1、2014年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第二套）Part I Writing （30 minutes）Directions: For this part, .you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay about a course that has impressed you most in college. You should write at least 120 words but No more than 180 words. Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section A
2、Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the
3、 pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.1. A) She will go purchase the gift herself.B) The gift should not be too expensive.C) The man is not good
4、at balancing his budget.D) They are going to Janes house-warming party.2. A) It takes patience to go through the statistics.B) He has prepared the statistics for the woman.C) The woman should take a course in statistics.D) He is quite willing to give the woman a hand.3. A) The man wants to make some
5、 change in the scripts.B) The woman does not take the recording seriously.C) They cannot begin their recording right away.D) Page 55 is missing from the womans scripts.4. A) A significant event in July.B) Preparations for a wedding.C) The date of Carls wedding.D) The birthday of Carls bride. 5. A) T
6、he man was in charge of scheduling meetings.B) The man was absent from the weekly meeting.C) They woman was annoyed at the mans excuse.D) The woman forgot to tell the man in advance. 6. A) The woman is a marvelous cook.B) The man cannot wait for his meal.C) The woman has just bought an oven.D) The m
7、an has to leave in half an hour. 7. A) Whether the man can keep his job.B) Where the man got the bad news.C) What items sell well in the store.D) How she can best help the man.8. A) The woman can sign up for a swimming class.B) He works in the physical education department.C) The woman has the poten
8、tial to swim like a fish.D) He would like to teach the woman how to swim.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9. A) He teaches in a law school.B) He loves classical music.C) He is a diplomat.D) He is a wonderful lecturer.10. A) Went to see a play.B) Watched a soccer ga
9、me.C) Took some photos.D) Attended a dance. 11. A) She decided to get married in three years.B) Her mother objected to Erics flying lessons.C) She insisted that Eric pursue graduate studies.D) Her father said she could marry Eric right away. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have
10、just heard. 12. A) Editor.B) Teacher.C) Journalist.D) Typist. 13. A) The beautiful Amazon rainforests.B) A new railway under construction.C) Big changes in the Amazon valley.D) Some newly discovered scenic spot.14. A) In news weeklies.B) In newspapers Sunday editions.C) In a local evening paper.D) I
11、n overseas editions of U.S. magazines. 15. A) To be employed by a newspaper.B) To become a professional writer.C) To sell her articles to news service.D) To get her life story published soon.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will he
12、ar some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 1
13、6 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.16. A) Nodding ones head.B) Waving ones hand.C) Holding up the forefinger.D) Turning the right thumb down.17. A) Looking away from them.B) Forming a circle with fingers.C) Bowing ones head to them.D) Waving or pointing to them.18. A) Looking
14、ones superior in the eye.B) Keeping ones arms folded while talking.C) Showing the sole of ones foot to a guest.D) Using a lot of gestures during a conversation.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) They had to beg for food after the harvest.B) They grew wh
15、eat and corn on a small farm.C) They shared a small flat with their relatives.D) The children walked to school on dirt roads.20. A) Tour Ecuadors Andes Mountains.B) Earn an animal income of $2,800.C) Purchase a plot to build a home on.D) Send their children to school.21. A) The achievements of the T
16、rickle Up Program.B) A new worldwide economic revolution.C) Different forms of assistance to the needy.D) The life of poor people in developing countries.Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) They are highly sensitive to cold.B) They are vitally importan
17、t to our life.C) They are a living part of our body.D) They are a chief source of our pain.23. A) It has to be removed in time by a dentist.B) It is a rare oral disease among old people.C) It contains many nerves and blood vessels.D) It is a sticky and colorless film on the teeth.24. A) It can chang
18、e into acids causing damage to their outer covering.B) It greatly reduces their resistance to the attacks of bacteria.C) It makes their nerves and blood vessels more sensitive to acid food.D) It combines with food particles to form a film on their surface.25. A) Food particles.B) Gum disease.C) Unhe
19、althy living habits.D) Chemical erosion.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with
20、the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Stunt people (替身演员) are not movie stars, but they are the hidden heroes of many movies. They were around long before films. Even Shakespeare may have used them in fight
21、scenes. To be good, a fight scene has to look real. Punches must 26 enemies jaws. Sword fights must be fought with 27 swords. Several actors arc usually in a fight scene. Their moves must be set up so that no one gets hurt. It is almost like planning a dance performance. If a movie scene is dangerou
22、s, stunt people usually 28 the stars. You may think you see Tom Cruise running along the top of a train. But it is 29 his stunt double. Stunt people must 30 the stars they stand in for. Their height and build should be about the same. But when close-ups are needed, the film 31 the star. Some stunt p
23、eople 32 in certain kinds of scenes. For instance, a stunt woman named Jan Davis does all kinds of jumps. She has leapt from planes and even off the top of a waterfall. Each jump required careful planning and expert 33 .Yakima Canutt was a famous cowboy stunt man. Among other stunts, he could jump f
24、rom a second story window onto a horses back. He 34 the famous trick of sliding under a moving stagecoach. Canutt also 35 a new way to make a punch look real. He was the only stunt man ever to get an Oscar.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a pa
25、ssage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage: Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each
26、 item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage. As an Alaskan fisherman, Timothy June, 54, used to think that he was safe from industrial pollutants (污染物) at his home in
27、Hainesa town with a population of 2,400 people and 4,000 eagles, with 8 million acres of protected wild land nearby. But in early 2007, June agreed to take part in a 36 of 35 Americans from seven states. It was a biomonitoring project, in which peoples blood and urine (尿) were tested for 37 of chemi
28、calsin this case, three potentially dangerous classes of compounds found in common household 38 like face cream, tin cans, and shower curtains. The results 39 in November in a report called “Is It in Us?” by an environmental groupwere rather worrying. Every one of the participants, 40 from an Illino
29、is state senator to a Massachusetts minister, tested positive for all three classes of pollutants. And while the 41 presence of these chemicals does not 42 indicate a health risk, the fact that typical Americans carry these chemicals at all 43 June and his fellow participants. Clearly, there are che
30、micals in our bodies that dont 44 there. A large, ongoing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found 148 chemicals in Americans of all ages. And in 2005, the Environmental Working Group found an 45 of 200 chemicals in the blood of 10 new-borns. “Our babies are being
31、born pre-polluted,” says Sharyle Patton of Commonweal, which cosponsored “Is It in Us?” “This is going to be the next big environmental issue after climate change.”A) analysesB) averageC) belongD) demonstratedE) excessF) extendingG) habituallyH) necessarilyI) productsJ) rangingK) releasedL) shockedM
32、) simpleN) surveyO. tracesSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than o
33、nce. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.In Hard Economy for All Ages, Older Isnt Better. Its BrutalA Young graduates are in debt, out of work and on their parents couches. People in their 30s and 40s cant afford to buy h
34、omes or have children. Retirees are earning near-zero interest on their savings.B In the current listless (缺乏活力的) economy, every generation has a claim to having been most injured. But the Labor Departments latest jobs reports and other recent data present a strong case for crowning baby boomers (二战
35、后生育高峰期出生的人) as the greatest victims of the recession and its dreadful consequences.C These Americans in their 50s and early 60sthose near retirement age who do not yet have access to Medicare and Social Securityhave lost the most earnings power of any age group, with their household incomes 10 perce
36、nt below what they made when the recovery began three years ago, according to Sentier Research, a data analysis company. Their retirement savings and home values fell sharply at the worst possible time: just before they needed to cash out. They are supporting both aged parents and unemployed young-a
37、dult children, earning them the unlucky nickname “Generation Squeeze”.D New research suggests that they may die sooner, because their health, income security and mental well-being were battered (重创) by recession at a crucial time in their lives. A recent study by economists at Wellesley College foun
38、d that people who lost their jobs in the few years before becoming qualified for Social Security lost up to three years from their life expectancy (预期寿命), largely because they no longer had access to affordable health care.E Unemployment rates for Americans nearing retirement are far lower than thos
39、e for young people, who are recently out of school, with fewer skills and a shorter work history. But once out of a job, older workers have a much harder time finding another one. Over the last year, the average duration of unemployment for older people was 53 weeks, compared with 19 weeks for teena
40、gers, according to the Labor Departments jobs report released on Friday.F The lengthy process is partly because older workers are more likely to have been laid off from industries that are downsizing, like manufacturing. Compared with the rest of the population, older people are also more likely to
41、own their own homes and be less mobile than renters, who can move to new job markets.G Older workers are more likely to have a disability of some sort, perhaps limiting the range of jobs that offer realistic choices. They may also be less inclined, at least initially, to take jobs that pay far less
42、than their old positions.H Displaced boomers also believe they are victims of age discrimination, because employers can easily find a young, energetic worker who will accept lower pay and who can potentially stick around for decades rather than a few years.I In a survey of older workers who were lai
43、d off during the recession, just one in six had found another job, and half of that group had accepted pay cuts. 14% of the re-employed said the pay in their new job was less than half what they earned in their previous job. “I just say to myself: Why me? What have I done to deserve this?” said John
44、 Agati, 56, whose last full-time job, as a product developer, ended four years ago when his employer went out of business. That position paid $90,000, and his resume lists jobs at companies like American Express, Disney and USA Networks. Since being laid off, though, he has worked a series of part-t
45、ime, low-wage, temporary positions, including selling shoes at Lord & Taylor and making sales calls for a car company.J The last few years have taken a toil not only on his familys finances, but also on his feelings of self-worth. “You just get sad,” Mr. Agati said. “I see people getting up in the m
46、orning, going out to their careers and going home. I just wish I was doing that. Some people dont like their jobs, or they have problems with their jobs, but at least theyre working. I just wish I was in their shoes.” He said he cannot afford to go back to school, as many younger people without jobs
47、 have done. Even if he could afford it, economists say it is unclear whether older workers like him benefit much from more education.K “It just doesnt make sense to offer retraining for people 55 and older,” said Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor. “Discrimination by age, long-term unemploymen
48、t, and the fact that theyre now at the end of the hiring queue just dont make it sensible to invest in them.”L Many displaced older workers are taking this message to heart and leaving the labor force entirely. The share of older people applying for Social Security early rose quickly during the recession as people sought w
