英语四级考试真且试卷

1、2014 年 12 月英语四级考试真且试卷 (1)Questions 36 to 一， are based an the following passage.As an Alaskan fisherman, Tbne 句 June, 认 used m think that 比 was safe fromindustrial pollutants 饰央物 )at his home in “ 一 .town of之绷 Pea 内 . 心 4,000 eagles, with 8 million acne of protected wildland nearby. But inearly 2007,

2、 June agreed to take part in a 36_ of 35 Americans from seven states. It wasabiomonitoring project, in which people's blood and urine 俘 J were tested far 37_ ofchemicals 一 in this case, three potentially dangerous classes of compounds found incommonhousehold 38_ like face cream, tin cans, and sh

3、ower curtains The results 一r39_ in November in a report called 'Is It in Us?' 妙 an environmentalgroupwererather worrying. Every amof the participants, 40_ from an Illinois state senator to aMassachusetts minister, tested positive for all three classes ofpollutants And while the41_ presence o

4、f these chemicals does not 42_ indicate a health ri式 the fact thattypical Americans carry these chemicals at all 43_ June and 油 fellow件血 ipantsCearty, there are chemicals in our bodies that don t 44_ there.A large, ongoingstudy conducted 妙 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found 14,

5、6chemicals in Americans of all ages And in 2WS, the EnvironmentalWorking Groupfound an 45_ of 270 chemicals in the blood of 10 new-bores 'Our babies are beingborn pre-polluted,' says Sharyle Patton of Commonweal, which cosponsored 'Is It inUs?' 'This is going to be the next big e

6、nvironmental issue after climate change.'A 注意 : 此部分试题请在答题卡 z 上作答。A) analysesB) averageC) belongD) demonstratedE) excessF) extendingG) habituallyH) necessarily乃 productsJ) rangingK) releasedL)shockedM) simpleN) survey0) tracesIn Ilard Economy for All Ages. Older Isn't Better.二 It's Brutal

7、A Young graduates are in debt, out of work and on their parents'couches. People intheir 30s and 40s can't afford to buy homes or have children.Retirees are earningnear-zero interest on their savings.B In the current listless 缺乏活力的 )economy, every generation has a claim to havingbeen most inj

8、ured. But the Labor Department's latest jobs reports and other recentdata present a strong case for crowning baby boomers(二战后生育高峰期出生的人)A)as the greatest victims of the recession and its dreadful consequences.C These Americans in their 50s and early 60s 一 those near retirement age who do notyet h

9、ave access to Medicare and Social Security 一 have lost the most earningspower of any age group, with their household incomes 10 percent below what theymade when the recovery began three years ago, according toSentier Research, adata analysis company. Their retirement savings and homevaluesfell sharp

10、ly at theworst possible time: just before they needed to cash out. Theyare supporting bothaged parents and unemployed young-adult children, earning them the unluckynickname "Generation Squeeze."D New research suggests that they may die sooner, because theirhealth, incomeAsecurity and menta

11、l well-being were battered（ 重创 ）by recession at a crucial time in their lives. A recent study by economists at Wellesley College foundthat people who lost their jobs in the few years before becoming qualified for Social Security lost upto three years from their life expectancy（ 预期寿命 ） ， largely beca

12、use they no longerhad access to affordable health care.E Unemployment rates for Americans nearing retirement are farlower than those foryoung people, who are recently out of school, with fewer skillsand a shorter workhistory.But once out of a job, older workers have a muchhardertime findinganotheron

13、e. Over the lastyear, the average duration ofunemployment for olderpeople was 53 weeks, compared with 19 weeks for teenagers,according to the LaborDepartment's jobs report released on Friday.F The lengthy process is partly because older workers are morelikely to have beenlaid off from industries

14、 that are downsizing, likemanufacturing. Compared with therest of the population, older people are also more likely toown their own homes andbe less mobile than renters, who can move to new job markets.G Older workers are more likely to have a disability of somesort, perhaps limiting therange of job

15、s that offer realistic choices. They may also be lessinclined, at leastinitially, to take jobs that pay far less than their old positions.H Displaced boomers also believe they are victims of age discrimination, becauseemployers can easily find a young, energetic worker who willaccept lower pay andIJ

16、 who can potentially stick around for decades rather than a few years.In a survey by the center of older workers who were laid off during the recession,just one in six had found another job, and half of that group had accepted pay cuts.14% of the re-employed said the pay in their new job was less th

17、anhalf what theyearned in their previous job. "I just say to myself: W饰 me? Whathave 1 done todeserve this?"' said John Agati, 56, whose last full-time job, asa product developer,ended four years ago when his employer went out of business. Thatposition paid590,000, and his resume lists

18、 jobs at companies like AmericanExpress, Disney andUSA Networks. Since being laid off, though, he has worked a seriesof part-time,shoes atlow-wage, temporary positions, including sellingLord&Taylor and making sales calls for a car company.The last few years have taken a toll not only on his fami

19、ly's finances, but also on hisfeelings of self-worth. "You just get sad," Mr. Agati said. "I seepeople getting up inthe morning, going out to their careers and going home. I just wish I was doing that.Somepeople don't like their jobs, or they have problems with their jobs, but

20、 at leastthey're working. I just wish I was in their shoes." He said he cannot afford to go backto school, as many younger people without jobs have done. Even ifhe could afford it,economists sav it is unclear whether older workers like him benefit much from moreeducation.K 'It just does

21、n'tHamermesh, make sense to offer retraining for people 55 and older," said Danieleconomics professor. "Discrimination场age, long-termunemployment, and the fact that they're now at the end of the hiring queue justdon't make it sensible to invest in them."L Many displaced ol

22、der workers are taking this message to heartand leaving the laborforce entirely. The share of older people applying for SocialSecurity early rosequickly during the recession as people sought whatever incomethey could find. Thepenalty they will pay is permanent, as retirees who take benefits at age 6

23、2 willreceive as much as 30% less in each month's check for the restof their lives than theywould if they had waited until full retirement age (66 for those born after 1942).M Those not yet eligible for Social Security are increasinglyapplying for another,comparable kind of income support that o

24、ften goes to people who expect never towork again: disability benefits. More than one in eight people in their late 50s is nowon someform of federal disability insurance program, accordingto Mark Duggan,chairman of the department of business economics and publicpolicy at theUniversity of Pennsylvani

25、a's Wharton School.N The very oldest Americans, of course, were battered by some ofthe same ill windsthat tormented those now nearing retirement, but at least themost senior werecushioned by a more readily available social safety net. Moreimportant, in astatistical twist, they may have actually

26、benefited from thefinancial crisis in themost fundamental way: prolonged lives.O Death rates for people over 65 have historically fallen duringrecessions, accordingto a November 2011 stu 街场 economists at the University of California, Davis. W 场 ?The researchers argue that weak iob markets push more

27、workers into acceptingrelatively undesirable work at nursing homes, leading to better care for residents.注愈 : 此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。46. Greater mobility puts younger people at an advantage in seeking new jobs.47. Many of the older workers laid off during the recession had toaccept lower pay intheir new jo

28、bs.48. Those who has their jobs shortly before retirement age live a shorter-than-averagelife.49. Seniors at nursing homes could benefit from the weak job market.50. Age discrimination in employment makes it pointless retraining older workers.51. According to recent reports and data analyses, boomer

29、s suffer most from the weakeconomy.52. Unemployed boomers are at a disadvantage in job-hunting because employers tendto hire younger workers.53. People in their fifties and early sixties bear the heaviestfamily burdens.54. People who take benefits from Social Security before official retirement age

30、will get much less for the rest of their lives.55. Older workers' choice of jobs can be limited because of disability.SectionCDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Eadi passage is户 (lowed 妙 some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choicesmarked A), B),

31、C) and D). Youshould decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letteron Answer Sheet 2 with asingle line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 印 are based on the following passage.The rise of the Internet has been one of the most transformative developments inhumanhistory, compara

32、ble in impact to the invention of the printing press and thetelegraph. Over two billion people worldwide now have access tovastly moreinformation than ever before, and can communicate with each other instantly, oftenusing Web-connected mobile devices they carry everywhere. But theInternet'streme

33、ndous impact has only just begun.'Mass adoption of the Internet is driving one of the most exciting social, cultural,and political transformations in history, and unlike earlier periods of change, this timeAAthe effects are fully global," Schmidt and Cohen write in theirnew book The New Dig

34、italAge.Perhaps the most profound changes will come when the five billion peopleworldwide who currently lack Internet access get online. The authors do an excellent jobof examining the implications of the Internet revolution for individuals, governments,and institutionslike the news media. But if th

35、e book has one majorshortcoming, it's thatauthors don't spend enough time applying a critical eye to the role of Internet businessesin these weeping changes.In their book, the authors provide the most authoritative volume to date thatdescribes 一 and more importantly predicts 一 how the Intern

36、et willshape our lives in thecoming decades. They paint a picture of a world in which individuals, companies,institutions, and governments must deal with two realities, onephysical, and one virtual.At the core of the book is the idea that "technology is neutral,but people aren't." Byus

37、ing this concept as a starting point, the authors aim to movebeyond the now familiaroptimist vs. pessimist dichotomy(对立观点 )that has characterizedmany recent debates about whether the rise of the Internet will ultimately be good orbad for society. In aninterview with TIME earlier this week, Cohen sai

38、d although he andhis co-author areoptimistic about many aspects of the Internet, they're also realistic about the risks anddangers that lie ahead when the next five billion people comeonline, particularly withrespect to personal privacy and state surveillance(监视 ).56. In what way is the rise of

39、the Internet similar to the inventionof the printing pressand the telegraph?A) It transforms human history.B) It facilitates daily communication.C) It is adopted by all humanity.D) It revolutionizes people's thinking.57. How do Schmidt and Cohen describe the effects of the Internet?A) They are i

40、mmeasurable.B) They are worldwide.C) They are unpredictable.D) They are contaminating.58. In what respect is the book The New Digital Age considered inadequate:A) It failsto recognize the impact of the Internet technology.B) It fails to look into the social implications of the Internet.C) It lacks a

41、n objective evaluation of the role of Internet businesses.D) It does not address the technical aspects of Internet communication.59. What will the future be like when everybody gets online?A) People will be living in two different realities.B) People will have equal access to information.C) People d

42、on't have to travel to see the world.D) People don't have to communicate face to face.does the passage say about the authors of The New Digital Age?A) They leave many questions unanswered concerning the Internet.B) They are optimistic about the future of the Internet revolution.0 Thev have e

43、xvlored the unknown territories of the virtual world.D) They don't take sides in analyzing the effects of the Internet.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.In 1950, a young man would have found it much easier than itis today to get andkeep a job in the auto industry.

44、And in that year die average autoworker could meet monthly mortgage( 抵押贷款 )payments on an average home with justpercent of his take-home pay. Today a similar mortgage would claim more than twice that share of hismonthly earnings.Other membersof the autoworker's family, however might be less incl

45、ined to triedthe present for the past. His retired parents would certainly havehad less economic,security back then. Throughout muchof the 1960s, more than a quarter of men andwomen and women age 65 and older lived below the poverty level,compared to lessthan 10 percent in 2010.In most states, his w

46、ife could not have taken out a loan or acard in her own name. In42 states, a homemaker had no legal claim on the earnings of herhusband. And nowhere did a wife have legal protection against family violence.Most black workers would not want to return to a time when, onaverage theyearned 40 percent le

47、ss than their white counterparts（职位相当的人） ， white raciallyrestrictive agreements largely prevented them from buying into the suburbanneighborhoods being built for white working-lass families.丁 oday, new problems have emerged in the process of resolvingold ones, but thesolution is not to go back to th

48、e past. Some people may long foran era when divorce wasstill hard to come by. The spread of no -fault divorce has reducedthe bargaining powerof whichever spouse is more interested in continuing the relationship. And the breakupof such marriages has caused pain for many families.The growing diversity of family life comes with new possibilities as well as newchallenges. According to a re