大学英语四级考试真题1

大学英语四级考试真题系列PAGE5/10大学英语四级考试真题PartⅡReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)Directions:Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestion8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.Collegestakinganotherlookatvalueofmerit-basedaidGoodgradesandhightestsscoresstillmatter—alot—tomanycollegesastheyawardfinancialaid.Butwithlow-incomestudentsprojectedtomakeupanever-largershareofthecollege-boundpopulationincomingyears,someschoolsarere-examiningwhetherthataid,typicallyknownas“meritaid”,isthemosteffectiveuseofpreciousinstitutionaldollars.GeorgeWashingtonUniversityinWashington,D.C.,forexample,saidlastweekthatitwouldcutthevalueofitsaveragemeritscholarshipsbyaboutone-thirdandreducethenumberofrecipients(接受者),pouringthesavings,about$2.5million,intoneed-basedaid.AlleghenyCollegeinMeadville,Pa.,madeasimilardecisionthreeyearsago.Now,HamiltonCollegeinClinton,N.Y.,saysitwillphaseoutmeritscholarshipsaltogether.Nocurrentmerit-aidrecipientswilllosetheirscholarships,butneed-basedaidalonewillbeawardedbeginningwithstudentsenteringinfall2008.Notallcollegesoffermeritaid;generally,themoreselectiveaschool,thelesslikelyitistodoso.HarvardandPrinceton,forexample,offergenerousneed-basedpackages,butmanyfamilieswhodon’tmeetneedeligibility(资格)havebeenwillingtopaywhatevertheymustforabig-nameschool.Forsmallregionalcollegesthatstrugglejusttofillseats,meritaidcanbeanimportantrevenue-builderbecausemanyrecipientsstillpayenoughtuitiondollarsoverandabovethescholarshipamounttokeeptheinstitutionrunning.Butforrankings-consciousschoolsinbetween,meritaidhasservedprimarilyasatooltorecruittopstudentsandtoimprovetheiracademicprofits.“They’retryingtobuystudents,”saysSkidmoreCollegeeconomistSandyBaum.Studiesshowmeritaidalsotendstobenefitdisproportionatelystudentswhocouldaffordtoenrollwithoutit.“Aswelooktothefuture,weseeamorepressingneedtoinvestinneed-basedaid,”saysMonicaInzer,deanofadmissionandfinancialaidatHamilton,whichhasofferedmeritscholarshipsfor10years.Duringthattime,itroseinUSNews&WorldReport’srankingofthebestliberalartscolleges,from25to17.Meritaid,whichbenefitedabout75studentsayear,orabout4%ofitsstudentbody,atacostofabout$1millionayear,“serveduswell,”Inzersays,but“tobediscountingthepriceforfamiliesthatdon’tneedfinancialaiddoesn’tfeelrightanymore.”Need-basedaidremainsbyfarthelargestshareofallstudentaid,whichincludesstate,federalandinstitutionalgrants.Butmeritaid,offeredprimarilybyschoolsandstates,isgrowingfaster,bothoverallandattheinstitutionallevel.Between1995-96and2003-04,institutionalmeritaidaloneincreased212%,comparedwith47%forneed-basedgrants.Atleast15statesalsooffermeritaid,typicallyinabidtoenrolltopstudentsinthestate’spublicinstitutions.Butinrecentyears,agrowingchorus(异口同声)ofcriticshasbegunpressuringschoolstodropthepractice.RecentdecisionsbyHamiltonandothersmaybe“asignthatpeoplearestartingtorealizethatthere’sthisdestructivecompetitiongoingon,”saysBaum,co-authorofarecentCollegeReportthatraisesconcernsabouttheroleofinstitutionalaidnotbasedonneed.DavidLaird,presidentoftheMinnesotaPrivateCollegeCouncil,saysmanyofhisschoolswouldliketoreducetheirmeritaidbutfearthatindoingso,theywouldlosetopstudentstotheircompetitors.“Noonecantakeone-sidedaction,”saysLaird,whoisexploringwhethertoseekanexemption(豁免)fromfederalanti-trustlawssomembercollegescandiscusshowtheycouldjointlyreducemeritaid,“Thisisamerry-go-roundthat’sgoingveryfast,andnoneoftheinstitutionsbelievetheycansustaintherisksoftryingtobreakawaybythemselves.”Acomplicatingfactoristhatmeritaidhasbecomesopopularwithmiddle-incomefamilies,whodon’tqualifyforneed-basedaid,thatmanyhavecometodependonit.And,astuitionscontinuetoincrease,thelinebetweenmeritandneedblurs.That’sonereasonAlleghenyCollegedoesn’tplantodropmeritaidentirely.“Westillbelieveinrewardingsuperiorachievementsandknowthatthesetopstudentstrulyvaluethescholarship,”saysScottFriedhoff,Allegheny’svicepresidentforenrollment.EmoryUniversityinAtlanta,whichboastsa$4.7billionendowment(捐赠),meanwhile,istakinganotherapproach.Thisyear,itannounceditwouldeliminateloansforneedystudentsandcapthemformiddle-incomefamilies.Atthesametime,itwouldexpandits28-year-oldmeritprogram.“Yeah,we’replayingthemeritgame,”acknowledgesTomLancaster,associatedeanforundergraduateeducation.Butithasitsstrongpoint,too,hesays.“Thefactofthematteris,it’snotjustaboutthelowest-incomepeople.It’stheaverageAmericanmiddle-classfamilywho’sbeingpricedoutofthemarket.”*Afewwordsaboutmerit-basedaid:Merit-basedaidisaidofferedtostudentswhoachieveexcellenceinagivenarea,andisgenerallyknownasacademic,athleticandartisticmeritscholarships.Academicmeritscholarshipsarebasedonstudents’grades,GPAandoverallacademicperformanceduringhighschool.Theyaretypicallymeantforstudentsgoingstraighttocollegerightafterhighschool.However,therearescholarshipsforcurrentcollegestudentswithexceptionalgradesaswell.Thesemeritscholarshipsusuallyhelpstudentspaytuitionbills,andtheycanberenewedeachyearaslongastherecipientscontinuetoqualify.Insomecases,studentsmayneedtoberecommendedbytheirschoolorateacheraspartofthequalificationprocess.Athleticmeritscholarshipsaremeantforstudentsthatexcel(突出)insportsofanykind,fromfootballtotrackandfieldevents.Recommendationforthesescholarshipsisrequired,sinceexceptionalathleticperformancehastoberecognizedbyacoachorareferee(裁判).Applicantsneedtosendinatapecontainingtheirbestperformance.Artisticmeritscholarshipsrequirethatapplicantsexcelinagivenartisticarea.Thisgenerallyincludesanycreativefieldsuchasart,design,fashion,music,danceorwriting.Applyingforartisticmeritscholarshipsusuallyrequiresthatstudentssubmitaportfolio(选辑)ofsomesort,whetherthatincludesacollectionofartwork,arecordingofamusicalperformanceoravideoofthemdancing.apieceofmusic,art,orliterature.Forexample,descriptivewritingmightlistthecolorsanartistusedinapaintingorthe(43)______acomposerincludedinamusicalcomposition,soastomakepicturesorsoundsinthereader’smindbycallingupspecificdetailsofthework.(44)________.Processwritingexplainsaseriesofactionsthatbringaboutaresult.(45)________.Thiskindofwritingisoftenfoundinart,whereunderstandinghowanarthascreatedacertaineffectisimportant.(46)_________.PartⅣReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)SectionADirections:Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoices.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions47to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Infamilieswithtwoworkingparents,fathersmayhavemoreimpactonachild’slanguagedevelopmentthanmothers,anewstudysuggests.Researchers__47__92familiesform11childcarecentersbeforetheirchildrenwereayearold,interviewingeachtoestablishincome,levelofeducationandchildcarearrangements.Overall,itwasagroupofwell-classfamilies,withmarriedparentsbothlivinginthehome.Whenthechildrenwere2,researchersvideotapedthemathomeinfree-playsessionswithbothparents,__48alloftheirspeech.ThestudywillappearintheNovemberissueofTheJournalofAppliedDevelopmentalPsychology.Thescientistsmeasuredthe49numberofutterance(话语)oftheparents,thenumberofdifferentwordstheyused,thecomplexityoftheirsentencesandother50oftheirspeech.Onaverage,fathersspokelessthanmothersdid,buttheydidnotdifferinthelengthofutterancesorproportionofquestionsasked.Finally,theresearchers__51__thechildren’sspeechatage3,usingastandardizedlanguagetest.Theonlypredictorsofhighscoresonthetestwerethemother’slevelofeducation,the52ofchildcareandthenumberofdifferentwordsthefatherused.Theresearchersare__53__whythefather’sspeech,andnotthemother’s,hadaneffect.“It’swell___54___thatthemother’slanguagedoeshaveanimpact,”saidNadyaPancsofar,theleadauthorofthestudy.Itcouldbethatthehigh-functioningmothersinthestudyhad55hadastronginfluenceontheirchildren’sspeechdevelopment,Ms.Pancsofarsaid,“oritmaybethatmothersare56inawaywedidn’tmeasureinthestudy.”注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。alreadyB)analyzedC)aspectsD)charactersE)contributingF)describingG)establishedH)qualityI)quotedJ)recordingK)recruitedL)totalM)unconsciousN)unsureO)yetSectionBDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.PassageOneQuestions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Throughoutthislong,tenseelection,everyonehasfocusedonthepresidentialcandidatesandhowthey’llchangeAmerica.Rightlyso,butselfishly,I’mmorefascinatedbyMichelleObamaandwhatshemightbeabletodo,notjustforthiscountry,butformeasanAfrican-Americanwoman.AsthepotentialFirstLady,shewouldhavetheworld’sattention.AndthatmeansthatforthefirsttimepeoplewillhaveachancetogetupcloseandpersonalwiththetypeofAfrican-Americanwomantheysorarelysee.Usually,thelivesofblackwomengolargelyunexamined.Theprevailingtheoryseemstobethatwe’reallhot-temperedsinglemotherswhocan’tkeepaman.Evenintheworldofmake-believe,blackwomenstillcan’tescapethestereotypeofbeingeye-rolling,oversexedfemalesraisedbyournever-married,alcoholic(酗酒的)mothers.Theseimageshavehelpeddefinethewayallwomenareviewed,includingMichelleObama.Beforesheevergetsthechancetocommittoacause,charityorfoundationasFirstLady,hermosturgentandperhapsmostcomplicateddutymaybesimpletobeherself.Itwon’tbeeasy.Becausefewmainstreampublicationshavedonein-depthfeaturesonregularAfrican-Americanwomen,littleisknownaboutwhoweare,whatwethinkandwhatwefaceonaregularbasis.Forbetterorworse,Michellewillrepresentusall.Justasshewillhavehercritics,shewillalsohavemillionsoffanswhousuallyhavelittleinterestintheFirstLady.ManyAfrican-Americanblogshavewrittenaboutwhatthey’dliketoseeMichellebringtotheWhiteHouse—mainlyshowingtheworldthatablackwomancansupporthermanandraiseastrongblackfamily.Michellewillhavetoworktopleaseeveryone—animpossibletask.ButformanyAfrican-Americanwomenlikeme,justalittleofherpoise(沉着),confidenceandintelligencewillgoalongwayinchanginganimagethat’sbeenaroundforfartoolong.57.WhydoesMichelleObamaholdastrongfascinationfortheauthor?A)SheservesasarolemodelforAfricanwomen.B)ShepossessesmanyadmirablequalitiesbecomingaFirstLady.C)ShewillpresenttotheworldanewimageofAfrican-Americanwomen.D)ShewillpaycloserattentiontotheinterestsofAfrican-Americanwomen.58.WhatisthecommonstereotypeofAfrican-Americanwomenaccordingtotheauthor?A)Theyarevictimsofviolence.B)Theyareofaninferiorviolence.C)Theyusequitealotofbodylanguage.D)Theyliveoncharityandsocialwelfare.59.WhatdomanyAfrican-Americanswriteaboutintheirblogs?A)WhetherMichellecanliveuptothehighexpectationsofherfans.B)HowMichelleshouldbehaveasapublicfigure.C)HowproudtheyaretohaveablackwomanintheWhiteHouse.D)WhatMichelleshoulddoaswifeandmotherintheWhiteHouse.60.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutMichelleObamaasaFirstLady?A)Howevermanyfansshehas,sheshouldremainmodest,B)Sheshouldn’tdisappointtheAfrican-Americancommunity.C)Howeverhardshetries,shecan’texpecttopleaseeverybody.D)ShewillgiveprioritytoAfrican-Americanwomen’sconcerns.61.WhatdomanyAfrican-AmericanwomenhopeMichelleObamawilldo?A)Helpchangetheprevailingviewaboutblackwomen.B)HelpherhusbandinthetaskofchangingAmerica.C)OutshinepreviousFirstLady.D)Fullydisplayherfinequalities.PassageTwoQuestions62to66arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Whennextyear’scropofhigh-schoolgraduatesarriveatOxfordUniversityinthefallof2009,they’llbejoinedbyanewface;AndrewHamilton,the55-year-oldprovost(教务长)ofYale,who’llbecomeOxford’svice-chancellor—apositionequivalenttouniversitypresidentinAmerica.Hamiltonisn’ttheonlyeducatorcrossingtheAtlantic.SchoolsinFrance,Egypt,Singapore,etc,havealsorecentlymadetop-levelhiresfromabroad.Highereducationhasbecomeabigandcompetitivebusinessnowadays,andlikesomanybusinesses,it’sgoneglobal.Yetthetalentflowisn’tuniversal.High-levelpersonneltendtoheadinonlyonedirection:outwardfromAmerica.ThechiefreasonisthatAmericanschoolsdon’ttendtoseriouslyconsiderlookingabroad.Forexample,whentheboardoftheUniversityofColoradosearchedforanewpresident,itwantedaleaderfamiliarwiththestategovernment,amajorsourceoftheuniversity’sbudget.“Wedidn’tdoanyglobalconsideration,”saysPatriciaHayes,theboard’schair.TheboardultimatelypickedBruceBenson,a69-year-oldColoradobusinessmanandpoliticalactivist(活动家)whoislikelytodowellinthemaintaskofmodernuniversitypresidents:fund-raising.Fund-raisingisadistinctivelyAmericanthing,sinceU.S.schoolsrelyheavilyondonations.Thefund-raisingabilityislargelyaproductofexperienceandnecessity.ManyEuropeanuniversities,meanwhile,arestillmostlydependentongovernmentfunding.Butgovernmentsupporthasfailedtokeeppacewithrisingstudentnumber.Thedeclineingovernmentsupporthasmadefunding-raisinganincreasingnecessaryabilityamongadministratorsandhashiringcommitteeshungryforAmericans.Inthepastfewyears,prominentschoolsaroundtheworldhavejoinedthetrend.In2003,whenCambridgeUniversityappointedAlisonRichard,anotherformerYaleprovost,asitsvice-chancellor,theuniversitypubliclystressedthatinherpreviousjobshehadoverseen“amajorstrengtheningofYale’sfinancialposition.”Ofcourse,fund-raisingisn’ttheonlyskilloutsidersoffer.Theglobalizationofeducationmeansmoreuniversitieswillbeseekingheadswithinternationalexperienceofsomekindofpromoteinternationalprogramsandattractaglobalstudentbody.Foreignerscanofferafreshperspectiveonestablishedpractices.62.Whatisthecurrenttrendinhighereducationdiscussedinthepassage?A)InstitutionsworldwidearehiringadministratorsfromtheU.S.B)Alotofpoliticalactivistsarebeingrecruitedasadministrators.C)Americanuniversitiesareenrollingmoreinternationalstudents.D)Universitypresidentsarepayingmoreattentiontofunding-raising.63.WhatisthechiefconsiderationofAmericanuniversitieswhenhiringtop-leveladministrators?A)Thepoliticalcorrectness.B)Theirabilitytoraisefunds.C)Theirfameinacademiccircles.D)Theiradministrativeexperience.64.WhatdowelearnaboutEuropeanuniversitiesfromthepassage?A)Thetuitionstheychargehavebeenrisingconsiderably.B)Theiroperationisunderstrictgovernmentsupervision.C)Theyarestrengtheningtheirpositionbyglobalization.D)Mostoftheirrevenuescomefromthegovernment.65.CambridgeUniversityappointedAlisonRichardasitsvice-chancellorchieflybecause_____.A)shewasknowntobegoodatraisingmoneyB)shecouldhelpstrengthenitstieswithYaleC)sheknewhowtoattractstudentsoverseasD)shehadboostedYale’sacademicstatus66.Inwhatwaydotop-leveladministratorsfromabroadcontributetouniversitydevelopment?A)Theycanenhancetheuniversity’simage.B)Theywillbringwiththemmoreinternationalfaculty.C)Theywillviewalotofthingsfromanewperspective.D)Theycansetupnewacademicdisciplines.PartⅤCloze(15minutes)Directions:Thereare20blanksinthefollowingpassage.YoushouldchoosetheONEthatbestfitsintothepassage.Olderpeoplemustbegivenmorechancestolearniftheyaretocontributetosocietyratherthanbeafinancialburden,accordingtoanewstudyonpopulationpublishedrecently.Thecurrentpeopleapproachwhich67onyoungerpeopleandonskillsforemploymentisnot68tomeetthechallengesofdemographic(人口结构的)change,itsays.Only1%oftheeducationbudgetis69spentontheoldestthirdofthepopulation.The70includethefactthatmostpeoplecanexpecttospendathirdoftheirlivesin71,thattherearenowmorepeopleover59thanunder16andthat11.3millionpeopleare72statepensionage.“73needstocontinuethroughoutlife.Ourhistoricconcentrationofpolicyattentionandresources74youngpeoplecannotmeetthenew75,”saysthereport’sauthor,ProfessorStephenMcNair.Themajor76ofoureducationbudgetisspentonpeoplebelowtheageof25.77peoplearechangingtheirjobs,78,partnersandlifestylesmoreoftenthan79,theyneedopportunitiestolearnateveryage80,somepeoplearestartingnewcareersintheir50sandlater.Peopleneedopportunitiestomakea“midlifereview”to81tothelaterstageofemployedlife,andtoplanforthetransition(过渡)82retirement,whichmaynowhappen83atanypointfrom50toover90,saysMcNair.Andthereshouldbemoremoney84tosupportpeopleinestablishinga85ofidentityandfindingconstructive86