2012年12月英语四级试题与答案

Education pays...

Education pays in higher earnings and lower unemployment rates

Note: Data are for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey. 作文范文：

Education Pay

What is shown in the chart above is that those people with high degree earn more than those with lower. For example, staff with master’s degree receive a better payment than those with bachelor’s degree, according to a survey of the payment to the employee. These survey indicates that education degree does have a

relationship with earnings, contrary to the recent theory of useless education.

Recently, there is a heated discussion about the significance of the education. Some people hold a view that higher education is useless since college education cannot mesh with the social needs. Some think that higher education is indispensable if you want to go far in both your studies and life. Now that survey has proved which part is wiser.

As for me, I definitely support the view that education is necessary for people’s life. Reading can not only make me survive well in this society with fierce competition but also help me make sense of life. I pursue for it for my whole life.

快速阅读答案：

快速阅读 should sugar：D C A A D B C

8.hazards

9.tightened

10. slightly more convenient

快速阅读 The Magician: BCBADCD

closed and inflexible

combined

快速阅读 suffering in silence：CBDDAAD

their conditions

the private sector

act, protection and obligations

【快速阅读二】

1.C) find some of them

2. B) relieve pressure

3. A) to listen to

4. B) to put every task

5. C) Enjoy doing gardening

6. C) stress better

7. A) one should escape

8. recharge and reflect yourself

9. supportive friends

10. a strong spirituality

听力试题：

Part III Listening Comprehension Section A

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 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 2 with a single line through the centre. 11.

W: I just heard about a really beautiful park in the east end of the town. There are a lot of roses in bloom.

M: Why don’t we walk over there and see for ourselves? Q: What will the speakers probably do? 12.

M: My presentation is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning at the lecture hall. I hope to see you there.

W: Oh, sorry. I was about to tell you that I have an appointment with my dentist at 9:00 o’clock tomorrow.

Q: What do we learn about the woman? 13.

W: How long have you been running this company?

M: Twenty years if you can believe that. I brought it from a small operation to what it is today. Q: What do we learn about the man? 14.

M: Have you read the news on the campus net? Susan has won the scholarship for next year. W: I knew she would from the very beginning. Such a brilliant and diligent girl! She certainly deserves it.

Q: What does the woman mean? 15.

W: Taking a bus to Miami, it’s cheaper than going by train.

M: That’s true. But I’d rather pay a little more for the added comfort and convenience. Q: What does the man mean?

16.

M: I think it’s time we got rid of all this old furniture.

W: You’re right. We need to promote our image besides it’s not a real antique. Q: What do the speakers mean? 17.

M: That was some storm yesterday. How was I afraid I couldn’t make it home.

W: Yeah, most of the roads to my house were flooded. I didn’t get home from the lab until midnight. Q: What do we learn from the conversation? 18.

W: My boys are always complaining that they’re bored.

M: Why don’t you get them into some team sports? My son and daughter play soccer every Saturday. And they both look forward to it all week. Q: What does the man mean? Part III Listening Comprehension Section B Conversation 1

W: So John, I hear you and Arthur share a job, don’t you?

M: Yes. We’ve shared a sales job at Sonatech for about two years now. W: Well, how do you divide up your schedule?

M: You know we are both sales representatives, and we take orders over the phone. When we started job sharing it was difficult, because we both worked all day Monday. I worked Tuesday and Thursday and Arthur worked Wednesday and Friday. The problem was that when I was in the office on Tuesday. I would talk to people, then they would call back on Wednesday with a question. But Arthur couldn’t answer the question and he couldn’t ask me about it because I wasn’t in the office. So he had to ask the people to call me back the next day, Thursday. Of course, they didn’t like to wait until the next day to have their questions answered. W: Yes, that sounds like a problem.

M: So, finally we decided that Arthur would work in the mornings and I would work in the afternoons. Now if someone calls with the question for me in the morning, Arthur tells them to call me in the afternoon. This way, people get their questions answered the same day. W: What do you do about vacations?

M: Well, Sonatech gives the usual two weeks of vacation to full-time employees, I take a week and Arthur takes a week.

W: It sounds like job sharing has worked out well for you. M: Yes, it has. We are both happy with it. Q19. What do John and author do at Sonatech?

Q20. What problem did John and Arthur have when they started job sharing? Q21. What does John say about their annual vacation?

Conversation 2

W: May I see your license, please? M: But officer, did I do something wrong?

W: Do you mean to say you didn’t see the speed limit sign back there? M: Um, no, madam, I guess I didn’t.

W: In other words, you drove by too fast to read it. The sign says 35m/h. A school is just nearby, you know?

M: Don’t get me wrong, but my speedometer didn’t read much faster than that.

W: Then, why is it that my radar showed you are going 45? Let me put it another way. I’m going to give you a ticket. Again, may I see your license, please?

M: Here it is, officer. But let me explain. I was late for an important appointment and I was worried that I wouldn’t make it on time. So...

W: Uha, just a minute, here. Your license is no longer valid. You should have renewed it two weeks ago. I’m going to have to write you up for that, too. M: What? Really?

W: Your license becomes invalid on your birthday and that was two weeks ago according to the date here. You are in violation of the law—driving without a valid license. M: I’m sorry, madam. I hadn’t realized that.

W: Here’s the ticket for not having a valid license. But I’m only going to give you a warning about exceeding the speed limit. Be careful next time. M: Yes, madam, officer, I will. Thank you.

Q22. Where was the man stopped by the police officer? Q23. What did the man claim about the speed limit sign? Q24. What did the woman say about the man’s driving license? Q25. What was the man’s penalty? Part III Listening Comprehension Section B Passage 1

Since I started working part-time at a grocery store, I have learned that a customer is more than someone who buy something. To me, a customer is a person whose memory fails entirely once he or she starts to push a shopping card. One of the first things customers forget is how to count. There is no other way to explain how so many people get in their express line, which is clearly marked 15 items or less, with 20, 25 or even a cart load of items. Customers also forget why they came to the store in the first place. Just as I finish ringing up an order, a customer will say, “Oops, I forgot to pick up a fresh loaf of bread. I hope you don’t mind waiting while I go get it.” Five minutes later, he’s back with the bread, a bottle of milk, and three rolls of paper towels. Strange is that seems customers also seem to forget that they have to pay for their groceries. Instead of writing a check or looking for a credit card while I am ringing up the groceries, my customers will wait until I announce the total. Then, in surprise, she says, “Oh no, what did I do with my check book?” After 5 minutes of digging through her purse, she borrows my pen because she’s forgotten

hers. But I have to be tolerant of customers because they pay my salary, and that’s something I can’t afford to forget.

Q26. What does the speaker say about customers’ entering the grocery store? Q27. Which customers are supposed to be in the express line?

Q28. What does the speaker say some customers do when they arrive at the check-out counter? Q29. What does the speaker say about his job at the end of the talk? Passage 2

The speech delivery style of Europeans and Asians tends to be very formal. Speakers of these cultures often read oral presentations from carefully retain manual scripts. On the other hand, American speakers are generally more informal relative to speakers and other cultures. American audiences prefer natural, spontaneous delivery that conveys a lively sense of communication. They don’t relay well to speakers who read from a manual script. If you use an outline of your ideas instead of a prepare text, your speech will not only sound more natural, but you will also be able to establish better relationship with your listeners and keep their attention. The language and style you use when making an oral presentation should not be the same as the language in style you use when writing. Well retain information, that is meant to be read, does not work as well when it is heard. It is, therefore, important for you to adapt retain texts or outlines for presentations. Good speakers are much more informal when speaking than when writing. They also use their own words and develop their own speaking styles. Whenever possible, they use short words. Listeners are appreciated when speakers use simple, everyday words in a presentation. One advantage is that it is much easier for speakers to pronounce short words correctly. Another is that long and sophisticated vocabulary choices make listening more difficult. Question 30 to 32

30. What does the speaker say American audiences prefer?

31. What should one pay attention to when making an oral presentation? 32. What does the speaker focus on in the talk? Passage 3

Let children learn to judge their own work

A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He compares a thousand times a day the difference between language as he uses it and language as those around him use it. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, kids learning to do all the other things they learn without adult teachers, to walk, run, climb, ride a bike, play games, compare their own

performance with what more skilled people do, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to detect his mistakes. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him. Soon he becomes dependent on the expert. We should let him do it himself. Let him figure out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what is the answer to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or that.

If right answers need to be given, as in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such tedious work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that they can’t find the way to get the right answer. Question 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. Q33 How does a child learn to do something according to the speaker? Q34 What belief do teachers commonly hold according to the speaker? Q35 What does the speaker imply about the current way of teaching?

Time is, for the average American, of utmost importance. To the foreign visitor, Americans seem to be more concerned with getting things accomplished on time (according to a predetermined schedule) than they are with developing deep interpersonal relations. Schedules, for the American, are meant to be planned and then followed in the smallest detail.

It may seem to you that most Americans are completely controlled by the little machines they wear on their wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make it to their next appointment on time. Americans’ language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued. Time is something to be “on,” to be “kept,” “filled,” “saved,” “wasted,” “gained,” “planned,” “given,” “made the most of,” even “killed.”

The international visitor soon learns that it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America.

Time is so valued in America, because by considering time to be important one can clearly achieve more than if one “wastes” time and doesn’t keep busy. This philosophy has proven its worth. It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America. Many American proverbs stress the value of guarding time, using it wisely, and setting and working toward specific goals. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.

听力答案：

11.C) Fifteen

12.D) use her computer 13.C) coming back home 14.D) telephone 15.A) Six 16.C) posters 17.D) story 18.B) Buy 19.C) changes 20.D) library

21.B) Winters that are not too cold 22.B) adventure 23.B) buildings 24.A) parks

25.D) lifestyle 26.C) countryside 27.B) patience 28.C) leisure time 29.A) information 30.D) temperature 31.A) To attract 32.C) cohabitation 33.C) stressed 34.A) sexist institution 35.D) compensation 36. ordinary 37. switch 38. enter 39. adopt 40. businesses 41. Married 深度阅读：

So mang people use the cell phone so frequantly every day,But ___47__little is certain adout he health effects of its use.Macufacturers___48___that cell phones meet government standards for safe radio-frequency radiation omission,but enough studies are beginning to document a possible ___49___in rare brain tumour(肿瘤)：bendaches and behavioral disorders in children to cause coneem.So far,the avidence isn't___50___on whether the use of cell phones __51__to any uncased risk of cancer.In a new

trial,researchers asked 47 yolunteers to ___52__in a project to measure glucose(葡萄糖)consurnption in the brain by scanning the brain to see how cells use energy.For both 50-minute scans,the volunteers had a cell phone __53__to each ear.During be first scan,the devices were turned off,but for the second scan,the phone on the right ear as___54____on and received a recorded-message call,although the yolume was muted(消毒)so the dise wouldn't bias the results.The results of the second scan abowed that the__55__of the brain rarest to the device had higher rales of glucose consumption than the rest of the brain.The study ows that cell phones can change brain activity,and __56__a whole new avenue for scientific quiry,tuough it doesn't say anything about whether cell-phone radiation can cause cancer. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 A)conclusive I)mission B)contributes J)participate C)derive K)particular D)expresses L)provides E)fixed M)regions F)immensely N)surprisingly G)increase O)switched H)maintain 答案：

47、F immensely

48、L provides

49、N surprisingly

50、D expresses

51、B contributes

52、J paticipate

53、E fixed

54、O switched

55、M regions

56、H maintain

完形填空： 答案：

英语四级完型填空答案（第一套）

cloze(strong)67* by

68*attachment

69* mere

70*easy

71*affecting

72*published

73* return

74*lightly

75* while

76* pretty

77*than

78*inspiring

79*supportive

80*confirm

81*with

82*different

83*opposite

84*sense

85*especially

86*from

Part Ⅵ Translation (5 minutes)

Directions: Complete the sentences by translating into English the Chinese given in brackets. Please write your translation on Answer Sheet 2.

注意：此部分试题清在答题卡2上作答，只需写出译文部分。

87. I finally got the job I dreamed about. Never before in my life______________ (我感到如此激动)！ 88. Yesterday Jane left the meeting early. Otherwise, she ______________ (可能会说一些后来会懊悔的话). . With the noisy going on outside the classroom, I had great difficulty ______________ (集中注意力复习功课). 90. This is the first time I ______________ (听到他们用法语交流).

91. All the information you need to apply for your visa is ______________ (可以免费获取).

【答案】

87. 我感到如此激动had I felt so excited

88 可能会说一些后来会懊悔的话could had said something she would regret later . 集中注意力复习功课 in focusing reviewing lessons 90. 听到他们用法语交流hear them communicating in French 91. 可以免费获取freely available/available for free

【解析】

87. had I felt so excited

【解析】本题考查过去完成时及倒装句。第一句话是过去时，第二句话可知其行为发生在过去之前，由此得出第二句话为过去完成时态，其结构为“had done”；第二句第一个词为“Never”否定词，因此句子主谓要倒装。 88.could have said some something that she might regret later

【解析】本题考查过去时态的虚拟语气。第二句是对过去行为一种推测，而事实上行为并未发生，因第一句话的时态是过去时，可判断此句是对过去的虚拟，其主句的构成为“主语+could+have +过去分词”。另外注意本句“后来会懊悔的”这个修饰语，通常翻译成一个简短的定语从句来修饰中心词。 .in focusing on reviewing the lessons

【解析】本题考查短语固定搭配。”has / have difficult in doing something”,表示做什么有困难。本题表示无法集中注意力复习功课。“复习功课”通常的表达有 “review the lessons”, “go over the lessons”。 90.have heard them communicating with each other in French.

【解析】本题考查使役动词的用法以及现在完成时。表示第几次做某事 ，本句谓语是“is”一般现在时，那么

主句用现在完成时”have done”；“听到某人做某事”的固定表达为”hear sb. doing sth.” 91. available for free

【解析】本题固定表达。”be available “，意思为“可得到的，可获得的”；“免费”用介词结构”for free”。