2015年12月四级真题第1套

2015年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第一套）PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthesaying“Listeningismoreimportantthantalking.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustratetheimportanceofpayingattentiontoothers’opinions.Youshouldwriteatleast120words,butnomorethan180words.PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)SectionADirection:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C).andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1and2willbebasedonthefollowingnewsitem.1.A)Dismissingemployeeswithoutgivingadvancenotice.B)Checkingemployees’onlineprivatemessagesatwork.C)Monitoringemployees’performanceonweekends.D)Closingemployees’socialmediaduringworkhours.2.A)Hedidwellinhandlinghisclients’queries.B)Hecreatedaprivateaccountforhisfiancée.C)Hewonthecaseagainsthisemployerrecently.D)Hewasfiredbecauseofbreakingcompanyrules.Questions3and4willbebasedonthefollowingnewsitem.3.A)ItiswidelyusedinKenya.B)Ithasbeenincreasinginvalue.C)Itmakespoorpeople’slifeeasier.D)Itlowersthebuyingpoweroftherich.4.A)Itisanon-profitgrouplocatedinNairobi,Kenya.B)Itworkshardonreplacingthenationalcurrencysystem.C)ItintroducedacommunitycurrencytoavillageinKenya.D)ItmakesaseriesofinvestigationsontradeandjobsinKenya.Questions5and6willbebasedonthefollowingnewsitem.5.A)Severalstatesdeclaredaneconomicemergency.B)Manywomenaretoooldtogetpregnant.C)Somebabieswerebornwithbraindefects.D)Birthrateshavefallendowngreatly.6.A)10B)29C)2,400D)3,1007.A)Amosquito-bornevirus.B)Aseverechestinfection.C)Theshortageofmedicine.D)BacteriafromLatinAmerica.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C),andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.ConversationOneQuestions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.8.A)ItisusedbymorepeoplethanEnglish.B)ItismoredifficulttolearnthanEnglish.C)ItwillbeascommonlyusedasEnglish.D)Itwilleventuallybecomeaworldlanguage.9.A)Itspopularitywiththecommonpeople.B)TheeffectoftheIndustrialRevolution.C)TheinfluenceoftheBritishEmpire.D)Itsloanwordsfrommanylanguages.10.A)Ithasagrowingnumberofnewlycoinedwords.B)Itincludesalotofwordsfromotherlanguages.C)Itisthelargestamongalllanguagesintheworld.D)Itcanbeeasilypickedupbyoverseastravelers.11.A)TheEnglishgrammarisquiteeasy.B)ItisgreatlyinfluencedbyFrench.C)Itcouldbepronouncedeasily.D)ItisattractivetoEnglandbeginners.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12.A)Toplaceanorder.B)Toapplyforajob.C)Toreturnsomegoods.D)Tomakeacomplaint.13.A)Heworksonapart-timebasisforthecompany.B)Hehasnotworkedinthesalesdepartmentforlong.C)Heisnotfamiliarwiththeexactdetailsofthegoods.D)Hehasbecomesomewhatimpatientwiththewoman.14.A)Itisnothisresponsibility.B)Itwillbefreeforlargeorders.C)Itdependsonanumberoffactors.D)Itcosts￡15moreforexpressdelivery.15.A)Makeinquirieswithsomeothercompanies.B)Reporttheinformationtohersuperior.C)Payavisittothesaleswomanincharge.D)Ringbackwhenshecomestoadecision.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassage.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C),andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A)Nooneknowsforsurewhentheycameintobeing.B)Nooneknowsexactlywheretheywerefirstmade.C)Nooneknowsforwhatpurposetheywereinvented.D)Nooneknowswhattheywilllooklikeinthefuture.17.A)Measurethespeedofwind.B)Givewarningsofdanger.C)Passonsecretmessages.D)Carryropesacrossrivers.18.A)Tofindoutthestrengthofsilkforkites.

B)Totesttheeffectsofthelightningrod.C)Toprovethatlightningiselectricity.D)Toprotecthousesagainstlightning.PassageTwoQuestions19to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A)Shewasbornwithatalentforlanguages.B)Shewastaintedtobeaninterpreter.C)Shecanspeakseverallanguages.D)Sheenjoysteachinglanguages.20.A)Theywanttolearnasmanyforeignlanguagesaspossible.B)Theyhaveanintenseinterestincross-culturalinteractions.C)Theyacquireanimmunitytocultureshock.D)Theywouldliketoliveabroadpermanently.21.A)Shebecameanexpertinhorseracing.B)Shelearnedtoappreciateclassicalmusic.C)ShewasabletotranslateforaGermansportsjudge.D)ShegotachancetovisitseveralEuropeancountries.22.A)Takepartinacookingcompetition.B)Tastethebeefandgivehercomment.C)TeachvocabularyforfoodinEnglish.D)GivecookinglessonsonWesternfood.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.23.A)Hehadonlyathird-gradeeducation.B)Heoncethreatenedtokillhisteacher.C)Heoftenhelpedhismotherdohousework.D)Hegrewupinapoorsingle-parentfamily.24.A)Careless.B)Stupid.C)Brave.D)Active.25.A)WatcheducationalTVprogramsonly.B)Writetwobookreportsaweek.C)Helpwithhousework.D)Keepadiary.PartⅢReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecenter.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Scholarsoftheinformationsocietyaredividedoverwhethersocialinequalitydecreasesorincreasesinaninformation-basedsociety.However,theygenerallyagreewiththeideathatinequalityintheinformationsocietyis26differentfromthatofanindustrialsociety.Asinformationprogressesinsociety,thecauseandstructuralnatureofsocialinequalitychangesaswell.Itseemsthattheinformationsociety27thequantityofinformationavailabletothemembersofasocietybyrevolutionizingthewaysofusingandexchanginginformation.Butsuchaviewisa28analysisbasedonthequantityofinformationsuppliedbyvariousformsofthemassmedia.Adifferent29ispossiblewhentheactualamountofinformation30bytheuseristakenintoaccount.Infact,themoreinformation31throughouttheentiresociety,thewiderthegapbecomesbetween“informationhaves”and“informationhave-mots”,leadingtodigitaldivide.Accordingtorecentstudies,digitaldividehasbeencausedbythreemajor32class,sex,andgeneration.Intermsofclass,digitaldivideexistsamongdifferenttypesofworkersandbetweentheupperandmiddleclassesandthelowerclass.With33tosex,digitaldivideexistsbetweenmenandwomen.Thegreatestgap,however,isbetweentheNet-generation,34withpersonalcomputersandtheInternet,andtheoldergeneration,35toanindustrialsociety.A)accustomedB)acquiredC)assemblyD)attributeE)championsF)elementsG)expandsH)familiarI)flowsJ)fundamentallyK)interpretationL)passiveM)regardN)respectivelyO)superficialSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.Joy:ASubjectSchoolsLackBecomingeducatedshouldnotrequiregivinguppleasure.[A]WhenJonathanSwiftproposed,in1729,thatthepeopleofIrelandeattheirchildren,heinsisteditwouldsolvethreeproblemsatonce:feedthehungrymasses,reducethepopulationduringaseveredepression,andstimulatetherestaurantbusiness.Evenasasatire(讽刺),itseemsdisgustingandshockinginAmericawithitschild-centeredculture.Butactually,thecountryisclosertohisproposalthanyoumightthink.[B]Ifyouspendmuchtimewitheducatorsandpolicymakers,you'llhearalotofthefollowingwords:“standards”,“results”,“skills”,“self-control”,“accountability”,andsoon.Ihavevisitedsomeofthenewersupposedly“effective”schools,wherechildrenshoutslogansinordertolearnself-controlormuststandbehindtheirdeskwhentheycan’tsitstill.[C]Alookatwhatgoesoninmostclassroomsthesedaysmakesitabundantlyclearthatwhenpeoplethinkabouteducation,theyarenotthinkingaboutwhatitfeelsliketobeachild,orwhatmakeschildhoodanimportantandvaluablestageoflifeinitsownright.[D]I’mamotherofthree,ateacher,andadevelopmentalpsychologist.SoI’vewatchedalotofchildren-talking,playing,arguing,eating,studying,andbeingyoung.Here’swhatI’vecometounderstand.Thethingthatsetschildrenapartfromadultsisnottheirignorance,northeirlackofskills.It’stheirenormouscapacityforjoy.Thinkofa3-year-oldlostinthepleasuresoffindingoutwhathecanandcannotsinkinthebathtub,a5-year-oldbesideherselfwiththethrillofputtingtogetherstringsofnonsensicalwordswithherbestfriends,oran11-year-oldcompletelyabsorbedinafascinatingcomicstrip.Achild’sabilitytobecomedeeplyabsorbedinsomething,andderiveintensepleasurefromthatabsorption,issomethingadultsspendtherestoftheirlivestryingtoreturnto.[E]Afriendtoldmethefollowingstory.Oneday,whenhewenttogethis7-year-oldsonfromsoccerpractice,hiskidgreetedhimwithadowncastfaceandasadvoice.Thecoachhadcriticizedhimfornotfocusingonhissoccerdrills.Thelittleboywalkedoutoftheschoolwithhisheadandshouldershangingdown.Heseemedwrappedinsadness.Butjustbeforehereachedthecardoor,hesuddenlystopped,crouching(蹲伏)downtopeeratsomethingonthesidewalk.Hisfacewentdownlowerandlower,andthen,withcompletejoyhecalledout,“Dad.Comehere.ThisisthestrangestbugI’veeverseen.Ithas,like,amillionlegs.Lookatthis.It’samazing.”Helookedupathisfather,hisfeaturesoverflowingwithenergyanddelight.Can’twestayhereforjustaminute?Iwanttofindoutwhathedoeswithallthoselegs.Thisisthecoolestever.[F]Thetraditionalviewofsuchmomentsisthattheyconstituteacharmingbutirrelevantbyproductofyouth-somethingtobepushedasidetomakeroomformoreimportantqualities,likeperseverance(坚持不懈),obligation,andpracticality.Yetmomentslikethisonearejustthekindofintenseabsorptionandpleasureadultsspendtherestoftheirlivesseeking.Humanlivesaregovernedbythedesiretoexperiencejoy.Becomingeducatedshouldnotrequiregivingupjoybutratherleadtofindingjoyinnewkindsofthings:readingnovelsinsteadofplayingwithsmallfigures,conductingexperimentsinsteadofsinkingcupsinthebathtub,anddebatingseriousissuesratherthanstringingtogethernonsensewords,forexample.Insomecases,schoolsshouldhelpchildrenfindnew,moregrown-upwaysofdoingthesamethingsthatareconstantsourcesofjoy:makingart,makingfriends,makingdecisions.[G]Buildingonachild’sabilitytofeeljoy,ratherthanpushingitaside,wouldn'tbethathard.Itwouldjustrequireashiftintheeducationworld’smindset(思维模式).Insteadoftryingtogetchildrentoworkhard,whynotfocusongettingthemtotakepleasureinmeaningful,productiveactivity,likemakingthings,workingwithothers,exploringideas,andsolvingproblems?Thesefocusesarenotsodifferentfromthethingsinwhichtheydelight.[H]Beforeyoubrushthisargumentasideasrubbish,orthinkofjoyasanunaffordableluxuryinanationwherethereisawfulpoverty,lowacademicachievement,andhighdropoutrates,thinkagain.Themorehorribletheschoolcircumstances,themoreimportantpleasureistoachievinganyeducationalsuccess.[I]Manyoftheassignmentsandrulesteacherscomeupwith,oftenbecausetheyarepressuredbytheiradministrators,treatpleasureandjoyastheenemiesofcompetenceandresponsibility.Theassumptionisthatchildrenshouldn’tchatintheclassroombecauseithindershardwork;instead,theyshouldlearntodelaygratification(快乐)sothattheycanpursueabstractgoals,likegoingtocollege.[J]Notonlyisthisaboringandawfulwaytotreatchildren,itmakesnosenseeducationally.Decadesofresearchhaveshownthatinordertoacquireskillsandrealknowledgeinschool,kidsneedtowanttolearn.Youcanforceachildtostayinhisorherseat,filloutaworksheet,orpracticedivision.Butyoucan’tforcethechildtothinkcarefully,enjoybooks,digestcomplexinformation,ordevelopatasteforlearning.Tomakethathappen,youhavetohelpthechildfindpleasureinlearning-toseeschoolasasourceofjoy.[K]Adultstendtotalkaboutlearningasifitweremedicine:unpleasant,butnecessaryandgoodforyou.Whynotinsteadthinkoflearningasifitwerefood—somethingsovaluabletohumansthattheyhaveevolvedtoexperienceitasapleasure?[L]Joyshouldnotbetrainedoutofchildrenorleftforafter-schoolprograms.Themoredifficultachild’slifecircumstances,themoreimportantitisforthatchildtofindjoyinhisorherclassroom.“Pleasure”isnotadirtyword.Anditdoesn’truncountertothegoalsofpubliceducation.Itis,infact,theprecondition.36.Itwillnotbedifficulttomakelearningasourceofjoyifeducatorschangetheirwayofthinking.37.Whatdistinguisheschildrenfromadultsistheirstrongabilitytoderivejoyfromwhattheyaredoing.38.ChildreninAmericaarebeingtreatedwithshockingcruelty.39.Itishumannaturetoseekjoyinlife.40.Grown-upsarelikelytothinkthatlearningtochildreniswhatmedicineistopatients.41.Badschoolconditionsmakeitallthemoreimportanttoturnlearningintoajoyfulexperience.42.Adultsdonotconsiderchildren’sfeelingswhenitcomestoeducation.43.Administratorsseemtobelievethatonlyhardworkwillleadchildrentotheireducationalgoals.44.Intheso-called“effective”schools,childrenaretaughtself-controlunderasetofstrictrules.45.Tomakelearningeffective,educatorshavetoensurethatchildrenwanttolearn.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Whenit’sfiveo’clock,peopleleavetheiroffice.Thelengthoftheworkday,formanyworkers,isdefinedbytime.Theyleavewhentheclocktellsthemthey’redone.Thesedays,thetimeiseverywhere:notjustonclocksorwatches,butoncell-phonesandcomputers.Thatmaybeabadthing,particularlyatwork.Newresearchshowsthatclock-basedworkscheduleshindermorale(士气)andcreativity.Clock-timersorganizetheirdaybyblocksofminutesandhours.Forexample:ameetingfrom9a.m.to10a.m.researchfrom10a.m.tonoon,etc.Ontheotherhand,task-timershavealistofthingstheywanttoaccomplish.Theyworkdownthelist,eachtaskstartswhentheprevioustaskiscompleted.Itissaidthatallofusemployamixofboththesetypesofplanning.What,then,aretheeffectsofthinkingabouttimeinthesedifferentways?Doesonemakeusmoreproductive?Betteratthetasksathand?Happier?InexperimentsconductedbyTamarAvnetandAnne-LaureSellier,theyhadparticipantsorganizedifferentactivities-fromprojectplanning,holidayshopping,toyoga-bytimeorto-dolisttomeasurehowtheyperformedunder“clocktime”vs“tasktinge.”Theyfoundclocktimerstobemoreefficientbutlesshappybecausetheyfeltlittlecontrolovertheirlives.Tasktimersarehappierandmorecreative,butlessproductive.Theytendtoenjoythemomentwhensomethinggoodishappening,andseizeopportunitiesthatcomeup.Theresearchersarguethattask-basedorganizingtendstobeundervaluedandunder-supportedinbusinessculture.Smartcompanies,theybelieve,willtrytobakemoretask-basedplanningintotheirstrategies.Thismightbeasmallchangetothewayweviewworkandtheoffice,buttheresearchersarguethatitchallengesawidespreadcharacteristicoftheeconomy:workorganizedbyclocktime.Whilemostpeoplewillstillprobablyneed,andbe,tosomeextent,clock-timers,task-basedtimingshouldbeusedwhenperformingajobthatrequiresmorecreativity.It’llmakethosetaskseasier,andthetask-doerswillbehappier.46.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftimedisplayedeverywhere?A)Itmakeseverybodytime-conscious.B)Itisaconvenienceforworkandlife.C)Itmayhaveanegativeeffectoncreativework.D)Itclearlyindicatesthefastpaceofmodernlife.47.Howdopeopleusuallygoabouttheirworkaccordingtotheauthor?A)Theycombineclock-basedandtask-basedplanning.B)Theygiveprioritytothemosturgenttaskonhand.C)Theysetatimelimitforeachspecifictask.D)Theyaccomplishtheirtasksonebyone.48.WhatdidTamarAvnetandAnne-LaureSellierfindintheirexperimentsaboutclock-timers?A)Theyseizeopportunitiesastheycomeup.B)Theyalwaysgettheirworkdoneintime.C)Theyhavemorecontrol-overtheirlives.D)Theytendtobemoreproductive.49.Whatdotheresearcherssayabouttoday’sbusinessculture?A)Itdoesnotsupportthestrategiesadoptedbysmartcompanies.B)Itdoesnotattachenoughimportancetotask-basedpractice.C)Itplacesmoreemphasisonworkefficiencythanonworkers’lives.D)Itaimstobringemployees’potentialandcreativityintofullplay.50.Whatdotheresearcherssuggest?A)Task-basedtimingispreferredfordoingcreativework.B)Itisimportanttokeepabalancebetweenworkandlife.C)Performingcreativejobstendstomakeworkershappier.D)Ascientificstandardshouldbeadoptedinjobevaluation.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.MarthaStewartwascharged,triedandconvictedofacrimein2004.Asshenearedtheendofherprisonsentence,awell-knowncolumnistwrotethatshewas“payingherdues,”andthat“thereissimplynoreasonforanyonetoattempttodenyherrighttostartanew.”Surely,theAmericanidealofsecondchancesshouldnotbereservedonlyfortherichandpowerful.Unfortunately,manyfederalandstatelawsimposepost-convictionrestrictionsonashockinglylargenumberofAmericans,whoarepreventedfromeverfullypayingtheirdebttosociety.Atleast65millionpeopleintheUnitedStateshaveacriminalrecord.Thiscanresultinseverepenaltiesthatcontinuelongafterpunishmentiscompleted.Manyofthesepenaltiesareimposedregardlessoftheseriousnessoftheoffenseortheperson’sindividualcircumstances.Lawscanrestrictorbanvoting,accesstopublichousing,andprofessionalandbusinesslicensing.Theycanaffectaperson’sabilitytogetajobandqualificationforbenefits.Inall,morethan45,000lawsandrulesservetoexcludevastnumbersofpeoplefromfullyparticipatinginAmericanlife.Somelawsmakesense.Nooneadvocateslettingsomeoneconvictedofpedophilia(恋童癖)workinaschool.Buttoooftencollateral(随附的)consequencesbearnorelationtopublicsafety.Shouldawomanwhopossessedasmallamountofdrugsyearsagobepermanentlyunabletobelicensedasanurse?Theselawsarealsocounterproductive,sincetheymakeitharderforpeoplewithcriminalrecordstofindhousingorlandajob,twokeyfactorsthatreduceb