英语四级笔试试题及答案解析

英语四级笔试及答案解析 Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) Section A With the world’s population estimated to grow from six to nine billion by 2050, researchers, businesses and governments are already dealing with the impact this increase will have on everything from food and water to infrastructure an jobs. Underlying all this 47________ will be the demand for energy, which is expected to double over the next 40 years. Finding the resources to meet this demand in a 48________, sustainable way is the stcornerstone of our nation’s energy security, and will be one of the major 49________ of the 21 century. Alternative forms of energy --- bio-fuels, wind and solar, to name a few --- are 50________ being funded and developed, and will play a growing 51________ in the world’s energy supply. But experts say that, even when 52________, alternative energy sources will likely meet only about 30% of the world’s energy needs by 2050. For example, even with 53________ investments, such as the $93 million for wind energy development 54________ in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, important alternative energy sources such as wind and bio-fuels 55________ only about 1% of the market today. Energy and sustainability experts say the answer to our future energy needs will likely come from a lot of 56________ --- both traditional and alternative. A stable B solutions C significant D role E progress F marvelous G included H growth I exactly J consist K comprise L competitions M combined N challenges O certainly Passage One Boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and are more likely to get involved in activities such as art, dance and music, according to research released today. Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity in which students either sink or swim, the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to conform to a stereotype, the US study says. Boys at single sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to conform to the "boy code" of hiding their emotions to be a "real man". The findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls. Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls. The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills. But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys' learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's 1 author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia. Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with specifically "boy-focused" approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given "hands-on" lessons where they are allowed to walk around. "Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine and prefer the modern genre in which violence and sexism are major themes," James wrote. Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to conform to a stereotype that men should be "masterful and in charge" in relationships. "In mixed schools, boys feel compelled to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means," the study reported. 57. The author believes that a single-sex school would _____________________. A force boys to hide their emotions to be “real man” B help to cultivate masculine aggressiveness in boys C encourage boys to express their emotions more freely D naturally reinforce in boys that traditional image of a man 58. It is commonly believed that in a mixed schools boys ____________________. A perform relatively better B grow up more healthily C behave more responsibly D receive a better education 59. What does Tony Little say about the British education system? A It fails more boys than girls academically B It focuses more on mixed school education C It fails to give boys the attention they need D It places more pressure on boys than on girls 60. According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is ______________. A teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys B boys can focus on their lessons without being distracted C boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in D teaching can be designed to promote boys’ team spirit 61. Which of the following is characteristic of boys according to Abigail James’ report? A They enjoy being in charge B They conform to stereotypes C They have sharper vision D They are violent and sexist Passage Two It's an annual argument. Do we or do we not go on holiday? My partner says no because the boiler could go, or the roof fall off, and we have no savings to save us. I say that you only live once and we work hard and what's the point if you can't go on holiday. The joy of a recession means no argument next year – we just won't go. Since money is known to be one of the things most likely to bring a relationship to its knees, we should be grateful. For many families the recession means more than not booking a holiday. A YouGov poll of 2,000 people found 22% said they were arguing more with their partners because of concerns about money. What's less clear is whether divorce and separation rates rise in a recession – financial pressures mean couples argue more but make splitting up less affordable. A recent research shows arguments about money were especially damaging to couples. Disputes were characterized by intense verbal aggression, tended to be repeated and not resolved, and made 2 men, more than women, extremely angry. Kim Stephenson, an occupational psychologist, believes money is such a big deal because of what it symbolizes, which may be different things to men and women. "People can say the same things about money but have different conceptions of what it is for," he explains. "They will say it's to save, to spend, for security, for freedom, to show someone you love them" He says men are more likely to see money as a way of buying status and of showing their parents that they've achieved something. "The biggest problem is that couples assume each other knows what is going on with their finances, but they don't. There seems to be more of a taboo about talking about money than talking about death. But you both need to know what you are doing, who is paying what into the joint account and how much you keep separately. In a healthy relationship you don't have to agree about money, but you have to talk about it." 62. What does the author say about vacationing? A People enjoy it all the more during a recession B Few people can afford it without working hard C It makes all the hard work worthwhile D It is the chief cause of family disputes 63. What does the author mean by saying “money is known… to bring a relationship to its knees” (Line1 Para. 2), A Money is considered to be the root of all evils B Some people sacrifice their dignity for money C Few people can resist the temptation of money D Disputes over money may ruin a relationship 64. The YouGov poll of 2000 people indicates that in a recession _________________. A conflicts between couples tend to rise B it is more expensive for couples to split up C couples show more concern for each other D divorce and separation rates increase 65. What does Kim Stephenson believe? A Money is often a symbol of a person’s status B Money means a great deal to both men and women C Men and women spend money on different things D Men and women view money in different ways 66. The author suggests at the end of the passage that couples should ________________ A put their money together instead of keeping it separately B make efforts to reach agreement on their family budgets C discuss money matters to maintain a healthy relationship D avoid arguing about money matters to remain romantic Part V Cloze Employers fear they will be unable recruit students with the skills they need as the economic recovery kicks in, a new survey 67_______. Nearly half of organizations told researchers they were already struggling to find 68_______ 3 with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), 69_______ even more companies expect to experience 70_______ of employees with STEM skills in the next three years. The Confederation of British Industry 71_______ 694 businesses and organizations across the public and 72_______ sectors, which together employ 2.4 million people. Half are 73_______ they will not be able to fill graduate posts in the coming years, while a third said they would not be able to 74_______ enough employees with the right A-level skills. "75_______ we move further into recovery and businesses plan 76_______ growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will 77_______," said Richard Lambert, director general, CBI. “Firms say it is already hard to find people with the right 78_______ or engineering skills. The new government must make it a top 79_______ to encourage more young people to study science-related 80_______." The survey found that young people would improve their job prospects 81_______ they studied business studies, maths, English and physics or chemistry at A-level. The A-levels that employers 82_______ least are psychology and sociology. And while many employers don't insist on a 83_______ degree subject, a third prefer to hire those with a STEM-related subject. The research 84_______ worries about the lack of progress in improving basic skills in the UK 85_______. Half of employers expressed worries about employees' basic literacy and numeracy(计算) skills, while the biggest problem is with IT skills, 86_______ two-thirds reported concerns. 67. A submits B reveals C launches D generates 68. A audience B officials C partners D staff 69. A while B because C for D although 70. A exits B shortages C absences D departures 71. A surveyed B searched C exposed D exploited 72. A collective B private C personal D civil 73. A confronted B conformed C concerned D confused 74. A bind B attain C transfer D recruit 75. A Lest B Unless C Before D As 76. A with B for C on D by 77. A dominate B stretch C enforce D intensify 78. A creative B technical C narrative D physical 79. A priority B option C challenge D judgment 80. A procedures B academies C thoughts D subjects 81. A until B since C whereas D if 82. A rate B discuss C order D observe 83. A typical B positive C particular D general 84. A highlighted B prescribed C focused D touched 85. A masses B workforce C faculty D communities 86. A what B whom C where D why Part VI Translation 4 87. Charity groups organized various activities to _________________(为地震幸存者筹款). 88. Linda _____________________(不可能收到我的电子邮件); otherwise, she would have replied. 89. It’s my mother ______________________(一直在鼓励我不要灰心) when I have difficulties in my studies. 90. The publishing house has to _______________________(考虑这部小说的受欢迎程度). 91. It is absolutely wrong to ____________________________(仅仅以金钱来定义幸福). 第二部分 答案及解析 Part I Writing 【写作思路】 要求写一篇关于竞争的议论文。要求从以下几个方面阐述:竞争使人们充满创造力，使 人们更有效率;竞争促使生产出更好的产品和提供更优质的服务;竞争促进了社会的进一 步发展。 【参考范文】 Competition Competition makes people more creative andeffective. It urges them to plan better, to try harder, and to achieve more. With a desire to excel in their work, people tend to perform more creatively and more efficiently。 Competition helps produce better products and provide better services. In the present world of intense competition, every manufacture tries his best to outmatch his competitor by producing goods of better quality at lower costs. As a result, consumers pay less and receive better service。 Competition promotes further development of society. If there were no competition, people would remain complacent and be unwilling to make any efforts or risk anything new. However, with fierce competition going on, they exert themselves to accomplish more. Theiraccomplishment will, in one way or another, contribute to the progress of society。 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) 美国人如何看待食物呢?我们爱吃，但是过后会觉得内疚。我们说我们只要最好的，但 是却热衷于享受垃圾食品;我们很重视健康和减肥，但是肥胖却又空前地在蔓延。也许，这 种矛盾源于我们的历史。首批来到这个大陆的欧洲人是为了寻找新的香料，但却一无所获; 首种经济作物不是用来吃的，而是用来吸得。那时，旨在禁止酗酒的禁酒令，实际上却激发 了更多新奇的方法来酗酒。 移民的经历也与此有内在的关系。入乡随俗意味着要吃“典型的美国人”的饮食，但是 美国的食物已经被诸如比萨或者热狗这样的舶来品所诠释了。美国最珍贵的一些烹饪来自于 戴着镣铐而来的人们。 无论是在波士顿倾茶事件中，还是在南部午餐柜台前的静坐中，食物都曾被用来作为界 定斗争的一种手段，这也许是不足为奇的。无论是出于宗教原因而戒酒，还是由于政治避难 而戒肉，这都与我们的健康甚至是道德的观念相一致。 但是，这些坚定的观点并不是确定不变的。美国人对他们所吃的食物的态度是矛盾的。 我们怀疑我们的食物，特别是当我们更清楚地了解了它们的成分时。 5 对食物的信仰一直存在于美国人的意识之中。第一个感恩节就把美国人的想象力束缚在食物之中，束缚在我们与朋友对它的分享之中，这并不是偶然的。 【答案解析】 47. 【解析】[D] feel是一个系动词，可以判断此处应填入一个形容词，通过上下文意思，以及后面介词about, 可以确定选项为D项guilty, 短语feel guilty about sth. “对„„感到有愧”。全句的意思为“我们很爱吃，但是往往在吃完之后又有负罪感”。 48.【解析】[M] be obsessed with 为固定搭配，原意为“被„„附上/缠住/迷住心窍”，放在本句表示“十分重视”。全句的意思为“我们很重视健康和减肥，但肥胖却又空前地在蔓延”。 49.【解析】[A]本句缺一个名词作主语，并且根据和介词to的搭配，可以推断出正确选项answer。 50.【解析】[I]本句根据more和ways可以判断出需要填入一个形容词构成比较级，根据上下文，表示“旨在禁止酗酒的禁酒令，却激发了更多新奇的方法来酗酒”，可以确定I为正确选项。 51. 【解析】[F]本题较难。根据be 和by 确定应填入一个过去分词。再根据上下文，上文表示“应该吃典型的美国人吃的食物”，下文通过 but 转折，表示实际上“美国的食物已经被诸如比萨和热狗这样的舶来品所诠释了”，因此可以确定F为正确选项。 52.【解析】[B]政治结果，可根据宗教原因religious reasons来推断此处填政治结果。 53.【解析】[L]由于横线后面没有宾语，可以确定不是形成bring的短语，这样本句所缺的为一名词，作bring的宾语。根据下文解释，“美国人对他们所吃的食物的态度是矛盾的”，可以推出本句意思为“坚定的观点也不是确定不变的”。因此可以确定L为正确选项。 54.【解析】[K]系动词become后应填入一个形容词，和后面介词of形成短语be/become suspicious of “对„„感到怀疑”。 55.【解析】[J]本句缺一个名词作主语，并且根据和介词in的搭配，可以推断出正确选项belief，(have)belief in sth。“ 相信„„”。 56.【解析】[C]本句是一般现在时，缺一个动词，且和with 搭配，确定选项share, share sth. with sb., “与某人分享某事”。 Section B Passage One 【全文翻译】 欧洲南部的妇女在10和11世纪时享有较高的社会地位，这并未获得广泛认识。作为一个妻子，女性的地位受到其嫁妆的保护。诚然，嫁妆最初的目的是防止女性被抛弃;但是，它在当时家庭和社会现实生活中起着更重要的作用。妻子的嫁妆使她有权获得其丈夫十分之一的财物。妻子有权利拒绝丈夫所做的任何交易，但这不仅仅只是一项权利而已;文件表明她与丈夫一样平等地享有真正的决定权。文件没有表明丈夫和妻子在法律地位上有任何差别。 妻子享有管理丈夫私人财产的权利，但是反之则不然。如果丈夫要越权侵犯她们的利益，女性们会时刻准备着捍卫自己的利益，有时她们还会表现出一种坚强的斗争精神。Maria Vivas就是一个典型的例子。为了家庭的需要，她同意其丈夫Miro出售一块属于她的土地，但是她坚持要求获得补偿。但是丈夫没有给她提供补偿，于是她把丈夫拖到一个文处，起草了一份合同，成功地把他丈夫的一块私人土地划归自己。正如合同所写的，“为了和平”，这个不幸的丈夫不得不同意。要么借助嫁妆，要么通过发脾气，妻子知道如何在家庭中为自己赢得强大的经济地位。 6 57. 【解析】[C]推断题。本文介绍了欧洲南部10和11世纪嫁妆对女性在婚姻中地位的重要性。虽然嫁妆最初的目的是防止女性被抛弃，但实际上它的作用远远不止于此。它使妻子在婚姻中的地位与丈夫平等，并保障了妻子的经济利益。女性在维护自己的利益上，是很坚定果敢的，Maria Vivas就是一个例子。见第一段第三句，“Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion.。.”，虽然在实际生活中嫁妆有更重要的作用，但最初它的作用只是为了防范女性被丈夫抛弃，所以C为正确答案。 58.【解析】[D]细节题。根据本文，妻子在婚姻中的法律地位和丈夫是平等的。见第一段最后一句，“In no case do the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife”文件中并没有表明丈夫和妻子在法律地位上有任 何的差别，也就是说他们的地位是平等的，所以D为正确答案。 59.【解析】[B]推断题。作者举Maria Vivas的事例，是为了说明妻子是能够捍卫自己的利益的。见第二段第二句，“Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance...they showed a fine fighting spirit。”如果丈夫要侵占自己的利益，女性们就时刻准备着捍卫自己的利益，有时她们还表现出很强的斗争精神。接下来作者就举了Maria Vivas的例子，说明女性是有能力捍卫自己的利益的。所以B为正确答案。 60.【解析】[A]细节题。Maria Vivas得到的一份作为补偿的土地，本来是属于Miro的个人财产。见第二段第五句，“None being offered, she succeeded in... assigning her 由此知A为正确答案。 61.【解析】[D]推断题。作者对Maria Vivas所持的态度是客观的。作者客观地介绍了Maria Vivas的事例，并没有表示出同情、不满或者是漠不关心，所以A、B、C都是错误答案 Passage Two 【全文翻译】 社会学家认为，有几种不同的方法可以使人成为某个社会群体公认的领导者。在家庭生活中，传统的文化模式赋予父母一方或者双方领导的地位。在其他情况下，比如友谊团体，尽管没有正式的选举程序，一个或更多的人会逐渐地成为领导。在比较大的群体中，领导者通常是通过正式的选举或招募的形式产生的。 虽然通常认为领导具有人不同寻常的个人能力，数十年的研究未能找出可靠的证据来证明那些人是“天生的领导者”。看起来似乎没有所有的领导都具有的固定的个人品格;相反，只要具有适合某个特别群体所需要的品质，几乎任何人都可以成为其领导。 研究表明，通常不同的人会充当两种不同的领导角色。指导型领导注重社会群体目标的实现。群体成员期望指导型领导人“把事情搞定”。 另一方面，表现型领导则强调社会群体成员的集体幸福。表现型领导并不侧重于群体目标的实现，而是注重为群体成员提供情感支持，并尽力减少内部的紧张和纷争。 指导型领导与其他的群体成员之间的关系可能是相当次要的。他们可能会约束阻止实现群体目标的成员的行为。表现型领导则与群体其他成员之间建立了一种更私人的或者相当重要的关系。当有人经历过困难时，他们表示同情，并设法解决危及群体分裂的问题。正如这两种不同角色所表明的那样:表现型领导一般会从群体成员那里获得更多的个人感情;而指导型领导，如果他们能成功地实现群体的目标，可能会获得更广泛的尊重。 【答案解析】 62.【解析】[D]主旨题。本篇主要讨论不同的领导者(如instrumental leaders以及expressive leaders)在不同的社会群体中所充当的角色和发挥的功能。所以D为正确答案。A、B、C选项都不能正确概括本文主旨。 7 63.【解析】[C]细节题。A选项的招募(recruitment)和B选项选举程序(election process)都在第一段中作为大群体的领导者产生的方式被明确提到。D选项也在第一段中作为家庭领导者的产生的方式被明确提到。只有C选项没有作为产生领导者的一种方式在本文中被提及。 64.【解析】[A]推断题。A选项意思是:某一特定群体的有效领导者，不一定就可以成为另一群体的有效领导者。这正好与第二段的意思相吻合，即领导者没有一个固定的特点，只是符合了一个特定群体需要的人就有可能成为该群体的领导者(It seems...virtually any person may be recognized as a leader if the person has qualities that meet the needs of that particular group)。B选项和C选项的意思与本文无关。D选项意为:许多人想成为领导者，但却很少能拿出证据来证明他们具有这样的资格。显然是对文章意思的曲解。 65.【解析】[B]细节题。第二段中“...decades of research have failed to produce consistentevidence that there is any category of ‘natural leaders’” 意思是说数十年来的研究并不能找出可靠证据来证明哪些人可以成为“天生领导者”，与B项意思一致。 66.【解析】[D]细节题。第三、四段主要讲了两种类型的领导者的区别。其中instrumental leader侧重于群体目标的实现，而expressive leader相对于前者并不侧重于群体目标的实现，而是注重为群体成员提供情感支持，并尽力减少内部纷争。(Expressive leaders are less concerned with the overall goals of the group than with providing emotional support to group members and attempting to minimizetension and conflict among them。) Part ?Cloze 【全文翻译】 如果你明天开始一个新的工作，你的一些基本的优缺点也会与你同行。成功或失败在很大的程度上取决于你是否能够扬长避短。最重要的是你的态度。如果一个刚刚开始工作的人就深信自己不会喜欢或者肯定不适应这项工作，那么妨碍他成功的缺点就暴露出来了。另一方面，如果一个人确信他可能会与其他人一样有能力完成这项工作，并心甘情愿地去尝试，他就具有了某种目的性的优势。很可能他会做得很好。具有某一工作的必要技能是一种优势，而缺乏这些技能显然就会处于劣势。一个记账员不会计数，或者一个木匠不能用锯子切割出一条直线，这都是令人绝望的例子。本书的目的是帮助你发挥自己的优势，克服自己学习中的劣势。但是为了你的发展，你必须要清楚自己现在的位置。随着书中内容的进一步深入，我们将详细论述发展和加强学习技能的具体过程。但是，首先，你应该停下来，去审视一下自己目前在以下三个方面存在的优点和缺点，这三个方面对你学业的成功或失败至关重要:态度、阅读和沟通的技巧、学习习惯。 【答案解析】 67. 【解析】[C]本句的意思是“成功或失败在很大程度上取决于你是否能扬长避短。”improvement改进;victory胜利;achievement成果，成就。这三个词都不合题意，只有[C]failure“失败”最合适。 68.【解析】[A]to a great extent是固定短语，意思是“很大程度上”，符合题意。类似的说法还有:to a large extent,to some extent, to an extent, to a certain extent, to that extent, to the extent of...。the, some, certain都不能与great extent搭配。 69.【解析】[B]on与前面的depend构成本句谓语。 8 70.【解析】[B]of与名词连用，表示具有某种性质、状态，作表语。置于句首，表示强调。正常语序为:Your attitude is of the utmost importance。 71.【解析】[A]person后应当是定语从句，“开始工作的那个人”。 72.【解析】[C]本句的意思是“如果一个刚刚开始工作的人就深信自己不会喜欢或肯定不适应这项工作，那么阻碍他成功的缺点就暴露出来了。”or后面省略了主语he。ensure保证;certain肯定的(只能用于it作主语的句子里);surely确实地;sure肯定的。 73.【解析】[D]in one’s belief相信。其他选项都不能与belief搭配。 74.【解析】[C]capable of doing是固定搭配，意为“能够干什么”。 75.【解析】[D]attempt用作名词，后接介词at，意为“试图，努力”;如果后面接介词on，表示攻击的意思。其他两项都不能与attempt搭配。 76.【解析】[C]本句的意思是“具有某一工作的必要技能是一个优势”，此处应填句子的主语，故选动名词having。 77. 【解析】[D]本句主语是A book keeper or carpenter...。根据主谓一致原则，其谓语应当用单数is，而不是复数are。being, been都是分词，应该排除。 78.【解析】[D]on与前面的capitalize搭配，表示“利用”。作不定式help的补语。其他选项不能与capitalize搭配。 79.【解析】[B]本句的意思是“克服缺点”，应选weakness(缺点，弱点)。idea观点;strength优点;advantage优势。 80.【解析】[B]固定短语take stock of，意为“对„„估价，对„„作出判断”。 81.【解析】[A]本句的意思是:“随着更深入的阅读”，从语法角度，此处应填关联词。四个选项中，只有as能用作关联词。 82.【解析】[D]选项A、 B、 C分别是deal(处理，论述，涉及)的原形、过去分词及被动语态。根据语法和语义，此处应填将来进行时，意思是“随着书中内容的进一步深入，我们将详细论述发展和加强学习技能的具体过程。” 83.【解析】[C]根据上下文，这里应当指“学习技能”。 84.【解析】[B]固定短语to begin with，意为“首先，第一”，常用作插入语。 85.【解析】[A]谓语动词pause后，examine又是动词原形，所以这里应当选to，可构成动词不定式，作目的状语。其余选项都是介词，不合题意。 86.【解析】[C]本句对全文进行概括，与文章的第三句相呼应，Of the utmost importance is your attitude故选attitude。 Part ? Translation 87.【答案】not so much a writer 88.【答案】play indispensable roles 89.【答案】so that it could be conducted smoothly 90.【答案】is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago 91.【答案】has a strong influence on 9