2013年12月英语四级

word

1/15

2013年12月大学英语四级考试真题〔第2套〕

PartⅠWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessaybadonthe

uldstartyouressaywithabriefaccountoftheincreasinguof

themobilephoneinpeople’slifeandthenexplaintheconquencesofoverusingit.

Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡1上作答。

PartⅡListeningprehension(30minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthisction,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2long

ndofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeasked

econversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.

thepau,youmustreadthefour

choicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),rkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.A)Gotoaplacehehasvisited.C)Consultatravelagent.

B)Makeherownarrangements.D)Joininapackagetour.

word

2/15

2.A)Theyareonalongtripbycar.C)Theyareudtogettingupearly.

B)Theyarestuckinatrafficjam.D)Theyaretiredofeatingoutatnight.

3.A)Heisapersondifficulttodealwith.C)Heisunwillingtospeakinpublic.

B)Hedislikesanyformalgathering.D)Heoftenkeepsadistancefromothers.

4.A)Workinanotherdepartment.C)Recruitgraduatestudents.

B)Pursuefurthereducation.D)Takeanadministrativejob.

5.A)Hewouldnotbeavailabletostartthejobintime.

B)Heisnotquitequalifiedfortheartdirectorposition.

C)Hewouldliketoleavesomemoretimeforhimlf.

D)HewillgethisapplicationletterreadybeforeMay1.

6.A)Cleaner.B)Mechanic.C)Porter.D)Salesman.

7.A)Requestoneortworoommatestodothecleaning.

B)HelpLaurawithhertermpaperduethisweekend.

C)GetLauratocleantheapartmentherlfthistime.

D)AskLauratoputoffthecleaninguntilanotherweek.

8.A)Aproblemcaudbytheconstruction.C)Thebuildingprojecttheyareworking

on.

B)Anaccidentthatoccurredonthebridge.D)Thepublictransportationconditions.

Questions9to11arebadontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Tolookforajobasasalesperson.C)Toplaceanorderforsomeproducts.

B)TohaveatalkwithMissThompson.D)Toplainaboutafaultyappliance.

10.A)Thepersoninchargeisnotintheoffice.

B)Thesuppliesareoutofstockforthemoment.

C)Theyfailedtoreachanagreementontheprice.

word

3/15

D)Thepanyisre-cataloguingtheitems.

11.A)0743,12536extension15.C)0734,38750extension15.

B)0734,21653extension51.D)0743,62135extension51.

Questions12to15arebadontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Sincehefoundagirlfriend.C)Sincehebegantoexerciregularly.

B)Sincehetooktoheavysmoking.D)Sincehestartedtoliveonhisown.

13.A)Heisgettingtoofat.C)Hedoesn’teatvegetables.

B)Hesmokestoomuch.D)Hedoesn’tlookwellatall.

14.A)Theyareoverweightfortheirage.C)Theyarestillintheirearlytwenties.

B)Theyarerespectfultotheirparents.D)Theydislikedoingphysicalexerci.

15.A)Toquitsmoking.C)Tofindagirlfriend.

B)Toreducehisweight.D)Tofollowheradvice.

SectionB

Directions:Inthisction,ndofeachpassage,

epassageandthequestionswillbespokenonly

ouhearaquestion,youmustchoothebestanswerfromthefourchoices

markedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1with

asinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡1上作答。

PassageOne

Questions16to19arebadonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Theyhavedestroyedveralsmalltowns.C)Theyhaveinjuredmanyresidents.

B)TheywillsoonspreadtoSanFrancisco.D)Theyareburningoutofcontrol.

17.A)Theyhavebeenhospitalized.

word

4/15

B)Theyhavegotskinproblems.

C)Theywerechokedbythethicksmoke.

D)Theywerepoisonedbytheburningchemicals.

18.A)Itfailedbecauofasuddenrocketexplosion.

B)Ithasbeenre-scheduledforamiddaytakeoff.

C)Ithasbeencanceledduetotechnicalproblems.

D)Itwasdelayedforelevenhoursandthirtyminutes.

19.A)Theymadefrequentlong-distancecallstoeachother.

B)TheyillegallyudgovernmentputersinNewJery.

C)Theywerefoundtobesmarterthanputerspecialists.

D)Theywerearrestedforstealinggovernmentinformation.

PassageTwo

Questions20to22arebadonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

20.A)Peaceful.C)Generous.

B)Considerate.D)Cooperative.

21.A)Someonedumpedtheclothesleftinthewasheranddryer.

B)Someonebrokethewasheranddryerbyoverloadingthem.

C)MindyLance’slaundryblockedthewaytothelaundryroom.

D)MindyLancethreatenedtotakerevengeonherneighbors.

22.A)Askingtheneighborhoodmitteeforhelp.

B)Limitingtheamountoflaundryforeachwash.

C)Informingthebuildingmanagerofthematter.

D)Installingafewmorewashersanddryers.

PassageThree

Questions23to25arebadonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

word

5/15

23.A)Sheisbothapopularandhighlyrespectedauthor.

B)SheisthemostlovedAfricannovelistofalltimes.

C)Sheisthemostinfluentialauthorsincethe1930’s.

D)Sheisthefirstwritertofocusonthefateofslaves.

24.A)TheBookCriticsCircleAward.C)ThePulitzerPrizeforfiction.

B)TheNobelPrizeforliterature.D)TheNationalBookAward.

25.A)SheisarelativeofMorrison’s.C)Sheisaskilledstoryteller.

B)SheisaslavefromAfrica.D)Sheisablackwoman.

SectionC

Directions:Inthisction,epassageis

readforthefirsttime,epassage

isreadforthecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwords

y,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshould

checkwhatyouhavewritten.

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡1上作答。

Manycollegestudentstodayownpersonalputersthatcostanywherefrom＄1000to

perhaps＄5000ormore.26,itisnotunmonforthemtopurcha27costinganother

yearsago,puterswere28,buttheywereverylargeand

,ifany,eyears,the

priceofthe“guts〞ofaputer—itsmemory—hasdeclinedtolessthanathousandthof

themainreason

er,30improvementshave

madeitpossibleto31memorycircuitrythatissmallenoughtofitintotheportable

personalputersthatmanyofusownandu.32,asthepriceofputationhasdeclined

theaverageconsumerandbusinesshavespentmoreonpurchasingputers.33,improved

agriculturaltechnology,hybrid(杂交)eds,34animalbreeding,andsoonhavevastly

cesofgoodssuch

asmeatsandgrainshavefallensharplyrelativetothepricesofmostothergoodsand

culturalpriceshavefallen,manyhouholdshavedecreadtheirtotal

word

6/15

oughthe35ofaproductpurchadgenerallyincreaswhen

itspricefalls,totalexpensonitmaydecline.

PartⅢReadingprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthisction,requiredtolect

onewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthe

oice

markthecorrespondingletterforeachitem

notuanyofthe

wordsinthebankmorethanonce.

nofhowwomen

haveprogresdinscience,takeaquicktourofthephysicsdepartmentatthe

UniversityofCalifornia,astoriedplace,the36ofsomeofthemost

importantdiscoveriesinmodernscience—startingwithErnestLawrence’sinvention

ofthecyclotron(盘旋加速器)ationago,femalefaceswere37and,

eventoday,visitorswalkingthroughthefirstfloorofLeConteHallwilleafull

corridorofexhibits38themanydistinguishedphysicistswhomadehistoryhere,39all

mbuptothethirdfloorandyou’,

amongthephotosofcurrentfacultymembersandstudents,areportraitsofthe41head

ofthedepartment,MarjorieShapiro,andfourotherwomenwhorearch42

everythingfromthemechanicsoftheunivertothesmallestparticlesofmatter.A

ghthey’restillonlyabout10

percentofthephysicsfaculty,real43may

beinthesmallerphotostotheright:graduateandundergraduatestudents,about20

earBerkeleyndsitsfreshfemalephysicsPhDstothe

country’kesShapirooptimistic,butalso44.“Ibelieve

thingsaregettingbetter,〞shesays,“butthey’renotgettingbetteras45asIwould

like.〞

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡2上作答。

A)circumstance

B)confidence

C)covers

word

7/15

D)current

E)dealsF)different

G)exposing

H)fast

I)honoring

J)hopeK)prently

L)rare

M)realistic

N)site

O)virtually

SectionB

Directions:Inthisction,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattached

fythe

chooaparagraphmore

thequestionsbymarkingthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

IsCollegeaWorthyInvestment?

A)Whyarewespendingsomuchmoneyoncollege?Andwhyarewesounhappy

aboutit?Weallemtoagreethatacollegeeducationiswonderful,andyetstrangely

weworrywhenweefamiliesinvestingsomuchinthissuppodlyesntialgood.

Maybeit’stimetoaskaquestionthatemsalmostsacrilegious(大不敬的):isallthis

investmentincollegeeducationreallyworthit?

B)Theanswer,Ifear,ncreasingnumberofkids,theextratimeandmoney

spentpursuingacollegediplomawillleavethemworoffthantheywerebeforethey

tfootoncampus.

C)Formyentireadultlife,agoodeducationhasbeenthemostimportantthingfor

ntsspentmoreeducatingmysisterandmethanthey

spentontheirhou,andthey’renottheonlyones...and,ofcour,foranincreasing

word

8/15

numberoffamilies,mostofthecostoftheirhouisactuallythecostoflivingina

oningthevalueofacollegeeducationemsabitlike

questioningthevalueofhappiness,orfun.

D)price

ducationthattoday’s

studentsaregettingtwiceasgood?Arenewworkerstwiceassmart?Havetheybee

somehowmassivelymoreexpensivetoeducate?

E)dVedder,anOhioUniversityeconomicsprofessor,says,“I

lookatthedata,andIecollegecostsrisingfasterthaninflationuptothemid-1980s

s

happened?Thefederalgovernmenthasstarteddroppingmoneyoutofairplanes.〞Aid

hasincread,subsidized(补贴的)loanshavebeeavailable,and“theuniversitieshave

gottenthemoney.〞EconomistBryanCaplan,whoiswritingabookabouteducation,

agrees:“It’sagiantwasteofresourcesthatwillcontinueaslongasthesubsidies

continue.〞

F)Promotionalliteratureforcollegesandstudentloansoftenspeaksofdebtasan

“investmentinyourlf.〞Butaninvestmentissuppodtogenerateinetopayoff

anhalfofallrecentgraduatesareunemployedorinjobsthatdonot

requireadegree,andtheamountofstudent-loandebtcarriedbyhouholdshas

raduatesweretoldthatadiploma

wasalltheyneededtosucceed,butitwon’tevengetthemoutofthesparebedroomat

MomandDad’y,themostvisibleresultoftheirfouryearsistheloan

payments,whichnowaveragehundredsofdollarsamonthonloanbalancesinthetens

ofthousands.

G)It’strueaboutthemoney—egraduatesnowmake80percentmore

thanpeoplewhohaveonlyahigh-schooldiploma,andthoughtherearenopreci

estimates,thewagepremium(高出的局部)foranoutstandingschoolemstobeeven

t’’sveryeasytospendfouryearsmajoring

inEnglishliteratureandeoutnomoreemployablethanyouwerebeforeyouwentin.

Converly,chemicalengineersstraightoutofschoolcaneasilymakealmostfour

timesthewagesofanentry-levelhigh-schoolgraduate.

H)JamesHeckman,theNobelPrize-winningeconomist,haxaminedhowthereturns

oneducationbreakdownforindividualswithdifferentbackgroundsandlevelsof

ability.“Evenwiththehighprices,you’restillfindingahighreturnforindividuals

whoarebrightandmotivated,〞therhand,“ifyou’renotcollege

ready,thentheanswerisno,it’snotworthit.〞Expertstendtoagreethatforthe

word

9/15

averagestudent,collegeisstillworthittoday,buttheyalsoagreethattherapidincrea

derlinestudents,

tuition(学费)ricanpushthoreturnsintonegativeterritory.

I)Everyoneemstoagreethatthegovernment,andparents,shouldberethinkinghow

weinvestinhighereducation—andthatemployersneedtorethinktheincreasinguof

collegedegreesascrudescreeningtoolsforjobsthatdon’treallyrequirecollegeskills.

“Employerseingasurplusofcollegegraduatesandlookingtofilljobsarejust

addingthatrequirement,〞saysVedder.“Infact,acollegedegreebeesajob

requirementforbeingabar-tender.〞

J)sdin2007allows

manystudentstocaptheirloanpaymentat10percentoftheirineandforgivesany

our,thatdoesn’tcontrolthecostofeducation;itjust

encouragesgraduatestochoolower-payingcareers,

whichreducesthefinancialreturntoeducationstillfurther.“You’resubsidizing

peopletobeepriestsandpoetsandsoforth,〞saysHeckman.“Youmaythinkthat’

sagoodthing,oryoumaynot.〞Eitherwayitwillbeexpensiveforthegovernment.

K)notesthatwork

alsobuildsvaluableskills—probablymorevaluableforkidswhodon’tnaturallylove

nagreeswholeheartedly:“Peoplearedifferent,andtho

’swhatwe’velearned,andpublicpolicyshouldrecognize

that.〞

L)Heckmanwouldliketoemoreapprenticeship-style(学徒式)programs,where

kidscanlearnintheworkplace—learnnotjustspecificjobskills,butthekindof“soft

skills,〞likegettingtoworkontimeandgettingalongwithateam,thatarecrucialfor

careersuccess.“It’sabouthavingmentors(指导者)andhavingworkplace-bad

education,〞hesays.“TimeandagainI’veenexamplesofthiskindofprogram

working.〞

M)Ah,buthowdowegettherefromhere?Withbetterpublicpolicy,hopefully,butalso

bymakingbetterindividualdecisions.“Historicallymarketshavebeenabletohandle

thethings,〞saysVedder,“

doesn’timprovesoon,peoplearegoingtowakeupandask,‘WhyamIgoingto

college?’〞

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡2上作答。

word

10/15

suggeststhatkidswhodon’tloveschoolgotowork.

easingnumberoffamiliesspendmoremoneyonhousinagoodschool

district.

izedloanstocollegestudentsareahugewasteofmoney,accordingtoone

economist.

dmorekidsfindtheyfareworwithacollegediploma.

whoarenotpreparedforhighereducation,goingtocollegeisnotworthit.

eyearsthecostofacollegeeducationhasincreadalmostby100%.

sdrecentlyallowsmanystudentstopaynomorethanonetenthoftheir

inefortheircollegeloans.

-classAmericanshavehighlyvaluedagoodeducation.

dsshouldbeencouragedtoparticipateinprogramswheretheycanlearnnot

onlyjobskillsbutalsosocialskills.

ftypercentofrecentcollegegraduatesremainunemployedorunabletofind

asuitablejob.

SectionC

Directions:ssageisfollowedbysome

hofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),

B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletter

onAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions56to60arebadonthefollowingpassage.

Arecentglobalsurveyof2000high-net-worthindividualsfoundthat60%werenot

Sparticipants,75%expectedtocontinue

workinginsomecapacityevenaftersteppingawayfromfull-timejobs.“Manyof

thepeoplemadetheirwealthbydoingsomethingthey’repassionate(有激情的)

word

11/15

about,〞saysDanielEgan,headofbehavioralfinanceforBarclaysWealthAmericas.

“Giventhechoice,theyprefertocontinueworking.〞Barclayscallsthepeople

“nevertirees.〞UnlikemanyAmericanspelledintoearlyretirementbypany

restrictions,106-year-old

investorIrvingKahn,headofhisownfamilyfirm,wantstokeepingtoworkeveryday,

who’sgoingtostophim?Seventy-eight-year-oldSupremeCourtJusticeRuthBader

Ginsburg’eemthattheelderly

,’Friedman,

aprofessoratUCRiverside,foundinhisrearchthatthowhoworkhardestandare

successfulintheircareersoftenlivethelongestlives.“Peoplearegenerallybeing

givenbadadvicetoslowdown,takeiteasy,stopworrying,andretiretoFlorida,〞he

ribedonestudyparticipant,stillworkingattheageof100,whowas

recentlydisappointedtoehissonretire.“We’rebeginningtoeachangeinhow

peopleviewretirement,〞saysGeorgeLeeson,co-directoroftheInstituteof

nceretirementwasenasabriefrewardaftera

longstrugglethroughsomemirablejob,itisnowakin(近似)tobeingcastaside.

WhatLeesonterms“theWarrenBuffetteffect〞isbeingmorebroadlyappealingas

individualto“viewretirementasnotsimplybeinglinkedtoeconomicproductivity

butalsoaboutcontribution.〞Obrversaresplitonwhetherthisisawhollygoodthing.

Ontheonehand,paniesandfinancialfirmscanbenefitfromthewisdomofaresilient

(坚韧的)ther,thenewgenerationcanfinditmoredifficulttoadvance

—anargumentthattypicallyholdslittleswaytoanevertiree.

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡2上作答。

welearnabouttheso-called“nevertirees〞？

A)Theyarepassionateaboutmakingafortune.

B)Theyhavenochoicebuttocontinueworking.

C)Theylovewhattheydoandchoonottoretire.

D)Theywillnotretireunlesstheyarepelledto.

IrvingKahnandRuthBaderGinsburghaveinmon?

A)Neitherofthemissubjecttoforcedretirement.

B)Neitherofthemdesiresrewardfortheirwork.

word

12/15

C)Bothclingtotheirpositionsdespiteopposition.

D)Botharecapableofcopingwithheavyworkloads.

thefindingofHowardFriedman’srearch?

A)Theharderyouwork,thebiggeryourfortunewillbe.

B)Theearlieryouretire,thehealthieryouwillbe.

C)Elderlypeoplehavetoslowdowntolivelonger.

D)Workingatanadvancedagelengthenspeople’slife.

thetraditionalviewofretirementaccordingtothepassage?

A)Itmeansaburdentotheyoungergeneration.

B)Itisasymbolofamatureandcivilizedsociety.

C)Itisapensationforone’slife-longhardwork.

D)Ithelpsincreaanation’conomicproductivity.

criticssayabout“nevertirees〞？

A)Theyareanobstacletoapany’sdevelopment.

B)Theylackthecreativityoftheyoungergeneration.

C)Theycannotworkafficientlyastheyudto.

D)Theypreventyoungpeoplefromgettingahead.

PassageTwo

Questions61to65arebadonthefollowingpassage.

WhenwetalkaboutAmericansbarelyintoadulthoodwhoaresaddledwithunbearable

levelsofdebt,re’sa

growingbodyofevidencesuggestingthattoday’syoungadultsarealsodrowningin

credit-carddebt—an

20%overspenttheirinebymorethan＄heyhaven’t

builtuptheircredithistoriesyet,it’sasafebetthattheyoungadultsarepaying

ghmanyyoung

word

13/15

peopleblame“socializing〞asabarriertosavingmoney,mostofthemaren’t

knockingback＄20drinksintrendy(时尚的)’restrugglingwithmuch

turbinglylargeextent,theyoungandthebroke

viouslyisn’t

sustainableinthelongrun,andit’sgoingtoputahugedragontheirspendingpower

evenaftertheyreachtheirpeakearningyears,becauthey’llstillbepayingintereston

thatbottleoforangejuiceorboxofspaghetti(意式面条)theyboughtadecade

udyoutofOhioStateUniversityfoundthatyoungadultsare

accumulatingcreditcarddebtatamorerapidratethanotheragegroups,andthatthey’

resloweratpayingitoff.“Ifwhatwefoundcontinuestoholdtrue,wemayhavemore

elderlypeoplewithsubstantialfinancialproblemsinthefuture,〞warnsLuciaDunn,

professorofeconomicsatOhioState.“Ifourfindingspersist,wemaybefacedwitha

financialcrisisamongelderlypeoplewhocan’tpayofftheircreditcards.〞Dunnsays

alotoftheyoungpeoplearenevergoingtogetoutfromundertheircreditcarddebt.

“Manypeopleareborrowingoncreditcardssoheavilythatpayoffratesatthelevels

arenotsufficienttorecovertheircreditcarddebtbytheendoftheirlife,whichcould

havelossimplicationsforthecreditcardissuingbanks.〞

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡2上作答。

themainideaofthefirstparagraph?

A)ManyyoungAmericanswillneverbeabletopayofftheirdebts.

B)Creditcardsplayanincreasinglyimportantroleincollegelife.

C)Creditcardsaredoingmoreharmthanstudentloans.

D)TheAmericancreditcardsystemisundercriticism.

oungpeoplehavetopayahigherinterestontheircreditcarddebt?

A)Theytendtoforgetaboutthedeadlines.

B)Theyhaven’tdevelopedacredithistory.

C)Theyareoftenunabletopaybackintime.

D)Theyareinexperiencedinmanagingmoney.

saidtobetheconquenceofyoungadultsrelyingoncreditcardstomake

endsmeet?

A)Itwillplaceanunnecessaryburdenonsociety.

word

14/15

B)Itwillgivethemnomotivationtoworkhard.

C)Itwillexertpsychologicalpressureonthem.

D)Itwillaffecttheirfuturespendingpower.

llhappentoyoungadultsiftheircreditcarddebtkeepsaccumulating

accordingtoLuciaDunn?

A)Theywillhavetopayanincreasinglyhigherinterestrate.

B)Theymayexperienceafinancialcrisisintheiroldage.

C)Theirqualityoflifewillbeaffected.

D)Theircreditcardsmaybecancelled.

esLuciaDunnthinkmightbeariskforthecreditcardissuingbanks?

A)Theygobankruptasaresultofover-lending.

B)Theylolargenumbersoftheirregularclients.

C)Theirclientsleavetheirdebtsunpaidupondeath.

D)Theirinterestrateshavetobereducednowandthen.

PartⅣTranslation(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefrom

uldwriteyouransweronAnswerSheet2.

中国结(theChineknot)最初是由手工艺人发明的，经过数百年不断的改良，已

经成为一种优雅多彩的艺术和工艺。在古代，人们用它来记录事件，但现在主要

用于装饰的目的。“结〞在中文里意味着爱情、婚姻和团聚。中国结常常作为礼

物交换或用作饰品祈求好运和避邪。这种形式的手工艺(handicraft)代代相传，现

在已经在中国和世界各地越来越受欢迎。

注意：此局部试题请在答题卡2上作答。

word

15/15

答案

1~5CACBA6~10BDACA11~15BDADC16~20DBCDB21~25ACABD

logical

ty

36~40NLIOF41~45DCJMH46~50KCEBH51~55DJCLF56~60CADCD

61~65ABDBC

everalhundred

years’innovation,ent

times,itwasudforrecordingevents,whilenowitismainlyadecorativehandicraft

e,"Knot"meanslove,neknotisoften

dcraft

haspasdonforgenerationsandbeemoreandmorepopularinChinaandtheworld.