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2015年12月英语四级(CET4)真题试卷
Part I Writing ( 30 minutes)
For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying “Learning is a daily experience and lifetime mission.”You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than180words.
Part II Listening Comprehension ( 30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
A) They admire the courage of space explorers.
B) They enjoyed the movie on space exploration. C) They were going to watch a wonderful movie. D) They like doing scientific exploration very much.
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2. A) At a gift shop.
B) At a graduation ceremony. C) In the office of a travel agency. D) In a school library.
3. A) He used to work in the art gallery. B) He does not have a good memory. C) He declined a job offer form the art gallery. D) He is not interested in any part-time jobs.
4.A) Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow. B) He will go to the birthday party after the lecture. C) The woman should have informed him earlier. D) He will be unable to attend the birthday party.
5.A) Reward those having made good progress. B) Set a deadline for the staff to meet. C) Assign more workers to the project. D) Encourage the staff to work in small groups. 6. A) The way to the visitor’s parking. B) The rate for parking in Lot C. C) How far away the parking lot is. D) Where she can leave her car. 7. A) He regrets missing the classes. B) He plans to take the fitness classes.
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C) He is looking forward to a better life. D) He has benefited form exercise. 8.A) How to ? work efficiency. B) How to select secretaries. C)The responsibilities of secretaries. D) The secretaries in the man’s company. Conversation One
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9.A) It is more difficult to learn than English. B) It is used by more people than English. C) It will be as commonly used as English. D) It will eventually become a world language. 10.A) It has words words from many languages, B) Its popularity with the common people. C) The influence of the British Empire. D) The effect of the Industrial Revolution.
11.A) It includes a lot of words form other languages. B) It has a growing number of newly coined words, C) It can be easily picked up by overseas travelers. D) It is the largest among all languages in the world.
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Conversation 2
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12.A) To return some goods. B) To apply for a job. C) To place an order. D) To make a complaint.
13. A) He has become somewhat impatient with the woman. B) He is not familiar with the exact details of goods. C) He has not worked in the sales department for long. D) He works on a part-time basis for the company. 14. A) It is not his responsibility. B) It will be free for large orders. C) It costs 15 more for express delivery. D) It depends on a number of factors. 15.A) Report the information to her superior. B) Pay a visit to the saleswoman in charge. C) Ring back when she comes to a decision. D) Make inquiries with some other companies.
Section B
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Directions:In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D ). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard. 16. A) No one knows exactly where they were ?? B) No one knows for sure when thy came into being. C) No one knows for what purpose they were ? D) No one knows what they will ????? 17. A) Carry ropes across rivers. B) Measure the speed of wind. C) Pass on secret messages. D) Give warnings of danger.
18. A) To protect houses against lightning. B) To test the effects of the lightning rod. C) To find out the strength of silk for kites. D) To prove the lightning is electricity.
Passage Two
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Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19.A) She enjoys teaching languages. B) She can speak several languages. C) She was trained to be an interpreter. D) She was born with a talent for languages. 20. A) They acquire an immunity to culture shock. B) They would like to live abroad permanently.
C) They want to learn as many foreign languages as possible. D) They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions. 21.A) She became an expert in horse racing.
B) She got a chance to visit several European countries. C) She was able to translate for a German sports judge. D) She learned to appreciate classical music. 22. A) Taste the beef and give her comment. B) Take part in a cooking competition. C) Teach vocabulary for food in ?? D) Give cooking lessons on ????
Passage Three
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
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23. A) He had only a third-grade education. B) He once threatened to kill his teacher. C) He grew up in a poor ??? D) He often helped his ??? 24.A) Careless. B) Stupid. C) Brave. D) Active.
25.A) Write two book reports a week. B) Keep a diary. C) Help with housework. D) Watch education?? Section C
Directions:In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
When you look up at the night sky, what do you see？There are other bodies out there besides the moon and stars. One of the most of this is a comet. Comets were formed around the same the earth was formed. They are made up of ice and other frozen
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liquids and gasses. these dirty snow balls begin to orbit the sun just as the planets do. As a comet gets closer to the sun, some gasses in it begin to unfreeze. They combine with dust particles from the comet to form a huge cloud. As the comet gets even nearer to the sun and solar wind blows the cloud behind the comet thus forming its tail. The tail and generally fuzzy atmosphere around the comet are that can help this
phenomenon in the night sky. In any given year，about dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits. The average person can’t see them all of course. Usually there is only one or two a year bright enough to be seen with the _________eye. Comet Hale-Bopp discovered in 1995 was an unusually bright comet. Its orbit bought it
_________to the earth within 122 million miles of it. But Hale-Bopp came a long way on its earthly visit. It won’t be back for another 4 thousand years or so.
Part Ш Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given
in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the
corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
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For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold spell. November and December 36 early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when, for the first time in two 37 , record-cold days will likely turn out to have outnumbered record-warm ones. But the U.S. was the exception; November was the warmest ever 38 , and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record.
Enjoy the snow now, because 39 are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That’s because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an EI Niuo year.
EI niuo, Spanish for “the child”, 40 when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet’s surface, that the 41 energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. EI Ninos are 42 with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa 43 dry weather. Marine life may be affected too; EI Ninos can 44 the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich（营养丰富的）water that supports large fish 45 ,and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral(珊瑚).
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
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Section B
Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The Perfect Essay
A) Looking back on too many years of education, I can identify one truly impossible teacher. She cared about me, and my intellectual life, even when I didn’t. Her expectations were high—impossibly so. She was an English teacher. She was also my mother.
B) When good students turn in an essay, they dream of their instructor returning it to them in exactly the same condition, save for a single word added in the margin of the final page.“Flawless.” This dream came true for me one afternoon in the ninth grade. Of course, I had heard that genius could show itself at an early age, so I was only slightly taken aback that I had achieved perfection at the tender age of 14. Obviously, I did what and
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professional writer would do; I hurried off to spread the good news. I didn’t get very far. The first person I told was my mother.
C) My mother, who is just shy of five feet tall, is normally incredibly soft-spoken, but on the rare occasion when she got angry, she was terrifying. I am not sure if she was more upset by my hubris（得意忘形）or by the fact that my English teacher had let my ego get so out of hand. In and event. My mother and her red pen showed me how deeply flawed a flaw less essay could be. At the time, I am sure she thought she was teaching me about mechanics, transitions（过渡）, structure, style and voice. But what I learned, and what stuck with me through my time teaching writing at Harvard, was a deeper lesson about the nature of creative criticism.
D) First off, it hurts. Genuine criticism, the type that leaves a lasting mark on you as a writer, also leaves an existential imprint（印记）on you as a person. I have heard people say that a writer should never take criticism personally. I say that we should never listen to these people.
E) Criticism, at its best, is deeply personal, and gets to the heart of why we write the way we do. The intimate nature of genuine criticism implies something about who is able to give it, namely, someone who knows you well enough to show you how your mental life is getting in the way of good writing. Conveniently, they are also the people who care enough to see you through this painful realization. For me it took the form of my first, and I hope only, encounter with writer’s block—I was not able to produce anything for three years.
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F) Franz Kafka once said; “Writing is utter solitude（独处）, the descent into the cold abyss（深渊）of oneself.” My mother’s criticism had shown me that Kafka is right about the cold abyss, and when you make the introspective（内省的）descent that writing requires you are not always pleased by what you find. But, in the years that followed, her sustained tutoring suggested that Kafka might be wrong about the solitude, I was lucky enough to find a critic and teacher who was willing to make the journey of writing with me. “It is a thing of no great difficulty.”according to Plutarch, “to raise objections against another man’s speech. it is a very easy matter, but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome.” I am sure I wrote essays in the later years of high school without my mother’s guidance, but I can’t recall them. What I remember, however, is how she took up the“extremely troublesome”work of ongoing criticism.
G) There are two ways to interpret Plutarch when he suggests that a critic should be able to produce“a better in its place.”In a straightforward sense, he could mean that a critic must be more talented than the artist she critiques（评论）.My mother was well covered on this count. But perhaps Plutarch is suggesting something slightly different, something a bit closer to Marcus Cicero’s claim that one should“criticize by creation, not by finding fault.”Genuine criticism creates a precious opening for an author to become better on his own terms—a process that is often extremely painful, but also almost always meaningful.
H) My mother said she would help me with my writing, but first I had to help myself. For each assignment, I was to write the best essay I could. Real criticism is not meant to find obvious mistakes, so if she found any—the type I could have found on my own—I had to
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start from scratch. From scratch. Once the essay was“flawless,” she would take an evening to walk me through my errors. That was when true criticism, the type that changed me as a person, began.
I) She criticized me when I included little-known references and professional jargon（行话）. She had no patience for brilliant but irrelevant figures of speech.“Writers can’t bluff（虚张声势）their way through ignorance.” That was news to me—I would need to find another way to structure my daily existence.
J) She trimmed back my flowery language, drew lines through my exclamation marks and argued for the value of restraint in expression.“John,” she almost whispered. I leaned in to hear her: “I can’t hear you when you shout at me.” So I stopped shouting and bluffing, and slowly my writing improved.
K) Somewhere along the way I set aside my hopes of writing that flawless essay. But perhaps I missed something important in my mother’s lessons about creativity and perfection. Perhaps the point of writhing the flawless essay was not to give up, but to never willingly finish. Whitman repeatedly reworked“song of Myself” between 1855 and 1891. Repeatedly. We do our absolute best with a piece of writing, and come as close as we can to the ideal. And, for the time being, we settle. In critique, however, we are forced to depart, to give up the perfection we thought we had achieved for the chance of being even a little bit better. This is the lesson I took from my mother: If perfection were possible, it would not be motivating.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
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46. The author was advised against the improper use of figures of speech.
47. The author’s mother taught him a valuable lesson by pointing out lots of flaws in his seemingly perfect essay.
48. A writer should polish his writing repeatedly so as to get closer to perfection.
49. Writers may experience periods of time in their life when they just can’t produce anything.
50. The author was not much surprised when his school teacher marked his essay as“flawless”.
51. Criticizing someone’s speech is said to be easier than coming up with a better one.
52. The author looks upon his mother as his most demanding and caring instructor.
53. The criticism the author received from his mother changed his as a person.
54. The author gradually improved his writing by avoiding fancy language.
55. Constructive criticism gives an author a good start to improve his writing.
Section C
Passage One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
The wallet is heading for extinction. As a day-to-day essential, it will die off with the generation who read print newspapers. The kind of shopping－where you hand over notes
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and count out change in return—now happens only in the most minor of our retail encounters，like buying a bar of chocolate or a pint of milk from a comer shop. At the shops where you spend any real money, that money is increasingly abstracted. And this is more and more true, the higher up the scale you go. At the most cutting-edge retail stores—Victoria Beckham on Dover Street, for instance—you don’t go and stand at any kind of cash register when you decide to pay. The staff are equipped with iPads to take your payment while you relax on a sofa.
Which is nothing more or less than excellent service, if you have the money. But across society, the abstraction of the idea of cash makes me uneasy. Maybe I’m just
old-fashioned. But earning money isn’t quick or easy for most of us. Isn’t it a bit weird that spending it should happen in half a blink (眨眼) of an eye? Doesn’t a wallet—that time-honoured Friday-night feeling of pleasing, promising fatness—represent something that matters?
But I’ll leave the economics to the experts. What bothers me about the death of the wallet is the change it represents in our physical environment. Everything about the look and feel of a wallet—the way the fastenings and materials wear and tear and loosen with age, the plastic and paper and gold and silver, and handwritten phone numbers and printed cinema tickets—is the very opposite of what our world is becoming. The opposite of a wallet is a smartphone of an iPad. The rounded edges, cool glass, smooth and unknowable as pebble (鹅卵石). Instead of digging through pieces of paper and peering
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into corners, we move our fingers left and right. No more counting out coins. Show your wallet, if you still have one. It may not be here much longer.
56. What is happening to the wallet?
A) It is disappearing. C) it is becoming costly.
B) It is being fattened. D) It is changing in style.
57. How are business transactions done in big modern stores?
A) Individually. C) In the abstract.
B) Electronically. D) Via a cash register.
58. What makes the author feel uncomfortable nowadays?
A) Saving money is becoming a thing of the past.
B) The pleasing Friday-night feeling is fading.
C) Earning money is getting more difficult.
D) Spending money is so fast and easy.
59. Why does the author choose to write about what’s happening to the wallet?
A) It represents a change in the modern world.
B) It has something to do with everybody’s life.
C) It marks the end of a time-honoured tradition.
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D) It is the concern of contemporary economists.
60.What can we infer from the passage about the author?
A)He is resistant to social changes.
B)He is against technological progress.
C)He feels reluctant to part with the traditional wallet.
D)He fells insecure in the ever-changing modern world.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Everybody sleeps,but what people stay up late to catch—or wake up early in order not to miss—varies by culture.From data collected,it seems the things that cause us to lose the most sleep,on average,are sporting events,time changes,and holidays.
Around the world, people changed sleep patterns thanks to the start or end of daylight savings time. Russians, for example, began to wake up about a half-hour later each day after President Vladimir Putin shifted the country permanently to “winter time”starting on October 26.
Russia’s other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays. On New Year’s Eve, Russians have the world’s latest bedtime, hitting the hay at around 3:30 am.
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Russians also get up an hour later on International Women’s Day, the day for treating and celebrating female relatives.
Similarly, Americans’ late nights late mornings, and longest sleeps fall on three-day weekends.
Canada got the least sleep of the year the night it beat Sweden in the Olympic hockey(冰球）final.
The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation(剥夺）, The worst night for sleep in the U.K. was the night of the England-Italy match on June 14. Brits stayed up a half-hour later to watch it, and then they woke up earlier than usual the next morning thanks to summer nights, the phenomenon in which the sun barely sets in northern countries in the summertime. That was nothing, though, compared to Germans, Italians, and the French, who stayed up around an hour and a half later on various days throughout the summer to watch the Cup.
It should be made clear that not everyone has a device to record their sleep patterns, in some of these nations, it’s likely that only the richest people do. And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person. Even if that’s the case, though, the above findings are still striking, If the most health-conscious among us have such deep swings in our shut-eye levels throughout the year, how much sleep are the rest of us losing?
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
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61. What does the author say about people’s sleeping habits?
A) They are culture-related C)They change with the seasons.
B) They affect people’s health. D)They vary from person to person.
62.What do we learn about the Russians regarding sleep?
A) They don’t fall asleep until very late.
B) They don’t sleep much on weekends.
C) They get less sleep on public holidays.
D) They sleep longer than people elsewhere.
63.What is the major cause for Europeans’ loss of sleep?
A) The daylight savings time.
B) The colorful night life.
C) The World Cup.
D) The summertime.
64.What is the most probable reason for some rich people to use a device to record their patterns?
A) They have trouble falling asleep.
B) They want to get sufficient sleep.
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C) They are involved in a sleep research.
D) They want to go to bed on regular hours.
65. What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A) Sleeplessness does harm to people’s health.
B) Few people really know the importance of sleep.
C) It is important to study our sleep patterns.
D) Average people probably sleep less than the rich.
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.
云南省的丽江古镇是中国著名的旅游目的地之一。那里的生活节奏比大多数中国的城市都要缓慢。丽江到处都是美丽的自然风光，众多的少数民族同胞提供了各式各样，丰富多彩的文化让游客体验。历史上，丽江还以“爱之城”而闻名。当地人中流传着许多关于人生，为爱而死的故事。如今，在中外游客眼中，这个古镇被视为爱情和浪漫的天堂。（paradise）
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2015年12月大学英语四级听力真题及答案（一套）
2015年12月四级听力原文第一版
Part 1 短对话
Question 1
- M： Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration we watched together last month？
- W： Sure。 It’s actually the most impressive one I’ve seen on that topic。
Q：What do we learn about the speakers？
Question 2
- W： Are you looking for anything in particular？
- M： Yes。 My son is graduating from high school， and I want to get him something special。
Q：Where does the conversation most probably take place？
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Question 3
- M： Mike told me yesterday that he had been looking in vain for a job in the art gallery。
- W： Really？ If I remember right， he had a chance to work there， but he turned it down。
Q：What does the woman say about Mike？
Question 4
- W： Would you like to come to Susan’s birthday party tomorrow evening？
- M： I’m going to give a lecture tomorrow。 I wish I could be in two places at the same time。
Q：What does the man mean？
Question 5
- W： Aren’t you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making？
- M： Yes。 I think I will give them a deadline and hold them to it。
Q：What is the man probably going to do？
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Question 6
- W： Excuse me。 Could you tell me where the visitors’ parking is？ I left my car there。
- M： Sure。 It’s in Lot C。 Over that way。
Q：What does the woman want to know？
Question 7
- W： You look great！ Now that you’ve taken those fitness classes。
- M： Thanks。 I’ve never felt better in my life。
Q：What does the man mean？
Question 8
- W： I really admire the efficiency of your secretaries。
- M： Our company selects only the best。 They have a heave workload and we give them a lot of responsibilities。
Q：What are the speakers talking about？
Part 2 长对话
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Conversion 1
W： Hi Leo， why do you say English would become the world language？
M： Well。 For one thing， it’s so commonly used， the only language that is used by more people is Chinese。
W： Why is English spoken by so many people？
M： It’s spoken in many countries of the world because of the British empire。 And now of course is the influence of America as well。
W： Many students find English a difficult language to learn。
M： Oh， all languages are difficult to learn。 But English does have two greatest advantages。
W： What are they？
M： Well， first of all， it has a very international vocabulary。 It has many German， Dutch， French， Spanish and Italian words in it。 So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English。 In fact， English has words for many other languages as well。
W： Why is that？
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M： Well， partly because English speakers have travelled a lot， they bring back words with them。 So English really does have an international vocabulary。
W： And what is the other advantage of English？
M： It that English grammar is really quite easy。 For example， it doesn’t have dozens of different endings for its nouns， adjectives and verbs， not like Latin， Russian and German for example。
W： Why is that？
M： Well， it’s quite interesting actually， it’s because of the French。 When the French ruled England， French was the official language， and only the common people spoke English。 They tried to make their language as simple as possible。 So they made the grammar easier。
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you’ve just heard。
Q9： What does the man say about Chinese？
Q10： What made English a widely used language？
Q11： What is said to be special about English vocabulary？
Conversation 2
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Man： Hello。 Yes？
Woman： Hello。 Is that the sales department？
M： Yes， it is。
W：Oh， well。 My name is Jane Kingsbury of GPF limited。 We need some supplies for our design office。
M： Oh， what sort？
W：Well， first of all， we need one complete new drawing board。
M： DO44 or DO45？
W：Ah， I don’t know。 What’s the difference？
M： Well， the 45 costs 15 pounds more。
W：So what’s the total price then？
M：It’s 387 pounds。
W：Dose that include valued-added tax？
M： Oh， I’m not sure。 Most of the prices do。 Yes， I think it does。
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W：What are the boards actually made of？
M： Oh， I don’t know。 I think it‘s a sort of plastic stuff these days。 It’s white anyway。
W：And how long does it take to deliver？
M： Oh， I couldn’t really say。 It depends on how much work we’ve got and how many other orders there are to send out， you know。
W：Ok， now we also want some drawing pens， ink and rulers， and some drawing paper。
M： Oh dear。 The girl who takes all those supplies isn’t here this morning。 So I can’t take those orders for you。 I only do the equipment you see。
W：Ok， well， perhaps I’ll ring back tomorrow。
M： So do you want the drawing board then？
W：Oh， I have to think about it。 Thanks very much。 I’ll let you know。 Good-bye。
M： Thank you。 Good-bye。
Question 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you just heard。
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Question 12： What is the woman’s purpose in making the phone call？
Question 13： What do we learn about the man from the conversation？
Question 14： What does the man say about delivery？
Question 15： What does the woman say she will possibly do tomorrow？
Part 3 短文
短文 1
No one knows for sure just how old kites are。 In fact， they have been in use for centuries。 25 centuries ago， kites were well-known in China。 These first kites were probably made of wood。 They may even have been covered with silk， because silk were used a lot at that time。 Early kites were built for certain uses。 In ancient China， they will use to carry ropes to cross rivers。 Once across， the ropes were tear down and wooden bridges would hang for them。 Legend tells of one General who flew musical kites over the enemies’ camp。 The enemy fled， believing the sounds to be the warming voices of angels。 By the 15th century， many people flew kites in Europe。 Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China。 The kite has been linked to great names and events。 For instance， Benjamin Franklin used kite to prove the lightening electricity。 He flew the kite in the storm。 He did this in order to draw lightening from the clouds。 He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line。 The silk ribbon would stop the lightening
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from passing through his body。 Benjamin’s idea was first laughed at。 But later on， it enlightened the invention of the lightening rod。 With such grand history， kite flying is short remain an entertaining and popular sport。
Question 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard。
Question 16： What does the speaker say about kite？
Question 17： What did ancient Chinese use cats to do？
Question 18： Why did BF flied a kite in the storm？
短文2
I have learnt many languages， but I’m not mastered them the way the professional interpreter or translator has。 Still， they have open doors for me。 They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs。 Like many people who have lived overseas for a while， I simply got crazy about it。 I can’t image living my professional or social life without international interactions。 Since 1977， I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States。 I like going to new places， eating new foods and experiencing new cultures。 If you can speak the language， it’s easier to get to know the country and its people。 If I had the time and money。 I would live for a year in as many countries as possible。 Beyond my career， my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities。 Once， just after I returned
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my year in Vienna。 I was asked to translate for a German judge at Olympic level horse event and learned a lot about the sport。
In Japan， once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show， I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought。 They asked” Was it as good as American beef？” It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV， speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was。
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you’ve just heard。
Question 19 What does the speaker say about herself？
Question 20 What does the speaker say about many people who have lived overseas for a while？
Question 21 How did the speaker experience of living in Vienna benefit her？
Question 22 What was the speaker asked to do in the Japanese studio？
短文3
Dr。 Ben Carsen grew up in a poor single parent house-hold in Detroit。 His mother， who had only a 3rd grade education helds two jobs cleaning bathrooms。 To his classmates and even to his
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teachers he was thought of as the dummest kid in his class。 According to his own not so fond memories。
He had a terrible temper， and once threatened to kill another child。 Dr。 Carsen was headed down part of seld distraction until a critical moment in his youth。 His mother convinced that he had to do something dramatic preventing leading a life of failure laid down some rules。 He could not
watch television except for two programs a week， could not play with his friends after school
until he finished his homework。 And had to read two books a week， and write book reports about them。 His mother’s strategy worked。 “Of course， I didn’t know she couldn’t read。 So there I was
submitting these reports。” he said。 She would put check marks on them like she had been reading them。 As I began to read about scientists，economists and philosophers。 I started imaging myself in their shoes。 As he got into the hobbit of hard work， his grade began to soar。 Ultimately he received a scholarship to attending Yale
University， and later he was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical School。
He is now a leading surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medical School and he is also the author of the three books。
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Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you’ve just heard。
Q23 What do we learn about Ben Carsen ？
Q24 What did Ben Caren’s classmates and teachers think of him whenhe was first at school？
Q25 What did Ben Carsen’s mother tell him to do when he was a school boy？
Part 4 听写题
When you look up at the night sky， what do you see？ There are other heavenly bodies out there besides the moon and stars。 One of the most fascinating of this is a comet。 Comets were formed around the same the earth was formed。 They are made up of ice and other frozen liquids and gasses。 Now and then these dirty snow balls begin to orbit the sun just as the planets do。 As a comet gets closer to the sun。 Some gasses in it begin to unfreeze。 They combine with dust particles from the comet to form a huge cloud。 As the comet gets even nearer to the sun and solar wind blows the cloud behind the comet thus forming its tail。 The tail and generally fuzzy atmosphere around the comet are characteristics that can help identify this phenomenon in the night sky。 In any given year， about dozen known comets come close to the sun in their orbits。 The average person can’t see them all of course。 Usually there is only one or two a year bright enough to be seen with the naked eye。 Comet Hale-Bopp discovered in 1995 was an unusually bright comet。 Its orbit bought relatively to the earth within 122 million miles of it。 But
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Hale-Bopp came a long way on its earthly visit。 It won’t be back for another 4 thousand years or so。
参考答案
1。 B。 They enjoyed the movie on space exploration。
2。 A。 At a gift shop。
3。 C。 He declined a job offer from the art gallery。
4。 D。 He will be unable to attend the birthday party。
5。 B。 Set a deadline for the staff to meet。
6。 A。 They way to the visitor’s parking。
7。 D。 He has benefited from exercise。
8。 D。 The secretaries in the man’s company。
9。 B。 It is used by more people than English。
10。 C。 The influence of the British Empire。
11.It includes a lot of words from other languages。
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12.To place an order
13.He is not familiar with the exact details of goods。
14.It depends on a number of factors。
15.Ring back when she comes to a decision。
16。 No one knows for sure when they came into being。
17.Carry ropes across river。
18.To prove the lighting is electricity。
19.She can speak several languages。
20.They have an intense interest in cross-cultural interactions。
21.She was able to translate for a German sports judge。
22.Taste the beef and give her comment。
23.He grew up in a poor single parent household。
24.Stupid
25.Write two book reports a week。
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27。 fascinating
29。 Now and then
32。 characteristics
34。 naked
35 。relatively
2015年12月大学英语四级阅读真题及答案（一套）
答案：
GMBOI，DFJHN
ICKEB，FAHJG
ABACC，CBADD
GMBOI，DFJHN
ICKEB，FAHJG
ABACC，CBADD
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2015年12月四级考试如期进行。从笔者拿到的套题的阅读部分来看，整体难度适中，较往年趋于平稳。
选词填空部分（关于《children’s cognitive abilities儿童认知能力》）
首先从选项设计上看，四大词性（名、动、形、副）考查数量分布均匀（3233），不确定形式（Ving 和 Ved）共4个，另外只有advocate一个词属于一词多性的情况，相对选项设计总体难度属于中等偏易。再看文章部分，谈论的是关于儿童认知（children’s cognitive abilities）方面的知识的话题，属于小冷门，但文章语言表达适中，且短句占主体，平衡了话题生僻对考试带来的解题障碍。其中cognitive还给出了中文注解，也正好应验了我们反复强调的中文重要性的应试知识要点。同时，空格设置处的词性相对比较容易判断，例如，名词前给出了单复数的区别的代词those作为提示，又例如，非谓语动词只考查了一个正在进行时，而做后置定语或状语的高难度应用本篇没有涉及。
段落匹配部分（The Perfect Essay）
首先看备选的十个小标题，均无长难句，同时出现大量重复信息，例如除了与文章title 本身密切相关的essay ，flaw，flawless，perfection以外，还有mother，criticism，从而能顺利预测出文章谈及的是通过母亲的有建设性的批评，提升作者的写作能力。这也是我们要求的先题后文解决段落匹配的技巧。从长文章的段落设计上看，一共11段（K），属于段落数量适中的情况，也为匹配选择降低难度。但对于所谓长阅读文章只看开头结尾的谬论，用真题再次给予回击，十道匹配中至少3题涉及段落中间部分，2题涉及对全段进行总结。
仔细阅读部分
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保持一贯的难易结合（即一篇相对简单，另一篇略有难度），第一篇文章（Silicon Valley）相对容易，文章讨论为何在其他地方无法复制硅谷（Silicon Valley）成功的原因。纵观后面的五道问题，定位点非常清楚，前四题均有明确的大写（1、Silicon Valley2、Miami3、Carnegie-Mellon MIT 4、Boston）同时根据出题顺序与行文顺序一致的原则，不难确定第5题对应最后一段。
第二篇文章谈论争论或不同意见对决策的帮助（debate，identifyyour blind spots，get to the truth），相比上篇文章，五道问题虽然没有包含大写单词，并出现信息重复的现象（debate）但也定位信息相对容易识别，都具有特殊性的特点如like-mindedpeople, leaders 。并且在选项中出现了十考九对的may。
2015年12月大学英语四级翻译真题及答案（一套）
1、中国父母往往过于关注孩子的学习，以至于不要他们帮忙做家务。他们对孩子的首要要求就是努力学习。考得好，能上名牌大学。他们相信这是为孩子好。因为在中国这样竞争激烈的社会里，只有成绩好才能保证前途光明。中国父母还认为，如果孩子能在社会上取得大的成就，父母就会受到尊重。因此，他们愿意牺牲自己的时间、爱好和兴趣，为孩子提供更好的条件。
Chinese parents tendto pay so much attention to the academic performance of their children thatthey stop their kids from helping with the housework. The primary requirementfor children is to study hard. Children are entitled to go to eliteuniversities with high exam scores. Parents believe this is for the benefit oftheir children. Because in a
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highly competitive society like China, only highscores can guarantee kids a bright future.Chinese parents also think that theywill be respected if their children make greater achievements in society.Therefore, parents are willing to sacrifice their own time, hobbies andinterest to provide their children with better conditions.
2、云南省的丽江古镇是中国著名的旅游目的地之一。那里的生活节奏比大多数中国城市都要缓慢。丽江到处都是美丽的自然风光。众多的少数民族同胞提供了各式各样，丰富多彩的文化让游客体验。历史上，丽江还以”爱之城”而闻名。当地人中流传着许多关于因爱而生、为爱而死的故事。如今，在中外游客眼中，这个古镇被视为爱情和浪漫的天堂（paradise）。
Lijiang, an ancienttown in Yunan province, is one of the famous tourist destinations in China. Thepace of life there is slower than in most cities of China. There is naturalscenery everywhere in Lijiang. A number of minority compatriots provide variousand colorful cultures for tourists to experience. Lijiang has also been knownas the “City of Love” throughout history. Plenty of legends about people born for loveand die for love circulate among the local people. Nowadays, this ancient townis regarded as the paradise of love and romance in the eyes of both Chinese andforeign visitors.
3、今年在长沙举行了一年一度的外国人汉语演讲比赛。这项比赛证明是促进中国和世界其他地区文化交流的好方法。它为世界各地的年轻人提供了更好地了解中国的机会。
来自87个国家共计126位选手聚集在湖南省省会参加了从7月6日到8月5日进行的半决赛和决赛。
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比赛并不是唯一的活动，选手们还有机会参观了中国其他地区的著名景点和历史名胜。
This year, an annualMandarin Speech Contest for Foreign Nationals was held in Changsha.This contest proved to be a good way to promote the cultural communicationbetween China and other regions in the world. It provided an opportunity foryoung people around the world to understand China better.
A total of 126competitors from 87 nations gathering in the capital of Hunan provinceparticipated in the semifinal and final held from July 6th to August5th.
The contest was notthe only activity. Contestants also had a chance to visit the famous scenicsights and historical spots in other regions of China.
2015年12月大学英语四级作文真题及解析（一套）
2015年12月19日大学英语四级考试继续沿用多题多卷形式，?写作作文所占分值比例为15%，话题方面主要考查考生根据所提供的信息和命题考查对题目的理解和写作能力，本次考试本质要求无大变化。
本次四级写作考试作文类型：人生哲理类，话题方面均强调树立积极乐观向上、正面努力的观点的重要性，话题密切联系现实，具有一定教育启示意义。按题目要求写相应的内容是保证不跑题的方法。
我们已经拿到了三个题目，大家可以一起来看一下你考的是哪个题目。
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第一篇作文题目是：
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essaycommenting on the saying “Never go out there to see whathappens, go out there to make something happen” You cancite examples to illustrate the importance of being creative rather than mereonlookers in life. You should write at least 120words, no more than 180words.
第二篇作文题目是：
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting onthe saying ‘Learning is a daily experience anda lifetime mission.” You can cite examples toillustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120words but no more than 180 words.
第三篇作文题目是：
Writing
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essaycommenting on the saying “Listening is more important thantalking.” You can cite examples to illustrate theimportance of listening. You should write at least 120 words but no more than180 words.
此次作文，依旧没有考察“热点”的“环境、文化、网络”等大话题，而是“平民草根、接地气”的人生哲理类，三个题目在今年的考试当中有以下几个特点：
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第一，易审题，延续了上一次四级写作考试“反押题”的倾向。
之前我们可能会去了解了宏观的大话题，这次考试题目预测和之前的准备有所出入。作文的主题非常开放而明显，基本上不存在跑题的问题，所有考生均可表达自己的观点。
第二，重语言，主题明确，考生比拼的就是“语言质量”本身。
一篇不再“假大空”的文章，注定不需要使用太多“大而华丽的空洞语言、口号语言”，而在于考生能否灵活运用一些基础词汇和固定表达，写出语法正确、语言流畅的文章。同学们比拼的是驾驭英语语言本身的能力，对词汇、语法、固定句型套用的熟练程度和精采程度。
第三，技巧和能力并重。
“写作技巧与范文背诵”作文备考思路依旧得到体现和应用。考生既要规律性总结历年真题出题的特点，又要勤加背诵和练习考前的范文。宗旨，多背，多写，背好，写好，总能够在考场上有话好说，有分可拿。
第四，目前的题目是描述与议论文并重。
这次的考试其实更多的是重在考生的思考问题、发表评论、写议论文的能力。这样的话题涉及的面比较广、话题比较正式，作文考的是你真正的语言描述和议论点能力。
以上四点是我们对本次四级考试作文部分的题型的归纳和总结。大家在备考的时候还是要技巧与背诵并重。我们应该学会如何举例子、写过程、去描述，如何发表论述、论证。第二点我们可能更多的要进行考前的背诵。在新东方在线的官网上有大量的考前跟这三道题目
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话题非常接近的范文，不知道同学们有没有背到和下载。如果您有相应的准备加上新东方老师讲的相应的策略、技巧和方法，我想本次作文题目应该是非常简单的，手到擒来。这是我们对四级作文的一个点评。
通过我们的点评和解析，你大概了解自己的考试成绩和状态，如果你觉得自己考得不错的话，给自己放一个美好的寒假，让自己放松一下，多读一些书，跟朋友交流都可以。如果你发现自己的作文还是有问题，那你在寒假开始也许就应该开始背单词，甚至准备我们在2016年6月份四六级的考试。我们新东方在线诸多的课程包括全程班也许就是同学们一个不错的选择。
第二，对今天下午要考六级的同学，我们对作文这个专项也有一个小小的提醒，因为12月份的四级和6级的四级高度的一致，我们也可以进行一个预测，下午的六级是不是也会延续上次考试出题的风格，六级还是会出“引语作文”，给你一句名言警句，或者是给你一句名人名言，让你对名言进行评论、进行提炼、进行内涵的升华写成一篇议论文；我们也不排除出现图表作文的可能性，所以这些我们都希望同学们能够准备到，并且预祝已经考完四级的同学，能够考出理想的成绩。也预祝下午参加六级考试的各位考生能够考出理想的成绩。