2015年12月英语四级考试真题第1套

B)Fromsomeofher D)From evisionA)Shereceivedfull-timeeducationShegraduatedfromanopenShefinishedhersecondaryShestudiedinavocationalA)Sheisashorthand- C)SheisaSheworksasatour D)SheteachesaneveningQuestions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)ItprovideshimwithcareerIthelpsenlargehiscustomerIthasbeenoffandonfortenItwasinterruptedforfour C)Home-made D)SocialA)Thequalityof C)Theowner’sThe D)TherightA)Itisarathertough C)IthelpsoldpeoplekillItisaprofitable D)ItmakesretireesfeelSectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。PassageQuestions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustI6.A)It ingincreasingly C)ItgivesrisetoserioussocialB)Ithelpstheusertoescape D)Ithurts andthosearoundA)Theyusedrugsjustfor C)TheyusedrugsasB)Theytakedrugstoget D)TheykeepdruguseaA)ItisquitecommoninentertainmentItisthecauseofvarioussocialItishardtogetridItisfataltothePassageQuestions19to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA)Takingupexercisesafter C)FindingnewwaystocureheartProducingtastyhealthyfrozen D)GoingonadietuponleavingtheA)ItwascarefullytestedwithItwaspromotedbyhealthItwasdisapprovedbymanydietItwashighlyexpectedbythegeneralA)Competitive Low D)UniqueA)Itwassuggestedbythefirm’svice-Itmatchesthefood’sdarkgreenIthasapositiveimplicationforIttrickstheeldersintoimpulsePassageQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA)ItispracticedinmostoftheItwillbeabolishedsoonerorIthasdrawnalotofcriticismfromIthastobeapprovedbytheSupremeA)WhetherthepracticeshouldbeallowedtocontinueinWhetherthereshouldbeaminimumagelimitforWhattypeofcriminalsshouldreceiveWhateffectitmighthaveonA)HewasthefirstminortobeexecutedinSouthTheernorchangedhisdeathsentencetolifeinThecourtsentencedhimtolifeinprisonforkillingtwoHewassentencedtodeathforacrimehecommittedasaSectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefisttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheardFinally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.Somepeopleborrowmoneyand“forget”topayitLargeloansareseldomtheissue;theyareusuallytreatedasbusiness(26) ,withthetermsspelledoutonpaper.Butmanywomensuffer(27) overproblemslikeCarol’s.“MyfriendGinnyisalways(28)cash,”shesays.“IhatetorecallhowoftenI’ve‘loaned’heradollarortwoforadrinkoramovie.EachloanissosmallI’dfeelreallycheapmakingabigdealoutofit;still,Ido(29) thefactthatsheneverpaysmeback.”Caroladmitstobeing“too(30) orsomething”todemandrepayment,butshehasresolvedtostoplendingmoneytoGinny.“Thelasttimesheaskedforfivedollarstopayforherdrycleaning，IjusttoldherIcouldn’t Anotherwomansuggestsabolder .“Whensomebodyrefusestorepayaloan,byrequestingonemyself,”shesays.‘“Ilefthomewithoutmywallet,’I’llsay.‘Canyoulendmeenoughtocoverlunch?’Then,whenthemoneyissafelyinhand,Iamstruckbyasudden.‘Why,thisisexactlytheamountIloanedyoulastweek!How(35) !Nowyouwon’thavetorepayme!’”Shesaysitworkslikeacharm.PartⅢ ReadingComprehension SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.YouarerequiredtoselectoneWordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingFormanyAmericans,2013endedwithanunusuallybittercoldspellLateNovemberandDecember36earlysnowandbone-chillingtemperaturesinmuchofthecountry,partofayearwhen,forthefirsttimeintwo37record-colddayswilllikelyturnouttohaveoutnumberedrecord-warmones.ButtheU.S.wastheexception:Novemberwasthewarmestever38,andcurrentdataindicatesthat2013islikelytohavebeenthehottestyearonrecord.Enjoythesnownow,because39aregoodthat2014willbeevenhotter,perhapsthehottestyearsincerecordshavebeenkept.That'sbecause,scientistsarepredicting，2014willbeanElNinoElNiño,Spanishfor“thechild”, whensurfaceoceanwatersinthesouthernPacificeabnormallywarm.SolargeisthePacific,covering30%ofthenet’ssurface,thatthe41energygeneratedbyitswarmingisenoughtotouchoffaseriesofweatherchangesaroundtheworld.ElNiñosare withabnormallydryconditionsinSoutheastAsiaandAustralia.TheycanleadtoextremeraininpartsofNorthandSouthAmerica，evenassouthernAfrica43dryweather.Marinelifemaybeaffectedtoo:ElNiñoscan therisingofthecold,nutrient-rich(营养丰富的)waterthatsupportslarge 45,andtheunusuallywarmoceantemperaturesdestroycoral(珊瑚H)H)SectionDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwitchtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.HowtoEatWhydosomanyAmericanseattonsofprocessedfood,thestuffthatiscorrectlycalled()andshouldreallycarrywarningIt’snotbecausefreshingredientsarehardtocomeby.Supermarketsoffermorevarietythanever，andthereareoverfourtimesasmanyfarmers,marketsintheU.S.astherewere20yearsago.Norisitforlackofavailableinformation.Thereareplentyofrecipes(食谱),how- sandcookingclassesavailabletoanyonewhohasacomputer,smartphoneorevision.Ifanything,theinformationisAndyetwearen’tcooking.IfyoueatthreemealsadayandbehavelikemostAmericans，youprobablygetatleastathirdofyourdailycalories(卡路里)outsidethehome.Nearlytwo-thirdsofusgrabfastfoodonceaweek，andwegetalmost25%ofourdailycaloriesfromsnacksSowe'reeatingoutortakingin，andwedon’tsitdown-orwedo，butwehurry.Shouldn’tpreparing-andconsuming-foodbeasourceofcomfort,pride,health,well-being,relaxation,sociability?Somethingthatconnectsustootherhumans?WhyWouldwewanttooutsource(外包)thisbasictask，especiallywhenoutsourcingitissoharmful?WhenItalkaboutcooking,I’mnottalkingaboutcreatingelaboratedinnerpartiesorthree-dayscienceprojects.I’mtalkingaboutsimple,easy,everydaymeals.Mymissionistoencouragegreenhandsandthoselackingtimeormoneytofeedthemselves.Thatmeansweneedmodest,realisticexpectations,andweneedtoteachpeopletocookfoodthat’sgoodenoughtosharewithfamilyandfriends.Perhapsareturntorealcookingneedn’tbefaroff.ArecentHamspollAmericanssaytheyenjoycookingand30%“loveit”;14%admittonotenjoyingkitchenworkandjust7%won’tgonearthestoveatall.Butthisdoesn’tnecessarilytranslatetorealcooking,andtheresultofthissurveyshouldn’tsurpriseanyone:52%ofthose65oroldercookathomefiveormoretimesperweek;onlyathirdofyoungpeopledo.Backinthe1950smostofusgrewupinhouseholdswhereMomcookedvirtuallyeverynight.Theintentiontoputahome-cookedmealonthetablewasprettymuchuniversal.Mostpeoplecouldn’taffordtodootherwise.Althoughfrozendinnerswereinventedinthe,40s,theirpopularitydidn’tboomuntilevisionsbecamepopularadecadeorsolaterSincethen,packaged,pre-preparedmealshavebeenwhat’sfordinnerThemicrowaveandfast-foodchainswerethebiggestcatalysts(催化剂),butthebigfoodcompanies—whichwanttosellanythingexcepttherawingredientsgocooking—madethehomecookanendangeredStill,Ifinditstrangethatonlyathirdofyoungpeoplereportpreparingmealsathomeregularly.Isn’tthisthesamecrowdthatrailsagainstprocessedjunkandchampionscraftcooking?Andisn’tthisthegenerationwhosaythey’reconcernedabouttheirhealthandthewell-beingofthenet?Ifthesearetrulythevaluesofmanyyoungpeople,thentheirbehaviordoesn’tmatchTherehavebeenhalf-heartedbutwell-publicizedeffortsbysomefoodcompaniestoreducecaloriesintheirprocessedfoods，buttheStandardAmericanDietisstillthepolaroppositeofthehealthy,mostlynt-baseddietthatjustabouteveryexpertsaysweshouldbeeating.Consideringthattheernment’sstandardsarenotnearlyambitiousenough，thepictureisclear:bynotcookingathome，we'renoteatingtherightthings，andtheconsequencesarehardtooverstate.Tohelpfy(量化)thecostsofapoordiet,Irecentlytriedtoestimatethisimpactintermsofamostfamousfood，theburger(汉堡包).Iconcludedthattheprofitfromburgersismorethanoffset(抵消)bythedamagetheycauseinhealthproblemsandenvironmentalharm.Cookingrealfoodisthebestdefense-nottomentionthatanymealyou’relikelytoeatathomecontainsabout200fewercaloriesthanoneyouwouldeatinarestaurant.TothoseAmericansforwhommoneyisaconcern,myadviceissimple:Buywhatyoucanafford,andcookityourself.Thecommonprescriptionistoprimarilyshopthegrocerystore,sincethat’swherefreshproduce,meatandseafood,anddairyare.Andtosavemoneyandstilleatwellyoudon’tneedlocal,organicingredients;allyouneedisrealfood.I，mnotsayinglocalfoodisn’tbetter;itis.Butthereisplentyofdecentfoodinthegrocerystores.TheothersectionsyoushouldgettoknowarethefrozenfoodsandthecannedgoodsFrozenproduceisstillproduce;cannedtomatoesarestilltomatoes.Justmakesureyou,regettingrealfoodwithouttonsofaddedsaltorsugar.Askyourself,WouldGrandmaconsiderthisfood?Doesitlooklikesomethingthatmightoccurinnature?It’sprettymuchcommonsense:youwanttobuyfood,notunidentifiablefoodlikeobjects.Youdon’thavetohitthegrocerystoredaily,nordoyouneedanabundanceofskill.SincefewerthanhalfofAmericanssaytheycookatanintermediatelevelandonly20%describetheircookingskillsasadvanced,thecrisisisoneofconfidence.Andtheonlyremedyforthatispractice.There’snothingmysteriousaboutcookingtheeveningmeal.Youjusthavetodoalittlethinkingaheadandredefinewhatqualifiesasdinner.Likeanyskill,cookinggetseasierasyoudoitmore;everytimeyoucook,youadvanceyourlevelofskills.Somedayyouwon’tevenneedrecipes.Myadviceisthatyounotpayattentiontothenumberofstepsandingredients,becausetheycanbedeceiving.Time,Irealize，isthebiggestobstacletocookingformostpeople.Youmustadjustyourpriori-tiestofindtimetocook.Forinstance,youcanmoveaTVtothekitchenandwatchyourfavoriteshowswhileyou’restandingatthesink.Nooneisaskingyoutogiveupactivitiesyoulike,butifyou’rewatchingfoodshowsonTV,trycookinginstead.CookingbenefitspeopleinmanywaysandenablesthemtoconnectwithoneAbundantinformationaboutcookingisavailableeitheronlineoronYoungpeopledolesscookingathomethantheelderlytheseCookingskillscanbeimprovedwithInthemid-20thcentury,mostfamiliesatedinnerathomeinsteadofeatingEventhoseshortoftimeormoneyshouldbeencouragedtocookforthemselvesandtheirEatingfoodnotcookedbyourselvescancauseseriousToeatwellandstillsavemoney,peopleshouldbuyfreshfoodandcookitWegetafairlylargeportionofcaloriesfromfastfoodandThePopularityofTVledtothepopularityoffrozenSectionDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingThewalletisheadingforextinction.Asaday-to-dayessential，itwilldieoffwiththegenerationwhoreadprintnewspapers.Thekindofshop–whereyouhandovernotesandcountoutchangeinreturn–nowhappensonlyinthemostminorofourretailencounters,likebuyingabarofchocolateorapintofmilkfromacomershop.Attheshopswhereyouspendanyrealmoney,thatmoneyisincreasingly ed.Andthisismoreandmoretrue,thehigherupthescaleyougo.Atthemostcutting-edgeretailstores–VictoriaBeckhamonDoverStreet，forinstance–youdon’tgoandstandatanykindofcashregisterwhenyoudecidetopay.ThestaffareequippedwithiPadstotakeyourpaymentwhileyourelaxonasofa.Whichisnothingmoreorlessthanexcellentserviceifyouhavethemoney.Butacrosssociety, ionoftheideaofcashmakesmeuneasy.MaybeI’mjustold-fashioned.Butearningmoneyisn’tquickoreasyformostofus.Isn’titabitweirdthatspendingitshouldhappeninhalfablink(眨眼)ofaneye?Doesn’tawallet–thattime-honouredFriday-nightfeelingofpleasing,promisingfatness-representsomethingthatmatters?ButI’llleavetheeconomicstotheexperts.Whatbothersmeaboutthedeathofthewalletisthechangeitrepresentsinourphysicalenvironment.Everythingaboutthelookandfeelofa-thewaythefasteningsandmaterialswearandtearandloosenwithage,thesticandpaperandgoldandsilverandhandwrittenphonenumbersandprintedcinematicketsistheveryoppositeofwhatourworldis ing.TheoppositeofawalletisasmartphoneoraniPadTheroundededges,coolglass，smoothandunknowableasapebble(鹅卵石)Insteadofdiggingthroughpiecesofpaperandpeeringintocomers，wemoveourfingersleftandright.Nomorecountingoutcoins.Showyourwallet,ifyoustillhaveone.ItmaynotbeheremuchlongerWhatishappeningtotheItis C)It ingItisbeing D)ItischanginginHowarebusinesstransactionsdoneinbigmodem C)In D)ViaacashWhatmakestheauthor fortableSavingmoney ingathingoftheThepleasingFriday-nightfeelingisEarningmoneyisgettingmoreSpendingmoneyissofastandWhydoestheauthorchoosetowriteaboutwhat’shappeningtotheItrepresentsachangeinthemodemIthassomethingtodowitheverybody’sItmarkstheendofatime-honouredItistheconcernofcontemporaryWhatcanweinferfromthepassageabouttheHeisresistanttosocialHeisagainsttechnologicalHefeelsreluctanttopartwiththetraditionalHefeelsinsecureintheever-changingmodernPassageQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingEverybodysleeps9butwhatpeoplestayuplatetocatch—orwakeupearlyinordernottomiss-variesbyculture.Fromdatacollected,itseemsthethingsthatcauseustolosethemostsleep,onaverage,aresportingevents,timechanges,andholidays.Aroundtheworldpeoplechangedsleeppatternsthankstothestartorendofdaylightsavingstune.Russians,forexample,begantowakeupaboutahalf-hourlatereachdayafterVladimirPutinshiftedthecountrypermanentlyto“wintertime”startingonOctober26.Russia’sotherlatenightsandearlymorningsgenerallycorrespondtopublicholidays.OnNewYear’sEve,Russianshavetheworld’slatestbedtime,hittingthehayataround3:30a.m.RussiansalsogetupanhourlateronInternationalWomen’sDay,thedayfortreatingandcelebratingfemalerelatives.Similarly,Americanslatenightslatemornings,andlongestsleepsfallonthree-dayweekends.CanadagottheleastsleepoftheyearthenightitbeatSwedenintheOlympichockey(冰球)TheWorldCupisalsochieflyresponsibleforsleepde