英语四级考试2016年6月真题

大四级考试2016年6月（第二套Part Writing（30Directions：Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowritealettertoexpressyourthankstooneofyourschoolteachersuponenteringcollege.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartII ListeningComprehension（25minutes）SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughtheQuestions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustA）Howcollegestudentscanimprovetheirsleephabits.B）Whysufficientsleepisimportantforcollegestudents.C）Whycollegestudentsaremorelikelytohavestressproblems.D）HowcollegestudentscanhandletheirpsychologicalA）Itisnoteasytoimproveone’ssleephabits.B）Itisnotgoodforstudentstoplaygames.C）Studentswhoarebetterpreparedgenerallygethigherscoresinexaminations.D）Makinglast-minutepreparationsfortestsmaybelesseffectivethanslee.Questions３and４arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustA）WhethermoreairportsshouldbebuiltaroundB）Whetheradequateinvestmentisbeingmadetoimproveairportfacilities.C）WhethertheBritishAirportsAuthorityshouldselloffsomeofitsassets.D）WhethertheSpanishcompanycouldofferbetterservice.A）Inefficientmanagement. C）Lackofinnovationandcompetition.B）Poorownershipstructure. D）Lackofrunwayandterminalcapacity.Questions５to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustA）Reportthenicotinecontentoftheircigarettes. C）Takestepstoreducenicotineintheirproducts.B）Setalimittotheproductionoftheircigarettes. D）Studytheeffectsofnicotineonyoungsmokers.A）Thebiggestincreaseinnicotinecontenttendedtobeinbrandsyoungsmokerslike.B）Bigtobaccocompanieswerefrankwiththeircustomersaboutthehazardsofsmoking.C）Brandswhichcontainhighernicotinecontentwerefoundtobemuchmorepopular.D）Tobaccocompaniesrefusedtodiscussthedetailednicotinecontentoftheirproducts.A）Theypromisedtoreducethenicotinecontentincigarettes.B）Theyhavenotfullyrealizedtheharmfuleffectofnicotine.C）Theywerenotpreparedtocommentonthecigarettestudy.D）Theywillpaymoreattentiontothequalityoftheirproducts.SectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughtheQuestions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA） C）B） D）A）Gettingacoachwhocanofferrealhelp.C）LearningalanguagewhereitisnotB）Talkingwithherboyfriendin D）AcquiringthenecessaryabilitytoA）Listeningtolanguageprogramsontheradio. C）MakingfriendswithnativeB）Tryingtospeakitasmuchasonecan.D）PracticingreadingaloudasoftenasA）Itcreatesanenvironmentforsocializing. C）Ittrainsyoungpeople’sleadershipB）Itoffersvariouscourseswithcreditpoints.D）ItprovidesopportunitiesforlanguageQuestions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA）Theimpactofenginedesignonroadsafety. C）Asenseoffreedomdrivinggives.B）Therolemenplayintrafficsafety. D）Rulesandregulationsfordriving.A）Makecarswithautomaticcontrol. C）Makecarsthatarelesspowerful.B）Makecarsthathavebetterbrakes. D）Makecarswithhigherstandards.A）Theytendtodriveresponsibly. C）Theykeepwithinspeedlimits.B）Theyliketogoathighspeed. D）Theyfollowtrafficrulesclosely.A）Itisabad C）ItisaseffectiveasspeedB）Itisnot D）ItshouldbecombinedwithSectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA）Thecardgotdamaged. C）Thecardreaderfailedtodothescanning.B）Thecardwasfoundinvalid.D）Thecardreaderbrokedownunexpectedly.A）Bycoveringthecreditcardwithalayerofplastic.B）Bycallingthecreditcardcompanyforconfirmation.C）ByseekinghelpfromthecardreadermakerVerifone.D）BytythecreditcardnumberintothecashA）Affectthesalesofhigh-techappliances. C）GivebirthtomanynewtechnologicalB）ChangethelifestyleofmanyAmericans. D）Producemanylow-techfixesforhigh-techfailures.Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA）Theyaresetbythedeanofthegraduateschool.C）TheyleavemuchroomforB）Theyaredeterminedbytheadvisingboard. D）TheyvaryamongdifferentA）Byconsultingtheexaminingcommittee. C）Bycontactingthedepartmentaloffice.B）ByreadingtheBulletinofInformation.D）Byvisitingtheuniversity’swebsite.A）Theyspecifythenumberofcreditsstudentsmustearn.B）Theyarehardertomeetthanthoseforundergraduates.C）Theyhavetobeapprovedbytheexaminingcommittee.D）TheyarethesameamongvariousdivisionsoftheQuestions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA）Studentsmajoringinnutrition.C）Ph.D.candidatesinB）Studentsinhealth D）MiddleandhighschoolA）Itsoverestimateoftheeffectofdieting. C）Itschangingcriteriaforbeauty.B）Itsmistakenconceptionofnutrition. D）Itsoveremphasisonthinness.A）Toillustrateherpointthatbeautyisbutskindeep.B）Todemonstratethemagiceffectofdietingonwomen.C）Toexplainhowcomputerimagescanbemisleading.D）Toprovethattechnologyhasimpactedourculture.A）Topersuadegirlstostopdieting.C）ToestablishanemotionalconnectionwithB）Topromoteherownconceptofbeauty. D）Tohelpstudentsridthemselvesofbadlivinghabits.PartIII ReadingComprehension（40minutes）SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Contrarytopopularbelief,olderpeoplegenerallydonotwanttolivewiththeirchildren.mostadultchildren26everybitasmuchcareandsupporttotheiragingparentsaswasthecaseinthe“goodolddays”,andmostolderpeopledonotfeel27.About80%ofpeople65yearsandolderhavelivingchildren,andabout90%ofthemhavecontactwiththeirchildren.About75%ofelderlyparentswhodon’tgotonursinghomeslivewithin30minutesofatleastoneoftheirchildren.However,29havingcontactwithchildrendoesnotguaranteehappinessinoldage.Infact,someresearchhasfoundthatpeoplewhoaremostinvolvedwiththeirfamilieshavethelowestspirits.Thisresearchmaybe30,however,asillhealthoftenmakesolderpeoplemore31andtherebyincreasescontactwithfamilymembers.Soitismorelikelythatpoorhealth,notjustfamilyinvolvement,32spirits.Increasingly,researchershavebeguntolookatthequalityofrelationships,ratherthanatthefrequencyofcontact,betweentheelderlyandtheirchildren.Ifparentsandchildrenshareinterestsandvaluesandagreeonchildrearingpracticesandreligious33,theyarelikelytoenjoyeachother’scompany.Disagreementsonsuchmatterscan34causeproblems.Ifparentsareangeredbytheirdaughter’sdivorce,dislikehernewhusband,anddisapproveofhowsheisraisingtheirgrandchildren,35arethattheyarenotgoingtoenjoyhervisits. I） J）fulfillmentC）biased K）grant L） M）provideF）dampens N）understandablyG）dependent O）unrealisticallyH）distantSectionDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.CouldFoodShortagesBringDownFormanyyearsIhavestudiedglobalagricultural,population,environmentalandeconomictrendsandtheirinteractions.Thecombinedeffectsofthosetrendsandthepoliticaltensionstheygeneratepointtothebreakdownofernmentsandsocieties.YetI,too,haveresistedtheideathatfoodshortagescouldbringdownnotonlyindividualernmentsbutalsoourglobalIcannolongerignorethatrisk.Ourcontinuingfailuretodealwiththeenvironmentaldeclinesthatareunderminingtheworldfoodeconomyforcesmetoconcludethatsuchacollapseispossible.Asdemandforfoodrisesfasterthansaregrowing,theresultingfood-priceinflationputsseverestressontheernmentsofmanycountries.Unabletobuygrainorgrowtheirown,hungrypeopletaketothestreets.Indeed,evenbeforethesteepclimbingrainpricesin2008,thenumberoffailingstateswasexpanding.Ifthefoodsituationcontinuestoworsen,entirenationswillbreakdownataneverincreasingrate.Inthe20thcenturythemainthreattointernationalsecuritywassuperpower;todayitisfailingstates.Statesfailwhennationalernmentscannolongerprovide alsecurity,foodsecurityandbasicsocialservicessuchaseducationandhealthcare.Whenernmentslosetheircontrolonpower,lawandorderbegintodisintegrate.Afterapoint,countriescan esodangerousthatfoodreliefworkersarenolongersafeandtheirprogramsarehalted.Failingstatesareofinternationalconcernbecausetheyareasourceofterrorists,drugs,weaponsandrefugees（难民）threateningpoliticalstabilityThesurgeinworldgrainpricesin2007and2008—andthethreattheyposetofoodsecurity—hasadifferent,moretroublingqualitythantheincreasesofthepast.Duringthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury,grainpricesrosedramaticallyseveraltimes.In1972,forinstance,theSoviets,recognizingtheirpoorharvestearly,quietlycorneredtheworldwheatmarket.Asaresult,wheatpriceselsewheremorethandoubled,pullingriceandcornpricesupwiththem.Butthisandotherpriceshockswereevent-driven—droughtintheSovietUnion,crop-shrinkingheatintheU.S.CornBelt.Andtheriseswereshort-lived:pricestypicallyreturnedtonormalwiththenextharvest.F）Incontrast,therecentsurgeinworldgrainpricesistrend-driven,makingitunlikelytoreversewithoutareversalinthetrendsthemselves.Onthedemandside,thosetrendsincludetheongoingadditionofmorethan70millionpeopleayear,agrowingnumberofpeoplewantingtomoveupthefoodchaintoconsumehighlygrain-intensivemeatproducts,andthemassivediversion（转向）ofU.Sgraintotheproductionofbio- esriseamong econsumers,thepotentialforfurthergrainconsumptionishuge.Butthatpotentialpalesbesidethenever-endingdemandforcrop-basedfuels.Afourthofthisyear’sU.S.grainharvestwillgotofuelcars.Whataboutsupply?Thethreeenvironmentaltrends—theshortageoffreshwater,thelossoftopsoilandtherisingtemperatures—aremakingitincreasinglyhardtoexpandtheworld’sgrainsupplyfastenoughtokeepupwithdemand.Ofallthosetrends,however,thespreadofwatershortagesposesthemostimmediatethreat.Thebiggestchallengehereisirrigation,whichconsumes70%theworld’sfreshwater.MillionsofirrigationwellsinmanycountriesarenowpumwateroutofundergroundsourcesfasterthanrainfallcanrefillthemTheresultisfallingwatertables（地下水位）incountrieswithhalftheworld’speopleincludingthethreebiggrainproducers—China,andtheU.S.Aswatertableshavefallenandirrigationwellshavegonedry,China’swheatcrop,theworld’slargest,hasdeclinedby8%sinceitpeakedat123milliontonsin1997.Butwatershortagesareevenmoreworryingin.Millionsofirrigationwellshavesignificantlyloweredwatertablesinalmosteverystate.countriessuchasRussiaandArgentinalimitedorbannedtheirexports,inhopesofincreasinglocalfoodsandtherebybringingdowndomesticfoodprices.Vietnambanneditsexportsforseveralmonthsforthesamereason.Suchmovesmayeliminatethefearsofthoselivingintheexportingcountries,buttheyarecreatingpanicinimportingcountriesthatmustrelyonwhatisthenleftforexport.Inresponsetothoserestrictions,grain-importingcountriesaretryingtonaildowntermtradeagreementsthatwouldlockupfuturegrains.Food-importanxietyisevenleadingtoneweffortsbyfood-importingcountriestobuyorleasefarmlandinothercountries.Inspiteofsuchtemporarymeasures,soaringfoodpricesandspreadinghungerinmanyothercountriesarebeginningtobreakdownthesocialSincethecurrentworldfoodshortageistrend-driven,theenvironmentaltrendsthatcauseitmustbereversed.Wemustcutcarbonemissionsby80%fromtheir2006levelsby2020,stabilizetheworld’spopulationateightbillionby2040,compleyremovepoverty,andrestoreforestsandsoils.Thereisnothingnewaboutthefourobjectives.Indeed,wehavemadesubstantialprogressinsomepartsoftheworldonatleastoneofthese—thedistributionoffamily-planningservicesandtheassociatedshifttosmallerfamilies.Formanyinthedevelopmentcommunity,thefourobjectiveswereseenaspositive,developmentaslongastheydidnotcosttoomuch.Otherssawthemaspoliticallycorrectandmorallyappropriate.Nowathirdandfarmoresignificantmotivationpresentsitself:meetingthesegoalsmaybenecessarytopreventthecollapseofourcivilization.Yetthecostweprojectforsavingcivilizationwouldamounttolessthan$200billionayear,1/6ofcurrentglobalmilitaryspending.Ineffect,ourplanisthenewsecuritybudget.Themorerecentsteepclimbingrainpricespartlyresultsfromthefactthatmoreandmorepeoplewanttoconsumemeatproducts.SocialorderisbreakingdowninmanycountriesbecauseoffoodRatherthansuperpower ,countriesunabletocopewithfoodshortagesnowconstitutethemainthreattoworldsecurity.SomepartsoftheworldhaveseensuccessfulimplementationoffamilyTheauthorhascometoagreethatfoodshortagescouldultima yleadtothecollapseofworldIncreasingwatershortagesprovetobethebiggestobstacletoboostingtheworld’sgrainThecostforsavingourcivilizationwouldbeconsiderablylessthantheworld’scurrentmilitaryTolowerdomesticfoodprices,somecountrieslimitedorstoppedtheirgrainEnvironmentalproblemsmustbesolvedtoeasethecurrentglobalfoodAquarterofthisyear’sAmericangrainharvestwillbeusedtoproducebio-fuelforSectionDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingDecliningmentalfunctionisoftenseenasaproblemofoldage,butcertainaspectsofbrainfunctionactuallybegintheirdeclineinyoungadulthood,anewstudysuggests.Thestudy,whichfollowedmorethan2,000healthyadultsbetweentheagesof18and60,foundthatcertainmentalfunctions—includingmeasuresof reasoning,mentalspeedandpuzzle-solving—startedtodullasearlyasage27.Dipsinmemory,meanwhile,generallybecameapparentaroundageOntheotherhand,indicatorsofa ’saccumulatedknowledge—likeperformanceontestsofvocabularyandgeneralknowledge—keptimprovingwithage,accordingtofindingspublishedinthejournalNeurobiologyofTheresultsdonotmeanthatyoungadultsneedtostartworryingabouttheirmemories.Mostpeople’smindsfunctionatahighlevelevenintheirlateryears,accordingtoresearcherTimothy“Thesepatternssuggestthatsometypesofmentalflexibilitydecreaserelativelyearlyinadulthood,butthattheamountofknowledgeonehas,andtheeffectivenessofintegratingitwithone’sabilities,mayincreasethroughoutallofadulthoodiftherearenodiseases,”Salthousesaidinanewsrelease.Thestudyincludedhealthy,educatedadultswhotookstandardtestsofmemory,reasoningandperceptionattheoutsetandatsomepointoverthenextsevenyears.Thetestsaredesignedtodetectsubtle（细微的）changesinmentalfunction,andinvolvepuzzles,recallingwordsanddetailsfromstories,andidentifyingpatternsincollectionsoflettersandsymbols.startedtodeclineinthelate20stoThefindingsshedlightonnormalage-relatedchangesinmentalfunction,whichcouldaidinunderstandingtheprocessofdementia（痴呆）,accordingtotheresearchers.“Byfollowingindividualsovertime,”Salthousesaid,“wegaininsightincognitionchanges,andmaypossiblydiscoverwaystoslowtherateofdecline.”Theresearchersarecurrently yzingthestudyparticipants’healthandlifestyletoseewhichfactorsmightinfluenceage-relatedcognitivechanges.WhatisthecommonviewofmentalA）Itvariesfrom C）Itgraduallyexpandswithage.B）Itweakensinone’slateryears. D）Itindicatesone’shealthcondition.Whatdoesthenewstudyfindaboutmentalfunctions?A）Somediseasesinevitablyleadtotheirdecline.Theyreachapeakattheageof20formostTheyarecloselyrelatedtophysicalandmentalexercise.D）Someofthembegintodeclinewhenpeoplearestillyoung.WhatdoesTimothySalthousesayaboutpeople’smindsinmostTheytendtodeclineinpeople’slateryears. C）Theyfunctionquitewelleveninoldage.Theirflexibilitydeterminesone’sabilities.D）TheirfunctioningisstillapuzzletobeAlthoughpeople’smindsmayfunctionlessflexiblyastheyage,they maybebetteratsolvingpuzzlesC）mayhavegreaterfacilityin B）canmemorizethingswithmoreease D）canputwhattheyhavelearntintomoreeffectiveAccordingtoSalthouse,theirstudymayhelpus A）findwaystoslowdownourmentaldeclinefindwaystoboostourunderstandthecomplexprocessofmentalunderstandtherelationbetweenphysicalandmentalhealthPassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingThemostimportantthinginthenewslastweekwastherisingdiscussioninNashvilleabouttheeducationalneedsofchildren.Theshorthand（简写）educatorsuseforthisispre-K”—meaninginstructionbeforekindergarten—andthebigideaistoprepare4-year-oldsandevenyoungerkidstobereadytosucceedontheirK-12journey.Butitgetscomplicated.Theconcepthasmultipleforms,andscholarsandpolicymakersargueabouttheshape,scopeandcostoftheidealprogram.ThefederalHeadStartprogram,launched50yearsago,hasservedmorethan30millionchildren.ItwasbasedonconceptsdevelopedatVanderbiltUniversity’sPeabodyCollegebySusanGray,thelegendarypioneerinearlychildhoodeducationresearch.AnewPeabodystudyoftheTennesseeVoluntaryPre-Kprogramreportsthatpre-Kworks,butthegainsarenotsustainedthroughthethirdgrade.Itseemstomethishighlightsqualityissuesinelementaryschoolsmorethanpre-K,andindicateslonger-termsuccessmustconnectpre-Kwithalltheotherissues,relatedtoeducatingachild.Pre-Kiscontroversial.Somecriticssayitisaluxuryandshouldn’tbefreetofamiliesabletopay.Pre-Kadvocatesinsistitisprovenandwillsucceedifintegratedwiththerestofthechild’sschooling.Ileantowardthelatterview.Thisis,inanycase,therightconversationtobehavingnowasMayorMeganB