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2014年12月大学英语四级考试真题(二)答案与详解
2014年 12月大学英语四级考试阅读真题（第 2套)
PartⅢ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
SectionA
Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewith tenblanks. 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.
AsanAlaskanfisherman,TimothyJune,54,usedtothinkthathewassafefromindustrial pollutants(污染物）
athishomeinHaines—atownwithapopulationof2,400peopleand4,000eagles,with8millionacresofprotected
wildlandnearby.Butinearly2007,Juneagreedtotakepartina 36 of35Americansfromsevenstates.Itwasa
biomonitoringproject,inwhichpeople’sbloodandurine(尿)weretestedfor 37 ofchemicals—inthiscase,three
potentiallydangerousclassesofcompoundsfoundincommonhousehold 38 likefacecream,tincans,andshower
curtains.Theresults— 39 inNovemberinareportcalled“IsItinUs?”byanenvironmentalgroup—wererather
worrying. Every one of the participants, 40 from an Illinois state senator to a Massachusetts minister, tested
positiveforallthreeclassesofpollutants.Andwhilethe 41 presenceofthesechemicalsdoesnot 42 indicatea
healthrisk,thefactthattypicalAmericanscarrythesechemicalsatall 43 Juneandhisfellowparticipants.
Clearly, there are chemicals in our bodies that don’t 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
EnvironmentalWorkingGroupfoundan 45 of200chemicalsinthebloodof10new-borns.“Ourbabiesarebeing
bornpre-polluted,”saysSharylePattonofCommonweal,whichcosponsored“IsItinUs?”“Thisisgoingtobethe
nextbigenvironmentalissueafterclimatechange.”
A)analyses I)products
B)average J)ranging
C)belong K)released
D)demonstrated L)shocked
E)excess M)simple
F)extending N)survey
G) habitually
O)traces
H) necessarily
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.
InHardEconomyforAllAges,OlderIsn’tBetter…It’sBrutal
[A]Younggraduatesareindebt,outofworkandontheirparents’couches.Peopleintheir30sand40scan’t
affordtobuyhomesorhavechildren.Retireesareearningnear-zerointerestontheirsavings.
[B]Inthecurrentlistless(缺乏活力的）economy,everygenerationhasaclaimtohavingbeenmostinjured.
But the Labor Departments latest jobs reports and other recent data present a strong case for crowning baby
boomers(二战后生育高峰期出生的人）asthegreatestvictimsoftherecessionanditsdreadfulconsequences.
[C] These Americans in their 50s and early 60s—those near retirement age who do not yet have access to
MedicareandSocialSecurity—havelostthemostearningspowerofanyagegroup,withtheirhouseholdincomes
10percentbelowwhattheymade whentherecoverybegan threeyears ago, accordingto Sentier Research,a data
analysiscompany.Theirretirementsavingsandhomevaluesfellsharplyattheworstpossibletime:justbeforethey
neededtocashout.Theyaresupportingbothagedparentsandunemployedyoung-adultchildren,earningthemthe
unluckynickname“ GenerationSqueeze.’’
[D] New research suggests that they may die sooner, because their health, income security and mental
well-being were(重创) by recession at a crucial time in their lives. A recent study by economists at Wellesley
CollegefoundthatpeoplewholosttheirjobsinthefewyearsbeforebecomingqualifiedforSocialSecuritylostup
tothreeyearsfromtheirlifeexpectancy(预期寿命),largelybecausetheynolongerhadaccesstoaffordablehealth
care.
[E]UnemploymentratesforAmericansnearingretirementarefarlowerthanthoseforyoungpeople,whoare
recently out of school, with fewer skills and a shorter work history. But once out of a job, older workers have a
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muchharder time findinganotherone.Over thelast year, theaverage durationofunemploymentfor older people
was53weeks,comparedwith19weeksforteenagers,accordingtotheLaborDepartment’sjobsreportreleasedon
Friday.
[F] The lengthy processis partlybecauseolder workers are more likely to have beenlaid off from industries
thataredownsizing,likemanufacturing.Comparedwiththerestofthepopulation,olderpeoplearealsomorelikely
toowntheirownhomesandbelessmobilethanrenters,whocanmovetonewjobmarkets.
[G]Olderworkersaremorelikelytohaveadisabilityofsomesort,perhapslimitingtherangeofjobsthatoffer
realistic choices. They may also be less inclined, at least initially, to take jobs that pay far less than their old
positions.
[H]Displacedboomersalsobelievetheyarevictimsofagediscrimination,becauseemployerscaneasilyfind
ayoung,energeticworkerwhowillacceptlowerpayandwhocanpotentiallystickaroundfordecadesratherthana
fewyears.
[I]Inasurveyofolderworkerswhowerelaidoffduringtherecession,justoneinsixhadfoundanotherjob,
andhalfofthatgrouphadacceptedpaycuts.14%ofthere-employedsaidthepayintheirnewjobwaslessthanhalf
whattheyearnedintheirpreviousjob.“Ijustsaytomyself：‘Whyme?WhathaveIdonetodeservethis?’’’said
JohnAgati，56，whoselastfull-timejob,asaproductdeveloper,endedfouryearsagowhenhisemployerwentout
ofbusiness.Thatpositionpaid$90,000,andhisresumelistsjobsatcompanieslikeAmericanExpress,Disneyand
USA Networks. Since beinglaid off,though, hehasworked aseries of part-time, low-wage, temporarypositions,
includingsellingshoesatLord&Taylorandmakingsalescallsforacarcompany.
[J]Thelastfewyearshavetakenatollnotonlyonhisfamily’sfinances,butalsoonhisfeelingsofself-worth.
“Youjustgetsad,”Mr. Agatisaid.“Iseepeoplegettingupinthemorning,goingouttotheircareersandgoing
home.IjustwishIwasdoingthat.Somepeopledon’tliketheirjobs,ortheyhaveproblemswiththeirjobs,butat
leastthey’reworking.IjustwishIwasintheirshoes.”Hesaidhecannotaffordtogobacktoschool,asmany
youngerpeoplewithoutjobshavedone.Evenifhecouldaffordit,economistssayitisunclearwhetherolder
workerslikehimbenefitmuchfrommoreeducation.
[K] “It just doesn’t make sense to offer retraining for people 55 and older,” said Daniel Hamermesh, an
economicsprofessor.“Discriminationbyage,long-termunemployment,andthefactthatthey’venowattheendof
thehiringqueuejustdon’tmakeitsensibletoinvestinthem.”
[L] Many displaced older workers are taking this message to heart and leaving the labor force entirely. The
shareofolderpeopleapplyingforSocialSecurityearlyrosequicklyduringtherecessionaspeoplesoughtwhatever
incometheycouldfind.Thepenaltytheywillpayispermanent,asretireeswhotakebenefitsatage62willreceive
as much as 30% less in each months check for the rest oftheir lives than they would if they had waited until full
retirementage(66forthosebornafter1942).
[M] Those not yet qualified for Social Security are increasingly applying for another, comparable kind of
income supportthat often goes to people who expect never to work again： disability benefits. More than one in
eightpeopleintheirlate50sisnowonsomeformoffederaldisabilityinsuranceprogram,accordingtoProfessor
MarkDugganattheUniversityofPennsylvania’sWhartonSchool.
[N]TheveryoldestAmericans,ofcourse,werebatteredbysomeofthesameillwindsthattormented(折磨）
thosenownearingretirement,butatleastthemostseniorwerecushionedbyamorereadilyavailablesocialsafety
net. More important, in a statistical twist, they may have actually benefited from the financial crisis in the most
fundamentalway:longerlives.
[O] Death rates for peopleover 65 have historically fallen during recessions, according to a November 2011
studybyeconomistsattheUniversityofCalifornia,Davis.Why?Theresearchersarguethatweakjobmarketspush
moreworkersintoacceptingrelativelyundesirableworkatnursinghomes,leadingtobettercareforresidents.
46.Greatermobilityputsyoungerpeopleatanadvantageinseekingnewjobs.
47.Manyoftheolderworkerslaidoffduringtherecessionhadtoacceptlowerpayintheirnewjobs.
48.Thosewholosetheirjobsshortlybeforeretirementageliveashorter-than-averagelife.
49.Seniorsatnursinghomescouldbenefitfromtheweakjobmarket.
50.Agediscriminationinemploymentmakesitpointlessretrainingolderworkers.
51.Accordingtorecentreportsanddataanalyses,boomerssuffermostfromtheweakeconomy.
52.Unemployedboomersareatadisadvantageinjob-huntingbecauseemployerstendtohireyoungerworkers.
53.Peopleintheirfiftiesandearlysixtiesbeartheheaviestfamilyburdens.
54.PeoplewhotakebenefitsfromSocialSecuritybeforeofficialretirementagewillgetmuchlessfortherestof
theirlives.
55.Olderworkers5choiceofjobscanbelimitedbecauseofdisability.
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
choiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
22014年12月大学英语四级考试真题(二)答案与详解
NewYorkersaregraduallygettingusedtomorepedaling(骑车的)passengersonthoseshiningblueCitiBikes.
Butwhataboutlocalbikeshops?IsCitiBikerollingupridersattheirexpense?
AtGothamBikesinTribeca,managerW.Bensaidtheshophasseenanincreaseinitsoverallsalesduetothe
bike-shareprogram.“It’sgettingmorepeopleontheroad,’’hesaid.JamesRyan,anemployeeatDanny’sCycles
inGramercyalsosaidCitiBikeisagoodoptionforpeopletoeaseintobikinginacityfamedforitstrafficjamsand
aggressivedrivers.“Theycantryoutabikewithoutcommittingtobuyingone,”hesaid.
RentalsarenotabigpartofthebusinessateitherGothamBikesorDanny’sCycles.ButforFrank’sBikeShop,
a small business on Grand St. , the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arroyo said his rental
business has decreased by 90% since Citi Bike was rolled out last month. Arroyo’s main rental customers are
Europeantourists,whohavesincebeendrawnawaybyCitiBikes.
However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop. People have used the bike- share and
realizedhowgreatitistobikeinthecity,thendecidethattheywantsomethingnicerforthemselves,’’henoted.
Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. just north of Christopher St. , said initially he was
concernedaboutbike-share,though,headmitted,“Iwashappytoseepeopleonbikes.”
Farrell’searlyconcernswereechoedbyAndrewCrooks, ownerofNYCVelo,at64SecondAve. “Itseemed
likeagreatidea,butonethatwouldbedifficulttoimplement,”CrookssaidofCitiBike.Hesaidheworriedabout
inexperiencedriders’lackofawarenessofbikingrulesandstrongnegativereactionfromnon-cyclists.However,he
said,ifsstilltooearlytotellifhisbusinesshasbeenimpacted.
While it’s possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks allowed that the idea is a positive step
forwardforNewYorkCity.
56.Whatistheauthor’schiefconcernabouttheincreasinguseofCitiBikesinNewYork?
A)Hownon-cyclistswillrespondtoit.
B)Whetherlocalbikeshopswillsuffer.
C)Whetherlocalbikebusinesseswillopposeit.
D)Howthesafetyofbikeriderscanbeensured.
57.WhathappenedtoGothamBikesasaresultofthebike-shareprogram?
A) Itfounditsbikesalesunaffected. C)Itsawitsbikesalesontherise.
B) Itshifteditsbusinesstorentals. D)Itrentedmorebikestotourists.
58.Whyisthebike-shareprogrambadnewsforFranksBikeShop?
A)Itcannotmeetthedemandofthebike-shareprogram.
B)ItscustomershavebeendrawnawaybyCitiBikes.
C)Itsbikepriceshavetobeloweredagainandagain.
D)Ithastocompetewiththecity’sbikerentalshops.
59.WhydidAndrewCrooksthinkthatthebike-shareprogramwouldbedifficulttoexecute?
A)Inexperiencedridersmightbreakbikingrules.
B)Conflictsmightariseamongbikerentalshops.
C)Trafficconditionsmightworseninthedowntownarea.
D)Therearenotenoughlanestoaccommodatethebikes.
60.WhatisthegeneralattitudeoflocalbikeshopstowardsCitiBike?
A)Wait-and-see. B)Negative. C)Indifferent. D)Approving.
PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Variousstudieshaveshownthatincreasedspendingoneducationhasnotledtomeasurableimprovementsin
learning. Between 1980 and 2008, staff and teachers at US public schools grew roughly twice as fast as students.
Yetstudentsshowednoadditionallearninginachievementtests.
Universities show similar trends of increased administration personnel and costs without greater learning, as
documentedinRichardArumandJosipaRoksa’srecentbookAcademicallyAdrift：LimitedLearningonCollege
Campuses.
A survey shows that 63% of employers say that recent college graduates don’t have the skills they need to
succeedand25%ofemployerssaythatentry-levelwritingskillsarelacking.
Some simplistically attribute the decline in our public education system to the drain of skilled students by
privateschools,butfarmoresignificanteventswereatwork.
Public schools worked well until about the 1970s. In fact, until that time, public schools provided far better
educationthanprivateones.Itwastheunderperformingstudentswhowerethrownoutofpublicschoolsandwent
toprivateones.
A prominent reason public schools did well was that many highly qualified women had few options for
workingoutsidethehouseotherthanbeingteachersornurses.Theyacceptedrelativelylowpay,difficultworking
conditions,andgavetheirverybest.
Having such a large supply of talented women teachers meant that society could pay less for their services.
Womens liberation opened up new professional opportunities for women, and, over time, some of the best left
teachingasacareeroption,bringingaboutagradualdeclineinthequalityofschooling.
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Also around that time, regulations, government, and unions came to dictate pay, prevent adjustments, and
introduce bureaucratic (官僚的）standard for advancement. Large education bureaucracies and unions came to
dominate the landscape, confusing activity with achievement. Bureaucrats regularly rewrite curriculums, talk
nonsenseabouttheoriesof education,and requireever more administrators. The endresulthas beenthat, after all
the spending, students have worse math and reading skills than both their foreign peers and earlier generations
spendingfarlessoneducation—asalltheaccumulatingevidencenowdocuments.
61.WhatdowelearnfromvariousstudiesonAmerica’spubliceducation?
A)Achievementtestshavefailedtotrulyreflectthequalityofteaching.
B)Publicschoolslacktheresourcestocompetewithprivateschools.
C)Littleimprovementineducationhasresultedfromincreasedspending.
D)Thenumberofstudentshasincreasedmuchfasterthanthatofteachers.
62.Howdosomepeopleexplainthedeclineinpubliceducation?
A)Governmentinvestmentdoesnotmeetschools’needs.
B)Skilledstudentsaremovingtoprivateschools.
C)Qualifiedteachersarefarfromadequatelypaid.
D)Trainingofstudents,basicskillsisneglected.
63.Whatwasasignificantcontributortothepastgloryofpublicschools?
A)Well-behavedstudents. C)Talentedwomenteachers.
B)Efficientadministration. D)Generouspayforteachers.
64.Whydidsomeofthebestwomenteachersleaveteaching?
A)Newcareeropportunitiesweremadeavailabletothembywomen’sliberation.
B)Higheracademicrequirementsmadeitdifficultforthemtostayintheirjobs.
C)Theywereunhappywiththebureaucraticadministrationintheirschools.
D)Theheavyteachingloadsleftthemlittletimeandenergyforfamilylife.
65.Whatdoestheauthorthinkisoneoftheresultsofgovernmentinvolvementineducation?
A)Increasingemphasisontheoriesofeducation.
B)Highlystandardizedteachingmethods.
C)Students’improvedacademicperformance.
D)Anever-growingnumberofadministrators.
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