2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题(三套卷)

合集下载

2016年12月英语四级真题及答案第三套

2016年12月英语四级真题及答案第三套Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation: one is to work in a state-ownedbusiness and the other in a joint venture.You are to make a choice betweenthe two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You shouldwrite 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 reportand 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 1with a singleline through 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 schools 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 conversationand 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 singleline 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 hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questionswill be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose thebest answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then markthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line throughthe 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 modern 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 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 wordbank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully beforemaking your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 witha single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words inthe bank 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 now 26 heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 has taken place since 1997, researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.Warming waters are known to 27 to coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and they take up more space than cooler waters, raising sea 28 . While the top of the ocean is well studied, its depths are more difficult to 29 . The researchers gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get a better 30 of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together temperature readings collected by everything from a 19th century 31 of British naval ships to modern automated ocean probes. The extensive data sources, 32 with computer simulations (计算机模拟), created a timeline of ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and warming from fossil fuel 33 .About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial era now resides at a 34 of more than 700 meters, the researchers found. They say they’re 35 whether the deep-sea warming canceled out warming at the sea’s surface.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 theparagraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked witha letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2.The Secret to Raising Smart Kids[A] I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation—and how peoplepersevere after setbacks—as a psychology graduate student at Yale University in the 1960s. Animal experiments by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania had shown that after repeated failures, most animals conclude thata situation is hopeless and beyond their control. After such an experience ananimal often 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 theyencounter difficulty, whereas others who are no more skilled continue to strive and learn? One answer, I soon discovered, lay in people’s beliefs about why theyhad failed.[C]In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depressesmotivation more than does the belief that lack of effort is to blame. When I told a group of school children who displayed helpless behavior that a lack of effort led to their mistakes in math, they learned to keep trying when the problems got tough. Another group of helpless children who were simply rewarded for their success on easier problems did not improve their ability to solve hard math problems. These experiments 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 classesof learners-helpless versus mastery-oriented. I realized these different types of students not only explain their failures differently, but they also hold different “theories” of intell igence. The helpless ones believe intelligence 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 to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challenges make mistakes more likely.The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence is not fixed and can be developed through education and hard work. Such children believe challenges are energizing rather than intimidating (令人生畏); they offer opportunities to learn. Students with such a growth mind-set were destined (注定) for greater academic success and were quite likely to outperform their counterparts.[E] We validated these expectations in a study in which two other psychologists andI monitored 373 students for two years during the transition to junior high school,when the work gets more difficult and the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect their math grades. At the beginning of seventh grade,we assessed the students’ mind-sets by asking them to agree or disagree with statements such as “Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t really change.” We then assessed their beliefs about other aspects of learning and looked to see what happened to their grades.[F] As predicted, the students with a growth mind-set felt that learning was a moreimportant goal than getting good grades. In addition, they held hard work in high regard. They understood that even geniuses have to work hard. Confronted by a setback such as a disappointing test grade, students with a growth mind-set said they would study harder or try a different strategy. The students who held a fixed mind-set, however, were concerned about looking smart with less regard for 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 would study 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 ofjunior high, the math achievement test scores of the students with a growth mind-set were comparable to those of students who displayed a fixed mind-set.But as the work became more difficult, the students with a growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of the other students by the end of the first semester—and the gap between the two groups continued to widen during the two years we followed them.[H]A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the workplaceand discourage or ignore constructive criticism and advice. Research shows that managers who have a fixed mind-set are less likely to seek or welcome feedback from their employees than are managers with a growth mind-set.[I] How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by telling storiesabout achievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about mathematical geniuses who were more or less born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of great mathematicians 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 the mind as a learning machine. I designed an eight-session workshop for 91 students whose math grades were declining in their first year of junior high. Forty-eight of the students received instruction in study skills only, whereas the others attended a combination of study skills sessions and classes in which they learned about the growth mind-set and how to apply it to schoolwork. In the growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled “You Can Grow Your Brain.” They were taught that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and that learning prompts the brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students began to see themselves as agents of their own brain development. Despite being unaware that there were two types of instruction, teachers reported significant motivational changes in 27% of the children in 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 is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift.36. The author’s experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set believe havingto work hard is an indication of low ability.37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome frustration andachieve success.38. We can cultivate a growth mind-set in children by telling success stories thatemphasize hard work and love of learning.39. Students’ belief about the cause of their failure explains the ir attitude towardsetbacks.40. In the author’s experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed greaterperseverance 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 toenhance their motivation for learning.44. People with a fixed mind-set believe that one’s intelli gence is unchangeable.45. In the workplace, feedback may not be so welcome to managers with a fixedmind-set.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 fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choiceand mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on following passage.“Sugar, alcohol and tobacco,” economist Adam Smith once wrote, “are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation.”Two and a half centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. With surging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public healthsystems, governments around the world have 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 found a fall 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 that consumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattier fare.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 to demonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of its offerings. For example, some drink manufactures 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 of sugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, some companies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust the fundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on the inside, 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 a multi-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 be needed. 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 pressures to balance their national budgets.B) They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.C) They practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular andprofitable.D) The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generatingprofits.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 bothhealthy 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 nosilver 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 TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eating tissues or cotton balls to hold off hunger, and models collapsing from hunger-inducedheart attacks just seconds after they step off the runway.Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades, and two researchers say a model’s body mass should be a workplace health and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday in the American Journal of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case for government regulation of the fashion industry.The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under 16-low enough to indicate starvation by the World Health Organization’s standard. And Record and Austin are worried not just 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 they define 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 to the National Institute of Mental Health.It’s commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like lung disease in coal miners. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders resulting from occupational 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 houses who hire models with 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 rules in France, U.S. support could make a difference. “A designer can’t survive without participating in Paris Fashion Week,” she says, adding, “Our argument is that the same would be true of New York Fashion 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 ofmodels?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 runaway.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 York 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 Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着中国的改革开放，如今很多年轻人都喜欢举行西式婚礼。

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第三套)

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第三套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation : one is to find a job somewhere and the other to start a business of your own . You are to make a decision. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your decision. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)（说明：本次四级考试全国共考了两套听力，为避免重复，特补充了一套模拟听力，供同学们练习。

）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 1with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1.A) Armed men.B) Militants.C) Civilians.D) Hard-liners.2.A)The parked passenger bus.B)The armed men on motorcycles.C)The central government.D)The Islamic rebels.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news·item.3.A) $ 14 billion.B) $ 40 billion.C) $ 2.5 billion.D) $ 25 billion.4.A) Lack of knowledge of climate change.B) Not enough examples to follow.C) Shortage of agricultural experts.D) Insufficient financing mechanisms.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item5. A) It will rise.B) It will be stable.C) It will be lowered down.D) It will change from time to time.6. A) To boom up real estate market.B) To lower unemployment rate.C) To finance car industry.D) To off er food to more people.7. A) Students with bank loan.B) Home buyers with bank loan.C) Low income workers.D) People with savings accounts.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation you will hear four questions. Both the conversations and the question-s 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 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) Waiter and customer.B) Good friends.C) Husband and wife.D) Colleagues.9. A) The man does her a favor.B) The man recommends her many good foods.C) The man is very patient to her question.D) The man decides to treat her to a meal.10. A) There were not many Chinese restaurants before.B) Many people emigrated out of his country.C) It is famous for the different recipes.D) It prevents foreign languages from getting in.11.A)He cannot understand why she always speaks nonsense.B)He does not think the woman knows how to enjoy herself.C)He believes the woman is capable of being promoted soon.D)He hates to choose between Chinese cuisine and French cuisineQuestions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A)T-bone steak & beer.B)Fried chicken steak & Sprite.C)Boiled chicken & salad.D)Roast beef & rice.13. A) French. B) Italian. C) Ranch. D) Germany.14. A) For its salad. C) For its cheese.B) For its pies. D) For its fries.15.A)The baker was hurt at work and can’t prepare them.B)The oven is broken and hasn’ t been repaired.C)They are served only on Sundays.D)The pies have been sold out.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three 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 marked A), B), C) and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with asingle line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.16. A) They want to attract attention. C) They appear respectable in such clothes.B) It is fashionable to wear such clothes. D) Riding a motorcycle makes one dirty.17. A) It is efficient. C) It is convenient.B) It is exciting.D) It is dangerous.18.A)If he always wears protective clothing.B)If he can see everything around him clearly.C)If he is very careful.D)If he has a lot of defenders.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A) Making noises.B) Our own system of language.C) Combinations of different sounds.D) A group of sentences upon our own creations.20.A)It does good to communication between people.B)It encourages people to speak out their thoughts.C)It enlarges the vocabulary of a particular language.D)It hinders communication among individuals.21.A) Words.B) Tone of voice.C) Sentence structures.D) Sounds.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A)William Smart.B)Mrs. Dodd.C)President Lyndon Johnson.D)President Nixon.23. A) In 1910. B) In 1906. C) In 1966. D) In 1972.24.A)First Sunday in June.B)Second Sunday in June.C)Third Sunday in June.D)Decided by each Presiden25.A)To honor only your father.B)To honor all fathers around you.C)To honor father like figures.D)To honor Mrs. Dodd ’ s father.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.When someone commits a criminal act , we always hope the punishment will match the off ense. But when it comes to one of the cruelest crimes animal fighting things 26 work out that way. Dog-fighting victims are 27 and killed for p rof it and “ sport ，” yet their criminal abusers of ten receive a 28 sentence for causing a life time of pain. Roughly half of all federally-convicted animal fighters only get probation （缓刑）．Some progress has been made in the prosecution （起诉）of animal fighters. But federal judges often rely heavily on the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines when they 29 penalties , and in the case of animal fighting , those guidelines are outdated and extremely 30The U.S. Sentencing Commission, which 31 these sentencing guidelines, is revisiting them, proposing to raise the minimum sentence from 6-12 to 21-27 months. This is a step in the right 32 , but we’d like to see the U.S. Sentencing Commission make further changes to the guidelines.Along with this effort , we're working with animal advocates and state and federal lawmakers to 33 anti-cruelty laws across the country , as wellas supporting laws and policies that assist overburdened animal 34 that care for animal fighting victims. This help is 35 important because the high cost of caring for animal victims is a major factor that prevents people from getting involved in cruelty cases in the first place.A) convenientB) createsC) criticallyD) determineE) directionF) hesitateG) inadequateH) inspiredI) methodJ) minimalK) rarelyL) sheltersM) strengthenN) sufferingsO) torturedSection 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.When Work Becomes a GameA)What motivates employees to do their jobs well? Competition with coworkers, forsome. The promise of rewards, for others. Pure enjoyment of problem solving, for a lucky few.B)Increasingly , companies are tapping into these desires directly throughwhat has come to be known as “gasification'': essentially , turning work into a game. “Gasification is about understanding what it is that makes games engaging and what game designers do to create a great experience in games,and taking those learning’s and applying them to other contexts such as the workplace and education ，” explains Kevin Wabash , a gasification expert who teaches At the Wharton School of Business at the University ofPennsylvania in the United States.C)It might mean monitoring employee productivity on a digital leaderboard and off erringprizes to the winners , or giving employees digital badges or stars for completing certain activities. It could also mean training employees how to do their jobs through video game platforms. Companies fromGoogle to L’ Ordeal to IBM to Wells Fargo are known to use some degree of gasification in their workplaces. And more and more companies are joining them. A recent Report suggests that the global gasification market will grow from $ 1.65 billion in 2015 to $ 11.1 billion by 2020.D)The concept of gasification is not entirely new , Werbach says.Companies , marketers and teachers have long looked for fun ways to engage people ’s reward seeking or competitive spirits. Cracker Jackshas been “gamif ying” its snack food by putting a small prize inside for more than 100 years , he adds , and the turn-of-the-century steelmagnate （巨头）Charles Schwab is said to have often come into his factory and written the number of tons of steel produced on the past shift on the factory floor, thus motivating the next shift t of workers to beat the previous one.E)But the word “gasification ” and the widespread , conscious applicationof the concept only began in earnest about five years ago , Wabash says. Thanks in part to video games, the generation now entering theworkforce is especially open to the idea of having their workgasified. “We are at a point where in much of the developedworld the vast majority of young people grew up playing video games , and an increasingly high percentage of adults play these video games too ，” Werbach says.F) A number of companies have sprung up GamEffective , Bunchball andBadgeville , to name a few一in recent years off ering gamification platforms for businesses. The platforms that are most eff ective turn employees' ordinary job tasks into part of a rich adventure narrative.“What makes a game game like is that the player actually cares about the outcome ，”Werbachsa ys. “ The principle is about understanding what is motivating to this group ofplayers, which requires some understanding of psychology. ”G)Some people, Werbach says , are motivated by competition. Sales people of ten fallinto this category. For them , the right kind of gamification might be turning their sales pitches into a competition with other team members , complete with adigital leaderboard showing who is winning at all times. Others are more motivated by collaboration and social experiences. One company Werbach has studied usesgamification to create a sense of community and boost employees' morale （士气）.When employees log in to their computers , they’re shown apicture of one of their coworkers and asked to guess t hat person ’s name.H)Gamification does not have to be digital. Monica Cornetti runs a company that gamifiesemployee trainings. Sometimes this involves technology, but of ten it does not. She recently designed a gamification strategy for a sales training company with a storm chasing theme. Employees formed “storm chaser teams”and competed in storm-themed educational exercises to earn various rewards. "Rewards do not have to be stuff ，” Cornetti says.“Rewards can be flexible working hours.” Another training , this one for pay roll law , used a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs theme. “Snow White”is available for everyone to use ,but the “ dwarf s" are still under cop yright , so Cornetti invented sound-alike characters ( Grumpy Gus, Dopey Dan) to illustrate specific pay roll law principles.I)Some people do not take naturally to gamified work environments, Cornetti says. In herexperience , people in positions of power or people in finance or engineering do not tend to like the sound of the word. “ If we are designing for engineers, I’m not talking about a ‘ game' atall ，” Cornetti says. I’ m talking about a simulation ' （模拟）' I’m talking about‘ being able to solve this problem.J)Gamification is “not a magic bull et，” Werbach warns. A gamification strategy that is not suff iciently thought through or well tailored to its players may engage people for a little while , but it will not motivate people in the long term. It can also be exploitative, especially when used with vulnerablepopulations. For workers, especially low-paid workers , who desperatelyneed their jobs yet know they can be easily replaced , gamification may feel more like the Hunger Games. Werbach gives the example of several Disneyland hotels in Anaheim, California, which used large digital leaderboards to display how efficiently laundry workers were working compared to one another. Some employees found the board motivating. To others, it was the opposite of fun. Some began to stop taking bathroom breaks,worried that if their productivity fell they would be fired. Pregnant employees struggled to keep up. In a Los Angeles Times article, one employee referred to the board as a “digital whip.” “It actually had a very negative effect on morale and performance ，” Werbach says.K)Still , gamification only stands to become more popular , he says ，“as more and more people come into the workforce who are familiar with the structures and expressions of digital games.” “We are far from reaching the peak ，”Cornetti agrees. “There is no reason this will go away.”36. Some famous companies are already using gamification and more are trying to do the same.37. Gamification is not a miracle cure for all workplaces as it may have negative results.38. To enhance morale, one company asks its employees to identify their fellow workers when starting their computers.39. The idea of gamification was practiced by some businesses more than a century ago.40. There is reason to believe that gamification will be here to stay.41. Video games contributed in some ways to the wide application of gamification.42. When turning work into a game, it is necessary to understand what makes games interesting.43. Gamification in employee training does not always need technology.44. The most successful gamification platforms transform daily work assignments into experiences.45. It is necessary to use terms other than “gamification” for some professions.Section CDirections : There are 2 pass ages in this section . Each passage is followed by some questions or unf inished 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.Recently I attended several meetings where we talked about ways to retain students and keep younger faculty members from going elsewhere.It seems higher education has become an industry of meeting-holders whose task it is to “solve” problems- real or imagined. And in my position as a professor at three diff erent colleges , the actual problems in educating our young people and older students have deepened ,while the number of people hired not to teach but to hold meetings- has increasedsignificantly. Every new problem creates a new job for an administrative fixer. Take our Center for Teaching Excellence. Contrary to its title , the center is a clearing house （信息交流中心）for using technology in classrooms and in online courses. It’ s an administrative sham （欺诈）of the kind that has multiplied over the last 30 years.I offer a simple proposition in responsez Many of our problems- class attendance , educational success , student happiness and well-being- might be improved by cutting down the bureaucratic（宫僚的）mechanisms and meetings and instead hiring an army of good teachers. If we replaced half of our administrative staff with classroom teachers , we might actually get a majority of our classes back to 20 or f ewer students per teacher. This would be an environment in which teachers and students actually knew each other.The teachers must be free to teach in their own way the curriculum should be flexible enough so that they can use their individual talents to achieve the goals of the course. Additionally, they should be cllowed to teach , and be rewarded for doing it well. Teachers are not people who are great at and consumed by research and happen to appear in a classroom.Good teaching and research are not exclusive, but they are also not automatic companions. Teaching is an art and a craf t , talent and practice ; it is not something that just anyone can be good at. It is utterly confusing to me that people do not recognize this , despite the fact thatpretty much anyone who has been a student can tell the difference between their best and worst teachers.46.What does the author say about present-day universities?A)They are eff ectively tackling real or imagined problems.B)They of ten fail to combine teaching with research.C)They are over burdened with administrative staff.D)They lack talent to fix their deepening problems.47. According to the author , what kind of people do universities lack most?A)Good classroom teachers.B)Efficient administrators.C)Talented researchers.D)Motivated students.48. What does the author imply about the classes at present?A)They facilitate students' independent learning.B)They help students form closer relationships.C)They have more older students that before.D)They are much bigger than is desirable.49. What does the author think of teaching ability?A)It requires talent and practice.B)It is closely related to research.C)It is a chief factor affecting students' learning.‘D)It can be acquired through persistent practice.50. What is the author's suggestion for improving university teaching?A)Creating an environment for teachers to share their teaching experiences.B)Hiring more classroom teachers and allowing them to teach in their own way.C)Using high technology in classrooms and promoting exchange of information.D)Cutting down meetings and encouraging administrative staff to go to classrooms. Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been cracked years ago-by McDonald ’ s. According to a new study from Cornell University ’s Food and Brand Lab , small non-food rewards- like the toys in McDonald ’ s Happy Meals- stimulate the same rewardcenters in the brain as food does.The researchers , led by Martin Reimann , carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was paired with a non-food item.They found that the majority of both kids and adults opted for a half sized portion when combined with a prize. Both options were priced the same.Even more interesting is that the promise of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket （彩票）, with a $ 10 ,$ 50 or $ 100 payout , and this was as effective as a tangible gif t in persuading people to eat less.“The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting ，”says Reimann.He theorizes that it is the emotional component of these intangible prizes that make them effective. In fact, vaguely-stated possibilities of winning a prize were more effective than options with hard odds included.“One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally provoking than certainty awards ，”says Reimann. “The uncertainty of winning provides added attraction and des irability through emotional ‘ thrills. ’ The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope- a state that is in itself psychologically rewarding. ” In other words , there's a reason why people like to gamble.How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?One possibility is a healthy option that offers the chance to win a spa （温泉疗养）weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half sized portion could be a half-sized dessert to be claimed only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant- and make you eat a little less.51. What do we learn about McDonald ’ s inclusion of toys in its Happy Meals?A)It may shed light on people ’ s desire to crack a secret.B)It has proved to be key to McDonald's business success.C)It appeals to kids’ curiosity to find out what is hidden inside.D)It may be a pleasant way for kids to reduce their food intake．52. What is the finding of the researchers led by Martin Reimann?A)Reducing food intake is not that difficult if people go to McDonald ’ s more.B)Most kids and adults don’t actually f eel hungry when they eat halfof their meal.C)Eating a smaller portion of food does good to the health of kids and adults alike.D)Most kids and adults would choose a smaller meal that came with a non-food item.53. What is most interesting in Martin Reimann's finding?A)Kids preferred an award in the form of money to one in the form of a toy.B)Adults chose the smaller portion on the mere promise of a future award.C)Both kids and adults felt satisfied with only half of their meal portions.D)Neither children nor adults could resist the temptation of a free toy.54. How does Martin Reimann interpret his finding?A)The emotional component of the prizes is at work.B)People now care more about quality than quantity.C)People prefer certainty awards to possible awards.D)The desire for a future reward is overwhelming.55.What can w e infer from Martin Reimann’ s finding?A)People should eat much less if they wish to stay healthy and happy.B)More fast food restaurants are likely to follow McDonald ’s example.C)We can lead people to eat less while helping the restaurant business.D)More studies are needed to find out the impact of emotion on behavior.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minted to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You 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。

【精品】2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题.doc

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 companyand the other to go to agraduate school. You are to make a choice between thetwo. Write an essay to explain thereasons for your choice. You should write atleast 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 ofeach newsreport, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report andthequestions 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 thecentre.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 endof each conversation,you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choicesmarked A, B, C and D. Then mark thecorresponding 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 eachpassage, you will hearthree or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question, you must choosethe 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. You 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 2 with a single line through the centre. You 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 thatEarth's oceans now26heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around halfof ocean heat intake since 1865 hastaken place since 1997, researchers reportonline 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 wellstudied, its depths are moredifficult to 29The researchers gathered 150 yearsof 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 eranow 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 ofthe paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet2.The Secret to Raising Smart KidsA) I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation--and how peoplepersevere aftersetbacks--as a psychology graduate student at Yale University inthe 1960s. Animal experiments bypsychologists at the University of Pennsylvaniahad shown that after repeated failures, most animalsconclude that a situationis hopeless and beyond their control. After such an experience an animaloftenremains 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 theyencounter difficulty,whereas others who are no more skilled continue to striveand learn? One answer, I soondiscovered, lay in people's beliefs about why theyhad failed.C) In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depressesmotivation 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 ofeffort led to their mistakes in math, they learned to keep tryingwhen the problems got tough. Another group of helpless children who were simply rewardedfortheir success on easier problems did not improve their ability to solve hardmath 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, whichthey feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challengesmake mistakes more likely. The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, thinkintelligence 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 psychologistsand I monitored 373students for two years during the transition to junior highschool, when the work gets more difficultand the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect their math grades. At thebeginningof seventh grade, we assessed the students' mind-sets by asking them to agreeor disagreewith statements such as "Your intelligence is something very basicabout you that you can't reallychange. " We then assessed their beliefs aboutother 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 amore important goal thangetting good grades. In addition, they held hard workin high regard. They understood that evengeniuses have to work hard. Confrontedby a setback such as a disappointing test grade, studentswith a growth mind-setsaid they would study harder or try a different strategy. The students whohelda fixed mind-set, however, were concerned about looking smart with less regardfor learning.They had negative views of effort, believing that having to workhard 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 totheir 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 startof junior high, the mathachievement test scores of the students with a growthmind-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 twogroups continued towiden during the two years we followed them.H) A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the workplaceand discourage orignore constructive criticism and advice. Research shows thatmanagers who have a fixed mind-setare less likely to seek or welcome feedbackfrom 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 tellingstories aboutachievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about mathematical geniuses whowere more or less born that way puts students ina fixed mind-set, but descriptions of greatmathematicians who fell in love withmath 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 firstyear 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 toapply it to schoolwork. Inthe growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled "You Can Grow YourBrain. " They were taught thatthe brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and thatlearning promptsthe brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students begantosee themselves as agents of their own brain development. Despite being unawarethat there weretwo types of instruction, teachers reported significant motivational changes in 27% of the childrenin the growth mind-set workshop ascompared with only 9% of students in the control group.K) Research is converging (汇聚) on the conclusion that great accomplishmentand even genius istypically the result of years of passion and dedication andnot something that flows naturally from agift.36. The author's experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set believehaving 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 storiesthat emphasize hard work and love of learning.39. Students' belief about the cause of their failure explains their attitudetoward setbacks.40. In the author's experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed greaterperseverance 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 strategyto 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 fixedmind-set.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed bysome questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choicesmarked A., B., C. AndD . You 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 commoditieswhich 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 alcoholand tobacco. Withsurging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public health systems, governments around the worldhave begun to toy with the idea oftaxing sugar as well.Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico'staxation found afall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales ofuntaxed 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 aswell as tasty.Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve thequality 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 theoutside, but none on theinside, reduces the salt content without changing thetaste.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 isnot just one solution. To deal with obesity,a mixture of approaches--includingreformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes--will beneeded. There is nosilver 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 generatingprofits.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 drinksboth 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 isno 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 isno effective way to reduce people's sugar consumption.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eatingtissues 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 tworesearchers 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 to18 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 lungdisease in coalminers. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerableto eating disorders resulting fromoccupational demands to maintain extreme thinness.Record's suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI below18.In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model's weight. Agentsand 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 theUnited 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 YorkFashion 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 indexof 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 York 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. You 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12月大学英语四级真题及完整答案(共两卷)(20200629082958)

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 youhave two options upon graduation: one is to take a job in a company and the other togo to a graduate school. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay toexplain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no morethan 180 words.Part II Listening 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 the questions willbe spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answerfrom the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.Questions 1and 2 are based on the news report you have just the heard.C) A forest fire. 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.1. A) It was going to be renovated.B) He could no longer pay the rent.C) It was dangerous to live in. D) He had sold it to the royal family.2. A) A storm.B) A strike.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 hea . rdC) Close some of its post offices. D) Redesign delivery routes.C) Computerizing mail sorting processes. D) Stopping maildelivery 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 sheet1with 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 hisworkmates.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.C) He is very close to the manager.D) He is always complaining about low wages.Question12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A) Raise postage rates.B) Improve its services. 6. A) Closing offices on holidays. B) Shortening business hours. 12. A)Open. B)Reserved. C)Selfish. D)Friendly.13. A)They read a book. C)They stay quiet.B) They talk about the weather D)They chat with fellow passengers.14. A)She was unwilling to make friends with workmates.B) She was never invited to a colleague ' s home.C) She was eager to visit an English castle.D) She was always treated as a foreigner.15. A) House are much more quiet. C) They want a garden of their own.B) They want to have more space. D) Houses provide more privacy.Section CDirections:In this section,you will hear three passages.At the end of each passage,you will hear three 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 marked A),B),C) and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) They will automatically be given hiring priority.B) They don ' t have to go through job interviews.C) They are likely to get much higher pay.D) They don ' t have much choice of jobs.17. A) Visit the school careers services. C) Look at school bulletin boards.B) Ask their professors for help. D) Go through campus newspapers.18. A) Providing students with information about the library.B) Helping students arrange appointments with librarians.C) Supervising study spaces to ensure a quiet atmosphere.D) Helping students find the books and journals they need.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. 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.20. 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.21. 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.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 passagethrough 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 2with 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 thatthere are “ male ” and“ female ” brains, believing that explains just about every differebnectweeen the sexes. A new stud (y 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 evidenee for( 28) brains as“ male ” or “ female, ” research shows that brains fall in to a wide ran ge, with most people falli ng right in the middle.Daph na Joel, who led the study, said her research found that while there aresome gender-base (29) , many different types of brain can' t always be distinguishedby gen der.While the “average ” male and “average ” female bfOiO S wefi e rent, you could n ' t tell it bydxk 24. A) Identify fake crafts.B) Make wise choices.25. A) To attract foreign investments.B) To preserve the traditional culture.C) Design handicrafts themselves. D) Learn the importance of creation. C) To arouse public interest in crafts. D) To boost the local economy.ing at in dividual brain sca ns. Only a small (31) of people had“ a-male” or -feallale ” characteristics.Larry Cahill, an American neuroscientist (神经科学家),said the study is animporta nt additi on to a grow ing body of research questi oning( 32) beliefs about gen der and brain fun cti on. But he cauti oned aga in st con clud ing from this study that all brains are the same,( 33) of gender.“ There' s a moun tai n of evide((34) the importa nee of sex in flue nces at alllevels of brain fun ctio n, ” he told The Seattle Times.If anything, he said, the stud(35) that gender plays a very important role in the brain “ eve n whe n we are not clear exactly how. ”Directi ons: In this secti on, you are going to read a passage with ten stateme nts 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 tha n on ce. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. An swer the questi ons by marki ng the corresp onding letter on Answer Sheet 2Can 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] T he 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 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 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 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 'nirqeuneottousecuritysystems. Any device that ' s built to receive a wireless signal at a specific frequencycan be overwhelmed by a stronger signal coming in on the same frequency. For comparison, let ' s say you wanted to “jam” a conversation betweeanll two people —you'd need to do is yell in the listener ' s ear.[E] Security devices are required to list the frequencies they broadcast o—nthat 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, that ' d point them in the right direction,though at that point, we ' re talking about a highly targe-steodp,hsisetmicai ted 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 aspecial system that ' s capable of separating incidental RF interference from targetedjamming attacks. When the system thinks it ' s being jammed, it ' ll notify you via push alert（推送警报）.From there, it tOyo u pto sound the alarm manu ally.[G] SimpliSafe was singled out in one recent article on jamming, complete witha 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 verify that it 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 a universal 't be 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 theirown jam protection software and claiming that there aren ' tc a sneysd o fcumented 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 mtraisnssion. 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 thatoffers 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 yoursystem and acquire the specific equipment necessary for jamming your specific setup. Presumably, you keep your doors locked at night and wheil 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 openeddoor 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 trippin-jgamthme ianngtisystem,the details of which he almost certainly does now have access to.[K] A t 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 -asimdeadny 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 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 triggeringthe alarm, both inside and outside the house.39. SimpliSafe provides devices that are able to distinguish incidental radio interference from targetedjamming 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 isdetected.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 markedA) ,B),C) and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with 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 first thing about Bill Perry or whether the beers he sells are that great. But I can tell 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 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 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 believthey 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. t tell you theyou that I like this guy. That use '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 heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets when thye' 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 cocuo n tsriuems ers '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 gover nment spe nding and subsidies 占)for their con sumers. ”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 oilp-roducing nations can 't afford toimport 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 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 gasolinesubsidies 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CET4真题及答案(第3套)

2016年12月英语四级真题（第三套）Part I Writing(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation: one is to find a job somewhere and the other to start a business of your own. You are to make a decision. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than180words.说明：由于2016年12月四级考试全国共考了2套听力，本套真题听力与前2套内容完全一样，只是顺序不一样，因此在本套真题中不再重复出现。

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.When someone commits a criminal act, we always hope the punishment will match the offense. But when it comes to one of the crudest crimes—animal fighting—things __26__ work out that way. Dog-fighting victims are __27__ and killed for profit and “sport,” ye t their criminal abusers often receive a __28__ sentence for causing a lifetime of pain. Roughly half of all federally-convicted animal fighters only get probation （缓刑）.Some progress has been made in the prosecution（起诉）of animal fighters. But federal judges often rely heavily on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines when they __29__ penalties, and in the case of animal fighting, those guidelines are outdated and extremely __30__ .The U.S. Sentencing Commission, which __31__ these sentencing guidelines, is revisiting them, proposing to raise the minimum sentence from 6-12 to 21-27 months. This is a step in the right __32__ , but we’d like to see the U.S. Sentencing Commission make further changes to the guidelines.Along with this effort, we’re working with animal advocates and state and federal lawmakers to __33__ anti-cruelty laws across the country, as well as supporting laws and policies that assist overburdened animal __34__ that care for animal fighting victims. This help is__35__ important because the high cost of caring for animal victims is a major factor that prevents people from getting involved in cruelty cases in the first place.A) convenient B) creates C) critically D) determine E) direction F) hesitate G) inadequateH) inspired I) method J) minimal K) rarely L) shelters M) strengthen N) sufferingsO) torturedSection 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.When Work Becomes a GameA)What motivates employees to do their jobs well? Competition with coworkers, for some. The promise of rewards, for others. Pure enjoyment of problem-solving, for a lucky few.B)Increasingly, companies are tapping into these desires directly through what has come to be known as “gamification”: essentially, turning work into a game. “Gamification is about understanding what it is that makes games engaging and what game designers do to create a great experience in games, and taking those learnings and applying them to other contexts such as the workplace and education,” explains Kevin Werbach, a gamification expert who teaches at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.C)It might mean monitoring employee productivity on a digital leaderboard and offering prizes to the winners, or giving employees digital badges or stars for completing certain activities. It could also mean training employees how to do their jobs through video game platforms. Comp anies from Google to L’Oreal to IBM to Wells Fargo are known to use some degree of gamification in their workplaces. And more and more companies are joining them. A recent report suggests that the global gamification market will grow from $1.65 billion in 2015 to $11.1 billion by 2020.D)The concept of gamification is not entirely new, Werbach says. Companies, marketers and teachers have long looked for fun ways to engage people’s reward-seeking or competitive spirits. Cracker Jacks has been “gamifying” its snack food by putting a small prize inside for more than 100 years, he adds, and the turn-of- the-century steel magnate （巨头）Charles Schwab is said to have often come into his factory and written the number of tons of steel produced on the past shift on the factory floor, thus motivating the next shift of workers to beat the previous one.E)But the word “gamification” an d the widespread, conscious application of the concept only began in earnest about five years ago, Werbach says. Thanks in part to video games, the generation now entering the workforce is especially open to the idea of having their work gamified. “ We are at a point where in much of the developed world the vast majority of young people grew up playing video games, and an increasingly high percentage of adults play these video games too，” Werbach says.F)A number of companies have sprung up—GamEffective, Bunchball and Badgeville, to name a few—in recent years offering gamification platforms for businesses. The platforms that are most effective turn employees’ ordinary job tasks into part of a rich adventure narrative. “What makes a game game-like is that the player actually cares about the outcome,” Werbach says. “The principle is about understanding what is motivating to this group of players, which requires some understanding of psychology.”G)Some people, Werbach says, are motivated by competition. Sales people often fall into this category. For them, the right kind of gamification might be turning their sales pitches into a competition with other team members, complete with a digital leaderboard showing who is winning at all times. Others are more motivated by collaboration and social experiences. One company Werbach has studied uses gamification to create a sense of community and boost employees’ morale （士气）.When employees log in to their computers, they’re shown a picture of one of their coworkers andask ed to guess that person’s name.H)Gamification does not have to be digital. Monica Cometti runs a company that gamifies employee trainings. Sometimes this involves technology, but often it does not. She recently designed a gamification strategy for a sales training company with a storm-chasing theme. Employees formed “storm chaser teams” and competed in storm-themed educational exercises to earn various rewards. “Rewards do not have to be stuff,” Cometti says. “Rewards can be flexible working hours.” Another training, this one for pay roll law, used a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs theme. “Snow White” is available for everyone to use, but the “dwarfs” are still under copyright, so Cometti invented sound-alike characters (Grumpy Gus, Dopey Dan) to illustrate specific pay roll law principles.I)Some people do not take naturally to gamified work environments, Cometti says. In her experience, people in positions of power or people in finance or engineering do not tend to like the sound of the word. “If we are designing for engineers, I’m not talking about a ‘game’at all,” Cometti says. “I’m talking about a ‘simulation’（模拟），I’m talking about ‘ being able to solve this problem. ’ ”J) Gamification is “not a magic bullet,” Werbach warns. A gamification strategy that is not sufficiently thought through or well tailored to its players may engage people for a little while, but it will not motivate people in the long term. It can also be exploitative, especially when used with vulnerable populations. For workers, especially low-paid workers, who desperately need their jobs yet know they can be easily replaced, gamification may feel more like the Hunger Games. Werbach gives the example of several Disneyland hotels in Anaheim, California, which used large digital leaderboards to display how efficiently laundry workers were working compared to one another. Some employees found the board motivating. To others, it was the opposite of fun. Some began to stop taking bathroom breaks, worried that iftheir productivity fell they would be fired. Pregnant employees struggled to keep up. In a Los Angeles Times article, one employee referred to the board as a “digital whip.” “It actually had a very negative effect on morale and performance, ” Werbach says.K) Still, gamification only stands to become more popular, he says, “as more and more people come into the workforce who are familiar with the structures and expressions of digital games.” “We are far from reaching the peak,” Cometti agrees. “There is no reason this will go away.”36.Some famous companies are already using gamification and more are trying to do the same.37.Gamification is not a miracle cure for all workplaces as it may have negative results.38.To enhance morale, one company asks its employees to identify their fellow workers when starting their computers.39.The idea of gamification was practiced by some businesses more than a century ago.40.There is reason to believe that gamification will be here to stay.41.Video games contributed in some ways to the wide application of gamification.42.When turning work into a game, it is necessary to understand what makes games interesting.43.Gamification in employee training does not always need technology.44.The most successful gamification platforms transform daily work assignments into fun experiences.45.It is necessary to use terms other than “gamification” for some professions.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.Recently I attended several meetings where we talked about ways to retain students and keep younger faculty members from going elsewhere.It seems higher education has become an industry of meeting-holders whose task it is to “solve” problems— real or imagined. And in my position as a professor at three different colleges, the actual problems in educating our young people and older students have deepened, while the number of people hired—not to teach but to hold meetings—has increased significantly. Every new problem creates a new job for an administrative fixer. Take our Center for Teaching Excellence. Contrary to its title, the center is a clearing house（信息交流中心）for using technology in classrooms and in online courses. It’s an administrative sham（欺诈）of the kind that has multiplied over the last 30 years.I offer a simple proposition in response: Many of our problems—class attendance, educational success, student happiness and well-being—might be improved by cutting down the bureaucratic（官僚的）mechanisms and meetings and instead hiring an army of good teachers. If we replaced half of our administrative staff with classroom teachers, we might actually get a majority of our classes back to 20 or fewer students per teacher. This would be an environment in which teachers and students actually knew each other.The teachers must be free to teach in their own way—the curriculum should be flexible enough so that they can use their individual talents to achieve the goals of the course. Additionally, they should be allowed to teach, and be rewarded for doing it well. Teachers are not people who are great at and consumed by research and happen to appear in a classroom. Good teaching and research are not exclusive, but they are also not automatic companions. Teaching is an art and a craft, talent and practice; it is not something that just anyone can be good at. It is utterly confusing to me thatpeople do not recognize this, despite the fact that pretty much anyone who has been a student can tell the difference between their best and worst teachers.46.What does the author say about present-day universities?A)They are effectively tackling real or imagined problems.B)They often fail to combine teaching with research.C)They are over-burdened with administrative staff.D)They lack talent to fix their deepening problems.47.According to the author, what kind of people do universities lack most?A)Good classroom teachers.B)Efficient administrators.C) Talented researchers.D) Motivated students.48.What does the author imply about the classes at present?A)They facilitate students’ independent learning.B)They help students form closer relationships.C)They have more older students than before.D)They are much bigger than is desirable.49.What does the author think of teaching ability?A)It requires talent and practice.B)It is closely related to research.C)It is a chief factor affecting students’ learning.D)It can be acquired through persistent practice.50.What is the author’s suggestion for improving university teaching?A)Creating an environment for teachers to share their teaching experiences.B)Hiring more classroom teachers and allowing them to teach in their own way.C)Using high technology in classrooms and promoting exchange of information.D)Cutting down meetings and encouraging administrative staff to go to classrooms.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been cracked years ago—by McDonald’s. According to a new study from Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, small non-food rewards—like the toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals—stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as food does.The researchers, led by Martin Reimann, carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was paired with a non-food item.They found that the majority of both kids and adults opted for a half-sized portion when combined with a prize. Both options were priced the same.Even more interesting is that the promise of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket（彩票）, with a S10, $50 or $100 payout, and this was as effective as a tangible gift in persuading people to eat less.“The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting,” says Reimann.He theorizes that it is the emotional component of these intangible prizes that make them effective. In fact, vaguely-stated possibilities of winning a prize were more effective than options with hard odds included.“One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally provoking than certainty awards,” says Reimann. “The uncertainty of winning provides added attraction and desirability through emotional ‘thrills.’ The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope—a state that is in itself psychologically rewarding.” In other words, there’s a reason why people like to gamble.How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?One possibility is a healthy option that offers the chance to win a spa（温泉疗养）weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half-sized portion could be a half-sized dessert to be claimed only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant—and make you eat a little less.51.What do we learn about McDonald’s inclusion of toys in its Happy Meals?A)It may shed light on people's desire to crack a secret.B)It has proved to be key to McDonald’s business success.C)It appeals to kid’s curiosity to find out what is hidden inside.D)It may be a pleasant way for kids to reduce their food intake.52.What is the finding of the researchers led by Martin Reimann?A)Reducing food intake is not that difficult if people go to McDonald’s more.B)Most kids and adult s don’t actually feel hungry when they eat half of their meal.C)Eating a smaller portion of food does good to the health of kids and adults alike.D)Most kids and adults would choose a smaller meal that came with a non-food item.53.What is most interesting in Martin Reimann’s finding?A)Kids preferred an award in the form of money to one in the form of a toy.B)Adults chose the smaller portion on the mere promise of a future award.C)Both kids and adults felt satisfied with only half of their meal portions.D)Neither children nor adults could resit the temptation of a free toy.54.How does Martin Reimann interpret his finding?A)The emotional component of the prizes is at work.B)People now care more about quality than quantity.C)People prefer certainty awards to possible awards.D)The desire for a future reward is overwhelming.55.What can we infer from Martin Reimann’s finding?A)People should eat much less if they wish to stay healthy and happy.B)More fast food restaurants are likely to follow McDonald’s example.C)We can lead people to eat less while helping the restaurant business.D)More studies are needed to find out the impact of emotion on behavior.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.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12月英语四级真题及解析(三套完整版

【作文】innovation创新Directions：For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on innovation. Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation/creation/invention. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.参考范文：In today's highly competitive world, innovation matters enormously to an organization or a country. It is the driving force behind increased competitiveness.Take growing a successful business as an example. In this day and age, social media are gaining popularity among the general public. A company that only relies on traditional media doing its marketing is more likely to get eliminated in the digital era. Put in another way, a company with its focus on social media to boost its brand recognition stands a better chance of standing out from the crowd. Clearly, innovation is a vital contributing factor to business success.What can be done to encourage innovation? To name only a few: Above all, a business or a country should strive to build a corporate culture or a social climate that values innovation. Second, anyone who participates in the innovation process should be rewarded. Third, we are in urgent need of an education system that stresses innovation over mechanical learning.Simply put, innovation is an important force that pushes our society forward.creation创造Directions：For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on creation. Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation/creation/invention. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.参考范文：It is universally acknowledged that innovation refers to being creative, unique and different. In fact, today it is impossibly difficult for us to image a 21st century without innovation.We should place a high value on innovation firstly because innovative spirit can enable an individual to ameliorate himself, so he can be equipped with capacity to see what others cannot see, be qualified for future career promotion, and be ready for meeting the forthcoming challenges. What’s more, we ought to attach importance to the role played by innovation in economic advancement. Put it another way, in this ever-changing world, innovation to economic growth is what water is to fish. To sum up, if innovation misses our attention in any possible way, we will suffer a great loss beyond imagination.In order to encourage innovation, it is wise for us to take some feasible measures. For example, mass media should greatly publicize the significance of creative spirit and encourage the public to cultivate awareness of innovation. Besides, those who manage to innovate should be awarded generous prize. Though there is a long way ahead to go, I am firmly certain that the shared efforts will be paid off.【参考译文】众所周知创新意味着有创造力，独一无二和不同。

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.C)He is very close to the manager.D)He is always complaining about low wages.Question12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A)Open. C)Selfish.B)Reserved. D)Friendly.13.A)They read a book. C)They stay quiet.B)They talk about the weather D)They chat with fellow passengers.14.A)She was unwilling to make friends with workmates.B)She was never invited to a colleague’s home.C)She was eager to visit an English castle.D)She was always treated as a foreigner.15.A) House are much more quiet. C) They want a garden of their own.B) They want to have more space. D) Houses provide more privacy. Section CDirections:In this section,you will hear three passages.At the end of each passage,you will hear three 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 marked A),B),C) and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A) They will automatically be given hiring priority.B) They don’t have to go through job interviews.C) They are likely to get much higher pay.D) They don’t have much choice of jobs.17.A) Visit the school careers services. C) Look at school bulletin boards.B) Ask their professors for help. D) Go through campus newspapers.18.A) Providing students with information about the library.B) Helping students arrange appointments with librarians.C) Supervising study spaces to ensure a quiet atmosphere.D) Helping students find the books and journals they need.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.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.20.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.21.A) It does not have a stable market.B) It has made tea farm ers’ 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 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 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 m ost 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” fe male 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 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.”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 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 plen ty 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 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 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 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, 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’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. Wh en 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 verify that it’s possible with the right equipment. However, we also verified that SimpliSafe’santi-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 wireless transmission. 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 detail s 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 openeddoor 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 thi ngs 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 necessary equipmentand 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 avoid triggeringthe 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 once somethingwrong is detected.43. Diff erent 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 frequ ency 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 hat e it because it’s an obligation disgu ised 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 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 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 f ull 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 b ar 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 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 in oil producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara Johnson. “M any 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 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 gasolinesubsidies 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 have n’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。

12月英语四级真题参考答案第3套

12月英语四级真题参考答案第3套2016年12月英语四级真题参考答案（第3套）经过一年的`准备复习，2016年12月英语四级考试已经告一段落了。

为了方便广大考生评估自己的考试成绩，店铺为大家提供了2016年12月第三套英语四级真题参考答案。

供大家参考!Part ⅠWritingWorking in a state-owned business or in a joint ventureUpon graduation, all college students will confront the problem of the career choice，which is truly a tough one. Some hold that there is no better way to get a decent job than working in a stated-owned business, which will guarantee their quality of life after retirement, [while others insist that working in a joint venture outweighs any other jobs as it may provide higher income. As for me, I prefer the latter.For one thing, a joint venture usually offers a more cooperative and competitive working atmosphere which is suitable for the beginners to develop their abilities. For another, joint ventures usually provide high salaries, which exerts a tremendous fascination on a great number of people, especially to the beginners who need to cover the expenses of transportation, the house-renting, and social activities. Besides the above two, I adore the diverse business culture in the joint ventures, immersed in which I can broaden my vision and expand my knowledge.Based on the above reasons, working in a joint venture will be my first and sole choice.Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension听力真题只有以上两套，第三套听力真题只是ABCD顺序不同，故这一部分不重复。

1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题（三套卷）一、在答题前，请认真完成以下内容：1. 请检查试题册背面条形码粘贴条、答题卡的印刷质量，如有问题及时向监考员反映，确认无误后完成以下两点要求。

2. 请将试题册背面条形码粘贴条揭下后粘贴在答题卡1 的条形码粘贴框内，并将姓名和准考证号填写在试题册背面相应位置。

3．请在答题卡1和答题卡2 指定位置用黑色签字笔填写准考证号、姓名和学校名称，并用HB-2B 铅笔将对应准考证号的信息点涂黑。

二、在考试过程中，请注意以下内容：1. 所有题目必须在答题卡上规定位置作答，在试题册上或答题卡上非规定位置的作答一律无效。

2. 请在规定时间内在答题卡指定位置依次完成作文、听力、阅读、翻译各部分考试，作答作文期间不得翻阅该试题册。

听力录音播放完毕后，请立即停止作答，监考员将立即回收答题卡1 ，得到监考员指令后方可继续作答。

3. 作文题内容印在试题册背面，作文题及其他主观题必须用黑色签字笔在答题卡指定区域内作答。

4．选择题均为单选题，错选、不选或多选将不得分，作答时必须使用HB-2B铅笔在答题卡上相应位置填涂，修改时须用橡皮擦净。

三、以下情况按违规处理：1. 不正确填写(涂)个人信息，错贴、不贴、毁损条形码粘贴条。

2. 未按规定翻阅试题册、提前阅读试题、提前或在收答题卡期间作答。

3. 未用所规定的笔作答、折叠或毁损答题卡导致无法评卷。

4. 考试期间在非听力考试时间佩戴耳机。

Section A Litstening Comprehension (30 minutes)Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation. one or more questions willbe asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions willbe spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. Duringthe pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), anddecide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答1. A) They admire the courage of space explorersB) They enjoyed the movie on space explorationC) They were going to watch a wonderful movieD) They like doing scientific exploratron very much2. A)At a gift shopB) At a graduation ceremony.C) In the office of a travel agencyD) In a school library3. A) He used to work in the art galleryB) He does not have a good memoryC) He declined a job offer from the art galleryD) He is not interested in any part-time jobs4. A) Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrowB) He will go to the birthday party after the lectureC) The woman should have informed him earlierD) He will be unable to attend the birthday party5. A) Reward those having made good progressB) Set a deadline for the staff to meetC) Assign more workers to the project.D) Encourage the staff to work in Small groups6. A) The way to the visitor's parkingB) The rate for parking in Lot CC) How far away the parking lot is.D) Where she can leave her car.7. A) He regrets missing the classesB) He plans to take the fitness classes.C) He is looking forward to a better lifeD) He has benefited from exercise8. A) How to raise work efficiency.B) How to select secretariesC) The responsibilities of secretanesD) The secretaries in the man’s company.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9 A) It Is more difficult to learn than EnglishB) It is used by more people than English.C) It will be as commonly used as EnglishD) It will eventually become a world language10. A) Its loan words from many languagesB) Its popularity with the common people.C) The influence of the British EmpireD) The effect of the Industrial Revolution11. A) It includes a lot of words from other languagesB) It has a growing number of newly coined wordsC) It can be easily picked up by overseas travellersD) It is the largest among all languages in the worldQuestions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) To return some goodsB) To apply for a job.C) To place an order.D) To make a complaint13. A) He has become somewhat impatient with the womanB) He is not familiar with the exact details of the goodssC) He has not worked in the sales department for long.D) He works on a part-time basis for the company14. A) it is not his responsibilityB) It will be free for large ordersC) It costs ￡15 more for express deliveryD) It depends on a number of factors15. A) Report the information to her superiorB) Pay a visit to the saleswoman in chargegeC) Ring back when she comes to a decisionD) Make inquiries with some other companiesSection BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questionswill be spoken only once.After you hear a queslion, you must choose thebest answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark thecorresponding leltert on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through thecentre注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。

Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) No one Knows exactly where they were first madeB) No one knows for sure when they came into beingC) No one knows for what purpose they were inventedD) No one knows what they will IooK like in the future17. A) Carry ropes across riversB) Measure the speed of windC) Pass on secret messagesD) Give warnings of danger18. A) To protect houses against lightning.B) To test the effects of the lightning rod.C) To find out the strength of silk for kitesD) To prove that lightning is electncity.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) She enjoys teaching languagesB) She can speak several languages.C) She was trained to be an interpreter.D) She was born with a talent for languages20. A) They acquire an immunity to culture shock.B) They would like to live abroad permanentlyC) They want to learn as many foreign languages as possibleD) They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions21. A) She became an expert in horse racingB) She got a chance to visit several European countriesC) She was able to translate for a German sports judgeD) She learned to appreciate classical music22. A) Taste the beef and give her comment.B) Take part in a cooking competition.C) Teach vocabulary for food in EnglishD) Give cooking lessons on Western foodPassage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23. A) He had only a third-grade education.B) He once threatened to kill his teacherC) He grew up in a poor single-parent familyD) He often helped his mother do houseworkK24. A) CaelesssB) StupidC) BraveD) Active25. A) Write two book reports a weekB) Keep a diaryC) Help wath houseworkD) Watch educational TV programs only.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its generalidea. When the passage is read for the second tlme, you are required tofill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, whenthe passage Is read for the third time, you should check what you havewritten注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。