2020年大學(xué)英語四級考試真題(第2套)

大學(xué)英語四級考試真題PartIWriting(30minutes)注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefaccountoftheincreasinguseofthemobilephoneinpeople'注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。Peopleaiecrossingth己stjeetlookingtheircellphonesajid庶in呂walkingsticksjnorderiosec.PartIIListeningComprehension?。minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。A)Gotoaplacehehasvisited.C)Consultatravelagent.Makeherownarrangements.D)Joininapackagetour.A)Theyareonalongtripbycar.C)Theyareusedtogettingupearly.Theyarestuckinatrafficjam.D)Theyaretiredofeatingoutatnight.A)Heisapersondifficulttodealwith.C)Heisunwillingtospeakinpublic.Hedislikesanyformalgathering.D)Heoftenkeepsadistancefromothers.A)Workinanotherdepartment.C)Recruitgraduatestudents.Pursuefurthereducation.D)Takeanadministrativejob.A)Hewouldnotbeavailabletostartthejobintime.Heisnotquitequalifiedfortheartdirectorposition.Hewouldliketoleavesomemoretimeforhimself.HewillgethisapplicationletterreadybeforeMay1.A)Cleaner.B)Mechanic.C)Porter.D)Salesman.A)Requestoneortworoommatestodothecleaning.HelpLaurawithhertermpaperduethisweekend.GetLauratocleantheapartmentherselfthistime.AskLauratoputoffthecleaninguntilanotherweek.A)Aproblemcausedbytheconstruction.C)Thebuildingprojecttheyareworkingon.Anaccidentthatoccurredonthebridge.D)Thepublictransportationconditions.Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Tolookforajobasasalesperson.C)Toplaceanorderforsomeproducts.TohaveatalkwithMissThompson.D)Tocomplainaboutafaultyappliance.A)Thepersoninchargeisnotintheoffice.Thesuppliesareoutofstockforthemoment.Theyfailedtoreachanagreementontheprice.Thecompanyisre-cataloguingtheitems.A)0743,12536extension15.C)0734,38750extension15.0734,21653extension51.D)0743,62135extension51.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Sincehefoundagirlfriend.C)Sincehebegantoexerciseregularly.Sincehetooktoheavysmoking.D)Sincehestartedtoliveonhisown.A)Heisgettingtoofat.C)Hedoesn'teatvegetables.B)Hesmokestoomuch.D)Hedoesn'tlookwellatall.A)Theyareoverweightfortheirage.C)Theyarestillintheirearlytwenties.B)Theyarerespectfultotheirparents.D)Theydislikedoingphysicalexercise.A)Toquitsmoking.C)Tofindagirlfriend.B)Toreducehisweight.D)Tofollowheradvice.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。PassageOneQuestions16to19arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Theyhavedestroyedseveralsmalltowns.C)Theyhaveinjuredmanyresidents.B)TheywillsoonspreadtoSanFrancisco.D)Theyareburningoutofcontrol.A)Theyhavebeenhospitalized.B)Theyhavegotskinproblems.Theywerechokedbythethicksmoke.Theywerepoisonedbytheburningchemicals.A)Itfailedbecauseofasuddenrocketexplosion.B)Ithasbeenre-scheduledforamiddaytakeoff.Ithasbeencanceledduetotechnicalproblems.Itwasdelayedforelevenhoursandthirtyminutes.A)Theymadefrequentlong-distancecallstoeachother.B)TheyillegallyusedgovernmentcomputersinNewJersey.Theywerefoundtobesmarterthancomputerspecialists.Theywerearrestedforstealinggovernmentinformation.PassageTwoQuestions20to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Peaceful.C)Generous.B)Considerate.D)Cooperative.A)Someonedumpedtheclothesleftinthewasheranddryer.B)Someonebrokethewasheranddryerbyoverloadingthem.MindyLance'slaundryblockedthewaytothelaundryroom.MindyLancethreatenedtotakerevengeonherneighbors.A)Askingtheneighborhoodcommitteeforhelp.B)Limitingtheamountoflaundryforeachwash.Informingthebuildingmanagerofthematter.Installingafewmorewashersanddryers.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.A)Sheisbothapopularandhighlyrespectedauthor.B)SheisthemostlovedAfricannovelistofalltimes.Sheisthemostinfluentialauthorsincethe1930's.Sheisthefirstwritertofocusonthefateofslaves.A)TheBookCriticsCircleAward.C)ThePulitzerPrizeforfiction.B)TheNobelPrizeforliterature.D)TheNationalBookAward.A)SheisarelativeofMorrison's.C)Sheisaskilledstoryteller.B)SheisaslavefromAfrica.D)Sheisablackwoman.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。Manycollegestudentstodayownpersonalcomputersthatcostanywherefrom＄1000toperhaps＄5000ormore.26,itisnotuncommonforthemtopurchase27costinganotherseveralhundreddollars.Twentyyearsago,computerswere28,buttheywereverylargeandextremelyexpensive.Few,ifany,29purchasedcomputersforhomeuse.Overtheyears,thepriceofthe“guts”ofacomputer—itsmemory—hasdeclinedtolessthanathousandthofthepriceperunitofmemorythatprevailedtwentyyearsago.Thisisthemainreasonwhycomputerscostsomuchlesstodaythantheyusedto.Moreover,30improvementshavemadeitpossibleto31memorycircuitrythatissmallenoughtofitintotheportablepersonalcomputersthatmanyofusownanduse.32,asthepriceofcomputationhasdeclinedtheaverageconsumerandbusinesshavespentmoreonpurchasingcomputers.33,improvedagriculturaltechnology,hybrid(雜交)seeds,34animalbreeding,andsoonhavevastlyincreasedtheamountofoutputatypicalfarmercanproduce.Thepricesofgoodssuchasmeatsandgrainshavefallensharplyrelativetothepricesofmostothergoodsandservices.Asagriculturalpriceshavefallen,manyhouseholdshavedecreasedtheirtotalexpensesonfood.Eventhoughthe35ofaproductpurchasedgenerallyincreaseswhenitspricefalls,totalexpensesonitmaydecline.PartIUReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Togetasenseofhowwomenhaveprogressedinscience,takeaquicktourofthephysicsdepartmentattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Thisisastoriedplace,the36ofsomeofthemostimportantdiscoveriesinmodernscience—startingwithErnestLawrence'sinventionofthecyclotron(回旋加速器)in1931.Agenerationago,femalefaceswere37and,eventoday,visitorswalkingthroughthefirstfloorofLeConteHallwillseeafullcorridorofexhibits38themanydistinguishedphysicistswhomadehistoryhere,39allofthemwhitemales.Butclimbuptothethirdfloorandyou'llseea40display.There,amongthephotosofcurrentfacultymembersandstudents,areportraitsofthe41headofthedepartment,MarjorieShapiro,andfourotherwomenwhoseresearch42everythingfromthemechanicsoftheuniversetothesmallestparticlesofmatter.Asixthwomanwashiredjusttwoweeksago.Althoughthey'restillonlyabout10percentofthephysicsfaculty,womenareclearlyapresencehere.Andthereal43maybeinthesmallerphotostotheright:graduateandundergraduatestudents,about20percentofthemfemale.EveryyearBerkeleysendsitsfreshfemalephysicsPhDstothecountry'stopuniversities.ThatmakesShapirooptimistic,butalso44.“Ibelievethingsaregettingbetter,”shesays,“butthey'renotgettingbetteras45asIwouldlike.”注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。circumstanceconfidencecoverscurrentdealsF)differentexposingfasthonoringhopeK)presentlyrareM)realisticN)siteO)virtuallySectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.IsCollegeaWorthyInvestment?Whyarewespendingsomuchmoneyoncollege?Andwhyarewesounhappyaboutit?Weallseemtoagreethatacollegeeducationiswonderful,andyetstrangelyweworrywhenweseefamiliesinvestingsomuchinthissupposedlyessentialgood.Maybeit'stimetoaskaquestionthatseemsalmostsacrilegious(大不敬的):isallthisinvestmentincollegeeducationreallyworthit?Theanswer,Ifear,isno.Foranincreasingnumberofkids,theextratimeandmoneyspentpursuingacollegediplomawillleavethemworseoffthantheywerebeforetheysetfootoncampus.Formyentireadultlife,agoodeducationhasbeenthemostimportantthingformiddle-classhouseholds.Myparentsspentmoreeducatingmysisterandmethantheyspentontheirhouse,andthey'renottheonlyones...and,ofcourse,foranincreasingnumberoffamilies,mostofthecostoftheirhouseisactuallythecostoflivinginagoodschooldistrict.Questioningthevalueofacollegeeducationseemsabitlikequestioningthevalueofhappiness,orfun.Theaveragepriceofallgoodsandserviceshasrisenabout50percent.Butthepriceofacollegeeducationhasnearlydoubledinthattime.Istheeducationthattoday'sstudentsaregettingtwiceasgood?Arenewworkerstwiceassmart?Havetheybecomesomehowmassivelymoreexpensivetoeducate?Perhapsabit.RichardVedder,anOhioUniversityeconomicsprofessor,says“,Ilookatthedata,andIseecollegecostsrisingfasterthaninflationuptothemid-1980sby1percentayear.NowIseethemrising3to4percentayearoverinflation.Whathashappened?Thefederalgovernmenthasstarteddroppingmoneyoutofairplanes.”Aidhasincreased,subsidized(補貼的)loanshavebecomeavailable,and“theuniversitieshavegottenthemoney.”EconomistBryanCaplan,whoiswritingabookabouteducation,agrees:“It'sagiantwasteofresourcesthatwillcontinueaslongasthesubsidiescontinue.”Promotionalliteratureforcollegesandstudentloansoftenspeaksofdebtasan“investmentinyourself.”Butaninvestmentissupposedtogenerateincometopayofftheloans.Morethanhalfofallrecentgraduatesareunemployedorinjobsthatdonotrequireadegree,andtheamountofstudent-loandebtcarriedbyhouseholdshasincreasedmorethanfivetimessince1999.Thesegraduatesweretoldthatadiplomawasalltheyneededtosucceed,butitwon'tevengetthemoutofthesparebedroomatMomandDad's.Formany,themostvisibleresultoftheirfouryearsistheloanpayments,whichnowaveragehundredsofdollarsamonthonloanbalancesinthetensofthousands.It'strueaboutthemoney—sortof.Collegegraduatesnowmake80percentmorethanpeoplewhohaveonlyahigh-schooldiploma,andthoughtherearenopreciseestimates,thewagepremium(高出的部分)foranoutstandingschoolseemstobeevenhigher.Butthat'snottrueofeverystudent.It'sveryeasytospendfouryearsmajoringinEnglishliteratureandcomeoutnomoreemployablethanyouwerebeforeyouwentin.Conversely,chemicalengineersstraightoutofschoolcaneasilymakealmostfourtimesthewagesofanentry-levelhigh-schoolgraduate.JamesHeckman,theNobelPrize-winningeconomist,hasexaminedhowthereturnsoneducationbreakdownforindividualswithdifferentbackgroundsandlevelsofability.“Evenwiththesehighprices,you'restillfindingahighreturnforindividualswhoarebrightandmotivated,”hesays.Ontheotherhand,“ifyou'renotcollegeready,thentheanswerisno,it'snotworthit.”Expertstendtoagreethatfortheaveragestudent,collegeisstillworthittoday,buttheyalsoagreethattherapidincreaseinpriceiseatingupmoreandmoreofthepotentialreturn.Forborderlinestudents,tuition(學(xué)費)risecanpushthosereturnsintonegativeterritory.Everyoneseemstoagreethatthegovernment,andparents,shouldberethinkinghowweinvestinhighereducation—andthatemployersneedtorethinktheincreasinguseofcollegedegreesascrudescreeningtoolsforjobsthatdon'treallyrequirecollegeskills.“Employersseeingasurplusofcollegegraduatesandlookingtofilljobsarejustaddingthatrequirement,”saysVedder.“Infact,acollegedegreebecomesajobrequirementforbecomingabar-tender.”Wehavestartedtoseesomechangeonthefinanceside.Alawpassedin2007allowsmanystudentstocaptheirloanpaymentat10percentoftheirincomeandforgivesanybalanceafter25years.Butofcourse,thatdoesn'tcontrolthecostofeducation;itjustshiftsittotaxpayers.Italsoencouragesgraduatestochooselower-payingcareers,whichreducesthefinancialreturntoeducationstillfurther.“You'resubsidizingpeopletobecomepriestsandpoetsandsoforth,”saysHeckman.“Youmaythinkthat'sagoodthing,oryoumaynot.”Eitherwayitwillbeexpensiveforthegovernment.Whatmightbealotcheaperisputtingmorekidstowork.Caplannotesthatworkalsobuildsvaluableskills—probablymorevaluableforkidswhodon'tnaturallylovesittinginaclassroom.Heckmanagreeswholeheartedly:“Peoplearedifferent,andthoseabilitiescanbeshaped.That'swhatwe'velearned,andpublicpolicyshouldrecognizethat.”Heckmanwouldliketoseemoreapprenticeship-style(學(xué)徒式)programs,wherekidscanlearnintheworkplace—learnnotjustspecificjobskills,butthekindof“softskills,”likegettingtoworkontimeandgettingalongwithateam,thatarecrucialforcareersuccess.“It'sabouthavingmentors(指導(dǎo)者)andhavingworkplace-basededucation,”hesays.“TimeandagainI'veseenexamplesofthiskindofprogramworking.”Ah,buthowdowegettherefromhere?Withbetterpublicpolicy,hopefully,butalsobymakingbetterindividualdecisions.“Historicallymarketshavebeenabletohandlethesethings,”saysVedder,“andIthinkeventuallymarketswillhandlethisone.Ifitdoesn'timprovesoon,peoplearegoingtowakeupandask,‘WhyamIgoingtocollege?'”注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。Caplansuggeststhatkidswhodon'tloveschoolgotowork.Anincreasingnumberoffamiliesspendmoremoneyonhousesinagoodschooldistrict.Subsidizedloanstocollegestudentsareahugewasteofmoney,accordingtooneeconomist.Moreandmorekidsfindtheyfareworsewithacollegediploma.Forthosewhoarenotpreparedforhighereducation,goingtocollegeisnotworthit.Overtheyearsthecostofacollegeeducationhasincreasedalmostby100%.Alawpassedrecentlyallowsmanystudentstopaynomorethanonetenthoftheirincomefortheircollegeloans.Middle-classAmericanshavehighlyvaluedagoodeducation.Morekidsshouldbeencouragedtoparticipateinprogramswheretheycanlearnnotonlyjobskillsbutalsosocialskills.Overfiftypercentofrecentcollegegraduatesremainunemployedorunabletofindasuitablejob.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Arecentglobalsurveyof2000high-net-worthindividualsfoundthat60%werenotplanningonatraditionalretirement.AmongUSparticipants,75%expectedtocontinueworkinginsomecapacityevenaftersteppingawayfromfull-timejobs.“Manyofthesepeoplemadetheirwealthbydoingsomethingthey'repassionate（有激情的）about,”saysDanielEgan,headofbehavioralfinanceforBarclaysWealthAmericas.“Giventhechoice,theyprefertocontinueworking.”Barclayscallsthesepeople“nevertirees.”UnlikemanyAmericanscompelledintoearlyretirementbycompanyrestrictions,theaveragenevertireeoftenhasnooneforcinghishand.If106-year-oldinvestorIrvingKahn,headofhisownfamilyfirm,wantstokeepcomingtoworkeveryday,who'sgoingtostophim?Seventy-eight-year-oldSupremeCourtJusticeRuthBaderGinsburg'sjobsecurityisguaranteedintheConstitution.Itmayseemthattheseelderlypeoplearetryingtocheatdeath.Infact,theyare.Andit'sworking.HowardFriedman,aprofessoratUCRiverside,foundinhisresearchthatthosewhoworkhardestandaresuccessfulintheircareersoftenlivethelongestlives.“Peoplearegenerallybeinggivenbadadvicetoslowdown,takeiteasy,stopworrying,andretiretoFlorida,”hesays.Hedescribedonestudyparticipant,stillworkingattheageof100,whowasrecentlydisappointedtoseehissonretire.“We'rebeginningtoseeachangeinhowpeopleviewretirement,”saysGeorgeLeeson,co-directoroftheInstituteofPopulationAgeingatOxford.Whereonceretirementwasseenasabriefrewardafteralongstrugglethroughsomemiserablejob,itisnowakin（近似）tobeingcastaside.WhatLeesonterms“theWarrenBuffetteffect”isbecomingmorebroadlyappealingasindividualscometo“viewretirementasnotsimplybeinglinkedtoeconomicproductivitybutalsoaboutcontribution.”O(jiān)bserversaresplitonwhetherthisisawhollygoodthing.Ontheonehand,companiesandfinancialfirmscanbenefitfromthewisdomofaresilient（堅韌的）chief.Ontheother,thenewgenerationcanfinditmoredifficulttoadvance—anargumentthattypicallyholdslittleswaytoanevertiree.注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。Whatdowelearnabouttheso-called“nevertirees”？Theyarepassionateaboutmakingafortune.Theyhavenochoicebuttocontinueworking.Theylovewhattheydoandchoosenottoretire.Theywillnotretireunlesstheyarecompelledto.WhatdoIrvingKahnandRuthBaderGinsburghaveincommon?Neitherofthemissubjecttoforcedretirement.Neitherofthemdesiresrewardfortheirwork.Bothclingtotheirpositionsdespiteopposition.Botharecapableofcopingwithheavyworkloads.WhatisthefindingofHowardFriedman'sresearch?Theharderyouwork,thebiggeryourfortunewillbe.Theearlieryouretire,thehealthieryouwillbe.Elderlypeoplehavetoslowdowntolivelonger.Workingatanadvancedagelengthenspeople'slife.Whatisthetraditionalviewofretirementaccordingtothepassage?Itmeansaburdentotheyoungergeneration.Itisasymbolofamatureandcivilizedsociety.Itisacompensationforone'slife-longhardwork.Ithelpsincreaseanation'seconomicproductivity.Whatdocriticssayabout“nevertirees”？Theyareanobstacletoacompany'sdevelopment.Theylackthecreativityoftheyoungergeneration.Theycannotworkasefficientlyastheyusedto.Theypreventyoungpeoplefromgettingahead.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.WhenwetalkaboutAmericansbarelyintoadulthoodwhoaresaddledwithunbearablelevelsofdebt,theconversationisalmostalwaysaboutstudentloandebt.Butthere'sagrowingbodyofevidencesuggestingthattoday'syoungadultsarealsodrowningincredit-carddebt—andthatmanyofthemwilltakethisdebttotheirgraves.Morethan20%overspenttheirincomebymorethan＄100everysinglemonth.Sincetheyhaven'tbuiltuptheircredithistoriesyet,it'sasafebetthattheseyoungadultsarepayingrelativelyhighinterestratesontheresultingcreditcarddebt.Althoughmanyyoungpeopleblame“socializing”asabarriertosavingmoney,mostofthemaren'tknockingback＄20drinksintrendy(時尚的)lounges.They'restrugglingwithmuchmoredailyfinancialdemands.Toadisturbinglylargeextent,theyoungandthebrokearerelyingoncreditcardstomakeituntiltheirnextpayday.Thisobviouslyisn'tsustainableinthelongrun,andit'sgoingtoputahugedragontheirspendingpowerevenaftertheyreachtheirpeakearningyears,becausethey'llstillbepayinginterestonthatbottleoforangejuiceorboxofspaghetti(意式面條)theyboughtadecadeearlier.AnewstudyoutofOhioStateUniversityfoundthatyoungadultsareaccumulatingcreditcarddebtatamorerapidratethanotheragegroups,andthatthey'resloweratpayingitoff.“Ifwhatwefoundcontinuestoholdtrue,wemayhavemoreelderlypeoplewithsubstantialfinancialproblemsinthefuture,”warnsLuciaDunn,professorofeconomicsatOhioState.“Ifourfindingspersist,wemaybefacedwithafinancialcrisisamongelderlypeoplewhocan'tpayofftheircreditcards.”Dunnsaysalotoftheseyoungpeoplearenevergoingtogetoutfromundertheircreditcarddebt.“Manypeopleareborrowingoncreditcardssoheavilythatpayoffratesattheselevelsarenotsufficienttorecovertheircreditcarddebtbytheendoftheirlife,whichcouldhavelossimplicationsforthecreditcardissuingbanks.”注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。Whatisthemainideaofthefirstparagraph?ManyyoungAmericanswillneverbeabletopayofftheirdebts.Creditcardsplayanincreasinglyimportant