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大学英语四级2013-2016真题(后附答案)

2013年12月（第一套）

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 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.

To get a sense of how women have progressed in science, take a quick tour of the physics department at the University of California, Berkeley. This is a storied place, the ___36___ of some of the most important discoveries in modern science—starting with Ernest Lawrence’s invention of the cyclotron (回旋加速器) in 1931. A generation ago, female faces were ___37___ and, even today, visitors walking through the first floor of LeConte Hall will see a full corridor of exhibits ___38___ the many distinguished physicists who made history here, ___39___ all of them white males.

But climb up to the third floor and you’ll see a ___40___ display. There, among the photos of current faculty members and students, are portraits of the ___41___ head of the department, Marjorie Shapiro, and four other women whose research ___42___ everything from the mechanics of the universe to the smallest particles of matter. A sixth woman was hired just two weeks ago. Although they’re still only about 10 percent of the physics faculty, women are clearly a presence here. And the real ___43___ may be in the smaller photos to the right: graduate and undergraduate students, about 20 percent of them female. Every year Berkeley sends its fresh female physics PhDs to the country’s top universities. That makes Shapiro optimistic, but also ___44___. “I believe things are getting better,”she says, “but they’re not getting better as ___45___ as I would like.”

A) circumstance I) honoring

B) confidence J) hope

C) covers K) presently

D) current L) rare

E) deals M) realistic

F) different N) site

G) exposing O) virtually

H) fast

Section B

Directions: 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.

Is College a Worthy Investment?

A) Why are we spending so much money on college? And why are we so unhappy about it? We all seem to agree that a college education is wonderful, and yet strangely we worry when we see families investing so much in this supposedly essential good. Maybe it’s time to ask a

question that seems almost sacrilegious (大不敬的): is all this investment in college education really worth it?

B) The answer, I fear, is no. For an increasing number of kids, the extra time and money spent pursuing a college diploma will leave them worse off than they were before they set foot on campus.

C) For my entire adult life, a good education has been the most important thing for middle-class households. My parents spent more educating my sister and me than they spent on their house, and they’re not the only ones... and, of course, for an increasing number of families, most of the cost of their house is actually the cost of living in a good school district. Questioning the value of a college education seems a bit like questioning the value of happiness, or fun.

D) The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college education has nearly doubled in that time. Is the education that today’s students are getting twice as good? Are new workers twice as smart? Have they become somehow massively more expensive to educate?

E) Perhaps a bit. Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economics professor, says, “I look at the data, and I see college costs rising faster than inflation up to the mid-1980s by 1 percent a year. Now I see them rising 3 to 4 percent a year over inflation. What has happened? The federal government has started dropping money out of airplanes.”Aid has increased, subsidized (补贴的) loans have become available, and “the universities have gotten the money.”Economist Bryan Caplan, who is writing a book about education, agrees: “It’s a giant waste of resources that will continue as long as the subsidies continue.”

F) Promotional literature for colleges and student loans often speaks of debt as an “investment in yourself.”But an investment is supposed to generate income to pay off the loans. More than half of all recent graduates are unemployed or in jobs that do not require a degree, and the amount of student-loan debt carried by households has increased more than five times since 1999. These graduates were told that a diploma was all they needed to succeed, but it won’t even get them out of the spare bedroom at Mom and Dad’s. For many, the most visible result of their four years is the loan payments, which now average hundreds of dollars a month on loan balances in the tens of thousands.

G) It’s true about the money—sort of. College graduates now make 80 percent more than people who have only a high-school diploma, and though there are no precise estimates, the wage premium (高出的部分) for an outstanding school seems to be even higher. But that’s not true of every student. It’s very easy to spend four years majoring in English literature and come out no more employable than you were before you went in. Conversely, chemical engineers straight out of school can easily make almost four times the wages of an entry-level high-school graduate.

H) James Heckman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, has examined how the returns on education break down for individuals with different backgrounds and levels of ability. “Even with these high prices, you’re still finding a high return for individuals who are bright and motivated,”he says. On the other hand, “if you’re not college ready, then the answer is no, it’s not worth it.”Experts tend to agree that for the average student, college is still worth it today, but they also agree that the rapid increase in price is eating up more and more of the potential return. For borderline students, tuition (学费) rise can push those returns into negative territory.

I) Everyone seems to agree that the government, and parents, should be rethinking how we

invest in higher education—and that employers need to rethink the increasing use of college degrees as crude screening tools for jobs that don’t really require college skills. “Employers seeing a surplus of college graduates and looking to fill jobs are just adding that requirement,”says Vedder. “In fact, a college degree becomes a job requirement for becoming a bar-tender.”

J) We have started to see some change on the finance side. A law passed in 2007 allows many students to cap their loan payment at 10 percent of their income and forgives any balance after 25 years. But of course, that doesn’t control the cost of education; it just shifts it to taxpayers. It also encourages graduates to choose lower-paying careers, which reduces the financial return to education still further. “You’re subsidizing people to become priests and poets and so forth,”says Heckman. “You may think that’s a good thing, or you may not.”Either way it will be expensive for the government.

K) What might be a lot cheaper is putting more kids to work. Caplan notes that work also builds valuable skills—probably more valuable for kids who don’t naturally love sitting in a classroom. Heckman agrees wholeheartedly: “People are different, and those abilities can be shaped. That’s what we’ve learned, and public policy should recognize that.”

L) Heckman would like to see more apprenticeship-style (学徒式) programs, where kids can learn in the workplace—learn not just specific job skills, but the kind of “soft skills,”like getting to work on time and getting along with a team, that are crucial for career success. “It’s about having mentors (指导者) and having workplace-based education,”he says. “Time and again I’ve seen examples of this kind of program working.”

M) Ah, but how do we get there from here? With better public policy, hopefully, but also by making better individual decisions.”Historically markets have been able to handle these things,”says Vedder, “and I think eventually markets will handle this one. If it doesn’t improve soon, people are going to wake up and ask,‘Why am I going to college?’”

46. Caplan suggests that kids who don’t love school go to work.

47. An increasing number of families spend more money on houses in a good school district.

48. Subsidized loans to college students are a huge waste of money, according to one economist.

49. More and more kids find they fare worse with a college diploma.

50. For those who are not prepared for higher education, going to college is not worth it.

51. Over the years the cost of a college education has increased almost by 100%.

52. A law passed recently allows many students to pay no more than one tenth of their income for their college loans.

53. Middle-class Americans have highly valued a good education.

54. More kids should be encouraged to participate in programs where they can learn not only job skills but also social skills.

55. Over fifty percent of recent college graduates remain unemployed or unable to find a suitable job.

Section C

Directions: 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 on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

A recent global survey of 2,000 high-net-worth individuals found that 60% were not planning on a traditional retirement. Among U.S. participants, 75% expected to continue working in some capacity even after stepping away from full-time jobs. “Many of these people made their wealth by doing something they’re passionate (有激情的) about,”says Daniel Egan, head of behavioral finance for Barclays Wealth Americas. “Given the choice, they prefer to continue working.”Barclays calls these people “nevertirees.”

Unlike many Americans compelled into early retirement by company restrictions, the average nevertiree often has no one forcing his hand. If 106-year-old investor Irving Kahn, head of his own family firm, wants to keep coming to work every day, who’s going to stop him? Seventy-eight-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s job security is guaranteed in the Constitution.

It may seem that these elderly people are trying to cheat death. In fact, they are. And it’s working. Howard Friedman, a professor at UC Riverside, found in his research that those who work hardest and are successful in their careers often live the longest lives. “People are generally being given bad advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying, and retire to Florida,”he says. He described one study participant, still working at the age of 100, who was recently disappointed to see his son retire.

“We’re beginning to see a change in how people view retirement,”says George Leeson, co-director of the Institute of Population Ageing at Oxford. Where once retirement was seen as a brief reward after a long struggle through some miserable job, it is now akin (近似) to being cast aside. What Leeson terms “the Warren Buffett effect”is becoming more broadly appealing as individuals come to “view retirement as not simply being linked to economic productivity but also about contribution.”

Observers are split on whether this is a wholly good thing. On the one hand, companies and financial firms can benefit from the wisdom of a resilient (坚韧的) chief. On the other, the new generation can find it more difficult to advance—an argument that typically holds little sway to a nevertiree.

56. What do we learn about the so-called”nevertirees”?

A) They are passionate about making a fortune.

B) They have no choice but to continue working.

C) They love what they do and choose not to retire.

D) They will not retire unless they are compelled to.

57. What do Irving Kahn and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have in common?

A) Neither of them is subject to forced retirement.

B) Neither of them desires reward for their work.

C) Both cling to their positions despite opposition.

D) Both are capable of coping with heavy workloads.

58. What is the finding of Howard Friedman’s research?

A) The harder you work, the bigger your fortune will be.

B) The earlier you retire, the healthier you will be.

C) Elderly people have to slow down to live longer.

D) Working at an advanced age lengthens people’s life.

59. What is the traditional view of retirement according to the passage?

A) It means a burden to the younger generation.

B) It is a symbol of a mature and civilized society.

C) It is a compensation for one’s life-long hard work.

D) It helps increase a nation’s economic productivity.

60. What do critics say about “nevertirees”?

A) They are an obstacle to a company’s development.

B) They lack the creativity of the younger generation.

C) They cannot work as efficiently as they used to.

D) They prevent young people from getting ahead.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

When we talk about Americans barely into adulthood who are saddled with unbearable levels of debt, the conversation is almost always about student loan debt. But there’s a growing body of evidence suggesting that today’s young adults are also drowning in credit-card debt—and that many of them will take this debt to their graves.

More than 20% overspent their income by more than $100 every single month. Since they haven’t built up their credit histories yet, it’s a safe bet that these young adults are paying relatively high interest rates on the resulting credit card debt.

Although many young people blame “socializing”as a barrier to saving money, most of them aren’t knocking back $20 drinks in trendy (时尚的) lounges. They’re struggling with much more daily financial demands.

To a disturbingly large extent, the young and the broke are relying on credit cards to make it until their next payday. This obviously isn’t sustainable in the long run, and it’s going to put a huge drag on their spending power even after they reach their peak earning years, because they’ll still be paying interest on that bottle of orange juice or box of spaghetti (意式面条) they bought a decade earlier.

A new study out of Ohio State University found that young adults are accumulating credit card debt at a more rapid rate than other age groups, and that they’re slower at paying it off. “If what we found continues to hold true, we may have more elderly people with substantial financial problems in the future,”warns Lucia Dunn, professor of economics at Ohio State. “If our findings persist, we may be faced with a financial crisis among elderly people who can’t pay off their credit cards.”

Dunn says a lot of these young people are never going to get out from under their credit card debt. “Many people are borrowing on credit cards so heavily that payoff rates at these levels are not sufficient to recover their credit card debt by the end of their life, which could have loss implications for the credit card issuing banks.”

61. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A) Many young Americans will never be able to pay off their debts.

B) Credit cards play an increasingly important role in college life.

C) Credit cards are doing more harm than student loans.

D) The American credit card system is under criticism.

62. Why do young people have to pay a higher interest on their credit card debt?

A) They tend to forget about the deadlines.

B) They haven’t developed a credit history.

C) They are often unable to pay back in time.

D) They are inexperienced in managing money.

63. What is said to be the consequence of young adults relying on credit cards to make ends meet?

A) It will place an unnecessary burden on society.

B) It will give them no motivation to work hard.

C) It will exert psychological pressure on them.

D) It will affect their future spending power.

64. What will happen to young adults if their credit card debt keeps accumulating according to Lucia Dunn?

A) They will have to pay an increasingly higher interest rate.

B) They may experience a financial crisis in their old age.

C) Their quality of life will be affected.

D) Their credit cards may be cancelled.

65. What does Lucia Dunn think might be a risk for the credit card issuing banks?

A) They go bankrupt as a result of over-lending.

B) They lose large numbers of their regular clients.

C) Their clients leave their debts unpaid upon death.

D) Their interest rates have to be reduced now and then.

2014年6月（第一套）

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 by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter 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.

Global warming is a trend toward warmer conditions around the world. Part of the warming is natural; we have experienced a 20,000 -year -long warming as the last ice age ended and the ice 36 away. However, we have already reached temperatures that are in 37 with other minimum-ice periods, so continued warming is likely not natural. We are 38 to a predicted worldwide increase

in temperatures 39 between 1℃and 6℃over the next 100 years. The warming will be more 40

in some areas, less in others, and some places may even cool off. Likewise, the 41 of this warming will be very different depending on where you are—coastal areas must worry about rising sea levels, while Siberia and northern Canada may become more habitable (宜居的) and 42 for humans than these areas are now.

The fact remains, however, that it will likely get warmer, on 43 , everywhere. Scientists are in general agreement that the warmer conditions we have been experiencing are at least in part the result of a human-induced global warming trend. Some scientists 44 that the changes we are seeing fall within the range of random (无规律的) variation—some years are cold, others warm,

and we have just had an unremarkable string of warm years 45 —but that is becoming an increasingly rare interpretation in the face of continued and increasing warm conditions.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

Section B

Directions: 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 End of the Book?

[A] Amazon, by far the largest bookseller in the country, reported on May 19 that it is now selling more books in its electronic Kindle format than in the old paper-and-ink format. That is remarkable, considering that the Kindle has only been around for four years. E-books now account for 14 percent of all book sales in the country and are increasing far faster than overall book sales. E-book sales are up 146 percent over last year, while hardback sales increased 6 percent and paperbacks decreased 8 percent.

[B] Does this spell the doom of the physical book? Certainly not immediately, and perhaps not at all. What it does mean is that the book business will go through a transformation in the next decade or so more profound than any it has seen since Gutenberg introduced printing from moveable type in the 1450s.

[C] Physical books will surely become much rarer in the marketplace. Mass market paperbacks, which have been declining for years anyway, will probably disappear, as will hardbacks for mysteries, thrillers, “romance fiction,” etc. Such books, which only rarely end up in permanent collections, either private or public, will probably only be available as e-books within a few years. Hardback and trade paperbacks for “serious” nonfiction and fiction will surely last longer. Perhaps it will become the mark of an author to reckon with that he or she is still published in hard copy. *D+ As for children’s books, who knows? Children’s books are like dog food in that the purchasers are not the consumers, so the market (and the marketing) is inherently strange.

*E+ For clues to the book’s future, let’s look at some examples of technological change and see what happened to the old technology.

[F] One technology replaces another only because the new technology is better, cheaper, or both. The greater the difference, the sooner and more thoroughly the new technology replaces the old. Printing with moveable type on paper dramatically reduced the cost of producing a book compared with the old-fashioned ones handwritten on vellum, which comes from sheepskin. A Bible—to be sure, a long book—required vellum made from 300 sheepskins and countless man-hours of labor. Before printing arrived, a Bible cost more than a middle-class house. There were perhaps 50,000 books in all of Europe in 1450. By 1500 there were 10 million.

[G] But while printing quickly caused the hand written book to die out, handwriting lingered on (继续存在) well into the 16th century. Very special books are still occasionally produced on vellum, but they are one-of-a-kind show pieces.

*H+Sometimes a new technology doesn’t drive the old one out, but only parts of it while forcing the rest to evolve. The movies were widely predicted to drive live theater out of the marketplace, but they didn’t, because theater turned out to have qualities movies could not reproduce. Equally, TV was supposed to replace movies but, again, did not.

*I+ Movies did, however, fatally impact some parts of live theater. And while TV didn’t kill movies, it did kill second-rate pictures, shorts, and cartoons.

*J+ Nor did TV kill radio. Comedy and drama shows (“Jack Benny,” “Amos and Andy,” “The Shadow”) all migrated to television. But because you can’t drive a car and watch television at the same time, rush hour became radio’s prime, while music, talk, and news radio greatly enlarged their audiences. Radio is today a very different business than in the late 1940s and a much larger one.

[K] Sometimes old technology lingers for centuries because of its symbolic power. Mounted cavalry (骑兵) replaced the chariot (二轮战车) on the battlefield around 1000 BC. But chariots maintained their place in parades and triumphs right up until the end of the Roman Empire 1,500 years later. The sword hasn’t had a military function for a hundred years, but is still part of an officer’s full-dress uniform, precisely because a sword always symbolized “an off icer and a gentleman.”

[L] Sometimes new technology is a little cranky (不稳定的) at first. Television repairman was a common occupation in the 1950s, for instance. And so the old technology remains as a backup. Steamships captured the North Atlantic passenger business from sail in the 1840s because of its much greater speed. But steamships didn’t lose their sails until the 1880s, because early marine engines had a nasty habit of breaking down. Until ships became large enough (and engines small enough) to mount two engines side by side, they needed to keep sails. (The high cost of steam and the lesser need for speed kept the majority of the world’s ocean freight moving by sail until the early years of the 20th century.)

[M] Then there is the fireplace. Central heating was present in every upper-and middle-class home by the second half of the 19th century. But functioning fireplaces remain to this day a powerful selling point in a house or apartment. I suspect the reason is a deep-rooted love of the fire. Fire was one of the earliest major technological advances for humankind, providing heat, protection, and cooked food (which is much easier to cat and digest). Human control of fire goes back far enough (over a million years) that evolution could have produced a genetic leaning towards fire as a central aspect of human life.

[N] Books—especially books the average person could afford—haven’t been around long enough to produce evolutionary change in humans. But they have a powerful hold on many people nonetheless, a hold extending far beyond their literary content. At their best, they are works of art and there is a tactile（触觉的）pleasure in books necessarily lost in e-book versions. The ability to quickly thumb through pages is also lost. And a room with books in it induces, at least in some, a feeling not dissimilar to that of a fire in the fireplace on a cold winter’s night.

[O] For these reasons I think physical books will have a longer existence as a commercial product than some currently predict. Like swords, books have symbolic power. Like fireplaces, they induce a sense of comfort and warmth. And, perhaps, similar to sails, they make a useful back-up for when the lights go out.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

46. Authors still published in printed versions will be considered important ones.

47. Some people are still in favor of printed books because of the sense of touch they can provide.

48. The radio business has changed greatly and now attracts more listeners.

49. Contrary to many people’s prediction of its death, the film in dustry survived.

50. Remarkable changes have taken place in the book business.

51. Old technology sometimes continues to exist because of its reliability.

52. The increase of e-book sales will force the book business to make changes not seen for centuries.

53. A new technology is unlikely to take the place of an old one without a clear advantage.

54. Paperbacks of popular literature are more likely to be replaced by e-books.

55. A house with a fireplace has a stronger appeal to buyers.

Section C

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60are based on the following passage.

The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts in higher education isn’t an either/or proposit ion(命题)，although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM（science, technology, engineering, maths）-related fields can make it seem that way.

The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of technical training, but also asserts that the study of the humanities (人文学科)and social sciences must remain central components of America’s educational system at all levels. Both are critical to producing citizens who can participate effectively in our democratic society, become innovative（创新的)leaders, and benefit from the spiritual enrichment that the reflection on the great ideas of mankind over time provides.

Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education worry about graduates’ job prospects as technological advances and changes in domestic and global markets transform professions in ways that reduce wages and cut jobs. Under these circumstances, it’s natural to look for what may appear to be the most “practical” way out of the problem “Major in a subject desi gned to get you a job” seems the obvious answer to some, though this ignores the fact that many disciplines in the humanities characterized as “soft” often, in fact, lead to employment and success in the long run. Indeed, according to surveys, employers have expressed a preference for students who have received a broadly-based education that has taught them to write well, think critically, research creatively, and communicate easily.

Moreover, students should be prepared not just for their first job, but for their 4th and 5th jobs, as there’s little reason to doubt that people entering the workforce today will be called upon to play many different roles over the course of their careers. The ones who will do the best in this new environment will be those whose educations have prepared them to be flexible. The ability to draw upon every available tool and insight—picked up from science, arts, and technology—to solve the problems of the future, and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, will be helpful to them and the United States.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

56. What does the latest congressional report suggest?

A) STEM-related subjects help students find jobs in the information society.

B) The humanities and STEM subjects should be given equal importance.

C) The liberal arts in higher education help enrich students’ spiritual life.

D) Higher education should be adjusted to the practical needs of society.

57. What is the main concern of students when they choose a major?

A) Their interest in relevant subjects.

B) The academic value of the courses.

C) The quality of education to receive.

D) Their chances of getting a good job.

58. What does the author say about the so called soft subjects?

A) The benefit students in their future life.

B) They broaden students’ range of interests.

C) They improve students’ communication skills.

D) They are essential to students’ healthy growth.

59. What kind of job applicants do employers look for?

A) Those who have a strong sense of responsibility.

B) Those who are good at solving practical problems.

C) Those who are likely to become innovative leaders.

D) Those who have received a well-rounded education.

60. What advice does the author give to college students?

A) Seize opportunities to tap their potential.

B) Try to take a variety of practical courses.

C) Prepare themselves for different job options.

D) Adopt a flexible approach to solving problems.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn’t it? If you think so, you’re not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.

“Energy independence” and its rhetorical (修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through. What is it we want independence from, exactly?

Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.

The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel（生物燃料）available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.

Second, Americans have basically decided that they don’t really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?

Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don’t read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million

barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.

There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices, At the same time, we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

61. What does the author say about energy independence for America?

A) It sounds very attractive. C) It will bring oil prices down.

B) It ensures national security. D) It has long been everyone’s dream.

62. What does the author think of biofuels?

A) They keep A merica’s economy running healthily.

B) They prove to be a good alternative to petroleum.

C) They do not provide a sustainable energy supply.

D) They cause serious damage to the environment.

63. Why does America rely heavily on oil imports?

A) It wants to expand its storage of crude oil.

B) Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.

C) It wants to keep its own environment intact.

D) Its own oil production falls short of demand.

64. What does the author say about oil trade?

A) It proves profitable to both sides. C) It makes for economic prosperity.

B) It improves economic efficiency. D) It saves the cost of oil exploration.

65. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A) To justify America’s dependence on oil imports.

B) To arouse Americans’ awa reness of the energy crisis.

C) To stress the importance of energy conservation.

D) To explain the increase of international oil trade.

2014年12月（第一套）

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 by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter 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.

One principle of taxation, called the benefit principle, states that people should pay taxes based on the benefits they receive from government services. This principle tries to make public goods similar to __36__ goods. It seems reasonable that a person who often goes to the movies pays more in __37__ for movie tickets than a person who rarely goes. And __38__ a person who gets

great benefit from a public good should pay more for it than a person who gets little benefit. The gasoline tax, for instance, is sometimes __39__ using the benefits principle. In some states, __40__ from the gasoline tax are used to build and maintain roads. Because those who buy gasoline are the same people who use the roads, the gasoline tax might be viewed as a __41__ way to pay this government service.

The benefits principle can also be used to argue that wealthy citizens should pay higher taxes than poorer ones, __42__ because the wealthy benefit more from public services. Consider, for example, the benefits of police protection from __43__. Citizens with much to protect get greater benefit from police than those with less to protect. Therefore, according to the benefits principle, the wealthy should __44__ more than the poor to the cost of __45__ the police force. The same argument can be used for many other public services, such as fire protection, national defense, and the court system.

A) adapt

B) contribute

C) exerting

D) expenses

E) fair

F) justified

G) maintaining

H) private

I) provided

J) revenues

K) similarly

L) simply

M) theft

N) total

O) wealth

Section B

Growing Up Colored

[A] You wouldn't know Piedmont anymore—my Piedmont, I mean—the town in West Virginia where I learned to be a colored boy.

[B] The 1950s in Piedmont was a time to remember, or at least to me. People were always proud to be from Piedmont—lying at the foot of a mountain, on the banks of the mighty Potomac. We knew God gave America no more beautiful location. I never knew colored people anywhere who were crazier about mountains and water, flowers and trees, fishing and hunting. For as long as

anyone could remember, we could outhunt, outshoot, and outswim the white boys in the valley.

[C] The social structure of Piedmont was something we knew like the back of our hands. It was an immigrant town; white Piedmont was Italian and Irish, with a handful of wealthy WASPs (盎格鲁撒克逊裔的白人新教徒) on East Hampshire Street, and "ethnic" neighborhoods of working-class people everywhere else, colored and white.

[D] For as long as anyone can remember, Piedmont's character has been completely bound up with the Westvaco paper mill: its prosperous past and doubtful future. At first glance, the town is a typical dying mill center. Many once beautiful buildings stand empty, evidencing a bygone time of spirit and pride. The big houses on East Hampshire Street are no longer proud, as they were when I was a kid.

[E] Like the Italians and the Irish, most of the colored people migrated to Piedmont at the turn of the 20th century to work at the paper mill, which opened in 1888. All the colored men at the paper mill worked on "the platform"—loading paper into trucks until the craft unions were finally integrated in 1968. Loading is what Daddy did every working day of his life. That's what almost every colored grown-up I knew did.

[F] Colored people lived in three neighborhoods that were clearly separated. Welcome to the Colored Zone, a large stretched banner could have said. And it felt good in there, like walking around your house in bare feet and underwear, or snoring right out loud on the couch in front of the TV—enveloped by the comforts of home, the warmth of those you love.

[G] Of course, the colored world was not so much a neighborhood as a condition of existence. And though our own world was seemingly self-contained, it impacted on the white world of Piedmont in almost every direction. Certainly, the borders of our world seemed to be impacted on when some white man or woman showed up where he or she did not belong, such as at the black Legion Hall. Our space was violated when one of them showed up at a dance or a party. The rhythms would be off. The music would sound not quite right: attempts to pat the beat off just so. Everybody would leave early.

[H] Before 1955, most white people were just shadowy presences in our world, vague figures of power like remote bosses at the mill or tellers at the bank. There were exceptions, of course, the white people who would come into our world in ritualized, everyday ways we all understood. Mr. Mail Man, Mr. Insurance Man, Mr. White-and-Chocolate Milk Man, Mr. Landlord Man, Mr. Police Man: we called white people by their trade, like characters in a mystery play. Mr. Insurance Man would come by every other week to collect premiums on college or death policies, sometimes 50 cents or less.

[I] "It's no disgrace to be colored," the black entertainer Bert Williams famously observed early in the century, "but it is awfully inconvenient." For most of my childhood, we couldn't cat in restaurants or sleep in hotels, we couldn't use certain bathrooms or try on clothes in stores. Mama insisted that we dress up when we went to shop. She was carefully dressed when she went to clothing stores, and wore white pads called shields under her arms so her dress or blouse would show no sweat. "We'd like to try this on," she'd say carefully, uttering her words precisely and properly. "We don't buy clothes we can't try on," she'd say when they declined, and we'd walk out in Mama's dignified (有尊严的) manner. She preferred to shop where we had an account and where everyone knew who she was.

[J] At the Cut-Rate Drug Store, no one colored was allowed to sit down at the counter or tables, with one exception: my father. I don't know for certain why Carl Dadisman, the owner, wouldn't

stop Daddy from sitting down. But I believe it was in part because Daddy was so light-colored, and in part because, during his shift at the phone company, he picked up orders for food and coffee for the operators. Colored people were supposed to stand at the counter, get their food to go, and leave. Even when Young Doc Bess would set up the basketball team with free Cokes after one of many victories, the colored players had to stand around and drink out of paper cups while the white players and cheerleaders sat down in comfortable chairs and drank out of glasses. [K] I couldn't have been much older than five or six as I sat with my father at the Cut-Rate one afternoon, enjoying two scoops of caramel ice cream. Mr. Wilson, a stony-faced, brooding Irishman, walked by.

"Hello, Mr. Wilson," my father said.

"Hello, George."

[L] I was genuinely puzzled. Mr. Wilson must have confused my father with somebody else, but who? There weren't any Georges among the colored people in Piedmont. "Why don't you tell him your name, Daddy?" I asked loudly. "Your name isn't George."

"He knows my name, boy," my father said after a long pause. "He calls all colored people George."

[M] I knew we wouldn't talk about it again; even at that age, 1 was given to understand that there were some subjects it didn't do to worry to death about. Now that I have children, I realize that what distressed my father wasn't so much the Mr. Wilsons of the world as the painful obligation to explain the racial facts of life to someone who hadn't quite learned them yet. Maybe Mr. Wilson couldn't hurt my father by calling him George; but I hurt him by asking to know why.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

46. The author felt as a boy that his life in a separated neighborhood was casual and cozy.

47. There is every sign of decline at the paper mill now.

48. One reason the author's father could sit and eat at the drug store was that he didn't look that dark.

49. Piedmont was a town of immigrants from different parts of the world.

50. In spite of the awful inconveniences caused by racial prejudice, the author's family managed to live a life of dignity.

51. The author later realized he had caused great distress to his father by asking why he was wrongly addressed.

52. The author took pride in being from Piedmont because of its natural beauty.

53. Colored people called white people by the business they did.

54. Colored people who lived in Piedmont did heavy manual jobs at the paper mill.

55. The colored people felt uneasy at the presence of the whites in their neighborhood.

Section C

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.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

Children are a delight. They are our future. But sadly, hiring someone to take care of them while you go to work is getting more expensive by the year.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the cost of enrolling an infant or small kid at a childcare center rose 3% in 2012, faster than the overall cost of living. There are now large strips of the country where daycare for an infant costs more than a tenth of the average married couple's income.

This is not necessarily a new trend, but it is a somewhat puzzling one. The price of professional childcare has been rising since the 1980s. Yet during that time, pay for professional childcare workers has stood still. Actually caregivers make less today, in real terms, than they did in 1990. Considering that labor costs are responsible for up to 80% of a daycare center's expenses, one would expect flat wages to have meant flat prices.

So who's to blame for higher childcare costs?

Childcare is a carefully regulated industry. States lay down rules about how many children each employee is allowed to watch over, the space care centers need per child, and other minute details. And the stricter the regulations, the higher the costs. If it has to hire a caregiver for every two children, it can't really achieve any economies of scale on labor to save money when other expenses go up. In Massachusetts, where childcare centers must hire one teacher for every three infants, the price of care averaged more than $16,000 per year. In Mississippi, where centers must hire one teacher for every five infants, the price of care averaged less than $5,000. Unfortunately, I don't have all the daycare-center regulations handy. But I wouldn't be surprised if as the rules have become more elaborate, prices have risen. The tradeoff (交换) might be worth it in some cases; after all, the health and safety of children should probably come before cheap service. But certainly, it doesn't seem to be an accident that some of the cheapest daycare available is in the least regulated South.

56. What problem do parents of small kids have to face?

A) The ever-rising childcare prices.

B) The budgeting of family expenses.

C) The balance between work and family.

D) The selection of a good daycare center.

57. What does the author feel puzzled about?

A) Why the prices of childcare vary greatly from state to state.

B) Why increased childcare prices have not led to better service.

C) Why childcare workers' pay has not increased with the rising childcare costs.

D) Why there is a severe shortage of childcare professional in a number of states.

58. What prevent childcare centers from saving money?

A) Steady increase in labor costs.

B) Strict government regulations.

C) Lack of support from the state.

D) High administrative expenses.

59. Why is the average cost of childcare in Mississippi much lower than in Massachusetts?

A) The overall quality of service is not as good.

B) Payments for caregivers there are not as high.

C) Living expenses there are comparatively low.

D) Each teacher is allowed to care for more kids.

60. What is the author's view on daycare service?

A) Caregivers should receive regular professional training.

B) Less elaborate rules about childcare might lower costs.

C) It is crucial to strike a balance between quality and costs.

D) It is better for different states to learn from each other.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

Alex Pang's amusing new book The Distraction Addiction addresses those of us who feel panic without a cellphone or computer. And that, he claims, is pretty much all of us. When we're not online, where we spend four months annually, we're engaged in the stressful work of trying to get online.

The Distraction Addiction is not framed as a self-help book. It's a thoughtful examination of the danger of our computing overdose and a historical overview of how technological advances change consciousness. A "professional futurist", Pang urges an approach which he calls "contemplative (沉思的) computing." He asks that you pay full attention to "how your mind and body interact with computers and how your attention and creativity are influenced by technology."

Pang's first job is to free you from common misconception that doing two things at once allows you to get more done. What is commonly called multitasking is, in fact, switch-tasking, and its harmful effects on productivity are well documented. Pang doesn't advocate returning to a preinternet world. Instead, he asks you to "take a more ecological (生态的) view of your relationships with technologies and look for ways devices or media may be making specific tasks easier or faster but at the same time making your work and life harder."

The Distraction Addiction is particularly fascinating on how technologies have changed certain field of labor—often for the worse. For architects, computer-aided design has become essential but in some ways has cheapened the design process. As one architect puts it, "Architecture is first and foremost about thinking... and drawing is a more productive way of thinking" than computer-aided design. Somewhat less amusing are Pang's solutions for kicking the Internet habit. He recommends the usual behavior-modification approaches, familiar to anyone who has completed a quit-smoking program. Keep logs to study your online profile and decide what you can knock out, download a program like Freedom that locks you out of your browser, or take a

"digital Sabbath (安息日)" ; "Unless you're a reporter or emergency-department doctor, you'll discover that your world doesn't fall apart when you go offline."

61. Alex Pang's new book is aimed for readers who ________.

A) find their work online too stressful

B) go online mainly for entertainment

C) are fearful about using the cellphone or computer

D) can hardly tear themselves away from the Internet

62. What does Alex Pang try to do in his new book?

A) Offer advice on how to use the Internet effectively.

B) Warn people of the possible dangers of Internet use.

C) Predict the trend of future technological development.

D) Examine the influence of technology on the human mind.

63. What is the common view on multitasking?

A) It enables people to work more efficiently.

B) It is in a way quite similar to switch-tasking.

C) It makes people's work and life even harder.

D) It distracts people's attention from useful work.

64. What does the author think of computer-aided design?

A) It considerably cuts down the cost of building design.

B) It somewhat restrains architects' productive thinking.

C) It is indispensable in architects' work process.

D) It can free architects from laborious drawing.

65. What is Ales Pang's recommendation for Internet users?

A) They use the Internet as little as possible.

B) They keep a record of their computer use time.

C) They exercise self-control over their time online.

D) They entertain themselves online on off-days only.

2015年6月（第一套）

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 by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet2 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.

The U.S.Department of Education is making efforts to ensure that all students have equal access to a quality education.Today it is（36）the launch of the Excellent Educators for All Initiative.The initiative will help states and school districts support great educators for the students who need them most.

"All children are（37 ）to a high-quality education regardless of their race, zip code or family income.It is （38 ）important that we provide teachers and principals the support they need to help students reach their full （39）," U.S.Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said." Despite the excellent work and deep（40 ）of our nation's teachers and principals, students in high-poverty, high- minority schools are unfairly treated across our country.We have to do better.Local leaders and educators will （41 ）their own creative solutions, but we must work together to （42）our focus on how to better recruit, support and（43）effective teachers and principals for all students, especially the kids who need them most."

Today's announcement is another important step forward in improving access to a quality education, a （44 ）of President Obama's year of https://www.wendangku.net/doc/4017815404.html,ter today, Secretary Duncan will lead a roundtable discussion with principals and school teachers from across the country about the （45 ）of working in high-need schools and how to adopt promising practices for supporting great educators in these schools.

A.Announcing

B.beneficial

C.challenges

https://www.wendangku.net/doc/4017815404.html,mitment

https://www.wendangku.net/doc/4017815404.html,ponent

F.contests

G.critically

H.develop

I.distributing

J.enhance

K.entitled

L.potential

M.properly

N.qualified

O.retain

Section B

Directions: 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 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 thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

The Changes Facing Fast Food

A)Fast-food firms have to be a thick-skinned bunch.Health experts regularly criticise them severelyfor selling food that makes people fat.Critics even complain that McDonald's, whose logosymbolises calorie excess, should not have been allowed to sponsor the World Cup.These arethings fast-food firms have learnt to cope with.But not perhaps for much longer.The burgerbusiness faces more pressure from regulators at a time when it is already adapting strategies inresponse to shifts in the global economy.

B)Fast food was once thought to be recession-proof.When consumers need to cut spending, the logicgoes, cheap meals like Big Macs and Whoppers become even more attractive.Such "trading down"proved true for much of the latest recession, when fast-food companies picked up customers who could no longer afford to eat at casual restaurants.Traffic was boosted in America, the home of fast food, with discounts and promotions, such as $1 menus and cheap combination meals.

C)As a result, fast-food chains have weathered the recession better than their more expensive competitors.In 2009 sales at full-service restaurants in America fell by more than 6% , but total sales remained about the same at fast-food chains.In some markets, such as Japan, France and Britain, total spending on fast food increased.Same-store sales in America at McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food company, did not decline throughout the downturn.Panera Bread, an American fast-food chain known for its fresh ingredients, performed well, too, because it offers higher-quality food at lower prices than restaurants.

D)But not all fast-food companies have been as fortunate.Many, such as Burger King, have seen sales fall.In a severe recession, while some people trade down to fast food, many others eat at home more frequently to save money.David Palmer, an analyst at UBS, a bank, says smaller fast- food chains in America, such as Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr., have been hit particularly hard in this downturn because they are competing with the global giant McDonald's, which increased spending on advertising by more than 7% last year as others cut back.

E)Some fast-food companies also sacrificed their own profits by trying to give customers better value.During the recession companies set prices low, hoping that once they had tempted customers through the door they would be persuaded to order more expensive items.But in many cases that strategy did not https://www.wendangku.net/doc/4017815404.html,st year Burger King franchisees (特许经营人)sued (起诉)the company over its double-cheeseburger promotion, claiming it was unfair for them to be repuired to sell these for $1 when they cost$1.10 to make.In May a judge ruled in favour of Burger King.Nevertheless, the company may still be cursing its decision to promote cheap choices over more expensive ones because items on its "value menu" now account for around 20% of all sales, upfrom 12% last October.

F)Analysts expect the fast-food industry to grow modestly this year.But the downturn is makingcompanies rethink their strategies.Many are now introducing higher-priced items to entice (引诱)consumers away from $1 specials.KFC, a division of Yum! Brands, which also owns Taco Belland Pizza Hut, has launched a chicken sandwich that costs around $5.And in May Burger Kingintroduced barbecue (烧烤)pork ribs at $7 for eight.

G)Companies are also trying to get customers to buy new and more items, including drinks.McDonald's started selling better coffee as a challenge to Starbucks.Its " McCafe" line nowaccounts for an estimated 6% of sales in America.Starbucks has sold rights to its Seattle's Bestcoffee brand to Burger King, which will start selling it later this year.

H)As fast-food companies shift from "super size" to "more buys", they need to keep customer traffichigh throughout the day.Many see breakfast as a big opporttmity, and not just for fatty food.McDonald's will start selling porridge (粥)in America next year.Breakfast has the potential to bevery profitable, says Sara Senatore of Bernstein, a research firm, because the margins can be high.Fast-food companies are also adding midday and late-night snacks, such as blended drinks andwraps.The idea is that by having a greater range of things on the menu, "we can sell to consumersproducts they want all day," says Rick Carucci., the .chief financial officer of Yum ! Brands.

I)But what about those growing waistlines? So far, fast-food firms have cleverly avoided governmentregulation.By providing healthy options, like salads and low-calorie sandwiches, they have at leastgiven the impression of doing something about helping to fight obesity (肥胖症).These offeringsare not necessarily loss-leaders, as they broaden the appeal of outlets to groups of diners thatinclude some people who don't want to eat a burger.But customers cannot be forced to ordersalads instead of fries.

J)In the future, simply offering a healthy option may not be good enough."Every packaged-food and restaurant company I know is concerned about regulation right now," says Mr.Palmer of UBS.America's health-reform bill, which Congress passed this year, requires restaurant chains with 20 ormore outlets to put the calorie-content of items they serve on the menu.A study by the NationalBureau of Economic Research, which tracked the effects on Starbucks of a similar calorie-postinglaw in New York City in 2007, found that the average calorie-count per transaction fell 6% andrevenue increased 3% at Starbucks stores where a Dunldn Donuts outlet was nearby--a sign, it issaid, that menu-labelling could favour chains that have more healthy offerings.

K)In order to avoid other legislation in America and elsewhere, fast-food companies will have tocontinue innovating (创新).Walt Riker of McDonald's claims the change it has made in its menumeans it offers more healthy items than it did a few years ago."We probably sell more vegetables,more milk, more salads, more apples than any restaurant business in the world," he says.But therecent proposal by a county in California to ban McDonald's from including toys in its high-calorie"Happy Meals", because legislators believe it attracts children to unhealthy food, suggests there isa lot more left to do.

2016年6月大学英语四级真题及答案解析(全)

2016年6月大学英语四级真题及参考答案 Part ⅡListening Comprehension （听力部分共有两套）四级第一套 Section A 1. C) Rising unemployment worldwide. 2. A) Many countries have not taken measures to create enough jobs. 3. B) Put calorie information on the menu. 4. A) They will be fined.C) They will get a warning. 5. D) Failure to integrate innovation into their business. 6. B) It is the creation of something new. 7. C) Its innovation culture. Section B 8. D) He does not talk long on the phone. 9. B) Talk at length. 10. A) He thought it was cool. 11. C) It is childish and unprofessional. 12. B) He is unhappy with his department manager. 13. A) His workload was much too heavy. 14. C) His boss has a lot of trust in him. 15. D) Talk to his boss in person first. Section C 16. A) The importance of sleep to a healthy life. 17. C) They get less and less sleep. 18. D) Their blood pressure will rise. 19. B) What course you are going to choose. 20. D) The personal statement. 21. C) Indicate they have reflected and thought about the subject. 22. B) It was built in the late 19th century. 23. D) They often broke down. 24. A) They were produced on the assembly line. 25. C) It marked a new era in motor travel. 四级第二套

大学英语四级考试专项练习题：完形填空(一)

最牛英语口语培训模式：躺在家里练口语，全程外教一对一，三个月畅谈无阻！洛基英语，免费体验全部在线一对一课程：https://www.wendangku.net/doc/4017815404.html,/ielts/xd.html（报名网址） In a telephone survey of more than 2，000 adults，21% said they believed the sun revolved (旋转)around the earth. An 71 7% did not know which revolved around 72. I have no doubt that 73 all of these people were 74 in school that the earth revolves around the sun; 75 may even have written it 76 at test. But they never 77 their incorrect mental models of planetary (行星的) 78 because their every day observations didn’t support 79 their teachers told them: People see the sun moving 80 the sky as morning turns to night，and the earth seems stationary (静止的) 81 that is happening. Students can learn the right answers 82 heart in class，and yet never combined them 83 their working models of the world. The objectively correct answer the professor accepts and the 84 personal understanding of the world can 85 side by side，each unaffected by the other. Outside of class，the student continues to use the 86 model because it has always worked well 87 that circumstance. Unless professors address 88 errors in students’personal models of the world，students are not 89 to replace them with the 90 one. 71.A.excessive B. extraC. additionalD. added 72.A.what B. whichC. thatD. other 73.A.virtually B. remarkablyC. ideallyD. preferably 74.A.learned B. suggestedC. taughtD. advised 75.A.those B. theseC. whoD. they 76.A.on B. withC. underD. for 77.A.formed B. alteredC. believedD. thought 78.A.operation B. positionC. motionD. location 79.A.how B. whichC. thatD. what 80.A.around B. acrossC. onD. above 81.A.since B. soC. whileD. for 82.A.to B. byC. inD. with 83.A.with B. intoC. toD. along 84.A.adult’s B. teacher’sC. scientist’sD. student’s 85.A.exist B. occurC. surviveD. maintain 86.A.private B. individualC. personalD. own 87.A.in B. withC. onD. for 88.A.general B. naturalC. similarD. specific 89.A.obliged B. likelyC. probableD. partial 90.A.perfectB. betterC. reasonableD. correct 【答案】： 71.C72.B73.A74.C75.D76.A77.B78.C79.D80.B 81.C82.B 83.A84.D85.A86.C87.A88.D89.B90.D 【答案解析】： 71.C四个答案都有“额外”的意思，但各有偏重。A重在表达“过量、超过正常的部分”;B是“在一类事物之外的额外部分”;D是“外加的”。因此只有C答案符合本题要求：“另外有7%的人不知道是谁绕着谁转。”

2016年12月大学英语四级真题第二套

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