英语四级考试真题试卷（第三套）

2015年12月英语四级考试真题试卷（第三套）

 

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying "Never go out there to see what happens, go out there to make things happen. " You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of being participants rather than mere onlookers in life. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

 

注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上

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Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes)

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 I with a single line through the center.

 

1.A) They admire the courage of space explorers.

B) They were going to watch a wonderful movie.

C) They enjoyed the movie on space exploration.

D) They like doing scientific exploration very much.

 

2.A) In a school library.              B) At a gift shop.

C) In the office of a travel agency.     D) At a graduation ceremony.

 

3.A) He used to work in the art gallery.        B) He does not have a good memory.

C) He is not interested in any part-time jobs.   D) He declined a job offer from the art gallery.

 

4.A) He will be unable to attend the birthday party.

B) The woman should have informed him earlier.

C) He will go to the birthday party after the lecture.

D) Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow.

 

5.A) Set a deadline for the staff to meet.       B) Assign more workers to the project.

C) Reward those having made good progress.   D) Encourage the staff to work in small groups.

 

6.A) Where she can leave her car.       B) The rate for parking in Lot C.

C) How far away the parking lot is.      D) The way to the visitor's parking.

 

7.A) He regrets missing the classes.      B) He has benefited from exercise.

C) He plans to take the fitness classes.    D) He is looking forward to a better life.

 

8. A) How to select secretaries.          B) How to raise work efficiency.

C) The responsibilities of secretaries.     D) The secretaries in the man's company.

 

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

 

9.A) It is used by more people than English.     B) It is more difficult to learn than English.

C) It will be as commonly used as English.      D) It will eventually become a world language.

 

10.A) Its popularity with the common people.   B) The effect of the Industrial Revolution.

C) The influence of the British Empire.        D) Its loan words from many languages.

 

11.A) It has a growing number of newly coined words.

B) It includes a lot of words from other languages.

C) It is the largest among all languages in the world.

D) It can be easily picked up by overseas travellers.

 

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

 

12.A) To place an order.        B) To apply for a job.

C) To return some goods.      D) To make a complaint.

 

13.A) He works on a part-time basis for the company.

B) He has not worked in the sales department for long.

C) He is not familiar with the exact details of the goods.

D) He has become somewhat impatient with the woman.

 

14.A) It is not his responsibility.          B) It win be free for large orders.

C) It depends on a number of factors.    D) It costs ￡15 more for express delivery.

 

15.A) Make inquiries with some other companies.

B) Report the information to her superior.

C) Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge.

D) Ring back when she comes to a decision.

 

Section B

Directions：In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of each passage, you will hear some 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.and D .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.

 

Passage One

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

 

16.A) No one knows for sure when they came into being.

B) No one knows exactly where they were first made.

C) No one knows for what purpose they were invented.

D) No one knows what they will look like in the future.

 

17.A) Measure the speed of wind.      B) Give warnings of danger.

C) Pass on secret messages.           D) Carry ropes across rivers.

 

18.A) To find out the strength of silk for kites.   B) To test the effects of the lightning rod.

C) To prove that lightning is electricity.        D) To protect houses against lightning.

 

Passage Two

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.

 

19.A) She was born with a talent for languages.   B) She was trained to be an interpreter.

C) She can speak several languages.            D) She enjoys teaching languages.

 

20.A) They want to learn as many foreign languages as possible.

B) They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions.

C) They acquire an immunity to culture shock.

D) They would like to live abroad permanently.

 

21.A) She became an expert in horse racing.

B) She learned to appreciate classical music.

C) She was able to translate for a German sports judge.

D) She got a chance to visit several European countries.

 

22.A) Take part in a cooking competition.     B) Taste the beef and give her comment.

C) Teach vocabulary for food in English.      D) Give cooking lessons on Western food.

 

Passage Three

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

 

23.A) He had only a third-grade education.      B) He once threatened to kill his teacher.

C) He often helped his mother do housework.   D) He grew up in a poor single-parent family.

 

24.A) Stupid.     B) Active.       C) Brave.     D) Careless.

 

25.A) Watch educational TV programs only.     B) Write two book reports a week.

C) Help with housework.                    D) Keep a diary.

 

Section C

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, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

 

When you look up at the night sky, what do you see? There are other __26__ bodies out there besides the moon and stars. One of the most __27__ of these is a comet (彗星).

 

Comets were formed around the same time the Earth was formed. They are __28__ ice and other frozen liquids and gases. __29__ these "dirty snowballs" begin to orbit the sun, just as the planets do.

 

As a comet gets closer to the sun, some gases in it begin to unfreeze. They __30__ dust particles from the comet to form a huge cloud. As the comet gets even nearer to the sun, a solar wind blows the cloud behind the comet, thus forming its tail. The tail and the __31__ fuzzy (模糊的) atmosphere around a comet are __32__ that can help identify this __33__ in the night sky.

 

In any given year, about a dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits. The average person can't see them all, of course. Usually there is only one or two a year bright enough to be seen with the __34__ eye. Comet Hale-Bopp, discovered in 1995, was an unusually bright comet. Its orbit brought it __35__ close to the Earth, within 122 million miles of it. But Hale-Bopp came a long way on its earthly visit. It won't be back for another four thousand years or so.

 

Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)

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 2with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

 

Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.

 

Children do not think the way adults do. For most of the first year of life, if something is out of sight, it's out of mind. If you cover a baby's __36__ toy with a piece of cloth, the baby thinks the toy has disappeared and stops looking for it. A 4-year-old may __37__ that a sister has more fruit juice when it is only the shapes of the glasses that differ, not the __38__ of juice.

 

Yet children are smart in their own way. Like good little scientists, children are always testing their child-sized __39__ about how things work. When your child throws her spoon on the floor for the sixth time as you try to feed her, and you say, "That's enough! I will not pick up your spoon again!" the child will __40__ test your claim. Are you serious? Are you angiy? What will happen if she throws the spoon again? She is not doing this to drive you __41__ ; rather, she is learning that her desires and yours can differ, and that sometimes those __42__ are important and sometimes they are not.

 

How and why does children's thinking change? In the 1920s, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed that children's cognitive(认知的) abilities unfold __43__ , like the blooming of a flower, almost independent of what else is __44__ in their lives. Although many of his specific conclusions have been __45__ or modified over the years, his ideas inspired thousands of studies by investigators all over the world.

 

A) advocate     B) amount    C) confirmed    D) crazy       E) definite

F) differences   G) favorite     H) happening   I) immediately  J) naturally

K) obtaining     L) primarily   M) protest      N) rejected    O) theories

 

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 on Answer Sheet 2.

 

The Perfect Essay

A) Looking back on too many years of education, I can identify one truly impossible teacher. She cared about me, and my intellectual life, even when I didn't. Her expectations were high-impossibly so. She was an English teacher. She was also my mother.

 

B) When good students turn in an essay, they dream of their instructor returning it to them in exactly the same condition, save for a single word added in the margin of the final page: " Flawless. " This dream came true for me one afternoon in the ninth grade. Of course, I had heard that genius could show itself at an early age, so I was only slightly taken aback that I had achieved perfection at the tender age of 14. Obviously, I did what any professional writer would do; I hurried off to spread the good news. I didn't get very far. The first person I told was my mother.

 

C) My mother, who is just shy of five feet tall, is normally incredibly soft-spoken, but on the rare occasion when she got angry, she was terrifying. I am not sure if she was more upset by my hubris(得意忘形) or by the fact that my English teacher had let my ego get so out of hand. In any event, my mother and her red pen showed me how deeply flawed a flawless essay could be. At the time, I am sure she thought she was teaching me about mechanics, transitions (过渡), structure, style and voice. But what I learned, and what stuck with me through my time teaching writing at Harvard, was a deeper lesson about the nature of creative criticism.

 

D) First off, it hurts. Genuine criticism, the type that leaves a lasting mark on you as a writer, also leaves an existential imprint (印记) on you as a person. I have heard people say that a writer should never take criticism personally. I say that we should never listen to these people.

 

E) Criticism, at its best, is deeply personal, and gets to the heart of why we write the way we do. The intimate nature of genuine criticism implies something about who is able to give it, namely, someone who knows you well enough to show you how your mental life is getting in the way of good writing. Conveniently, they are also the people who care enough to see you through this painful realization. For me it took the form of my first, and I hope only, encounter with writer's block-I was not able to produce anything for three years.

 

F) Franz Kafka once said:" Writing is utter solitude (独处), the descent into the cold abyss (深渊) of oneself. " My mother's criticism had shown me that Kafka is right about the cold abyss, and when you make the introspective (内省的) descent that writing requires you are not always pleased by what you find. But, in the years that followed, her sustained tutoring suggested that Kafka might be wrong about the solitude. I was lucky enough to find a critic and teacher who was willing to make the journey of writing with me. "It is a thing of no great difficulty," according to Plutarch, "to raise objections against another man's speech, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome. " I am sure I wrote essays in the later years of high school without my mother's guidance, but I can't recall them. What I remember, however, is how she took up the "extremely troublesome" work of ongoing criticism.

 

G) There are two ways to interpret Plutarch when he suggests that a critic should be able to produce " a better in its place. " In a straightforward sense, he could mean that a critic must be more talented than the artist she critiques (评论). My mother was well covered on this count. But perhaps Plutarch is suggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero's claim that one should " criticize by creation, not by finding fault. " Genuine criticism creates a precious opening for an author to become better on his own terms-a process that is often extremely painful, but also almost always meaningful.

 

H) My mother said she would help me with my writing, but first I had to help myself. For each assignment, I was to write the best essay I could. Real criticism is not meant to find obvious mistakes, so if she found any-the type I could have found on my own-I had to start from scratch. From scratch. Once the essay was " flawless," she would take an evening to walk me through my errors. That was when true criticism, the type that changed me as a person, began.

 

I) She criticized me when I included little-known references and professional jargon (行话) ?She had no patience for brilliant but irrelevant figures of speech. "Writers can't bluff (虚张声势) their way through ignorance. " That was news to me-I would need to find another way to structure my daily existence.

 

J) She trimmed back my flowery language, drew lines through my exclamation marks and argued for the value of restraint in expression. " John," she almost whispered. I leaned in to hear her: "I can't hear you when you shout at me. " So I stopped shouting and bluffing, and slowly my writing improved.

 

K) Somewhere along the way I set aside my hopes of writing that flawless essay. But perhaps I missed something important in my mother's lessons about creativity and perfection. Perhaps the point of writing the flawless essay was not to give up, but to never willingly finish. Whitman repeatedly reworked "Song of Myself' between 1855 and 1891. Repeatedly. We do our absolute best with a piece of writing, and come as close as we can to the ideal. And, for the time being, we settle. In critique, however, we are forced to depart, to give up the perfection we thought we had achieved for the chance of being even a little bit better. This is the lesson I took from my mother.. If perfection were possible, it would not be motivating.

 

46. The author was advised against the improper use of figures of speech.

47. The author's mother taught him a valuable lesson by pointing out lots of flaws in his seemingly perfect essay.

48. A writer should polish his writing repeatedly so as to get closer to perfection.

49. Writers may experience periods of time in their life when they just can't produce anything.

50. The author was not much surprised when his school teacher marked his essay as "flawless".

51. Criticizing someone's speech is said to be easier than coming up with a better one.

52. The author looks upon his mother as his most demanding and caring instructor.

53. The criticism the author received from his mother changed him as a person.

54. The author gradually improved his writing by avoiding fancy language.

55. Constructive criticism gives an author a good start to improve his writing.

 

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 through the center.

 

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

 

Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it?

 

It wouldn't be surprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because you couldn't reproduce it in most of the US either. What does it take to make a Silicon Valley?

 

It's the right people. If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from Silicon Valley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.

 

You only need two kinds of people to create a technology hub (中心): rich people and nerds (痴迷科研的人)

 

Observation bears this out. Within the US, towns have become startup hubs if and only if they have both rich people and nerds. Few startups happen in Miami, for example, because although it's full of rich people, it has few nerds. It's not the kind of place nerds like.

 

Whereas Pittsburgh has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people. The top US Computer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon. MIT yielded Route 128. Stanford and Berkeley yielded Silicon Valley. But what did Cainegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh? And what happened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list?

 

I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both. The weather is terrible, particularly in winter, and there's no interesting old city to make up for it, as there is in Boston. Rich people don't want to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca. So while there're plenty of hackers (电脑迷) who could start startups, there's no one to invest in them.

 

Do you really need the rich people? Wouldn't it work to have the government invest in the nerds? No, it would not. Startup investors are a distinct type of rich people. They tend to have a lot of experience themselves in the technology business. This helps them pick the right startups, and means they can supply advice and connections as well as money. And the fact that they have a personal stake in the outcome makes them really pay attention.

 

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

 

56. What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?

A) Its success is hard to copy anywhere else.

B) It is the biggest technology hub in the US.

C) Its fame in high technology is incomparable.

D) It leads the world in information technology.

 

57. What makes Miami unfit to produce a Silicon Valley?

A) Lack of incentive for investment.    B) Lack of the right kind of talents.

C) Lack of government support.       D) Lack of famous universities.

 

58. In what way is Carnegie-Mellon different from Stanford, Berkeley and MIT?

A) Its location is not as attractive to rich people.

B) Its science departments are not nearly as good.

C) It does not produce computer hackers and nerds.

D) It does not pay much attention to business startups.

 

59. What does the author imply about Boston?

A) It has pleasant weather all year round.

B) It produces wealth as well as high-tech.

C) It is not likely to attract lots of investors and nerds.

D) It is an old city with many sites of historical interest.

 

60. What does the author say about startup investors?

A) They are especially wise in making investments.

B) They have good connections in the government.

C) They can do more than providing money.

D) They are rich enough to invest in nerds.

 

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

 

It's nice to have people of like mind around. Agreeable people boost your confidence and allow you to relax and feel comfortable. Unfortunately, that comfort can hinder the very learning that can expand your company and your career.

 

It's nice to have people agree, but you need conflicting perspectives to dig out the truth. If everyone around you has similar views, your work will suffer from confirmation bias(偏颇).

 

Take a look at your own network. Do your contacts share your point of view on most subjects? If yes, it's time to shake things up. As a leader, it can be challenging to create an environment in which people will freely disagree and argue, but as the saying goes: From confrontation comes brilliance.

 

It's not easy for most people to actively seek conflict. Many spend their lives trying to avoid arguments. There's no need to go out and find people you hate, but you need to do some self-assessment to determine where you have become stale in your thinking. You may need to start by encouraging your current network to help you identify your blind spots.

 

Passionate, energetic debate does not require anger and hard feelings to be effective. But it does require moral strength. Once you have worthy opponents, set some ground rules so everyone understands responsibilities and boundaries. The objective of this debating game is not to win but to get to the truth that will allow you to move faster, farther, and better.

 

Fierce debating can hurt feelings, particularly when strong personalities are involved. Make sure you check in with your opponents so that they are not carrying the emotion of the battles beyond the battlefield. Break the tension with smiles and humor to reinforce the idea that this is friendly discourse and that all are working toward a common goal.

 

Reward all those involved in the debate sufficiently when the goals are reached. Let your sparring partners (拳击陪练) know how much you appreciate their contribution. The more they feel appreciated, the more they'll be willing to get into the ring next time.

 

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

 

61. What happens when you have like-minded people around you all the while?

A) It will help your company expand more rapidly.

B) It will create a harmonious working atmosphere.

C) It may prevent your business and career from advancing.

D) It may make you feel uncertain about your own decisions.

 

62. What does the author suggest leaders do?   

A) Avoid arguments with business partners.    B) Encourage people to disagree and argue.

C) Build a wide and strong business network.   D) Seek advice from their worthy competitors.

 

63. What is the purpose of holding a debate?

A) To find out the truth about an issue.   B) To build up people's moral strength.

C) To remove misunderstandings.       D) To look for worthy opponents.

 

64. What advice does the author give to people engaged in a fierce debate?

A) They listen carefully to their opponents' views.

B ) They show due respect for each other's beliefs.

C) They present their views clearly and explicitly.

D) They take care not to hurt each other's feelings.

 

65. How should we treat our rivals after a successful debate?

A) Try to make peace with them.       B) Try to make up the differences.

C) Invite them to the ring next time.    D) Acknowledge their contribution.

 

Part Ⅳ Translation( 30 minutes )

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should, write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

 

今年在长沙举行了一年一度的外国人汉语演讲比赛。这项比赛证明是促进中国和世界其他地区文化交流的好方法。它为世界各地的年轻人提供了更好地了解中国的机会。

来自87个国家共计126位选手聚集在湖南省省会参加了从7月6日到8月5日进行的半决赛和决赛。

比赛并不是唯一的活动，选手们还有机会参观了中国其他地区的著名景点和历史名胜。

 

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2015年12月全国大学英语四级考试（第三套）参考答案

 

【作文范文】

Be Participants Rather than Onlookers

 

Just as the saying goes, never go out there to see what happens, go out there to make things happen. It obviously emphasizes the importance of being participants instead of mere onlookers in life.

 

There are several reasons accounting for it. To start with, you will never learn the essence of life unless you try something on your own. Whether it's a success or a failure, it will make your life more colorful. Furthermore, chances are only for those who are brave enough to challenge themselves. They tend to have more choices and opportunities than others. Last but not least, Rome is not built in one day. Only if you are a doer rather than a watcher can you get life-long valuable experience.

 

It is no exaggeration to say that many of the young generations prefer to be onlookers, which seems to be easier and less stressful. But this kind of attitude is devastating. We should start making a change by applying what we have learned into practice, and play our part in bettering our world, which will finally benefit not only ourselves but also the future generations.

 

Part II

CBDAA  DBDAC  BACCD  ADCCB  CBDAB

26. Heavenly  27. Fascinating  28. made up of  29. Now and then  30. combine with

31. Generally  32. Characteristics  33. Phenomenon  34. Naked   35. relatively

 

Part III

GMBOI DFJHN   ICKEB FAHJG    ABADC CBADD

 

Part IV

参考答案：

An annual Chinese speech contest for foreigners was held in Changsha this year, which proved to be a good way of promoting the cultural communication between China and other areas of the world. It offered young people all over the world a good opportunity to learn better about China.

A total of 126 contestants from 87 countries gathered in the capital of Hunan Province and took pan in both the semifinal and the final from July 6 to August 5.

The competition was not the only activity. The contestants also got chances to visit the famous scenic spots and historical resorts in other parts of China.