2016年12月英語四級第一套真題

2016年12月大四級（卷一PartIWriting(30Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessay.Supposeyouhavetwooptionsupongraduation:oneistoworkinastate-ownedbusinessandtheotherinajointventure.Youaretomakeachoicebetweenthetwo.Writeanessaytoexplainthereasonsforyourchoice.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180PartⅡListeningComprehension(25minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1to2arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)Itwasdangeroustolivein.C)HecouldnolongerpaytheB)Itwasgoingtoberenovated.D)HehadsoldittotheroyalA)Astrike.C)AforestB)Astorm.D)AterroristQuestions3to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)TheylostcontactwiththeemergencyTheyweretrappedinanundergroundTheywereinjuredbysuddenlyfallingTheysentcallsforhelpviaaportableA)TheytriedhardtorepairtheTheyreleasedthedetailsoftheTheysentstokeeptheminersTheyprovidedtheminerswithfoodandQuestions5to7arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)RaisepostageImproveitsRedesigndeliveryClosesomeofitspostA)ShorteningbusinessClosingofficesonStopmaildeliveryonComputerizingmailsortingA)ManypostofficestaffwilllosetheirManypeoplewillbegintoTaxpayerswillbeveryAlotofcontroversywillSectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Atofeachconversationyouwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationsandthequestion-swillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)HewillbekeptfromHewillgothroughHewillbegivenaHewilllosepartofhisA)HeisalwaysonHeisatrustworthyHeisanexperiencedpressHeisongoodtermswithhisA)SheisatradeunionSheisinchargeofpublicSheisaseniormanageroftheSheisbetterathandlingsuA)HeisskilledandHeisveryclosetotheHeisalwaystryingtostirupHeisalwayscomplainingaboutlowQuestions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA).A)TheystayTheyreadaTheytalkabouttheTheychatwithfelloA)ShewasalwaystreatedasaShewaseagertovisitanEnglishShewasneverinvitedtoacolleague'sShewasunwillingtomakefriendswithA)HousesaremuoreHousesprovidemoreTheywanttohavemoreTheywantagardenoftheirSectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Atofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)Theydon'thavemuchchoiceofTheyarelikelytogetmuchhigherTheydon'thavetogothroughjobTheywillautomaticallybegivenhiringA)AsktheirprofessorsforLookatschoolbulletinVisittheschoolcareersGothroughcampusA)HelstudentsfindthebooksandjournalstheySupervisingstudyspacestoensureaquietHelstudentsarrangeappointmentswithProvidingstudentswithinformationabouttheQuestions19to21arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)IttastesItiseasiertoItmaybesoldatahigherItcanbettersurviveextremeA)ItishealthierthangreenItcangrowindrierItwillreplacegreenteaoneItisimmunetovariousA)IthasbeenwellreceivedbymanyteaItdoesnotbringthepromisedhealthIthasmadeteafarmers'lifeItdoesnothaveastableQuestions22to25arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)TheyneeddecorationstoshowtheirTheypreferuniqueobjectsofhighTheydecoratetheirhomesTheycaremoreaboutA)TheywereproudoftheirTheycouldonlytrytocreateatTheymadegreatcontributionstoTheyfocusedonthequalityoftheirA)MakewiseIdentifyfakeDesignhandicraftsLearntheimportanceofA)ToboostthelocalToattractforeignToarousepublicinterestinTopreservethetraditionalPartⅢReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Manymenandwomenhavelongboughtintotheideathatthereare“male”and“female”brains,believingthatexplainsjustabouteverydifferencebetweenthesexes.Anewstudy26thatbelief,questioningwhetherbrainsreallycanbedistinguishedbygender.Inthestudy,AvivUniversityresearchers27 forsexdifferencestheentirehumanbrain.Andwhatdidtheyfind?Notmuch.Ratherthanofferevidencefor28brainsas“male”or“female,”researchshowsthatbrainsfallintoawiderange,withmostpeoplefallingrightinthemiddle.DaphnaJoel,wholedthestudy,saidherresearchfoundthatwhiletherearesomegender-based29,manydifferenttypesofbraincan'talwaysbedistinguishedbygender.Whilethe“average”maleand“average”femalebrainswere30different,youcouldn'tlitbylookingatindividualbrainscans.Onlyasmall31ofpeoplehad“all-male”or“all-female”characteristics.LarryCahill,anAmericanneuroscientist（神經(jīng)科學家）,saidthestudyisanimportantadditiontoagrowingbodyofresearchquestioning32beliefsaboutgenderandbrainfunction.Buthecautionedagainstconcludingfromthisstudythatallbrainsarethesame,33 ofgender.“There'samountainofevidence34 theimportanceofsexinfluencesatalllevelsofbrainfunction,”hetoldTheSeattleTimes.Ifanything,hesaid,thestudy thatgenderplaysaimportantroleinthebrain“evenwhenwearenotclearexactlySectionDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.CanBurglarsJamYourWirelessSecurityAnyproductthatpromisestoprotectyourhomedeservescarefulexamination.Soitisn'tsurprisingthatyou'llfindplentyofstrongopinionsaboutthepotentialvulnerabilitiesofpopularhome-securityThemostlikelytypeofburglary（入室）byfaristheunsophisticatedcrimeofopportunityusuallyinvolvingabrokenwindoworsomeforcedentry.AccordingtotheFBI,crimesliketheseaccountedroughlytwo-thirdsofallhouseholdburglariesintheUSin2013.Thewidemajorityoftherestwereillegal,unforcedentriesthatresultedfromsomethinglikeawindowbeingleftopen.TheoddsofacriminalusingtechnicalmeanstobypassasecuritysystemaresosmallthattheFBIdoesn'teventrackthosestatistics.Oneofthemaintheoreticalhome-securityconcernsiswhetherornotagivensystemisvulnerabletobeingblockedfromworkingaltogether.Withwiredsetups,thefearisthataburglar（入室盜賊）mightbeabletoshutyoursystemdownsimplybycuttingtherightcableWithawirelesssetup,youstickbattery-poweredsensorsuparoundyourhomethatkeepaneyeonwindows,doors,motion,andmore.Iftheydetectsomethingwrongwhilethesystemisarmed,they'lltransmitawirelessalertsignaltoabasestationthatwillthenraisethealarm.Thatapproachwilleliminatemostcord-cuttingconcerns—butwhatabouttheirwirelessequivalent,jamming?Withtherightdevicetunedtotherightfrequency,what'stostopathieffromjammingyoursetupandblockingthatalertsignalfromeverreachingthebasestation?Jammingconcernsarenothingnew,andthey'renotuniquetosecuritysystems.Anydevicethat'sbuilttoreceiveawirelesssignalataspecificfrequencycanbeoverwhelmedbyastrongersignalcominginonthesamefrequency.Forcomparison,let'ssayyouwantedto“jam”aconversationbetweentwopeople—allyou'dneedtosyellinthelistener'sear.Securitydevicesarerequiredtolistthefrequenciestheybroadcaston—thatmeansthatapotentialthiefcanfindwhattheyneedtoknowwithminimalGoogling.Theywill,however,needsoknowwhatsystemthey'relookingfor.Ifyouhaveasigninyouryarddeclaringwhatsetupyouuse,that'dpointthemintherightdirection,thoughatthatpoint,we'retalkingaboutahighlyed,semi-sophisticatedattack,andnotthesortforced-entryattackthatmakesupthemajorityofburglaries.It'seasiertofindandacquirejammingequipmentforsomefrequenciesthanitisforothers.Wirelesssecurityproviderswilloftentakestepstohelpcombatthethreatofjammingattacks.SimpliSafe,winnerofourEditor'sChoicedistinction,utilizesaspecialsystemthat'scapableofseparatingincidentalRFinterferencefromedjammingattacks.WhentheFromthere,it'suptoyoutosoundthealarmmanually.SimpliSafewassingledoutinonerecentarticleonjamming,completewithashowingtheentiresystembeingeffectivelybypassedwithhandheldjammingequipment.AftertakingappropriatemeasurestocontaintheRFinterferencetoourtestlab,wetestedtheattackoutforourselves,andwereabletoverifythatit'spossiblewiththerightequipment.However,wealsoverifiedthatSimpliSafe'santi-jammingsystemworks.Itcaughtusintheact,senterttomysmartphone,andalsolistedourRFinterferenceonthesystem'seventlog.Theteambehindthearticleandinquestionmakenomentionofthesystem,orwhetherornotindetectedthem.Weliketheuniquenatureofthatsoftware.Itmeansthatathieflikelywouldn'tbeabletohowthesystemworks,thenfigureoutawayaroundit.Eveniftheycould,SimpliSafeclaimsthatitssystemisalwaysevolving,andthatitvariesslightlyfromsystemtosystem,whichmeanstherewouldn'tbeauniversalmagicformulaforcrackingit.Othersystemsalsoseemconfidentonthesubjectofjamming.TheteamatFrontpointaddressestheissueinablogonitssite,citingtheirownjamprotectionsoftwareandclaimingthattherearen'tanyedcasesofsuccessfuljamattacksincethecompanybeganofferingwirelesssecuritysensorsinthe1980s.Jammingattacksareabsoluypossible.Assaidbefore,withtherightequipmentandtherightknow-how,it'spossibletojamanywirelesstransmission.Buthowprobableisitthatsomeonewillsuccessfullyjamtheirwayintoyourhomeandstealyourstuff?Let'simaginethatyouliveinasmallhomewithawirelesssecuritysetupthatoffersafunctionalanti-jammingsystem.First,athiefisgoingtoneedtoyourhome,specifically.Then,he'sgoingtoneedtoknowthetechnicaldetailsofyoursystemandacquirethespecificequipmentnecessaryforjammingyourspecificsetup.Presumably,youkeepyourdoorslockedatnightandwhileyou'reaway.Sothethiefwillstillneedtobreakin.Thatmeansdefeatingthelocksomehow,orbreakingawindow.needtobejammingyouatthispoint,asabrokenwindoworopeneddoorwouldnormallyreleasethealarm.So,too,wouldthemotiondetectorsinyourhome,sothethiefwillneedtocontinuejammingoncehe'sinsideandsearchingforthingstosteal.However,needtodosowithouttriptheanti-jammingsystem,thedetailsofwhichhealmostcertainlydoesnowhaveaccessto.Atoftheday,thesekindsofsystemsareprimarilydesignedtoprotectagainstthesortofopportunisticsmash-and-grabattackthatmakesupthemajorityofburglaries.They'realsoonlyasinglelayerinwhatshouldideallybeamany-sidedapproachtosecuringyourhome,onethatincludescommonsensethingslikesoundlocksandproperexteriorlightingatnight.Nosystemisimpenetrable,andnonecanpromisetoeliminatetheworstcasecompley.Everyoneofthemhasvulnerabilitiesthataknowledgeablethiefcouldtheoreticallyexploit.Agoodsystemisonethatkeepsthatworst-casesettingasimprobableaspossiblewhilealsoofferingstrongprotectionintheeventofaless-extraordinaryItispossibleforburglarstomakejammingattackswiththenecessaryequipmentandskill.Interferingwithawirelesssecuritysystemissimilartointerferingwithaconversation.Aburglarhastocontinuouslyjamthewirelesssecuritydevicetoavoidtriggeringthealarm,bothinsideandoutsidethehouse.SimpliSafeprovidesdevicesthatareabletodistinguishincidentalradiointerferencefromedjammingattacks.Onlyaverysmallproportionofburglariesarecommittedbytechnicalmeans.ItisdifficulttocrackSimpliSafeasitssystemkeepsWirelessdeviceswilltransmitsignalssoastoactivatethealarmoncesomethingwrongisdetected.Differentmeasuresshouldbetakentoprotectone'shomefromburglaryinadditiontothewirelesssecuritysystem.SimpliSafe'sdevicecansendawarningtothehouse.Burglarscaneasilygetasecuritydevice'sfrequencybyInternetSectionDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingAsawhowritesaboutfoodanddrinkforaliving.Icouldn'tlyouthefirstthingaboutBillPerryorwhetherthebeershesellsarethatgreat.ButIcanlyouthatIlikethisguy.That'sbecauseheplanstobantipinfavorofpayinghisserversanactuallivingwage.IhatetipIhateitbecauseit'sanobligationdisguisedasanoption.Ihateitforthepost-dinnermathitrequiresofme.Butmostly,IhatetipbecauseIbelieveIwouldbeinabetterplaceifpaydecisionsregardingemployeesweresimplyleftuptotheiremployers,asisthecustominvirtuallyeveryotherindustry.Mostofyouprobablythinkthatyouhatetip,too.Researchsuggestsotherwise.Youactuallylovetip!Youliketofeelthatyouhaveavoiceinhowmuoneyyourservermakes.Nomatterhowthemathworksout,youpersistentlyviewrestaurantswithvoluntarytipsystemsasbeingabettervalue,whiakesitextremelydifficultforrestaurantsandbarstodoawaywiththetipsystem.Oneargumentthatyoutendtohearalotfromthepro-tipcrowdseemslogicalenough:theserviceisbetterwhenwaitersdependontips,presumablybecausetheyseeabenefittosuccessfullyveilingtheircontemptforyou.Well,ifthisweretrue,wewouldallbeslipafew100-dollarbillstoourdoctorsonthewayouttheirdoors,too.Butasitturnsout,waitersseeonlyatinybumpintipswhentheydoanexceptionaljobcomparedtoapassableone.Waiters,keenobserversofhumanitythattheyare,arecatchingontothis;inonepoll,afull30%saidtheydidn'tbelievethejobtheydidhadanyimpactonthetipstheySocomeon,folks:getonboardwithditchingtheoutdatedtipsystem.Payalittlemoreupfrontforyourbeerorburger.SupportBillPerry'spub,andanyotherbarorrestaurantthatdoesn'taskyoutododrunkenmath.WhatcanwelearnaboutBillPerryfromtheHerunsapubthatservesexcellentHeintendstogetridofthetipHegiveshisstaffaconsiderablesumforHelivescomfortablywithoutgettinganyWhatisthemainreasonwhytheauthorhatestipItsetsabadexampleforotherItaddstotheburdenofordinaryItforcesthecustomertocompensatetheItposesagreatchallengeforcustomerstodoWhydomanypeoplelovetipaccordingtotheTheyhelpimprovethequalityoftherestaurantstheydineTheybelievewaitersdeservesuchrewardsforgoodTheywanttopreserveawonderfultraditionoftheTheycanhavesomesayinhowmuchtheirserversWhathavesomewaiterscometorealizeaccordingtoaServicequalityhaslittleeffectontipItisinhumanmaturetotrytosaveonTipsmakeitmoredifficulttopleaseTipsbenefitthebossratherthattheWhatdoestheauthorargueforintheRestaurantsshouldcalculatethetipsforCustomersshouldpaymoretipstohelpimproveWaitersdeservebetterthanjustrelyingontipsforaWaitersshouldbepaidbyemployersinsteadofPassageQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingInthepast,fallingoilpriceshavegivenaboosttotheworldeconomy,butrecentforecastsforglobalgrowthhavebeentoneddown,evenasoilpricessinklowerandlower.Doesthatmeanthelinkbetweenloweroilpricesandgrowthhasweakened?Someexpertssaytherearestillgoodreasonstobelievecheapoilshouldheatuptheworldeconomy.Consumershavemoremoneyintheirpocketswhenthey'repayinglessatthepump.Theyspendthatmoneyonotherthings,whichstimulatestheeconomy.ThebiggestgainsgotocountriesthatimportmostoftheiroillikeChina,Japan,and,Butdoesn'ttheextramoneyinthepocketsofthosecountries'consumersmeananequallossinoilproducingcountries,cancellingoutthegains?Notnecessarily,sayseconomicresearcherSaraJohnson.“Manyoilproducersbuiltuphugereservefundswhenpriceswerehigh,sowhenpricesfalltheywilldrawontheirreservestosupporternmentspendingandsubsidies(補貼)fortheirButnotalloilproducershavebigreserves,InVenezuela,collapsingoilpriceshavesentitseconomyintofree-fall.EconomistCarlWeinbergbelievesthenegativeeffectsofplungingoilpricesareoverwhelmingthepositiveeffectsofcheaperoil.Theimplicationisasharpdeclineinglobaltrade,whichhasplungedpartlybecauseoil-producingnationscan'taffordtoimportasmuchasthey