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2017年12月大学英语四级真题及答案
Part I Writing (30minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on how
to best handle the relationship between parents and children. You
shouldwriteat least120 words butnomore than180words.
Part II ListeningComprehension (25 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news
report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report 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 1 with a single line
throughthecentre.
Questions1and 2arebased onthe news report youhavejust heard.
1.A) Her grandfather.
B) Her grandmother.
C)Her friend Erika.
D) Her littlebrother.
2.A) Bytaking pictures forpassers-by.
B) By selling lemonadeand pictures.
C)By working part timeat a hospital.
D) Byasking for helponsocial media.
Questions3and 4arebased onthe news report youhavejust heard.
3.A) Testing theefficiency of thenewsolar panel.
B) Providingclean energy to five million people.
C)Generating electric powerfor passing vehicles.
D) Finding cheaper ways ofhighway construction.
4.A) They are only about half an inch thick.
B) They are madefrom cheap materials.
C)They can be laid right ontop of existinghighways.
D) They can stand thewear and tearof naturalelements.
Questions5to 7arebased onthe news report youhavejust heard.
5.A) Thelack ofclues about thespecies.
B) Inadequate funding forresearch.
C)Endless fighting in theregion.
D) Thehazards from thedesert.
6.A) Toobserve thewildlifein thetwo national parks.
B) To study thehabitat oflions in Sudan andEthiopia.
C)To identify thereasons for thelions’ disappearance.
D) Tofind evidence ofthe existence ofthe“lost lions”.7.A) Lions’tracks.
B) Lions walking.
C)Somecamping facilities.
D) Traps set bylocal hunters.
Section B
Directions：In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each
conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation 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 1 with a
singlelinethrough thecentre.
Questions8to 11arebased onthe conversation you havejustheard.
8.A) Aspecial gift from theman.
B) Her wedding anniversary.
C)Acall from her dad.
D) Her ‘lucky birthday’.
9.A) Threwher a surpriseparty.
B) Took her onatrip overseas.
C)Bought her agold necklace.
D) Gaveher a bigmodel plane.
10.A) Whather husband andthe manare upto.
B) Whathas been troublingher husband.
C)The tripher husband has planned.
D) Thegift her husband has bought.
11.A) Hewants tofind out about thecouple’s holiday plan.
B) Heis eager to learn how thecouple’s holiday turns out.
C)Hewill tell thewomen the secret ifher husband agrees.
D) Hewill beglad tobea guide forthe couple’s holiday trip.
Questions12to 15arebased onthe conversation you havejustheard.
12.A) They take therival’s attitudeinto account.
B) They knowwhen toadopt a tough attitude.
C)They seetheimportance of making compromises.
D) They are sensitiveto thedynamics ofa negotiation.
13.A) They knowwhen to stop.
B) They knowhowto adapt.
C)They knowwhen tomake compromises.
D) They knowhow tocontrol their emotion.
14.A) They are patient.
B) They learn quickly.
C)They are good at expression.
D) They uphold theirprinciples.15.A) Clarify items ofnegotiation.
B) Make clear one's intentions.
C)Get toknowtheother side.
D) Formulateone's strategy.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage,
you will hear three or four 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), D). Then mark the
corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the
centre.
Questions16to 18arebased onthe passageyouhavejustheard.
16.A) Howspace research benefitspeople onEarth.
B) When theInternational Space Stationwas built.
C)Howmany space shuttlemissions therewill be.
D) WhenAmerica's earliest space programstarted.
17.A) They tried tomake best useofthe latesttechnology.
B) They tried tomeet astronauts' specific requirements.
C)They developed objects forastronauts touse in outerspace.
D) They accurately calculated thespeed oftheorbiting shuttles.
18.A) They are expensiveto make.
B) They are extremely accurate.
C)They were first madein space.
D) They were invented inthe1970s.
Questions19to 21arebased onthe passageyouhavejustheard.
19.A) Everything was natural andgenuine then.
B) Peoplehad plenty of landto cultivatethen.
C)It marked thebeginning ofsomething new.
D) It was when herancestors cametoAmerica.
20.A) They were knownto be creative.
B) They enjoyed livinga livingalife ofease.
C)They had all kindsof entertainment.
D) They believed inworking forgoals.
21.A) Chattingwith her ancestors.
B) Doing needlework bythe fire.
C)Furnishing hercountry house.
D) Polishing all thesilverwork.
Questions22to 25arebased onthe passageyouhavejustheard.
22.A) Sitdown and try tocalm yourself.
B) Callyour family orfriends for help.
C)Use amapto identify your location.
D) Try to followyour footprints back.23.A) You may end upentering awonderland.
B) Youmay get drowned in a suddenflood.
C)Youmay exposeyourself to unexpected dangers.
D) You may find away out withoutyour knowing it.
24.A) Walkuphill
B) Look for food.
C)Start afire.
D) Waitpatiently.
25.A) Check thelocal weather.
B) Find amap and a compass.
C)Prepare enough food anddrink.
D) Inform somebody of your plan.
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40minutes )
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage 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 item on Answer Sheet 2
with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in
thebankmore thanonce.
Questions26to 35arebased onthe followingpassage.
A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick,
but these creatures have some 26 skills that could help the treatment of human
diseases.
Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds and an urban 27 , but they are just the latest
in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans.
Despite having a brain no bigger than the 28 of your index finger, pigeons have a
very impressive 29 memory. Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as
accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.
Rats are often 30 with spreading disease rather than 31 it, but this long-tailed
animal is highly 32 . Inside a rat's nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory
receptors (嗅觉感受器), whereas humans only have 100 to 200 types. This gives rats
the ability to detect 33 smells. As a result, some rats are being put to work to detect
TB(肺结核). When the rats detect the smell, they stop and rub their legs to 34 a
sampleis infected.
Traditionally, a hundred samples would take lab technicians more than two days
to 35 , but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes. This rat detection method doesn't
rely on specialist equipment. It is also more accurate — the rats are able to find more
TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.
A) associated
B) examineC)indicate
D) nuisance
E)peak
F) preventing
G) prohibiting
H) sensitive
I) slight
J)specify
K) superior
L) suspicious
M)tip
N) treated
O) visual
Section B
Directions: 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 once. Each paragraph
is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the
corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2.
DoIn-Class Exams MakeStudents Study Harder?
[A] Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather
than search for answers. I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather
strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four
decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by
students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the
question.
[B] Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning
what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated
through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who
issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to
do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my
midterm themorning it was due. To say Ihadlost thethread is puttingitmildly.
[C] As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material
and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and
professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at
Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and
encourages them to form study groups. “That way they socialize over history outside
the class, which wouldn’t happen without the pressure of an in-class exam,” he
explained, “Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under
pressure, and essentialwork skill.”
[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered
they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled “Introduction To
Congress.” Some colleges have what they call an “honor code,” though if you are
smart enough to get into these schools, you are either smart enough to get around any
codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for
two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn’t just call an expert on the subject
matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me
going.
[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at
Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-
hone exams. “Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other
end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited
boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays,
and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learning and
retention.”
[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends
on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home,
where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes,
such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-
oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History
of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland,
points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute
details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to find out,”
says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for
anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by
usingall the resources available to them.
[G] Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and
course difficulty. “I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing,
so you have time to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at
Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says,
“I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate
relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-
homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is
never a moment when the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at
Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the
material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a
breeze.”
[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on their personal test-
taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it
much harder than it needs to be. And then there those who, not knowing what
questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And
thenthere are we rare folks who fit both thosedescriptions.
[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of
my inability to access the information as quickly. As another returning student atColumbia, Kate Marber, told me, “We are learning not only all this information, but
essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school.
Alot has changed since wewere lastinschool.”
[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to
share, When I asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams
because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to
work on a test,” he responded. It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving
the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class the
ticking clock overhead.
[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did
recently for her final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study,
promising that, “It is going to be apiece of cake.” When the students came in,
sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large
chocolate cake and they each were givena slice.
36.Elderly students find it hard to keep upwith therapid changes ineducation.
37.Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other
courses.
38.Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to
students.
39.In-class examsare believed to discourage cheating in exams.
40.The authorwas happy to learn shecould dosomeexams at home.
41.Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams
more difficult than theyactually are.
42.Different students may prefer different types of exams.
43.Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam
depends ontype ofcourse being taught.
44.The authordropped outof college someforty years ago.
45.Somestudents thinktake-home exams willeat uptheirfree time.
Section C
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 single line
throughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions46and 50arebased onthe followingpassage.
That people often experience trouble sleeping in a different bed in unfamiliar
surroundings is a phenomenon known as the “first-night” effect. If a person stays in
the same room the following night they tend to sleep more soundly. Yuka Sasaki and
her colleagues at Brown University set out to investigate theorigins ofthis effect.
Dr. Sasaki knew the first-night effect probably has something to do with how
humans evolved. The puzzle was what benefit would be gained from it whenperformance might be affected the following day. She also knew from previous work
conducted on birds and dolphins that these animals put half of their brains to sleep at
a time so that they can rest while remaining alert enough to avoid predators (捕食者).
This led her to wonder if people might be doing the same thing. To take a closer look,
her team studied 35 healthy people as they slept in the unfamiliar environment of the
university’s Department of Psychological Sciences. The participants each slept in the
department for two nights and were carefully monitored with techniques that looked
at the activity of their brains. Dr. Sasaki found, as expected, the participants slept less
well on their first night than they did on their second, taking more than twice as long
to fall asleep and sleeping less overall. During deep sleep, the participants’ brains
behaved in a similar manner seen in birds and dolphins. On the first night only, the
left hemispheres (半球) of their brains did not sleep nearly as deeply as their right
hemispheres did.
Curious if the left hemispheres were indeed remaining awake to process
information detected in the surrounding environment, Dr. Sasaki re-ran the
experiment while presenting the sleeping participants with a mix of regularly timed
beeps ( 蜂 鸣 声 ) of the same tone and irregular beeps of a different tone during the
night. She worked out that, if the left hemisphere was staying alert to keep guard in a
strange environment, then it would react to the irregular beeps by stirring people from
sleep and would ignore theregularly timed ones. This is precisely what she found.
46.Whatdidresearchers findpuzzling aboutthe first-nighteffect?
A) Towhat extentit can trouble people.
B) Whatrole it has played in evolution.
C)Whatcircumstances may trigger it.
D) In what way itcan be beneficial.
47.Whatdowelearn aboutDr. Yuka Sasaki doing herresearch?
A) Shefound birds and dolphins remain alert whileasleep.
B) Shefound birds and dolphinssleep in much thesameway.
C)Shegot someidea from previous studies onbirds and dolphins
D) Sheconducted studies onbirds’and dolphins’ sleeping patterns.
48.WhatdidDr. Sasakido when shefirst didher experiment?
A) She monitored the brain activity of participants sleeping in a new
environment.
B) Sherecruited 35participants from her Department ofPsychological Sciences.
C)Shestudied thedifferences between the two sides ofparticipants’ brains.
D) Shetested herfindings about birds and dolphinsonhumansubjects.
49.WhatdidDr. Sasakido when re-running herexperiment?
A) Sheanalyzed thenegativeeffect ofirregular tones onbrains.
B) Sherecorded participants’adaptation to changedenvironment.
C)Sheexposed herparticipants to two differentstimuli.
D) Shecompared theresponses ofdifferentparticipants.
50.WhatdidDr. Sasakifind aboutthe participantsin herexperiment?
A) They tended to enjoycertain tones morethan others.
B) They tended to perceive irregular beeps as athreat.C)They felt sleepy when exposed toregular beeps.
D) They differed in their tolerance ofirregular tones.
PassageTwo
Questions51to 55arebased onthe followingpassage.
It’s time to reevaluate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked or
over-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life.
It willonly slow you down and hinder your career goals.
Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice
as many women than men ages 18-44 reported feeling “very tired” or “exhausted”,
according toarecent study.
This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have
children. It's also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and
home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying
"no." Women want to be able to do it all volunteer for school parties or cook delicious
meals-and so theiranswer to any request is often “Yes, I can.”
Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the
desire tobe liked bytheircolleagues.
Unfortunately, this inability to say "no" may be hurting women's heath as well as
theircareer.
At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while
women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don't want
to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there’s a problem that
needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over should be the one to fix
it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them
most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what's
the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem-even if that means doing the
boring work themselves.
This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets
promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to
delegate and manage resources wisely – including staff expertise. Shouldering more
of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your
inabilityto delegate effectively.
51.Whatdoes theauthorsay is theproblemwith women?
A) They are often unclear about thecareer goals to reach.
B) They are usuallymore committedat homethan onthejob.
C)They tend to beover-optimisticabout howfar they could go.
D) They tend to push themselves beyond thelimits oftheirability.
52.Why doworking women of child-bearing agetend to feel drained ofenergy?
A) They struggle to satisfy thedemands of both work and home.
B) They are toodevoted to work and unable to relax as aresult.
C)They dotheirbest to cooperatewith theirworkmates.
D) They are obliged to takeuptoo manyresponsibilities.53.Whatmayhinder thefuture prospects ofcareer women?
A) Theirunwillingness tosay “no”.
B) Theirdesire to beconsidered powerful.
C)Anunderestimateoftheir ownability.
D) Alack ofcourage toface challenges.
54. Men and woman differ in their approach to resolving workplace conflicts in
that .
A) women tendto beeasily satisfied
B) menare generally more persuasive
C)mentend toput theirpersonal interests first
D) women are much more ready tocompromise
55.Whatis importanttoagood leader?
A) dominantpersonality.
B) The abilityto delegate.
C)The courage to admitfailure
D) Astrong senseof responsibility.
Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from
Chineseinto English.You should writeyour answer onAnswer Sheet 2.
泰山位于山东省西部,海拔 1500 余米,方圆约 400 平方公里。泰山不仅雄伟
壮观,而且是一座历史文化名山,过去3000 多年一直是人们前往朝拜的地方。据
记载,共有72 位帝王曾来此游览,许多作家到泰山获取灵感,写诗作文,艺术家也来
此绘画,山上因此留下了许许多多的文物古迹。泰山如今已成为中国一处主要的
旅游景点。【参考 答案】
【参考范文】
The relationship between parents and children is an eternal and universal topic
for mankind. Our relationship with parents might be different at different ages. And
foryoung people at their 20s,I thinkit willdepend more onwhat children do.
The reason why I say so is that as we grow up, our parents who were our idols
before gradually get old and even out-dated. However hard efforts they make, they
could not catch up with our steps, leading to the so-called invisible generation gap.
Thus, if we cannot slow down our pace, there will definitely be an awkward silence
between parents and us, which is not rare now. As a result, young people should talk
more withparents to share ourfeelings and to understand each otherbetter.
Everyone wants loving parents who are open and supportive. Only through
frequent communication with them, can weestablish such a harmonious relationship.
【1-5】DBBCC 【6-10】DADAC 【11-15】BDABC 【16-20】ACBCD
【21-25】BACAD
【26-30】KDMOA 【31-35】FHICB
【36-40】IECDB 【41-45】HGFAJ
【46-50】DCACB 【51-55】DAACB
【翻译参考译文】
Mount Tai is located in the western part of Shandong Province. It has a height of
more than 1,500 meters and covers an area of about 400 square kilometres. Mount Tai
is a majestic mountain with historical and cultural significance. It has been a place of
worship for at least 3,000 years. It is recorded that 72 emperors had visited it. Writers
came to seek inspiration for poems and essays and artists for painting. Therefore, a
great many ancient records and relics were left there. Mount Tai has now become a
principal touristsitein China.
