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2014年12月年大学英语四级考试真题（一）
2014 年 12 月大学英语四级考试阅读真题（第 1 套)
PartⅢ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
SectionA
Directions：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblank
from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before
makingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeach
itemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmore
thanonce.
Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Oneprincipleoftaxation,calledthebenefitsprinciple,statesthatpeopleshouldpaytaxesbasedonthe
benefitstheyreceivefromgovernmentservices.Thisprincipletriestomakepublicgoodssimilarto 36 goods.It
seemsreasonablethatapersonwhooftengoestothemoviespaysmorein 37 formovieticketsthanaperson
whorarelygoes.And 38 ,apersonwhogetsgreatbenefitfromapublicgoodshouldpaymoreforitthana
personwhogetslittlebenefit.
Thegasolinetax,forinstance,issometimes 39 usingthebenefitsprinciple.Insomestates, 40 fromthe
gasolinetaxareusedtobuildandmaintainroads.Becausethosewhobuygasolinearethesamepeoplewhousethe
roads,thegasolinetaxmightbeviewedasa 41 waytopayforthisgovernmentservice.
Thebenefitsprinciplecanalsobeusedtoarguethatwealthycitizensshouldpayhighertaxesthanpoorerones,
42becausethewealthybenefitmorefrompublicservices.Consider,forexample,thebenefitsofpolice
protectionfrom 43 .Citizenswithmuchtoprotectgetgreaterbenefitfrompolicethanthosewithlesstoprotect.
Therefore,accordingtothebenefitsprinciple,thewealthyshould 44 morethanthepoortothecostof 45 the
policeforce.Thesameargumentcanbeusedformanyotherpublicservices,suchasfireprotection,national
A)adapt I)provided
B)contribute J)revenues
C)exerting K)similarly
D)expenses L)simply
E)fair M)theft
F)justified N)total
G) maintaining
O)wealth
H) private
defense,andthecourtsystem.
SectionB
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement
containsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.
You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by
markingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.
GrowingUpColored
[A] You wouldn’t know Piedmont anymore—my Piedmont, I mean—the town in West Virginia where I
learnedtobeacoloredboy.
[B] The 1950s in Piedmontwas a time to remember, or atleast to me. People were always proud to be from
Piedmont—lying atthefootof amountain,onthe banks ofthe mighty Potomac.We knew Godgave America no
more beautiful location. I never knew colored people anywhere who were crazier about mountains and water,
flowers and trees, fishing and hunting. For as long as anyone could remember, we could outhunt, outshoot, and
outswimthewhiteboysinthevalley.
[C]ThesocialstructureofPiedmontwassomethingweknewlikethebackofourhands.Itwasanimmigrant
town;whitePiedmontwasItalianandIrish,withahandfulofwealthyWASPs(益格鲁撒克逊裔的白人新教徒）
onEastHampshireStreet,and“ethnic”neighborhoodsofworking-classpeopleeverywhereelse,coloredandwhite.
[D] For as long as anyone can remember, Piedmonts character has been completely bound up with the
Westvacopapermill:itsprosperouspastanddoubtfulfuture.Atfirstglance,thetownisatypicaldyingmillcenter.
Manyoncebeautifulbuildings standempty, evidencing abygone time of spiritandpride.The bighousesonEast
HampshireStreetarenolongerproud,astheywerewhenIwasakid.
[E] Like the Italians and the Irish, most of the colored people migrated to Piedmont at the turn of the 20th
century to work at the paper mill, which opened in 1888. All the colored men at the paper mill worked on “the
platform”—loadingpaperintotrucksuntilthecraftunionswerefinallyintegratedin1968.LoadingiswhatDaddy
dideveryworkingdayofhislife.That’swhatalmosteverycoloredgrown-upIknewdid.
[F]Coloredpeoplelivedinthreeneighborhoodsthatwereclearlyseparated.WelcometotheColoredZone,a
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large stretched banner could have said. And it felt good in there, like walking aroundyour house in bare feet and
underwear,orsnoring(打鼾)rightoutloudonthecouchinfrontoftheTV—envelopedbythecomfortsofhome,
thewarmthofthoseyoulove.
[G]Ofcourse,thecoloredworldwasnotsomuchaneighborhoodasaconditionofexistence.Andthoughour
own world was seemingly self-contained, it impacted on the white world of Piedmont in almost every direction.
Certainly,thebordersofourworldseemedtobeimpactedonwhensomewhitemanorwomanshowedupwherehe
orshedidnotbelong,suchasattheblackLegionHall. Ourspacewas violated whenoneofthem showedupata
danceoraparty.Therhythmswouldbeoff.Themusicwouldsoundnotquiteright.Everybodywouldleaveearly.
[H] Before 1955, most white people were just shadowy presences in our world, vague figures of power like
remotebossesatthemillorclerksatthebank.Therewereexceptions,ofcourse,thewhitepeoplewhowouldcome
into our world in routine, everyday ways we all understood. Mr. Mail Man, Mr. Insurance Man, Mr.
White-and-ChocolateMilkMan,Mr.LandlordMan,Mr.PoliceMan：wecalledwhitepeoplebytheirtrade,like
charactersinamysteryplay.Mr.InsuranceManwouldcomebyeveryotherweektocollectpaymentsoncollegeor
deathpolicies,sometimes50centsorless.
[I]“It’snodisgracetobecolored,”theblackentertainerBertWilliamsfamouslyobservedearlyinthecentury,
“but it is awfully inconvenient.” For most of my childhood, we couldn’t eat in restaurants or sleep in hotels, we
couldn’tusecertain bathrooms ortry onclothes in stores. Mama insisted thatwe dressupwhenwe wentto shop.
Shewascarefullydressedwhenshewenttoclothingstores,andworewhitepadscalledshieldsunderherarms so
her dress or blouse would show no sweat. “We’d like to try this on,” she’d say carefully, uttering her words
preciselyandproperly.“Wedon’tbuyclotheswecan’ttryon,she’dsaywhentheydeclined,andwe^walkoutin
Mama’sdignified(有尊严的）manner.Shepreferredtoshopwherewehadanaccountandwhereeveryoneknew
whoshewas.
[J] At the Cut-Rate Drug Store, no one colored was allowed to sit down at the counter or tables, with one
exception：myfather.Idon5tknowforcertainwhyCarlDadisman,theowner,wouldn’tstopDaddyfromsitting
down.But Ibelieve it was inpartbecause Daddywas solight-colored, andin partbecause,during hisshift atthe
phonecompany,hepickedupordersforfoodandcoffeefortheoperators.Coloredpeopleweresupposedtostand
atthecounter,gettheir foodtogo, andleave. EvenwhenYoungDocBess wouldsetupthebasketballteam with
freeCokesafteroneofmanyvictories,thecoloredplayershadtostandaroundanddrinkoutofpapercupswhilethe
whiteplayersandcheerleaderssatdownincomfortablechairsanddrankoutofglasses.
[K] I couldn’t have been much older than five or six as I sat with my father at the Cut-Rate one afternoon,
enjoyingice cream. Mr. Wilson, a stony-faced Irishman,walked by. “Hello, Mr. Wilson,”my father said. “Hello,
George.”
[L]Iwasgenuinelypuzzled.Mr. Wilsonmusthaveconfusedmyfatherwithsomebodyelse,butwho?There
weren’tanyGeorgesamongthecoloredpeopleinPiedmont.‘‘Whydon’tyoutellhimyourname,Daddy?”Iasked
loudly.“Yournameisn’tGeorge.”
“Heknowsmyname,boy，”myfathersaidafteralongpause.“HecallsallcoloredpeopleGeorge.”
[M] Iknewwewouldn’ttalkaboutitagain;evenatthatage,Iwasgiventounderstandthatthereweresome
subjects it didn’t do to worry to death about. Now that I have children, I realize that what distressed my father
wasn’tsomuchtheMr.Wilsonsoftheworldasthepainfulobligationtoexplaintheracialfactsoflifetosomeone
whohadn’tquitelearnedthemyet.MaybeMr.Wilsoncouldn’thurtmyfatherbycallinghimGeorge;butIhurthim
byaskingtoknowwhy.
46.Theauthorfeltasaboythathislifeinaseparatedneighborhoodwascasualandcozy.
47.Thereiseverysignofdeclineatthepapermillnow.
48.Onereasontheauthor’sfathercouldsitandeatatthedrugstorewasthathedidn’tlookthatdark.
49.Piedmontwasatownofimmigrantsfromdifferentpartsoftheworld.
50.Inspiteoftheawfulinconveniencescausedbyracialprejudice,theauthor’sfamily managedtolivealifeof
dignity.
51.Theauthorlaterrealizedhehadcausedgreatdistresstohisfatherbyaskingwhyhewaswronglyaddressed.
52.TheauthortookprideinbeingfromPiedmontbecauseofitsnaturalbeauty.
53.Coloredpeoplecalledwhitepeoplebythebusinesstheydid.
54.ColoredpeoplewholivedinPiedmontdidheavymanualjobsatthepapermill.
55.Thecoloredpeoplefeltuneasyatthepresenceofthewhitesintheirneighborhoods.
SectionC
Directions:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished
statements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA) B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice
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andmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Children are a delight. They are our future. But sadly, hiring someone to take care of them while you go to
workisgettingmoreexpensivebytheyear.
22014年12月年大学英语四级考试真题（一）
Earlierthismonth，itwasreportedthatthecostofenrollinganinfantorsmallkidatachildcarecenterrose3%
in2012,fasterthantheoverallcostofliving.Therearenowlargestripsofthecountrywheredaycareforaninfant
costsmorethanatenthoftheaveragemarriedcoupledincome.
Thisisnotnecessarilyanewtrend,butitisasomewhatpuzzlingone.Thepriceofprofessionalchildcarehas
been rising since the 1980s. Yet during that time, pay for professional childcare workers has stood still. Actually
caregiversmakelesstoday,inrealterms,thantheydidin1990.Consideringthatlaborcostsareresponsibleforup
to80%ofadaycarecentersexpenses,onewouldexpectflatwagestohavemeantflatprices.
Sowho^toblameforhigherchildcarecosts?
Childcare is acarefullyregulated industry. States lay downrules abouthowmanychildreneachemployeeis
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^ really achieve any
economiesofscaleonlabortosavemoneywhenotherexpensesgoup.InMassachusetts,wherechildcarecenters
musthireoneteacherforeverythreeinfants,thepriceofcareaveragedmorethan$16,000peryear.InMississippi,
wherecentersmusthireoneteacherforeveryfiveinfants,thepriceofcareaveragedlessthan$5,000.
Unfortunately,Idon^haveallthedaycare-centerregulationshandy.ButIwouldn’tbesurprisedifastherules
havebecomemoreelaborate,priceshaverisen.Thetradeoff(交换)mightbeworthitinsomecases;afterall，the
health and safety of children should probably come before cheap service. But certainly, it doesn’t seem to be an
accidentthatsomeofthecheapestdaycareavailableisintheleastregulatedSouth.
56.Whatproblemdoparentsofsmallkidshavetoface?
A)Theever-risingchildcareprices. C)Thebalancebetweenworkandfamily.
B)Thebudgetingoffamilyexpenses. D)Theselectionofagooddaycarecenter.
57.Whatdoestheauthorfeelpuzzledabout?
A)Whythepricesofchildcarevarygreatlyfromstatetostate.
B)Whyincreasedchildcarepriceshavenotledtobetterservice.
C)Whychildcareworkers,payhasnotincreasedwiththerisingchildcarecosts.
D)Whythereisasevereshortageofchildcareprofessionalsinanumberofstates.
58.Whatpreventschildcarecentersfromsavingmoney?
A)Steadyincreaseinlaborcosts. C)Lackofsupportfromthestate.
B)Strictgovernmentregulations. D)Highadministrativeexpenses.
59.WhyistheaveragecostofchildcareinMississippimuchlowerthaninMassachusetts?
A)Theoverallqualityofserviceisnotasgood.
B)Paymentsforcaregiverstherearenotashigh.
C)Livingexpensestherearecomparativelylow.
D)Eachteacherisallowedtocareformorekids.
60.Whatistheauthorsviewondaycareservice?
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
cellphoneorcomputer.Andthat,heclaims, isprettymuchallofus.Whenwe’renotonline,wherewespendfour
monthsannually,we’reengagedinthestressfulworkoftryingtogetonline.
The DistractionAddictionisnotframedasaself-helpbook.It’sathoughtfulexaminationofthedangersofour
computing overdose and a historical overview of how technological advances change consciousness. A
“professionalfuturist”,Pangurgesanapproachwhichhecalls“contemplative(沉思的）computing.”Heasksthat
youpayfullattentionto“howyourmindandbodyinteractwith computersandhowyourattentionandcreativity
areinfluencedbytechnology.”
Pang’sfirstjobistofreeyoufromthecommonmisconceptionthatdoingtwothingsatonceallowsyoutoget
moredone.Whatiscommonlycalledmultitaskingis,infact,switch-tasking,anditsharmfuleffectsonproductivity
arewelldocumented.Pangdoesn’tadvocatereturningtoapre-Internetworld.Instead,heasksyouto“takeamore
ecological(生态的)view of your relationships with technologies and look for ways devices or media may be
makingspecifictaskseasierorfasterbutatthesametimemakingyourworkandlifeharder.
The Distraction Addiction is particularly fascinating on how technologies have changed certain fields 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” than computer-aided design. Somewhat less amusing are Pang’s
solutions for kicking the 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 what you
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canknockout,downloadaprogramlikeFreedomthatlocksyououtofyourbrowser,ortakea“digitalSabbath（安
息日）”. “Unless you’re a reporter or emergency-department doctor, you^ discover that your world doesn’t fall
apartwhenyougooffline.
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.WhatisAlexPang’srecommendationforInternetusers?
A)TheyusetheInternetaslittleaspossible.
B)Theykeeparecordoftheircomputerusetime.
C)Theyexerciseself-controlovertheirtimeonline.
D)Theyentertainthemselvesonlineonoff-daysonly.
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