2015年12月英语四级真题及答案
2015年12月英语四级真题及答案第三套
2015年12月英语四级真题及答案第三套Part Ⅰ Writing ( 30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying"Never go out there to see what happens, go out there to make things happen." You can citexamples to illustrate the importance of being participants rather than mere onlookers inlife.You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes)Section ADirections : In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the end ofeach conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both theconversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will bea pause.During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, Cand D,and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line through the centre.1.A.Children should be taught to be more careful.B.Children shouldn't drink so much orange juice.C.There is no need for the man to make such a fuss.D.Timmy should learn to do things in the right way.2.A.Fitness training.B.The new job offer.puter programming.D.Directorship of the club.3.A.He needs to buy a new sweater.B.He has got to save on fuel bills.C.The fuel price has skyrocketed.D.The heating system doesn't work.mitting theft.B.Taking pictures.C.Window shopping.D.Posing for the camera.5.A.She is taking some medicine.B.She has not seen a doctor yet.C.She does not trust the man's advice.D.She has almost recovered from the cough.6.A.Pamela's report is not finished as scheduled.B.Pamela has a habit of doing things in a hurry.C.Pamela is not good at writing research papers.D.Pamela's mistakes could have been avoided.7.A.In the left-luggage office.B.At the hotel reception.C.In a hotel room.D.At an airport.8.A.She was an excellent student at college.B.She works in the entertainment business.C.She is fond of telling stories in her speech.D.She is good at conveying her message.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A.Arranging the woman's appointment with Mr.Romero.B.Fixing the time for the designer's latest fashion show.C.Talking about an important gathering on Tuesday.D.Preparing for the filming on Monday morning.10.A.Her travel to Japan.B.The awards ceremony.C.The proper hairstyle for her new role.D.When to start the make-up session.11.A.He is Mr.Romero's agent.B.He is an entertainment journalist.C.He is the woman's assistant.D.He is a famous movie star.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A.Make an appointment for an interview.B.Send in an application letter.C.Fill in an application form.D.Make a brief self-introduction on the phone.13.A.Someone having a college degree in advertising.B.Someone experienced in business management.C.Someone ready to take on more responsibilities.D.Someone willing to work beyond regular hours.14.A.Travel opportunities.B.Handsome pay.C.Prospects for promotion.D.Flexible working hours.15.A.It depends on the working hours.B.It is about 500 pounds a week.C.It will be set by the Human Resources.D.It is to be negotiated.Section BDirections..In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of each passage, you will hearsome questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After youhear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A., B,Cand D..Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single linethrough the center.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A.To give customers a wider range of choices.B.To make shoppers see as many items as possible.C.To supply as many varieties of goods as it can.D.To save space for more profitable products.17.A.On the top shelves.B.On the bottom shelves.C.On easily accessible shelves.D.On clearly marked shelves.18.A.Many of them buy things on impulse.B.A few of them are fathers with babies.C.A majority of them are young couples.D.Over 60% of them make shopping lists.19.A.Sales assistants promoting high margin goods.B.Sales assistants following customers around.C.Customers competing for good bargains.D.Customers losing all sense of time.Passage TwoQuestions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.20.A.Teaching mathematics at a school.B.Doing research in an institute.C.Studying for a college degree.D.Working in a hi-tech company21.A.He studied the designs of various clocks.B.He did experiments on different materials.C.He bought an alarm clock with a pig face.D.He asked different people for their opinions.22.A.Its automatic mechanism.B.Its manufacturing process.C.Its way of waking people up.D.Its funny-looking pig face.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23.A.It is often caused by a change of circumstances.B.It actually doesn't require any special treatment.C.It usually appears all of a sudden.D.It generally lasts for several years.24.A.They cannot mix well with others.B.They irrationally annoy their friends.C.They depend heavily on family members.D.They blame others for ignoring their needs.25.A.They lack consistent support from peers.B.They doubt their own popularity.C.They were born psychologically weak.D.They focus too much on themselves.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read for the firsttime, you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for thesecond time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have justheard.Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what youhave written.There was a time when any personal information that was gathered about us was typed on a pieceof paper and26 in a file cabinet.It could remain there for years and, often27, never reachthe outside world.Things have done a complete about-face since then.28 the change has been the astonishingly29 development in recent years of the computer.Today, any data that is 30 about us in oneplace or another--and for one reason or another--can be stored in a computer bank.It can then beeasily passed to other computer banks.They are owned by individuals and by private businesses andcorporations, lending 31 , direct mailing and telemarketing firms, credit bureaus, credit cardcompanies, and32 at the local, state, and federal level.A growing number of Americans are seeing the accumulation and distribution of computerized dataas a frightening33 of their privacy.Surveys show that the numberof worried Americans has beensteadily growing over the years as the computer becomes increasingly 34, easier to operate, andless costly to purchase and maintain.In 1970, a national survey showed that 37 percent of the people35felt their privacy was being invaded.Seven years later, 47 percent expressed the same worry.Arecent survey by a credit bureau revealed that the number of alarmed citizens had shot up to 76percent.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 foreach 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 Sheet2 with a single line through the center.You may not use any of the words in the bankmore than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.Children do not think the way adults do.For most of the first year of life, if something is out ofsight, it's out of mind.If you cover a baby's36toy with a piece of cloth, the baby thinks the toyhas disappeared and stops looking for it.A 4-year-old may 37 that a sister has more fruit juicewhen it is only the shapes of the glasses that differ, not the38 of juice.Yet children are smart in their own way.Like good little scientists, children are always testingtheir child-sized39 about how things work.When your child throws her spoon on the floor for thesixth time as you try to feed her, and you say, "That's enough! I will not pick up your spoon again!"the child will 40 test your claim.Are you serious? Are you angry? What will happen if she throwsthe spoon again? She is not doing this to drive you41; rather, she is learning that her desires andyours can differ, and that sometimes those42 are important and sometimes they are not.How and why does children's thinking change? In the 1920s, Swiss psychologist Jean Piagetproposed that children's cognitive (认知的) abilities unfold 43, like theblooming of a flower,almost independent of what else is44in their lives.Although many of his specific conclusions havebeen45 or modified over the years, his ideas inspired thousands of studies by investigators all overthe world.A.advocateB.amountC.confirmedD.crazyE. definiteF. differencesG. favoriteH. happeningI. ImmediatelyJ. NaturallyK. ObtainingL. PrimarilyM. ProtestN. RejectedO. theoriesSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with, ten statements attached to it.Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraphfrom 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 thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Perfect EssayA.Looking back on too many years of education, I can identify one truly impossible teacher.Shecared about me, and my intellectual life, even when I didn't.Her expectations were high--impossibly so.She was an English teacher.She was also my mother.B.When good students turn in an essay, they dream of their instructor returning itto them in exactlythe same condition, save for a single word added in the margin of the finalpage : "Flawless." Thisdream came true for me one afternoon in the ninth grade.Of course, I had heard that genius couldshow itself at an early age, so I was only slightly taken aback that I had achieved perfection at thetender age of 14.Obviously, I did what any professional writer would do; I hurried off to spread thegood news.I didn't get very far.The first person I told was my mother.C.My mother, who is just shy of five feet tall, is normally incredibly soft-spoken, but on the rareoccasion when she got angry, she was terrifying.I am not sure if she was more upset by my hubris(得意忘形) or by the fact that my English teacher had let my ego get so out of hand.In any event,my mother and her red pen showed me how deeply flawed a flawless essay could be.At the time,I am sure she thought she was teaching me about mechanics, transitions (过渡), structure, styleand voice.But whatI learned, and what stuck with me through my time teaching writing atHarvard, wasa deeper lesson about the nature of creative criticism.D.First off, it hurts.Genuine criticism, the type that leaves a lasting mark on you as a writer, alsoleaves an existential imprint (印记) on you as a person.I have heard people say that a writershould never take criticism personally.I say that we should never listen to these people.E. Criticism, at its best, is deeply personal, and gets to the heart of why we write the way we do.Theintimate nature of genuine criticism implies something about who is able to give it, namely,someone who knows you well enough to show you how your mental life is getting in the way ofgood writing.Conveniently, they are also the people who care enough to see you through thispainful realization.For me it took the form of my first, and I hope only, encounter with writer'sblock--I was not able to produce anything for three years.F. Franz Kafka once said: "Writing is utter solitude (独处), the descent into the cold abyss (深渊) ofoneself." My mother's criticism had shown me that Kafka is right about the cold abyss, and whenyou make the introspective (内省的) descent that writing requires you are not always pleased bywhat you find.But, in the years that followed, her sustained tutoring suggested that Kafka might bewrong about thesolitude.I was lucky enough to find a critic and teacher who was willing to makethe journey of writing with me."It is a thing of no great difficulty," according to Plutarch, "toraise objections against another man's speech, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a better in itsplace is a work extremely troublesome." I am sure I wrote essays in the later years of high schoolwithout my mother's guidance, but I can't recall them.What I remember, however, is how shetook up the "extremely troublesome" work of ongoing criticism.G. There are two ways to interpret Plutarch when he suggests that a critic should be able to produce "abetter in its place." In a straightforward sense, he could mean that a critic must be more talentedthan the artist she critiques (评论).My mother was well covered on this count.But perhapsPlutarch is suggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero's claimthat one should "criticize by creation, not by finding fault." Genuine criticism creates a preciousopening for an author to become better on his own terms--a process that is often extremely painful,but also almost always meaningful.H. My mother said she would help me with my writing, but first I had to help myself.For eachassignment, I was to write the best essay I could.Real criticism is not meant to find obviousmistakes, so if she found any--the type I could have found on my own--I had to start from scratch.From scratch.Once the essay was "flawless," she would take an evening to walk me through myerrors.That was when true criticism, the type that changed me as a person, began.I. She criticized me when I included little-known references and professional jargon (行话).She hadno patience for brilliant but irrelevant figures of speech."Writers can't bluff (虚张声势) their waythrough ignorance." That was news to me--I would need to freed another way to structure my dailyexistence.J. She trimmed back my flowery language, drew lines through my exclamation marks and argued forthe value of restraint in expression."John," she almost whispered.I leaned in to hear her:"I can'thear you when you shout at me." So I stopped shouting and bluffing, and slowly my writingimproved.K. Somewhere along the way I set aside my hopes of writing that flawless essay.But perhaps I missedsomething important in my mother's lessons about creativity and perfection.Perhaps the point ofwriting the flawless essay was not to give up, but to never willingly finish.Whitman repeatedlyreworked "Song of Myself' between 1855 and 1891.Repeatedly.We do our absolute best with apiece of writing, and come as close as we can to the ideal.And, for the time being, we settle.Incritique, however, we are forced to depart, to give up the perfection we thought we had achievedfor the chance of being even a little bit better.This is the lesson I took from my mother: Ifperfection were possible, it would not be motivating.46.The author was advised against the improper use of figures of speech.47.The author's mother taught him a valuable lesson by pointing out lots of flaws in his seeminglyperfect essay.48.A writer should polish his writing repeatedly so as to get closer to perfection.49.Writers may experience periods of time in their life when they just can't produce anything.50.The author was not much surprised when his school teacher marked his essay as "flawless".51.Criticizing someone's speech is said to be easier than coming up with a better one.52.The author looks upon his mother as his most demanding and caring instructor.53.The criticism the author received from his mother changed him as a person.54.The author gradually improved his writing by avoiding fancy language.55.Constructive criticism gives an author a good start to improve his writing. 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.andD .You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it?It wouldn't be surprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because you couldn'treproduce it in most of the US either.What does it take to make a Silicon Valley?It's the right people.If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from Silicon Valley toBuffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.You only need two kinds of people to create a technology hub (中心) : rich people and nerds (痴迷科研的人).Observation bears this out.Within the US, towns have become star,up hubs if and only if theyhave both rich people and nerds.Few startups happen in Miami, for example, because although it's fullof rich people, it has few nerds.It's not the kind of place nerds like.Whereas Pittsburgh has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people.The top USComputer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon.MITyielded Route 128.Stanford and Berkeley yielded Silicon Valley.But what did Carnegie-Mellon yield inPittsburgh? And what happened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list?I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both.The weather isterrible, particularly in winter, and there's no interesting old city to make up for it, as there is inBoston.Rich people don't want to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca.So while there're plenty of hackers (电脑迷) who could start startups, there's no one to invest in themDo you really need the rich people? Wouldn't it work to have the government invest in the nerds?No, it would not.Startup investors are a distinct type of rich people.They tend to have a lot ofexperience themselves in the technology business.This helps them pick the right startups, and meansthey can supply advice and connections as well as money.And the fact that they have a personal stakein the outcome makes them really pay attention.56.What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?A.Its success is hard to copy anywhere else.B.It is the biggest technology hub in the US.C.Its fame in high technology is incomparable.D.It leads the world in information technology.57.What makes Miami unfit to produce a Silicon Valley?ck of incentive for investment.ck of the right kind of talents.ck of government support.ck of famous universities.58.In what way is Carnegie-Mellon different from Stanford, Berkeley and MIT?A.Its location is not as attractive to rich people.B.Its science departments are not nearly as good.C.It does not produce computer hackers and nerds.D.It does not pay much attention to business startups.59.What does the author imply about Boston?A.It has pleasant weather all year round.B.It produces wealth as well as high-tech.C.It is not likely to attract lots of investors and nerds.D.It is an old city with many sites of historical interest.60.What does the author say about startup investors?A.They are especially wise in making investments.B.They have good connections in the government.C.They can do more than providing money.D.They are rich enough to invest in nerds.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.It's nice to have people of like mind around.Agreeable people boost your confidence and allow youto relax and feel comfortable.Unfortunately, that comfort can hinder the very learning that can expandyour company and your career.It's nice to have people agree, but you need conflicting perspectives to dig out the truth.Ifeveryone around you has similar views, your work will suffer from confirmation bias (偏颇).Take a look at your own network.Do your contacts share your point of view on most subjects? Ifyes, it's time to shake things up.As a leader, it can be challenging to create an environment in whichpeople will freely disagree and argue, but as the saying goes: From confrontation comes brilliance.It's not easy for most people to actively seek conflict.Many spend their lives trying to avoidarguments.There's no need to go out and find people you hate, but you need to do some self-assessment to determine where you have become stale in your thinking.You may need to start byencouraging your current network to help you identify your blind spots.Passionate, energetic debate does not require anger and hard feelings to be effective.But it doesrequire moral strength. Once you have worthy opponents, set some ground rules so everyoneunderstands responsibilities and boundaries.The objective of this debating game is not to win but to getto the truth that will allow you to move faster, farther, and better.Fierce debating can hurt feelings, particularly when strong personalities are involved.Make sureyou check in with your opponents so that they are not carrying the emotion of the battles beyond thebattlefield.Break the tension with smiles and humor to reinforce the idea that this is friendly discourseand that all are working toward a common goal.Reward all those involved in the debate sufficiently when the goals are reached.Let your sparringpartners (拳击陪练) know how much you appreciate their contribution. The more they feelappreciated, the more they'll be willing to get into the ring next time.61.What happens when you have like-minded people around you all the while?A.It will help your company expand more rapidly.B.It will create a harmonious working atmosphere.C.It may prevent your business and career from advancing.D.It may make you feel uncertain about your own decisions.62.What does the author suggest leaders do?A.Avoid arguments with business partners.B.Encourage people to disagree and argue.C.Build a wide and strong business network.D.Seek advice from their worthy competitors.63.What is the purpose of holding a debate?A.To find out the truth about an issue.B.To build up people's moral strength.C.To remove misunderstandings.D.To look for worthy opponents.64.What advice does the author give to people engaged in a fierce debate?A.They listen carefully to their opponents' views.B.They show due respect for each other's beliefs.C.They present their views clearly and explicitly.D.They take care not to hurt each other's feelings.65.How should we treat our rivals after a successful debate?A.Try to make peace with them.B.Try to make up the differences.C.Invite them to the ring next time.D.Acknowledge their contribution.Part Ⅳ Translation( 30 minutes )Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.今年在长沙举行了一年一度的外国人汉语演讲比赛.这项比赛证明是促进中国和世界其他地区文化交流的好方法.它为世界各地的年轻人提供了更好地了解中国的机会.来自87个国家共计126位选手聚集在湖南省省会参加了从7月6日到8月5日进行的半决赛和决赛.比赛并不是唯一的活动.选手们还有机会参观了中国其他地区的著名景点和历史名胜.2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案与详解(第3套)Part ⅠWriting这是一篇四级考试中常见的议论文.话题围绕“Never go out there to see what happens，go out there tomake things happen.”这句话展开，要求考生进行评论，同时在题目要求中也明确给出了作文主题the importanceof being participants rather than mere onlookers in life.考生应该明确这一主题，并围绕其展开论述.一、点明主题：不做看客，要做实践者(being participants instead of onlookers in life)二、分析原因三、提出问题和建议主题词汇put…into practice将……付诸实践carry out执行；实现gain获得accumulate积累gradually逐渐地make a progress取得进步theory理论action行动would rather…than比起……更情愿……stand by袖手旁观句式拓展1.For some people, watching what happens to others is goodenough to learn a lesson, while for others, only practicingby themselves can finally make them get the real skills in对一些人而言，看发生在别人身上的事情足以让他们吸取教训，而对于其他人而言，他们只有亲身实践才能最终得到生活中的真正技能.2.No matter how many authentic theories you've got before,nothing will happen until you put them into practice.无论你曾经接受了多少权威的理论，若不付诸实践，一切都无济于事.Part ⅡListening ComprehensionM: I don't know what to do with Timmy.This morning I found orange juice spilled all over the kitchenfloor.W: Don't be so hard on him.He's only four.Q: What does the woman mean?C.四个选项中出现了children，careful，juice和Timmy等词，故推测本题考查的内容与孩子的行为相关.对话中，男士抱怨说他都不知道该拿蒂米怎么办了，今天早上，他发现桔子汁在厨房洒了一地，而女士则说，别对蒂米太严厉了，他才四岁.由此可见，女士认为男士不用小题大做，故答案为C..2.W: Excuse me, sir.I would like to know about the fitness training program in your club.M: I'll have you speak with the director in charge of new accounts.Q: What is the woman interested in?A.四个选项均为名词短语，且出现了fitness，job，computer和club等词，故推测本题考查的内容与健身或者工作相关.对话中，女士向男士询问俱乐部健身锻炼的事情，男士则说他会带着女士去找专门负责新会员的经理.由此可知，女士是对俱乐部健身锻炼感兴趣，故答案为A..3.W: It's really cold in this apartment.Can we turn up the heat a little bit? M: Sorry.I've run out of money and can hardly pay the fuel bill.Maybe you'd better put on a sweater.Q: what does the man mean?B.四个选项中出现了sweater，save，fuel bills和heating等词，故推测本题考查的内容与寒冷天气以及取暖相关.对话中，女士说她觉得很冷，问能不能把暖气开大一点，而男士则表示抱歉，说自己没钱了，都快付不起燃料费账单了，建议女士穿上毛衣.由此可知，男士想要节省燃料费，故答案为B.4.M: I'm sorry, Miss.But you have to come with me to the security office.The video cameras in our shophave recorded everything you did.W: No, no.I...I didn't do anything.I'll call the police if you dare insult me. Q: What does the man think the woman was doing?A.四个选项均为动名词短语，且出现了theft，pictures，shopping和camera 等词，故推测本题考查的内容与商店里发生的事情相关.对话中，男士要将女士带到保安室去，并说商店里的摄像头已经把女士所做的事都录下来了，而女士则表示自己什么都没有做，如果男士敢侮辱她的话，她就报警.由此可知，男士认为女士偷了商店里的东西，故答案为A.5.M: I think you ought to see a doctor right away about that cough.W: Well, I'll wait a few more days.I'm sure I'll get over it soon.Q: What do we learn about the woman?B.选项均以she开头，且出现了medicine，doctor和cough等词，故推测本题考查的内容与女士的健康状况相关.男士说女士应该马上去看医生，而女士则说再等几天，她相信自己的咳嗽很快就会好的.由此可知，直到本对话发生时，女士都还没有去看医生，故答案为B..6.M: I've heard that Pamela made quite a few mistakes in her lab report.W: Well, she wouldn't have if she hadn't been in such a hunt to get it done. Q: What does the woman imply?D.四个选项均提到了Pamela，且出现了report，hurry，writing和mistakes 等词，故推测本题考查的内容与帕米拉的报告相关.对话中，男士说他听说帕米拉的实验报告出了很多错，而女士则说，如果她不是那么急着做完的话，就不会出这么多的错.由此可知，帕米拉实验报告中的错误本来是可以避免的，故答案为D..7.M: We'd better check out before 12 o'clock, Marry.And now there are only 30 minutes left.W: Let's hurry up.You go pay the bill and I'll call the reception to have our luggage taken downstairs.Q : Where did this conversation most probably take place?C.四个选项均是表示地点的介词短语，故推测本题考查的内容与对话发生的地点相关.对话中，男士说他们最好能在中午l2点之前退房，现在只剩半小时了，女士建议加快速度，并让男士去付账，她自己给前台打电话，叫人把行李送到楼下.由此可知，对话发生的时候，两人还没有开始办理退房手续，还在宾馆的房间里，故答案为C..8.W: Have you ever heard this speaker before?。
2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题及解析(卷二
2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题及解析(卷二) Part I Writing1.【题干】Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying "Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission." You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening ComprehensionPartⅢReading ComprehensionSection AScholars of the information society are divided over whether social inequality decreases or increases in an information-based society. However, they generally agree with the idea that inequality in the information society is_____(37)different from that of an industrial society. As informatization progress in society, the cause and structural nature of social inequality changes as well.It seems that the information society_____(38)the quantity of information available to the members of a society by revolutionizing the ways of using and exchanging information. But such a view as a_____(39)analysis based on the quantity of information supplied by various forms of the mass media. A different_____(40)is possible when the actual amount of information_____(41)by the user is taken into account. In fact, the more information_____(42)throughout the entire society, the wider the gap becomes between "information haves" and "information have-nots," leading to digital divide.According to recent studies, digital divide has been caused by three major_____(43): class, sex, and generation. In terms of class, digital divide exists among different types of workers and between the upper and middle classes and the lower class. With_____(44)to sex, digital divide exists between men and women. The greatest gap, however, is between the Net-generation, _____(45)with personal computers and the Internet, and the older generation,_____(46)to an industrial society.37.【题干】_____【选项】A.accustomed习惯的通常的B.acquired 取得C.assembly 集合D.attribute 把…归于E.champions 冠军F.elements 原理，元素G.expands 扩大H.familiar 熟悉的I.flows 流动J.fundamentally 从根本上地K.interpretation 解释L.passive 被动的M.regard 把..看作，与…有关N.respectively 分别地O.superficial 表面的，肤浅的【答案】J38.【答案】G39.【答案】O40.【答案】K 41. 【答案】B 42.I 43.F 44.M 45.A 46.DSection BJoy：A Subject Schools LackBecoming educated should not require giving up pleasureA)When Jonathan Swift proposed, in 1729, that the people of Ireland eat their children, he insisted it would solve three problems at once: feed the hungry masses, reduce the population during a severe depression, and stimulate the restaurant business. Evan as a satire(讽刺), it seems disgusting and shocking in America with its child-centered culture. But actually, the country is closer to his proposal than you might think.B)If you spend much time with educators and policy makers, you'll hear a lot of the following words: "standards,""results,""skills,""self-control,""accountability," and so on. I have visited some of the newer supposedly "effective" schools, where children shout slogans in order to learn self-control or must stand behind their desk when they can't sit still.C)A look at what goes on in most classrooms these days makes it abundantly clear that when people think about education, they are not thinking about what it feels like to be a child, or what makes childhood an important and valuable stage of life in its own right.D)I'm a mother of three, a teacher, and a developmental psychologist. So I've watched a lot of children-talking, playing, arguing, eating, studying, and being young. Here's what I've come to understand. The thing that sets children apart from adults is not their ignorance, nor their lack of skills. It's their enormous capacity for joy. Think of a 3-year-old lost in the pleasures of finding out what he can and cannot sink in the bathtub, a 5-year-old beside herself with the thrill of putting together strings of nonsensical words with her best friends, or an 11-year-old completely absorbed in a fascinating comic strip. A child's ability to become deeply absorbed in something, and derive intense pleasure from that absorption, is something adults spend the rest of their lives trying to return to.E)A friend told me the following story. One day, when he went to get his 7-year-old son from soccer practice, his kid greeted him with a downcast face and a sad voice. The coach had criticized him for focusing on his soccer drills. The little boy walked out of the school with his head and shoulders hanging down. He seemed wrapped in sadness. But just before he reached the car door, he suddenly stopped, crouching(蹲伏)down to peer at something on the sidewalk.His face went down lower and lower, and then, with complete joy he called out," Dad. Come here. This is the strangest bug I've ever seen. It has, like a million legs. Look at this. It's amazing." He looked up at his father, his features overflowing with energy and delight. "Can't we stay here for just a minute? I want to find out what he does with all those legs. This is the coolest ever."F)The traditional view of such moments is that they constitute a charming but irrelevant byproduct of youth-something to be pushed aside to make room for more important qualities, like perseverance(坚持不懈), obligation, and practicality. Yet moments like this one are just the kind of intense absorption and pleasure adults spend the rest of their lives seeking. Human lives are governed by the desire to experience joy. Becoming educated should not require giving up joy but rather lead to finding joy in new kinds of things: reading novels instead to playing with small figures, conducting experiments instead of sinking cups in the bathtub, and debating serious issues rather than stringing together nonsense words, for example. In some cases, schools should help children find new, more grown-up ways of doing the same things that are constant sources of joy: making art, making friends, making decisions.G)Building on a child's ability to joy, rather than pushing it aside, wouldn't be that hard. It would just require a shift in the education word's mindset(思维模式). Instead of trying to get children to work hard, why not focus on getting them to take pleasure in meaningful, productive activity, like making things, working with others, exploring ideas, and solving problems? These focuses are not so different from the things in which they delight.H)Before you brush this argument aside as rubbish, or think of joy as an unaffordable luxury in a nation where there is awful poverty, low academic achievement, and high dropout rates, think again. The more horrible the school circumstances, the more important pleasure is to achieving any educational success.I)Many of the assignments and rules teachers come up with, often because they are pressured by their administrators, treat pleasure and joy as the enemies of competence and responsibility. The assumption is that children shouldn't chat in the classroom because it hinders hard work; instead, they should learn to delay gratification(快乐)so that can pursue abstract goals, like going to college.J)Not only is this a boring and awful way to treat children, it makes no sense educationally, Decades of research have shown that in order to acquire skills and real knowledge in school, kids need to want to learn. You can force a child to stay in his or her seat, fill out a worksheet, or practice division. But you can't force the child to think carefully, enjoy books, digest complex information, or develop a taste for learning. To make that happen, you have to help the child find pleasure in learning-to see school as a source of joy.K)Adults tend to talk about learning as if it were medicine: unpleasant, but necessary and good for you. Why not instead think of learning as if it were food-something so valuable to humans that they have evolved to experience it as a pleasure?L)Joy should not be trained out of children or left for after-school programs. The more difficult a child's life circumstances, the more important it is for that child to find joy in his or her classroom. "Pleasure" is not a dirty word. And it doesn't run counter to the goals of public education. It is, in fact, the precondition.47.【题干】It will not be difficult to make learning a source of joy if educators change their way of thinking.【答案】G【解析】Building on a child's ability to joy, rather than pushing it aside, wouldn't be that hard. It would just require a shift in the education word's mindset(思维模式).48.【题干】What distinguishes children from adults is their strong ability to derive joy from what they are doing.【答案】D【解析】The thing that sets children apart from adults is not their ignorance, nor their lack of skills. It's their enormous capacity for joy49.【题干】Children in America are being treated with shocking cruelty.【答案】A50.【题干】It is human nature to seek joy in life.【答案】F【解析】Human lives are governed by the desire to experience joy.51.【题干】Grown-ups are likely to think that learning to children is what medicine is to patients.【答案】K【解析】Adults tend to talk about learning as if it were medicine: unpleasant, but necessary and good for you.52.【题干】Bad school conditions make it all the more important to turn learning into a joyful experience.【答案】L【解析】The more difficult a child's life circumstances, the more important it is for that child to find joy in his or her classroom.53.【题干】Adults do not consider children's feelings when it comes to education.【答案】C【解析】A look at what goes on in most classrooms these days makes it abundantly clear that when people think about education, they are not thinking about what it feels like to be a child, or what makes childhood an important and valuable stage of life in its own right.54.【题干】Administrators seem to believe that only hard work will lead children to their educational goals.【答案】I【解析】Many of the assignments and rules teachers come up with, often because they are pressured by their administrators, treat pleasure and joy as the enemies of competence and responsibility.55.【题干】In the so-called "effective" schools, children are taught self-control under a set ofstrict rules.【答案】B【解析】I have visited some of the newer supposedly "effective" schools, where children shout slogans in order to learn self-control or must stand behind their desk when they can't sit still.56.【题干】To make learning effective, educators have to ensure that children want to learn.【答案】J【解析】You can force a child to stay in his or her seat, fill out a worksheet, or practice division. But you can't force the child to think carefully, enjoy books, digest complex information, or develop a taste for learning. To make that happen, you have to help the child find pleasure in learning-to see school as a source of joy.Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.When it's five o'clock, people leave their office. The length of the workday, for many workers, is defined by time. They leave when the clock tells them they're done.These days, the time is everywhere: not just on clocks or watches, but on cell-phones and computers. That may be a bad thing, particularly at work. New research shows that clock-based word schedules hinder morale(士气)and creativity.Clock-timers organize their day by blocks of minutes and hours. For example: a meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., research from 10 a.m. to noon, etc. On the other hand, task-timers have a list of things they want to accomplish. They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.What, then, are the effects of thinking about time in these different ways? Does one make us more productive? Better at the tasks at hand? Happier? In experiments conducted by Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier, they had participants organize different activities-from project planning, holiday shopping, to yoga-by time or to-do list to measure how they performed under "clock time" vs "task time". They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive. They tend to enjoy the moment when something good is happening, and seize opportunities that come up.The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture. Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.This might be a small change to the way we view work and the office, but the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time. While most people will still probably need, and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity. It'll make those tasks easier, and the task-doers will be happier.57.【题干】What does the author think of time displayed everywhere?【选项】A.It makes everybody time-conscious.B.It is a convenience for work and life.C.It may have a negative effect on creative work.D.It clearly indicates the fast pace of modern life.【答案】C【解析】2 New research shows that clock-based word schedules hinder morale(士气)and creativity.58.【题干】How do people usually go about their work according to the author?【选项】A.They combine clock-based and task-based planning.B.They give priority to the most urgent task on hand.C.They set a time limit for each specific task.D.They accomplish their tasks one by one.【答案】A【解析】3 They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.59.【题干】What did Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier find in their experiments about clock-timers?【选项】A.They seize opportunities as they come up.B.They always get their work done in time.C.They have more control over their lives.D.They tend to be more productive.【答案】D【解析】They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive.60.【题干】What do the researchers say about today's business culture?【选项】A.It does not support the strategies adopted by smart companies.B.It does not attach enough importance to task-based practice.C.It places more emphasis on work efficiency than on workers' lives.D.It aims to bring employees' potential and creativity into full play.【答案】B【解析】The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture.61.【题干】What do the researchers suggest?【选项】A.Task-based timing is preferred for doing creative work.B.It is important to keep a balance between work and life.C.Performing creative jobs tends to make workers happier.D.A scientific standard should be adopted in job evaluation.【答案】D【解析】最后段the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time. While most people will still probably need, and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity. It'll make those tasks easier, and the task-doers will be happier.Passage TwoQuestion 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.Martha Stewart was charged, tried and convicted of a crime in 2004. As she neared the end of her prison sentence, a well-known columnist wrote that she was "paying her dues," and that "there is simply no reason for anyone to attempt to deny her right to start anew."Surely, the American ideal of second chances should not be reserved only for the rich and powerful. Unfortunately, many federal and state laws impose post-conviction restrictions on a shockingly large number of Americans, who are prevented form ever fully paying their debt to society.At least 65 million people in the United States have a criminal record. This can result in severe penalties that continue long after punishment is completed.Many of these penalties are imposed regardless of the seriousness of the offense or the person's individual circumstances. Laws can restrict or ban voting, access to public housing, and professional and business licensing. They can affect a person's ability to get a job and qualification for benefits.In all, more than 45,000 laws and rules serve to exclude vast numbers of people from fully participating in American life.Some laws make sense. No one advocates letting someone convicted of pedophilia(恋童癖)work in a school. But too often collateral(附随的)consequences bear no relation to public safety. Should a woman who possessed a small amount of drugs years ago be permanently unable to be licensed as a nurse?These laws are also counterproductive, since they make it harder for people with criminal records to find housing or land a job, two key factors that reduce backsliding.A recent report makes several recommendations, including the abolition of most post-conviction penalties, except for those specifically needed to protect public safety. Where the penalties are not a must, they should be imposed only if the facts of a case support it.The point is not to excuse or forget the crime. Rather, it is to recognize that in America's vast criminal justice system, second chances are crucial. It is in no one's interest to keep a large segment of the population on the margins of society.62.【题干】What does the well-known columnist's remark about Martha Stewart suggest?【选项】A.Her past record might stand in her way to a new life.B.Her business went bankrupt while she was in prison.C.Her release from prison has drawn little attention.D.Her prison sentence might have been extended.【解析】第一段a well-known columnist wrote that she was "paying her dues," and that "there is simply no reason for anyone to attempt to deny her right to start anew."63.【题干】What do we learn from the second paragraph about many criminals in America?【选项】A.They backslide after serving their terms in prison.B.They are deprived of all social benefits.C.They receive severe penalties for committing minor offenses.D.They are convicted regardless of their individual circumstances.【答案】B【解析】第二段Unfortunately, many federal and state laws impose post-conviction restrictions on a shockingly large number of Americans, who are prevented form ever fully paying their debt to society.64.【题干】What are the consequences for many Americans with a criminal record?【选项】A.They remain poor for the rest of their lives.B.They are deprived of all social benefits.C.They are marginalized in society.D.They are deserted by their family.【答案】C【解析】第四段Many of these penalties are imposed regardless of the seriousness of the offense or the person's individual circumstances. Laws can restrict or ban voting, access to public housing, and professional and business licensing. They can affect a person's ability to get a job and qualification for benefits.65.【题干】What does the author think of the post-conviction laws and rules?【选项】A.They help to maintain social stability.B.Some of them have long been outdated.C.They are hardly understood by the public.D.A lot of them have negative effects on society.【答案】D【解析】倒数第二段These laws are also counterproductive, since they make it harder for people with criminal records to find housing or land a job, two key factors that reduce backsliding.66.【题干】What is the author's main purpose in writing the passage?【选项】A.To create opportunities for criminals to reform themselves.B.To appeal for changes in America's criminal justice system.C.To ensure that people with a criminal record live a decent life.D.To call people's attention to prisoner's conditions in America.【解析】呼吁美国司法体系的改革。
英语四级真题2015年12月英语四级考试真题(第3套)大学英语四级(CET-4)真题试卷及参考答案
2015年12月英语四级考试真题试卷（第三套）Part I Writing(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying "Never go out there to see what happens,go out there to make things happen."You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of being participants rather than mere onlookers in life.You should write at least120words but no more than180words.注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ PartⅡListening Comprehension(30minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear8short conversations and2long conversations.At the end of each conversation,one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will be a pause.During the pause,you must read the four choices marked A,B,C,and D.and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer.Sheet I with a single line through the center.1.A)They admire the courage of space explorers.B)They were going to watch a wonderful movie.C)They enjoyed the movie on space exploration.D)They like doing scientific exploration very much.2.A)In a school library.B)At a gift shop.C)In the office of a travel agency.D)At a graduation ceremony.3.A)He used to work in the art gallery.B)He does not have a good memory.C)He is not interested in any part-time jobs.D)He declined a job offer from the art gallery.4.A)He will be unable to attend the birthday party.B)The woman should have informed him earlier.C)He will go to the birthday party after the lecture.D)Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow.5.A)Set a deadline for the staff to meet.B)Assign more workers to the project.C)Reward those having made good progress.D)Encourage the staff to work in small groups.6.A)Where she can leave her car.B)The rate for parking in Lot C.C)How far away the parking lot is.D)The way to the visitor's parking.7.A)He regrets missing the classes.B)He has benefited from exercise.C)He plans to take the fitness classes.D)He is looking forward to a better life.8.A)How to select secretaries.B)How to raise work efficiency.C)The responsibilities of secretaries.D)The secretaries in the man's company. Questions9to11are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A)It is used by more people than English.B)It is more difficult to learn than English.C)It will be as commonly used as English.D)It will eventually become a world language.10.A)Its popularity with the common people.B)The effect of the Industrial Revolution.C)The influence of the British Empire.D)Its loan words from many languages.11.A)It has a growing number of newly coined words.B)It includes a lot of words from other languages.C)It is the largest among all languages in the world.D)It can be easily picked up by overseas travellers.Questions12to15are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A)To place an order.B)To apply for a job.C)To return some goods.D)To make a complaint.13.A)He works on a part-time basis for the company.B)He has not worked in the sales department for long.C)He is not familiar with the exact details of the goods.D)He has become somewhat impatient with the woman.14.A)It is not his responsibility.B)It win be free for large orders.C)It depends on a number of factors.D)It costs￡15more for express delivery.15.A)Make inquiries with some other companies.B)Report the information to her superior.C)Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge.D)Ring back when she comes to a decision.Section BDirections：In this section,you will hear3short passages.At the end of each passage,you will hear some questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A,B,C.and D.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the center.Questions16to18are based on the conversation you have just heard.16.A)No one knows for sure when they came into being.B)No one knows exactly where they were first made.C)No one knows for what purpose they were invented.D)No one knows what they will look like in the future.17.A)Measure the speed of wind.B)Give warnings of danger.C)Pass on secret messages.D)Carry ropes across rivers.18.A)To find out the strength of silk for kites.B)To test the effects of the lightning rod.C)To prove that lightning is electricity.D)To protect houses against lightning. Passage TwoQuestions19to22are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A)She was born with a talent for languages.B)She was trained to be an interpreter.C)She can speak several languages.D)She enjoys teaching languages.20.A)They want to learn as many foreign languages as possible.B)They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions.C)They acquire an immunity to culture shock.D)They would like to live abroad permanently.21.A)She became an expert in horse racing.B)She learned to appreciate classical music.C)She was able to translate for a German sports judge.D)She got a chance to visit several European countries.22.A)Take part in a cooking competition.B)Taste the beef and give her comment.C)Teach vocabulary for food in English.D)Give cooking lessons on Western food. Passage ThreeQuestions23to25are based on the passage you have just heard.23.A)He had only a third-grade education.B)He once threatened to kill his teacher.C)He often helped his mother do housework.D)He grew up in a poor single-parent family.24.A)Stupid.B)Active.C)Brave.D)Careless.25.A)Watch educational TV programs only.B)Write two book reports a week.C)Help with housework.D)Keep a diary.Directions:In this section,you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read for the first time,you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for the second time,you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard.Finally,when the passage is read for the third time,you should check what you have written.When you look up at the night sky,what do you see?There are other__26__bodies out there besides the moon and stars.One of the most__27__of these is a comet(彗星).Comets were formed around the same time the Earth was formed.They are__28__ice and other frozen liquids and gases.__29__these"dirty snowballs"begin to orbit the sun,just as the planets do.As a comet gets closer to the sun,some gases in it begin to unfreeze.They__30__dust particles from the comet to form a huge cloud.As the comet gets even nearer to the sun,a solar wind blows the cloud behind the comet,thus forming its tail.The tail and the__31__fuzzy(模糊的) atmosphere around a comet are__32__that can help identify this__33__in the night sky.In any given year,about a dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits.The average person can't see them all,of ually there is only one or two a year bright enough to be seen with the__34__et Hale-Bopp,discovered in1995,was an unusually bright comet. Its orbit brought it__35__close to the Earth,within122million miles of it.But Hale-Bopp came a long way on its earthly visit.It won't be back for another four thousand years or so.PartⅢReading 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 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 Sheet2with a single line through the center.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions36to45are based on the following passage.Children do not think the way adults do.For most of the first year of life,if something is out of sight,it's out of mind.If you cover a baby's__36__toy with a piece of cloth,the baby thinks the toy has disappeared and stops looking for it.A4-year-old may__37__that a sister has more fruit juice when it is only the shapes of the glasses that differ,not the__38__of juice.Yet children are smart in their own way.Like good little scientists,children are always testing their child-sized__39__about how things work.When your child throws her spoon on the floor for the sixth time as you try to feed her,and you say,"That's enough!I will not pick up your spoon again!"the child will__40__test your claim.Are you serious?Are you angiy?What will happen if she throws the spoon again?She is not doing this to drive you__41__;rather,she is learningthat her desires and yours can differ,and that sometimes those__42__are important and sometimes they are not.How and why does children's thinking change?In the1920s,Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed that children's cognitive(认知的)abilities unfold__43__,like the blooming of a flower, almost independent of what else is__44__in their lives.Although many of his specific conclusions have been__45__or modified over the years,his ideas inspired thousands of studies by investigators all over the world.A)advocate B)amount C)confirmed D)crazy E)definiteF)differences G)favorite H)happening I)immediately J)naturallyK)obtaining L)primarily M)protest N)rejected O)theoriesSection 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 Sheet2.The Perfect EssayA)Looking back on too many years of education,I can identify one truly impossible teacher.She cared about me,and my intellectual life,even when I didn't.Her expectations were high-impossibly so.She was an English teacher.She was also my mother.B)When good students turn in an essay,they dream of their instructor returning it to them in exactly the same condition,save for a single word added in the margin of the final page:" Flawless."This dream came true for me one afternoon in the ninth grade.Of course,I had heard that genius could show itself at an early age,so I was only slightly taken aback that I had achieved perfection at the tender age of14.Obviously,I did what any professional writer would do;I hurried off to spread the good news.I didn't get very far.The first person I told was my mother.C)My mother,who is just shy of five feet tall,is normally incredibly soft-spoken,but on the rare occasion when she got angry,she was terrifying.I am not sure if she was more upset by my hubris(得意忘形)or by the fact that my English teacher had let my ego get so out of hand.In any event,my mother and her red pen showed me how deeply flawed a flawless essay could be.At the time,I am sure she thought she was teaching me about mechanics,transitions(过渡), structure,style and voice.But what I learned,and what stuck with me through my time teaching writing at Harvard,was a deeper lesson about the nature of creative criticism.D)First off,it hurts.Genuine criticism,the type that leaves a lasting mark on you as a writer,also leaves an existential imprint(印记)on you as a person.I have heard people say that a writer should never take criticism personally.I say that we should never listen to these people.E)Criticism,at its best,is deeply personal,and gets to the heart of why we write the way we do. The intimate nature of genuine criticism implies something about who is able to give it,namely, someone who knows you well enough to show you how your mental life is getting in the way of good writing.Conveniently,they are also the people who care enough to see you through this painful realization.For me it took the form of my first,and I hope only,encounter with writer's block-I was not able to produce anything for three years.F)Franz Kafka once said:"Writing is utter solitude(独处),the descent into the cold abyss(深渊) of oneself."My mother's criticism had shown me that Kafka is right about the cold abyss,and when you make the introspective(内省的)descent that writing requires you are not always pleased by what you find.But,in the years that followed,her sustained tutoring suggested that Kafka might be wrong about the solitude.I was lucky enough to find a critic and teacher who was willing to make the journey of writing with me."It is a thing of no great difficulty,"according to Plutarch,"to raise objections against another man's speech,it is a very easy matter;but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome."I am sure I wrote essays in the later years of high school without my mother's guidance,but I can't recall them.What I remember,however,is how she took up the"extremely troublesome"work of ongoing criticism.G)There are two ways to interpret Plutarch when he suggests that a critic should be able to produce"a better in its place."In a straightforward sense,he could mean that a critic must be more talented than the artist she critiques(评论).My mother was well covered on this count. But perhaps Plutarch is suggesting something slightly different,something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero's claim that one should"criticize by creation,not by finding fault."Genuine criticism creates a precious opening for an author to become better on his own terms-a process that is often extremely painful,but also almost always meaningful.H)My mother said she would help me with my writing,but first I had to help myself.For each assignment,I was to write the best essay I could.Real criticism is not meant to find obvious mistakes,so if she found any-the type I could have found on my own-I had to start from scratch. From scratch.Once the essay was"flawless,"she would take an evening to walk me through my errors.That was when true criticism,the type that changed me as a person,began.I)She criticized me when I included little-known references and professional jargon(行话)?She had no patience for brilliant but irrelevant figures of speech."Writers can't bluff(虚张声势)their way through ignorance."That was news to me-I would need to find another way to structure my daily existence.J)She trimmed back my flowery language,drew lines through my exclamation marks and argued for the value of restraint in expression."John,"she almost whispered.I leaned in to hear her:"I can't hear you when you shout at me."So I stopped shouting and bluffing,and slowly my writing improved.K)Somewhere along the way I set aside my hopes of writing that flawless essay.But perhaps I missed something important in my mother's lessons about creativity and perfection.Perhaps thepoint of writing the flawless essay was not to give up,but to never willingly finish.Whitman repeatedly reworked"Song of Myself'between1855and1891.Repeatedly.We do our absolute best with a piece of writing,and come as close as we can to the ideal.And,for the time being,we settle.In critique,however,we are forced to depart,to give up the perfection we thought we had achieved for the chance of being even a little bit better.This is the lesson I took from my mother.. If perfection were possible,it would not be motivating.46.The author was advised against the improper use of figures of speech.47.The author's mother taught him a valuable lesson by pointing out lots of flaws in his seemingly perfect essay.48.A writer should polish his writing repeatedly so as to get closer to perfection.49.Writers may experience periods of time in their life when they just can't produce anything.50.The author was not much surprised when his school teacher marked his essay as"flawless".51.Criticizing someone's speech is said to be easier than coming up with a better one.52.The author looks upon his mother as his most demanding and caring instructor.53.The criticism the author received from his mother changed him as a person.54.The author gradually improved his writing by avoiding fancy language.55.Constructive criticism gives an author a good start to improve his writing.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 center.Passage OneQuestions56to60are based on the following passage.Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere,or is there something unique about it?It wouldn't be surprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries,because you couldn't reproduce it in most of the US either.What does it take to make a Silicon Valley?It's the right people.If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from Silicon Valley to Buffalo,Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.You only need two kinds of people to create a technology hub(中心):rich people and nerds(痴迷科研的人)Observation bears this out.Within the US,towns have become startup hubs if and only if they have both rich people and nerds.Few startups happen in Miami,for example,because although it's full of rich people,it has few nerds.It's not the kind of place nerds like.Whereas Pittsburgh has the opposite problem:plenty of nerds,but no rich people.The top USComputer Science departments are said to be MIT,Stanford,Berkeley,and Carnegie-Mellon.MIT yielded Route128.Stanford and Berkeley yielded Silicon Valley.But what did Cainegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh?And what happened in Ithaca,home of Cornell University,which is also high on the list?I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to college at Cornell,so I can answer for both.The weather is terrible,particularly in winter,and there's no interesting old city to make up for it,as there is in Boston.Rich people don't want to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca.So while there're plenty of hackers (电脑迷)who could start startups,there's no one to invest in them.Do you really need the rich people?Wouldn't it work to have the government invest in the nerds? No,it would not.Startup investors are a distinct type of rich people.They tend to have a lot of experience themselves in the technology business.This helps them pick the right startups,and means they can supply advice and connections as well as money.And the fact that they have a personal stake in the outcome makes them really pay attention.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
2015年12月大学英语四级真题试卷(二)(题后含答案及解析)
2015年12月大学英语四级真题试卷（二）(题后含答案及解析)题型有：1. Writing 2. Listening Comprehension 3. 4. Reading Comprehension 5. TranslationPart I Writing1．For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying “Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. “You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.正确答案：Learning Should Be a Lifelong Process It is often said that learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. The saying indicates the importance of lifelong learning, which we have been lectured over and over again. Lifelong learning is crucial to our life and career in modern society. Living in the Information Age, we have to keep pace with the times through ceaseless learning: otherwise, we’ll be too outdated to seize any opportunities. For example, a taxi driver who learns to use a Taxi App such as Didi can make much more money than those who don’t: a housewife who opens a shop online can even out-earn a white-collar worker. All of their success can be attributed to their constant learning in addition to the progress of technology. As an old saying goes, it is never too old to learn. Thus, learning is an attitude regardless of age. Only through learning ceaselessly can we achieve our potential and live a better life in this rapidly developing society.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection A听力原文：W: Hello, Mr. Harrison, thanks for calling. Now, when would it be good for you to visit our company? M: Well. In fact, I can come almost any time next month. And probably toward the end of a week would be best for me. Q: What are the speakers talking about?2．A．The agenda for the board of directors’ meeting.B．The details of the meeting to be held next week.C．The reason for the man’s absence from the meeting.D．The time for the man’s visit to the woman’s company.正确答案：D解析：女士询问男士什么时候方便到她所在的公司参观，男士说下个月几乎任何时间都行，可能接近周末的时间最好。
2015年12月英语四级听力真题及参考答案
2015年12月英语四级听力真题及参考答案2015年12月英语四级听力真题及参考答案Employers have the right to monitor their workers’ online private messages, according to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It comes after a Romanian man was fired for sending personal messages while at work. The Strasbourg court sided on Tuesday with the employer of a Romanian engineer who was dismissed from his job after using Yahoo Messenger to communicate with his fiancée while at work.During his time as an engineer, Bogdan Barbulescu was asked by his employer to create a Yahoo Messenger account to answer his clients’ queries. However, he was informed in July that he had breached company rules by using the program for personal reasons, and was subsequently sacked. Barbulescu took his case against Romania to the human rights court later, alleging that his employer’s decision to [01:45.45]end his contract was based on a violation of his right to confidential correspondence.1. What is legal for employers according to the ECHR?2. What can we learn about Bogdan Barbulescu?Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.At the Sifa Primary School outside Nairobi, Kenya, students pay their tuition with a new, local currency called the pesa. The school is one of several institutions that accept the community currency. The currency is widely used by peoplein the Gatina Village. The pesas are equal in value to the Kenyan shilling and can be spent in the community just like cash. The new currency gives poor people more buying power than they would otherwise have. If members of the community have a shortage of the national currency, they can use the community currency to get access to the goods and services they may need. The non-profit group Grassroots Economics introduced the currency here last year. Community currency programs are being set up by non-profit organizations across the world. They help poor communities increase trade and create jobs, according toGrassroots Economics, based in Mombasa, Kenya. It does not replace but rather supplements the national currency system, reported the non-profit group.3. What is the advantage of the pesa?4. What can we learn about the Grassroots Economics?Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.Health officials in Brazil have declared a state of emergency in several states. They are also warning women not to get pregnant. These extreme actions are the result of a recent rise in birth defects. About 2 400 babies in Brazil were born recently with extremely small heads. The babies have a condition called microcephaly. Microcephaly causes severe brain damage. To date, 29 of these babies have died. The number of microcephaly cases in Brazil is about 10 times higher than what the country usually sees in a year.The US Centers for Disease Control says the link between a virus infectionand microcephaly is being investigated. The virus is called Zika. Zika is spread by mosquitos. Some babies in Brazil with microcephaly have tested positive for the Zika virus while others have tested negative. [05:34.88]The CDC says that Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus in May 2015. Since then, the virus has spread and has caused infections in many Brazilian states and other countries in Latin America.5. What situation is Brazil facing?6. How many deaths have been reported so far?7. What is related to the situation according to the CDC?Section BDirections: In this section,Conversation OneW: Hi Leo, why do you say English would become the world language?M: Well. For one thing, it’s so commonly used. The only language that is used by more people is Chinese.W: Why is English spoken by so many people?M: It’s spoken in many countries of the world because of the British Empire.And now of course, there is the influence of America as well.W: Many students find English a difficult language to learn.M: Oh, all languages are difficult to learn. But English does have two great advantages.W: What are they?M: Well, first of all, it has a very international vocabulary. It has many German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian words in it. So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English. In fact, English has words from many other languages as well.W: Why is that?M: Well, partly because English speakers have travelled a lot.They bring back words with them, so English really does have an international vocabulary.W: And what is the other advantage of English?M: It’s that English grammar i s really quite easy. For example, it doesn’t have dozens of different endings forits nouns, adjectives and verbs, not like Latin, Russian and German for example.W: Why is that?M: Well, it’s quite interesting actually.It’s because of the French.When the French ruled England, French was the official language, and only the common people spoke English. They tried to make their language as simple as possible. So they made the grammar easier.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversationyou have just heard.8. What does the man say about Chinese?9. What made English a widely used language?10. What is said to be special about English vocabulary?11. What is the other advantage of English?Conversation TwoWoman: Hello. Is that the sales department?M: Yes, it is.W:Oh,well. My name is Jane Kingsbury of GPF limited. We need some supplies for our design office.M: Oh, what sort?W:Well,first of all, we need one complete new drawing board.M: DO44 or DO45?W:Ah,I don’t know. What’s the difference?M: Well, the 45 costs 15 pounds more.W:So what’s the total price then?M:It’s 387 pounds.W:Dose that include valued-added tax?M: Oh,I’m not sure. Most of the prices do. Yes,I think it does.W:What are the boards actually made of?M: Oh,I don’t know. I think it‘s a sort of plastic stuff these days. It’s white anyway.W:And how long does it take to deliver?M: Oh, I couldn’t really say. It depends on how much work we’ve got and how many other orders there are to send out, you know.W: Ok, now we also want some drawing pens, ink and rulers, and some drawing paper.M: Oh dear. The girl who takes all those supplies isn’t here this morning. So I can’t take those orders for you. I only do the equipment yo u see.W:Ok,well,perhaps I’ll ring back tomorrow.M: So do you want the drawing board then?W:Oh,I have to think about it. Thanks very much. I’ll let you know.Good-bye.M: Thank you. Good-bye.Question 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you just heard.Question 12: What is the woman’s purpose in making the phone call?Question 13: What do we learn about the man from the conversation?Question 14: What does the man say about delivery?Question 15: What does the woman say she will possibly do tomorrow?Part 3 短文短文1No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they have been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well-known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk were used a lot at that time. Early kites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they will use to carry ropes to cross rivers. Once across, the ropes were tear down and wooden bridges would hang for them. Legend tells of one General who flew musical kites over the enemies’ camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the warming voices of angels. By the 15th century, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great names and events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used kite to prove the lightening electricity. He flew the kite in the storm. He did this in order to draw lightening from the clouds. He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbon would stop the lightening from passing through his body. Benjamin’s idea was first laughed at. But later on, it enlightened the invention of the lightening rod. With such grand history, kite flying is short remain an entertaining and popular sport.Question 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 16: What does the speaker say about kite?Question 17: What did ancient Chinese use cats to do?Question 18: Why did BF flied a kite in the storm?短文2I have learnt many languages, but I’m not mastered them the way the professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have open doors for me. They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while simply got crazy about it. I can’t image living my professional or social lifewithout international interactions. Since 1977, I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new places, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it’s easier to get to know the country and its people. If I had the time and money. I would live for a year in as many countries as possible. Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities. Once, just after I returned my year in Vienna. I was asked to translate for a German judge at Olympic level horse event and learned a lot about the sport.In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked “Was it as good as American beef?” It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV, speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you’ve just heard.Question 19 What does the speaker say about herself?Question 20 What does the speaker say about many people who have lived overseas for a while?Question 21 How did the speaker experience of living in Vienna benefit her?Question 22 What was the speaker asked to do in the Japanese studio?短文3Dr. Ben Carsen grew up in a poor single parent house-hold in Detroit. His mother, who had only a 3rd grade education held two jobs cleaning bathrooms. To his classmates and even to his teachers he was thought of as the dumbest kid in his class. According to his own not so fond memories.He had a terrible temper, and once threatened to kill another child. Dr. Carsen was headed down part of self-distraction until a critical moment in his youth. His mother convinced that he had to do something dramatic preventing leading a life of failure laid down some rules. He could not watch television except for two programs a week, could not play with his friends after school untilhe finished his homework. And had to read two books a week, and write book reports about them. His mother’s strategy worked. “Of course didn’t know she couldn’t read. So there I was submitting these reports.” he said. She would put check marks on them like she had been reading them. As I began to read about scientists，economists and philosophers. I started imaging myself in their shoes. As he got into the hobbit of hard work, his grade began to soar. Ultimately he received a scholarship to attending Yale University, and later he was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical School.He is now a leading surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medical School and he is also the author of the three books.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you’ve just heard.Q23 What do we learn about Ben Carsen?Q24 What did Ben Carsen’s classmates and teachers think of him when he was first at school?Q25 What did Ben Carsen’s mother tell him to do when he was a school boy?Part 4 听写题When you look up at the night sky, what do you see? There are other heavenly bodies out there besides the moon and stars. One of the most fascinating of this is a comet. Comets were formed around the same the earth was formed. They are made up of ice and other frozen liquids and gasses. Now and then these dirty snow balls begin to orbit the sun just as the planets do. As a comet gets closer to the sun. Some gasses in it begin to unfreeze. They combine with dust particles from the comet to form a huge cloud. As the comet gets even nearer to the sun and solar wind blows the cloud behind the comet thus forming its tail. The tail and generally fuzzy atmosphere around the comet are characteristics that can help identify this phenomenon in the night sky. In any given year, about dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits. The average person can’t see them all of course. Usually there is only one or two ayear bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Comet Hale-Bopp discovered in 1995 was an unusually bright comet. Its orbit bought relatively to the earth within 122 million miles of it. But Hale-Bopp came a long way on its earthly visit. It won’t be back for another 4 t housand years or so.参考答案1. B. They enjoyed the movie on space exploration.2. A. At a gift shop.3. C. He declined a job offer from the art gallery.4. D. He will be unable to attend the birthday party.5. B. Set a deadline for the staff to meet.6. A. They way to the visitor’s parking.7. D. He has benefited from exercise.8. D. The secretaries in the man’s company.9. B. It is used by more people than English.10. C. The influence of the British Empire.11.It includes a lot of words from other languages.12.To place an order13.He is not familiar with the exact details of goods.14.It depends on a number of factors.15.Ring back when she comes to a decision.16. No one knows for sure when they came into being.17.Carry ropes across river.18.To prove the lighting is electricity.19.She can speak several languages.20.They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions.21.She was able to translate for a German sports judge.22.Taste the beef and give her comment.23.He grew up in a poor single parent household.24.Stupid25.Write two book reports a week.27. fascinating29. Now and then32. characteristics34. naked35 .relatively。
2015年12月四级英语考试真题与答案解析(全套)
2015年12月四级英语考试真题与答案解析作文（一）周思远题目：For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying “Learning is a daily experience and a lifelong mission。
” You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning。
You should write at least 120 words，no more than 180 words。
参考范文：Currently in this constantly changing world，learning becomes a seemingly convenient but actually more complex matter。
As an old saying goes，” Learning is a daily experience a nd a lifetime mission”。
Apparently，the meaning of this saying is that if we truly desire to learn something，we are supposed to devote our life to it。
There are several reasons accounting for this viewpoint。
For one thing，learning itself is an actually complicated and painful matter，and as a result，it is advisable for us to commit much more time even our whole life to it。
2015年12月英语四级真题答案及解析(卷一)
2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题(一)答案与详解PartⅠWriting审题思路这是一篇四级考试中常见的议论文。
要求考生就一句格言进行论述。
这句格言listening is more important than talking.“倾听比谈论更重要。
”措辞简单，意思明了，考生比较容易把握，因此写起来并不难。
写作时，考生应该将重点放在第二段举例阐释倾听比谈论更重要的原因上。
联系实际分析可知，其原因主要有:倾听是交际之规则，只有善于倾听才能表达对别人的尊重，同时倾听对听者自身也不无裨益。
写作提纲一、阐述“倾听比谈论更重要”的内涵:倾听别人的意见比表达自己的想法重要得多（paying attention to others’opinions is much more important than expressing one’s own words)二、分析原因：1、倾听可以表达对他人的尊重（listening shows your respect for others)2、倾听还可以使听者受益（benefit yourself)三、总结概述：l、倾听在很多场合比谈论重要得多（listening truly outweighs talking on many occasions)2、我们需要掌握一些沟通技巧（master some communication skills)范文点评全文翻译倾听比谈论更重要如今,“倾听比谈论更重要”这一格言流行起来。
.这句格言道出了在社会中与人交往的真诗:倾听别人的意见比表达自己的想法重要得多。
就我而言，有两个原因可以解释该准则的正确性。
首先，倾听可以表达对他人的尊重。
在这样一个竞争激烈的社会，乐于倾听可以为自己赢得信任和友谊，而这恰恰是我们社交的基本准则。
一个夸夸其谈而不善于倾听的人注定要被孤立，此外,倾听可以使自己受益。
毋庸置疑，你是自己命运的主宰然而，他人的不同观点肯定会丰富你的头脑，并为今后的行动带来启迪。
大学英语四级考试真题及解析
大学英语四级考试真题及解析The document was finally revised on 20212015年12月大学英语四级考试真题及解析Part I Writing1.【题干】Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying "Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission." You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection A2.【题干】Question 1【选项】admire the courage of space explorers.enjoyed the movie on space exploration.were going to watch a wonderful movie.like doing scientific exploration very much.【答案】B【解析】M: Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration wewatched together last month?W: Sure. It's actually the most impressive one I've seen on that topic.Q: What do we learn about the speakers?3.【题干】Question 2【选项】a gift shop.a graduation ceremony.the office of a travel agency.a school library.【答案】A【解析】W: Are you looking for anything in particular?M: Yes. My son is graduating from high school and I want to get him something special.Q: Where does the conversation most probably take place?4.【题干】Question 3【选项】used to work in the art gallery.does not have a good memory.declined a job offer form the art gallery.is not interested in any part-time jobs.【答案】C【解析】M: Mike told me yesterday that he'd been looking in vain for a job inthe art gallery.W: Really If I remember right, he had a chance to work there but he turned it down.Q: What does the woman say about Mike?5.【题干】Question 4【选项】has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow.will go to the birthday party after the lecture.woman should have informed him earlier.will be unable to attend the birthday party.【答案】D【解析】W: Would you like to come to Susan's birthday party tomorrowevening?M: I'm going to give a lecture tomorrow. I wish I could be in two places at the same time.Q: What does the man mean?6.【题干】Question 5【选项】those having made good progress.a deadline for the staff to meet.more workers to the project.the staff to work in small groups.【答案】B【解析】W: Aren't you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making?M: Yes. I think I'll give them a deadline and hold them to it.Q: What is the man probably going to do?7.【题干】Question 6【选项】way to the visitor’s parking.rate for parking in Lot C.far away the parking lot is.she can leave her car.【答案】A【解析】W: Excuse me, could you tell me where the visitor's parking is I leftmy car there.M: Sure. It's in Lot C, over that way.Q: What does the woman want to know?8.【题干】Question 7【选项】regrets missing the classes.plans to take the fitness classes.is looking forward to a better life.has benefited form exercise.【答案】D【解析】W: You look great now that you've taken those fitness classes.M: Thanks. I've never thought better in my life.Q: What does the man mean?9.【题干】Question 8【选项】to work efficiency.to select secretaries.responsibilities of secretaries.secretaries in the man’s company.【答案】D【解析】W: I really admire the efficiency of your secretaries.M: Our company selects only the best. They have a heavy workload and we give them a lot of responsibilities.Q: What are the speakers talking about?10.【题干】Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 9【选项】is more difficult to learn than English.is used by more people than English.will be as commonly used as English.will eventually become a world language.【答案】B【解析】Q: What does the man say about Chinese?W: Hi, Leo. Why do you say English will become the world language?M: Well, for one thing, it's so commonly used. The only language that is used by more people is Chinese.W: Why is English spoken by so many people?M: It's spoken in many countries of the world because of the British Empire. And now, of course, there's influence of America as well.W: Many students find English a difficult language to learn.M: Oh, all languages are difficult to learn. But English does have two great advantages.W: What are they?M: Well, first of all, it has a very international vocabulary. It has many German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian words in it. So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English. In fact, English has words from many other languages as well.W: Why is that?M: Well, partly because English speakers have travelled a lot. They bring back words with them, so English really does have an international vocabulary.W: And what's the other advantage of English?M: It's that English grammar is really quite easy. For example, it doesn't have dozens of different endings for its nouns, adjectives and verbs, not like Latin, Russian, and German for example.W: Why is that?M: Well, it's quite interesting actually. It's because of the French. When the French ruled England, French was the official language and only the common people spoke English. They try to make the language as simple as possible, so they made the grammar easier.11.【题干】Question 10【选项】has words from many languages.popularity with the common people.influence of the British Empire.effect of the Industrial Revolution.【答案】C【解析】Q: What made English a widely used language?W: Hi, Leo. Why do you say English will become the world language?M: Well, for one thing, it's so commonly used. The only language that is used by more people is Chinese.W: Why is English spoken by so many people?M: It's spoken in many countries of the world because of the British Empire. And now, of course, there's influence of America as well.W: Many students find English a difficult language to learn.M: Oh, all languages are difficult to learn. But English does have two great advantages.W: What are they?M: Well, first of all, it has a very international vocabulary. It has many German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian words in it. So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English. In fact, English has words from many other languages as well.W: Why is that?M: Well, partly because English speakers have travelled a lot. They bring back words with them, so English really does have an international vocabulary.W: And what's the other advantage of English?M: It's that English grammar is really quite easy. For example, it doesn't have dozens of different endings for its nouns, adjectives and verbs, not like Latin, Russian, and German for example.W: Why is that?M: Well, it's quite interesting actually. It's because of the French. When the French ruled England, French was the official language and only the common people spoke English. They try to make the language as simple as possible, so they made the grammar easier.12.【题干】Question 11【选项】includes a lot of words form other languages.has a growing number of newly coined words.can be easily picked up by overseas travellers.is the largest among all languages in the world.【答案】A【解析】Q: What is said to be special about English vocabulary?W: Hi, Leo. Why do you say English will become the world language?M: Well, for one thing, it's so commonly used. The only language that is used by more people is Chinese.W: Why is English spoken by so many people?M: It's spoken in many countries of the world because of the British Empire. And now, of course, there's influence of America as well.W: Many students find English a difficult language to learn.M: Oh, all languages are difficult to learn. But English does have two great advantages.W: What are they?M: Well, first of all, it has a very international vocabulary. It has many German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian words in it. So speakers of those languages willfind many familiar words in English. In fact, English has words from many other languages as well.W: Why is that?M: Well, partly because English speakers have travelled a lot. They bring back words with them, so English really does have an international vocabulary.W: And what's the other advantage of English?M: It's that English grammar is really quite easy. For example, it doesn't have dozens of different endings for its nouns, adjectives and verbs, not like Latin, Russian, and German for example.W: Why is that?M: Well, it's quite interesting actually. It's because of the French. When the French ruled England, French was the official language and only the common people spoke English. They try to make the language as simple as possible, so they made the grammar easier.13.【题干】Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have justheard.Question 12【选项】return some goods.apply for a job.place an order.make a complaint.【答案】C【解析】Q: What is the woman's purpose in making the phone call?M: Hello. Yes?W: Hello. Is that the sales department?M: Yes, it is.W: Oh, well, my name's Jane Kingsbury of GPF Limited. Hmm, we need some supplies for our design office.M: Uh, what's sort?W: Well, first of all, we need one complete new drawing board.M: A DO44 or DO45?W: Uh, I don't know. What's the difference?M: Well, the 45 costs 15 pounds more.W: Hmm, so what's the total price then?M: It's 387 pounds.W: Does that include value added tax?M: Oh, I'm not sure, most of the prices do. Yes, I think it does.W: Hmm, what are the boards actually made of?M: Oh, I don't know. I think it's a sort of plastic stuff these days. It's white anyway.W: Hmm, and how long does it take to deliver?M: Oh, I couldn't really say. It depends on how much work we've got and how many other orders there are to send out, you know.W: Ok. Now we also want some drawing pens, ink and rulers and some drawing paper.M: Oh, dear, the girl that takes orders for supplies isn't here this morning, so I can't take those orders for you. I only do the equipment, you see.W: OK. Well, perhaps I'll ring back tomorrow.M: So do you want the drawing board then?W: I'll have to think about it. Thanks very much. I'll let you know. Goodbye.M: Thank you. Goodbye.14.【题干】Question 13【选项】has become somewhat impatient with the woman.is not familiar with the exact details of goods.has not worked in the sales department for long.works on a part-time basis for the company.【答案】B【解析】Q: What do we learn about the man from the conversation?M: Hello. Yes?W: Hello. Is that the sales department?M: Yes, it is.W: Oh, well, my name's Jane Kingsbury of GPF Limited. Hmm, we need some supplies for our design office.M: Uh, what's sort?W: Well, first of all, we need one complete new drawing board.M: A DO44 or DO45?W: Uh, I don't know. What's the difference?M: Well, the 45 costs 15 pounds more.W: Hmm, so what's the total price then?M: It's 387 pounds.W: Does that include value added tax?M: Oh, I'm not sure, most of the prices do. Yes, I think it does.W: Hmm, what are the boards actually made of?M: Oh, I don't know. I think it's a sort of plastic stuff these days. It's white anyway.W: Hmm, and how long does it take to deliver?M: Oh, I couldn't really say. It depends on how much work we've got and how many other orders there are to send out, you know.W: Ok. Now we also want some drawing pens, ink and rulers and some drawing paper.M: Oh, dear, the girl that takes orders for supplies isn't here this morning, so I can't take those orders for you. I only do the equipment, you see.W: OK. Well, perhaps I'll ring back tomorrow.M: So do you want the drawing board then?W: I'll have to think about it. Thanks very much. I'll let you know. Goodbye.M: Thank you. Goodbye.15.【题干】Question 14【选项】is not his responsibility.will be free for large orders.costs 15 more for express delivery.depends on a number of factors.【答案】D【解析】Q: What does the man say about delivery?M: Hello. Yes?W: Hello. Is that the sales department?M: Yes, it is.W: Oh, well, my name's Jane Kingsbury of GPF Limited. Hmm, we need some supplies for our design office.M: Uh, what's sort?W: Well, first of all, we need one complete new drawing board.M: A DO44 or DO45?W: Uh, I don't know. What's the difference?M: Well, the 45 costs 15 pounds more.W: Hmm, so what's the total price then?M: It's 387 pounds.W: Does that include value added tax?M: Oh, I'm not sure, most of the prices do. Yes, I think it does.W: Hmm, what are the boards actually made of?M: Oh, I don't know. I think it's a sort of plastic stuff these days. It's white anyway.W: Hmm, and how long does it take to deliver?M: Oh, I couldn't really say. It depends on how much work we've got and how many other orders there are to send out, you know.W: Ok. Now we also want some drawing pens, ink and rulers and some drawing paper.M: Oh, dear, the girl that takes orders for supplies isn't here this morning, so I can't take those orders for you. I only do the equipment, you see.W: OK. Well, perhaps I'll ring back tomorrow.M: So do you want the drawing board then?W: I'll have to think about it. Thanks very much. I'll let you know. Goodbye.M: Thank you. Goodbye.16.【题干】Question 15【选项】the information to her superior.a visit to the saleswoman in charge.back when she comes to a decision.inquiries with some other companies.【答案】C【解析】Q: What does the woman say she will possibly do tomorrow?M: Hello. Yes?W: Hello. Is that the sales department?M: Yes, it is.W: Oh, well, my name's Jane Kingsbury of GPF Limited. Hmm, we need some supplies for our design office.M: Uh, what's sort?W: Well, first of all, we need one complete new drawing board.M: A DO44 or DO45?W: Uh, I don't know. What's the difference?M: Well, the 45 costs 15 pounds more.W: Hmm, so what's the total price then?M: It's 387 pounds.W: Does that include value added tax?M: Oh, I'm not sure, most of the prices do. Yes, I think it does.W: Hmm, what are the boards actually made of?M: Oh, I don't know. I think it's a sort of plastic stuff these days. It's white anyway.W: Hmm, and how long does it take to deliver?M: Oh, I couldn't really say. It depends on how much work we've got and how many other orders there are to send out, you know.W: Ok. Now we also want some drawing pens, ink and rulers and some drawing paper.M: Oh, dear, the girl that takes orders for supplies isn't here this morning, so I can't take those orders for you. I only do the equipment, you see.W: OK. Well, perhaps I'll ring back tomorrow.M: So do you want the drawing board then?W: I'll have to think about it. Thanks very much. I'll let you know. Goodbye.M: Thank you. Goodbye.Section B17.【题干】Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 16【选项】one knows exactly where they were.one knows for sure when they came into being.one knows for what purpose they were.one knows what they will.【答案】B【解析】Q: What does the speaker say about kites?No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they have been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well-known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk was used a lot at that time.Early kites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they were used to carry ropes across rivers. Once across, the ropes were tied down and wooden bridges were hung from them. Legend tales of one general who flew musical kites over the enemy’s camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the warning voices of angels. By the 15th centuries, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great names and events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used the kite to prove that lightening is electricity. He flew the kite in a storm. He did this in order to draw lightening from the clouds. He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbonwould stop the lightening from passing through his body. Benjamin’s idea was firstlaughed at, but later on it led to the invention of the lightening rod.With such grand history, kite flying is sure to remain an entertaining and popular sport.18.【题干】Question 17【选项】ropes across rivers.the speed of wind.on secret messages.warnings of danger.【答案】A【解析】Q: What did ancient Chinese use kites to do?No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they have been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well-known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk was used a lot at that time.Early kites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they were used to carry ropes across rivers. Once across, the ropes were tied down and wooden bridges were hung from them. Legend tales of one general who flew musical kites over the enemy’s camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the warning voices of angels. By the 15th centuries, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great names and events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used the kite to prove that lightening is electricity. He flew the kite in a storm. He did this in order to draw lightening from the clouds. He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbonwould stop the lightening from passing through his body. Benjamin’s idea was firstlaughed at, but later on it led to the invention of the lightening rod.With such grand history, kite flying is sure to remain an entertaining and popular sport.19.【题干】Question 18【选项】protect houses against lightning.test the effects of the lightning rod.find out the strength of silk for kites.prove that lightning is electricity.【答案】D【解析】Q: Why did Benjamin Franklin fly a kite in a storm?No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they have been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well-known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk was used a lot at that time.Early kites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they were used to carry ropes across rivers. Once across, the ropes were tied down and wooden bridges werehung from them. Legend tales of one general who flew musical kites over the enemy’s camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the warning voices of angels. By the 15th centuries, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great names and events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used the kite to prove that lightening is electricity. He flew the kite in a storm. He did this in order to draw lightening from the clouds. He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbonwould stop the lightening from passing through his body. Benjamin’s idea was firstlaughed at, but later on it led to the invention of the lightening rod.With such grand history, kite flying is sure to remain an entertaining and popular sport.20.【题干】Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 19【选项】enjoys teaching languages.can speak several languages.was trained to be an interpreter.was born with a talent for languages.【答案】B【解析】Q: What does the speaker say about herself?I have learned many languages, but I have not mastered them the way a professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have opened doors for me. They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while, I simply got crazy about it. I can’t imagine living my professional or social life withoutinternational interactions. Since 1977, I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new places, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it’s easier to get to know the country and its people. If I had the time and money, I would live for a year in as many countries as possible.Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities. Once just after I returned from my year in Vienna, I was asked to translate for a German judge at an Olympic level horse event. I learned a lot about the sport. In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked, "Was it as good as American beef" It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was.21.【题干】Question 20【选项】acquire an immunity to culture shock.would like to live abroad permanently.want to learn as many foreign languages as possible.have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions.【答案】D【解析】Q: What does the speaker say about many people who have livedoverseas for a while?I have learned many languages, but I have not mastered them the way a professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have opened doors for me. They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while, I simply got crazy about it. I can’t imagine living my professional or social life withoutinternational interactions. Since 1977, I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new places, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it’s easier to get to know the country and itspeople. If I had the time and money, I would live for a year in as many countries as possible.Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities. Once just after I returned from my year in Vienna, I was asked to translate for a German judge at an Olympic level horse event. I learned a lot about the sport. In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked, "Was it as good as American beef"It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was.22.【题干】Question 21【选项】became an expert in horse racing.got a chance to visit several European countries.was able to translate for a German sports judge.learned to appreciate classical music.【答案】C【解析】Q: How does the speaker’s experience of living in Vienna benefit her?I have learned many languages, but I have not mastered them the way a professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have opened doors for me. They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while, I simply got crazy about it. I can’t imagine living my professional or social life withoutinternational interactions. Since 1977, I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new places, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it’s easier to get to know the country and its people. If I had the time and money, I would live for a year in as many countries aspossible.Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities. Once just after I returned from my year in Vienna, I was asked to translate for a German judge at an Olympic level horse event. I learned a lot about the sport. In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked, "Was it as good as American beef"It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was.23.【题干】Question 22【选项】the beef and give her comment.part in a cooking competition.vocabulary for food in.cooking lessons on.【答案】A【解析】Q: What was the speaker asked to do in a Japanese studio?I have learned many languages, but I have not mastered them the way a professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have opened doors for me. They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while, I simply got crazy about it. I can’t imagine living my professional or social life withoutinternational interactions. Since 1977, I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new places, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it’s easier to get to know the country and its people. If I had the time and money, I would live for a year in as many countries aspossible.Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities. Once just after I returned from my year in Vienna, I was asked to translate for a German judge at an Olympic level horse event. I learned a lot about the sport. In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked, "Was it as good as American beef"It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was.24.【题干】Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 23【选项】had only a third-grade education.once threatened to kill his teacher.grew up in a poor single-parent household.often helped his.【答案】B【解析】Q: What do we learn about Ben Carson?Doctor Ben Carson grew up in a poor single parent household in Detroit. His mother, who had only a third-grade education, worked two jobs cleaning bathrooms. To his classmates and even to his teachers, he was thought of as the dumbest kid in the class, according to his own not so fond memories. He had a terrible temper, and once threatened to kill another child. Doctor Carson was headed down a path of self-destruction until a critical moment in his youth. His mother, convinced that she had to do something dramatic to prevent him from leading a life of failure, laid down some rules. He could not watch television except for two programs a week, could not play with his friends after school until he finished his homework, and had to read two books a week and write book reports about them. His mother’s strategy worked. "Ofcourse, I didn’t know she couldn’t read, so there I was submitting these reports." He said. "She would put check marks on them like she had been reading them. As I began to read about scientists, economists and philosophers, I started imaging myself in their shoes. As he got in the habit of hard work, his grades began to soar. Ultimately, he received a scholarship to attend Yale University. And later, he was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical School. He is now a leading surgeon at John’sHopkins Medical School, and he’s also the author of three books.25.【题干】Question 24【选项】....【答案】B。
12月英语四级长篇阅读真题及答案
12月英语四级长篇阅读真题及答案2015年12月英语四级长篇阅读真题及答案ThePerfect EssayA) Looking back on too many yearsof education, I can identify one truly impossible teacher. She cared about me,and my intellectual life, even when I didn’t. Her expectations were highimpossibly so. She was an English teacher. She was also my mother.B) When good students turn in anessay, they dream of their instructor returning it to them in exactly the samecondition, save for a single word added in the margin of the final page:”Flawless.” This dream came true for me one afternoon in the ninth grade. Ofcourse, I had heard that genius could show itself at an early age, so I wasonly slightly taken aback that I had achieved perfection at the tender age of14. Obviously, I did what any professional writer would do; I hurried off tospread the good news. I didn’t get very far. The first person I told was mymother.C) My mother, who is just shy offive feet tall, is normally incredibly soft-spoken, but on the rare occasionwhen she got angry, she was terrifying. I am not sure if she was more upset bymy hubris(得意忘形) or by the fact that my Englishteacher had let my ego get so out of hand. In any event, my mother and her redpen showed me how deeply flawed a flawless essay could be. At the time, I amsure she thought she was teaching me about mechanics, transitions(过渡), structure, style and voice. But what I learned, and what stuckwith me through my time teaching writing at Harvard, was a deeper lesson aboutthe nature of creative criticism.D) Fist off, it hurts. Genuinecriticism, the type that leaves alasting mark on you as a writer, also leavesan existential imprint(印记) on you asa person. I have heard people say that a writer should never take criticismpersonally. I say that we should never listen to these people.E) Criticism, at its best, isdeeply personal, and gets to the heart of why we write the way we do. Theintimate nature of genuine criticism implies something about who is able togive it, namely, someone who knows you well enough to show you how your mentallife is getting in the way of good writing. Conveniently, they are also thepeople who care enough to see you through this painful realization. For me ittook the form of my first, and I hope only, encounter with writer’s block—I wasnot able to produce anything for three years.F) Franz Kafka once said:” Writingis utter solitude(独处), the descentinto the cold abyss(深渊) ofoneself. “My mother’s criticism had shown me that Kafka is right about the coldabyss, and when you make the introspective (内省的) decent that writing requires you are out always pleased by whatyou find.” But, in the years that followed, her sustained tutoring suggestedthat Kafka might be wrong about the solitude. I was lucky enough to find acritic and teacher who was willing to make the journey of writing with me. “Itis a thing of no great difficulty,” according to Plutarch, “to raise objectionsagainst another man’s speech, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a betterin its place is a work extremely troublesome.” I am sure I wrote essays in thelater years of high school without my mother’s guidance, but I can’t recallthem. What I remember, however, is how we took up the “extremely troublesome”work of ongoing criticism.G) There are two ways to interpretPlutarch when he suggests that a critic should be able to produce “a better inits place.” Ina straightforward sense, he could mean that a critic must bemore talented than the artist she critiques(评论). My mother was well covered on this count. But perhaps Plutarch issuggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to MarcusCicero’s claim that one should “criticize by creation, not by finding fault.”Genuine criticism creates a precious opening for an author to become better onthis own terms—a process that is often extremely painful, but also almostalways meaningful.H) My mother said she would helpme with my writing, but fist I had myself. For each assignment, I was write thebest essay I could. Real criticism is not meant to find obvious mistakes, so ifshe found any—the type I could have found on my own—I had to start fromscratch. From scratch. Once the essay was “flawless,” she would take an eveningto walk me through my errors. That was when true criticism, the type thatchanged me as a person, began.I) She criticized me when Iincluded little-known references and professional jargon(行话). She had no patience for brilliant but irrelevant figures ofspeech. “Writers can’t bluff(虚张声势) theirway through ignorance.” T hat was news to me—I would need to find another way tostructure my daily existence.J) She trimmed back my flowerylanguage, drew lines through my exclamation marks and argued for the value ofrestraint in expression. “John,” she almost whispered. I learned in to hearher:”I can’t hear you when you shout at me.” So I stopped shouting andbluffing, and slowly my writing improved.K) Somewhere along the way I setaside my hopes of writing that flawless essay. But perhaps I missed somethingimportant in my mother’s lessons about creativity and perfection. Perhaps thepoint of writing the flawless essay was not to give up, but tonever willinglyfinish. Whitman repeatedly reworded “Song of Myself” between 1855 and 1891.Repeatedly. We do our absolute best wiry a piece of writing, and come as closeas we can to the ideal. And, for the time being, we settle. In critique,however, we are forced to depart, to give up the perfection we thought we hadachieved for the chance of being even a little bit better. This is the lesson Itook from my mother. If perfection were possible, it would not be motivating.46. The author was advised against theimproper use of figures of speech.47. The author’s mother taught him avaluable lesson by pointing out lots of flaws in his seemingly perfect essay.48. A writer should polish his writingrepeatedly so as to get closer to perfection.49. Writers may experience periods of timein their life when they just can’t produce anything.50. The author was not much surprised whenhis school teacher marked his essay as “flawless”.51. Criticizing someone’s speech is said tobe easier than coming up with a better one.52. The author looks upon his mother as hismost demanding and caring instructor.53. The criticism the author received fromhis mother changed him as a person.54. The author gradually improved hiswriting by avoiding fact language.55. Constructive criticism gives an authora good start to improve his writing.参考答案46. I，根据关键信息“figures of speech”定位到I段，原文中该词组前面的形容词是“irrelevant”，和句中的“improper”为同义替换关系。
2015年12月英语四级听力原文及答案
2015年12月英语四级听力原文及答案Part 1 短对话Question 1- M： Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration we watched together last month?— W: Sure。
It's actually the most impressive one I've seen on that topic。
Q：What do we learn about the speakers?Question 2- W: Are you looking for anything in particular?- M: Yes。
My son is graduating from high school， and I want to get him something special。
Q：Where does the conversation most probably take place?Question 3- M： Mike told me yesterday that he had been looking in vain for a job in the art gallery。
— W： Really? If I remember right， he had a chance to work there, but he turned it down.Q:What does the woman say about Mike？Question 4- W： Would you like to come to Susan’s birthday party tomorrow evening？— M: I'm going to give a lecture tomorrow。
I wish I could be in two places at the same time.Q:What does the man mean？Question 5— W： Aren’t you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making?- M： Yes。
2015年12月英语四级考试真题试卷及答案【三套全】
2015年12月英语四级考试真题及答案【三套全】Part I Writing （30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying "Listening is more important than talking？" You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of paying attention to others' opinions。
You should write at least 120words but no more than 180words。
注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1。
A）They admire the courage of space explorers.B）They were going to watch a wonderful movie.C）They enjoyed the movie on space exploration。
D）They like doing scientific exploration very much。
2。
A）In a school library。
B）At a gift shop。
2015年12月大学英语四级真题及解析
PartI Writing (30 minutes)For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying “Learning is a daily experience and lifetime mission.”You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write atleast 120 words but no more than180words.Part II Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conver sat ions and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.A) They admire the courage of space explorers.B) They enjoyed the movie on space exploration.C) They were going to watch a wonderful movie.D) They like doing scientific exploration very much.2. A) At a gift shop.B) At a graduation ceremony.C) In the office of a travel agency.D) In a school library.3. A) He used to work in the art gallery.B) He does not have a good memory.C) He declined a job offer form the art gallery.D) He is not interested in any part-time jobs.4.A) Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow.B) He will go to the birthday party after the lecture.C) The woman should have informed him earlier.D) He will be unable to attend the birthday party.5.A) Reward those having made good pro gre ss.B) Set a deadline for the staff to meet.C) Assign more workers to the project.D) Encourage the staff to work in small groups.6. A) The way to the visitor’s parking.B) The rate for parking in Lot C.C) How far away the parking lot is.D) Where she can leave her car.7. A) He regrets missing the classes.B) He plans to take the fitness classes.C) He is looking forward to a better life.D) He has benefited form exercise.8.A) How to ? work efficiency.B) How to select secretaries.C)The responsibilities of secretaries.D) The secretaries in the man’s company.Conver sat ion OneQuestions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A) It is more difficult to learn than English.B) It is used by more people than English.C) It will be as commonly used as English.D) It will eventually bec ome a world language.10.A) It has words words from many languages,B) Its popularity with the common people.C) The influence of the British Empire.D) The effect of the Industrial Revolution.11.A) It includes a lot of words form other languages.B) It has a growing number of newly coined words,C) It can be easily picked up by overseas travelers.D) It is the largest among all languages in the world. Conversation 2Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A) To return some goods.B) To apply for a job.C) To place an order.D) To make a complaint.13. A) He has become somewhat impatient with the woman.B) He is not familiar with the exact details of goods.C) He has not worked in the sales department for long.D) He works on a part-time basis for the company.14. A) It is not his responsibility.B) It will be free for large orders.C) It costs 15 more for express delivery.D) It depends on a number of factors.15.A) Report the information to her superior.B) Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge.C) Ring back when she comes to a decision.D) Make inquiries with some other companies.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D ). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) No one knows exactly where they were ??B) No one knows for sure when thy came into being.C) No one knows for what purpose they were ?D) No one knows what they will17. A) Carry ropes across rivers.B) Measure the speed of wind.C) Pass on secret messages.D) Give warnings of danger.18. A) To protect houses against lightning.B) To test the effects of the lightning rod.C) To find out the strength of silk for kites.D) To prove the lightning is electricity.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A) She enjoys teaching languages.B) She can speak several languages.C) She was trained to be an interpreter.D) She was born with a talent for languages.20. A) They acquire an immunity to culture shock.B) They would like to live abroad permanently.C) They want to learn as many foreign languages as possible.D) They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions.21.A) She bec ame an expert in horse racing.B) She got a chance to visit several European countries.C) She was able to translate for a German sports judge.D) She learned to appreciate classical music.22. A) Taste the beef and give her comment.B) Take part in a cooking competition.C) Teach vocabulary for food in ??D) Give cooking lessons onPassage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23. A) He had only a third-grade education.B) He once threatened to kill his teacher.C) He gre w up in a poorD) He often helped his24.A) Careless.B) Stupid.C) Brave.D) Active.25.A) Write two book reports a week.B) Keep a diary.C) Help with housework.D) Watch education??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.When you look up at the night sky, what do you see？There areother bodies out there besides the moon and stars. One of the most of this is a comet. Comets were formed around the same the earth was formed. They are made up of ice and other frozen liquids and gasses. these dirty snow balls begin to orbit the sun just as the planets do. As a comet gets closer to the sun, some gasses in it begin to unfreeze. They combine with dust particles from the comet to form a huge cloud. As the comet gets even nearer to the sun and solar wind blows the cloud behind the comet thus forming its tail. The tail and generally fuzzy atmosphere around the cometare that can help this phenomenon in the night sky. In any given year，about dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits. The average person can’t see them all of course. Usually there is only one or two a year bright enough to be seen with the _________eye. Comet Hale-Bopp discovered in 1995 was an unusually bright comet. Its orbit bought it _________to the earth within 122 million miles of it. But Hale-Bopp came a long way on its earthly visit. It won’t be back for another 4 thousand years or so.Part Ш 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 givenin 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 markthe corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold spell. November and December 36 early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when, for the first time in two 37 , record-cold days will likely turn out to have outnumbered record-warm ones. But the U.S. was the exception; November was the warmest ever 38 , and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record.Enjoy the snow now, bec ause 39 are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That’s because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an EI Niuo year.EI niuo, Spanish for “the child”, 40 when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet’s surface, that the 41 energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. EI Ninos are 42 with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa 43 dry weather. Marine life may be affected too; EI Ninos can 44 the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich（营养丰富的）water that supports large fish 45 ,and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral(珊瑚).注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
2015年12月英语4级全版真题及参考答案
2015年12月英语4级全版真题及参考答案机密★启用前版权所有大学英语四级考试COLLEGE ENGLISH TEST-Band Four-(4WZSHI)试题册☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆敬告考生一、在答题前，请认真完成以下内容：1. 请检查试题册背面条形码粘贴条、答题卡的印刷质量，如有问题及时向监考员反映，确认无误后完成以下两点要求。
2. 请将试题册背面条形码粘贴条揭下后粘贴在答题卡1 的条形码粘贴框内，并将姓名和准考证号填写在试题册背面相应位置。
3．请在答题卡1和答题卡2 指定位置用黑色签字笔填写准考证号、姓名和学校名称，并用HB-2B 铅笔将对应准考证号的信息点涂黑。
二、在考试过程中，请注意以下内容：1. 所有题目必须在答题卡上规定位置作答，在试题册上或答题卡上非规定位置的作答一律无效。
2. 请在规定时间内在答题卡指定位置依次完成作文、听力、阅读、翻译各部分考试，作答作文期间不得翻阅该试题册。
听力录音播放完毕后，请立即停止作答，监考员将立即回收答题卡1 ，得到监考员指令后方可继续作答。
3. 作文题内容印在试题册背面，作文题及其他主观题必须用黑色签字笔在答题卡指定区域内作答。
4．选择题均为单选题，错选、不选或多选将不得分，作答时必须使用HB-2B铅笔在答题卡上相应位置填涂，修改时须用橡皮擦净。
三、以下情况按违规处理：1. 不正确填写(涂)个人信息，错贴、不贴、毁损条形码粘贴条。
2. 未按规定翻阅试题册、提前阅读试题、提前或在收答题卡期间作答。
3. 未用所规定的笔作答、折叠或毁损答题卡导致无法评卷。
4. 考试期间在非听力考试时间佩戴耳机。
Section A Litstening Comprehension(30 minutes)Directions: In this section, you will hear8 short conversations and 2 longconversations. At the end of eachconversation. one or morequestions will be asked about whatwas said. Both the conversationand the questions will be spokenonly once. After each questionthere will be a pause. During thepause, you must read the fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D),and decide which is the bestanswer. Then mark thecorresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line throughthe centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答1. A) They admire the courage of space explorersB) They enjoyed the movie on space explorationC) They were going to watch a wonderful movieD) They like doing scientific exploratron very much2. A)At a gift shopB) At a graduation ceremony.C) In the office of a travel agencyD) In a school library3. A) He used to work in the art galleryB) He does not have a good memoryC) He declined a job offer from the art galleryD) He is not interested in any part-time jobs4. A) Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrowB) He will go to the birthday party after the lectureC) The woman should have informed him earlierD) He will be unable to attend the birthday party5. A) Reward those having made good progressB) Set a deadline for the staff to meetC) Assign more workers to the project.D) Encourage the staff to work in Small groups6. A) The way to the visitor's parkingB) The rate for parking in Lot CC) How far away the parking lot is.D) Where she can leave her car.7. A) He regrets missing the classesB) He plans to take the fitness classes.C) He is looking forward to a better lifeD) He has benefited from exercise8. A) How to raise work efficiency.B) How to select secretariesC) The responsibilities of secretanesD) The secretaries in the man’s company. Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9 A) It Is more difficult to learn than EnglishB) It is used by more people than English.C) It will be as commonly used as EnglishD) It will eventually become a world language10. A) Its loan words from many languagesB) Its popularity with the common people.C) The influence of the British EmpireD) The effect of the Industrial Revolution11. A) It includes a lot of words from other languagesB) It has a growing number of newly coined wordsC) It can be easily picked up by overseas travellersD) It is the largest among all languages in the worldQuestions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) To return some goodsB) To apply for a job.C) To place an order.D) To make a complaint13. A) He has become somewhat impatient with the womanB) He is not familiar with the exact details of the goodssC) He has not worked in the sales department for long.D) He works on a part-time basis for the company14. A) it is not his responsibilityB) It will be free for large ordersC) It costs ￡15 more for express deliveryD) It depends on a number of factors15. A) Report the information to her superiorB) Pay a visit to the saleswoman in chargegeC) Ring back when she comes to a decisionD) Make inquiries with some other companiesSection BDirections: In this section, you will hear3 short passages. At the end ofeach passage, you will hear somequestions. Both the passage andthe questions will be spoken onlyonce.After you hear a queslion,you must choose the best answerfrom the four choices marked A),B), C) and D). Then mark thecorresponding leltert on AnswerSheet 1 with a single line throughthe centre注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。
2015年12月大学英语英语四级答案
英语四级完形填空答案1. B. They enjoyed the movie on spaceexploration.2. A. At a gift shop.3. C. He declined a job offer from the artgallery.4. D. He will be unable to attend the birthdayparty.5. B. Set a deadline for the staff to meet.6. A. They way to the vi sitor’s parking.7. D. He has benefited from exercise.8. D. The secretaries in the man’s company.9. B. It is used by more people than English.10. C. The influence of the British Empire.11.It includes a lot of words from other languages.12.To place an order13.He is not familiar with the exact details of goods.14.It depends on a number of factors.15.Ring back when she comes to a decision.16. No one knows for sure when they came into being.17.Carry ropes across river.18.To prove the lighting is electricity.19.She can speak several languages.20.They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions.21.She was able to translate for a German sports judge.22.Taste the beef and give her comment.23.He grew up in a poor single parent household.24.Stupid25.Write two book reports a week.27.fascinating29.Now and then32.characteristics34.naked35.relatively翻译第一版云南省的丽江古镇是中国著名的旅游目的地之一。
2015年12月英语四级真题及答案第二套
2015年12月英语四级真题及答案第二套Part I Writing(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying"Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. " You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words._______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________Part II Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes )Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will bea pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C. and D), and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.1. A. The agenda for the board of directors' meeting.B. The details of the meeting to be held next week.C. The reason for the man's absence from the meeting.D. The time for the man's visit to the woman's company.2.A. At a travel agency.B. At a department store.C. In a library.D. In a post office.3.A. He cannot hear the woman's call.B. He cannot get through to New York.C. He cannot recall the phone number.D. He cannot find a public phone nearby.4.A. Watch a movie with the woman.B. Revise his thesis in the office.C. Do some shopping with Jane.D. Discuss his thesis with Prof. Hudson.5. A. He just cannot work properly without a watch.B. He has no idea where he can buy a gold watch.C. He still does not know where he left his watch.D. He is not sure what went wrong with his watch.6.A. He forgot all about what he said.B. He slipped and hurt his head.C. He was sorry for being off sick last week.D. He thought the woman's car had been sold.7.A. She should try to catch an earlier bus.B. She is absent from his class too often.C. She is always making excuses for being late.D. She should come up with a better excuse.8.A. He is going to help the woman out.B. He has to move out of the building soon.C. He is on his way to see a real estate agent.D. He will stay with the woman's brother.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A. From the wanted cohunn.B. From some of her friends.C. From a telephone directory.D. From a television commercial.10.A. She received full-time education abroad.B. She graduated from an open university.C. She fmished her secondary school.D. She studied in a vocational college.11.A. She is a shorthand-typist.B. She works as a tour guide.C. She is a policewoman.D. She teaches an evening class.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A. It provides him with career opportunities.B. It helps enlarge his customer network.C. It has been off and on for ten years.D. It was interrupted for four years.13.A. Individualized service.B. Traditional setting.C. Home-made beer.D. Social games.14.A. The quality of beer.B. The atmosphere.C. The owner's attitude.D. The right location.15.A. It is a rather tough job.B. It is a profitable business.C. It helps old people kill time.D. It makes retirees feel useful.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After youhear 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.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A. It is becoming increasingly popular.B. It helps the user to escape reality.C. It gives rise to serious social instability.D. It hurts a person and those around them.17.A. They use drugs just for fun.B. They take drugs to get high.C. They use drugs as medicine.D. They keep drug use a secret.18. A. It is quite common in entertainment circles.B. It is the cause of various social problems.C. It is hard to get rid of.D. It is fatal to the user.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A. Taking up exercises after recovery.B. Producing tasty healthy frozen food.C. Finding new ways to cure heart disease.D. Going on a diet upon leaving the hospital.20.A. Itwas carefully tested with consumers.B. It was promoted by health organizations.C. It was disapproved by many diet experts.D. It was highly expected by the general public.21.A. Competitive price.B. Low expectations.C. Vigorous promotion.D. Unique ingredients.22. A. It was suggested by the firm's vice-president.B. It matches the food's dark green packaging.C. It has a positive implication for consumers.D. It tricks the elders into impulse purchasing.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23.A. It is practiced in most of the states.B. It will be abolished sooner or later.C. It has drawn a lot of criticism from overseas.D. It has to be approved by the Supreme Court.24. A. Whether the practice should be allowed to continue in future.B. Whether there should be a minimum age limit for execution.C. What type of criminals should receive it.D. What effect it might have on youngsters.25. A. The court sentenced him to life in prison for killing two friends.B. The governor changed his death sentence to life in prison.C. He was the first minor to be executed in South Carolina.D. He was sentenced to death for a crime he committed as a minor.Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with, the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.Some people borrow money and "forget" to pay it back.Large loans are seldom the issue; they are usually treated as business26, with the terms spelled out on paper. But many women suffer27over problems like Carol's "My friend Ginny is always28cash," she says. "I hate to recall how often I've ' loaned' her a dollar or two for a drink or a movie. Each loan is so small I'd feel really cheap making a big deal out of it; still, I do29the fact that she never pays me back. "Carol admits to being "too30or something" to demand repayment, but she has resolved tostop lending money to Ginny. "The last time she asked for five dollars to pay for her dry cleaning, I just told her I couldn't31it. "Another woman suggests a bolder32. "When somebody refuses to repay a loan, I33byrequesting one myself," she says. "'I left home without my wallet,' I'll say. 'Can you lend meenough to cover lunch?' Then, when the money is safely in hand, I am struck by a sudden34Why, this is exactly the amount I loaned you last week ! How35! Now you won't have to repay me'" She says it works like a charm.Part III Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.For many Americans,2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold te November and December36early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when, for the first time in two37, record-cold days will likely turn out to have oumumbered record-warm ones. But the U. S. was the exception: November was the warmest ever38, and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record. Enjoy the snow now, because39are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That's because, scientists are predicting,2014 will be an El Nifio Year. El Nino, Spanish for "the child",40when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet's surface, that the41energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. El Ninos are42with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa43dry weather. Marine life may be affected too: E1 Ninos can44therising of the cold, nutrient-rich ( 营养丰富的） water that supports large fish45, and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral ( 珊瑚).A. Additional I. logicallyB. Associated J. occursC. bore K. populationsD. Chances L. realizeE. Communicated M. reduceF. Decades N. SawG. experiences O. SpecificH. globallySection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom 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. How to Eat WellA. Why do so many Americans eat tons of processed food, the stuff that is correctly called junk (垃圾. and should really carry warning labels?B. It's not because fresh ingredients are hard to come by. Supermarkets offer more variety than ever, and there are over four times as many farmers' markets in the U. S. as there were 20 years ago. nor is it for lack of available information. There are plenty of recipes (食谱), how-to videos and cooking classes available to anyonewho has a computer, smartphone or television. If anything, the information is overwhelming.C. And yet we aren't cooking. If you eat three meals a day and behave like most Americans, you probably get at least a third of your dally calories (卡路里. outside the home. Nearly two-thirds of us grab fast food once a week, and we get almost 25% of our dally calories from snacks. So we're eating out or taking in, and we don't sit down－or we do, but we hurry.D. Shouldn't preparing－and consuming－food be a source of comfort, pride, health, weli－being, relaxation, sociability? Something that connects us to other humans? Why would we want to outsource(外包. this basic task, especially when outsourcing it is so harmful?E. When I talk about cooking, I'm not talking about creating elaborate dinner parties or three－day science projects. I'm talking about simple, easy, everyday meals. My mission is to encourage green hands and those lacking time or money to feed themselves. That means we need modest, realistic expectations, and we need to teach people to cook food that's good enough to share with family and friends.F. Perhaps a return to real cooking needn't be far off. A recent Harris poll revealed that 79% of Americans say they enjoy cooking and 30% "love it" ; 14% admit to not enjoying kitchen work and just 7% won't go near the stove at all. But this doesn't necessarily translate to real cooking, and the result of this survey shouldn't surprise anyone: 52% of those 65 or older cook at home five or more times per week; only a third of young people do.G. Back in the 1950s most of us grew up in households where Morn cooked virtually every night. The intention to put a home-cooked meal on the table was pretty much universal. Most people couldn't afford to do otherwise.H. Although frozen dinners were invented in the '40s, their popularity didn't boom until televisions became popular a decade or so later. Since then, packaged, pre-prepared meals have been what's for dinner. The microwave and fast-food chains were the biggest catalysts ( 催化剂), but the big food companies--which want to sell anything except the raw ingredients that go into cooking－made the home cook an endangered species.I. Still, I fmd it strange that only a third of young people report preparing meals at home regularly. Isn't this the same crowd that rails against processed junk and champions craft cooking? And isn't this the generation who say they're concerned about their health and the well－being of the planet? If these are truly the values of many young people, then their behavior doesn't match their beliefs.J. There have been haft－hearted but well-publicized efforts by some food companies to reduce calories in their processed foods, but the Standard American Diet is still the polar opposite of the healthy,mostly plant－based diet that just about every expert says we should be eating. Considering that the government's standards are not nearly ambitious enough, the picture is clear: bynot cooking athome, we're not eating the right things, and the consequences are hard to overstate.K. To help quantify (量化). the costs of a poor diet, I recently tried to estimate this impact in terms of a most famous food, the burger (汉堡包). I concluded thatthe profit from burgers is more than offset (抵消） by the damage they cause in health problems and environmental harm.L. Cooldng real food is the best defense－not to mention that any meal you're likely to eat at home contains about 200 fewer calories than one you would eat in a restaurant.M. To those Americans for whom money is a concern, my advice is simple: Buy what you can afford,and cook it yourself. The common prescription is to primarily shop the grocery store, since that's where fresh produce, meat and seafood, and dairy are. And to save money and still eat well you don't need local, organic ingredients; all you need is real food. I'm not saying local food isn't better; it is. But there is plenty of decent food in the grocery stores.N. The other sections you should get to know are the frozen foods and the canned goods. Frozen produce is still produce; canned tomatoes are still tomatoes. Just make sure you're getting real food without tons of added salt or sugar. Ask yourself, would Grandma consider this food? Does it look like something that might occur in nature? It's pretty much common sense: you want to buy food,not unidentifiable foodlike objects.O. You don't have to hit the grocery store daily, nor do you need an abundance of skill. Since fewer than haft of Americans say they cook at an intermediate level and only 20% describe their cooldng skills as advanced, the crisis is one of confidence. And the only remedy for that is practice. There's nothing mysterious about cooking the evening meal. You just have to do a little thinking ahead andredefine what qualifies as dinner. Like any skill, cooking gets easier as you do it more; every time you cook, you advance your level of skills. Someday you won't even need recipes. My advice is that you not pay attention to the number of steps and ingredients, because they can be deceiving.P. Time, I realize, is the biggest obstacle to cooking for most people. You must adjust your prioritiesto find time to cook. For instance, you can move a TV to the kitchen and watch your favorite shows while you're standing at the sink. No one is asking you to give up activities you like, but if you're watching food shows on TV, try cooking instead.46. Cooking benefits people in many ways and enables them to connect with one another.47. Abundant information about cooking is available either online or on TV.48. Young people do less cooking at home than the elderly these days.49. Cooking skills can be improved with practice.50. In the mid-20th century, most families ate dinner at home instead of eating out.51. Even those short of time or money should be encouraged to cook for themselves and their family.52. Eating food not cooked by ourselves can cause serious consequences.53. To eat well and still save money, people should buy fresh food and cook it themselves.54. We get a fairly large portion of calories from fast food and snacks.55. The popularity of TV led to the popularity of frozen food.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C. andD ). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage One Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.The wallet is heading for extinction. As a day-to-day essential, it will die off with the generation who read print newspapers. The kind of shopping－where you hand over notes and count out change in return－now happens only in the most minor of our retail encounters, like buying a bar of chocolate or a pint of milk from a comer shop. At the shops where you spend any real money, that money is increasingly abstracted. And this is more and more true, the higher up the scale you go. At the most cutting-edge retail stores－Victoria Beckham on Dover Street, for instance －you don't go and stand at any kind of cash register when you decide to pay. The staff are equipped with iPads to take your payment while you relax on a sofa. Which is nothing more or less than excellent service, if you have the money. But across society, the abstraction of the idea of cash makes me uneasy. Maybe I'm just old－fashioned. But earning money isn't quick or easy for most of us. Isn't it a bit weird that spending it should happen in haft a blink (眨眼). of an eye? Doesn't a wallet－that time－honoured Friday－night feeling of pleasing, promisingfatness －represent something that matters?But I'll leave the economics to the experts. What bothers me about the death of thewallet is thechange it represents in our physical environment. Everything about the look and feel of a wallet－theway the fastenings and materials wear and tear and loosen with age, the plastic and paper and gold andsilver, and handwritten phone numbers and printed cinema tickets－is the very opposite of what ourworld is becoming. The opposite of a wallet is a smartphone or an iPad..The rounded edges, coolglass, smooth and unknowable as a pebble (鹅卵石). Instead of digging through pieces of paper andpeering into corners, we move our fingers left and right. No more counting out coins. Show yourwallet, if you still have one. It may not be here much longer.56. What is happening to the wallet?A. It is disappearing.B. It is being fattened.C. It is becoming costly.D. It is changing in style.57. How are business transactions done in big modern stores?A. Individually.B. Electronically.C. In the abstract.D. Via a cash register.58. What makes the author feel uncomfortable nowadays?A. Saving money is becoming a thing of the past.B. The pleasing Friday－night feeling is fading.C. Earning money is getting more difficult.D. Spending money is so fast and easy.59. Why does the author choose to write about what's happening to the wallet?A. It represents a change in the modern world.B. It has something to do with everybody's life.C. It marks the end of a time－honoured tradition.D. It is the concern of contemporary economists.60. What can we infer from the passage about the author?A. He is resistant to social changes.B. He is against technological progress.C. He feels reluctant to part with the traditional wallet.D. He feels insecure in the ever－changing modern world.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.Everybody sleeps, but what people stay up late to catch－or wake up early in order not to miss－varies by culture. From data collected, it seems the things that cause us to lose the most sleep, on average, are sporting events, time changes, and holidays.Around the world, people changed sleep patterns thanks to the start or end of daylight savings time. Russians, for example, began to wake up about a half-hour later each day after President Vladimir Putin shifted the country permanently to "winter time" starting on October 26.Russia's other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays. On New Year's Eve, Russians have the world's latestbedtime, hitting the hay at around 3:30 am. Russians also get up an hour later on International Women's Day, the day for treating and celebrating female relatives. Similarly, Americans' late nights, late mornings, and longest sleeps fall on three －day weekends. Canada got the least sleep of the year the night it beat Sweden in the Olympic hockey (冰球. final.The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation (剥夺). The worst night for sleep in the U. K. was the night of the England-Italy match on June 14. Brits stayed up a half－hour later to watch it, and then they woke up earlier than usual the next morning thanks to summer nights, the phenomenon in which the sun barely sets in northern countries in the summertime. That was nothing, though, compared to Germans, Italians, and the French, who stayed up around an hour and a haft later on various days throughout the summer to watch the Cup.It should be made clear that not everyone has a device to record their sleep patterns; in some of these nations, it's likely that only the richest people do. And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person. Even if that's the case, though, the above findings are still striking. If the most health-conscious among us have such deep swings in our shut-eye levels throughout the year, how much sleeg are the rest of us losing?61. What does the author say about people's sleeping habits?A. They are culture－related.B. They affect people's health.C. They change with the seasons.D. They vary from person to person.62, What do we learn about the Russians regarding sleep?A)They don't fall asleep until very late.B. They don't sleep much on weekends.C. They get less sleep on public holidays.D. They sleep longer than people elsewhere.63. what is the major cause for Europeans' loss of sleep?A. The daylight savings time.B. The colorful night life.C. The World Cup.D. The summertime.64. what is the most probable reason for some rich people to use a device to record their sleeppatterns?A)They have trouble falling asleep.B. They want to get sufficient sleep.C. They are involved in a sleep research.D. They want to go to bed on regular hours.65. what does the author imply in the last paragraph?A. Sleeplessness does harm to people's health.B. Few people really know the importance of sleep.C. It is important to study our sleep patterns.D. Average people probably sleep less than the rich.Part TV 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.云南省的丽江古镇是中国著名的旅游目的地之一。
2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题(2+答案)
2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）Part I Writing（30 minutes）Directions: For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying"Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission.” You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Part II Listening Comprehension（30 minutes）Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9. A) From the wanted column. C) From a telephone directory.B) From some of her friends. D) From a television commercial.10. A) She received full-time education abroad. C) She finished her secondary school.B) She graduated from an open university. D) She studied in a vocational college.11. A) She is a shorthand-typist. C) She is a policewoman.B) She works as a tour guide. D) She teaches an evening class.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 12. A) It provides him with career opportunities. C) It has been off and on for ten years.B) It helps enlarge his customer network. D) It was interrupted for four years.13. A) Individualized service. C) Home-made beer.B) Traditional setting. D) Social games.14. A) The quality of beer. C) The owner's attitude.B) The atmosphere. D) The right location.15. A) It is a rather tough job．C) It helps old people kill time.B) It is a profitable business. D) It makes retireesfeel useful.Section BDirections:In this section，you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only. 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.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) It is becoming increasingly popular. C) It gives rise to serious social instability.B) It helps the user to escape reality. D) It hurts a person and those around them.17. A) They use drugs just for fun. C) They use drugs as medicine.B) They take drugs to get high. D) They keep drug use a secret.18. A) It is quite common in entertainment circles.B) It is the cause of various social problems.C) It is hard to get rid of.D) It is fatal to the user.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) Taking up exercises after recovery. C) Finding new ways to cure heart disease.B) Producing tasty healthy frozen food. D) Going on a diet upon leaving the hospital.20. A) It was carefully tested with consumers. C) It was disapproved by many diet experts.B) It was promoted by health organizations. D) It was highly expected by the general public.21. A) Competitive price. C) Vigorous promotion.B) Low expectations. D) Unique ingredients.22. A) It was suggested by the firm's vice-president.B) It matches the food's dark green packaging.C) It has a positive implication for consumers.D) It tricks the elders into impulse purchasing.Passage TwoQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23. A) It is practiced in most of the states. C) It has drawn a lot of criticism from overseas.B) It will be abolished sooner or later. D) It has to be approved by the Supreme Court.24. A) Whether the practice should be allowed to continue in future.B) Whether there should be a minimum age limit for executionC) What type of criminals should receive it.D) What effect it might have on youngsters.25. A) The court sentenced him to life in prison for killing two friends.B) The governor changed his death sentence to life in prison.C) He was the first minor to be executed in South Carolina.D) He was sentenced to death for a crime he committed as a minor. Part IIII Reading Comprehension（40 minutes）Section ADirections:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.For many Americans，2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold spell. Late November and December 36 early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country，part of a year when, for the first time in two 37，record-cold days will likely turn out to have outnumbered record-warm ones. But the U. S. was the exception: November was the warmest ever 38，and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record.Enjoy the snow now, because 39 are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That's because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an El Nino year.El Nino，Spanish for "the child"，40 when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet's surface, that the 41 energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. El Ninos are 42 with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa 43 dry weather. Marine life may be affected too: El Ninos can 44 the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich（营养丰富的）water that supports large fish 45，and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral（珊瑚）．A)additional I)logicallyB) associated J)occursC)bore K) populationsD) chances L) realizeE)communicated M) reduceF)decades N) sawG)experiences O) specificH) globallySection 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.How to Eat WellA) Why do so many Americans eat tons of processed food, the stuff that is correctly called junk（垃圾）and should really carry warning labelsB) It's not because fresh ingredients are hard to come by. Supermarkets offer more variety than ever, and there are over four times as many farmers' markets in the U. S. as there were 20 years ago. Nor is it for lack of available information. There are plenty of recipes（食谱），how-to videos and cooking classes available to anyone who has a computer, smartphone or television. if anything, the information is overwhelming.C) And yet we aren't cooking. If you eat three meals a day and behave like most Americans，youprobably get at least a third of your daily calories（卡路里）outside the home. Nearly two-thirds of us grab fast food once a week, and we get almost 25% of our daily calories from snacks. So we're eating out or taking in, and we don't sit down-or we do，but we hurry.D) Shouldn't preparing-and consuming-food be a source of comfort, pride，health，well-being，relaxation, sociability Something that connects us to other humans Why would we want to outsource（外包）this basic task, especially when outsourcing it is so harmfulE) When I talk about cooking, I'm not talking about creating elaborate dinner parties or three-dayscience projects. I'm talking about simple，easy, everyday meals. My mission is to encourage green hands and those lacking time or money to feed themselves. That means we need modest, realistic expectations，and we need to teach people to cook food that's good enough to share with family and friends.F) Perhaps a return to real cooking needn't be far off. A recent Harris poll revealed that 79% ofAmericans say they enjoy cooking and 30% "love it"；14% admit to not enjoying kitchen work and just 7% won't go near the stove at all. But this doesn't necessarily translate to real cooking, and the result of this survey shouldn't surprise anyone: 52% of those 65 or older cook at home five or more times per week; only a third of young people do.G) Back in the 1950s most of us grew up in households where Mom cooked virtually every night. The intention to put a home-cooked meal on the table was pretty much universal. Most people couldn't afford to do otherwise.H) Although frozen dinners were invented in the '40s，their popularitydidn't boom until television became popular a decade or so later. Since then, packaged, pre-prepared meals have been what's for dinner. The microwave and fast-food chains were the biggest catalysts（催化剂），but the big food companies-which want to sell anything except the raw ingredients that go into cooking-made the home cook an endangered species.I) Still，I find it strange that only a third of young people report preparing meals at home regularly. Isn't this the same crowd that rails against processed junk and champions craft cooking And isn't this the generationwho say they're concerned about their health and the well-being of the planet If these are truly the values of many young people，then their behavior doesn't match their beliefs.J) There have been half-hearted but well-publicized efforts by some food companies to reduce calories in their processed foods，but the Standard American Diet is still the polar opposite of the healthy, mostly plant-based diet that just about every expert says we should be eating. Considering that the government's standards are not nearly ambitious enough, the picture is clear: by not cooking at home，we're not eating the right things，and the consequences are hard to overstate.K) To help quantify（量化）the costs of a poor diet, I recently tried to estimate this impact in terms of a most famous food, the burger（汉堡包）．I concluded that the profit from burgers is more than offset（抵消）by the damage they cause in health problems and environmental harm. L) Cooking real food is the best defense-not to mention that any meal you're likely to eat at homecontains about 200 fewer calories than one you would eat in a restaurant.M) To those Americans for whom money is a concern, my advice is simple：Buy what you can afford, and cook it yourself. The common prescription is to primarily shop the grocery store, since that's where fresh produce，meat and seafood, and dairy are. And to save money and still eat well you don't need local, organic ingredients；all you need is real food. I'm not saying local food isn't better; it is. But there is plenty of decent food in the grocery stores.N) The other sections you should get to know are the frozen foods and the canned goods. Frozenproduce is still produce; canned tomatoes are still tomatoes. Just make sure you're getting real food without tons of added salt or sugar.Ask yourself, would Grandma consider this food Does it look like something that might occur in nature It's pretty much common sense;you want to buy food, not unidentifiable foodlike objects.O) You don't have to hit the grocery store daily, nor do you need an abundance of skill. Since fewer than half of Americans say they cook at an intermediate level and only 2096 describe their cooking skills as advanced, the crisis is one of confidence. And the only remedy for that is practice. There's nothing mysterious about cooking the evening meal.You just have to do a little thinking ahead and redefine what qualifies as dinner. Like any skill，cooking gets easier as you do it more；every time you cook, you advance your level of skills. Someday you won't even need recipes. My advice is that you not pay attention to the number of steps and ingredients，because they can be deceiving.P) Time，I realize，is the biggest obstacle to cooking for most people. You must adjust your priorities to find time to cook. For instance，you can move a TV to the kitchen and watch your favorite shows while you're standing at the sink. No one is asking you to give up activities you like，but if you're watching food shows on TV，try cooking instead.46. Cooking benefits people in many ways and enables them to connect with one another.47. Abundant information about cooking is available either online or on TV.48. Young people do less cooking at home than the elderly these days.49. Cooking skills can be improved with practice.50. In the mid-20th century，most families ate dinner at home instead of eating out.51. Even those short of time or money should be encouraged to cook forthemselves and their family.52. Eating food not cooked by ourselves can cause serious consequences.53. To eat well and still save money, people should buy fresh food and cook it themselves.54. We get a fairly large portion of calories from fast food and snacks.55. The popularity of TV led to the popularity of frozen food.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。
2015年12月英语四级考试真题及答案详解
2015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 an essay commenting on the saying"Never go out there to see what happens, go out there to make things happen." You can citexamples to illustrate the importance of being participants rather than mere onlookers inlife.You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes)听力音频地址：/attached/media/20160426/20160426161254_0664.mp3Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.1 A. Children should be taught to be more careful.B. Children shouldn't drink so much orange juice.C. There is no need for the man to make such a fuss.D. Timmy should learn to do things in the right way.2. A. Fitness training.B. The new job offer.C. Computer programming.D. Directorship of the club.3. A. He needs to buy a new sweater.B. He has got to save on fuel bills.C. The fuel price has skyrocketed.D. The heating system doesn't work.4. A. Committing theft.B. Taking pictures.C. Window shopping.D. Posing for the camera.5. A. She is taking some medicine.B. She has not seen a doctor yet.C. She does not trust the man's advice.D. She has almost recovered from the cough.6. A. Pamela's report is not finished as scheduled.B. Pamela has a habit of doing things in a hurry.C. Pamela is not good at writing research papers.D. Pamela's mistakes could have been avoided.7. A. In the left-luggage office.B. At the hotel reception.C. In a hotel room.D. At an airport.8. A. She was an excellent student at college.B. She works in the entertainment business.C. She is fond of telling stories in her speech.D. She is good at conveying her message.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9. A. Arranging the woman's appointment with Mr.Romero.B. Fixing the time for the designer's latest fashion show.C. Talking about an important gathering on Tuesday.D. Preparing for the filming on Monday morning.10.A. Her travel to Japan.B. The awards ceremony.C. The proper hairstyle for her new role.D. When to start the make-up session.11.A. He is Mr.Romero's agent.B. He is an entertainment journalist.C. He is the woman's assistant.D. He is a famous movie star.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A. Make an appointment for an interview.B. Send in an application letter.C. Fill in an application form.D. Make a brief self-introduction on the phone.13.A. Someone having a college degree in advertising.B. Someone experienced in business management.C. Someone ready to take on more responsibilities.D. Someone willing to work beyond regular hours.14.A. Travel opportunities.B. Handsome pay.C. Prospects for promotion.D. Flexible working hours.15.A. It depends on the working hours.B. It is about 500 pounds a week.C. It will be set by the Human Resources.D. It is to be negotiated.Section BDirections..In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of each passage, you will hearsome questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After youhear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A., B,Cand D..Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single linethrough the center.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A. To give customers a wider range of choices.B. To make shoppers see as many items as possible.C. To supply as many varieties of goods as it can.D. To save space for more profitable products.17.A. On the top shelves.B. On the bottom shelves.C. On easily accessible shelves.D. On clearly marked shelves.18.A. Many of them buy things on impulse.B. A few of them are fathers with babies.C. A majority of them are young couples.D. Over 60% of them make shopping lists.19.A. Sales assistants promoting high margin goods.B. Sales assistants following customers around.C. Customers competing for good bargains.D. Customers losing all sense of time.Passage TwoQuestions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.20.A. Teaching mathematics at a school.B. Doing research in an institute.C. Studying for a college degree.D. Working in a hi-tech company21.A. He studied the designs of various clocks.B. He did experiments on different materials.C. He bought an alarm clock with a pig face.D. He asked different people for their opinions.22.A. Its automatic mechanism.B. Its manufacturing process.C. Its way of waking people up.D. Its funny-looking pig face.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23.A. It is often caused by a change of circumstances.B. It actually doesn't require any special treatment.C. It usually appears all of a sudden.D. It generally lasts for several years.24.A. They cannot mix well with others.B. They irrationally annoy their friends.C. They depend heavily on family members.D. They blame others for ignoring their needs.25.A. They lack consistent support from peers.B. They doubt their own popularity.C. They were born psychologically weak.D. They focus too much on themselves.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 letterfor each item on Answer Sheet2 with a single line through the center.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.Children do not think the way adults do.For most of the first year of life, if something is out of sight, it's out of mind.If you cover a baby's36toy with a piece of cloth, the baby thinks the toyhas disappeared and stops looking for it.A 4-year-old may 37 that a sister has more fruit juice when it is only the shapes of the glasses that differ, not the38 of juice.Yet children are smart in their own way.Like good little scientists, children are always testing their child-sized39 about how things work.When your child throws her spoon on the floor for the sixth time as you try to feed her, and you say, "That's enough! I will not pick up your spoon again!"the child will 40 test your claim. Are you serious? Are you angry? What will happen if she throws the spoon again? She is not doing this to drive you41; rather, she is learning that her desires and yours can differ, and that sometimes those42 are important and sometimes they are not.How and why does children's thinking change? In the 1920s, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed that children's cognitive (认知的) abilities unfold 43, like the blooming of a flower,almost independent of what else is44in their lives.Although many of his specific conclusions havebeen45 or modified over the years, his ideas inspired thousands of studies by investigators all over the world.A. advocateB. amountC. confirmedD. crazyE. definiteF. differencesG. favoriteH. happeningI. ImmediatelyJ. NaturallyK. ObtainingL. PrimarilyM. ProtestN. RejectedO. theoriesSection 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.The Perfect EssayA. Looking back on too many years of education, I can identify one truly impossible teacher.Shecared about me, and my intellectual life, even when I didn't.Her expectations were high--impossibly so.She was an English teacher.She was also my mother.B. When good students turn in an essay, they dream of their instructor returning it to them in exactly the same condition, save for a single word added in the margin of the final page : "Flawless." This dream came true for me one afternoon in the ninth grade.Of course, I had heard that genius could show itself at an early age, so I was only slightly taken aback that I had achieved perfection at the tender age of 14.Obviously, I did what any professional writer would do; I hurried off to spread the good news.I didn't get very far. The first person I told was my mother.C. My mother, who is just shy of five feet tall, is normally incredibly soft-spoken, but on the rare occasion when she got angry, she was terrifying.I am not sure if she was more upset by my hubris(得意忘形) or by the fact that my English teacher had let my ego get so out of hand.In any event,my mother and her red pen showed me how deeply flawed a flawless essay could be.At the time,I am sure she thought she was teaching me about mechanics, transitions (过渡), structure, styleand voice.But what I learned, and what stuck with me through my time teaching writing at Harvard, was a deeper lesson about the nature of creative criticism.D. First off, it hurts.Genuine criticism, the type that leaves a lasting mark on you as a writer, also leaves an existential imprint (印记) on you as a person.I have heard people say that a writer should never take criticism personally.I say that we should never listen to these people.E. Criticism, at its best, is deeply personal, and gets to the heart of why we write the way we do.Theintimate nature of genuine criticism implies something about who is able to give it, namely,someone who knows you well enough to show you how your mental life is getting in the way of good writing.Conveniently, they are also the people who care enough to see you through this painful realization.For me it took the form of my first, and I hope only, encounter with writer'sblock--I was not able to produce anything for three years.F. Franz Kafka once said: "Writing is utter solitude (独处), the descent into the cold abyss (深渊) of oneself." My mother's criticism had shown me that Kafka is right about the cold abyss, and when you make the introspective (内省的) descent that writing requires you are not always pleased by what you find.But, in the years that followed, her sustained tutoring suggested that Kafka might be wrong about the solitude.I was lucky enough to find a critic and teacher who was willing to makethe journey of writing with me."It is a thing of no great difficulty," according to Plutarch, "to raise objections against another man's speech, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome." I am sure I wrote essays in the later years of high school without my mother's guidance, but I can't recall them.What I remember, however, is how she took up the "extremely troublesome" work of ongoing criticism.G. There are two ways to interpret Plutarch when he suggests that a critic should be able to produce "a better in its place." In a straightforward sense, he could meanthat a critic must be more talented than the artist she critiques (评论).My mother was well covered on this count. But perhapsPlutarch is suggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero's claim that one should "criticize by creation, not by finding fault." Genuine criticism creates a precious opening for an author to become better on his own terms--a process that is often extremely painful,but also almost always meaningful.H. My mother said she would help me with my writing, but first I had to help myself.For each assignment, I was to write the best essay I could.Real criticism is not meant to find obvious mistakes, so if she found any--the type I could have found on my own--I had to start from scratch.From scratch.Once the essay was "flawless," she would take an evening to walk me through myerrors.That was when true criticism, the type that changed me as a person, began.I. She criticized me when I included little-known references and professional jargon (行话).She hadno patience for brilliant but irrelevant figures of speech."Writers can't bluff (虚张声势) their way through ignorance." That was news to me--I would need to freed another way to structure my dailye xistence.J. She trimmed back my flowery language, drew lines through my exclamation marks and argued forthe value of restraint in expression."John," she almost whispered.I leaned in to hear her:"I can't hear you when you shout at me." So I stopped shouting and bluffing, and slowly my writing improved.K. Somewhere along the way I set aside my hopes of writing that flawless essay.But perhaps I missed something important in my mother's lessons about creativity and perfection.Perhaps the point of writing the flawless essay was not to give up, but to never willingly finish. Whit man repeatedly reworked "Song of Myself' between 1855 and 1891.Repeatedly.We do our absolute best with a piece of writing, and come as close as we can to the ideal.And, for the time being, we settle.Incritique, however, we are forced to depart, to give up the perfection we thought we had achieved for the chance of being even a little bit better.This is the lesson I took from my mother: If perfection were possible, it would not be motivating.46.The author was advised against the improper use of figures of speech.47.The author's mother taught him a valuable lesson by pointing out lots of flaws in his seemingly perfect essay.48.A writer should polish his writing repeatedly so as to get closer to perfection.49.Writers may experience periods of time in their life when they just can't produce anything.50.The author was not much surprised when his school teacher marked his essay as "flawless".51.Criticizing someone's speech is said to be easier than coming up with a better one.52.The author looks upon his mother as his most demanding and caring instructor.53.The criticism the author received from his mother changed him as a person.54.The author gradually improved his writing by avoiding fancy language.55.Constructive criticism gives an author a good start to improve his writing. Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C.andD .You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it?It wouldn't be surprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because you couldn't reproduce it in most of the US either. What does it take to make a Silicon Valley?It's the right people.If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from Silicon Valley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.You only need two kinds of people to create a technology hub (中心) : rich people and nerds (痴迷科研的人).Observation bears this out.Within the US, towns have become star,up hubs if and only if they have both rich people and nerds.Few startups happen in Miami, for example, because although it's full of rich people, it has few nerds.It's not the kind of place nerds like.Whereas Pittsburgh has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people.The top US Computer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon. MIT yielded Route 128.Stanford and Berkeley yielded Silicon Valley. But what did Carnegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh? And what happened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list?I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both.The weather is terrible, particularly in winter, and there's no interesting old city to make up for it, as there is inBoston.Rich people don't want to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca.So while there're plenty of hackers (电脑迷) who could start startups, there's no one to invest in themDo you really need the rich people? Wouldn't it work to have the government invest in the nerds?No, it would not.Start up investors are a distinct type of rich people.They tend to have a lot of experience themselves in the technology business.This helps them pick the right startups, and means they can supply advice and connections as well as money. And the fact that they have a personal stake in the outcome makes them really pay attention.56.What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?A. Its success is hard to copy anywhere else.B. It is the biggest technology hub in the US.C. Its fame in high technology is incomparable.D. It leads the world in information technology.57.What makes Miami unfit to produce a Silicon Valley?A. Lack of incentive for investment.B. Lack of the right kind of talents.C. Lack of government support.D. Lack of famous universities.58.In what way is Carnegie-Mellon different from Stanford, Berkeley and MIT?A. Its location is not as attractive to rich people.B. Its science departments are not nearly as good.C. It does not produce computer hackers and nerds.D. It does not pay much attention to business startups.59.What does the author imply about Boston?A. It has pleasant weather all year round.B. It produces wealth as well as high-tech.C. It is not likely to attract lots of investors and nerds.D. It is an old city with many sites of historical interest.60.What does the author say about startup investors?A. They are especially wise in making investments.B. They have good connections in the government.C. They can do more than providing money.D. They are rich enough to invest in nerds.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.It's nice to have people of like mind around. Agreeable people boost your confidence and allow you to relax and feel comfortable. Unfortunately, that comfort can hinder the very learning that can expand your company and your career.It's nice to have people agree, but you need conflicting perspectives to dig out the truth .If everyone around you has similar views, your work will suffer from confirmation bias (偏颇).Take a look at your own network. Do your contacts share your point of view on most subjects? If yes, it's time to shake things up .As a leader, it can be challenging to create an environment in which people will freely disagree and argue, but as the saying goes: From confrontation comes brilliance.It's not easy for most people to actively seek conflict. Many spend their lives trying to avoid arguments. There's no need to go out and find people you hate, but you need to do some self-assessment to determine where you have become stale in your thinking. You may need to start by encouraging your current network to help you identify your blind spots.Passionate, energetic debate does not require anger and hard feelings to be effective.But it does require moral strength. Once you have worthy opponents, set some ground rules so everyone understands responsibilities and boundaries.The objective of this debating game is not to win but to getto the truth that will allow you to move faster, farther, and better.Fierce debating can hurt feelings, particularly when strong personalities are involved.Make sure you check in with your opponents so that they are not carrying the emotion of the battles beyond the battlefield.Break the tension with smiles andhumor to reinforce the idea that this is friendly discourse and that all are working toward a common goal.Reward all those involved in the debate sufficiently when the goals are reached.Let your sparring partners (拳击陪练) know how much you appreciate their contribution. The more they feel appreciated, the more they'll be willing to get into the ring next time.61.What happens when you have like-minded people around you all the while?A. It will help your company expand more rapidly.B. It will create a harmonious working atmosphere.C. It may prevent your business and career from advancing.D. It may make you feel uncertain about your own decisions.62.What does the author suggest leaders do?A. Avoid arguments with business partners.B. Encourage people to disagree and argue.C. Build a wide and strong business network.D. Seek advice from their worthy competitors.63.What is the purpose of holding a debate?A. To find out the truth about an issue.B. To build up people's moral strength.C. To remove misunderstandings.D. To look for worthy opponents.64.What advice does the author give to people engaged in a fierce debate?A. They listen carefully to their opponents' views.B. They show due respect for each other's beliefs.C. They present their views clearly and explicitly.D. They take care not to hurt each other's feelings.65.How should we treat our rivals after a successful debate?A. Try to make peace with them.B. Try to make up the differences.C. Invite them to the ring next time.D. Acknowledge their contribution.Part Ⅳ Translation( 30 minutes )Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.今年在长沙举行了一年一度的外国人汉语演讲比赛.这项比赛证明是促进中国和世界其他地区文化交流的好方法.它为世界各地的年轻人提供了更好地了解中国的机会.来自87个国家共计126位选手聚集在湖南省省会参加了从7月6日到8月5日进行的半决赛和决赛.比赛并不是唯一的活动.选手们还有机会参观了中国其他地区的著名景点和历史名胜.2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案与详解(第3套)Part ⅠWriting这是一篇四级考试中常见的议论文.话题围绕“Never go out there to see what happens，go out there tomake things happen.”这句话展开，要求考生进行评论，同时在题目要求中也明确给出了作文主题the importanceof being participants rather than mere onlookers in life.考生应该明确这一主题，并围绕其展开论述.一、点明主题：不做看客，要做实践者(being participants instead of onlookers in life)二、分析原因三、提出问题和建议主题词汇put…into practice将……付诸实践carry out执行；实现gain获得accumulate积累gradually逐渐地make a progress取得进步theory理论action行动would rather…than比起……更情愿……stand by袖手旁观句式拓展1.For some people, watching what happens to others is goodenough to learn a lesson, while for others, only practicingby themselves can finally make them get the real skills in对一些人而言，看发生在别人身上的事情足以让他们吸取教训，而对于其他人而言，他们只有亲身实践才能最终得到生活中的真正技能.2.No matter how many authentic theories you've got before,nothing will happen until you put them into practice.无论你曾经接受了多少权威的理论，若不付诸实践，一切都无济于事.Part ⅡListening ComprehensionM: I don't know what to do with Timmy.This morning I found orange juice spilled all over the kitchenfloor.W: Don't be so hard on him.He's only four.Q: What does the woman mean?C.四个选项中出现了children，careful，juice和Timmy等词，故推测本题考查的内容与孩子的行为相关.对话中，男士抱怨说他都不知道该拿蒂米怎么办了，今天早上，他发现桔子汁在厨房洒了一地，而女士则说，别对蒂米太严厉了，他才四岁.由此可见，女士认为男士不用小题大做，故答案为C..2.W: Excuse me, sir.I would like to know about the fitness training program in your club.M: I'll have you speak with the director in charge of new accounts.Q: What is the woman interested in?A.四个选项均为名词短语，且出现了fitness，job，computer和club等词，故推测本题考查的内容与健身或者工作相关.对话中，女士向男士询问俱乐部健身锻炼的事情，男士则说他会带着女士去找专门负责新会员的经理.由此可知，女士是对俱乐部健身锻炼感兴趣，故答案为A..3.W: It's really cold in this apartment.Can we turn up the heat a little bit?M: Sorry.I've run out of money and can hardly pay the fuel bill.Maybe you'd better put on a sweater.Q: what does the man mean?B.四个选项中出现了sweater，save，fuel bills和heating等词，故推测本题考查的内容与寒冷天气以及取暖相关.对话中，女士说她觉得很冷，问能不能把暖气开大一点，而男士则表示抱歉，说自己没钱了，都快付不起燃料费账单了，建议女士穿上毛衣.由此可知，男士想要节省燃料费，故答案为B.4.M: I'm sorry, Miss.But you have to come with me to the security office.The video cameras in our shophave recorded everything you did.W: No, no.I...I didn't do anything.I'll call the police if you dare insult me.Q: What does the man think the woman was doing?A.四个选项均为动名词短语，且出现了theft，pictures，shopping和camera等词，故推测本题考查的内容与商店里发生的事情相关.对话中，男士要将女士带到保安室去，并说商店里的摄像头已经把女士所做的事都录下来了，而女士则表示自己什么都没有做，如果男士敢侮辱她的话，她就报警.由此可知，男士认为女士偷了商店里的东西，故答案为A.5.M: I think you ought to see a doctor right away about that cough.W: Well, I'll wait a few more days.I'm sure I'll get over it soon.Q: What do we learn about the woman?B.选项均以she开头，且出现了medicine，doctor和cough等词，故推测本题考查的内容与女士的健康状况相关.男士说女士应该马上去看医生，而女士则说再等几天，她相信自己的咳嗽很快就会好的.由此可知，直到本对话发生时，女士都还没有去看医生，故答案为B..6.M: I've heard that Pamela made quite a few mistakes in her lab report.W: Well, she wouldn't have if she hadn't been in such a hunt to get it done.Q: What does the woman imply?D.四个选项均提到了Pamela，且出现了report，hurry，writing和mistakes等词，故推测本题考查的内容与帕米拉的报告相关.对话中，男士说他听说帕米拉的实验报告出了很多错，而女士则说，如果她不是那么急着做完的话，就不会出这么多的错.由此可知，帕米拉实验报告中的错误本来是可以避免的，故答案为D..7.M: We'd better check out before 12 o'clock, Marry.And now there are only 30 minutes left.W: Let's hurry up.You go pay the bill and I'll call the reception to have our luggage taken downstairs.Q : Where did this conversation most probably take place?C.四个选项均是表示地点的介词短语，故推测本题考查的内容与对话发生的地点相关.对话中，男士说他们最好能在中午l2点之前退房，现在只剩半小时了，女士建议加快速度，并让男士去付账，她自己给前台打电话，叫人把行李送到楼下.由此可知，对话发生的时候，两人还没有开始办理退房手续，还在宾馆的房间里，故答案为C..8.W: Have you ever heard this speaker before?M: Yeah.She's excellent.She gets her point across and it's entertaining at the same time.Q: what does the man say about the speaker?D.四个选项均以she开头，且出现了college，works，speech和message 等词，可以推测本题考查的内容与女士的情况相关.对话中，女士问男士以前是否听过这个演讲者的讲座，男士说他听过，并认为这位演讲的女士很棒，她不仅将自己的观点表达得很清楚，而且讲得很有趣.由此可知，这位女演讲者擅长传达自己想要传达的信息，故答案为D.. Conversation OneM: (8) What should I do about Mr.Romero? Remember? He said it was important and couldn't wait.I thinkhe may want you for that new movie he's directing.W: That's absolutely correct.(9) Now, we have to fit him in somewhere.Uh...what does Monday morninglook like?M: That doesn't look so good.You have a make-up session starting at 6:00, then filming starts at 8:00, andthat's going to take the whole morning.W: Well, what's after that?M: (10) You have lunch with your agent to discuss the awards ceremony and you'll have to meet him at oneo'clock at the restaurant.W: Oh, terrific! Listen.I cannot miss that.But I still have to make time for Mr.Romero. M: Well, now, don't forget you got a three-o'clock appointment with your fashion designer.W: That's right.You know he's showing the latest fashions from Japan? You know that loose-fitting look?Those clothes are so in this year.M: At 4:30 you have an appointment with your hairdresser.Then at 7:00, you have dinner with a journalist.Now remember, be nice to that guy.W: Do I have to? That won't be easy and it's likely to run late.How does Tuesday look?M: Well, you have to spend the whole morning at the photographer's.They are taking photos to publicize yournew movie.W: What about the afternoon? Am I free then?M: Let me see...Yes, you are free after 3:30.W: Then you can set up a meeting with Mr.Romero at 4:00.M: OK.(11) I'll get on it right away.预览三道题各选项，其中出现了the woman’s appointment，hertravel，awards ceremony和make-up session等词，因此推测对话内容可能与女士的工作安排相关.。
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At a graduation ceremony.
In the office of a travel agency.
In a school library.
3.He used to work in the art gallery.
He does not have a good memory.
10.It has words words from many languages,
Its popularity with the common people.
The influence of the British Empire.
The effect of the Industrial Revolution,
He declined a job offer form the art gallery.
He is not interested in any part-time jobs.
4.Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow.
He will go to the birthday party after the lecture.
2015年12月英语四级真题及答案
1.They admire the courage of space explorers.
They enjoyed the movie on space exploration.
They were going to watch a wonderful movie.
They like doing scientific exploration very much.
Comets were formed around the same time the Earth was formed. …and other frozen liquids and gases. 29___ these “dirty snow…” just as the planets do.
As a comet get closer to the sun, some gases in it begin to unfreeze…particles form the comet to form a huge cloud. As the comet gets…wind blows the cloud behind the comet, thus forming its tail. The tail…(模糊的) atmosphere around a comet are 32____ that can help… in the night sky.
18.To protect houses against lightning.
To test the effects of the lightning rod.
To find out the strength of silk for kites.
To prove the lightning is electricity.
He once threatened to kill his teacher.
He grew up in a poor ?
He often helped his ???
24.Careless.
Stupid.
Brave.
Active.
25.Write two book reports a week.
Keep a diary.
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions:
In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks, You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified 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.
8.A. How to ? work efficiency.
B. How to select secretaries.
C. The responsibilities of secretaries.
D. The secretaries in the man’s company.
Conversation 1
Conversation 2
12.To return some goods.
To apply for a job.
To place an order.
To make a complaint.
13. He has become somewhat impatient with the woman.
He is not familiar with the exact details of goods.
In any given year, about a dozen known comets come close to … average person can’t see them all, of course. Usually there is only one … to be seen with 34___ eye. Comet Hale-Bopp, discovered… bright comet. Its orbit brought it 35___ close to the Earth, … But Hale-Bopp came a long way an its earthly visit. It won’t be back…or so.
21.She became an expert in horse racing.
She got a chance to visit several European countries.
She was able to translate for a German sports judge.
She learned to appreciate classical music.
Ring back when she comes to a decision.
Make inquiries with some other companies.
Section B
Passage 1
16.No one knows exactly where they were ?
No one knows for sure when thy came into being.
22.Taste the beef and give her comment.
Take part in a cooking competition.
Teach vocabulary for food in ?
Give cooking lessons on ?
Passage 3
23.He had only a third-grade education.
He has not worked in the sales department for long.
He works on a part-time basis for the company.
14.It is not his responsibility.
It will be free for large orders.
Where she can leave her car.
7.He regrets missing the classes.
He plans to take the fitness classes.
He is looking forward to a better life.
He has benefited form exercise.
Passage 2
19.She enjoys teaching languages,
She can speak several languages,
She was trained to be an interpreter.
She was born with a talent for languages.
11.It includes a lot of words form other languages.
It has a growing number of newly coined words,
It can be easily picked up by overseas travellers.
It is the largest among all languages in the world.
It costs 15 more for express delivery.
It depends on a number of factors.
15.Report the information to her superior.
Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge.