2019年12月英语四级真题及解析（第1套）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions：For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to learn Chinese. Please recommend a place to him. You should write at least 120 words but not 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 bespoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer fromthe four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.【听力原文】News Report One四处游荡的母牛New York City police captured a cow on the loose in Prospect Park on Tuesday after the animal became an attraction for tourists while walking along the streets and enjoying the park facilities. The confused creature and camera-holding humans stared at each other through a fence for several minutes. At other times the cow wandered around the 526-acre park and the artificial grass field normally used for human sporting events. Officers used soccer goals to fence the animal in. However, the cow then moved through one of the nets, knocking down a police officer in the process. Police eventually trapped the cow between two vehicles parked on either side of a baseball field's bench area. An officer then shot an arrow to put it to sleep. Then officers waited for the drug to take effect. After it fell asleep they loaded the cow into a horse trailer. It was not clear where the cow came from or how it got lost. Police turned it over to the animal control department after they caught it.Questions I and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A. A wandering cow was captured by the police.B. Some tourists were injured by a wandering cow.C. A wandering cow knocked down one of its fences.D. Many facilities were destroyed by a wandering cow.2. A. It became a great attraction for tourists.B. It found its way back to the park's zoo.C. It was shot to death by a police officer.D. It was sent to the animal control department.【听力原文】News Report Two国家自然历史博物馆Starting April 28 of this year, the National Museum of Natural History will begin renovating its fossil hall. The fossil hall, which displays some of the world's oldest and largest fossil specimens, receives more than 2 million visitors each year. It's one of the museum's most famousattractions. As a result, the museum plans to expand the hall, as well as add to its ancient birds collection. Bird lovers, both young and old, have already responded with excitement at the news. The museum's social media account has been flooded with messages of support. In the meantime, the current collection will be closed. However, visitors will be compensated during the closure. Museum's special exhibition area will now be free of charge.This week, the resident exhibition is a display of ancient wall paintings on loan from Australia. They celebrate the cultural heritage of the country and will be available to view until Sunday. Next week, the exhibition will be taken over by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. The winner of this year's competition will be awarded a preview of the new fossil hall, as well as a cash prize.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A. It is the largest of its kind.B. It is starting an online exhibition.C. It is going to be expanded.D. It is displaying more fossil specimens.4. A. A collection of bird fossils from Australia.B. Some ancient wall paintings from Australia.C. Photographs of certain rare fossil exhibits.D. Pictures by winners of a wildlife photo contest.【听力原文】News Report Three捡垃圾的鸟Six birds have just been trained to pick up rubbish at a French historical theme park. According to the park's manager, Mr. Villiers, the goal is not just to clear up the park. He says visitors are already good at keeping things clean. Instead, he wants to show that nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment. He says that rooks, the chosen birds, are considered to be particularly intelligent. In the right circumstances, they even like to communicate with humans and establish a relationship through play. The birds will be encouraged to clean the park through the use of a small box that delivers a small amount of bird food. Each time, the rook deposits a cigarette end or a small piece of rubbish.So far, visitors to the theme park have been excited to see the birds in action. However, some parents are concerned that it encourages their children to drop litter so they can watch the birds to pick it up. Villiers is not concerned about this criticism. He maintains most of the feedback he has received has been overwhelmingly positive. He hopes now to train more birds.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A. Amuse visitors. B. Deliver messages.C. Pick up trash.D. Play with children.6. A. They are children's favorite.B. They are especially intelligent.C. They are clean and pretty.D. They are quite easy to tame7. A. Children may overfeed the rooks.B. Children may contract bird diseases.C. Children may be harmed by the rooks.D. Children may be tempted to drop litter.Section B ConversationDirections: 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 spokenonly once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1with a single line through the centre.【听力原文】Conversation OneW: The name of the TV show we wish to produce is Science Nation.M: Please tell us more. What will Science Nation be about?W: It’ll be about science, all sorts of science. Each episode will focus on a different area of science, and tell us what we know, how we know it, and what we still don't know. The show will have one host only, and this will be Professor Susan Paul from Harvard University. She's a great public speaker.M: So, just to be clear, will the show's format be like that of a documentary?W: Kind of. It'll be like a documentary in the sense that it'll be non-fiction and fact-based. However, our idea is for it to be also fun and entertaining, something which traditional documentaries aren't so much. Please keep in mind this will be a new TV show, like nothing ever done before.M: Okay, so it'll be both educational and entertaining, and your audience will be anyone interested in science, right?W: That's correct, yes.M: Right, thank you. So, I think we're more or less clear what the show will be like. Could you please tell us now, what exactly you want from us?W: Yes, of course. Basically, what we need from you is financial support. In order to go ahead with this idea, we need 2 million dollars. This will cover the cost of making all 12 shows in the first season for the first year. If the show is a success, we can then look at making a second season for the following year.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A. It will cover different areas of science.B. It will be hosted by famous professors.C. It will be produced at Harvard University.D. It will focus on recent scientific discoveries.9. A. It will be more futuristic. B. It will be more entertaining.C. It will be more systematic.D. It will be easier to understand.10. A. Youngsters eager to explore. B. Students majoring in science.C. Children in their early teens.D. People interested in science.11. A. Provide financial support. B. Offer professional advice.C. Help promotes it on the Internet.D. Make episodes for its first season.【听力原文】Conversation TwoW: What's up with you? You don't look very happy.M: I feel like I'm a failure. I can't seem to do anything very well.W: I wouldn't say that. You do very well in a lot of things.That presentation you gave last week was excellent.M: Yes, but I have this urge to strive for perfection. I really want to push harder and progress further.W: Well, that's very admirable. But be careful. Over concern with being perfect can damage our confidence if we never achieve it.M: Yes, I know. I feel awful whenever I make a mistake in whatever I'm trying to do.W: Well, think about it. You can't make progress without making mistakes and learning from them. Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, once said, "I’ve not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."M: You may well be right. I guess I should recognize my mistakes and learn the lessons they teach me and move forward.W: Also, remember a successful ending is not the only thing worthy of a celebration. You need to recognize each step of progress you take towards achieving your goals. And no matter how tiny it is, it's still good news.M: I always feel down when I see others accomplishing things and I feel miserable about my own achievements. I'm always trying to be as good as others, but I never seem to get there.W: Listen. If you always compare yourself with others, you'll never feel good enough. You're the only person you should be comparing yourself with. When you compare your current status with the starting point, you'll find you've made progress, right? That's good enough.M: That's great advice. Thank you. I'm feeling better already.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A. Unsure. B. Helpless.C. Dissatisfied.D. Concerned.13. A. He loses heart when faced with setbacks.B. He is too concerned with being perfect.C. He takes on projects beyond his ability.D. He is too ambitious in achieving goals.14. A. Embarrassed B. UnconcernedC. Resentful.D. Miserable.15. A. Compare his present with his past only.B. Try to be optimistic whatever happens.C. Always learn from others ' achievements.D. Treat others the way he would be treated.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 choicesmarked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.【听力原文】Passage OneSingle-sex education can have enormous benefits for female students. Numerous studies have shown that women who attend single-sex schools tend to have stronger self-confidence, better study habits and more ambitious career goals than women who attend coeducational schools. Girls who graduate from single-sex schools are three times more likely to become engineers than those who attend coeducational schools. The reason is that all-girls schools encourage women to enter fields traditionally dominated by men, such as science, technology and engineering. In coeducational schools, girls are often expected to succeed only in the humanities or the arts. Research has also shown that in coeducational settings, teachers are more likely to praise and give in-depth responses to a boy's comments in class. In contrast, they might only respond to a girl's comments with a nod. They are also more likely to encourage boys to work through problems on their own, while they tend to step in and help girls who struggle with a problem.In an all-girls setting, girls are more likely to speak up frequently and make significant contributions to class than in a coeducational setting. Girls studying in a single-sex setting also earn higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement exams than girls who study in coeducational settings. All girls schools tend to be smaller than coeducational schools, which means teachers will be able to tailor the materials to girl students' personal learning styles and interest.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A. They have greater potential to be leaders.B. They are more likely to become engineers.C. They are more likely to succeed in the humanities.D. They have a stronger sense of social responsibility.17. A. Praise girls who like to speak up frequently.B. Insist that boys and girls work together more.C. Respond more positively to boys' comments.D. Encourage girls to solve problems on their own.18. A. Pay extra attention to top students.C. Place great emphasis on test scores.B. Provide a variety of optional courses.D. Offer personalized teaching materials.【听力原文】Passage TwoToday I found out that Seattle doesn't really get that much rain compared with most U.S. cities. In fact, Seattle ranks 44th among major U.S. cities in average annual rainfall. Cities that get more rainfall than Seattle include Huston, Memphis, Nashville, and pretty much every majorcity on the eastern coast; such as New York, Boston, and Miami. So, why does everyone think of Seattle as a rainy city? The primary root of this misconception lies in that Seattle has a relatively large number of days per year with rainfall compared with New York and Boston, which get an average of about 16% more rain per year than Seattle, but also average between them about 36 fewer days a year of rainfall. So it rains a lot less in Seattle. And the rain is spread out over more days than those cities. This is why few locals in Seattle carry an umbrella generally. When it does rain, it tends to be a very light rain that isn't troublesome. It almost never really rains as most people think. On top of that, it never really storms in Seattle, either. Seattle gets an average of a mere 7 days a year with thunder. [21JSo in short, if you like sunny but not too hot summers, mild winters but with lots of cloudy days, Seattle's the place to be. Anyway, if you visit Seattle, don't bring an umbrella. People will look at you, thinking you are funny.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A. It seldom rains in summer time.B. It often rains cats and dogs.C. It does not rain as much as people think.D. It is one of the most rainy cities in the US.20. A. The rain is usually very light.B. The rain comes mostly at night.C. They have got used to the rain.D. They drive most of the time.21. A. It has fewer cloudy days than any other coastal city.B. It has mild weather both in summer and in winter.C. It has never seen thunder and lightning.D. It has a lot of places for entertainment.【听力原文】Passage ThreeAfter tough workout or a day full of physical activity, its common to find your muscles aching, but where do these pains come from? According to a German professor, the soreness comes from straining your muscles in an uncommon way, for example, jumping on a bicycle for a ride, because you haven't ridden in a long time. Soreness occurs since your leg muscles aren't used to that movement. When muscles perform an activity they aren't regularly expose to, the tiny fibers that are inside them are being torn apart. As muscle soreness develops, the body has to work to repair the muscle tears, but this doesn't happen immediately. First, the body must realize the muscles are damaged. When the body realizes the muscles are hurt, the response is to increase blood flow to the area and increase body heat. Damaged cells are then cleaned up and the body sends cells specially designed to break down the large muscle fiber fragments. Healing can take place after this. It takes about a day until these cells make it to your aching muscles. That's why there is most often a delay associated with muscle soreness. Repair of damaged cells takes about two days, and afterwards the soreness disappears. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to relieve muscle soreness. Pain relieving creams don't work, but a hot shower or warm bath can provide some relief.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A. It results from exerting one's muscles continuously.B. It occurs when people are doing a repetitive activity.C. It happens when people engage in an uncommon activity.D. It comes from straining one's muscles in an unusual way.23. A. They gradually become fragmented.B. They begin to make repairs immediately.C. Body movements in the affected area become difficult.D. Blood flow and body heat increase in the affected area.24. A. About two days. B. About ten days.C. About one week.D. About four weeks.25. A. Take pain-killers. B. Have a hot shower.C. Drink plenty of water.D. Apply muscle creams.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 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.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passageFinally, some good news about airplane travel. If you are on a plane with a sick passenger, you are unlikely to get sick. That is the 26 of a new study that looked at how respiratory（呼吸道）viruses 27 on airplanes. Researchers found that only people who were seated in the same row as a passenger with the flu, for example-or one row in front of or behind that individual-had a high risk of catching the illness. All other passengers had only a very 28 chance of getting sick, according to the findings. Media reports have not necessarily presented 29 information about the risk of getting infected on an airplane in the past. Therefore, these new findings should help airplane passengers to feel less 30 to catching respiratory infections while travelling by air.Prior to the new study, little was known about the risk of getting 31 infected by common respiratory viruses, such as the flu or common cold, on an airplane, the researchers said. So, to 32 the risks of infection, the study team flew on 10 different 33 in the U. S. during the flu season. The researchers found that passengers sitting within two seats on 34 side of a person infected with the flu, as well as those sitting one row in front of or behind this individual. had about an 80 percent chance of getting sick. But other passengers were 35 safe from infection. They had a less than 3 percent chance of catching the flu.A. accurateB. conclusionC. directlyD. eitherE. evaluateF. explorationsG. flightsH. largelyI. nearbyJ. respondK. slim L. spread M. summit N. vividly O. vulnerable Section 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 theparagraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraphmore than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter：Answer the questions bymarking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.A South Korean city designed for the future takes on a life of its ownA) Getting around a city is one thing-and then there's the matter of getting from one city toanother. One vision of the perfect city of the future is a place that offers easy access to air travel. In 2011, a University of North Carolina business professor named John Kasarda published a book called Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next. Kasarda says future cities should be built intentionally around or near airports. The idea，as he has put it, is to offer businesses "rapid, long-distance connectivity on a massive scale."B) "The 18t century really was waterborne（水运的）century, the 19th century a rail century, the20th century a highway, car, truck century-and the 21s century will increasingly be an aviation century, as the globe becomes increasingly connected by air, "Kasarda says. Songdo, a city built from scratch in South Korea, is one of Kasarda's prime examples. It has existed for just a few years."From the outset, it was designed on the basis of connectivity and competitiveness,"says Kasarda. The government built the bridge directly from the airport to the Songdo International Business District. And the surface infrastructure was built at the same time as the new airport.C) Songdo is a stone's throw from South Korea's Incheon Airport, its main international hub（枢纽）.But it takes a lot more than a nearby airport to be a city of the future. Just building a place as an "international business district" doesn't mean it will become one. Park Yeon Soo conceived（构想）his city of the future back in 1986.He considers Songdo his baby, Park sees himself as a visionary. Thirty years after he imagined the city，Park's baby is close to 70 percent built, with 36,000 people living in the business district and 90,000 residents in greater Songdo. It's about an hour outside Seoul, built on former tidal flats along the Yellow Sea.There's Coast Guard building and a tall trade tower，as well as a park, golf course and university.D) Chances are you've actually seen this place. Songdo appears in the most famous music videoever to come out of South Korea. "Gangnam Style" refers to the fashionable Gangnam district in Seoul. But some of the video was filmed in Songdo. "I don't know if you remember, there was a scene in a subway station. That was not Gangnam. That was actually Songdo," says Jung Won Son, a professor of urban development at London's Bartlett School of Planning."Part of the reason to shoot there is that it's new and nice. "E) The city was supposed to be a hub for global companies, with employees from all over theworld. But that's not how it has turned out. Songdo's reputation is as a futuristic ghost town.But the reality is more complicated. A bridge with big, light-blue loops leads into the business district. In the center of the main road, there's a long line of flags of the world. On the corner, there's a Starbucks and a 7-Eleven-all of the international brands that you see all over theworld nowadays.F) The city is not empty. There are mothers pushing baby carriages, old women withwalkers-even in the middle of the day, when it's 90 degrees out. Byun Young-Jin chairs the Songdo real estate association and started selling property here when the first phase of the city opened in 2005.He says demand has boomed in the past couple of years. Most of his clients are Korean. In fact，the developer says, 99 percent of the homes here are sold to Koreans.Young families move here because the schools are great. And that's the problem: Songdo has become a popular Korean city-more popular as a residential area than a business one. It's not yet the futuristic international business hub that planners imagined. "It's a great place to live.And it's becoming a great place to work," says Scott Summers, vice-president of Gale International, the developer of the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows of his company's offices overlook Songdo Central Park, with a canal full of small boats and people fishing.Shimmering（闪烁的）glass towers line the canal's edgeG) "What's happened is that our focus on creating that quality of life first has enabled theresidents to live here," Summers says. But there needs to be strong economic incentives for companies to locate here. The city is still unfinished，and it feels a bit like a theme park. It doesn't feel all that futuristic.There's a high-tech underground trash disposal system.Buildings are environmentally friendly. Everybody's television set is connected to a system that streams personalized language or exercise classes.H) But this is not Star Trek. And to some of the residents, Songdo feels hollow." I’m, like，inprison for weekdays. That's what we call it in the workplace," says a woman in her 20s.She doesn't want to use her name for fear of being fired from her job. She goes back to Seoul every weekend."I say I'm prison-breaking on Friday nights."But she has to make the prison break in her own car. There's no high-speed train connecting Songdo to Seoul，just over 20 miles away.I) Park Yeon Soo, the man who first imagined Songdo, feels frustrated, too. He says he builtSouth Korea a luxury vehicle." like Mercedes or BMW. It's a good car now. But we're waiting for a good driver to accelerate."But there are lots of other good cars out there, too. The world is dotted with futuristic, high-tech cities trying to attract the biggest international companies. J) Songdo's backers contend that it's still early, and business space is filling up-about 70 percent of finished offices are now occupied. Brent Ryan, who teaches urban design at MIT, says Songdo proves a universal principle." There have been a lot of utopian（乌托邦的）cities in history. And the reason we don't know about a lot of them is that they have vanished entirely."In other words, when it comes to cities-or anything else-it is hard to predict the future.36. Songdo's popularity lies more in its quality of life than its business attraction.37. The man who conceived Songdo feels disappointed because it has fallen short of hisexpectations.38. A scene in a popular South Korean music video was shot in Songdo.39. Songdo still lacks the financial stimulus for businesses to set up shop there.40. Airplanes will increasingly become the chief means of transportation, according to aprofessor.41. Songdo has ended up different from the city it was supposed to be.42. Some of the people who work in Songdo complain about boredom in the workplace.43. A business professor says that a future city should have easy access to internationaltransportation44. According to an urban design professor, it is difficult for city designers to foresee what willhappen in the future.45. Park Yeon Soo, who envisioned Songdo, feels a parental connection with the city.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) andD). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage One Questions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.The fifth largest city in the US passed a significant soda tax proposal that will levy（征税）1.5 cents per liquid ounce on distributors.Philadelphia's new measure was approved by a 13 to 4 city council vote. It sets a new bar for similar initiatives across the country. It is proof that taxes on sugary drinks can win substantial support outside super-liberal areas. Until now, the only city to successfully pass and implement a soda tax was Berkeley California, in 2014.The tax will apply to regular and diet sodas，as well as other drinks with added sugar，such as Gatorade and iced teas. It's expected to raise $410 million over the next five years, most of which will go toward funding a universal pre-kindergarten program for the city While the city council vote was met with applause inside the council room, opponents to the measure, including soda lobbyists, made sharp criticisms and a promise to challenge the tax in court"The tax passed today unfairly singles out beverages-including low-and no-calorie choices," said Lauren Kane，spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association."But most importantly，it is against the law. So we will side with the majority of the people of Philadelphia who oppose this tax and take legal action to stop it.An industry-backed anti-tax campaign has spent at least $4 million on advertisements. The ads criticized the measure, characterizing it as a "grocery tax."Public health groups applauded the approved tax as a step toward fixing certain lasting health issues that plague Americans."The move to recapture a small part of the profits from an industry that pushes a product that contributes to diabetes, obesity and heart disease in poorer communities in order to reinvest in those communities will sure be inspirational to many other places," said Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food America."Indeed, we are already hearing from some of them. It's not just Berkeley anymore."Similar measures in California's Allbany, Oakland, San Francisco and Colorado's Boulder are becoming hot-button issues. Health advocacy groups have hinted that even more might be。
