2012年12月大学英语四级考试真题
Part I Writing （30 minutes）
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Education Pays based on the statistics provided in the chart below（Unemployment rate in 2010）. Please give a brief description of the chart first and then make comments on it. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
Part II Listening Comprehension （30 minutes）
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long
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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.
1. ［A］ He needs another week for the painting.
［B］ The painting was completed just in time.
［C］ The building won’t open until next week.
［D］ His artistic work has been well received.
2. ［A］ Go camping.
［B］ Rent a tent.
［C］ Decorate his house.
［D］ Organize a party.
3. ［A］ She talked with Mr. Wright on the phone.
［B］ She is about to call Mr. Wright’s secretary.
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［C］ She will see Mr. Wright at lunch time.
［D］ She failed to reach Mr. Wright.
4. ［A］ He is actually very hardworking.
［B］ He has difficulty finishing his project.
［C］ He needs to spend more time in the lab.
［D］ He seldom tells the truth about himself.
5. ［A］ Rules restricting smoking. ［C］ Smokers’ health problems.
［B］ Ways to quit smoking. ［D］ Hazards of passive smoking.
6. ［A］ He is out of town all morning. ［C］ He has been writing a report.
［B］ He is tied up in family matters. ［D］ He has got meetings to attend.
7. ［A］ He is not easy-going. ［C］ He is not at home this weekend.
［B］ He is the speakers’ boss. home.
［D］ He seldom invites people to his
8. ［A］ Take a break.
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［B］ Refuel his car.
［C］ Ask the way.
［D］ Have a cup of coffee.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. ［A］ They are as good as historical films. ［C］ They have greatly improved.
［B］ They give youngsters a thrill. on film.
［D］ They are better than comics
10. ［A］ The effects were very good. complicated.
［C］ The plot was too
［B］ The acting was just so-so. ［D］ The characters were lifelike.
11. ［A］ They triumphed ultimately over evil in the battle.
［B］ They played the same role in War of the Worlds.
［C］ They are popular figures among young people.
［D］ They are two leading characters in the film.
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Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. ［A］ It is scheduled on Thursday night. ［C］ It takes place once a week.
［B］ It is supposed to last nine weeks. ［D］ It usually starts at six.
13. ［A］ To make good use of her spare time in the evening.
［B］ To meet the requirements of her in-service training.
［C］ To improve her driving skills as quickly as possible.
［D］ To get some basic knowledge about car maintenance.
14. ［A］ Participate in group discussions. ［C］ Listen to the teacher’s explanation.
［B］ Take turns to make presentations. ［D］ Answer the teacher’s questions.
15. ［A］ Most of them are female. ［C］ They plan to buy a new car.
［B］ Some have a part-time job. ［D］ A few of them are old chaps.
Section B
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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 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. ［A］ She is not good at making friends. ［C］ She enjoys company.
［B］ She is not well off. ［D］ She likes to go to concerts alone.
17. ［A］ Their similar social status. ［C］ Their common interest.
［B］ Their interdependence. ［D］ Their identical character.
18. ［A］ Invite Pat to a live concert. kids.
［C］ Help take care of Pat’s
［B］ Buy some gifts for Pat’s kids. ［D］ Pay for Pat’s season tickets.
19. ［A］ It can develop between people with a big difference in income.
［B］ It can be maintained among people of different age groups.
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［C］ It cannot last long without similar family background.
［D］ It cannot be sustained when friends move far apart.
Passage Two
Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.
20. ［A］ Priority of students’ academic achievements.
［B］ Equal education opportunities to all children.
［C］ Social equality between teachers and students.
［D］ Respect for students’ individuality.
21. ［A］ Efficient.
［B］ Complicated.
［C］ Lengthy.
［D］ Democratic.
22. ［A］ To help them acquire hands-on experience.
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［B］ To try to cut down its operational expenses.
［C］ To provide part-time jobs for needy students.
［D］ To enable them to learn to take responsibility.
Passage Three
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
23. ［A］ The best way to work through a finger maze.
［B］ Individuals doing better in front of an audience.
［C］ Researchers having contributed greatly to psychology.
［D］ Improvements on the classification of human behavior.
24. ［A］ When you feel encouraged by the audience.
［B］ When you try to figure out a confusing game.
［C］ When you already know how to do something.
［D］ When you complete with other people in a group.
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25. ［A］ Practicing constantly.
［B］ Working by oneself.
［C］ Learning by doing.
［D］ Using proven methods.
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.
Americans today have different eating habits than they had in the past. There is a wide （26）__________ of food available. They have a broader knowledge of nutrition （营养）, so they buy more fresh fruit and vegetables than ever before. At the same time, Americans （27）__________ increasing quantities of sweets and sodas.
Statistics show that the way people live （28）__________ the way they eat. American lifestyles have changed. There are now growing numbers of people who live alone, （29）__________ parents and children, and double-income families. These
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changing lifestyles are responsible for the increasing number of people who must rush meals or sometimes simply （30）__________ them. Many Americans have less time than ever before to spend preparing food. （31）__________ as a consequence of this limited time, over half of all American homes now have microwave ovens. Moreover, Americans eat out nearly four times a week （32）__________.
It is easy to study the amounts and kinds of food that people （33）__________. The United States Department of Agriculture and the food industry collect sales statistics and （34）__________. This information not only tells us what people are eating, but also tells us about the changes in attitudes and tastes. Red meat, which used to be the most popular choice for dinner, is no longer an American （35）__________. Instead, chicken, turkey, and fish have become more popular. Sales of these foods have greatly increased in recent years.
Part III Reading Comprehension （40minutes）
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 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
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Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
French fries, washed down with a pint of soda, are a favorite part of fast-food lunches and dinners for millions of American youngsters. But ___36___ a cue from health experts, a group of 19 restaurant companies are pledging to offer more-healthful menu options for children at a time when ___37___ is growing over the role of fast food in childhood obesity （肥胖症）.
Burger King, the nation’s second-largest fast food chain, for instance, will ___38___ automatically including French fries and soda in its kids’ meals starting this month, although they will still be ___39___. Instead, the company said Tuesday, its employees will ask parents whether they ___40___ such options as milk or sliced apples before assembling the meals.”We’re asking the customers to ___41___ what they want,” said Craig Prusher, the chain’s vice president of government relations. Other participating chains, with a ___42___ of menu options, including Denny’s, Chili’s, Friendly’s and Chevy’s.
As part of the Kids Live Well campaign—expected to be announced ___43___ Wednesday—participating restaurants must promise to offer at least one children’s meal that has fewer than 600 calories （卡路里）, no soft drinks and at least two ___44___ from the following food groups: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins or low-fat dairy. Among other requirements, they must offer a side dish that meets similar ___45___, with fewer than 200 calories and less than 35% of its calories from sugar.
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［A］ adapt
［M］ stop
［D］ concern ［G］ nationwide ［J］ recommending
［B］ available ［E］ criteria ［H］ possible ［K］ species ［N］ taking
［C］ begin ［F］ items ［I］ prefer ［L］ specify ［O］ variety
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.
Seven Ways to Save the World
A） Forget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial—riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same—or better—results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Ramer to cut costs at his family-owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about 100,000 on these and other
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improvements, he slashed his 90,000 fuel and power bill by 60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”
B） Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its cost—or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices. The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact:
Insulate
C） Space heating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero-energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out （or vice versa）. The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough, you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies have shown that green workplaces （ones that don’t constantly need to have the heater or air-conditioner running） have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.
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Change Bulbs
D） Lighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs—a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat. Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year.
Comfort Zone
E） Water boilers, space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient. The heat pump has altered that equation. It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply. In the summer, the system can be reversed to cool buildings as well. Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all. Several countries have used subsidies to jump-start the market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.
Remake Factories
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F） From steel mills to paper factories, industry eats up about a third of the world’s energy. The opportunities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than 200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company 200 million a year and almost half its CO2 emissions. Now BASF is doing the same for new plants in China. “Optimizing（优化） energy efficiency is a decisive competitive advantage,” says BASF CEO Jürgen Hambrecht.
Green Driving
G） A quarter of the world’s energy—including two thirds of the annual production of oil—is used for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated（充气）. Gasoline-electric hybrid（混合型的）models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models.
A Better Fridge
H） More than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances, producing a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions. And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as 70 percent since the 1980s. According to an International Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global
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residential power consumption （and their utility bills） by 43 percent.
Flexible Payment
I） Who says you have to pay for all your conservation investments? “Energy service contractors” will pay for retrofitting（翻新改造） in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings. In Beijing, Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in retrofitting China’s steel furnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investment to install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace, slashing the client’s fuel costs. Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit.
J） If saving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings. That holds double for the landlord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with self-denial. Many environmentalists still push that view.
K） The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use. Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient
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technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.
46. According to the research, a green workplace which doesn’t need to be constantly heated or air-conditioned, contributes to workers’ productivity and health.
47. 36% of all the energy in the world has been consumed by space heating and cooling.
48. As an unexpected result, over 200 metric tons of carbon emissions have been reduced thanks to the lower energy demands of the hotel every year.
49. Compared with conventional models, such gasoline-electric mixed models as Toyota Prius show an increase in mileage by 20%.
50. Just in Ludwigshafen, the company saves 200 million and about 50% of CO2 emissions every year by reusing heat and energy.
51. It is well-known that, air conditioners, water boilers and space heaters have had a reputation for inefficiency.
52. Every day 20% of the world’s electricity is used by lighting, which amounts to what burning about 600,000 tons of coal could generate.
53. At last, under growing pressure, more companies have to budget
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carefully to reduce their energy consumption.
54. Using domestic appliances eats up over 50% of all household power, which produces 20% of the world’s carbon emissions.
55. Shenwu wins a share of those savings from the client’s fuel costs, which benefits both Shenwu and the client.
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 centre.
Passage One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think.
That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as
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job turnover （人员更替） data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations, terminations（解雇）, and retirements. （Yes, people are retiring even in this economy.） In both good times and bad, turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2007, when the economy was still moving ahead, job growth was only 132,000, while turnover was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today—with job growth near zero—over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher, it would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from (and compete for). And it’s true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look; learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t looked within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up. Four million people get
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hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.
56. The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate ______.
［A］ deprives many people of job opportunities
［B］ prevents many people from changing careers
［C］ should not stop people from looking for a job
［D］ does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening
57. Where do most job openings come from?
［A］ Job growth. ［C］ Improved economy.
［B］ Job turnover. ［D］ Business expansion.
58. What does the author say about overall job growth?
［A］ It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers.
［B］ It increases people’s confidence in the economy.
［C］ It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed.
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［D］ It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed.
59. What is the key to landing a job according to the author?
［A］ Education. ［C］ Persistence.
［B］ Intelligence. ［D］ Experience.
60. What do we learn from the passage about the unemployment figures in the U.S.?
［A］ They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is.
［B］ They provide the public with the latest information.
［C］ They warn of the structural problems in the economy.
［D］ They exclude those who have stopped looking for a job.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Our risk of cancer rises dramatically as we age. So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened for new tumors—or doesn’t it?
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While such vigilant（警觉的） tracking of cancer is a good thing in general, researchers are increasingly questioning whether all of this testing is necessary for the elderly. With the percentage of people over age 65 expected to nearly double by 2050, it’s important to weigh the health benefits of screening against the risks and costs of routine testing.
In many cases, screening can lead to surgeries to remove cancer, while the cancers themselves may be slow-growing and may not pose serious health problems in patients’ remaining years. But the message that everyone must screen for cancer has become so deep-rooted that when health care experts recommended that women under 50 and over 74 stop screening for breast cancer, it caused a riotous reaction among doctors, patients and advocacy groups.
It’s hard to uproot deeply held beliefs about cancer screening with scientific data. Certainly, there are people over age 75 who have had cancers detected by routine screening, and gained several extra years of life because of treatment. And clearly, people over age 75 who have other risk factors for cancer, such as a family history or prior personal experience with the disease, should continue to get screened regularly. But for the remainder, the risk of cancer, while increased at the end of life, must be balanced with other factors like remaining life expectancy （预期寿命）.
A recent study suggests that doctors start to make more objective decisions about who will truly benefit from screening— especially considering the explosion of the elderly that will soon swell our population.
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It’s not an easy calculation to make, but one that makes sense for all patients. Dr. Otis Brawley said, “Many doctors are ordering screening tests purely to cover themselves. We need to think about the rational use of health care.”
That means making some difficult decisions with elderly patients, and going against the misguided belief that when it comes to health care, more is always better.
61. Why do doctors recommend routine cancer screening for elderly people?
［A］ It is believed to contribute to long life.
［B］ It is part of their health care package.
［C］ The elderly are more sensitive about their health.
［D］ The elderly are in greater danger of tumor growth.
62. How do some researchers now look at routine cancer screening for the elderly?
［A］ It adds too much to their medical bills.
［C］ It helps increase their life expectancy.
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［B］ They are doubtful about its necessity.
［D］ They think it does more harm than good.
63. What is the conventional view about women screening for breast cancer?
［A］ It applies to women over 50. ［C］ It is optional for young women.
［B］ It is a must for adult women. 74.
［D］ It doesn’t apply to women over
64. Why do many doctors prescribe routine screening for cancer?
［A］ They want to protect themselves against medical disputes.
［B］ They want to take advantage of the medical care system.
［C］ They want data for medical research.
［D］ They want their patients to suffer less.
65. What does the author say is the general view about health care?
［A］ The more, the better. ［C］ Better early than late.
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［B］ Prevention is better than cure. ［D］ Better care, longer life.
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.
通货膨胀（inflation）指的是某一经济体的商品和服务的总体价格在一段时期内持续上涨的状态。当总体价格水平上涨时， 单位货币所能购买到的商品和服务就会减少， 也就是说， 单位货币的购买力下降了。衡量通货膨胀程度的主要标准就是通货膨胀率。通货膨胀率是一个按年统计的百分比率， 它与消费者物价指数（CPI）的变化有着密切的联系。
2012年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案
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