2015年06月四級真題第2套

PAGEPAGE10大學英語四級考試20156月真題(第二套)PartI Writing (30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthepictureandthencommentonthekid’sunderstandingofgoingtoschool.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.“WhyamIgoingtoschoolifmyphonealreadyknowseverything?”PartII ListeningComprehension (30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.A)Becausetoomanypassengersheadedhome.Becausetherewasaterribletrainaccident.Becauseararesnowfalldelayedtrains.Becausealltrainsweredelayed.A)Twoweeksago. C)Afterthesnowfall.40dayslater. D)NextMonday.Questions3and4arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.A)TheUnitedStates. C)Iceland.Greek. D)Netherlands.A)ThedeclineofhappinessintheU.s..TheoptimisticfutureofAsiansandAfricans.ThelifesatisfactionindifferentcountriesThedrivingfactorstohappiness.Questions5to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.A)Thetypesofgasesreleasedintotheair.Thefast-risingsealevel.Thecausesofbreaking-offoftheglaciers.Climateimpactonthetemperature.A)StefanRahmstorffromtheClimateImpactResearchCenter.StefanRahmstorffromthePotsdamInstitute.RobertKoppfromNationalAcademyofSciences.RobertKoppfromRutgersUniversity.A)Sincetwodecadesago. C)Since1880.Since20thcentury. D)Since2800yearsago.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Theypollutethesoilusedtocoverthem.Theyareharmfultonearbyneighborhoods.Therubbishinthemtakeslongtodissolve.Thegastheyemitisextremelypoisonous.A)Growingpopulation. C)Changedeatinghabits.Packagingmaterials. D)Lowerproductioncost.A)Bysavingenergy. C)Byreducingpoisonouswastes.Byusinglessaluminum. D)Bymakingthemostofmaterials.A)Wearerunningoutofnaturalresourcessoon.B)Onlycombinedeffortscanmakeadifference.Thewasteproblemwilleventuallyhurtallofus.Allofuscanactuallybenefitfromrecycling.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Miami. C)Bellingham.B)Vancouver. D)Boston.A)Togetinformationonone-wayticketstoCanada.Toinquireaboutthepriceof“SuperSaver"seats.Togetadviceonhowtoflyascheaplyaspossible.Toinquireabouttheshortestroutetodrivehome.A)Joinatouristgroup. C)Avoidtripsinpublicholidays.B)Chooseamajorairline. D)Bookticketsasearlyaspossible.A)Bycoach. C)Bybike.B)Bycar. D)Bytrain.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Therearemysteriousstoriesbehindhisworks.Therearemanymisunderstandingsabouthim.Hisworkshavenomatchworldwide.Hispersonalhistoryislittleknown.A)HemovedtoStratford-on-Avoninhischildhood.Hefailedtogobeyondgrammarschool.Hewasamemberofthetowncouncil.Heonceworkedinawell-knownactingcompany.A)Writersofhistimehadnomeanstoprotecttheirworks.Possiblesourcesofcluesabouthimwerelostinafire.Hisworkswereadaptedbeyondrecognition.Peopleofhistimehadlittleinterestinhim.Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Itshowsyouhavebeenignoringyourhealth.Itcanseriouslyaffectyourthinkingprocess.Itisanearlywarningofsomeillness.Itisasymptomoftoomuchpressure.A)Reduceourworkload. C)Usepainkillersforrelief.B)Controlourtemper. D)Avoidmaskingsymptoms.A)Lyingdownandhavingsomesleep. C)Goingoutforawalk.B)Rubbingandpressingone'sback. D)Listeningtolightmusic.Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Dependingheavilyonloans. C)Spendingbeyondone'smeans.B)Havingnobudgetplansatall. D)Leavingnoroomforlargebills.A)Manyofthemcanbecut. C)Theirpaymentcannotbedelayed.B)Allofthemhavetobecovered. D)Theyeatupmostofthefamilyincome.A)Rentahouseinsteadofbuyingone. C)Makeaconservationplan.B)Discusstheprobleminthefamily. D)Movetoacheaperplace.A)Financialissuesplaguingafamily. C)Familybudgetproblemsandsolutions.B)Difficultyinmakingbothendsmeet.D)Newwaystoboostfamilyincome.PartIIIReadingComprehension (40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Question26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.It’sourguiltypleasure:WatchingTVisthemostcommoneverydayactivity,afterworkandsleep,inmanypartsoftheworld.AmericansviewfivehoursofTVeachday,andwhileweknowthatspendingsomuchtimesitting26canleadtoobesity（肥胖癥）andotherdiseases,researchershavenowquantifiedjusthow27beingacouchpotatocanbe.Inananalysisofdatafromeightlarge28publishedstudies,aHarvard-ledgroupreportedinthethatforeverytwohoursperdayspentchannel29,theriskofdevelopingType2diabetesJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation(糖尿?。﹔ose20%over8.5years,theriskofheartdiseaseincreased15%overa30,andtheoddsofdyingprematurely3113%duringaseven-yearfollow-up.Allofthese32arelinkedtoalackofphysicalexercise.Butcomparedwithothersedentary(久坐的）activities,likeknitting,viewingTVmaybeespecially33atpromotingunhealthyhabits.Forone,thesheernumberofhourswepasswatchingTVdwarfsthetimewespendonanythingelse.Andotherstudieshavefoundthatwatchingadsforbeerandpopcornmaymakeyoumorelikelyto34them.Evenso,theauthorsadmitthattheydidn’tcomparedifferentsedentaryactivitiesto35whetherTVwatchingwaslinkedtoagreaterriskofdiabetes,heartdiseaseorearlydeathcomparedwith,say,reading.A)climbedI)previouslyB)consumeJ)resumeC)decadeK)sufferedD)determineL)surfingE)effectiveM)termF)harmfulN)terminalsG)outcomesO)twistingH)passivelySectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.TheChangesFacingFastFoodFast-foodfirmshavetobeathick-skinnedbunch.Healthexpertsregularlycriticisethemseverelyforsellingfoodthatmakespeoplefat.CriticsevencomplainthatMcDonald’s,whoselogosymbolisescalorieexcess,shouldnothavebeenallowedtosponsortheWorldCup.Thesearethingsfast-foodfirmshavelearnttocopewith.Butnotperhapsformuchlonger.Theburgerbusinessfacesmorepressurefromregulatorsatatimewhenitisalreadyadaptingstrategiesinresponsetoshiftsintheglobaleconomy.Fastfoodwasoncethoughttoberecession-proof.Whenconsumersneedtocutspending,thelogicgoes,cheapmealslikeBigMacsandWhoppersbecomeevenmoreattractive.Such“tradingdown”provedtrueformuchofthelatestrecession,whenfast-foodcompaniespickedupcustomerswhocouldnolongeraffordtoeatatcasualrestaurants.TrafficwasboostedinAmerica,thehomeoffastfood,withdiscountsandpromotions,suchas$1menusandcheapcombinationmeals.Asaresult,fast-foodchainshaveweatheredtherecessionbetterthantheirmoreexpensivecompetitors.In2009salesatfull-servicerestaurantsinAmericafellbymorethan6%,buttotalsalesremainedaboutthesameatfast-foodchains.Insomemarkets,suchasJapan,FranceandBritain,totalspendingonfastfoodincreased.Same-storesalesinAmericaatMcDonald’s,theworld’slargestfast-foodcompany,didnotdeclinethroughoutthedownturn.PaneraBread,anAmericanfast-foodchainknownforitsfreshingredients,performedwell,too,becauseitoffershigher-qualityfoodatlowerpricesthanrestaurants.Butnotallfast-foodcompanieshavebeenasfortunate.Many,suchasBurgerKing,haveseensalesfall.Inasevererecession,whilesomepeopletradedowntofastfood,manyotherseatathomemorefrequentlytosavemoney.DavidPalmer,ananalystatUBS,abank,sayssmallerfast-foodchainsinAmerica,suchasJackintheBoxandCarl’sJr.,havebeenhitparticularlyhardinthisdownturnbecausetheyarecompetingwiththeglobalgiantMcDonald,whichincreasedspendingonadvertisingbymorethan7%lastyearasotherscutback.Somefast-foodcompaniesalsosacrificedtheirownprofitsbytryingtogivecustomersbettervalue.Duringtherecessioncompaniessetpriceslow,hopingthatoncetheyhadtemptedcustomersthroughthedoortheywouldbepersuadedtoordermoreexpensiveitems.Butinmanycasesthatstrategydidnotwork.LastyearBurgerfranchisees（特許經(jīng)營人）sued（起訴）thecompanyoveritsdouble-cheeseburgerpromotion,claimingitwasunfairforthemtoberequiredtosellthesefor$1whentheycost$1.10tomake.InMayajudgeruledinfavourofBurgerKing.Nevertheless,thecompanymaystillbecursingitsdecisiontopromotecheapchoicesovermoreexpensiveonesbecauseitemsonits“valuemenu”nowaccountforaround20%ofallsales,upfrom12lastOctober.Analystsexpectthefast-foodindustrytogrowmodestlythisyear.Butthedownturnismakingcompaniesrethinktheirstrategies.Manyarenowintroducinghigher-pricedRFC,adivisionofYum!Brands,whichalsoownsTacoBellandPizzaHut,haslaunchedachickensandwichthatcostsaround$5AndinMayBurgerKingintroducedbarbecue（燒烤）porkribsat$7foreight.Companiesarealsotryingtogetcustomerstobuynewandmoreitems,includingdrinks.McDonald’sstartedsellingbettercoffeeasachallengetoStarbucks.Its“McCafe”linenowaccountsforanestimated6%ofsalesinAmerica.StarbuckshassoldrightstoitsSeattle’sBestcoffeebrandtoBurgerKing,whichwillstartsellingitlaterthisyear.Asfast-foodcompaniesshiftfrom“super-size”to“morebuys”,theyneedtokeepcustomertraffichighthroughouttheday.Manyseebreakfastasabigopportunity,andnotjustforfattyfood.McDonald’swillstartsellingporridge（粥）inAmericanextyear.Breakfasthasthepotentialtobeveryprofitable,saysSaraSenatoreofBernstein,aresearchfirm,becausethemarginscanbehigh.Fast-foodcompaniesarealsoaddingmiddayandlate-nightsnacks,suchasblendeddrinksandwraps.Theideaisthatbyhavingagreaterrangeofthingsonthemenu,“wecanselltoconsumersproductstheywantallday,”saysRickCarucci,thechieffinancialofficerofYum!Brands.Butwhataboutthosegrowingwaistlines?Sofar,fast-foodfirmshavecleverlyavoidedgovernmentregulation.Byprovidinghealthyoptions,likesaladsandlow-caloriesandwiches,theyhaveatleastgiventheimpressionofdoingsomethingabouthelpingtofightobesity肥胖癥）.Theseofferingsarenotnecessarilyloss-leaders,astheybroadentheappealofoutletstogroupsofdinersthatincludesomepeoplewhodon’twanttoeataburger.Butcustomerscannotbeforcedtoordersaladsinsteadoffries.Inthefuture,simplyofferingahealthyoptionmaynotbegoodenough.“Everypackaged-foodandrestaurantcompanyIknowisconcernedaboutregulationrightnow,”saysMr.PalmerofUBS.America’shealth-reformbill,whichCongresspassedthisyear,requiresrestaurantchainswith20ormoreoutletstoputthecalorie-contentofitemstheyserveonthemenu.AstudybytheNationalBureauofEconomicResearch,whichtrackedtheeffectsonStarbucksofasimilarcalorie-postinglawinNewYorkCityin2007,foundthattheaveragecalorie-countpertransactionfell6%andrevenueincreased3%atStarbucksstoreswhereaDunkinDonutsoutletwasnearby—asign,itissaid,thatmenu-labellingcouldfavourchainsthathavemorehealthyofferings.InordertoavoidotherlegislationinAmericaandelsewhere,fast-foodcompanieswilltocontinueinnovating創(chuàng)新).WaltRikerofMcDonald’sclaimsthechangeithasmadeinitsmenumeansitoffersmorehealthyitemsthanitdidafewyearsago.“Weprobablysellmorevegetables,moremilk,moresalads,moreapplesthananyrestaurantbusinessintheworld,”hesays.ButtherecentproposalbyacountyinCaliforniatobanMcDonald’sfromincludingtoysinitshigh-calorie“HappyMeals”,becauselegislatorsbelieveitattractschildrentounhealthyfood,suggeststhereisalotmorelefttodo.SomepeopleproposelawsbemadetostopMcDonald’sfromattachingtoystoitsfoodspecialsforchildren.Fast-foodfirmsmaynotbeabletocopewithpressuresfromfoodregulationinthenearfuture.BurgerKingwillstarttosellSeattle’sBestcoffeetoincreasesales.Somefast-foodfirmsprovidehealthyfoodtogivetheimpressiontheyarehelpingtotackletheobesityproblem.Duringtherecession,manycustomersturnedtofastfoodtosavemoney.Manypeopleeatoutlessoftentosavemoneyintimesofrecession.Duringtherecession,BurgerKing’spromotionalstrategyofofferinglow-priceditemsoftenprovedineffective.Fast-foodrestaurantscanmakealotofmoneybysellingbreakfast. Manyfast-foodcompaniesnowexpecttoincreasetheirrevenuebyintroducinghigher-priceditems.Anewly-passedlawasksbigfast-foodchainstospecifythecaloriecountofwhattheyserveonthemenu.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Ifyouthinkahigh-factorsunscreen(防曬霜)keepsyousafefromharmfulrays,youmaybewrong.ResearchinthisweekNatureshowsthatwhilefactor50reducesthenumberofmelanomas(黑瘤）anddelaystheiroccurrence,itcan’tpreventthem.Melanomasarethemostaggressiveskincancers.Youhaveahigherriskifyouhaveredorblondhair,fairskin,blueorgreeneyes,orsunburneasily,orifacloserelativehashadone.Melanomasaremorecommonifyouhaveperiodicintenseexposuretothesun.Otherskincancersareincreasinglylikelywithlong-termexposure.Thereiscontinuingdebateastohoweffectivesunscreenisinreducingmelanomas—theevidenceisweakerthanitisforpreventingothertypesofskincancer.A2011Australianstudyof1,621peoplefoundthatpeoplerandomlyselectedtoapplysunscreendailyhadhalftherateofmelanomasofpeoplewhousedcreamasneeded.Asecondstudy,comparing1,167peoplewithmelanomasto1,101whodidn’thavethecancer,foundthatusingsunscreenroutinely,alongsideotherprotectionsuchashats,longsleevesorstayingintheshade,didgivesomeprotection.Thisstudysaidotherformsofsunprotection—notsunscreen—seemedmostbeneficial.Thestudyreliedonpeoplerememberingwhattheyhaddoneovereachdecadeoftheirlives,soit’snotentirelyreliable.Butitseemsreasonabletothinksunscreengivespeopleafalsesenseofsecurityinthesun.Manypeoplealsodon’tusesunscreenproperly—applyinginsufficientamounts,failingtoreapplyafteracoupleofhoursandstayinginthesuntoolong.Itissunburnthatismostworrying—recentresearchshowsfiveepisodesofsunburnintheteenageyearsincreasestheriskofallskincancers.Thegoodnewsisthatacombinationofsunscreenandcoveringupcanreducemelanomarates,asshownbyAustralianfiguresfromtheirslip-slop-slapcampaign.Soifthereisaheatwavethissummer,itwouldbebestforus,too,tosliponashirt,slopon(補上sunscreenandslaponahat.Whatispeopledcommonexpectationofahigh-factorsunscreen?Itwilldelaytheoccurrenceofskincancer.Itwillprotectthemfromsunburn.Itwillkeeptheirskinsmoothandfair.Itwillworkforpeopleofanyskincolor.WhatdoestheresearchinNaturesayaboutahigh-factorsunscreen?Itisineffectiveinpreventingmelanomas.Itisineffectiveincaseofintensesunlight.Itisineffectivewithlong-termexposure.Itisineffectiveforpeoplewithfairskin.Whatdowelearnfromthe2011Australianstudyof1,621people?Sunscreenshouldbeappliedalongsideotherprotectionmeasures.High-riskpeoplebenefitthemostfromtheapplicationofsunscreen.Irregularapplicationofsunscreendoeswomenmoreharmthangood.Dailyapplicationofsunscreenhelpsreducetheincidenceofmelanomas.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutthesecondAustralianstudy?Itmisleadspeopletorelyonsunscreenforprotection.Ithelpspeopletoselectthemosteffectivesunscreen.Itisnotbasedondirectobservationofthesubjects.ItconfirmstheresultsofthefirstAustralianstudy.Whatdoestheauthorsuggesttoreducemelanomarates?Usingbothcoveringupandsunscreen.Stayingintheshadewheneverpossible.Usingcoveringupinsteadofsunscreen.Applyingtherightamountofsunscreen.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Acrosstherichworld,well-educatedpeopleincreasinglyworklongerthantheless-skilled.Some65%ofAmericanmenaged62-74withaprofessionaldegreeareintheworkforce,comparedwith32%ofmenwithonlyahigh-schoolcertificate.Thisgapispartofadeepeningdividebetweenthewell-educatedwell-offandtheunskilledpoor.Rapidtechnologicaladvancehasraisedtheincomesofthehighlyskilledwhilesqueezingthoseoftheunskilled.Theconsequences,forindividualsandsociety,areprofound.Theworldisfacinganastonishingriseinthenumberofoldpeople,andtheywilllivelongerthaneverbefore.Overthenext20yearstheglobalpopulationofthoseaged65ormorewillalmostdouble,from600millionto1.1billion.Theexperienceofthe20hcenur,whenreaeronevy(長壽ransaednooreearsnrerementraherthanmoreyearsatwork,haspersuadedmanyobserversthatthisshiftwillleadtoslowereconomicgrowth,whiletheswellingranksofpensionerswillcreategovernmentbudgetproblems.Butthenotionofasharpdivisionbetweentheworkingyoungandtheidleoldmissesanewtrend,thegrowinggapbetweentheskilledandtheunskilled.Employmentratesarefallingamongyoungerunskilledpeople,whereasolderskilledfolkareworkinglonger.ThedivideismostextremeinAmerica,wherewell-educatedbaby-boomers(二戰(zhàn)后生育高峰期出生的美國人）areputtingoffretirementwhilemanyless-skilledyoungerpeoplehavedropped