2016年英语专四真题word版

TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2016) —GRADE FOUR— TIME LIMIT: 130 MIN PART I  DICTATION                                                [10 MIN] Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given 2 minutes to check through your work once more. Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE. PART II  LISTENING COMPREHENSION                        [20 MIN] SECTION A  TALK In this section you will hear a talk. You will hear the talk ONCE ONLY. While listening, you may look at the task on the ANSWER SHEETONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure what you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking. You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task. Now, listen to the talk. When it is over, you will be given TWO minutes to check your work. SECTION B  CONVERSATIONS In this section, you will hear two conversations. At the end of the conversion, five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken ONCE ONLY. After each question there will be a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A, B, C and D, and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. You have THIRTY seconds to preview the questions. Now, listen to the conversations. Conversation One Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One. 1. A. To tell the man that he has been shortlisted for interview. B. To ask the man a few questions about his interview. C. To tell the man the procedure of the interview. D. To explain to the man how to make a presentation. 2.  A. Questions related to the job. B. General questions about himself. C. Specific questions about his CV. D. Questions about his future plan. 3.  A. Questions from the interviewers. B. Questions from the interviewee. C. Presentation from the interviewee. D. Requests from the interviewee. 4.  A. Educational and professional background. B. Problems he has faced and solved. C. Major successes in his career so far. D. Company future and his contribution. 5.  A. 11 a.m., next Tuesday. B. 11 a.m., next Thursday. C. 9 a.m., this Tuesday. D. 9 a.m., this Thursday. Conversation Two Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two. 6.  A. How college students pay for their education. B. How to handle the problem of college loans. C. The disadvantage of college loans. D. Government financing in college education. 7.  A. It has increased by 6 to 8%. B. It has increased by 8 to 10%. C. It has decreased by 6 to 8%. D. It has decreased by 8 to 10%. 8.  A. Student’s family income. B. First year salary after graduation. C. A fixed amount of 30, 000 dollars. D. Payment in the next ten years. 9.  A. Students can borrow money first. B. Students pay no tax on savings. C. Students pay less tax after graduation. D. Students withdraw without paying tax. 10.  A. Giving up charitable or volunteer work. B. Neglecting their study at college. C. Giving up further education. D. Neglecting high salary in job-seeking. PART III  LANGUAGE USAGE                                    [10 MIN] There are twenty sentences in this section. Beneath each sentence there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Choose one word or phrase that best completes the sentence. Mark your answers on Answer Sheet Two. 11.     How can I concentrate if you __________ continually __________ me with silly questions? A. have… interrupted                B. had… interrupted                    C. are… interrupting                D. were… interrupting 12.     Among the four sentences below, Sentence __________ express the highest degree of possibility. A. It may take a long time to find a solution to the problem.     B. It might take a long time to find a solution to the problem.            C. It could take a long time to find a solution to the problem.            D. It should take a long time to find a solution to the problem. 13.     She is a better speaker than __________ in the class. A. all the girls B. the other boys C. other any girl D. any boy 14.     Nobody heard him sing, __________? A. did they B. did he C. didn’t they D. did one 15.     I can’t put up with __________. A. that friend of you                B. that friend of yours            C. the friend of you            D. the friend of yours 16.     There has been an increasing number of __________ in primary schools in past few years. A. man teacher B. men teacher C. man teachers D. men teachers 17.    This is one of the issues that deserve __________. A. mentioning B. being mentioned C. to mention D. for mention 18.    The audience __________ excited on seeing__________ favorite star glide onto the stage. A. were… its B. were… their C. was… their D. was… one’s 19.    __________ your advice, I would have made the wrong decision. A. Hadn’t it been for B. Had it not been for C. Had it been for D. Had not it been for 20. The sentence I wish I had been more careful in spending money express the speaker’s __________. A. hope    B. joy C. regret D. relief 21.    The Attorney General ordered a federal autopsy of Brown’s body, seeking to __________ the family and community there would be a thorough investigation into his death. A. ensure B. assure C. insure D. ascertain 22.    The police department came under strong criticism for both the death of an unarmed and its handling of the __________. A. consequence B. outcome C. result D. aftermath 23.     The Foreign Secretary tried to __________ doubts about his handling of the crisis. A. dispel B. expel C. repel D. quell 24.     Mutual funds are thus best for investors who don’t want to take the time to study stocks in detail or who __________ the resources to build a portfolio. A. deprive B. lack C. yearn D. attain 25.     Chris ran __________ John at a sporting-goods trade show and the two quickly struck __________ an easy rapport. A. into…up            B. on…into                C. across…on            D. against…into 26.     “I’m leaving the country soon,” he told a __________ convened group of reporters. A. especially            B. particularly            C. specially        D. specifically 27.     Israel and Hamas had reached a deal on extending the __________ ceasefire by an extra 24 hours until Tuesday at midnight. A. contemporary                B. makeshift            C. spontaneous            D. temporary 28.     __________ to unplugging the alarm clock and trusting your ability to wake on time on your own, you should probably ease yourself into the new arrangement by keeping a very regular schedule for several weeks. A. Due                        B. Prior C. Related                    D. Thanks 29.     If you are an athlete, strong abdominal muscles help you ensure a strong back and freedom from injury during __________upper-body movement. A. valiant             B. variable            C. vigorous            D. vigilant 30.     Finning is a cruel __________ in which the shark’s fins are lopped off, and the live shark is thrown back to sea. A. reality            B. truth            C. skill            D. practice PART IV  CLOZE                                                [10 MIN] Decide which of the words given in the box below would best complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blank. The words can be used ONCE ONLY. Mark the letter for each word on ANSWER SHEET TWO. A. ample B. combinations C. directly D. disseminated E. generations F. genuinely G. instead H. lists I. promulgated J. publicized K. scant L. shaped M. sophisticated N. transplanted O. virtual   Imagine a world without writing. Obviously there would be no books: no novels, no encyclopedias, no cookbooks, no textbooks, no telephone books, no scriptures, no diaries, no travel guides. There would be no ball-points, no typeswriters, no computers, no Internet, no magazines, no movie credits, no shopping lists, no newspapers, no tax returns. But such __________ (31) of subjects almost miss the point. The world we live in has been indelibly marked by the written word, __________ (32) by the technology of writing over thousands of years. Ancient kings proclaimed their authority and __________ (33) their laws in writing. Scribes administered great empires by writing, their knowledge of recording and retrieving information essential to governing complex societies. Religious traditions were passed on through __________ (34), and spread to others, in writing. Scientific and technological progress was achieved and __________ (35) through writing. Accounts in trade and commerce could be kept because of writing. Nearly every step of civilization has been mediated through writing. A world without writing would bear __________ (36) resemblance to the one we now live in. Writing is a __________ (37) necessity to the societies anthropologists call civilizations. A civilization is distinguished from other societies by the complexity of its social organization, by its construction of cities and large public buildings, and by the economic specialization of its members, many of whom are not __________ (38) involved in food procurement or production. A civilization, with its taxation and tribute systems, its trade, and its public works, requires a __________ (39) system of record keeping. And so the early civilizations of Egypt, China, and (probably) India all developed a system of writing. Only the Peruvian civilization of the Incas and their predecessors did not use writing but __________ (40) invented a system of keeping records on knotted color-coded strings known as quipu.  PART V  READING COMPREHENSION                            [35 MIN] SECTION A MUTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS In this section there are three passages followed by ten multiple choice questions. For each multiple choice question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE (1) When I was twenty-seven years old, I was a mining-broker’s clerk in San Francisco, and an expert in all the details of stock traffic, I was alone in the world, and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but these were setting my feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the prospect. My time was my own after the afternoon board, Saturdays, and I was accustomed to putting it in on a little sail-boat on the bay. One day I ventured too far, and was carried out to sea. Just at nightfall, when hope was about gone, I was picked up by a small ship which was bound for London. It was a long and stormy voyage, and they made me work my passage without pay, as a common sailor. When I stepped ashore in London my clothes were ragged and shabby, and I had only a dollar in my pocket. This money fed and sheltered me twenty-four hours. During the next twenty-four I went without food and shelter. (2) About ten o’clock on the following morning, dirty and hungry, I was dragging myself along Portland Place, when a child that was passing, towed by a nurse-maid, tossed a big pear——minus one bite——into the gutter. I stopped, of course, and fastened my desiring eye on that muddy treasure. My mouth watered for it, my stomach craved it, my whole being begged for it. But every time I made a move to get it some passing eye detected my purpose, and of course I straightened up then, and looked indifferent and pretended that I hadn’t been thinking about the pear at all. This same thing kept happening and happening, and I couldn’t get the pear. (3) I was just getting desperate enough to brave all the shame, and to seize it, when a window behind me was raised, and a gentleman spoke out of it, saying: “ Step in here, please.” (4) I was admitted by a man servant, and shown into a sumptuous room where a couple of elderly gentlemen were sitting. They sent away the servant, and made me sit down. They had just finished their breakfast, and the sight of the remains of it almost overpowered me. I could hardly keep my wits together in the presence of that food, but as I was not asked to sample it, I had to bear my trouble as best as I could. (5) Now, something had been happening there a little before, which I did not know anything about until a good many days afterwards, but I will tell you about it now. Those two old brothers had been having a pretty hot argument a couple of days before, and had ended by agreeing to decide it by a bet, which is the English way of settling everything. (6) You will remember that the Bank of England once issued two notes of a million pounds each, to be used for a special purpose connected with some public transaction with a foreign country. For some reason or other only one of these had been used and canceled; the other still lay in the vaults of the Bank. Well, the brothers, chatting along, happened to get to wondering what might be the fate of a perfectly honest and intelligent stranger who should be turned adrift in London without a friend, and with no money but that million-pound bank-note, and no way to account for his being in possession of it. Brother A said he would starve to death; Brother B said he wouldn’t. Brother A said he couldn’t offer it at a bank or anywhere else, because he would be arrested on the spot. So they went on disputing till Brother B said he would bet twenty thousand pounds that the man would live thirty days, anyway, on that million, and keep out of jail, too. Brother A took him up. Brother B went down to the Bank and bought that note. Then he dictated a letter, which one of his clerks wrote out in a beautiful round hand, and then the two brothers sat at the window a whole day watching for the right man to give it to. (7) I finally became the pick of it. 41.    In Para. 1, the phrase “set my feet” probably means __________. A. put me aside B. start my journey C. prepare me D. let me walk 42.     It can be concluded from Para. 2 that __________. A. the man wanted to maintain dignity though starved B. the man could not get a proper chance to eat the pear C. The man did not really want the pear since it was dirty D. it was very difficult for the man to get the pear 43.     Compared with Brother A, Brother B was more __________ towards the effect of the  one-million-pound bank-note on a total strange. A. neutral B. negative C. reserved D. positive PASSAGE TWO (1) The concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some language, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons --- that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let’s look at a few of them. The dove (2) The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war. (3) There was a tradition in Europe that if dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that devil can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. In Christian art, the dove was used to symbolized the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ’s head. (4) But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949. The rainbow (5) The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after rain. Mistletoe (6) This plant was sacred in many cultures, generally representing peace and love. Most people know of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas time, which probably comes from Scandinavian mythology. The goddess Freya’s son was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, so, in honour of him, she declared that it would always be a symbol of peace. It was often hung in doorways as a sign of friendship. (7) The ancient Druids believed that hanging mistletoe in your doorway could protect you from evil spirits. Tribes would stop fighting for a period of time if they found a tree with mistletoe. But you will never see mistletoe in a Christian church - it is banned because of its associations with pagan religion and superstition. The olive branch (8) The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympics Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol. The ankh (9) The ankh is an ancient symbol which was adopted by the hippie movement in the 1960s to represent peace and love. It was found in many Asian cultures, but is generally associated with ancient Egypt. It represented life and immortality. Egyptians were buried with an ankh, so that they could continue to live in the “afterworld”. The symbol was also found along the sides of the Nile, which gave life to the people. They believed that the ankh could control the flow of the river and make sure that there was always enough water. 44. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A. Concept of Peace. B. Origin of Peace Symbols. C. Popular Peace Symbols. D. Cultural Difference of Peace. 45. The rainbow represents the connection between human beings and their gods in all the following countries EXCEPT __________. A. Sweden B. Greece C. Finland D. China 46. In North Europe mistletoe was often hung in doorways to indicate __________. A. friendship B. love C. kinship D. honour 47. The origin of the ankh can date back to __________. A. the Nile B. the “afterword” C. the hippie movement D. ancient Egypt  PASSAGE THREE  (1) Two sides almost never change: That you can manipulate people into self-sufficiency and that you can punish them into good citizenship. (2) The first manifests itself in our tireless search for the magical level at which welfare grants are big enough to meet basic needs but small enough to make low-paid work attractive. The second has us looking to the criminal justice system to cure behavior that is as much as anything the result of despair. (3) The welfare example is well known. We don’t want poor people to live in squalor or their children to be malnourished. But we also don’t want to subsidize the indolence of people who are too lazy to work. The first impulse leads us to provide housing, food stamps, medical care and a cash stipend for families in need. The second gets us to think about “workforce”. (4) We’ve been thinking about it for two reasons: the “nanny” problems of two high-ranking government officials (who hired undocumented foreigners as household helpers, presumably because they couldn’t find Americans to do the work) and President Clinton’s proposal to put a two-year limit on welfare. (5) Maybe something useful will come of Clinton’s idea, but I’m not all that hopeful. It looks to me like one more example of trying to manipulate people into taking care of themselves. (6) On the criminal justice side, we hope to make punishment tough enough to discourage crime but not so tough as to clog our prisons with relatively minor offenders. Too short a sentence, we fear, will create contempt for the law. Too long a sentence will take up costly space better used for the violent and unremorseful. (7) Not only can we never find the “perfect” punishment, our search for optimum penalties is complicated by our desire for fairness: to let the punishment fit the crime. The problem is that almost any punishment --- even the disgrace of being charged with a crime --- is sufficient to deter the middle class, while for members of the underclass, probation may be translated as “I beat it”. (8) So how can you use the system --- welfare or criminal justice --- to produce the behavior we want? The answer, I suspect is: You can’t. (9) We keep trying to use welfare and prison to change people --- to make them think and behave the way we do --- when the truth is the incentives work only for those who already think the way we do: who view today’s action with an eye on the future. (10) We will take lowly work (if that is all that’s available) because we believe we can make bad jobs work for us. We avoid crime not because we are better people but because we see getting caught as a future-wrecking disaster. We are guided by a belief that good things will happen for us in the future if we take proper care of the present. Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe we are in control of our lives. (11) And we have trouble understanding that not everybody believes as we believe. The welfare rolls, the prison and the mean street of our cities are full of people who have given up on their future. Without hope for the future, hard work at a low-paid job makes no sense. Working hard in school, or pleasing a boss, or avoiding pregnancy makes no sense. The deadly disease is hopelessness. The lawlessness and poverty are only the obvious symptoms. (12) I’m not advocating that we stop looking for incentives to move poor people toward self-sufficiency or that we stop punishing people for criminal behavior. There will always be some people who need help and some who deserve to be in jail. (13) All I’m saying is that the long-term answer both to welfare and the crime that plagues our communities is not to fine tune the welfare and criminal justice systems but to prevent our children from getting the disease of despair. (14) If we encourage our young people to believe in the future, and give them solid evidence for believing, we’ll find both crime and poverty shrinking to manageable proportions. 48. What is the author’s attitude towards Clinton’s proposal to welfare? A. Pessimistic. B. Optimistic. C. Suspicious. D. Sarcastic. 49.     It can be inferred from Para. 7 that optimum penalties are __________ to the underclass. A. useless B. hopeless C. frightening D. humiliating 50.     Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage? A. Lawlessness and Poverty. B. Criminal Justice System. C. Welfare Grants. D. Disease of Despair. SECTION B  SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS In this section, there are five short answer questions based on the passages in Section A. Answer the questions with NO more than TEN words in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE 51. In Para. 4, what does the man mean by saying “I had to bear my trouble”? 52. What can be inferred from the last sentence of the passage? PASSAGE TWO 53. Why does the UN use the olive branch in its symbol? PASSAGE THREE 54. According to the author, what balance should we keep in welfare? 55. What does the author mean by saying “Even under the worst of circumstances, we believe  we are in control of our lives” (Para. 10)? PART VI  WRITING                                                [45 MIN] Read carefully the following excerpt on term-time holiday arguments in the UK, and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should: ·summarize the main message of the excerpt, and then ·comment on whether parents should take children out of school for holiday during term  time in order to save money. You should support yourself with information from the excerpt. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. Term-time holidays will be banned Parents are to be banned by Michael Gove, UK’s Education Secretary, from taking their children out of school to save money on holidays. He is to abolish the right of head teacher to “authorise absence” from the classroom, which has been used to let families take term-time breaks, and will warn them they face fines for their children not being at school. “Any time out of school has the potential to damage a child’s education,” a senior source at the Department for Education said this weekend. “That is why the government will end the distinction between authorised and unauthorised absence.” “This is part of the government’s wider commitment to bring down truancy levels in our schools. There will also be stricter penalties for parents and schools.” The tough measures on truancy are part of a wider attempt by Mr. Gove to make education more academically rigorous and to tackle a culture in the educational establishment which he believes has accepted “excuses for failure”. Russell Hobby, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the measure would discourage parents from trying to put pressure on heads to sanction term time holiday. “ The high cost of holidays outside of term time is still an issue but ultimately a child’s education is more important than a holiday,” he said. —THE END— A. The kind of people suitable for the trip. B. Interests and hobbies of the speakers. C. Recruitment of people for the trip. D. Preparation for the trip to Mars. ..... Conversation Two Write your response on ANSWER SHEET THREE. —— THE END —— ANSWER SHEET 1(反面) PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION What is Grit? My questions Why isn’t I.Q. the only difference between students? What is the key to(1) ______?                                          (1)______ My Research investigation of all kinds of (2)______: including:                          (2)______ — West Point Military Academy —(3) _______                                                      (3)______ — private companies My finding: grit as predictor of success Grit is(4) ______ for a very long-term goals                                (4)______ Grit is working hard for years to make (5)______                            (5)______ Grit is living your life like a(6) _____                                        (6)______ My survey High school juniors took grit questionnaires (7)______ kids were more likely to graduate                                (7)_____ Grit-building little is known about how to build grit in students data show grit is unrelated to (8)_______                                    (8)____ growth mindset is the belief that the ability to learn is (9) _______                (9)____ kids with grit believe failure is(10) ______                                    (10)____ Conclusion We need to be gritty about getting our kinds grittier. TEM 4 SCRIPT PARTⅠDICTATION                                            Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given 1 minute to check through your work once more. Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Now listen to the passage. Are you confident or insecure in a difficult situation? Do you react positively or negatively? The answer may depend in part on whom you are around. A study found that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases. For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. They measured each roommate’s tendency towards negative thinking. It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. Students with a negative-thinking roommate became more depressed themselves. And students with more positive thinking roommates were more likely to become more positive as well. The second and third readings. You should begin writing now. The last reading. Now, you have two minutes to check through your work. (a two-minute interval) That is the end of PartⅠ Dictation. 2016年4级听写评分标准 THINK POSITIVE AND FEEL POSITIVE（标题忽略不计） 第一组： Are you confident or insecure in a difficult situation? /Do you react positively or negatively? /The answer may depend in part on whom you're around. /A study found that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases./For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / (45words) 第二组： They measured each roommate’s tendency towards negative thinking. / It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. /Students with a negative-thinking roommate became more depressed themselves. / And students with more positive thinking roommates / were more likely to become more positive as well.(43words) 1. 听写共分10小节：每节1分，每组评阅五句，每五句为一段。 2. 阅卷教师只需识别错误（小错误：0.25；大错误：0.5），并点击相关按钮，不用计算分值。 3. 每节最多扣一分。 4. 段内重复错误，仅扣一次。段内乱点标点符号，算标点符号错误。总计扣0.5分，算在最后一个评分框中。 5. 错误共分两类：小错误（minor mistakes）和大错误（major mistakes）。 A. 小错误 1） 大小写、标点符号错误（如果标点影响后句大小写，算前句的一个小错）： 第一组：or negatively? — or negatively. 第二组：tendency —tendency，；roommate’s —roommates；It—it 2） 冠词错误： 第一组：in a difficult —in the difficult; 第二组：with a negative-thinking roommate —with negative thinking roommate B. 大错误：漏写、加词、造词、换词（冠词见互换、替代作小错计），移位，单复数，拼写，时态错误： 第一组：negative—negtive/nagetive；found that— found; contagious—contageous/cotagious; insecure—ensecure: college— colleage; in some cases— in some case; researchers—researcher/researches; insecure—in secure 扣1分 第二组：each—every; a negative-thinking roommate—negative thinking roommates; contagious —contageous/contigious; roommates — roomates/remains; measured— majored; towards—toward, can be — could be; were more — will be more扣1分 6. 下列情况不扣分： 第一组：you’re  — you are 第二组：negative- thinking —negative thinking； positive thinking —positive-thinking： themselves. And —themselves, and/ themselves and PARTⅡ. LISTENING COMPREHENSION Section A     Talk 【原文再现】 What Is Grit? Good afternoon, everyone. (1) Today, I would like to talk about my research project concerning the key to success. I would like to start my topic with my own story. When I was 27 years old, I left for a demanding job: teaching seventh graders math in the New York City public schools. And like any teacher, I made quizzes and tests. I gave out homework assignments. When the work came back, I calculated grades. What struck me was that I.Q. was not the only difference between my best and my worst students. Some of my strongest performers did not have super I.Q. scores. Some of my smartest kids weren’t doing so well. Then, I felt very interested in knowing the reason why the students’ math performance is not that closely related to their I.Q. scores. (2) I started studying kids and adults in all kinds of challenging settings, and in every study my question was, who is successful here and why? My research team and I went to West Point Military Academy. We tried to predict which students would stay in military training and which would drop out. (3) We went to the National Spelling Contest and tried to predict which children would advance furthest in competition. We worked with private companies, asking, which of these sales people are going to keep their jobs? And who’s going to earn the most money? We went to many places and finally, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. And it wasn’t social intelligence. It wasn’t good looks, physical health, and it wasn’t I.Q. It was grit. What is grit? (4) Well, grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.(5) Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make future a reality.(6) Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint. A few years ago, I started studying grit in the Chicago public schools. I asked thousands of high school juniors to take grit questionnaires, and then waited around more than a year to see who would graduate. (7) It turned out that grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate, even when I matched them on every characteristic I could measure, things like family income, test scores, and so on. To me, the most shocking thing about grit is how little we know, how little science knows, about building it. Every day, parents and teachers ask me, “How do I build grit in kids? How do I keep them motivated for the long run?” Our data show very clearly that there are many talented individuals who simply do not follow through on their commitments. (8) In fact, in our data, grit is usually unrelated to measures of talent. So far, the best idea I’ve heard about building grit in kids is something called “growth mindset.” (9) Growth mindset is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, that it can change with your effort.(10) Kids with grit are much more likely to persevere when they fail, because they don’t believe that failure is a permanent condition. So growth mindset is a great idea for building grit. But we need more. And that’s where I’m going to end my talk, because that’s where we are. That’s the work that stands before us. We have to be willing to fail, to be wrong, to start over again with lessons learned. As a conclusion, we need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier. Next time, I would like to share with you my experience in building up students’ grit. Now, you have TWO minutes to complete your work. 【解析】 (1)    success。此类题型的第一道题目往往会考察考生对于talk整体内容的把握，而整篇talk的主题一般在开头即会提到，因此这里讲话人的疑问主要在于到底什么才是成功的关键所在。本题写出success即得分，也可作更加具体的阐释：people’s/students’/students’ math success等均为正确答案；另外考生也可进行同义替换，如：being/becoming successful，但需要注意语法要求，the key to后面要求名词或动名词短语，因此如写作succeed或become successful只能得半分。 (2)    challenge/challenging settings/situations。此题的关键词为all kinds of，可以提示考生答案出现的位置。为了解答自己的疑问，讲话人进行了一系列研究，针对各种挑战情形下孩子和成人的现，以及如何取得成功的关键。此题的关键词为challenging或challenge，如未写出只能得半分，settings未写出也只有半分，另外注意settings或situations为复数形式，如写成单数形式或sets要扣半分。 (3)    Spelling Contest。从原文中看出，讲话人为了进行研究，参观调查了包括西点军校（West Point Military Academy）、全国拼写大赛（the National Spelling Contest）、以及私企在内的众多机构与赛事。此题首字母小写不扣分，考生也可写为the Spelling Contest或National Spelling Contest，但需注意本题字数要求，如写作the National Spelling Contest则一分不得。national如写作nation要扣半分，因此考生在答题时务必要注意准确性。 (4)    passion and perseverance/persistence。本题关键词为long-term goals（长远目标），讲话人发现所谓grit，是把生活当作马拉松（marathon）来对待，而不是短跑冲刺（sprint）。因此grit就是激情与坚持不懈的组合。此题passion与perseverance（或同义词）必须同时出现，否则扣半分。 (5)    future (a) reality。讲话人认为grit就是要坚持自己的目标，不是几天、几星期、几个月，而是年复一年、持之以恒的坚持，使自己的未来目标变成现实。此题的答案还可以是future real、future come true等。以下情况只可得半分：it true、future brighter/better、a bright future、future and reality、future or reality等；以下情况不得分：future、future well、future plans。 (6)    marathon。结合上两题可以知道，持之以恒的人生应像马拉松，而不是短跑。这三个题目的信息点比较密集，因此考生做好听前准备十分重要。此题marathon一词拼错不得分。 (7)    grittier。通过讲话人的调查研究，更有韧性的学生更容易毕业。此处答案需注意的是后面有more likely作为提示，因此空格处应填入比较级形式，不是比较级不得分。另外，如果出现拼写错误，如写为griter、gritier、gritter等也不得分。 (8)    (measures of) talent。在被屡屡问及如何培养学生的韧性时，讲话人提出数据显示才华高低与韧性并无关联。此题考生应注意辨识关键词talent与measure的单复数形式，漏掉任意一个关键词得半分；单复数写错，如：measures of talents或measure of talent也只得半分；如写为talents则不得分。 (9)    changing/not fixed/changeable/changed with efforts。讲话人提出培养韧性的最好方式是一种名为“成长心态”（growth mindset）的东西，指的是学习能力并非一成不变的，而是可以随着努力多少而改变的。因此考生只要写出changing的同义词形式均可得分，但也要注意形式合理，如not fix只得半分。 (10)    (a) temporary/ (an) impermanent (condition)。篇章结尾部分提到，有韧性的学生即使遭遇失败也更容易坚持下去，因为他们知道失败并非永久的状态，还是可以扭转的。因此，考生只要写出permanent的反义词，如temporary或impermanent就可得一分，但如果出现拼写错误不得分；以下情况不扣分：short-term、short condition、not permanent等；如果关键词正确，但condition拼错或写为其他单词，如position等，扣半分。希望考生仔细研究以上分析中的评分标准，方能有的放矢的应对talk新题型。 SECTION B  CONVERSATIONS In this section, you will hear two conversations. At the end of the conversion, five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken ONCE ONLY. After each question there will be a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A, B, C and D, and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. 【原文再现】 Conversation One W:    Hello, this is Kate Smith. I’m calling from ABC Company. M:    Oh hello, Kate. Great to hear from you. W:    You’ve already been told that you’ve been shortlisted for interview... M:    Oh... yes... W:    Well, we’re very excited about meeting you. (1) OK, I just want to talk you through the procedure for the day. Someone will meet you when you arrive, and then bring you up to meet myself and Arthur Miller, the CEO. M:    OK, sounds good. So will you be the only member of the interview panel there then? W:    Yes, it’ll be just me and Arthur who will talk to you. The interview will be in three parts - first of all, we’ll ask you some general questions about yourself and your educational and professional background, and then we’ll move on to specifics. M:    Oh, er, specifics? Well er, what kind of questions will you be asking? W:    Well, it’ll be very similar to the personal statement you submitted with your CV – we’ll be expecting you to… to give actual examples of problems you’ve faced and solved, and of what you feel are the major successes in your career so far. M:    OK, well yeah, that sounds great – can’t wait! W:    (2) Then there’ll be a chance for you to ask us any questions - about the job itself, or ABC Company in general... M:    Oh, erm, OK... I’ll think of something! W:    (3、4) After that, we’d like you to give a short presentation on how you see ABC as a company progressing, and how you see yourself taking us there. M:    OK, so will I be expected to give like a formal-style presentation? W:    It can be as formal or informal as you like. There’ll be a computer and a data projector there available. If you need anything else, just let us know. M:    Oh, er OK, a presentation! I’ll think of something. I haven’t done one of those in a while... W:    Is that all clear? M:    Yes. W:     Great, so, Daniel, (5) I’ll see you at 11a.m., Thursday next week. M:    OK, great, I look forward to meeting you! Thanks, bye. W:    Bye! This is the end of Conversion One. Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversion One. Question 1:    Why does the woman call the man? Question 2:    What kind of questions can the man ask in the interview? Question 3:    Which is the last part of the interview? Question 4:    What might be expected from the man’s presentation? Question 5:    When will the interview be scheduled? SECTION B  CONVERSATIONS 【答案解析】 1.    C。女士在对话开始就提到，打电话的目的是要告知男士面试的流程（procedure）。而告知男士进入面试环节（shortlisted for interview）应该是通这个电话之前的事情，故为干扰项。 2.    A。此题考生应尤其避免干扰，注意到问题是关于男士（即面试者）而非面试官可以问及的情况，选项B和C虽然在对话中也有提及，但是属于面试官提问的话题。而男士可以问到的包括关于工作本身以及公司的情况。 3.    C。此题提醒考生注意对话中的逻辑信号词，如first of all、then、after that等等。依据这些信号词，不难发现面试的最后一项内容是要男士做一个简短的展示（short presentation）。 4.    D。3、4两题信息十分相关，面试官希望在展示中看到的是男士认为ABC这家公司可以有怎样的发展前景，以及男士可以在其中做出怎样的贡献（how you see yourself taking us there）。这里taking us there的意思为带领ABC公司取得progressing的状态。 5.    B。电话交谈的最后明确提到面试时间为下周四的上午十一点，考生需把握对话与题目特点，做好细节信息的。 【原文再现】 Conversion Two W:    It says a growing number of students are making a major hole from the minute they enter the real world because they are already, some of them, more than 100, 000 dollars in debt. With us now is Mark Spencer, he is the senior financial analyst from SBC Bank. Welcome to you! M:    Thank you. Nice to be with you. W:    Now I guess there are two kinds of debts, good debt and bad debt. Where does this go? M:    (7) Well, student loan debt is traditionally considered good debt, but the problem for many students and their families is that the cost of colleges has been going up at 6 to 8% a year, far faster than the income, far faster than the standard of living. That means debt’s taking on a bigger and bigger role in financing education. W:    How much debt is too much debt for, for one student? M:    (8) Well, one guideline is that you look at the first year’s salary in your field after graduation, and use that as, as a barometer, but even then. . . W:    Is that right? M:    Well, you are talking big payments even in that instance, for example, 30, 000 dollars worth of debt. If you are gonna repay that over 10 years, you are talking more than 300 dollars a month at, in payments every month for 10 years. W:    But there is surely more than one way to get a loan for college. There are government programs. There are so many kinds of grants. What’s, what’s the best advice for people who are looking for these loans to try to keep themselves from going under? M:    I understand that loans are just one way of college finance. Take advantage of the other opportunities. (9) Things like a college savings plan, let, let you save on a tax advantage basis. You can put money away in these accounts and withdraw tax-free to pay for that education. W:    So it’s important to start early and that really reduces that reliance on debt later. M:    Another thing, leave no stone unturned, looking at grants, scholarships, even on-campus jobs. I mean every dollar you get that way is seen as another dollar you don’t have to borrow later. W:    (10) The kinds of jobs that so many students, fresh-off students, like to go into, er, charity stuff, volunteer work. This debt is eliminating a lot of that, isn’t it? M:     I think that’s the social cost. Really, I mean, you know, when you consider that, you know, people may pass up a rewarding career in charitable work, or non-profit organization because they have to get a higher salary someplace else to pay off that debt. W:    Yeah, that’s for sure. Mark Spencer, senior financial analyst from SBC Bank. Mark, good you could be here. M:    Thank you. This is the end of Conversion Two. Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversion Two. Question 6:    What is the interview mainly about? Question 7:    How does the cost of college education change every year? Question 8:    What is used to measure student loan debt as a guideline? Question 9:    What is the advantage of joining a college savings plan? Question 10:    What is the possible social cost of college loan? THIS IS THE END OF PARTⅡ LISTENING COMPREHENSION. 6.    C。本题为综合考察题，反映了改革后题目更加侧重篇章理解的特点。考生遇到此类题目可不必心急，并要善用7-10细节考察题的内容来帮助自己做出综合判断。由全文两人对话可知，本篇主要是关于大学毕业生如何应对助学贷款问题的，即通过哪些方式可缓解贷款给自身带来的压力的。 7.    A。Mark在对话中提到，传统上来说，助学贷款本是很有希望收回的贷款（good debt），但现在大学所需费用正以每年6%-8%的幅度上涨，远远超出收入上涨水平，因此给学生及其家庭带来了不小压力。 8. B。当女士问及多少贷款对于一个学生而言太多时，Mark提到了一个指导标准（guideline）就是学生毕业后在其工作领域的年收入水平，并将其作为一个晴雨表（指标barometer）。 9.    D。对话中女士问到，如何帮助那些需要贷款，但又不至于因还贷而破产（go under）的人们时，Mark提到了大学储蓄（college savings plan），即可以将钱存入这个账户，而取出时是免税的，从而来支付教育所需费用。 10.    A。女士提到，由于助学贷款的压力，很多新毕业生（fresh-off students）从前愿意从事慈善或志愿者项目（charity stuff/volunteer work），但现在已经越来越少了，而Mark认为这就是助学贷款带来的社会成本（social cost），因为人们更愿意从事高利润回报的职业（rewarding career）来偿还贷款。 PART Ⅲ. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY 11. [C] 【解析】本题考察时态。进行时有两个需要注意的使用情境。第一种：当句中出现的时间状语是these days，this week，this month， this term 等时，如果句子所要表达的意义是在这一阶段正在发生的事，则动词应用现在进行时。例如，These days we are helping the farmers work on the farm.这些天我们在农场帮农民们干活。或They're having a test this week.这一周，他们在进行一次考试。第二种：现在进行时和频率副词连用，表示一种赞赏、厌恶等情绪的表现手法，如：He is always complaining. 本题目句意：你老是不断打搅我，问我傻问题，我怎么能集中精力？ 12. [D] 【解析】本题考察情态动词。在肯定句中，情态动词可以表示推测和可能性，程度由小到大分别是may， can， should， must.本题四个选项都表示肯定推测，但是D可能性最大。 13. [D] 【解析】本题考察代词。本题的表意有两种可能。第一种：她比任何一个其他女孩都能言善辩。第二种：她比任何一个男孩都能言善辩。“任何其他女孩”应该用”any other girl”或者”the other girls”。“任何男孩”应该用“all boys”或“any boy”。让我们更微观比较any other和any的区别。any other 是“其他任何一个”之意，即同一范围内一个与其他剩余的相比较。例如：Shanghai is larger than any other city in China .上海比中国其他任何一个城市都大。即“上海是中国最大的城市，上海属于中国这一范围内。”any 是“任何一个”之意.例如：Shanghai is larger than any city in Japan.上海比日本的任何一个城市都大。即“上海不属于日本这一范围。” 14. [A] 【解析】本题考察反义疑问句。否定词出现在句子中，反义疑问句用肯定。 nobody做主语，正式问题he，口语常用they。这句话的语境属于口语语境，所以选A. 15. [B] 【解析】本题考察名词所有格。双重所有格的形式可为名词+of+名词的所有格，其中of后面的所有格之后的名词被省略;也可为名词+of+所有代名词. 比如Tom， Mike， and Mary were classmates of Stephen's.汤姆，迈克和玛丽是史迪文的同学。请比较：Tom was a classmate of Stephen's.汤姆，迈克和玛丽是史迪文的同学。B中that可以加可数名词单数，意为：我受够了你那个朋友。 16. [D] 【解析】一般名词修饰名词，用于修饰的名词都用单数形式，而被修饰的名词则视题意。比如a car factory， two car factories。特殊的则是用于修饰的名词与被修饰名词同单/复数，如woman， man （a woman teacher， three women teachers）。sport用于修饰名词时都用复数形式（a sports shirt ，three sports shirts）。 17. [A] 【解析】本题考察动词deserve的用法。deserve的意思是“值得”“应该”，它的后面本来是要用不定式的。如：They didn’t deserve to win. 他们不该赢。They did not deserve to get such a high score. 他们不该得那么高的分数。但是，如果当它后面所接动词具有被动意义时，也可用动名词，且这个动名词要用主动形式表示被动意义;此时若将动名词改成不定式，则要用被动形式。如：The man deserves punishing [to be punished]。他这个人是罪有应得。He deserved sending [to be sent] to prison. 他应当被送进监牢。同样用法的词还有need， want, require. 18. [B] 【解析】本题考察主谓一致。集体名词作主语时，谓语动词的数取决于主语表示的意思和数，当表示整体时候，谓语动词就用单数，当强调集体中的个体时候，谓语动词就用复数。这些集体名词如：army，audience，band，government，group，flock，police，public，staff，team，firm，family等等。例如：The family is the basic unit of our society.家庭是社会的基本单元。The family are watching TV.全家人正在看电视。所以本题的audience的谓语应该用复数。 19. [B] 【解析】本题考察虚拟语气。1）表示与事实相反的情况时，从句：If+主语+过去时(Be动词用were)，主句：主语+ should/would/might/could+do：例如，If I were you，I would take an umbrella。如果我是你，我会带把伞。（事实：我不可能是你）。2）表示与过去事实相反的情况，从句：If+主语+had+done，主句：主语+should/would/might/could+have done。例如，If I had got there earlier，I should/would have met her. 如果我早到那儿，我就会见到她。（事实：去晚了）。3）表示对将来情况的主观推测，从句： if+主语+should+do，主句：主语+should/would/might/could+do。例如：If he should come here tomorrow，I would talk to him.如果他明天来这儿的话，我就跟他谈谈。（事实：来的可能性很小，不可能）本题是对过去事实的虚拟。从句正常语序是：If it had not been for your advice，从句可以采用倒装，把if去掉，把had提前。