2014年12月英语四级真题试卷(第1套)

1、英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！2014 年 12 月英语四级考试真题试卷（1）Part IWriting(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay about aclassmate of yours who has influenced you most in college. You should state thereasons and write at least 120 words but no mor

2、e than 180 words.注意：此部分试题在答题卡 1 上_Part IIListening Comprehension(30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. Atthe end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both theconversation and the questi

3、ons 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 isthe best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single linethrough the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1 上作答。1.2.3.A

4、) She will go purchase the gift herself.B) The gift should not be too expensive.C) The man is not good at balancing his budget.D) They are going to Janes house-warming party.A) It takes patience to go through the statistics.B) He has prepared the statistics for the woman.C) The woman should take a c

5、ourse in statistics.D) He is quite willing to give the woman a hand.A) The man wants to make some change in the scripts.B) The woman does not take the recording seriously.C) They cannot begin their recording right away.D) Page 55 is missing from the womans scripts.英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 经典奉献 1英语四级考试网

6、 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！.8.A) A significant event in July.B) Preparations for a wedding.C) The date of Carls wedding.D) The birthday of Carls bride.A) The man was in charge of scheduling meetings.B) The man was absent from the weekly meeting.C) They woman was annoyed at the mans exc

7、use.D) The woman forgot to tell the man in advance.A) The woman is a marvelous cook.B) The man cannot wait for his meal.C) The woman has just bought an oven.D) The man has to leave in half an hour.A) Whether the man can keep his job.B) Where the man got the bad news.C) What items sell well in the st

8、ore.D) How she can best help the man.A) The woman can sign up for a swimming class.B) He works in the physical education department.C) The woman has the potential to swim like a fish.D) He would like to teach the woman how to swim.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9

9、.A) He teaches in a law school.B) He loves classical music.D) He is a wonderful lecturer.C) He is a diplomat.10. A) Went to see a play.B) Watched a soccer game.C) Took some photos.D) Attended a dance.11. A) She decided to get married in three years.B) Her mother objected to Erics flying lessons.C) S

10、he insisted that Eric pursue graduate studies.D) Her father said she could marry Eric right away.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Editor.B) Teacher.C) Journalist.D) Typist.13. A) The beautiful Amazon rainforests.B) A new railway under construction.C) Big ch

11、anges in the Amazon valley.D) Some newly discovered scenic spot.14. A) In news weeklies.英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 经典奉献 2英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！B) In newspapers Sunday editions.C) In a local evening paper.D) In overseas editions of U.S. magazines.15. A) To be employed by a newspaper.B)

12、To become a professional writer.C) To sell her articles to news service.D) To get her life story published soon.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you willhear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.

13、After you hear aquestion, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Thenmark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1 上作答。Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.16.

14、A) Nodding ones head.B) Waving ones hand.C) Holding up the forefinger.D) Turning the right thumb down.17. A) Looking away from them.B) Forming a circle with fingers.C) Bowing ones head to them.D) Waving or pointing to them.18. A) Looking ones superior in the eye.B) Keeping ones arms folded while tal

15、king.C) Showing the sole of ones foot to a guest.D) Using a lot of gestures during a conversation.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) They had to beg for food after the harvest.B) They grew wheat and corn on a small farm.C) They shared a small flat with

16、their relatives.D) The children walked to school on dirt roads.20. A) Tour Ecuadors Andes Mountains.B) Earn an animal income of $2,800.C) Purchase a plot to build a home on.D) Send their children to school.英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 经典奉献 3英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！21. A) The achievements o

17、f the Trickle Up Program.B) A new worldwide economic revolution.C) Different forms of assistance to the needy.D) The life of poor people in developing countries.Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) They are highly sensitive to cold.B) They are vitally i

18、mportant to our life.C) They are a living part of our body.D) They are a chief source of our pain.23. A) It has to be removed in time by a dentist.B) It is a rare oral disease among old people.C) It contains many nerves and blood vessels.D) It is a sticky and colorless film on the teeth.24. A) It ca

19、n change into acids causing damage to their outer covering.B) It greatly reduces their resistance to the attacks of bacteria.C) It makes their nerves and blood vessels more sensitive to acid food.D) It combines with food particles to form a film on their surface.25. A) Food particles.B) Gum disease.

20、C) Unhealthy living habits.D) Chemical erosion.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for thefirst time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the secondtime, you are required to fill in the blanks

21、required to fill in the blanks with the exact words youhave just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should cheek what youhave written.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1 上作答。Stunt people (替身演员) are not movie stars, but they are the hidden heroes of manymovies.They were around long before f

22、ilms. Even Shakespeare may have used them in fightscenes. To be good, a fight scene has to look real. Punches must _26_ enemies jaws.Sword fights must be fought with _27_ swords. Several actors arc usually in a fightscene. Their moves must be set up so that no one gets hurt. It is almost like planni

23、ng adance performance.If a movie scene is dangerous, stunt people usually _28_ the stars. You may think英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 经典奉献 4英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！you see Tom Cruise running along the top of a train. But it is _29_ his stunt double.Stunt people must _30_ the stars they stand

24、 in for. Their height and build should beabout the same. But when close-ups are needed, the film _31_ the star.Some stunt people _32_ in certain kinds of scenes. For instance, a stunt womannamed Jan Davis does all kinds of jumps. She has leapt from planes and even off the topof a waterfall. Each jum

25、p required careful planning and expert _33_.Yakima Canutt was a famous cowboy stunt man. Among other stunts, he couldjump from a second story window onto a horses back. He _34_ the famous trick ofsliding under a moving stagecoach. Canutt also _35_ a new way to make a punch lookreal. He was the only

26、stunt man ever to get an Oscar.Part IIIReading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select oneword for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read thepassage through carefully bef

27、ore making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by aletter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough 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.As a

28、n Alaskan fisherman, Timothy June, 54, used to think that he was safe fromindustrial pollutants (污染物) at his home in Haines a town with a population of2,400 people and 4,000 eagles, with 8 million acres of protected wild land nearby. But inearly 2007, June agreed to take part in a _36_ of 35 America

29、ns from seven states. It wasa biomonitoring project, in which peoples blood and urine (尿) were tested for _37_ ofchemicals in this case, three potentially dangerous classes of compounds found incommon household _38_ like face cream, tin cans, and shower curtains. The results _39_ in November in a re

30、port called Is It in Us? by an environmental group wererather worrying. Every one of the participants, _40_ from an Illinois state senator to aMassachusetts minister, tested positive for all three classes of pollutants. And while the_41_ presence of these chemicals does not _42_ indicate a health ri

31、sk, the fact thattypical Americans carry these chemicals at all _43_ June and his fellow participants.Clearly, there are chemicals in our bodies that dont _44_ there. A large, ongoingstudy conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found 148chemicals in Americans of all ages. An

32、d in 2005, the Environmental Working Groupfound an _45_ of 200 chemicals in the blood of 10 new-borns. Our babies are beingborn pre-polluted, says Sharyle Patton of Commonweal, which cosponsored Is It inUs? This is going to be the next big environmental issue after climate change.英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.c

33、om 经典奉献 5英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2 上作答。A) analysesB) averageC) belongD) demonstratedE) excessF) extendingG) habituallyI) productsJ) rangingK) releasedL) shockedM) simpleN) surveyO) tracesH) necessarilySection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passag

34、e with ten statements attached to it.Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph fromwhich the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph ismarked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding le

35、tter on Answer Sheet2.In Hard Economy for All Ages, Older Isnt Better. Its BrutalA Young graduates are in debt, out of work and on their parents couches. People intheir 30s and 40s cant afford to buy homes or have children. Retirees are earningnear-zero interest on their savings.B In the current lis

36、tless (缺乏活力的) economy, every generation has a claim to havingbeen most injured. But the Labor Departments latest jobs reports and other recentdata present a strong case for crowning baby boomers (二战后生育高峰期出生的人) A)as the greatest victims of the recession and its dreadful consequences.C These Americans

37、 in their 50s and early 60s those near retirement age who do notyet have access to Medicare and Social Security have lost the most earningspower of any age group, with their household incomes 10 percent below what theymade when the recovery began three years ago, according to Sentier Research, adata

38、 analysis company. Their retirement savings and home values fell sharply at theworst possible time: just before they needed to cash out. They are supporting bothaged parents and unemployed young-adult children, earning them the unluckynickname Generation Squeeze.D New research suggests that they may

39、 die sooner, because their health, income英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 经典奉献 6英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！security and mental well-being were battered (重创) by recession at a crucial time intheir lives. A recent study by economists at Wellesley College found that people wholost their jobs in the

40、few years before becoming qualified for Social Security lost upto three years from their life expectancy (预期寿命), largely because they no longerhad access to affordable health care.E Unemployment rates for Americans nearing retirement are far lower than those foryoung people, who are recently out of

41、school, with fewer skills and a shorter workhistory. But once out of a job, older workers have a much harder time findinganother one. Over the last year, the average duration of unemployment for olderpeople was 53 weeks, compared with 19 weeks for teenagers, according to the LaborDepartments jobs re

42、port released on Friday.F The lengthy process is partly because older workers are more likely to have beenlaid off from industries that are downsizing, like manufacturing. Compared with therest of the population, older people are also more likely to own their own homes andbe less mobile than renters

43、, who can move to new job markets.G Older workers are more likely to have a disability of some sort, perhaps limiting therange of jobs that offer realistic choices. They may also be less inclined, at leastinitially, to take jobs that pay far less than their old positions.H Displaced boomers also bel

44、ieve they are victims of age discrimination, becauseemployers can easily find a young, energetic worker who will accept lower pay andwho can potentially stick around for decades rather than a few years.I In a survey by the center of older workers who were laid off during the recession,just one in si

45、x had found another job, and half of that group had accepted pay cuts.14% of the re-employed said the pay in their new job was less than half what theyearned in their previous job. I just say to myself: Why me? What have 1 done todeserve this? said John Agati, 56, whose last full-time job, as a prod

46、uct developer,ended four years ago when his employer went out of business. That position paid$90,000, and his resume lists jobs at companies like American Express, Disney andUSA Networks. Since being laid off, though, he has worked a series of part-time,low-wage, temporary positions, including selli

47、ng shoes at Lord & Taylor andmaking sales calls for a car company.J The last few years have taken a toll not only on his familys finances, but also on hisfeelings of self-worth. You just get sad, Mr. Agati said. I see people getting up inthe morning, going out to their careers and going home. I just

48、 wish I was doing that.Some people dont like their jobs, or they have problems with their jobs, but at leasttheyre working. I just wish I was in their shoes. He said he cannot afford to go backto school, as many younger people without jobs have done. Even if he could afford it,economists say it is u

49、nclear whether older workers like him benefit much from moreeducation.K It just doesnt make sense to offer retraining for people 55 and older, said DanielHamermesh, an economics professor. Discriminationby age, long-term英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 经典奉献 7英语四级考试网 www.CET4V.com 鼎力帮助考生顺利通过大学英语四级考试！unemploymen

50、t, and the fact that theyre now at the end of the hiring queue justdont make it sensible to invest in them.L Many displaced older workers are taking this message to heart and leaving the laborforce entirely. The share of older people applying for Social Security early rosequickly during the recessio

51、n as people sought whatever income they could find. Thepenalty they will pay is permanent, as retirees who take benefits at age 62 willreceive as much as 30% less in each months check for the rest of their lives than theywould if they had waited until full retirement age (66 for those born after 194

52、2).M Those not yet eligible for Social Security are increasingly applying for another,comparable kind of income support that often goes to people who expect never towork again: disability benefits. More than one in eight people in their late 50s is nowon some form of federal disability insurance pro

53、gram, according to Mark Duggan,chairman of the department of business economics and public policy at theUniversity of Pennsylvanias Wharton School.N The very oldest Americans, of course, were battered by some of the same ill windsthat tormented those now nearing retirement, but at least the most sen

54、ior werecushioned by a more readily available social safety net. More important, in astatistical twist, they may have actually benefited from the financial crisis in themost fundamental way: prolonged lives.O Death rates for people over 65 have historically fallen during recessions, accordingto a No

55、vember 2011 study by economists at the University of California, Davis. Why?The researchers argue that weak job markets push more workers into acceptingrelatively undesirable work at nursing homes, leading to better care for residents.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2 上作答。46. Greater mobility puts younger people at an advantage in seeking new jobs.47. Many of the older workers laid off during the recession had to accept lower pay intheir new jobs.48. Those who has their jobs shortly before retirement age live a