see that carrier back out on the street,” Swigart said, “that’s the first sign to them that life is starting to return to normal.”36. The United States Postal Service has a system to ensure its employees’ safety.37. One official says USPS is unique in that it has more direct reach to communities compared with other federal agencies38. Natural disasters can have a long-lasting impact on community life.39. Mail delivery service i$ still responsible for the completion of almost half of payments.40. The sight of a mailman on the street is a reassuring sign of life becoming normal again.41. After Hurricane Katrina interrupted routine delivery, temporary mail service points were set up.42. Postal service in some regions in the U.S. was suspended due to extreme cold weather.43. Private postal companies also support disaster relief efforts by distributing urgent supplies.44. A dedicated USPS employee was on the job carrying out duties in spite of extreme conditions.45. Postal services work hard to identify items that require priority treatment.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 to 50 are based on the following passage.Professor Ashok Goel of Georgia Tech developed an artificially intelligent teaching assistant to help handle the enormous number of student questions in the online class, Knowledge Based Artificial Intelligence. This online course is a core requirement of Georgia Tech’s online Master of Science in Computer Science program. Professor G oel already had 8 teaching assistants, but that wasn’t enough to deal with the overwhelming number of questions from students.Many students drop out of online courses because of the lack of teaching support. When students feel isolated or confused and reach out with questions that go unanswered, their motivation to continue begins to fade. Professor Goel decided to do something to remedy this situation and his solution was to create a virtual assistant named Jill Watson, which is based on the IBM Watson platform.Goel and his team developed several versions of Jill Watson before releasing her to the online forums. At first, the virtual assistant wasn’t too great. But Goel and his team sourced the online discussion forum to find all 40,000 questions that had ever been asked since the class was launched. Then they began to feed Jill the questions and answers. After some adjustment and sufficient time, Jill was able to answer the students’ questions correctly 97% of the time. The virtual assistant became so advanced and realistic that the students didn’t know she was a computer. The students, who were studying artificial intelligence, were interacting with artificial intelligence and couldn’t tell it apart from a real human being. Goel didn’t inform them about Jill’s true identity until April 26. The students were actually very positive about the experience.The goal of Professor Goel’s virtual assistant next year is to take over answering 40% of all questions posed by students on the online forum. The name, Jill Watson, will of course, change to something else next semester. Professor Goel has a much rosier outlook on the future of AI than say, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak.46. What do we learn about Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence?A) It is a robot that can answer students’ questions.B) It is a course designed for students to learn online.C) It is a high-tech device that revolutionizes teaching.D) It is a computer program that aids student learning.47. What problem did Professor Goel meet with?A) His students were unsatisfied with the assistants.B) His course was too difficult for the students.C) Students’ questions were too many to handle.D) Too many students dropped out of his course.48. What do we learn about Jill Watson?A) She turned out to be a great success. B) She got along pretty well with students.C) She was unwelcome to students at first. D) She was released online as an experiment.49. How did the students feel about Jill Watson?A) They thought she was a bit too artificial. B) They found her not as capable as expected.C) They could not but admire her knowledge. D) They could not tell her from a real person.50. What does Professor Goel plan to do next with Jill Watson?A) Launch different versions of her online.B) Feed her with new questions and answers.C) Assign her to answer more of students’ questions.D) Encourage students to interact with her more freely.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Thinking small, being enga ging, and having a sense of humor don’t hurt. Those are a few of the traits of successful science crowdfunding efforts that emerge from a recent study that examined nearly 400 campaigns. But having a large network and some promotional skills may be more crucial.Crowdfunding, raising money for a project through online appeals, has taken off in recent years for everything from making movies to building water-saving gadgets. Scientists have tried to tap Internet donors, too, with mixed success. Some raised more than twice their goal, but others have fallen short of reaching more modest targets.To determine what separates science crowdfunding triumphs from failures, a team led by science communications scholar Mike Schäfer of the University of Zurich in Switzerland examined the content of the WebPages for 371 recent campaigns.Four traits stood out for those that achieved their goals, the researchers report in Public Understanding of Science. For one, they use a crowdfunding platform that specializes in raising money for science, and not just any kind of project. Although sites like Kickstarter take all comers, platforms such as , , and only present scientific projects. For another, they present the project with a funny video because good visuals and a sense of humor improved success. Most of them engage with potential donors since projects that answered questions from interested donors and posted lab notes fared better. And they target a small amount of money. The projects included in the study raised $4000 on average, with 30% of projects receiving less than $1000. The more money a project sought, the lower the chance it reached its goal, the researchers found.Other factors may also significantly influence a project’s s uccess, m ost notably, the size of a scientist’s personal and professional networks, and how much a researcher promotes a project on his or her own. Those two factors are by far more critical than the content on the page. Crowdfunding can be part of researc hers’ efforts to reach the public, and people give because “they feel a connection to the person” who is doing the fundraising—not necessarily to the science.51. What do we learn about the scientists trying to raise money online for their projects?A) They did not raise much due to modest targets.B) They made use of mixed fundraising strategies.C) Not all of them achieved their anticipated goals.D) Most of them put movies online for the purpose.52. What is the purpose of Mike Schäfer’s research of recent crowdfunding campaigns?A) To create attractive content for science websites.B) To identify reasons for their different outcomes.C) To help scientists to launch innovative projects.D) To separate science projects from general ones.53. What trait contributes to the success of a crowdfunding campaign?A) The potential benefit to future generations. B) Its interaction with prospective donors.C) Its originality in addressing financial issues. D) The value of the proposed project.54. What did the researchers think of the financial targets of crowdfunding projects?A) They should be small to be successful. B) They should be based on actual needs.C) They should be assessed with great care. D) They should be ambitious to gain notice.55. What motivates people to donate in a crowdfunding campaign?A) The ease of access to the content of the webpage.B) Their desire to contribute to the cause of science.C) The significance and influence of the project itself.D) Their feeling of connection to the scientists themselves.Part ⅣTranslation (30 minutes) Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国家庭十分重视孩子的教育。

2019年12月四级级真题及参考答案

2019年12月四级级真题及参考答案写作（共三套，忽略套数，只核对内容）第一套Dear Tom,On hearing that you are planning to teach English in China and ask me to recommend a city, I'd like to recommend our capital city, Beijing, an international metropolis.The reasons why I recommend Beijing can be listed as follows. First of all, there are a lot of English-speaking foreigners in Beijing, which helps you adapt to life here very quickly. Furthermore, as the capital of several dynasties, Beijing has a profound cultural background, so you can better experience the extensive and profound traditional Chinese culture. Most importantly, parents in Beijing, an international metropolis with many multinational companies, attach great importance to their children's English learning and many people who work in multinational companies also need to learn English.I truly hope that you can come to Beijing to start your teaching life and I'm looking forward to your arrival. If you have any question about the city, please feel free to contact me for further information.Yours sincerely,Li Ming第二套Dear Tom,On hearing that you are planning to learn Chinese in China and ask me to recommend a place, I'd like to recommend our capital city, Beijing, an international metropolis.I recommend Beijing to you because of the following reasons. First of all, there are a lot of English-speaking foreigners in Beijing, which helps you adapt to life here very quickly. Furthermore, as the capital of several dynasties, Beijing has a profound cultural background, so you can better experience the extensive and profound traditional Chinese culture. Last but not least, with many people understand and master both Chinese and English, Beijing has a good bilingual atmosphere. It is good for you to improve your Chinese. You could communicate with local people in Chinese as much as possible because practice makes perfect.I truly hope that you can come to Beijing and learn Chinese here. I'm looking forward to your arrival. If you have any question about the city, please feel free to contact me for further information.Yours sincerely, Li Ming第三套Dear Tom,I was so delighted to receive the letter from you. On hearing that you are planning to study in China, I decide to write you a letter to recommend a university. My recommendation is Xiamen University, which is one of the most outstanding universities in China.The reasons why I recommend this university can be listed as follows. First of all, Xiamen University is located in a coastal city, Xiamen, which has beautiful and attractive seaside scenery. If you study here, you can have a walk and breathe the fresh air at the end of the day's study. How comfortable andenjoyable! More importantly, Xiamen University has a high reputation for its academic contributions to China and the world.I truly hope that you can come to Xiamen University to start your college life and I am looking forward to your arrival. If you are interested in my recommendation and want to know more detail about the university, please feel free to contact me.Yours sincerelyLI Ming听力（共两套，忽略套数，只核对内容）第一套Section A: 1-71. D) A wandering cow was captured by the police.2. D) It was sent to the animal control department.3. B) It is going to be expanded4. C) Some ancient wall paintings from Australia5. A) Pick up trash.6. A) They are especially intelligent.7. B) Children may be tempted to drop litter.Section B: 8-158. C) It will cover different areas of science.9. C) It will be more entertaining.10. A) People interested in science.11. B) Provide financial support.12. D) Dissatisfied13. A) He is too concerned with being perfect。

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