12月英语四级真题和答案解析(第二套).doc

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第2套)Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on how to best handle the relationship between teachers and students. 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 three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only 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 centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A) It tries to entertain its audience.C) It wants to catch peoples attention.B) It tries to look into the distance.D) It has got one of its limbs injured.2. A) It was spotted by animal protection officials.B) It was filmed by a local television reporter.C) Its videos were posted on social media.D) Its picture won a photography prize.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) The distance travelledC) The spending on gas.B) The incidence of road accidents.D) The number of people travelling.4. A) Fewer people are commuting.C) Job growth is slowing down.B) Gas consumption is soaring.D) Rush-hour traffic is worsening.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) He told a stranger the sad story about himself.B) He helped a stranger to carry groceries to his car.C) He went up to a stranger and pulled at his sleeves.D) He washed a strangers car in return for some food.6. A) He ordered a lot of food for his family.C) He raised a large sum of money for him.B) He gave him a job at his own company.D) He offered him a scholarship for college.7. A) He works hard to support his family.C) He is very good at making up stories.B) He is an excellent student at school.D) He has been disabled since boyhood. 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 marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) Attended an economics lecture.C) Had a drink at Queen Victoria.B) Taken a walk on Charles Street.D) Had dinner at a new restaurant.9. A) Treat a college friend to dinner.C) Attend his brothers birthday party.B) Make preparations for a seminar.D) Visit some of his high school friends.10. A) Gather statistics for his lecture.B) Throw a surprise birthday party.C) Meet with Jonathans friends on the weekend.D) Join him in his brothers birthday celebration.11. A) By car.B) By train.C) By taxi.D) By bus.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Taking a vacation abroad.C) Saving enough money for a rainy day.B) Reviewing for his last exam.D) Finding a better way to earn money.13. A) Preparing for his final exams.C) Working part time as a waiter.B) Negotiating with his boss for a raise.D) Helping the woman with her courses.14. A) Finish her term paper.C) Learn a little bit of Spanish.B) Save enough money.D) Ask her parents permission.15. A) He has rich sailing experience.C) He is also eager to go to Spain.B) He speaks Spanish fluently.D) He is easy to get along with.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you mast 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.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) She went to the same university as her mother.B) She worked as a nurse in the First World War.C) She won the Nobel Prize two times.D) She was also a Nobel Prize winner.17. A) She fought bravely in a series of military operations.B) She developed X-ray facilities for military hospitals.C) She helped to set up several military hospitals.D) She made donations to save wounded soldiers.18. A) Both died of blood cancer.C) Both won military medals.B) Both fought in World War I.D) Both married their assistants.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) They were the first settlers in Europe.B) They were the conquerors of Norway.C) They discovered Iceland in the ninth century.D) They settled on a small island north of England.20. A) It was some five hundred miles west of Norway.B) It was covered with green most time of the year.C) It was the Vikings most important discovery.D) It was a rocky mass of land covered with ice.21. A) The Vikings, ocean explorations.C) The Vikings everyday life.B) The making of European nations.D) The Europeans Arctic discoveries.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) Work hard for a better life.C) Dream about the future.B) Make mistakes now and then.D) Save against a rainy day.23. A) Teach foreign languages for the rest of his life.B) Change what he has for his past imaginary world.C) Exchange his two-story house for a beach cottage.D) Dwell on the dreams he had dreamed when young.24. A) Criminal law.C) Oriental architecture.B) City planning.D) International business.25. A) Dream and make plans.C) Be content with what you have.B) Take things easy in life,D) Enjoy whatever you are doing.Part III 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 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 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.Technological changes brought dramatic new options to Americans living in the 1990s. During this decade new forms of entertainment, commerce, research, and communication became commonplace in the U. S. The driving force behind much of this change was a (n) 26 popularly known as the Internet.The Internet was developed during the 1970s by the Department of Defense. In the case of an attack, military advisers suggested the 27 of being able to operate one computer from another terminal. In the early days, the Internet was used mainly by scientists to communicate with other scientists. The Internet 28 under government control until 1984.One early problem faced by Internet users was speed. Phone lines could only transmit information at a 29 rate. The development of fiber-optic (光纤)cables allowed for billions of bits of information to be received every minute. Companies like Intel developed faster microprocessors, so personal computers could process the 30 signals at a more rapid rate.In the early 1990s, the World Wide Web was developed, in large part, for 31 purposes. Corporations created home pages where they could place text and graphics to sell products. Soon airline tickets, hotel 32 , and even cars and homes could be purchased online. Universities 33 research data on the Internet, so students could find 34 information without leaving their dormitories. Companies soon discovered that work could be done at home and 35 online, so a whole new class of telecommuters began to earn a living from home offices unshaven and wearing pajamas (睡衣).A) advantageI) maintainedB) commercialJ) occupationsC) conservationK) postedD) equippedL) remainedE) incomingM) reservationsF) innovationN) submittedG) limitedO) valuableH) localSection BDirections: 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 Health Benefits of KnittingA) About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. I agreed to give it a try.B) My mother had taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout college and for a few years thereafter. Then decades passed without my touching a knitting needle. But within two Mondays in the group, I was hooked, not only on knitting but also on crocheting (钩织), and I was on my way to becoming a highly productive crafter.C) Ive made countless baby blankets, sweaters, scarves, hats, caps for newborns. I take a knitting project with me everywhere, especially when I have to sit still and listen. As I discovered in college, when my hands are busy, my mind stays focused on the here and now.D) It seems, too, that Im part of a national renewal of interest in needle and other handicrafts (手工艺).The Craft Yam Council reports that a third of women ages 25-35 now knit or crochet. Even men and schoolchildren are swelling the ranks, among them my Mends three small grandsons. Last April, the council created a Stitch Away Stress” campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of The Relaxation Response, says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation (沉思) and yoga. Once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting can lower heart rate and blood pressure.E) But unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. I keep photos of my singular accomplishments on my cellphone to boost my spirits when needed.F) Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed hundreds of thousands of knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities main benefits. Among them is the father of a prematurely born daughter who reported that during the babys five weeks in the intensive care unit, “learning how to knit infant hats gave me a sense of purpose during a time that I felt very helpless. Its a hobby that Ive stuck with, and it continues to help me cope with stress at work, provide a sense of order in hectic (忙乱的) days, and allow my brain time to solve problems.”G) A recent email from the yam (纺纱) company Red Heart titled “Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting” prompted me to explore what else might be known about the health value of activities like knitting. My research revealed that the rewards go well beyond replacing stress and anxiety with the satisfaction of creation.H) For example, Karen Hayes, a life coach in Toronto, conducts knitting therapy programs, including Knit to Quit to help smokers give up the habit, and Knit to Heal for people coping with health crises, like a cancer diagnosis or serious illness of a family member. Schools and prisons with craft programs report that they have a calming effect and enhance social skills. And having to follow instructions on complex craft projects can improve childrens math skills.I) Some people find that craftwork helps them control their weight. Just as its challenging to smoke while knitting, when hands are holding needles and hooks, theres less snacking and mindless eating out of boredom.J) Ive found that my handiwork with yam has helped my arthritic (患关节炎的)fingers remain more dexterous (灵巧的) as I age. A woman encouraged to try knitting and crocheting after developing an autoimmune disease that caused a lot of hand pain reported on the Craft Yam Council site that her hands are now less stiff and painful.K) A 2009 University of British Columbia study of 38 women with an eating disorder who were taught to knit found that learning the craft led to significant improvements. Seventy-four percent of the women said the activity lessened their fears and kept them from thinking about their problem.L) Betsan Corkhill, a wellness coach in Bath, England, and author of the book Knit for Health & Wellness, established a website, Stitchlinks, to explore the value of what she calls therapeutic knitting. Among her respondents, 54 percent of those who were clinically depressed said that knitting made them feel happy or very happy. In a study of 60 self-selected people with persistent pain, Ms. Corkhill and colleagues reported that knitting enabled them to redirect their focus, reducing their awareness of pain. She suggested that the brain can process just so much at once, and that activities like knitting and crocheting make it harder for the brain to register pain signals. Perhaps most exciting is research that suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to keep off a decline in brain function with age. In a 2011 study, researchers led by Dr. Yonas Geda at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester interviewed a random (随机的) sample of 1,321 people ages 70-89, most of whom were cognitively (在认知方面) normal, about the cognitive activities they engaged in late in life. The study, published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive disorder and memory loss.M) Although it is possible that only people who are cognitively healthy would pursue such activities, those who read newspapers or magazines or played music did not show similar benefits. The researchers speculate that craft activities promote the development of nerve pathways in the brain that help to maintain cognitive health.N) In support of that suggestion, a 2014 study by Denise C. Park of the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues demonstrated that learning to knit or do digital photography enhanced memory function in older adults. Those who engaged in activities that were not intellectually challenging, either in a social group or alone, did not show such improvements.O) Given that sustained social contacts have been shown to support health and a long life, those wishing to maximize the health value of crafts might consider joining a group of like-minded folks.I for one