2015年12月四级真题第3套

PAGEPAGE10大学英语四级考试201512PartI Writing (30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthesaying“Nevergoouttheretoseewhathappens,goouttheretomakethingshappen.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustratetheimportanceofbeingparticipantsratherthanmereonlookersinlife.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartI Listening (30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.A)AlawsuithasbeenfiledagainstMalaysiaAirlines.C)Thecauseofthedisappearancehasbeenunveiled.B)Themissingpassengers’bodieshavebeenfound.D)FlightMH370gotlostduringitstriptoHongKong.A)OnabeachinMozambique. C)InReunionIsland.B)InMalaysia. D)InBeijing.Questions3and4arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.A)Becausetheyareusedtolivinghere.Becauseitischeaperforthemtolivehere.Becauseitiseasierforthemtogetajob.Becausethegovernmentforcedthemtolivehere.A)Thesnowstorm. C)Thewar.B)Thebombing. D)Thestarvation.Questions5to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.A)Enrichingthemenu. C)Openingnewbranches.B)Meetingcustomerneeds. D)Improvingcustomersales.A)U.S.-basedMcDonald’spresident. C)McDonald’sJapan’spresident.B)McDonald’sJapan’scustomer. D)U.S.-basedMcDonald’scustomer.7.A)In1971. C)In1997.B)In1991. D)In2015.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)HostinganeveningTVprogram. C)Lecturingonbusinessmanagement.B)Havingherbicyclerepaired.. D)Conductingamarketsurvey.A)Herepairedbicycles. C)Heworkedasasalesman.B)Heservedasaconsultant. D)Hecoachedinaracingclub.A)Hewantedtobehisownboss. C)Hedidn’twanttostartfromscratch.B)Hefounditmoreprofitable. D)Hedidn’twanttobeintoomuchdebt.A)Theyworkfivedaysaweek. C)Theyarepaidbythehour.B)Theyarealltheman’sfriends. D)Theyallenjoygambling.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Ithasgraduallygivenwaytoserviceindustry.Itremainsamajorpartofindustrialactivity.Ithasahistoryaslongaspaperprocessing.Itaccountsfor80percentoftheregion’sGDP.A)Transportproblems. C)Lackofresources.B)Shortageoffunding. D)Poormanagement.A)Competitionfromrivalcompanies.Productpromotioncampaigns.Possiblelocationsforanewfactory.Measurestocreatejobopportunities.A)It’sjustso-so. C)Itsverygoodandimproving.B)Itsperfect. D)Itsdisappointing.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Attheendofeachpassage，youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Theysharedmutualfriendsinschool.Theyhadknowneachothersincechildhood.Theysharedmanyextracurricularactivities.Theyhadmanyinterestsincommon.A)Atalocalclub. C)Atthesportscenter.B)AtJoe’shouse. D)Attheboardingschool.A)Durablefriendshipscanbeverydifficulttomaintain.Onehastoberespectfulofotherpeopleinordertowinrespect.Itishardforpeoplefromdifferentbackgroundstobecomefriends.Socialdivisionswillbreakdownifpeoplegettoknoweachother.Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Neartheentranceofapark. C)Ataparkingmeter.B)Inhisbuildingsparkinglot. D)Atastreetcorner.A)Ithadbeentakenbythepolice. C)Ithadbeenstolenbysomeone.B)Ithadbeenmovedtothenextblock. D)Ithadbeenparkedatawrongplace.A)AttheGreenvillecenter. C)Inaneighboringtown.B)Atapublicparkinglot. D)Inthecitygarage.Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Famouscreativeindividuals. C)Amajorscientificdiscovery.B)Themysteriousnessofcreativity. D)Creativityasshowninarts.A)Itissomethingpeopleallengagein. C)Itstartssoonafterweareborn.B)Ithelpspeopleacquireknowledge. D)Itisthesourceofallartisticwork.A)Creativeimagination. C)Naturalcuriosity.B)Logicalreasoning. D)Criticalthinking.A)Itisbeyondordinarypeople. C)Itispartofeverydaylife.B)Itisyettobefullyunderstood. D)Itisauniquehumantrait.PartIII ReadingComprehension (40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Question26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.FormanyAmericans,2013endedwithanunusuallybittercoldspell.LateNovemberandDecember36earlysnowandbone-chillingtemperaturesinmuchofthecountry,partofayearwhen,forthefirsttimeintwo37,record-colddayswilllikelyturnouttohaveoutnumberedrecord-warmones.ButtheU.S.wastheexception:Novemberwasthewarmestever38,andcurrentdataindicatesthat2013islikelytohavebeenthefourthhottestyearonrecord.Enjoythesnownow,because39aregoodthat2014willbeevenhotter,perhapsthehottestyearsincerecordshavebeenkept.That’sbecause,scientistsarepredicting,2014willbeanElNinoyear.A)additionalI)logicallyB)associatedJ)occursC)boreK)populationsD)chancesL)realizeE)communicatedM)reduceF)decadesN)sawG)ExperiencesO)SpecificH)globallyElNino,Spanishfor“thechild”,40whensurfaceoceanwatersinthesouthernPacificbecomeabnormallywarm.SolargeisthePacific,covering30%oftheplanet’ssurface,thatthe41energygeneratedbyitswarmingisenoughtotouchoffaseriesofweatherchangesaroundtheworld.ElNinosare42withabnormallydryA)additionalI)logicallyB)associatedJ)occursC)boreK)populationsD)chancesL)realizeE)communicatedM)reduceF)decadesN)sawG)ExperiencesO)SpecificH)globallySectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.HowtoEatWellWhydosomanyAmericanseattonsofprocessedfood,thestuffthatiscorrectlycalledjunk(垃圾）andshouldreallycarrywarninglabels?It’snotbecausefreshingredientsarehardtocomeby.Supermarketsoffermorevarietythanever,andthereareoverfourtimesasmanyfarmers,marketsintheU.S.astherewere20yearsago.Norisitforlackofavailableinformation.Thereareplentyofrecipes（食谱）how-tovideosandcookingclassesavailabletoanyonewhohasacomputer,smartphoneortelevision.Ifanything,theinformationisoverwhelming.Andyetwearen’tcooking.IfyoueatthreemealsadayandbehavelikemostAmericans,youprobablygetatleastathirdofyourdailycalories(卡路里）outsidethehome.Nearlytwothirdsofusgrabfastfoodonceaweek,andwegetalmost25%ofourdailycaloriesfromsnacks.Sowe’reeatingoutortakingin,andwedon’tsitdown—orwedobutwehurry.Shouldn’tpreparing—andconsuming—foodbeasourceofcomfort,pride,health,well-being,relaxation,sociability?Somethingthatconnectsustootherhumans?Whywoudwewantoharmful?

外包hsbascas,espeaywhenousourcngtssoWhenItalkaboutcooking,I’mnottalkingaboutcreatingelaboratedinnerpartiesorthree-dayscienceprojects.I’mtalkingaboutsimple,easy,everydaymeals.Mymissionistoencouragegreenhandsandthoselackingtimeormoneytofeedthemselves.Thatmeansweneedmodest,realisticexpectations,andweneedtoteachpeopletocookfoodthat’sgoodenoughtosharewithfamilyandfriends.”Perhapsareturntorealcookingneedn’tbefaroff.ArecentHarrispollrevealedthat79%ofAmericanssaytheyenjoycookingand30%“loveit”;14%admittonotenjoyingkitchenworkandjust7%won’tgonearthestoveatall.Butthisdoesn’tnecessarilytranslatetorealcooking,andtheresultofthissurveyshouldn’tsurpriseanyone:52%ofthose65oroldercookathomefiveormoretimesperweek;onlyathirdofyoungpeopledo.Backinthe1950smostofusgrewupinhouseholdswhereMomcookedvirtuallyeverynight.Theintentiontoputahome-cookedmealonthetablewasprettymuchuniversal.Mostpeoplecouldn’taffordtodootherwise.Althoughfrozendinnerswereinventedinthe40s,theirpopularitydidn’tboomuntiltelevisionsbecamepopularadecadeorsolater.Sincethen,packaged,pre-preparedmealshavebeenwhat’sfordinner.Themicrowaveandfast-foodchainswerethebiggestcatalyst(催化剂）,butthebigfoodcompanies—whichwanttosellanythingexcepttherawingredientsthatgointocooking—madethehomecookanendangeredspecies.Still,Ifinditstrangethatonlyathirdofyoungpeoplereportpreparingmealsathomeregularly.Isn’tthisthesamecrowdthatrailsagainstprocessedjunkandchampionscraftcooking?Andisn’tthisthegenerationwhosaythey’veconcernedabouttheirhealthandthewell-beingoftheplanet?Ifthesearetrulythevaluesofmanyyoungpeople,thentheirbehaviordoesn’tmatchtheirbeliefs.Therehavebeenhalf-heartedbutwell-publicizedeffortsbysomefoodcompaniestoreducecaloriesintheirprocessedfoods,buttheStandardAmericanDietisstillthepolaroppositeofthehealthy,mostlyplant-baseddietthatjustabouteveryexpertsaysweshouldbeeating.Consideringthatthegovernment’sstandardsarenotnearlyambitiousenough,thepictureisclear:bynotcookingathome,we’renoteatingtherightthings,andtheconsequencesarehardtooverstate.Tohelpquantify（量化）costsofapoordietIrecentlytriedtoestimatethisimpactintermsofamostfamousfood,theburger（汉堡包）.Iconcludedthattheprofitfromburgersismorethanoffset（抵消）bythedamagetheycauseinhealthproblemsandenvironmentalharm?Cookingrealfoodisthebestdefense—nottomentionthatanymealyou’velikelytoeatathomecontainsabout200fewercaloriesthanoneyouwouldeatinarestaurant. TothoseAmericansforwhommoneyisaconcern,myadviceissimple:Buywhatyoucanafford,andcookityourself.Thecommonprescriptionistoprimarilyshopthegrocerystore,sincethat’swherefreshproduce,meatandseafood,anddairyare.Andtosavemoneyandstilleatwellyoudon’tneedlocal,organicingredients;allyouneedisrealfood.I’mnotsayinglocalfoodisn’tbetter;itis.Butthereisplentyofdecentfoodinthegrocerystores.Theothersectionsyoushouldgettoknowarethefrozenfoodsandthecannedgoods.Frozenproduceisstillproduce;cannedtomatoesarestilltomatoes.Justmakesureyou’regettingrealfoodwithouttonsofaddedsaltorsugar.Askyourself,wouldGrandmaconsiderthisfood?Doesitlooklikesomethingthatmightoccurinnature?It’sprettymuchcommonsense:youwanttobuyfood,notunidentifiablefoodlikeobjects.Youdon’thavetohitthegrocerystoredaily,nordoyouneedanabundanceofskill.SincefewerthanhalfofAmericanssaytheycookatanintermediatelevelandonly20%describetheircookingskillsasadvanced,thecrisisisoneofconfidence.Andtheonlyremedyforthatispractice.There’snothingmysteriousaboutcookingtheeveningmeal.Youjusthavetodoalittlethinkingaheadandredefinewhatqualifiesasdinner.Likeanyskill,cookinggetseasierasyoudoitmore;everytimeyoucook,youadvanceyourlevelofskills.Somedayyouwon’tevenneedrecipes.Myadviceisthatyounotpayattentiontothenumberofstepsandingredients,becausetheycanbedeceiving.Time,Irealize,isthebiggestobstacletocookingformostpeople.Youmustadjustyourprioritiestofindtimetocook.Forinstance,youcanmoveaTVtothekitchenandwatchyourfavoriteshowswhileyou’restandingatthesink.Nooneisaskingyoutogiveupactivitiesyoulike,butifyou’rewatchingfoodshowsonTV,trycookinginstead.Cookingbenefitspeopleinmanywaysandenablesthemtoconnectwithoneanother.AbundantinformationaboutcookingisavailableeitheronlineoronTV.Youngpeopledolesscookingathomethantheelderlythesedays.Cookingskillscanbeimprovedwithpractice.Inthemid-20thcentury,mostfamiliesatedinnerathomeinsteadofeatingout.Eventhoseshortoftimeormoneyshouldbeencouragedtocookforthemselvesandtheirfamily.Eatingfoodnotcookedbyourselvescancauseseriousconsequences.Toeatwellandstillsavemoney,peopleshouldbuyfreshfoodandcookitthemselves.Wegetafairlylargeportionofcaloriesfromfastfoodandsnacks.ThepopularityofTVledtothepopularityoffrozenfood.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Thewalletisheadingforextinction.Asaday-to-dayessential,itwilldieoffwiththegenerationwhoreadprintnewspapers.Thekindofshopping—whereyouhandovernotesandcountoutchangeinreturn—nowhappensonlyinthemostminorofourretailencounters,likebuyingabarofchocolateorapintofmilkfromacomershop.Attheshopswhereyouspendanyrealmoney,thatmoneyisincreasinglyabstracted.Andthisismoreandmoretrue,thehigherupthescaleyougo.Atthemostcutting-edgeretailstores—VictoriaBeckhamonDoverStreet,forinstance—youdon’tgoandstandatanykindofcashregisterwhenyoudecidetopay.ThestaffareequippedwithiPadstotakeyourpaymentwhileyourelaxonasofa.Whichisnothingmoreorlessthanexcellentservice,ifyouhavethemoney.Butacrosssociety,theabstractionoftheideaofcashmakesmeuneasy.MaybeI’mjustold-fashioned.Butearningmoneyisn’tquickoreasyformostofus.Isn’titabitweirdthatspendingitshouldhappeninhalfablink(眨眼）ofaneye?Doesn’tawallet—thattime-honouredFriday-nightfeelingofpleasing,promisingfatness—representsomethingthatmatters?ButI’llleavetheeconomicstotheexperts.Whatbothersmeaboutthedeathofthewalletisthechangeitrepresentsinourphysicalenvironment.Everythingaboutthelookandfeelofawallet—thewaythefasteningsandmaterialswearandtearandloosenwithage,theplasticandpaperandgoldandsilver,andhandwrittenphonenumbersandprintedcinematickets—istheveryoppositeofwhatourworldisbecoming.TheoppositeofawalletisasmartphoneoraniPad.Theroundededges,coolglass,smoothandunknowableasapebe(鹅卵石.nseadofdinghrouhpecesofpaperandpeerngnocoers,wemoveourfingersleftandright.Nomorecountingoutcoins.Showyourwallet,ifyoustillhaveone.Itmaynotbeheremuchlonger.Whatishappeningtothewallet?Itisdisappearing.Itisbeingfattened.Itisbecomingcostly,Itischanginginstyle.Howarebusinesstransactionsdoneinbigmodernstores?Individually.Electronically.Intheabstract.Viaacashregister.Whatmakestheauthorfeeluncomfortablenowadays?Savingmoneyisbecomingathingofthepast.ThepleasingFriday-nightfeelingisfading.Earningmoneyisgettingmoredifficult.Spendingmoneyissofastandeasy.Whydoestheauthorchoosetowriteaboutwhat’shappeningtothewallet?Itrepresentsachangeinthemodemworld.Ithassomethingtodowitheverybody’slife.Itmarkstheendofatime-honouredtradition.Itistheconcernofcontemporaryeconomists.Whatcanweinferfromthepassageabouttheauthor?Heisresistanttosocialchanges.Heisagainsttechnologicalprogress.Hefeelsreluctanttopartwiththetraditionalwallet.Hefeelsinsecureintheever-changingmodemworld.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Everybodysleeps,butwhatpeoplestayuplatetocatch—orwakeupearlyinordernottomiss—variesbyculture.Fromdatacollected,itseemsthethingsthatcauseustolosethemostsleep,onaverage,aresportingevents,timechanges,andholidays.Aroundtheworld,peoplechangedsleeppatternsthankstothestartorendofdaylightsavingstime,Russians,forexample,begantowakeupaboutahalf-hourlatereachdayafterPresidentVladimirPutinshiftedthecountrypermanentlyto“wintertime”startingonOctober26.Russia’sotherlatenightsandearlymorningsgenerallycorrespondtopublicholidays.OnNewYear’sEve,Russianshavetheworld’slatestbedtime,hittingthehayataround3:30a.m.RussiansalsogetupanhourlateronInternationalWomen’sDay,thedayfortreatingandcelebratingfemalerelatives.Similarly,Americans,latenights,latemornings,andlongestsleepsfallonthree-dayweekends.CanadagottheleastsleepoftheyearthenightitbeatSwedenintheOlympichocey（冰球.heordupsasochefyresponsbeforseepdepraon剥夺.TheworstnightforsleepintheU.KwasthenightoftheEngland-ItalymatchonJune14.Britsstayedupahalf-hourlatertowatchit,andthen