2015年12月大學(xué)英語四級考試真題及答案(第1套)

1、2015 年 12 月大學(xué)英語四級考試真題(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 "Listening is more important than talking. " You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of paying attention to others' opinion

2、s. You should write at least 120 words, but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 3 news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear some questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only

3、once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B,C, and D .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1 . A. Dismissing employees without givin

4、g advance notice.B. Checking employees online private messages at work.C. Monitoring employees performance on weekends.D. Closing employees msoecdiaial during work hours.2 . A. He did well in handling his clients queries.B. He created a private account for his fianc e.eC. He won the case against his

5、 employer recently.D. He was fired because of breaking company rules.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3 . A. It is widely used in Kenya.B. It has been increasing in value.C. It makes poor people s life easier.D. It lowers the buying power of the rich.4 . A. It is a non-prof

6、it group located in Nairobi, Kenya.B. It works hard on replacing the national currency system.C. It introduced a community currency to a village in Kenya.D. It makes a series of investigations on trade and jobs in Kenya.Questions 5 and 6 will be based on the following news item.5 . A. Several states

7、 declared an economic emergency.B. Many women are too old to get pregnant.C. Some babies were born with brain defects.D. Birth rates have fallen down greatly.6 . A. 10 B. 29 C. 2,400 D. 3,1007 . A. A mosquito-borne virus8 . A severe chest infection9 . The shortage of medicine.10 Bacteria from Latin

8、America.Section BDirections : In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marke

9、d A, B, C, and D.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center. Conversation OneQuestions 8 and 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.11 A.It is used by more people than English.B.It is more difficult to learn than English.C.It will be as c

10、ommonly used as English.D.It will eventually become a world language.12 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.13 .A.It has a growing number of newly coined words.B.It includes a lot

11、 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 travelers.14 .A.The English grammar is quite easy.B.It is greatly influenced by French.C.It could be pronounced easily.D.It is attractive to English beginners.Conversation Two

12、Questions 12 and 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.15 .A.To place an order.B.To apply for a job.C.To return some goods.D.To make a complaint.16 .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

13、 details of the goods.D.He has become somewhat impatient with the woman.17 .A.It is not his responsibility.B.It will be free for large orders.C.It depends on a number of factors.D.It costs £ 15 more for express delivery.18 .A.Make inquiries with some other companies.B.Report the information to

14、her superior.C.Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge.D.Ring back when she comes to a decision.Section CDirections: 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

15、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.19 .A.No one knows for sure when they came i

16、nto 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.20 .A.Measure the speed of wind.B.Give warnings of danger.C.Pass on secret messages.D.Carry ropes across rivers.21 .A.To find out the s

17、trength 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 TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.22 .A.She was born with a talent for languages.B.She was tainted to be an int

18、erpreter.C.She can speak several languages.D.She enjoys teaching languages.23 .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.24 .A.She

19、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.25 .A.Take part in a cooking competition.B.Taste the beef and give her comment.C.Teach vocabulary for food in Engl

20、ish.D.Give cooking lessons on Western food.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.26 .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.27 .A.Stupi

21、d.B.Active.C.Brave.D.Careless.28 .A.Watch educational TV programs only.B.Write two book reports a week.C.Help with housework.D.Keep a diary.Part in 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

22、 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 center. You m

23、ay not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.Scholars 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 inequal

24、ity in the information society is 26 different from that of an industrial society. As information progresses in society, the cause and structural nature of social inequality changes as well.It seems that the information society 27 the quantity of information available to the members of a society by

25、revolutionizing the ways of using and exchanging information. But such a view is a 28 analysis based on the quantity of information supplied by various forms of the mass media. A different 29 is possible when the actual amount of information 30 by the user is taken into account. In fact, the more in

26、formation 31 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 32: class, sex, and generation. In terms of class, d

27、igital divide exists among different types of workers and between the upper and middle classes and the lower class.With 33 to sex, digital divide exists between men and women.The greatest gap, however, is between the Net-generation, 34 with personal computers and the Internet, and the older generati

28、on, 35 to an industrial society.A.accustomedB.acquiredC.assemblyD.attributeE.championsF.elementsG.expandsH.familiarI.flowsJ.fundamentallyK.interpretationL.passiveM.regardN.respectivelyO.superficialSection BDirections : In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to

29、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.Joy: A Subje

30、ct Schools LackBecoming educated should not require giving up pleasure.A.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 t

31、he restaurant business.Even as a satire （諷刺 ）, 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

32、:"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 the

33、y 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 mo

34、ther 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

35、'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

36、 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 s

37、occer practice, his kid greeted him with a downcast face and a sad voice.The coach had criticized him for not 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 suddenl

38、y 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 f

39、ather, 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-some

40、thing to be pushed aside to make room for more important qualities, like perseverance陛持不懈）,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

41、.Becoming educated should not require giving up joy but rather lead to finding joy in new kinds of things: reading novels instead of playing with small figures, conducting experiments instead of sinking cups in the bathtub, and debating serious issues rather than stringing together nonsense words, f

42、or 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 feel joy, rather than pushing it aside, wouldn't be that hard.It woul

43、d just require a shift in the education world's mindset （思維模式）.Instead of trying to getchildren 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 notso

44、 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

45、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

46、 the classroom because it hinders hard work; instead,they should learn to delay gratification （ 快樂 ） so that they 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

47、 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 ma

48、ke 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

49、 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

50、 doesn't run counter to the goals of public education.It is, in fact, the precondition.1.1 It will not be difficult to make learning a source of joy if educators change their way of thinking.37 .What distinguishes children from adults is their strong ability to derive joy from what they are doin

51、g.38 .Children in America are being treated with shocking cruelty.39.It is human nature to seek joy in life.40.Grown-ups are likely to think that learning to children is what medicine is to patients.41.Bad school conditions make it all the more important to turn learning into a joyful experience. 42

52、.Adults do not consider children's feelings when it comes to education.43.Administrators seem to believe that only hard work will lead children to their educational goals.44.In the so-called "effective" schools, children are taught self-control under a set of strict rules. 45.To make l

53、earning effective, educators have to ensure that children want to learn.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

54、and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 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 c

55、lock 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 work schedules hinder morale （ 士氣 ） and creativity.Clock-timers organize their day

56、by blocks of minutes and hours. For example: a meeting from9 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

57、 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 activiti

58、es-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 mo

59、re 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 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