文档内容
2014 年 12 月英语四级考试真题试卷（1）
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay about a classmate of
yours who has influenced you most in college. You should state the reasons and write at least 120
words but no more than 180 words.
注意：此部分试题在答题卡 1 上作答。
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
SectionA
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.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),anddecide
whichis thebestanswer.Then mark thecorresponding letter onAnswer Sheet1 with a single
linethroughthecentre.
注意:此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1.A)Thewomanisfussyaboutthecleannessoftheapartment,
B)Hehasnotcleanedtheapartmentsincehismother’svisit.
C)Hedoesnotrememberwhenhismothercameover.
D)Hismotheroftenhelpshimtocleantheapartment.
2.A)Thebusstopisonlytwominutes’walk.
B)Therunningmadehimshortofbreath.
C)Theymightaswelltakethenextbus.
D)Thewomanislatebyacoupleofminutes.
3.A)Sheissufferingapaininherneck.
B)SheislikelytoreplaceMissSmith.
C)Shehastodoextraworkforafewdays.
D)Sheisquitesickofworkingovertime.
4.A)Changeherjob.
B)Buyadishwasher.
C)Openaflowershop.
D)Startherownbusiness.
5.A)Heforgotwherehehadleftthepackage.
B)Heslippedonhiswaytothepostoffice.
C)Hewantedtodeliverthepackagehimself.D)Hefailedtodowhathepromisedtodo.
6.A)Thespeakersdonotagreewitheachother.
B)Thewomandoesnotlikehorrorfilms.
C)Themanpaysfortheticketsasarule.
D)Thespeakershappenedtomeetinthecinema
7.A)Thewomanisjustasunluckyastheman.
B)Thewomanismoresensitivethantheman.
C)Thespeakersshareacommonviewonlove.
D)Thespeakersareunhappywiththeirmarriage.
8.A)Preparationsforaforum.
B)Participantsintheforum.
C)Organizersofaforum.
D)Expectationsoftheforum.
Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
9.A)France.
B)Scandinavia.
C)Russia.
D)EastEurope.
10.A)Morewomenwillbepromotedintheworkplace.
B)Morewomenwillovercometheirinadequacies.
C)Morewomenwillreceivehighereducation.
D)Morewomenwillworkoutsidethefamily.
11.A)Tryhardtoprotect women'srights.
B)Educatementorespect women more.
C)Helpwomenacquiremore professionalskills.
D)Spendmoretimechanging women'sattitudes.
Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
12.A)Inarestaurant.
B)Inahotellobby.
C)Attheman’soffice.
D)Atthewoman’splace.
13.A)Heisthechiefdesignerofthelatestbikemodel.
B)Hehascompletedanoverseasmarketsurvey.
C)HeistheManagingDirectorofJayalMotors.
D)HehasjustcomebackfromatriptoAfrica
14.A)Toselecttherightmodel.
B)Togetagoodimportagent.
C)Toconvincetheboardmembers.
D)Tocutdownproductioncosts.
15.A)Hisflexibility.
B)Hisvision.
C)Hisintelligence.
D)Hisdetermination.
SectionBDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will
hearsome questions. Both the passage and thequestions willbe spoken only once.After you hear
aquestion,you mustchoosethebestanswerfrom thefourchoicesmarkedA),B) C) andD).Then
,
markthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
PassageOne
Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
16.A)Howbeinganidenticaltwininfluencesone'sidentity.
B)Whysomeidenticaltwinskeeptheiridentitiessecret
C)Whysomeidenticaltwinswereseparatedfrombirth.
D)Howidenticaltwinsareborn,raisedandeducated.
17.A)TheirsecondwiveswerenamedLinda.
B)Theygrewupindifferentsurroundings.
C)Theirfirstchildrenwerebothdaughters.
D)Theybothgotmarriedwhentheywere39.
18.A)Theywanttofindouttherelationshipbetweenenvironmentandbiology.
B)Theywanttoseewhatcharacteristicsdistinguishonefromtheother.
C)Theywanttounderstandhowtwinscommunicatewhenfarapart
D)Theywanttoknowwhethertwinscanfeeleachother’spain.
PassageTwo
Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
19.A)Itisespeciallyattractivetochildrenandtheyoung.
B)ItisthefirstchoiceofvacationersontheContinent
C)Itisascomfortableaslivinginapermanenthouse.
D)Itisaninexpensivewayofspendingaholiday.
20.A)Ithasasolidplasticframe.
B)Itconsistsof aninnerandanoutertent
C)Itisveryconvenienttosetup.
D)ItissoldtomanyContinentalcountries.
21.A)Agroundsheet.
B)Agasstove.
C)Akitchenextension.
D)Asparetent.
PassageThree
Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
22.A)Itcovers179squaremiles.
B)ItisasbigasNewYorkCity.
C)Itcovers97squarekilometers.
D)ItisonlyhalfthesizeofSpain.
23.A)Itsgeographicfeaturesattractedmanyvisitors.
B)Itscitizensenjoyedapeaceful,comfortablelife.C)Itimportedfoodfromforeigncountries.
D)Itwascutofffromtherestoftheworld.
24.A)Thefastdevelopmentofitsneighboringcountries.
B)Theincreasinginvestmentbydevelopedcountries.
C)Thebuildingofroadsconnectingitwithneighboringcountries.
D)TheestablishingofdiplomaticrelationswithFranceandSpain.
25.A)Theyworkontheirfarms.
B)Theyworkinthetouristindustry.
C)Theyraisedomesticanimals.
D)Theymaketraditionalhandicrafts.
SectionC
Directions: 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 the exact words you have just heard.
Finally whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.
, ,
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
“Don’t take many English courses; they won’t help you get a decent job.” “Sign up for
managementclasses,soyou’llbereadytojointhefamilybusinesswhenyougraduate”
Sound (26) ______? Many of us have heard suggestions like these (27) ______ by parents or
othersclosetous.Suchcommentsoftenseemquitereasonable.
Why,then,shouldsuggestions like thesebe takenwith (28)______?Thereasonis theyrelate
todecisionsyoushouldmake.Youaretheonewhomust(29)______theirconsequences.
One of the worst reasons to follow a particular path in life is that other people want you to.
Decisions that affect your life should be your decisions—decisions you make after you’ve
consideredvarious(30)______andchosenthepaththatsuitsyoubest.
Making your own decisions does not mean that you should (31) ______ the suggestions of
others. For instance, your parents do have their own unique experiences that may make their
advice helpful, and having (32) ______ in a great deal of your personal history, they may have a
clear view of your strengths and weaknesses. Still, their views are not necessarily accurate. They
maystillseeyouasachild,(33)______careandprotection.Ortheymayseeonlyyourstrengths.
Or,insomeunfortunatecases,theymay(34)______yourflawsandshortcomings.
Peoplewillalwaysbegivingyouadvice.Ultimately,though,youhavetomakeyourown(35)
______.
PartIII ReadingComprehension (40minutes)
SectionA
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks.Youare required to select oneword
foreachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassage
through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.
Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through
thecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
One principle of taxation, called the benefit principle, states that people should pay taxes
based on the benefits they receive from government services. This principle tries to make public
goods similar to __36__ goods. It seems reasonable that a person who often goes to the movies
pays more in __37__ for movie tickets than a person who rarely goes.And __38__ a person who
getsgreatbenefitfromapublicgoodshouldpaymoreforitthanapersonwhogetslittlebenefit.
The gasoline tax, for instance, is sometimes __39__ using the benefits principle. In some
states, __40__ from the gasoline tax are used to build andmaintain roads. Becausethose who buy
gasoline are the same people who use the roads, the gasoline tax might be viewed as a __41__
waytopaythisgovernmentservice.
The benefits principle can also be used to argue that wealthy citizens should pay higher
taxes than poorer ones, __42__ because the wealthy benefit more from public services. Consider,
for example, the benefits of police protection from __43__.Citizens with much to protect get
greater benefit from police than those with less to protect.Therefore, according to the benefits
principle, the wealthy should __44__ more than the poor to the cost of __45__ the police force.
The same argument can be used for many other public services, such as fire protection, national
defense,andthecourtsystem.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
A)adapt B)contribute C)exerting
D)expenses E)fair F)justified
G)maintaining H)private I)provided
J)revenues K)similarly L)simply
M)theft N)total O)wealth
SectionB
Directions: In this section,you aregoingto readapassage withten statements attachedtoit.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 once. Each paragraph is
marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer
Sheet2.
GrowingUpColored
[A] You wouldn't know Piedmont anymore—my Piedmont, I mean—the town in West Virginia
whereIlearnedtobeacoloredboy.
[B] The 1950s in Piedmont was a time to remember, or at least to me. People were always proud
to be from Piedmont—lying at the foot of a mountain, on the banks of the mighty Potomac. We
knew God gaveAmerica no more beautiful location. In ever knew colored people anywhere who
were crazier about mountains and water,flowers and trees, fishing and hunting. For as long as
anyonecouldremember,wecouldouthunt,outshoot,andoutswimthewhiteboysinthevalley.
[C]Thesocial structureofPiedmontwas something weknew like thebackof our hands.It was an
immigranttown;whitePiedmontwasItalianandIrish,with ahandfulofwealthyWASPs (盎格鲁
撒克逊裔的白人新教徒)onEastHampshire Street, and"ethnic"neighborhoodsof working-class
peopleeverywhereelse,coloredandwhite.[D]Foraslongasanyonecanremember,Piedmont'scharacterhasbeencompletelyboundupwith
the West vaco paper mill: its prosperous past and doubtful future. At first glance, the town is a
typicaldyingmillcenter.Manyoncebeautifulbuildingsstandempty,evidencingabygonetimeof
spirit and pride.The big houseson East Hampshire Streetare no longer proud,as they were when
Iwasakid.
[E] Like the Italians and the Irish, most of the colored people migrated to Piedmont at the turn of
the20thcenturytoworkatthepapermill, whichopenedin1888.Allthecoloredmenatthepaper
mill worked on "the platform"—loading paper into trucks until the craft unions were finally
integrated in 1968. Loading is what Daddy did every working day of his life. That's what almost
everycoloredgrown-upIknewdid.
[F] Colored people lived in three neighborhoods that were clearly separated. Welcome to the
Colored Zone, a large stretched banner could have said. And it felt good in there, like walking
around your house in bare feet and underwear, or snoring right out loud on the couch in front of
theTV—envelopedbythecomfortsofhome,thewarmthofthoseyoulove.
[G] Of course, the colored world was not so much a neighborhood as a condition of existence.
And though our own world was seemingly self-contained, it impacted on the white world of
Piedmont in almost every direction. Certainly,the borders ofour world seemed to be impacted on
when some white man or woman showed up where he or she did not belong, such as at the black
Legion Hall. Our space was violated when one of them showed up at a dance or a party. The
rhythms would be off. The music would sound not quite right: attempts to pat the beat off just
so.Everybodywouldleaveearly.
[H] Before 1955, most white people were just shadowy presences in our world, vague figures of
power like remote bosses at the mill or tellers at the bank. There were exceptions, of course, the
white people who would come into our world in ritualized,everyday ways we all understood. Mr.
MailMan,Mr.InsuranceMan,Mr.White-and-ChocolateMilkMan,Mr.LandlordMan,Mr.Police
Man: we called white people by their trade, like characters in a mystery play. Mr. Insurance Man
would come by every other week to collect premiums on college or death policies,sometimes 50
centsorless.
[I] "It's no disgrace to becolored,"the black entertainer BertWilliams famously observed early in
the century, "but it is awfully inconvenient." For most of my childhood, we couldn't cat in
restaurants or sleep in hotels, we couldn't use certain bathrooms or try on clothes in stores. Mama
insisted that we dress up when we went to shop. She was carefully dressed when she went to
clothing stores, and wore white pads called shields under her arms so her dress or blouse would
show no sweat."We'd like to try this on," she'd say carefully, uttering her words precisely and
properly."Wedon't buy clothes we can't try on,"she'd say when they declined, and we'd walk out
in Mama's dignified (有尊严的) manner. She preferred to shop where we had an account and
whereeveryoneknewwhoshewas.
[J] At the Cut-Rate Drug Store, no one colored was allowed to sit down at the counter or tables,
with one exception: my father. I don't know for certain why CarlDadisman, the owner, wouldn't
stop Daddy from sitting down. But I believe it was in part because Daddy was so light-colored,
andinpartbecause,duringhisshiftatthephonecompany,hepickedupordersforfoodandcoffee
for the operators.Colored people were supposed to stand at the counter, get their food to go, and
leave. Even whenYoung Doc Bess would set up the basketball team with free Cokes after one of
many victories, the colored players had to stand around and drink out of paper cups while thewhiteplayersandcheerleaderssatdownincomfortablechairsanddrankoutofglasses.
[K] I couldn't have been much older than five or six as I sat with my father at the Cut-Rate one
afternoon, enjoying two scoops of caramel ice cream. Mr. Wilson, astony-faced, brooding
Irishman,walkedby."Hello,Mr.Wilson,"myfathersaid."Hello,George."
[L] I was genuinely puzzled. Mr. Wilson must have confused my father with somebody else, but
who? There weren't any Georges among the colored people in Piedmont."Why don't you tell him
your name, Daddy?" I asked loudly. "Your name isn't George.""He knows my name, boy," my
fathersaidafteralongpause."HecallsallcoloredpeopleGeorge."
[M] I knew we wouldn't talk about it again; even at that age, 1 was given to understand that there
were some subjects it didn't do to worry to death about. Now that I have children, I realize that
whatdistressedmyfatherwasn'tsomuchtheMr.Wilsonsoftheworldasthepainfulobligationto
explain the racial facts of life to someone who hadn't quite learned them yet. Maybe Mr. Wilson
couldn'thurtmyfatherbycallinghimGeorge;butIhurthimbyaskingtoknowwhy.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2 上作答。
46.Theauthorfeltasaboythathislifeinaseparatedneighborhoodwascasualand
cozy.
47.Thereiseverysignofdeclineatthepapermillnow.
48.Onereasontheauthor'sfathercouldsitandeatatthedrugstorewasthathedidn't
lookthatdark.
49.Piedmontwasatownofimmigrantsfromdifferentpartsoftheworld.
50.Inspiteoftheawfulinconveniencescausedbyracialprejudice,theauthor'sfamily
managedtolivealifeofdignity.
51. The author later realized he had caused great distress to his father by asking why he was
wronglyaddressed.
52.TheauthortookprideinbeingfromPiedmontbecauseofitsnaturalbeauty.
53.Coloredpeoplecalledwhitepeoplebythebusinesstheydid.
54.ColoredpeoplewholivedinPiedmontdidheavymanualjobsatthepapermill.
55.Thecoloredpeoplefeltuneasyatthepresenceofthewhitesintheirneighborhood.
SectionC
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or
unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You
should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a
singlelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Children are a delight. They are our future. But sadly, hiring someone to take care of them
whileyougotoworkisgettingmoreexpensivebytheyear.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the cost of enrolling an infant or small kid at a childcare
center rose 3% in 2012, faster than the overall cost of living. There are now large strips of the
country where daycare for an infant costs more than a tenth of the average married couple's
income.This is not necessarily a new trend, but it is a somewhat puzzling one. The price of
professional childcare has been rising since the 1980s. Yet during that time, pay for professional
childcare workers has stood still.Actually caregivers make less today, in real terms, than they did
in 1990. Considering that labor costs are responsible for up to80% of a daycare center's expenses,
one would expect flat wages to have meant flat prices. So who's to blame for higher childcare
costs?
Childcare is a carefully regulated industry. States lay down rules about how many children
each employee is allowed to watch over, the space care centers need per child,and other minute
details.And the stricter the regulations, the higher the costs. If it has to hire a caregiver for every
two children, it can't really achieve any economies of scale on labor to save money when other
expenses go up. In Massachusetts, where childcare centers must hire one teacher for every three
infants, the price of care averaged more than $16,000per year.In Mississippi, where centers must
hireoneteacherforeveryfiveinfants,thepriceofcareaveragedlessthan$5,000.
Unfortunately, I don't have all the daycare-center regulations handy. But I wouldn't be
surprisedifastheruleshavebecomemoreelaborate,priceshaverisen.Thetradeoff(交换)might
be worth it in some cases;after all, the health and safety of children should probably come before
cheap service. But certainly, it doesn't seem to be an accident that some of the cheapest daycare
availableisintheleastregulatedSouth.
56.Whatproblemdoparentsofsmallkidshavetoface?
A)Theever-risingchildcareprices.
B)Thebudgetingoffamilyexpenses.
C)Thebalancebetweenworkandfamily.
D)Theselectionofagooddaycarecenter.
57.Whatdoestheauthorfeelpuzzledabout?
A)Whythepricesofchildcarevarygreatlyfromstatetostate.
B)Whyincreasedchildcarepriceshavenotledtobetterservice.
C)Whychildcareworkers'payhasnotincreasedwiththerisingchildcarecosts.
D)Whythereisasevereshortageofchildcareprofessionalinanumberofstates.
58.Whatpreventchildcarecentersfromsavingmoney?
A)Steadyincreaseinlaborcosts.
B)Strictgovernmentregulations.
C)Lackofsupportfromthestate.
D)Highadministrativeexpenses.
59.WhyistheaveragecostofchildcareinMississippimuchlowerthaninMassachusetts?
A)Theoverallqualityofserviceisnotasgood.
B)Paymentsforcaregiverstherearenotashigh.
C)Livingexpensestherearecomparativelylow.
D)Eachteacherisallowedtocareformorekids.
60.Whatistheauthor'sviewondaycareservice?
A)Caregiversshouldreceiveregularprofessionaltraining.
B)Lesselaboraterulesaboutchildcaremightlowercosts.
C)Itiscrucialtostrikeabalancebetweenqualityandcosts.
D)Itisbetterfordifferentstatestolearnfromeachother.PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Alex Pang's amusing new book The Distraction Addiction addresses those of us who feel
panic without a cellphone or computer.And that, he claims, is pretty much all of us.When we're
notonline, where we spend four months annually,we're engaged in the stressful work of trying to
getonline.
TheDistractionAddictionis notframed asaself-helpbook. It's athoughtfulexamination of
the danger of our computing overdose and a historical overview of how technological advances
change consciousness. A "professional futurist", Pang urges an approach which he calls
"contemplative (沉思的) computing." He asks that you pay full attention to "how your mind and
bodyinteractwithcomputersandhowyourattentionandcreativityareinfluencedbytechnology."
Pang's first job is to free you from common misconception that doing two things at once
allowsyou toget more done.Whatis commonlycalledmultitasking is, infact,switch-tasking, and
its harmful effects on productivity are well documented. Pang doesn't advocate returning to a
preinternet world. Instead, he asks you to "take a more ecological (生态的) view of your
relationships with technologies and look for ways devices or media may be making specific tasks
easierorfasterbutatthesametimemakingyourworkandlifeharder."
The Distraction Addiction is particularly fascinating on how technologies have changed
certain field of labor—often for the worse. For architects, computer-aided design has become
essential but in some ways has cheapened the design process. As one architect puts it,
"Architecture is first and foremost about thinking... and drawing is a more productive way of
thinking"thancomputer-aideddesign.SomewhatlessamusingarePang's solutionsforkickingthe
Internet habit. He recommends the usual behavior-modification approaches, familiar to anyone
who has completed a quit-smoking program. Keep logs to study your online profile and decide
whatyou canknock out,downloada programlike Freedomthatlocks yououtof your browser,or
take a "digital Sabbath ( 安 息 日 )" ; "Unless you're a reporter or emergency-department
doctor,you'lldiscoverthatyourworlddoesn'tfallapartwhenyougooffline."
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
61.AlexPang'snewbookisaimedforreaderswho________.
A)findtheirworkonlinetoostressful
B)goonlinemainlyforentertainment
C)arefearfulaboutusingthecellphoneorcomputer
D)canhardlytearthemselvesawayfromtheInternet
62.WhatdoesAlexPangtrytodoinhisnewbook?
A)OfferadviceonhowtousetheInterneteffectively.
B)WarnpeopleofthepossibledangersofInternetuse.
C)Predictthetrendoffuturetechnologicaldevelopment.
D)Examinetheinfluenceoftechnologyonthehumanmind.
63.Whatisthecommonviewonmultitasking?
A)Itenablespeopletoworkmoreefficiently.
B)Itisinawayquitesimilartoswitch-tasking.
C)Itmakespeople'sworkandlifeevenharder.D)Itdistractspeople'sattentionfromusefulwork.
64.Whatdoestheauthorthinkofcomputer-aideddesign?
A)Itconsiderablycutsdownthecostofbuildingdesign.
B)Itsomewhatrestrainsarchitects'productivethinking.
C)Itisindispensableinarchitects'workprocess.
D)Itcanfreearchitectsfromlaboriousdrawing.
65.WhatisAlesPang'srecommendationforInternetusers?
A)TheyusetheInternetaslittleaspossible.
B)Theykeeparecordoftheircomputerusetime.
C)Theyexerciseself-controlovertheirtimeonline.
D)Theyentertainthemselvesonlineonoff-daysonly.
PartIV Translation (30minutes)
Directions:For this part. you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into
English.YoushouldwriteyouransweronAnswerSheet2.
越来越多的中国年轻人正对旅游产生兴趣，这是近年来的新趋势。年轻游客数量的不断增加，可以归
因于他们迅速提高的收入和探索外部世界的好奇心。随着旅行多了，年轻人在大城市和著名景点花的时间
少了，他们反而更为偏远的地方所吸引。有些人甚至选择长途背包旅行。最近调查显示，很多年轻人想要
通过旅行体验不同的文化、丰富知识、拓宽视野。
