2008年12月20日英语四级A卷真题

遇见明天

注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)(15minutes)

Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly andanswer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7,choose the best answerfrom the four choices marked A),B),C) and D).For questions 8-10,complete thesentences with the information given in the passage.

           That’s enough,kids

Itwas a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine withher two children when a young boy, aged about four, approached her two-year-oldson and pushed him to the ground.

“I’dwatched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child he’dshoved,” she says.” I went over to them, picked up my son, turned to the boyand said, firmly, ’No, we don’t push,” What happened next was unexpected.

“Theboy’s mother ran toward me from across the park,” Stella says,” I thought shewas coming over to apologize, but instead she started shouting at me fordisciplining her child, All I did was let him know his behavior wasunacceptable. Was I supposed to sit back while her kid did whatever he wanted,hurting other children in the process?”

Gettingyour own children to play nice is difficult enough. Dealing with other people’schildren has become a minefield.

Inmy house, jumping on the sofa is not allowed. In my sister’s house it’sencouraged. For her, it’s about kids being kids:”If you can’t do it at three,when can you do it?”

Eachof these philosophies is valid and, it has to be said, my son loves visitinghis aunt’s house. But I find myself saying “no” a lot when her kids are over atmine. That’s OK between sisters but becomes dangerous territory when you’retalking to the children of friends or acquaintances.

“Kidsaren’t all raised the same,” agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University.”But there is still an idea that they’re the property of the parent. We see ourchildren as an extension of ourselves, so if you’re saying that my child isbehaving inappropriately, then that’s somehow a criticism of me.”

Inthose circumstances, it’s difficult to know whether to approach the childdirectly or the parent first. There are two schools of thought.

“I’dgo to the child first,” says Andrew Fuller, author of Tricky Kids. Usually aquiet reminder that ’we don’t do that here’ is enough. Kids nave finely tunedantennae (直觉) for how to behave in differentsettings.”

Hepoints out bringing it up with the parent first may make them feel neglectful,which could cause problems. Of course, approaching the child first can bringits own headaches, too.

Thisis why White recommends that you approach the parents first. Raise yourconcerns with the parents if they’re there and ask them to deal with it,” shesays.   

Askedhow to approach a parent in this situation, psychologist Meredith Fulleranswers:” Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of thefriendship. Preface your remarks with something like: ’I know you’ll think I’msilly but in my house I don’t want…’”

Whenit comes to situations where you’re caring for another child, white isstraightforward: “common sense must prevail. If things don’t go well, then havea chat.”

There’rea couple of new grey areas. Physical punishment, once accepted from any adult,is no longer appropriate. “A new set of considerations has come to the fore aspart of the debate about how we handle children.”

ForAndrew Fuller, the child-centric nature of our society has affected everyone:”The rules are different now from when today’s parents were growing up,” hesays, “Adults are scared of saying: ’don’t swear’, or asking a child to standup on a bus. They’re worried that there will be conflict if they point thesethings out – either from older children, or their parents.”

Hesees it as a loss of the sense of common public good and public courtesy (礼貌), and says that adults suffer form it as much as child.

MeredithFuller agrees: “A code of conduct is hard to create when you’re living in aworld in which everyone is exhausted from overwork and lack of sleep, and aworld in which nice people are perceived to finish last.”

“it’sabout what I’m doing and what I need,” Andrew Fuller says. ”the days when a kidcame home from school and said, “I got into trouble”. And dad said, ‘youprobably deserved it’. Are over. Now the parents are charging up to the schoolto have a go at teachers.”

Thisjumping to our children’s defense is part of what fuels the “walking oneggshells” feeling that surrounds our dealings with other people’s children.You know that if you remonstrate(劝诫)with the child, you’re going to have to deal with the parent. it’s admirable tobe protective of our kids, but is it good?

“Childrenhave to learn to negotiate the world on their own, within reasonableboundaries,” White says. “I suspect that it’s only certain sectors of thepopulation doing the running to the school –better –educated parents areprobably more likely to be too involved.”

Whitebelieves our notions of a more child-centred, it’s a way of talking abouttreating our children like commodities(商品).We’re centred on them but in ways that reflect positively on us. We treat themas objects whose appearance and achievements are something we can be proud of,rather than serve the best interests of the children.”

Oneway over-worked, under-resourced parents show commitment to their children isto leap to their defence. Back at the park, Bianchi’s intervention(干预) on her son’s behalf ended in an undignified exchange of insultingwords with the other boy’s mother.

AsBianchi approached the park bench where she’d been sitting, other mums came upto her and congratulated her on taking a stand. “Apparently the boy had alongstanding reputation for bad behaviour and his mum for even worse behaviourif he was challenged.”

AndrewFuller doesn’t believe that we should be afraid of dealing with other people’skids. “look at kids that aren’t your own as a potential minefield,” he says. Herecommends that we don’t stay silent over inappropriate behaviour, particularlywith regular visitors

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.     What did Stella Bianchi expect the young boy’s mother to do when she talked tohim?

A)    make an apology

B)     come over to intervene

C)   discipline her own boy

D)    take her own boy away

2.     What does the author say about dealing with other people’s children?

A)    it’s important not to hurt them in any way

B)     it’s no use trying to stop their wrongdoing

C)    it’sadvisable to treat them as one’s own kids

D)    it’s possible for one to get into lots of trouble

According to professorNaomi white of Monash university, when one’s kids are criticized, their parentswill probably feel   

A)    discouraged

B)     hurt

C)   puzzled

D)    overwhelmed

4.     What should one do when seeing other people’s kids misbehave according toAndrew fuller?

A)    talk to them directly in a mild way

B)     complain to their parents politely

C)   simply leave them alone

D)    punish them lightly

5.     Due to the child-centric nature of our society,   

A)    parents are worried when their kids swear at them

B)     people think it improper to criticize kids in public

C)   people are reluctant to point our kids’ wrongdoings

D)    many conflicts arise between parents and their kids

6.     In a world where everyone is exhausted from over work and lack ofsleep,   .

A)    it’s easy for people to become impatient

B)     it’s difficult to create a code of conduct

C)    it’simportant to be friendly to everybody

D)    it’s hard for people to admire each other

7.     How did people use to respond when their kids got into trouble at school?

A)    they’d question the teachers

B)     they’d charge up to the school

C)   they’d tell the kids to clam down

D)    They’d put the blame on their kids

8.     Professor white believes that the notions of a more child-centred societyshould be challenged.   

9.     According to professor white, today’s parents treat their children as somethingthey can be proud of.   

10.  Andrew fullersuggests that , when kids behave inappropriately, people should not staysilent.

Part III         Listening Comprehension

Section A

Directions: In thissection, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At theend of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what wassaid. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. Aftereach question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the fourchoices marked A),B),C)and D),and decide which is the best answer. Then markthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through thecentre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11．A)Onlytrue friendship can last long.

  B)Letter writingis going out of style.

  C)She keeps inregular touch with her classmates.

  D)She has lostcontact with most of her old friends.

12. A) Apainter.         

  B) Amechanic.     

  C) A porter.

  D) A carpenter.

13. A) Look for a placenear her office.      

  B) Find a new jobdown the street.   

  C) Make inquirieselsewhere.  

  D) Rent the $600apartment.

14.A) He prefers to wearjeans with a larger waist.

  B) He has beenextremely busy recently.

  C) He has gainedsome weight lately.

  D) He enjoyedgoing shopping with Jane yesterday.

15.A)The woman possessesa natural for art.

  B) Women have abetter artistic taste than men.

  C) He isn’t goodat abstract thinking.

  D) He doesn’t likeabstract paintings.

16.A) She couldn’t haveleft her notebook in the library.

   B) she mayhave put her notebook amid the journals.

   C) sheshould have made careful notes while doing reading.

   D) sheshouldn’t have read his notes without his knowing it.

17. A)she wants to getsome sleep   

   B) she needstime to write a paper

   C) she has aliterature class to attend

   D)she istroubled by her sleep problem

18.A)He is confident hewill get the job.

  B)His chance ofgetting the job is slim.

  C)It isn’t easy tofind a qualified sales manager.

  D)The interviewdidn’t go as well as he expected.

Questions 19 to 21 arebased on the conversation you have just heard.

19.A)He can manage histime more flexibly.

  B)He can renewcontact with his old friends.

  C)He canconcentrate on his own projects.

  D)He can learn todo administrative work.

20.A)Reading its ads inthe newspapers.

  B)Calling itspersonnel department.

  C)Contacting itsmanager.

  D)Searching itswebsite.

21.A)To cut down itsproduction expenses.

  B)To solve theproblem of staff shortage.

  C)To improve itsadministrative efficiency.

  D)To utilize itsretired employees’ resources.

Questions 22 to 25 arebased on the conversation you have just heard.

22.A)Buy a tractor.

  B)Fix a house.

  C)See a piece ofproperty.

  D)Sing a businesscontract.

23.A)It is only fortymiles form where they live.

  B)It is a smallone with a two-bedroom house.

  C)It was a largegarden with fresh vegetables.

  D)It has a largegarden with fresh vegetables.

24.A)Growing potatoeswill involve less labor.

  B)Its soil may notbe very suitable for corn.

  C)It may not bebig enough for raising corn.

  D)Raising potatoeswill be more profitable.

25. A)Finances

  B)Equipment

  C)Labor

  D)Profits

Section B

Directions: In thissection, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you willhear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

26 A)To introduce the chief of the city’s police force

  B)To comment on atalk by a distinguished guest

  C)To address theissue of community security

  D)To explain thefunctions of the city council

27 A)He has distinguished himself in city management

  B)He is head ofthe International Police Force

  C)He completed hishigher education abroad

  D)He holds amaster’s degree in criminology

28 A)To coordinate work among police departments

  B)To get policeofficers closer to the local people

  C)To help theresidents in times of emergency

  D)To enable thepolice to take prompt action

29 A)Popular

  B)discouraging

  C)effective

  D)controversial

Passage Two

30 A)people differ greatly in their ability to communicate

  B)there arenumerous languages in existence

  C)Most publiclanguages are inherently vague

  D)Big gaps existbetween private and public languages

31 A)it is a sign of human intelligence

  B)in improves withconstant practice

  C)it is somethingwe are born with

  D)it varies fromperson to person

32 A)how private languages are developed

  B)how differentlanguages are related

  C)how peoplecreate their languages

  D)how childrenlearn to use language

Passage Three

33 A)she was a tailor

  B)she was anengineer

  C)she was aneducator

  D)she was a publicspeaker

34. A)Basing them onscience-fiction movies.

B) Including interestingexamples in them

C) Adjusting them todifferent audiences

D) Focusing on the latestprogress in space science

35. A) Whether spacemencarry weapons

B) How spacesuits protectspacemen

C) How NASA trains itsspacemen

D) What spacemen cat anddrink

Section C

Directions : In thissection .you will hear a passage three time. When the     passage is read for first time, you shouldlisten carefully for its general idea.  when the passage is read for thefirst time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36to43 withthe exact words you have just heard. For    these blanks, you can either use the exactwords you have just heard or write  downthe main points in your own words Finally, when the passage is read for   the third time, you should check what youhave written.

Crime is increasing worldwide. There is every reason to believe the (36)____will continue through thenext few decades.

Crime rates have alwaysbeen high in multicultural, industrialized societies such as the United States,but a new(37)____has appeared on the world(38)____rapidly rising crime rates innations that previously reported few(39)____. Street crimes such as robbery,rape (40)___and auto theft are clearly rising(41)___in eastern Europeancountries such as Hungaryand in western European nations such as the united Kingdom.

What is driving thiscrime (42)____?There are no simple answers. Still，there are certainconditions(43) _______with rising crime increasing  heterogeneity (混杂) of populations, greater cultural pluralism, higher immigration,democratization of government,(44)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Theseconditions are increasingly observable around the world . For instance,cultures that were previously isolated and homogeneous(同种类的),such as Japan, Denmark and Greece (45)____________________________________________________________________________

   Multiculturalism can be a rewarding, enriching experience, but it can also leadto a clash of values. Heterogeneity in societies will be the rule in thetwenty-first century, and (46)_________________________________________________

36 trend

37 phenomenon

38 scene

39 offences

40 murder

41 particularly

42 explosion

43 associated

44 changing nationalborders, greater economic growth and the lack of accepted social ideas of rightand wrong.

45 are now facing thesort of cultural variety that has been common in America for most of its history.

46 failure to recognizeand plan for such diversity can lead to serious crime problems.

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in depth)

Section A

Question 47-56

    Abookless life is an incomplete life. Books influence the depth and breadth oflife. They meet the natural______47_____for freedom, for expression, forcreativity and beauty of life. Learners, therefore, must have books, and theright type of book, for the satisfaction of their need. Readers turn______48____ to books because their curiosity concerning all manners of things, theireagerness to share in the experiences of others and their need to ____49 ____from their own limited environment lead them to find in books food for the mindand the spirit. Through their reading they find a deeper significance to lifeas books acquaint them with life in the world as it was and it is now. They arepresented with a __50____ of human experiences and come to ___51___ other waysof thought and living. And while ____52____ their own relationships andresponses to life , the readers often find that the ___53 __ in their storiesare going through similar adjustments, which help to clarify and givesignificance to their own.

    Booksprovide ___54 ____ material for readers’ imagination to grow. Imagination is avaluable quality and a motivating power, and stimulates achievement. Whileenriching their imagination, books __55 ____their outlook, develop a fact-findingattitude and train them to use leisure ___56 ___. The social and educationalsignificance of the readers’ books cannot be overestimated in an academiclibrary.  

A.       Abundant

B.       Characters

C.      Communicating

D.      Completely

E.       Derive

F.        Desire

G.       Diversity

H.   Escape

I.          Establishing

J.        Narrow

K.       Naturally

L.        Personnel

M.     Properly

N.      Respect

O.     Widen

Section B

Directions  Thereare 2 passages in this section, each passage is followed by some question orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A B CD.You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter onAnswer sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage one

Question 57 to 61 basedon the following passage.

If you are a male and youare reading this ,congratulations: you are a survivor .According to statistics.you are more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman ,and ninetimes more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of yournatural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on averagefive years before a woman.

There are many reasonsfor this-typically, men take more risks than woman and are more likely to drinkand smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.

“Men aren’t seeingdoctors as often as they should, ” says Dr. Gullotta, “This is particularly sofor the over-40s,when diseases tend to strike.”

Gullotta says a healthyman should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45,it should beat least once a year.

Two months ago Gullottasaw a 50-year-old ma who had delayed doing anything about his smoker’s coughfor a year.

“When I finally saw himit had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer” he says, “Earlierdetection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolongedthis life”

According to a recentsurvey, 95%of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year,compared to 70% of men in the same age group.

“A lot of men think theyare invincible （不可战胜的）”Gullotta says “They only come in when afriend drops dead on the golf course and they think” Geez, if it could happento him.

Then there is the ostrichapproach,” some men are scared of what might be there and would rather notknow, ” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.

“Most men get their carsserviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says .Hebelieves most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed bypreventive check-ups

Regular check-ups for menwould inevitably place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says.” Butprevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases.Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater: it is called premature death.”

57.Why does the authorcongratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?

A. They are more likelyto survive serious diseases today.

B. Their average lifespan has been considerably extended.

C. They have lived longenough to read this article.

D. They are sure to enjoya longer and happier live.

58。Whatdoes the author state is the most important reason men die five years earlieron average than women?

A. men drink and smokemuch more than women

B. men don’t seek medicalcare as often as women

C. men aren’t as cautionsas women in face of danger

D. men are more likely tosuffer from fatal diseases

59. Which of thefollowing best completes the sentence “Geez, if it could happen tohim,…’(line2,para,8)?

A. it could happen to me,too

B. I should avoid playinggolf

C. I should considermyself lucky

D. it would be a bigmisfortune

60what does Dr. RossCartmill mean by “the ostrich approach”(line q para.9)

A. a casual attitudetowards one’s health conditions

B. a new therapy forcertain psychological problems

C. refusal to get medicaltreatment for fear of the pain involved

D. unwillingness to findout about one’s disease because of fear

61. What does Cartmillsay about regular check-ups for men?

A.They may increasepublic expenses

B.They will save money inthe long run

C.They may causepsychological strains on men

D.They will enable men tolive as long as women

Passage two

Question 62 to 66 arebased on the following passage

High-quality customerservice is preached(宣扬) by many ,but actually keeping customers happyis easier said than done

Shoppers seldom complainto the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead will alert theirfriends, relatives, co-workers, strangers-and anyone who will listen.

Store managers are oftenthe last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regularcustomers decide t frequent their competitors, according to a study jointlyconducted by Verde group and Wharton school

“Storytelling hurtsretailers and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of theVerde group.” the store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find areplacement.”

On average, every unhappycustomer will complain to at least four other, and will no longer visit thespecific store for every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to threemore due to negative reviews. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrousto retailers.

According to theresearch, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. rankedsecond and third were grocery and electronics customers.

The most commoncomplaints include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满了的)shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rudesalespeople.

During peak shoppinghours, some retailers solved the parking problems by getting moonlighting localpolice to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to directcustomers to empty parking spaces. This guidance climinated the need forcustomers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontationbetween those eyeing the same parking space.

Retailers can relieve theheadaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedyand experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answerquestions.

Most importantly,salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.

“Retailers who’reresponsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those whoaren’t so friendly.” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple asa greeter at the store entrance would help.”

Customers can alsoimprove future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer,instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed toimprove when they have no idea what is wrong.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答

62. Why are storemanagers often the last to hear complaints?

A Most customers won’tbother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.

B Customers would ratherrelate their unhappy experiences to people around them.

C Few customers believethe service will be improved.

D Customers have no easyaccess to store managers.

63. What does PaulaCourtney imply by saying “ … the shopper must also find a replacement” (Line 2,Para. 4)?

A New customers are boundto replace old ones.

B It is not likely theshopper can find the same products in other stores.

C Most stores provide thesame

D Not complaining to themanager causes the shopper some trouble too.

64. Shop owners oftenhire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers_____

A can stay longerbrowsing in the store

B won’t have troubleparking their cars

C won’t have any worriesabout security

D can find their carseasily after shopping

65. What contributes mostto smoothing over issues with customers?

A Manners of thesalespeople

B Hiring of efficientemployees

C Huge supply of goodsfor sale

D Design of the storelayout.

66. To achieve bettershopping experiences, customers are advised to _________.

A exert pressure onstores to improve their service

B settle their disputeswith stores in a diplomatic way

C voice theirdissatisfaction to store managers directly

D shop around and makecomparisons between stores

Part V     Cloze

Directions: There are 20blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices markedA,B,C,D on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that bestfits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on answer sheet 2with a single line through the centre.

playing organized sportsis such a common experience in the United States that many children andteenagers that them for granted. This is especially true 67 children fromfamilies and communities that have the resources needed to organize and 68sports programs and make sure that there is easy 69 to participationopportunities. Children in low-income families and poor communities are 70likely to take organized youth sports for granted because they often 71 theresources needed to pay for participation 72, equipment, and transportation topractices and games 73 their communities do not have resources to build and 74sports fields and facilities.

Organized youth sports 75appeared during the early 20th century in the United States and other wealthynations. They were originally developed 76 some educators and developmentalexperts 77 that the behavior and character of children were 78 influenced bytheir social surrounding and everyday experiences. This 79 many people tobelieve that if you could organize the experiences of children in 80 ways, youcould influence the kinds of adults that those children would become.

This belief that thesocial 81 influenced a person’s overall development was very 82 to peopleinterested in progress and reform in the United States 83 the beginning of the20th century. It caused them to think about 84 they might control theexperiences of children to 85 responsible and productive adults. They believedstrongly that democracy depended on responsibility and that a 86 capitalisteconomy depended on the productivity of worker.

67. A. among  B.within  C. on  D. towards

68. A. spread  B.speed   C. spur  D. sponsor

69. A. access  B. entrance  C. chance D. route

70 A. little  B. less C. more D. much

71. A. shrink B. tightenC. limit D. lack

72. A. bill B accounts C.fees D. fare

73. A. so B. as C. and D.but

74. A. maintain B.sustain C. contain D. entertain

75.A. last B. first C.later D. finally

76.A. before B. while C.until D. when

77.A. realized B.recalled C. expected D. exhibited

78.A. specifically B.excessively C. strongly D. exactly

79. A. moved B. conductedC. put D. led

80. A. precise B.precious C. particular D. peculiar

81.A. engagement B.environment C.s tate D. status

82.A. encouraging B.disappointing C. upsetting D. surprising

83.A. for B. with C. overD. at

84.A. what B. how C.whatever D. however

85.A. multiply B.manufacture C. produce D. provide

86.A. growing B. breedingC. raising D. flying

Part VI  Translation

Directions: Complete thesentences by translating into English the Chinese given in brackets. Pleaserite your translation on answer sheet 2

87.Medical researchersare painfully aware that there are many problems ________________(他们至今还没有答案)

88.___________________________(大多数父母所关心的) is providing the best education possible for their children.

89.You’d better take asweater with you ______________________ (以防天气变冷)

90.Throught the project,many people have received training and _____________________________(决定自己创业)

91.the anti-virus agent was not known_____________________________(直到一名医生偶然发现了它)