1、2015年 12月大学英语四级考试真题(第 1套)Part Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying“Listening is more important than talking.“ You can cite examples to illustrate theimportance of paying attention to others opinions.You should write at l
2、east 120 words, but no more than 180 words.Part Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes)听力音频地址：http:/ Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the end ofeach conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both theconver
3、sation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will bea 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 ad
4、mire 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
5、 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.Susa
6、n 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 parkin
7、g lot is.D.The way to the visitors 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 secr
8、etaries in the mans 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 c
9、ommon 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 easi
10、ly picked up by overseas travelers.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.H
11、e 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 will be free for large orders.C.It depends on a number of factors.D.It costs15 more for express delivery.15.A.Make inquiries with some other companies.B.Repo
12、rt the information to her superior.C.Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge.D.Ring back when she comes to a decision.Section BDirections .In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of each passage, you will hearsome questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only on
13、ce.After youhear 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 linethrough the center.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A.No one knows for sure when
14、 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
15、 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 TwoQuestions 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 tainted to
16、 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.2
17、1.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
18、in English.D.Give cooking lessons on Western food.Passage ThreeQuestions 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.
19、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 CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read for the firsttime, you should listen carefully for its ge
20、neral idea.When the passage is read for thesecond time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have justheard.Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what youhave written.When you look up at the night sky, what do you see? There are other26 bod
21、ies out therebesides the moon and stars.One of the most27 of these is a comet (彗星).Comets were formed around the same time the Earth was formed.They are28 ice and otherfrozen liquids and gases.29these “dirty snowballs“ begin to orbit the sun, just as the planets do.As a comet gets closer to the sun,
22、 some gases in it begin to unfreeze.They30dust particlesfrom the comet to form a huge cloud.As the comet gets even nearer to the sun, a solar wind blows thecloud behind the comet, thus forming its tail.The tall and the31fuzzy (模糊的) atmospherearound a comet are32that can help identify this33in the ni
23、ght sky.In any given year, about a dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits.The averageperson cant see them all, of course.Usually there is only one or two a year bright enough to be seenwith the34 eye.Comet Hale-Bopp, discovered in 1995, was an unusually bright comet.Its orbitbrough
24、t it35close to the Earth, within 122 million miles of it.But Hale-Bopp came a long way onits earthly visit.It wont be back for another four thousand years or so.Part Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirections : In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select
25、one word foreach blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read thepassage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the ce
26、nter.You may not use any of the words in the bank morethan once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.Scholars of the information society are divided over whether social inequality decreases orincreases in an information-based society.However, they generally agree with the idea that
27、inequalityin the information society is36different from that of an industrial society.As informationprogresses in society, the cause and structural nature of social inequality changes as well.It seems that the information society37 the quantity of information available to the membersof a society by
28、revolutionizing the ways of using and exchanging information.But such a view is a38 analysis based on the quantity of information supplied by various forms of the mass media.Adifferent39 is possible when the actual amount of information40 by the user is taken intoaccount.In fact, the more informatio
29、n41 throughout the entire society, the wider the gapbecomes between “information haves“ and “information have-mots“, leading to digital divide.According to recent studies, digital divide has been caused by three major42class, sex, andgeneration.In terms of class, digital divide exists among differen
30、t types of workers and between theupper and middle classes and the lower class.With43 to sex, digital divide exists between menand women.The greatest gap, however, is between the Net-generation, 44with personalcomputers and the Internet, and the older generation, 45 to an industrial society.A.accust
31、omed B.acquiredC.assemblyD.attributeE.championsF.elementsG.expandsH.familiarI.flowsJ.fundamentallyK.interpretationL.passiveM.regardN.respectivelyO.superficialSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Eachstatement contains information gi
32、ven in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraphfrom 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 thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Joy: A Subject Schools LackBecoming educated should not
33、require giving up pleasure.A.When Jonathan Swift proposed, in 1729, that the people of Ireland eat their children, he insisted itwould solve three problems at once : feed the hungry masses, reduce the population during a severedepression, and stimulate the restaurant business.Even as a satire (讽刺),
34、it seems disgusting andshocking in America with its child-centered culture.But actually, the country is closer to hisproposal than you might think.B.If you spend much time with educators and policy makers, youll hear a lot of the following words :“standards,“results,“skills,“self-control,“accountabi
35、lity,“ and so on.I have visited someof the newer supposedly “effective“ schools, where children shout slogans in order to learn self-control or must stand behind their desk when they cant sit still.C.A look at what goes on in most classrooms these days makes it abundantly clear that when peoplethink
36、 about education, they are not thinking about what it feels like to be a child, or what makeschildhood an important and valuable stage of life in its own right.D.Im a mother of three, a teacher, and a developmental psychologist.So Ive watched a lot ofchildren-talking, playing, arguing, eating, study
37、ing, and being young.Heres what Ive come tounderstand.The thing that sets children apart from adults is not their ignorance, nor their lack ofskills.Its their enormous capacity for joy.Think of a 3-year-old lost in the pleasures of finding outwhat he can and cannot sink in the bathtub, a 5-year-old
38、beside herself with the thrill of puttingtogether strings of nonsensical words with her best friends, or an 11-year-old completely absorbedin a fascinating comic strip.A childs ability to become deeply absorbed in something, and deriveintense pleasure from that absorption, is something adults spend
39、the rest of their lives trying toreturn to.E.A friend told me the following story.One day, when he went to get his 7-year-old son from soccerpractice, his kid greeted him with a downcast face and a sad voice.The coach had criticized himfor not focusing on his soccer drills.The little boy walked out
40、of the school with his head andshoulders hanging down.He seemed wrapped in sadness.But just before he reached the car door,he suddenly stopped, crouching (蹲伏) down to peer at something on the sidewalk.His face wentdown lower and lower, and then, with complete joy he called out, “Dad.Come here.This i
41、s thestrangest bug Ive ever seen.It has, like, a million legs.Look at this.Its amazing.“ He looked upat his father, his features overflowing with energy and delight.“Cant we stay here for just aminute? I want to find out what he does with all those legs.This is the coolest ever.“F.The traditional vi
42、ew of such moments is that they constitute a charming but irrelevant byproduct ofyouth-something to be pushed aside to make room for more important qualities, like perseverance(坚持不懈), obligation, and practicality.Yet moments like this one are just the kind of intenseabsorption and pleasure adults sp
43、end the rest of their lives seeking.Human lives are governed bythe desire to experience joy.Becoming educated should not require giving up joy but rather lead tofinding joy in new kinds of things: reading novels instead of playing with small figures, conductingexperiments instead of sinking cups in
44、the bathtub, and debating serious issues rather than stringingtogether nonsense words, for example.In some cases, schools should help children find new,more grown-up ways of doing the same things that are constant sources of joy: making art, makingfriends, making decisions:G. Building on a childs ab
45、ility to feel joy, rather than pushing it aside, wouldnt be that hard.It wouldjust require a shift in the education worlds mindset (思维模式).Instead of trying to get children towork hard, why not focus on getting them to take pleasure in meaningful, productive activity, likemaking things, working with
46、others, exploring ideas, and solving problems? These focuses are notso different from the things in which they delight.H. Before you brush this argument aside as rubbish, or think of joy as an unaffordable luxury in anation where there is awful poverty, low academic achievement, and high dropout rat
47、es, thinkagain.The more horrible the school circumstances, the more important pleasure is to achieving anyeducational success.I.Many of the assignments and rules teachers come up with, often because they are pressured bytheir administrators, treat pleasure and joy as the enemies of competence and re
48、sponsibility.Theassumption is that children shouldnt chat in the classroom because it hinders hard work; instead,they should learn to delay gratification (快乐) so that they can pursue abstract goals, like going tocollege.J.Not only is this a boring and awful way to treat children, it makes no sense e
49、ducationally.Decadesof research have shown that in order to acquire skills and real knowledge in school, kids need towant to learn.You can force a child to stay in his or her seat, fill out a worksheet, or practicedivision.But you cant force the child to think carefully, enjoy books, digest complex information,or develop a taste for learning.To make that happen, you have to help the child find pleasure inlearning-to see school as a source of joy.K.Adults tend to talk about learning as if it were med
