2016年英语专业四级真题阅读理解

2016 年12 月英语四级真题（第一套）Section BDirections:In this section, you are gonging to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify theparagraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraphmore than once.Each paragraph is markedwith a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter onAnswer sheet 2.Can Burglars Jam Your wireless Security System?[A] Any product that promises to protect your home deserves careful examination. So it isn’t surprising that you’ll find plenty of strong opinion about the potential vulnerabilities ofpopular home-security systems.[B] The most likely type of burglary(入室盗窃) by far is the unsophisticated crime of opportunity, usually involving a broken or some forced entry. According to the FBI, crimes like these accounted for roughly two-thirds of all household burglaries in the US in 2003. The wide majority of the rest were illegal, unforced entries that resulted from something like a window being left open. The FBI doesn’t even track those statistics.[C] One of the main theoretical home-security concerns is whether or not a given system is vulnerable to being blocked from working altogether. With wired setups, the fear is that a burglar(入室盗窃）might be able to shut your system down simply by cutting the right cable. With a wireless setup, you stick battery-powered sensor up around your home that keeps aneye on windows, doors, motion, and more. If they detect something wrong while the system is armed,they’ll transmit a wireless alert signal to aa base station that will then raise the alarm. Thatapproach will eliminate most cord-cutting concerns-but what about their wireless equivalent, jamming? With the right device tuned to the right frequency, what’s to stop a thief from jamming your setup and blocking that alert signal from ever reaching the base station? [D] Jamming concerns are nothing new, and they’re not unique to security systems. Any deviceThat’s built to re ceive a wireless signal at a specific can be overwhelmed by a stronger signal coming in on the same frequency. For comparison, let’s say you wanted to ―jam‖ a conversation between two people-all you’d need to do is yell in the listener’s ear.[E] Security devices are required to list the frequencies they broadcast on-that means that a potential thief can find what they need to know with minimal Googling. They will, however, need to know what system they’ are looking for. If you have a sign in your yard decl aring what setup you use, that’d point them in the right direction, thought at that point, we’ are talkingabout a highly targeted, semi-sophisticated attack, and not the sort of forced-entry attack that makes up the majority of burglaries. It’s easier to find and acquire jamming equipment forsome frequencies than it is for others.[F] Wireless security providers will often take steps to help combat the threat of jamming attacks. SimpliSafe, winner of our Editors’ Choice distinction, utilizes a special system that’s capableof separating incidental RF interference form targeted jamming attacks. When the systemthinks it’s being jammed, it’ll notify you via push alert（推送警报）. From there, it’s up to you to sound the alarm manually.[G] SimpliSafe was singled out in one recent article on jamming, complete with a video showing the entire system being effectively bypassed with handheld jamming equipment .After taking appropriate measure to contain the RF interference to our test lab, we tested the attack out foro urselves, and were able to verify that it’ is possible with the right equipment. However, wealso verified that SimpliSafe’s anti-jamming system words. It caught us in the act, sent an alertto my smartphone, and also listed our RF interference on the syst em’s event log. The team behind the article and video in question make no mention of the system, or whether or not it detected them.[H] We like the unique nature of that software. It means that a thief likely wouldn’t be able to Google how the system words, then figure out a way around it. Even if they could, SimpliSafe claims that its system is always evolving, and that it varies slightly form system to system, which means there wouldn’t be a universal magic formula for cracking it. Other systems also seem confident on the subject of jamming. The team at Frontpoint addresses the issue in a blog on its site, citing their own jam protection software and claiming that there aren’t any documented cases of a successful jam attack since the company began offering wireless security sensors in the 1980s.[I] Jamming attacks are absolutely possible. As said before, with the right equipment and the right know-how, it’s possible to jam any wireless transmission. But how probable is it that someone will successfully jam theirway into your home and steal your stuff?[J] Let’s imagine that you live in a small home with a wireless security setup that offers a functional anti-jamming system. First, a thief is going to need to target your home, specifically.Then, he’s goi ng to need to know the technical details of your system and acquire the specific equipment necessary for jamming your specific setup. Presumably, you keep your doors locked at night and while you’re away, so the thief will still need to break in. That mean s defeating the lock somehow, or breaking a window .He’ll need to be jamming you at this point, as a broken window or opened door would normally release the alarm .So, too, would the motion detectors in your home, so the thief will need to continue jamming once he’s inside and searching for things to steal. However, he’ll need to do so without tripping the anti-jamming system, the details of which he almost certainly does not have access to.[K] At the end of the day, these kinds of systems are primarily designed to protect against the sort of opportunistic smash-and-grab attack that makes up the majority of burglaries. They’re also only a single layer in what should ideally be a many-sided approach to securing your home,one that includes common sense things like sound locks and proper exploit lighting at night.No system is impenetrable, and none can promise to eliminate the worst case completely.Every one of them has vulnerabilities that a knowledgeable thief could theoretically exploit. A good system is one that keeps that worst-case setting as improbable as possible while also offering strong protection in the event of a less-extraordinary attack.36. It is possible for burglars to make jamming attacks with the necessary equipment and skill.37. Interfering with a wireless security system is similar to interfering with a conversation.38. A burglar has to continuously jam the wireless security device to avoid triggering the alarm, both inside and outside the house.39. SimpliSafe provides devices that are able to distinguish incidental radio interference from targeted jamming attacks.40. Only a very small proportion of burglaries are committed by technical means.41. It is difficult to crack SimpliSafe as its system keeps changing.42. Wireless devices will transmit signals so as to activate the alarm once something wrong is detected.43. Different measures should be taken to protect one’s home from burglary in addition to the wireless security system.44. SimpliSafe’s device can send a warning to the house owner’s cellphone.45.Burglars can easily get a security device’s frequency by Internetsearch.Section CDirections: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 maked A),B),C)andD).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.As a person who writers abou t food and drink for a living, I couldn’t tell you the first thingabout Bill Perry or whether the beers he sells are that great. But I can tell you that I like this guy. That’s because he plans to ban tipping in favor of paying his servers an actual livin g wage.I hate tipping.I hate it because it’s an obligation disguised as an option. I hate it for the post-dinner mathit requires of me. But mostly, I hate tipping because I believe I would be in a better place if pay decisions regarding employees were simply left up to their employers, as is the custom in virtually every other industry.Most of you probably think that you hate tipping, too. Research suggest otherwise. Youactually love tipping! You like to feel that you have a voice in how much money you server makes. No matter how the math works out, you persistently view restaurants with voluntary tipping systems as being a letter value, which makes it extremely difficult for restaurants and bars to do away with the tipping system.One argument that you tend to hear a lot from the pro-tipping crowd seems logical enough:the service is better when waiters depend on tips, presumably because they see a benefit to successfully veiling their contempt for you .Well , if this were true we would all be slipping a few 100 dollar bills to our doctors on the way out their doors, too. But as it turns out, waiters see only a tiny bump in tips when they do an exceptional job compared to a passable one. Waiters, keen observers of humanity that they are , are catching on to this; in one poll, a full 30% said they didn’t believe the job they did any impact on the tips they received.So come on, folks: get on board with ditching the outdated tip system. Pay a little more up–front for your beer or burger. Support Bill Perry’s pub, and any other bar or restaurant thatdoesn’t ask you to do drunken math.46. What can we learn about Bill Perry from the passage?A) He runs a pub that serves excellent beer.B) He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.C) He gives his staff a considerable sum for tips.D) He lives comfortably without getting any tips.47. What is the main reason why the author hates tipping?A) It sets a bad example for other industries.B) It adds to the burden of ordinary customers.C) It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.D) It poses a great challenge for customers to do math.48. Why do many people love tipping according to the author?A) They help improve the quality of the restaurants they dine in.B) They believe waiters deserve such rewards for good service.C) They want to preserve a wonderful tradition of the industry.D) They can have some say in how much their servers earn.49. What have some waiters come to realize according to a survey?A) Service quality has little effect on tip size.B) It is in human nature to try to save on tips.C) Tips make it more difficult to please customers.D) Tips benefit the boss rather than the employees.50. What does the author argue for in the passage?A) Restaurants should calculate the tips for customers.B) Customers should pay more tips to help improve service.C) Waiters deserve better than just relying on tips for a living.D) Waiters should be paid by employers instead of customers.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy, but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil prices and growth has weakened?Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets when they’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on other things, which stimulates the economy.The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China,Japan，and India.But doesn’t the extra money in the pockets of those countries’ consumers mean an equal loss inoil-producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily,says economic researcher Sara Johnson. ―Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were high, so when prices fall they will draw on their reserves to support spend and subsidies(补贴）for their consumers.‖But not all oil producers have big reserves. In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming the positive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plunged partly because oil-producing nations cant’s afford to import as much as they used to. Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the prices drop account for a larger share of the global economy. Consumers, in the U.S. at least, acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number ofoil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.51. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?A)The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.B)Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.C)The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.D)The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.52. Why do some experts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global economy?A) Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.B) Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.C) Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to change.D) Consumers will spend their saving from cheap oil on other commodities.53. What happens in many oil-exporting countries when oil prices go down?A)They suspend import of necessities from overseas.B)They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.C)They use their money reserves to back up consumption.D)They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.54. How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?A) It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.B) Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.C) It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.D) Its effects on the global economy go against existing economic laws.55. Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?A) People are not spending all the money they save on gas.B) The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.C)Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.D)People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.Part IVTranslation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish .You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在中国文化中，红色通常象征着好运、长寿和幸福。

2016年12月大学英语四级阅读真题（卷一完整版）※点击查看2016年12月英语四级真题及答案专题2016年12月大学英语四级阅读真题（卷一完整版）Section ADirections: 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.Many men and women have long bought into the idea that there are “male” and “female” brains, believing that explains just about every differencebetween the sexes. A new study 26 that belief, questioning whether brains really can be distinguished by gender.In the study, Tel Aviv University researchers 27for sex differences the entire human brain.And what did they find? Not much. Rather thanoffer evidence for 28 brains as “male” or “female,” research shows that brains fall into a wide range,with most people falling right in the middle.Daphna Joel, who led the study, said her research found that while there are some gender-based 29 , many different types of brain can’t always bedistinguished by gender.While the “average” male and “average” female brains were 30 different, you couldn’t tell it by looking at individual brain scans. Only a small 31 of people had “all-male” or “all-female” characteristics.Larry Cahill, an American neuroscientist (神经科学家),said the study is an important addition to agrowing body of research questioning 32 beliefs about gender and brain function. But he cautioned against concluding from this study that all brains are the same, 33 of gender.“There’s a mountain of evidence 34 the importance of sex influences at all levels of brain function,” he told The Sea ttle Times.If anything, he said, the study 35 that gender plays a very important role in the brain “even when we are not clear exactly how.”A) abnormal I) regardlessB) applied J) searchedC) briefly K) similaritiesD) categorizing L) slightlyE) challenges M) suggestsF) figure N) tastesG) percentage O) traditionalH) provingSection BDirections: 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 correspondingletter on Answer Sheet 2.Can Burglars Jam Your Wireless Security System?[A]Any product that promises to protect your home deserves careful examination. So it isn’t surprising that you’ll find plenty of strong opinions about the potential vulnerabilities of popular home-security systems.[B]The most likely type of burglary (入室盗窃) by far is the unsophisticated crime of opportunity, usually involving a broken window or some forced entry. According to the FBI, crimes like these accounted roughly two-thirds of all household burglaries in the US in 2013.The wide majority of the rest were illegal, unforced entries that resulted from something like a window being left open. The odds of a criminal using technical means to bypass a security system are so small that the FBI doesn’t even track thosestatistics.[C]One of the main theoretical home-security concerns is whether or not a given system isvulnerable to being blocked from working altogether. With wired setups, the fear is that a burglar (入室盗贼) might be able to shut your system down simply by cutting the right cable. With a wireless setup, you stick battery-powered sensors up around your home that keep an eye on windows, doors, motion, and more. If they detect something wrong while the system is armed,they’ll transmit a wireless alert sign al to a base station that will then raise the alarm. That approach will eliminate most cord-cutting concerns―but what about their wireless equivalent, jamming? With the right device tuned to the right frequency, what’s to stop a thief from jamming your setup and blocking that alert signal from ever reaching the base station?[D]Jamming concerns are nothing new, and they’re not unique to security systems. Any device that’s built to receive a wireless signal at a specific frequency can be overwhelmed by a stronger signal coming in on the same frequency. For comparison,let’s say you wanted to “jam” a conversation between two people―all you’d need to do is yell in the listener’s ear.[E] Security devices are required to list the frequencies they broadcast o n―that means that a potential thief can find what they need to know with minimal Googling. They will, however, need so know what system they’re looking for. If you have a signin your yard declaring what setup you use, that’d point them in the right direction, though at that point, we’re talking about a highly targeted, semi-sophisticated attack, and not the sort forced-entry attack that makes up the majority of burglaries. It’seasier to find and acquire jamming equipment for some frequencies than it is for others.[F] Wireless security providers will often take steps to help combat the threat of jamming attacks. SimpliSafe, winner of our Editor’s Choice distinction, utilizes a special system that’s capable ofseparating incidental RF interference from targeted jamming attacks. When the system thinks it’s being jammed, it’ll notify you via push alert(推送警报).From there, it’s up to you to sound the alarm manually.[G] SimpliSafe was singled out in one recentarticle on jamming, complete with a video showing the entire system being effectively bypassed with handheld jamming equipment. After taking appropriate measuresto contain the RF interference to our test lab, we tested the attack out for ourselves, and were able to verify that it’s possible with the rig ht equipment. However, we also verified that SimpliSafe’s anti-jamming system works. It caught us in the act, sent an alert to my smartphone, and also listed our RF interference on the system’s event log. The team behind the article and video in question make no mention of the system, or whether or not in detected them.[H]We like the unique nature of that software. It means that a thief likely wouldn’t be able to Google how the system works, then figure out a way around it. Even if they could, SimpliSafe claims that its system is always evolving, and that it varies slightly from system to system, which means there wouldn’t be a universal magic formula for cracking it. Other systems also seem confident on the subject of jamming. The team at Frontpoint addresses the issue in a blog onits site, citing their own jam protection software and claiming that there aren’t any documented cases of successful jam attack since the company began offering wireless security sensors in the 1980s.[I] Jamming attacks are absolutely possible. As said before, with the right equipment and the right know-how, it’s possible to jam any wireless transmission. But how probable is it that someone will successfully jam their way into your home and steal your stuff?[J] Let’s imagi ne that you live in a small home with a wireless security setup that offers afunctional anti-jamming system. First, a thief is going to need to target your home, specifically. Then, he’s going to need to know the technical details of your system and acquire the specific equipment necessary for jamming your specific setup. Presumably,you keep your doors locked at night and while you’re away. So the thief will still need to break in. That means defeating the lock somehow, or breaking a window. He’ll need to be jamming you at this point, as a broken window or opened door would normally releasethe alarm. So, too, would the motion detectors in your home, so the thief will need to continue jamming once he’s inside and searching for things to steal. However, he’ll need to do so without tripping theanti-jamming system, the details of which he almost certainly does now have access to.[K]At the end of the day, these kinds of systems are primarily designed to protect against the sort of opportunistic smash-and-grab attack that makes up the majority of burglaries. They’re also only a single layer in what should ideally be a many-sided approach to securing your home, one that includes common sense things like sound locks and proper exterior lightingat night. No system is impenetrable, and none can promise to eliminate the worst case completely. Every one of them has vulnerabilities that a knowledgeable thief could theoretically exploit. A good system isone that keeps that worst-case setting as improbableas possible while also offering strong protection in the event of a less-extraordinary attack.36. It is possible for burglars to make jamming attacks with the necessary equipment and skill.37. Interfering with a wireless security system is similar to interfering with a conversation.38. A burglar has to continuously jam the wireless security device to avoid triggering the alarm, both inside and outside the house.39. SimpliSafe provides devices that are able to distinguish incidental radio interference from targeted jamming attacks.40. Only a very small proportion of burglaries are committed by technical means.41. It is difficult to crack SimpliSafe as its system keeps changing.42. Wireless devices will transmit signals so as to activate the alarm once something wrong is detected.43. Different measures should be taken to protect one’s home from burglary in addition to the wireless security system.44. SimpliSafe’s device can send a warning to the house owner’s cellphone.45. Burglars can easil y get a security device’s frequency by Internet search.Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.As a person who writes about food and drink for a living. I couldn’t tell you the first thing aboutBill Perry or whether the beers he sells are that great. But I can tell you that I like this guy.That’s because he plans to ban tipping in favor of paying his servers an actual living wage.I hate tipping.I hate it because it’s an obligation disguised as an option. I hate it for the post-dinner math it requires of me. But mostly, I hate tipping because I believe I would be in a better place if pay decisions regarding employees were simply left up to theiremployers, as is the custom in virtually every other industry.Most of you probably think that you hate tipping, too. Research suggests otherwise. You actually love tipping! You like to feel that you have a voice in how much money your server makes. No matter how the math works out, you persistently view restaurants with voluntary tipping systems as being a better value, which makes it extremely difficult for restaurants and bars to do away with the tipping system.One argument that you tend to hear a lot from the pro-tipping crowd seems logical enough: the service is better when waiters depend on tips, presumably because they see a benefit to successfully veiling their contempt for you. Well, if this were true, we wouldall be slipping a few 100-dollar bills to our doctors on the way out their doors, too. But as it turns out, waiters see only a tiny bump in tips when they do an exceptional job compared to a passable one. Waiters, keen observers of humanity that they are, are catching on to this; in one poll, a full 30% said they didn’t believe the job they did had any impact on the tips they received.So come on, folks: get on board with ditching the outdated tip system. Pay a little more upfront for your beer or burger. Support Bill Perry’s pub, andany other bar or restaurant that doesn’t ask you to do drunken math.46. What can we learn about Bill Perry from the passage?A) He runs a pub that serves excellent beer.B) He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.C) He gives his staff a considerable sum for tips.D) He lives comfortably without getting any tips.47. What is the main reason why the author hates tipping?A) It sets a bad example for other industries.B) It adds to the burden of ordinary customers.C) It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.D) It poses a great challenge for customers to do math.48. Why do many people love tipping according to the author?A) They help improve the quality of the restaurants they dine in.B) They believe waiters deserve such rewards for good service.C) They want to preserve a wonderful tradition of the industry.D) They can have some say in how much their servers earn.49. What have some waiters come to realize according to a survey?A) Service quality has little effect on tip size.B) It is in human mature to try to save on tips.C) Tips make it more difficult to please customers.D) Tips benefit the boss rather that the employees.50. What does the author argue for in the passage?A) Restaurants should calculate the tips for customers.B) Customers should pay more tips to help improve service.C) Waiters deserve better than just relying ontips for a living.D) Waiters should be paid by employers instead of customers.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy, but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil prices and growth has weakened?Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets whenthey’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on other things, which stimulates the economy.The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China, Japan, and India, But doesn’t the extra money in the pockets of those countries’ consumers mean an equal loss in oil producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara Johnson. “Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were high, so when prices fall they will draw on their reserves to support government spending and subsidies(补贴) for their consumers.”But not all oil producers have big reserves, In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming thepositive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plungedpartly because oil-producing nations can’t afford to import as much as they used to.Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the price drop account for a larger share of the global economy.Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number of oil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.51. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?A) The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.B) Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.C) The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.D) The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.52. Why do some experts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global economy?A) Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.B) Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.C) Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to change.D) Consumers will spend their saving from cheapoil on other commodities.53. What happens in many oil-exporting countries when oil prices go down?A) They suspend import of necessities from overseas.B) They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.C) They use their money reserves to back up consumption.D) They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.54. How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?A) It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.B) Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.C) It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.D) Its effects on the global economy go against existing economic laws.55. Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?A) People are not spending all the money they save on gas.B) The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.C) Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.D) People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.46. [B] He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.47. [C] It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.48. [D] They can have some say in how much their servers earn.※2016年12月英语四级成绩查询时间：根据历年英语四级成绩查询时间，预测2016年12月英语四级成绩查询于2017年2月中下旬开始，请广大考生密切关注老师英语四级成绩查询栏目。

专业英语四级真题2016年(总分100,考试时间90分钟)PART Ⅰ DICTATION1. Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given 1 minute to check through your work once more.【点此下载音频文件】PART Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A TALKIn this section you will hear a talk. You will hear the talk ONCE ONL Y. While listening, you may look at ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure what you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking.You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task.Now listen to the talk. When it is over, you will be given TWO minutes to check your work. What Is Grit?My questions●Why isn"t I. Q. the only difference between students?●What is the key to 1 ?My Research●investigation of all kinds of 2 , including:—West Point Military Academy— 3—**paniesMy finding: grit as predictor of success●Grit is 4 for very long-term goals.●Grit is working hard for years to make 5 .●Grit is living your life like a 6 .My survey●high school juniors took grit questionnaires● 7 kids were more likely to graduateGrit-building●little is known about how to build grit in students●data show grit is unrelated to 8●growth mindset is the bel ief that the ability to learn is 9●kids with grit believe failure is 10ConclusionWe need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier.【点此下载音频文件】1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.SECTION B CONVERSATIONSIn this section you will hear two conversations. At the end of each conversation, five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken ONCE ONL Y. After each question there will be a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A, B, C and D, and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.You have THIRTY seconds to preview the questions.Now listen to the conversations.Conversation One【点此下载音频文件】1.A. To tell the man that he has been shortlisted for interview.B. To ask the man a few questions about his interview.C. To explain to the man how to make a presentation.D. To tell the man the procedure of the interview.2.A. Questions related to the job.B. General questions about himself.C. Specific questions about his CV.D. Questions about his future plan.3.A. Questions from the interviewers.B. Questions from the interviewee.C. Presentation from the interviewee.D. Requests from the interviewee.4.A. Educational and professional background.B. Problems he has faced and solved.C. Major successes in his career so far.D. Company future and his contribution.5.A. 11 a. m., next Tuesday.B. 11 a. m., next Thursday.C. 9 a. m., this Tuesday.D. 9 a. m., this Thursday.Conversation Two【点此下载音频文件】1.A. The disadvantages of college loans.B. Government financing in college education.C. How to handle the problem of college loans.D. How college students pay for their education.2.A. It has increased by 6 to 8%.B. It has increased by 8 to 10%.C. It has decreased by 6 to 8%.D. It has decreased by 8 to 10%.3.A. Student"s family income.B. First year salary after graduation.C. A fixed amount of 30,000 dollars.D. Payment in the next ten years.4.A. Students can borrow money first.B. Students pay no tax on savings.C. Students pay less tax after graduation.D. Students withdraw without paying tax.5.A. Giving up charitable or volunteer work.B. Neglecting their study at college.C. Giving up further education.D. Neglecting high salary in job-seeking.PART Ⅲ LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGEThere are twenty sentences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Choose one word or phrase that **pletes the sentence.1. How can I concentrate if you ______ continually ______ me with silly questions?A. have...interruptedB. are...interruptedC. had...interruptingD. were...interrupting2. Among the four sentences below, Sentence ______ expresses the highest degree of possibility.A. It may take a long time to find a solution to the problem.B. It might take a long time to find a solution to the problem.C. It could take a long time to find a solution to the problem.D. It should take a long time to find a solution to the problem.3. She is a better speaker than ______ in the class.A. any boyB. the other boysC. other any girlD. all the girls4. Nobody heard him sing, ______.A. did oneB. did heC. didn"t theyD. did they5. I can"t put up with ______.A. that friend of youB. that friend of yoursC. the friend of youD. the friend of yours6. There has been an increasing number of ______ in primary schools in the past few years.A. man teacherB. men teacherC. man teachersD. men teachers7. This is one of the issues that deserve ______.A. being mentionedB. mentioningC. to mentionD. for mention8. The audience ______ excited on seeing ______ favorite star glide onto the stage.A. were...theirB. were...itsC. was...theirD. was...one"s9. ______ your advice, I would have made the wrong decision.A. Hadn"t it been forB. Had it not been forC. Had it been forD. Had not it been for10. The sentence I wish I had been more careful in spending money expresses the speaker"s ______.A. hopeB. joyC. regretD. relief11. The Attorney General ordered a federal autopsy of Brown"s body, seeking to ______ the family **munity there would be a thorough investigation into his death.A. ensureB. insureC. assureD. ascertain12. The police department came under strong criticism for both the death of an unarmed man and its handling of the ______.A. consequenceB. outcomeC. resultD. aftermath13. The Foreign Secretary tried to ______ doubts about his handling of the crisis.A. dispelB. expelC. repelD. quell14. Mutual funds are thus best for investors who don"t want to take the time to study stocks in detail or who ______ the resources to build a portfolio.A. depriveB. lackC. yearnD. attain15. Chris ran ______ John at a sporting-goods trade show and the two quickly struck ______ an easy rapport.A. into...upB. on...intoC. across...onD. against...into16. "I am leaving the country soon," he told a ______ convened group of reporters.A. especiallyB. particularlyC. speciallyD. specifically17. Israel and Hamas had reached a deal on extending the ______ ceasefire by an extra 24 hours until Tuesday at midnight.A. contemporaryB. makeshiftC. spontaneousD. temporary18. ______ to unplugging the alarm clock and trusting your ability to wake on time on your own, you should probably ease yourself into the new arrangement by keeping a very regular schedule for several weeks.A. DueB. PriorC. RelatedD. Thanks19. If you are an athlete, strong abdominal muscles help you ensure a strong back and freedom from injury during ______ upper-body movement.A. valiantB. variableC. vigilantD. vigorous20. Finning is a cruel ______ in which the shark"s fins are lopped off, and the live shark is thrown back to sea.A. realityB. truthC. practiceD. skillPART Ⅳ CLOZEDecide which of the words given in the box below would **plete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blanks. The words can be used ONCE ONL Y. Mark the letter for each word on ANSWER SHEET TWO.A. ampleB. combinationsC. directlyD. disseminatedE. generationsF. genuinelyG. insteadH. listsI. promulgatedJ. publicizedK. scant L. shaped M. sophisticated N. transplanted O. virtualImagine a world without writing. Obviously there would be no books: no novels, no encyclopedias, no cookbooks, no textbooks, no telephone books, no scriptures, no diaries, no travel guides. There would be no ball-points, no typewriters, no computers, no Internet, no magazines, no movie credits, no shopping lists, no newspapers, no tax returns. But such 1 of objects almost miss the point. The world we live in has been indelibly marked by the written word, 2 by the technology of writing over thousands of years. Ancient kings proclaimed their authority and 3 their laws in writing. Scribes administered great empires by writing, their knowledge of recording and retrieving information essential to **plex societies. Religious traditions were passed on through 4 , and spread to others, in writing. Scientific and technological progress was achieved and 5 through writing. Accounts in trade **merce could be kept because of writing. Nearly every step of civilization has been mediated through writing. A world without writing would bear 6 resemblance to the one we now live in. Writing is a 7 necessity to the societies anthropologists call civilizations. A civilization is distinguished from other societies by **plexity of its social organization, by its construction of cities and large public buildings, and by the economic specialization of its members, many of whom are not 8 involved in food procurement or production. A civilization, with its taxation and tribute systems, its trade and its public works, requires a 9 system of record keeping. And so the early civilizations of Egypt, China, and (probably) India all developed a system of writing. Only the Peruvian civilization of the Incas and their predecessors did not use writing but 10 invented a system of keeping records on knotted color-coded strings known asquipu.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.PART Ⅴ READING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are three passages followed by ten multiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer and mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONEWhen I was twenty-seven years old, I was a mining-broker"s clerk in San Francisco, and an expert in all the details of stock traffic. I was alone in the world, and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but these were setting my feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the prospect. My time was my own after the afternoon board, Saturdays, and I was accustomed to putting it in on a little sail-boat on the bay. One day I ventured too far, and was carried out to sea. Just at nightfall, when hope was about gone, I was picked up by a small ship which was bound for London. It was a long and stormy voyage, and they made me work my passage without pay, as a common sailor. When I stepped ashore in London my clothes were ragged and shabby, and I had only a dollar in my pocket. This money fed and sheltered me twenty-four hours. During the next twenty-four I went without food and shelter.About ten o"clock on the following morning, dirty and hungry, I was dragging myself along Portland Place, when a child that was passing, towed by a nurse-maid, tossed a big pear—minus one bite—into the gutter. I stopped, of course, and fastened my desiring eye on that muddy treasure. My mouth watered for it, my stomach craved it, my whole being begged for it. But every time I made a move to get it some passing eye detected my purpose, and of course I straightened up then, and looked indifferent and pretended that I hadn"t been thinking about the pear at all. This same thing kept happening and happening, and I couldn"t get the pear.I was just getting desperate enough to brave all the shame, and to seize it, when a window behind me was raised, and a gentleman spoke out of it, saying: "Step in here, please."I was admitted by a man servant, and shown into a sumptuous room where a couple of elderly gentlemen were sitting. They sent away the servant, and made me sit down. They had just finished their breakfast, and the sight of the remains of it almost overpowered me. I could hardly keep my wits together in the presence of that food, but as I was not asked to sample it, I had to bear my trouble as best as I could.Now, something had been happening there a little before, which I did not know anything about until a good many days afterwards, but I will tell you about it now. Those two old brothers had been having a pretty hot argument a couple of days before, and had ended by agreeing to decide it by a bet, which is the English way of settling everything.You will remember that the Bank of England once issued two notes of a million pounds each, to be used for a special purpose connected with some public transaction with a foreign country. For some reason or other only one of these had been used and canceled; the other still lay in the vaults of the Bank. Well, the brothers chatting along, happened to get to wondering what might be the fate of a perfectly honest and intelligent stranger who should be turned adrift in London without a friend, and with no money but that million-pound bank-note, and no way to account for his being in possession of it. Brother A said he would starve to death; Brother B said he wouldn"t. Brother A said he couldn"t offer it at a bank or anywhere else, because he would be arrested on the spot. So they went on disputing till Brother B said he would bet twenty thousand pounds that the man would live thirty days, anyway, on that million, and keep out of jail, too. Brother A look him up. Brother B went down to the Bank and bought that note. Then he dictated a letter, which one of hisclerks wrote out a beautiful round hand, and then the two brothers sat at the window a whole day watching for the right man to give it to.I finally became the pick of them.PASSAGE TWOThe concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some languages, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons—that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let"s look at a few of them.The doveThe dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war.There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that the devil can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. In Christian art, the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ"s head.But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modem symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949.The rainbowThe rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain. MistletoeThis plant was sacred in many cultures, generally representing peace and love. Most people know of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas time, which **es from Scandinavian mythology. The goddess Freya"s son was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, so, in honour of him, she declared that it would always be a symbol of peace. It was often hung in doorways as a sign of friendship.The ancient Druids believed that hanging mistletoe in your doorway protected you from evil spirits. Tribes would stop fighting for a period of time if they found a tree with mistletoe. But you will never see mistletoe in a Christian church—it is banned because of its associations with pagan religion and superstition.The olive branchThe olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympic Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism **e from the fact that theolive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modem flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol.The ankhThe ankh is an ancient symbol which was adopted by the hippie movement in the 1960s to represent peace and love. It was found in many Asian cultures, but is generally associated with ancient Egypt. It represented life and immortality. Egyptians were buried with an ankh, so that they could continue to live in the "afterworld". The symbol was also found along the sides of the Nile, which gave life to the people. They believed that the ankh could control the flow of the river and make sure that there was always enough water.PASSAGE THREETwo sides almost never change: That you can manipulate people into self-sufficiency and that you can punish them into good citizenship.The first manifests itself in our tireless search for the magical level at which welfare grants are big enough to meet basic needs but small enough to make low-paid work attractive. The second has us looking to the criminal justice system to cure behavior that is as much as anything the result of despair.The welfare example is well known. We don"t want poor people to live in squalor or their children to be malnourished. But we also don"t want to subsidize the indolence of people who are too lazy to work. The first impulse leads us to provide housing, food stamps, medical care and a cash stipend for families in need. The second gets us to think about "workforce".We"ve been thinking about it for two reasons: the "nanny" problems of two high-ranking government officials (who hired undocumented foreigners as household helpers, presumably because they couldn"t find Americans to do the work) and President Clinton"s proposal to put a two-year limit on welfare.Maybe something useful **e of Clinton"s idea, but I"m not all that hopeful. It looks to me like one more example of trying to manipulate people into taking care of themselves.On the criminal justice side, we hope to make punishment tough enough to discourage crime but not so tough as to clog our prisons with relatively minor offenders. Too short a sentence, we fear, will create contempt for the law. Too long a sentence will take up costly space better used for the violent and unremorseful.Not only can we never find the "perfect" punishment, our search for optimum penalties is complicated by our desire for fairness: to let the punishment fit the crime. The problem is that almost any punishment—even the disgrace of being charged with a crime—is sufficient to deter the middle class, while for members of the underclass, probation may be translated as "I beat it." So how can you use the system--welfare or criminal justice—to produce the behavior we want? The answer, I suspect is: You can"t.We keep trying to use welfare and prison tochangepeople—to make them think and behave the way we do—when the truth is the incentives work only for those who already think the way we do: who view today"s action with an eye on the future.We will take lowly work (if that is all that"s available) because we believe we can make bad jobs work for us. We avoid crime not because we are better people but because we see getting caught as a future-wrecking disaster. We are guided by a belief that good things will happen for us in the future if we take proper care of the present. Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe weare in control of our lives.And we have trouble understanding that not everybody believes as we believe. The welfare rolls, the prisons and the mean streets of our cities are full of people who have given up on their future. Without hope for the future, hard work at a low-paid job makes no sense. Working hard in school, or pleasing a boss, or avoiding pregnancy makes no sense. The deadly disease is hopelessness. The lawlessness and poverty are only the obvious symptoms.I"m not advocating that we stop looking for incentives to move poor people toward self-sufficiency or that we stop punishing people for criminal behavior. There will always be some people who need help and some who deserve to be in jail.All I"m saying is that the long-term answer both to welfare and the crime that plagues **munities is not to fine tune the welfare and criminal justice systems but to prevent our children from getting the disease of despair.If we encourage our young people to believe in the future, and give them solid evidence for believing we"ll find both crime and poverty shrinking to manageable proportions.1. In Para. 1, the phrase "set my feet" probably means ______.(PASSAGE ONE)A. put me asideB. prepare meC. let me walkD. start my journey2. It can be concluded from Para. 2 that ______.(PASSAGE ONE)A. the man wanted to maintain dignity though starvedB. the man could not get a proper chance to eat the pearC. the man did not really want the pear since it was dirtyD. it was very difficult for the man to get the pear3. Compared with Brother A, Brother B was more ______ towards the effect of the one-million- pound bank-note on a total stranger.(PASSAGE ONE)A. neutralB. negativeC. reservedD. positive4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?(PASSAGE TWO)A. Concept of Peace.B. Popular Peace Symbols.C. Origin of Peace Symbols.D. Cultural Difference of Peace.5. The rainbow represents the connection between human beings and their gods in all the following countries EXCEPT ______.(PASSAGE TWO)A. SwedenB. GreeceC. FinlandD. China6. In North Europe mistletoe was often hung in doorways to indicate ______.(PASSAGE TWO)A. friendshipB. loveC. kinshipD. honour7. The origin of the ankh can date back to ______.(PASSAGE TWO)A. the NileB. the "afterworld"C. the hippie movementD. ancient Egypt8. What is the author"s attitude towards Clinton"s proposal to welfare?(PASSAGE THREE)A. Pessimistic.B. Optimistic.C. Suspicious.D. Sarcastic.9. It can be inferred from Para. 7 that optimum penalties are ______ to the underclass.(PASSAGE THREE)A. hopelessB. uselessC. frighteningD. humiliating10. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?(PASSAGE THREE)A. Lawlessness and Poverty.B. Criminal Justice System.C. Welfare Grants.D. Disease of Despair.11. SECTION B SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONSIn this section there are five short-answer questions based on the passages in Section A. Answer the questions with No more than TEN words in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO. In Para. 4, what does the man mean by saying "I had to bear my trouble"?(PASSAGE ONE)12. What can be inferred from the last sentence of the passage?(PASSAGE ONE)13. Why does the UN use the olive branch in its symbol?(PASSAGE TWO)14. According to the author, what balance should we keep in welfare?(PASSAGE THREE)15. What does the author mean by saying "Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe we are in control of our lives" (Para. 10)?(PASSAGE THREE)PART Ⅵ WRITING1. Read carefully the following excerpt on term-time holiday arguments in the UK, and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should:●summarize the main message of the excerpt, and then●comment on whether parents should take children out of school for holiday during term time in order to save money. You should support yourself with information from the excerpt.Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. Term-time holidays will be bannedParents are to be banned by Michael Gove, UK"s Education Secretary, from taking theirchildren out of school to save money on holidays.He is to abolish the fight of head teachers to "authorise absence" from the classroom, whichhas been used to let families take term-time breaks, and will warn them they face fines for theirchildren not being at school."Any time out of school has the potential to damage a child"s education," a senior source atthe Department for Education said this weekend. "That is why the government will end thedistinction between authorised and unauthorised absence.""This is part of the government"s **mitment to bring down truancy levels in ourschools. There will also be stricter penalties for parents and schools."The tough measures on truancy are part of a wider attempt by Mr Gove to makeeducation more academically rigorous and to tackle a culture in the educational establishment which he believes hasaccepted "excuses for failure".Russell Hobby, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said themeasure would discourage parents from trying to put pressure on heads to sanction termtimeholidays. "The high cost of holidays outside of term time is still an issue but ultimately a child"seducation is more important than a holiday," he said.。

专业英语四级真题2016年(总分：99.95，做题时间：90分钟)一、PART Ⅰ DICTATION(总题数：1，分数：10.00)1.Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given 1 minute to check through your work once more.Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given 1 minute to check through your work once more.（分数：10.00）__________________________________________________________________________________________ 正确答案：()解析：[听力原文]Think Positive and Feel PositiveAre you confident or insecure in a difficult situation? / Do you react positively or negatively? / The answer may depend in part on whom you"re around. / A study found that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases. / For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / They measured each roommate"s tendency towards negative thinking. / It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. / Students with a negative thinking roommate became more depressed themselves, / and students with more positive thinking roommates / were more likely to become more positive as well.由标题Think Positive and Feel Positive可知，文章围绕积极思维与积极感受这一主题展开。

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案（共三套）听力答案Section A1. [A] It was dangerous to live in.2. [B] A storm3. [B] They were trapped in an underground elevator.4. [C] They sent supplies to keep the miners warm.5. [D] Close some of its post office.6. [C] Stopping mail delivery on Saturdays.7. [A] Many post office staff will lose their jobs.Section B8.[D] He will lose part of his pay.9.[B] He is a trustworthy guy.10.[D] She is better at handling such matters.11.[C] He is always trying to stir up trouble.12.[D] Reserved13.[A] They stay quiet14.[C] She was never invited to a colleague’s home.15.[B] Houses provide more privacySection C16. [D] They will automatically be given hiring priority.17. [C] Visit the school careers service.18. [B] Supervising study spaces to ensure a quiet atmosphere.19. [C] It may be sold at a higher price.20. [A] It is healthier than green tee.21. [D] It does not have a stable market.22. [B] They prefer unique objects of high quality.23. [B] They could only try to create at night.24. [A] Make wise choices.25. [A] To boost the local economy.阅读答案Section A26. [E] challenges27. [J] searched28. [D] categorizing29. [K] similarities30. [L] slightly31. [G] percentage32. [O] traditional33. [ I ] regardless34. [H] proving35. [M] suggestsSection B36. [I]37. [D]38. [J]39. [F]40. [B]41. [H]42. [C]43. [K]44. [G]45. [E]Section Cpassage one46. [B] He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.47. [C] It forces the customer to comensate the waiter.48. [D] They can have some say in how much their servers earn.49. [A] Services quality has little effect on tip size.50. [D] Waiters should be paid by employers instead of customers.passage two51. [C] The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.52. [D] Consumers will spend their savings from cheap oil on other commodities.53. [C] They use their money reserves to back up consumption.54. [B] Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.55. [A] People are not spending all the money they save on gas.翻译范文翻译一：在中国文化中，红色通常象征着好运、长寿和幸福，在春节和其他喜庆场合，红色到处可见。

2016年12月大学英语四级真题及完整答案(共两卷)2016年12月大学英语四级真题（第一套）Part I Writing (30minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation: one is to take a job in a company and the other to go to a graduate school. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report 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 centre.Questions 1and 2 are based on the news report you have just the heard.1. A) It was going to be renovated. C) It was dangerous to live in.B) He could no longer pay the rent. D) He had sold it to the royal family.2. A) A storm. C) A forest fire.B) A strike. D) A Terrorist attack.Questions 3and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) They lost contact with the emergency department.B) They were injured by suddenly falling rocks.C) They sent calls for help via a portable radio.D) They were trapped in an underground elevator.4. A) They provided the miner with food and water.B) They sent supplies to keep the miners warm.C) They released the details of the accident.D) They tried hard to repair the accident.Question5 to7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) Raise postage rates. C) Close some of its post offices.B) Improve its services. D) Redesign delivery routes.6. A) Closing offices on holidays. C) Computerizing mail sorting processes.B) Shortening business hours. D) Stopping mail delivery on Saturdays.7.A）A lot of controversy will ariseB) Taxpayers will be very pleasedC) Many people will begin to complainD) Many post office staff will lose their jobsSection BDirections:In this section,you will hear two long conversations.At the end of eachconversation,you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from four choice marked A),B),C) and D).Then mark the corresponding letter an Answer sheet1 with a single line though the centre.Question8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A)He will lose part of his pay. C)He will be given a warning.B)He will go through retraining. D)He is go good terms with his workmates.9.A)He is an experienced press operator. C)He is always on time.B)He is trustworthy guy. D）He is go good terms with his workmates.10.A)She is a trade union representative. C)She is better at handing such matters.B)She is a senior manager of the shop. D)She is in charge of public relation.11.A)He is always trying to stir up trouble.B)He is skilled and experienced.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.18.A) It tastes better. C) It is easier to grow.B) It may be sold at a higher price. D) It can better survive extreme weathers.19.A) It can grow in drier soil. C) It will replace green tea one day.B) It is immune to various diseases. D) It is healthier than green tea.20.A) It does not have a stable market.B) It has made tea farmers’ life easier.C) It does not bring the promised health benefits.D) It has been well received by many tea drinkers.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) They care more about environment.B) They decorate their homes themselves.C) They prefer unique objects of high quality.D) They need decorations to show their status.23. A) They made great contributions to society.B) They could only try to create at night.C) They were proud of their creations.D) They focused on the quality of their products.24. A) Identify fake crafts. C) Design handicrafts themselves.B) Make wise choices. D) Learn the importance of creation.25. A) To attract foreign investments. C) To arouse public interest in crafts.B) To preserve the traditional culture. D) To boost the local economy.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 foreach 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.Many men and women have long bought into the idea that there are “male” and “female” brains, believing that explains just about every difference between the sexes. A new study（26）that belief, questioning whether brains really can be distinguished by gender.In the study, Tel Aviv University researchers（27）for sex differences the entire human brain.And what did they find? Not much. Rather than offer evidence for（28）brains as “male” or “female,” research shows that brains fall into a wide range, with most people falling right in the middle.Daphna Joel, who led the study, said her research found that while there are some gender-based（29）, many different types of brain can’t always be distinguished by gender.While the “average” male and “average” female brains were（30）different, you couldn’t tell it by loo king at individual brain scans. Only a small（31）of people had “all-male” or “all-female” characteristics.Larry Cahill, an American neuroscientist (神经科学家),said the study is an important addition to a growing body of research questioning（32）beliefs about gender and brain function. But he cautioned against concluding from this study that all brains are the same,（33）of gender.“There’s a mountain of evidence（34）the importance of sex influences at all levels of brain function,” he told The Seattle Times.If anything, he said, the study（35）that gender plays a very important role in the brain “even when we are not clear exactly how.”A) abnormal B) applied C) briefly D) categorizingE) challenges F) figure G) percentage H) provingI) regardless J) searched K) similarities L) slightlyM) suggests N) tastes O) traditionalSection BDirections: 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.Can Burglars Jam Your Wireless Security System?[A]Any product that promises to protect your home deserves careful examination. So it isn’t surprising that you’ll find plenty of strong opinions about the potential vulnerabilities of popular home-security systems.[B]The most likely type of burglary (入室盗窃) by far is the unsophisticated crime of opportunity, usually involving a broken window or some forced entry. According to the FBI, crimes like these accounted roughly two-thirds of all household burglaries in the US in 2013.The wide majority of the rest were illegal, unforced entries that resulted from something like a window being left open. The odds of a criminal using technical means to bypass a security system are so small tha t the FBI doesn’t even track those statistics.[C]One of the main theoretical home-security concerns is whether or not a given system is vulnerable to being blocked from working altogether. With wired setups, the fear is that a burglar (入室盗贼) might be able to shut your system down simply by cutting the right cable. With a wireless setup, you stickbattery-powered sensors up around your home that keep an eye on windows, doors, motion, and more. If they detect something wrong while the system is armed, they’ll transmit a wireless alert signal to a base station that will then raise the alarm. That approach will eliminate most cord-cutting concerns—but what about their wireless equivalent, jamming? With the right device tuned to the right frequency, what’s to stop a thief from jamming your setup and blocking that alert signal from ever reaching the base station?[D]Jamming concerns are nothing new, and they’re not unique to security systems. Any device that’s built to receive a wireless signal at a specific frequency can be overwhelmed by a stronger signal coming in on the same frequency. For comparison, let’s say you wanted to “jam” a conversation between two people—all you’d need to do is yell in the listener’s ear.[E] Security devices are required to list the frequencies they broadcast on—that means that a potential thief can find what they need to know with minimal Googling. They will, however, need so know what system they’re looking for. If you have a sign in your yard declaring what setup you use, tha t’d point them in the right direction, though at that point, we’re talking about a highly targeted, semi-sophisticated attack, and not the sort forced-entry attack that makes up the majority of burglaries. It’s easier to find and acquire jamming equipment for some frequencies than it is for others.[F] Wireless security providers will often take steps to help combat the threat of jamming attacks. SimpliSafe, winner of our Editor’s Choice distinction, utilizes a special system that’s capable of separating incidental RF interference from targeted jamming attacks. When the system thinks it’s being jammed, it’ll notify you via push alert(推送警报).From there, it’s up to you to sound the alarm manually.[G] SimpliSafe was singled out in one recent article on jamming, complete with a video showing the entire system being effectively bypassed with handheld jamming equipment. After taking appropriate measures to contain the RF interference to our test lab, we tested the attack out for ourselves, and were able to veri fy that it’s possible with the right equipment. However, we also verified that SimpliSafe’s anti-jamming system works. It caught us in the act, sent an alert to my smartphone, and also listed our RF interference on the system’s event log. The team behind the article and video in question make no mention of the system, or whether or not in detected them.[H]We like the unique nature of that software. It means that a thief likely wouldn’t be able to Google how the system works, then figure out a way around it. Even if they could, SimpliSafe claims that its system is always evolving, and that it varies slightly from system to system, which means there wouldn’t be a universal magic formula for cracking it. Other systems also seem confident on the subject of jamming. The team at Frontpoint addresses the issue in a blog on its site, citing their own jam protection software and claiming that there aren’t any documented cases of successful jam attack since the company began offering wireless security sensors in the 1980s.[I] Jamming attacks are absolutely possible. As said before, with the right equipment and the right know-how, it’s possible to jam any wirelesstransmission. But how probable is it that someone will successfully jam their way into your home and steal your stuff?[J] Let’s imagine that you live in a small home with a wireless security setup that offers a functional anti-jamming system. First, a thief is going to need to target your home, specifically. Then, he’s going to need to know the technical details of your system and acquire the specific equipment necessary for jamming your specific setup. Presumably, you keep your doors locked at night and while y ou’re away. So the thief will still need to break in. That means defeating the lock somehow, or breaking a window. He’ll need to be jamming you at this point, as a broken window or opened door would normally release the alarm. So, too, would the motion detectors in your home, so the thief will need to continue jamming once he’s inside and searching for things to steal. However, he’ll need to do so without tripping the anti-jamming system, the details of which he almost certainly does now have access to.[K]At the end of the day, these kinds of systems are primarily designed to protect against the sort of opportunistic smash-and-grab attack that makes up the majority of burglaries. They’re also only a single layer in what should ideally be a many-sided approach to securing your home, one that includes common sense things like sound locks and proper exterior lighting at night. No system is impenetrable, and none can promise to eliminate the worst case completely. Every one of them has vulnerabilities that a knowledgeable thief could theoretically exploit. A good system is one that keeps that worst-case setting as improbable as possible while also offering strong protection in the event of a less-extraordinary attack.36. It is possible for burglars to make jamming attacks with the necessaryequipment and skill.37. Interfering with a wireless security system is similar to interfering with aconversation.38. A burglar has to continuously jam the wireless security device to avoidtriggering the alarm, both inside and outside the house.39. SimpliSafe provides devices that are able to distinguish incidental radiointerference from targeted jamming attacks.40. Only a very small proportion of burglaries are committed by technical means.41. It is difficult to crack SimpliSafe as its system keeps changing.42. Wireless devices will transmit signals so as to activate the alarm oncesomething wrong is detected.43. Different measures should be taken to protect one’s home from burglary inaddition to the wireless security system.44. SimpliSafe’s device can send a warning to the house owner’s cellphone.45. Burglars can easily get a security device’s frequency by Internet search.Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.As a person who writes about food and drink for a living. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about Bill Perry or whether the beers he sells are that great. But I can tell you that I like this guy. That’s because he plans to ban tipping in favor of paying his servers an actual living wage.I hate tipping.I hate it because it’s an obligation disguised as an option. I hate it for thepost-dinner math it requires of me. But mostly, I hate tipping because I believe I would be in a better place if pay decisions regarding employees were simply left up to their employers, as is the custom in virtually every other industry.Most of you probably think that you hate tipping, too. Research suggests otherwise. You actually love tipping! You like to feel that you have a voice in how much money your server makes. No matter how the math works out, you persistently view restaurants with voluntary tipping systems as being a bettervalue, which makes it extremely difficult for restaurants and bars to do away with the tipping system.One argument that you tend to hear a lot from the pro-tipping crowd seems logical enough: the service is better when waiters depend on tips, presumably because they see a benefit to successfully veiling their contempt for you. Well, if this were true, we would all be slipping a few 100-dollar bills to our doctors on the way out their doors, too. But as it turns out, waiters see only a tiny bump in tips when they do an exceptional job compared to a passable one. Waiters, keen observers of humanity that they are, are catching on to this; in one poll, a full 30% said they didn’t believe the job they did had any impact on the tips they received.So come on, folks: get on board with ditching the outdated tip system. Pay a little more upfront for your beer or burger. Support Bill Perry’s pub, and any other bar or restaurant that doesn’t ask you to do drunken math.46. What can we learn about Bill Perry from the passage?A) He runs a pub that serves excellent beer.B) He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.C) He gives his staff a considerable sum for tips.D) He lives comfortably without getting any tips.47. What is the main reason why the author hates tipping?A) It sets a bad example for other industries.B) It adds to the burden of ordinary customers.C) It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.D) It poses a great challenge for customers to do math.48. Why do many people love tipping according to the author?A) They help improve the quality of the restaurants they dine in.B) They believe waiters deserve such rewards for good service.C) They want to preserve a wonderful tradition of the industry.D) They can have some say in how much their servers earn.49. What have some waiters come to realize according to a survey?A) Service quality has little effect on tip size.B) It is in human mature to try to save on tips.C) Tips make it more difficult to please customers.D) Tips benefit the boss rather that the employees.50. What does the author argue for in the passage?A) Restaurants should calculate the tips for customers.B) Customers should pay more tips to help improve service.C) Waiters deserve better than just relying on tips for a living.D) Waiters should be paid by employers instead of customers.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy, but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil prices and growth has weakened?Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heatup the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets when they’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on other things, which stimulates the economy.The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China, Japan, and India, But doesn’t the extra money in the pockets of those countries’ consumers mean an equal loss in oil producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara Johnson. “Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were high, so when prices fall they willdraw on their reserves to support government spending and subsidies(补贴) for their consumers.”But not all oil producers have big reserves, In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming the positive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plunged partly because oil-producing nations can’t afford to import as much as they used to.Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the price drop account for a larger share of the global economy.Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number of oil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.51. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?A) The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.B) Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.C) The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.D) The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.52. Why do some experts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global economy?A) Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.B) Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.C) Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to change.D) Consumers will spend their saving from cheap oil on other commodities.53. What happens in many oil-exporting countries when oil prices go down?A) They suspend import of necessities from overseas.B) They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.C) They use their money reserves to back up consumption.D) They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.54. How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?A) It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.B) Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.C) It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.D) Its effects on the global economy go against existing economic laws.55. Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?A) People are not spending all the money they save on gas.B) The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.C) Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.D) People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.Part IV Translation (30minutes)Directions: For this part,you are allowed 30minutes to transtate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在中国文化中，红色通常象征着好运、长寿和幸福，在春节和其他喜庆场合，红色到处可见。

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第2套)Part IWriting(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have twooptions upon graduation: one is to take a job in a company and the other to go to agraduate school. Y ou are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain thereasons for your choice. Y ou should write at least 120 words but no more than 180words.Part ⅡListening Comprehension(25 minutes )Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each newsreport, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and thequestions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you mustchoose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single linethrough the centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A. To satisfy the curiosity of tourists.B. To replace two old stone bridges.C. To enable tourists to visit Goat Island.D. To improve utility services in the state.2. A. Countless tree limbs.B. A few skeletons.C. Lots of wrecked boats and ships.D. Millions of coins on the bottom.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A. It suspended diplomatic relations with Libya.B. It urged tourists to leave Tunisia immediately.C. It shut down two border crossings with Libya.D. It launched a fierce attack against Islamic State.4. A. Advise Tunisian civilians on how to take safety precautions.B. Track down the organization responsible for the terrorist attack.C. Train qualified security personnel for the Tunisian government.D. Devise a monitoring system on the Tunisian border with Libya.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A. An environment-friendly battery.B. An energy-saving mobile phone.C. A plant-powered mobile phone charger.D. A device to help plants absorb sunlight.6. A. While sitting in their school's courtyard.B. While playing games on their phones.C. While solving a mathematical problem.D. While doing a chemical experiment.7. A. It increases the applications of mobile phones.B. It speeds up the process of photosynthesis.C. It improves the reception of mobile phones.D. It collects the energy released by plants.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation,you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spokenonlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choicesmarked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A. He visited the workshops in the Grimsby plant.B. He called the woman and left her a message.C. He used stand-ins as replacements on all lines.D. He asked a technician to fix the broken production line.9. A. It is the most modern production line.B. It assembles super-intelligent robots.C. It has stopped working completely.D. It is going to be upgraded soon.10. A. To seek her permission.B. To place an order for robots.C. To request her to return at once.D. To ask for Tom's phone number.11. A. She is on duty.B. She is having her day off.C. She is on sick leave.D. She is abroad on business.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A. He saved a baby boy's life.B. He wanted to be a superhero.C. He prevented a train crash.D. He was a witness to an accident.13. A. He has a 9-month-old boy.B. He is currently unemployed.C. He enjoys the interview.D. He commutes by subway.14. A. A rock on the tracks.B. A misplaced pushchair.C. A strong wind.D. A speeding car.15. A. She stood motionless in shock.B. She cried bitterly.C. She called the police at once.D. She shouted for help.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hearthree or four 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 markedA, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with asingle line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A. She inherited her family ice-cream business in Billings.B. She loved the ice-cream business more than teaching primary school.C. She started an ice-cream business to finance her daughter's education.D. She wanted to have an ice-cream truck when she was a little girl.17. A. To preserve a tradition.B. To amuse her daughter.C. To help local education.D. To make some extra money.18. A. To raise money for business expansion.B. To make her truck attractive to children.C. To allow poor kids to have ice-cream too.D. To teach kids the value of mutual support.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A. The reasons for imposing taxes.B. The various services money can buy.C. The various burdens on ordinary citizens.D. The function of money in the modem world.20. A. Educating and training citizens.B. Improving public transportation.C. Protecting people's life and property.D. Building hospitals and public libraries.21. A. By asking for donations.B. By selling public lands.C. By selling government bonds.D. By exploiting natural resources.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A. It is located at the center of the European continent.B. It relies on tourism as its chief source of revenues.C. It contains less than a square mile of land.D. It is surrounded by France on three sides.23. A. Its beauty is frequently mentioned in American media.B. Its ruler Prince Rainier married an American actress.C. It is where many American movies are shot.D. It is a favorite place Americans like to visit.24. A. Tobacco.B. Potatoes.C. Machinery.D. Clothing.25. A. European history.B. European geography.C. Small countries in Europe.D. Tourist attractions in Europe.Part ⅢReading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. Y ou are required to select one wordfor each 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 AnswerSheet 2with a single line through the centre. Y ou may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.The ocean is heating up. That's the conclusion of a new study that finds that Earth's oceans now26heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 hastaken place since 1997, researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.Warming waters are known to27 to coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and they take up more spacethan cooler waters, raising sea28While the top of the ocean is well studied, its depths are moredifficult to 29The researchers gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get abetter30 of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together temperature readingscollected by everything from a 19th century31 of British naval ships to modem automated oceanprobes. The extensive data sources,32 with computer simulations ( 计算机模拟), created atimeline of ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and warming fromfossil fuel33About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial era now resides at a34 of more than 700 meters, the researchers found. They say they're35whether the deep-seawarming canceled out warming at the sea's surface.A. absorbB. CombinedC. ContributeD. depthE. emissionsF. excursionG. exploreH. floorI. heightsJ. indifferentK. levelsL. mixedM. pictureN. unsureO. voyageSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived. Y ou 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.The Secret to Raising Smart KidsA) I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation--and how people persevere aftersetbacks--as a psychology graduate student at Y ale University in the 1960s. Animal experiments bypsychologists at the University of Pennsylvania had shown that after repeated failures, most animalsconclude that a situation is hopeless and beyond their control. After such anexperience an animaloften remains passive even when it can effect change--a state they called learned helplessness.B) People can learn to be helpless, too. Why do some students give up when they encounter difficulty,whereas others who are no more skilled continue to strive and learn? One answer, I soondiscovered, lay in people's beliefs about why they had failed.C) In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depresses motivation more than doesthe belief that lack of effort is to blame. When I told a group of school children who displayedhelpless behavior that a lack of effort led to their mistakes in math, they learned to keep tryingwhen the problems got tough. Another group of helpless children who were simply rewarded fortheir success on easier problems did not improve their ability to solve hard math problems. Theseexperiments indicated that a focus on effort can help resolve helplessness and generate success.D) Later, I developed a broader theory of what separates the two general classes of learners--helplessversus mastery-oriented. I realized these different types of students not only explain their failuresdifferently, but they also hold different "theories" of intelligence.The helpless ones believeintelligence is a fixed characteristic: you have only a certain amount, and that's that. I call this a"fixed mind-set (思维模式). " Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors toa lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challengesmake mistakes more likely. The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence isnot fixed and can be developed through education and hard work. Such children believe challengesare energizing rather than intimidating (令人生畏); they offer opportunities to learn. Studentswith such a growth mind-set were destined (注定) for greater academic success and were quitelikely to outperform their counterparts.E) We validated these expectations in a study in which two other psychologists and I monitored 373students for two years during the transition to junior high school, when the work gets more difficultand the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect their math grades. At thebeginning of seventh grade, we assessed the students' mind-sets by asking them to agree or disagreewith statements such as "Y our intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't reallychange. " We then assessed their beliefs about other aspects of learning and looked to see whathappened to their grades.F) As predicted, the students with a growth mind-set felt that learning was a more important goal thangetting good grades. In addition, they held hard work in high regard. They understood that evengeniuses have to work hard. Confronted by a setback such as a disappointing test grade, studentswith a growth mind-set said they would study harder or try a different strategy. The students whoheld a fixed mind-set, however, were concerned about looking smart with less regardfor learning.They had negative views of effort, believing that having to work hard was a sign of low ability.They thought that a person with talent or intelligence did not need to work hard to do well.Attributing a bad grade to their own lack of ability, those with a fixed mind-set said that they wouldstudy less in the future, try never to take that subject again and consider cheating on future tests.G) Such different outlooks had a dramatic impact on performance. At the start of junior high, the mathachievement test scores of the students with a growth mind-set were comparable to those ofstudents who displayed a fixed mind-set. But as the work became more difficult, the students witha growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of theother students by the end of the first semester--and the gap between the two groups continued towiden during the two years we followed them.H) A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the workplace and discourage orignore constructive criticism and advice. Research shows that managers who have a fixed mind-setare less likely to seek or welcome feedback from their employees than are managers with a growthmind-set.I) How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by telling stories aboutachievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about mathematical geniuses whowere more or less born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of greatmathematicians who fell in love with math and developed amazing skills produce a growth mind-set.J) In addition, parents and teachers can help children by providing explicit instruction regarding themind as a learning machine. I designed an eight-session workshop for 91 students whose mathgrades were declining in their first year of junior high.Forty-eight of the students receivedinstruction in study skills only, whereas the others attended a combination of study skills sessionsand classes in which they learned about the growth mind-set and how to apply it to schoolwork. Inthe growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled "Y ou Can Grow Y ourBrain. " They were taught that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and thatlearning prompts the brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students beganto see themselves as agents of their own brain development. Despite being unaware that there weretwo types of instruction, teachers reported significant motivational changes in 27% of the childrenin the growth mind-set workshop as compared with only 9% of students in the control group.K) Research is converging (汇聚) on the conclusion that great accomplishment and even genius istypically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from agift.36. The author's experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set believe having to work hard is an indication of low ability.37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome frustration and achieve success.38. We can cultivate a growth mind-set in children by telling success stories that emphasize hard work and love of learning.39. Students' belief about the cause of their failure explains their attitude toward setbacks.40. In the author's experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed greater perseverance in solving difficult math problems.41. The author conducted an experiment to find out about the influence of students' mind-sets on math learning.42. After failing again and again, most animals give up hope.43. Informing students about the brain as a learning machine is a good strategy to enhance their motivation for learning.44. People with a fixed mind-set believe that one's intelligence is unchangeable.45. In the workplace, feedback may not be so welcome to managers with a fixed mind-set.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. AndD . Y ou should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage."Sugar, alcohol and tobacco," economist Adam Smith once wrote," are commodities which arenowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and whichare, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation. "Two and a haft centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. Withsurging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public health systems, governments around the worldhave begun to toy with the idea of taxing sugar as well.Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico's taxation foundafall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales of untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast,a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid claims thatconsumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattierfare.The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct government action.Nonetheless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that industry groups are under pressure todemonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of itsofferings. For example, some drink manufacturers have cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either by reducing the amount ofsugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, somecompanies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust thefundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on theinside, reduces the salt content without changing the taste.While reformulating recipes ( 配方) is one way to improve public health, it should be part of amulti-sided approach. The key is to remember that there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity,a mixture of approaches--including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes--will beneeded. There is no silver bullet.46. What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and .tobacco?A. They were profitable to manufacture.B. They were in ever-increasing demand.C. They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.D. They were no longer considered necessities of life.47. Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?A. They are under growing pressure to balance their national budgets.B. They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.C. The practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular and profitable.D. The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generating profits.48. What do we learn about Danish taxation on fat-rich foods?A. It did not work out as well as was expected.B. It gave rise to a lot of problems on the border.C. It could not succeed without German cooperation.D. It met with firm opposition from the food industry.49. What is the more recent effort by food companies to make foods and drinks both healthy and tasty?A. Replacing sugar or salt with alternative ingredients.B. Setting a limit on the amount of sugar or salt in their products.C. Investing in research to find ways to adapt to consumers' needs.D. Adjusting the physical composition of their products.50. What does the author mean by saying, at the end of the passage, "There is no silver bullet" ( Line 4, Para.7)?A. There is no single easy quick solution to the problem.B. There is no hope of success without public cooperation.C. There is no hurry in finding ways to solve the obesity problem.D. There is no effective way to reduce people's sugar consumption.Passage T woQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Y ou may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eating tissues or cottonballs to hold off hunger, and models collapsing from hunger-induced heart attacks just seconds afterthey step off the runway.Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades, and two researchers saya model's body mass should be a workplace health and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday inthe American Journal of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case forgovernment regulation of the fashion industry.The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under 16--low enough toindicate starvation by the World Health Organization's standard. And Record and Austin are worried notjust about the models themselves, but about the vast number of girls and women their images influence."Especially girls and teens,"says Record. "Seventy percent of girls aged 10 to 18 report that theydefine perfect body image based on what they see in magazines. " That's especially worrying, she says,given that anorexia (厌食症) results in more deaths than does any other mental illness, according tothe National Institute of Mental Health.It's commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like lung disease in coalminers. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders resulting fromoccupational demands to maintain extreme thinness.Record's suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI below 18.In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model's weight. Agents and fashion houseswho hire models with a BMI under 18 could pay $ 82,000 in fines and spend up to 6 months in jail.Regulating the fashion industry in the United States won't be easy, Record says. But with the new rulesin France, U.S. support could make a difference. "A designer can't survive without participating inParis Fashion Week", she says, adding," Our argument is that the same would be true of New Y orkFashion Week. "51. What do Record and Austin say about fashion models' body mass?A. It has caused needless controversy.B. It is but a matter of personal taste.C. It is the focus of the modeling business.D. It affects models' health and safety.52. What are Record and Austin advocating in the Monday editorial?A. A change in the public's view of female beauty.B. Government legislation about models' weight.C. Elimination of forced weight loss by models.D. Prohibition of models eating non-food stuff.53. Why are Record and Austin especially worried about the low body mass index of models?A. It contributes to many mental illnesses.B. It defines the future of the fashion industry.C. It has great influence on numerous girls and women.D. It keeps many otherwise qualified women off the runway.54. What do we learn about France's fashion industry?A. It has difficulty hiring models.B. It has now a new law to follow.C. It allows girls under 18 on the runway.D. It has overtaken that of the United States.55. What does Record expect of New Y ork Fashion Week?A. It will create a completely new set of rules.B. It will do better than Paris Fashion Week.C. It will differ from Paris Fashion Week.D. It will have models with a higher BMI.Part ⅣTranslation( 30 minutes )Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. Y ou should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在中国文化中，黄颜色是一种很重要的颜色，因为它具有独特的象征意义。

2016年6月大学英语四级真题试卷（二）(题后含答案及解析)题型有：1. Writing 2. Listening Comprehension 3. Reading Comprehension 4. TranslationPart I Writing1．For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to express your thanks to one of your friends who helped you most when you were in difficulty. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.正确答案：Dear Li Ming, I’m writing this letter to express my deep thanks to you for helping me out when I failed in my first College Entrance Exam. It is no exaggeration that it was the worst time in my life when I completely lost faith and began to abandon myself. Then you came to encourage me not to give up. It was you who convinced me that the failure of College Entrance Exam should not be the end of my efforts but the beginning, and that I should pull myself together and give myself a second chance: otherwise, I would become a real loser. Thanks to such a frank friend as you, I regained my confidence, and finally fulfilled my college dream. Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart, my dear friend. Best wishes! Yours sincerely, MaryPart II Listening ComprehensionSection A听力原文：You probably think college students are experts at sleeping,(1-1)but parties, preparations for tests, personal problems and general stress can rack a student’s sleep habits, which can be bad for the body and the mind. Texas Tech University is even offering a class called Improving Your Sleep Habits.(1-2)People suffering from sleep-loss are at an increased risk from obesity, psychological problems and car crashes. Students who don’t get enough sleep have poorer attendance and lower grades. On top of all that,(2)a new study published in the journal Learning and Memory finds you are probably better off sleeping than making last-minute preparations for a test. Two hundred college kids were taught to play some unfamiliar video games. Subjects who learned the games in the morning lost some skills when they played again 12 hours later, but they did much better after getting a good night’s sleep. So if you really want to do your job well, don’t forget to get some sleep.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. What is the news report mainly about?2. What is the finding of the new study published in the journal Learning and Memory?2．A．How college students can handle their psychological problems.B．Why college students are more likely to have stress problems.C．Why sufficient sleep is important for college students.D．How college students can improve their sleep habits.正确答案：C解析：新闻开头提到，人们可能认为大学生是睡眠方面的行家，但是聚会、备考、个人问题以及普遍压力会打乱他们的睡眠习惯，从而影响其身心发展。

2016年英语专业四级考试参考答案Part I DICTATIONThink Positive and Feel PositiveAre you con fide nt or in secure in a difficult situati on? / Do you react positively or negatively? / The answer may depend in part on whom you ' re around. / A study found that n egative thinking can be con tagious in some cases. / For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / They measured each roommate ' s tendency towards n egative thi nking. / It was found that thi nking patter ns can be con tagious. / Stude nts with a n egative thi nki ng roommate became more depressed themselves, / and stude nts with more positive thi nking roommates / were more likely to become more positive as well.Part II LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A TALK1. success2. challe nging sett ings3. National Spelling Contest4. passi on and persevera nee5. future a reality6. maratho n7. grittier8. measures of tale nt9. not fixed / cha ngeable10. a temporary con diti onSECTION B CONVERSATIONS1. Why does the woma n call the man?答案： [D ] To tell the man the procedure of the in terview.2. What ki nd of questi on s can the man ask in the in terview? 答案： [A] Questions related to the job.3. Which is the last part of the in terview?答案： [C] Presentation from the interviewee.4. What might be expected from the man ' io卩?esentat答案： [D] Company future and his contribution.5. When is the in terview scheduled? 答案：[B] 11 a.m. next Thursday.6. What is the in terview mainly about?答案： [C] How to handle the problem of college loans.7. How does the cost of college educati on cha nge every year?答案：[A] It was in creased by 6 to 8%.8. What is used to measure stude nt loa n debt as a guideli ne?答案： [B] First year salary after graduation.9. What is the adva ntage of jo ining a college sav ings pla n?答案： [D] Students withdraw without paying tax.10. What is the possible social cost of a college loa n?答案： [A] Givi ng up charitable or volun teer work.Part III LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE11. How can I concen trate if you ___ continually ____ me with silly questi ons?答案：[A] have...interrupted12. Among the four senten ces below, Sentence ____ expresses the highest degree of possibility.答案： [D] It should take a long time to find a solution to the problem.13. She is a better speaker tha n ___ in the class.答案：[A] any boy14. Nobody heard him sing, ____ ?答案：[D] did they15. I can ' t put up with _______ .答案：[B] that friend of yours16. There has been an increasing number of _____in primary schools in the past fewyears.答案：[D] men teachers17. This is one of the issues that deserve ____ .答案：[B] mentioning18. The audie nee ____ excited on see ing _____ favorite star glide onto the stage.答案：[A] were...their19. ___ your advice, I would have made the wrong decisi on.答案：[B] Had it not been for20. The sentence I wish I had bee n more careful in spe nding money expresses thespeaker' s ____ .答案：[C] regret21. The Attorney General ordered a federal autopsy of Brown ' s body, seeking to ____ t he family and com mun ity there would be a thorough inv estigati on into his death.答案：[C] assure22. The police departme nt came un der strong criticism for both the death of anun armed man and its han dli ng of the ___ .答案：[D] aftermath23. The Foreig n Secretary tried to ____ doubts about his han dli ng of the crisis.答案：[A] dispel24. Mutual funds are thus best for in vestors who don thettwan t dcB t adestocks in detail or who _____ the resources to build a portfolio.答案：[B] lack25. Chris ran ____ Joh n at a sport in g-goods trade show and the two quickly struck____ a n easy rapport.答案：[A] into...up26. “I am leav ing the country soohe told a __ convened group of reporters.答案：[C] specially27. Israel and Hamas had reached a deal on exte nding the ____ ceasefire by an extra24 hours un til Tuesday at midni ght.答案：[D] temporary28. ____ t o unplugging the alarm clock and trusting your ability to wake on time onyour own, you should probably ease yourself into the new arran geme nt by keep ing a very regular schedule for several weeks.答案：[B] Prior29. If you are an athlete, strong abdo minal muscles help you en sure a strong back and freedom from injury duri ng ____ upper-body moveme nt.答案：[D] vigorous30. Finning is a cruel _____ in which the shark ' s fins are lopped off, and the live shark is throw n back to sea.答案：[C] practicePart IV CLOZE31. [H ]l ists32. [L ]shaped33. [I ]promulgated34. [E]gen erati ons35. [D ]d issem inated36. [K ]scant37. [O]virtual38. [C]directly39. [M]sophisticated40. [G]in steadPart V READING COMPREHENSIONSECTION AMULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSPASSAGE ONE41. In Para. 1, the phrase “set my feet ” probably.means 答案：B. prepare me42. It can be con cluded from Para. 2 that ______ .答案：A. the man wan ted to ma in ta in dig nity though starved43. Compared with Brother A, Brother B was more ______ towards the effect of theone-million-pound bank-note on a total stranger. 答案：D. positivePASSAGE TWO44. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?答案：B. Popular Peace Symbols.45. The rain bow represe nts the conn ecti on betwee n huma n beings and their gods in allthe followi ng coun tries EXCEPT _____ .答案：D. China46. In North Europe mistletoe was ofte n hung in doorways to indicate ____ .答案：A. friendship47. The orig in of the ankh can date back to _____ .答案：D. ancient EgyptPASSAGE THREE48. What is the author ' s attitude towards Clinton ' sepToposal to welfa答案：A. Pessimistic.49. It can be in ferred from Para. 7 that optimum pen alties are ____ to theun derclass.答案：B. useless50. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?答案：D. Disease of Despair.SECTION BSHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS 说明：这部分答案不唯一，意思对了即可。

精品2016年12月四级阅读真题：CET4仔细阅读试题（网友版）2016年12月四级阅读真题：CET4仔细阅读试题（网友版）※点击查看2016年12月英语四级真题及答案专题2016年12月四级阅读真题：CET4仔细阅读试题（网友版）Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.As a person who writes about food and drink for a living. I couldn’t tell you the first thing aboutBill Perry or whether the beers he sells are thatgreat. But I can tell you that I like this guy.That’s because he plans to ban tipping in favor of paying his servers an actual living wage.I hate tipping.I hate it because it’s an obligation disguised as an option. I hate it for the post-dinner math it requires of me. But mostly, I hate tipping because I believe I would be in a better place if pay decisions regarding employees were simply left up to their employers, as is the custom in virtually every other industry.Most of you probably think that you hate tipping, too. Research suggests otherwise. You actually love tipping! You like to feel that you have a voice in how much money your servermakes. No matter how the math works out, you persistently view restaurants with voluntary tipping systems as being a better value, which makes it extremely difficult for restaurants and bars to do away with the tipping system.One argument that you tend to hear a lot from the pro-tipping crowd seems logical enough: the service is better when waiters depend on tips, presumably because they see a benefit to successfully veiling their contempt for you. Well, if this were true, we wouldall be slipping a few 100-dollar bills to our doctorson the way out their doors, too. But as it turns out, waiters see only a tiny bump in tips when they do an exceptional job compared to a passable one. Waiters, keen observers of humanity that they are, are catching on to this; in one poll, a full 30% said they didn’t believe the job they did had any impact on the tips they received.So come on, folks: get on board with ditching the outdated tip system. Pay a little more upfront for your beer or burger. Support Bill Perry’s pub, and any other bar or restaurant that doesn’t ask you to do drunken math.46. What can we learn about Bill Perry from the passage?A) He runs a pub that serves excellent beer.B) He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.C) He gives his staff a considerable sum for tips.D) He lives comfortably without getting any tips.47. What is the main reason why the author hates tipping?A) It sets a bad example for other industries.B) It adds to the burden of ordinary customers.C) It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.D) It poses a great challenge for customers to do math.48. Why do many people love tipping according to the author?A) They help improve the quality of the restaurants they dine in.B) They believe waiters deserve such rewards for good service.C) They want to preserve a wonderful tradition of the industry.D) They can have some say in how much their servers earn.49. What have some waiters come to realize according to a survey?A) Service quality has little effect on tip size.B) It is in human mature to try to save on tips.C) Tips make it more difficult to please customers.D) Tips benefit the boss rather that the employees.50. What does the author argue for in the passage?A) Restaurants should calculate the tips for customers.B) Customers should pay more tips to help improve service.C) Waiters deserve better than just relying ontips for a living.D) Waiters should be paid by employers instead of customers.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy, but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil prices and growth has weakened?Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets whenthey’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on other things, which stimulates the economy.The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China, Japan, and India, B ut doesn’t the extra money in the pockets of those countries’ consumers mean an equal loss in oil producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara Johnson. “Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were high, so when prices fall they will draw on their reserves to support government spending and subsidies(补贴) for their consumers.”But not all oil producers have big reserves, In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming the positive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plungedpartly because oil-producing nations can’t afford to import as much as they used to.Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the price drop account for a larger share of the global economy.Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number of oil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.51. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?A) The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.B) Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.C) The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.D) The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.52. Why do some experts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global economy?A) Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.B) Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.C) Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to change.D) Consumers will spend their saving from cheapoil on other commodities.53. What happens in many oil-exporting countries when oil prices go down?A) They suspend import of necessities from overseas.B) They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.C) They use their money reserves to back up consumption.D) They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.54. How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?A) It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.B) Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.C) It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.D) Its effects on the global economy go against existing economic laws.55. Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?A) People are not spending all the money they save on gas.B) The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.C) Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.D) People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.46. [B] He intends to get rid of the tipping practice.47. [C] It forces the customer to compensate the waiter.48. [D] They can have some say in how much their servers earn.※2016年12月英语四级成绩查询时间：根据历年英语四级成绩查询时间，预测2016年12月英语四级成绩查询于2017年2月中下旬开始，请广大考生密切关注老师英语四级成绩查询栏目。