2013年6月四级考试真题（第一套）

2013年6月四级考试真题（第一套） Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then express your views on the importance of reading literature. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1–7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8–10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Surviving the Recession America’s recession began quietly at the end of 2007. Since then it has evolved into a global crisis. Reasonable people may disagree about whom to blame. Financiers who were not as clever as they thought they were? Regulators falling asleep at work? Consumers who borrowed too much? Politicians who thoughtlessly promoted home-ownership for those who could not afford it? All are guilty; and what a mess they have created. Since 2007 America has shed 5 million jobs. More than 15% of the workforce are jobless or underemployed — roughly 25 million workers. The only industries swelling their payrolls are health care, utilities and the federal government. The value of listed shares in American firms collapsed by 57% from its peak in October 2007 to a low in March this year, though it has since bounced back somewhat. Industrial production fell by 12.8% in the year to March, the worst slide since the Second World War. Mark Zandi, an economist at Moody’s Economy.com, predicts that the recession will shrink America’s economy by 3.5% in total. For most executives, this is the worst business environment they’ve ever seen. Times are so tough that even bosses are taking pay cuts. Median (中位数的) pay for chief executives of S&P 500 companies fell 6.8% in 2008. The overthrown giants of Wall Street took the biggest knock, with average pay cuts of 38% and median bonuses of zero. But there was some pain for everyone: median pay for chief executives of non-financial firms in the S&P 500 fell by 2.7%. Nearly every business has a sad tale to tell. For example, Arne Sorenson, the president of Marriott hotels, likens the crisis to the downturn that hit his business after September 11th, 2001. When the twin towers fell, Americans stopped travelling. Marriott had its worst quarter ever, with revenues per room falling by 25%. This year, without a terrorist attack, the hotel industry is “putting the same numbers on the board”, says Mr Sorenson. The hotel bust (不景气), like most busts, was preceded by a breathtaking boom. Although many other big firms resisted the temptation to over-borrow, developers borrowed heavily and built bigger and fancier hotels as if the whole world were planning a holiday in Las Vegas. When the bubble burst, demand collapsed. Hotel owners found themselves with a huge number of empty rooms even as a lot of unnecessary new hotels were ready to open. Other industries have suffered even more. Large numbers of builders, property firms and retailers have gone bankrupt. And a disaster has hit Detroit. Last year the American car industry had the capacity to make 17 million vehicles. Sales in 2009 could be barely half of that. The Big Three American carmakers—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler—accumulated ruinous costs over the post-war years, such as gold-plated health plans and pensions for workers who retired as young as 48. All three are desperately restructuring. Only Ford may survive in its current form. Hard times breed hard feelings. Few Americans understand what caused the recession. Some are seeking scapegoats (替罪羊). Politicians are happy to take advantage. Bosses have been summoned to Washington to be scolded on live television. The president condemns their greed. Extravagance (奢侈) is out Businessfolk are bending over backwards to avoid seeming extravagant. Meetings at resorts are suddenly unacceptable. Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, cancelled a conference in Las Vegas at the last minute and rebooked it in San Francisco, which cost more but sounded less fun. Anyway, the pain will eventually end. American business will regain its shine. Many firms will die, but the survivors will emerge leaner and stronger than before. The financial sector’s share of the economy will shrink, and stay shrunk for years to come. The importance of non-financial firms will accordingly rise, along with their ability to attract the best talent. America will remain the best place on earth to do business, so long as Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress resist the temptation to interfere too much, and so long as organised labour does not overplay its hand. The crisis will prove hugely disruptive (破坏性的), however. Bad management techniques will be exposed. Necessity will force the swift adoption of more efficient ones. At the same time, technological innovation (创新) will barely pause for breath, and two big political changes seem likely. Mr Obama’s plan to curb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (排放), though necessary, will be far from cost-free, whatever his sunny speeches on the subject might suggest. The shift to a low-carbon economy will help some firms, hurt others and require every organisation that uses much energy to rethink how it operates. It is harder to predict how Mr Obama’s proposed reforms to the failing health-care system will turn out. If he succeeds in curbing costs—a big if—it would be a huge gain for America. Some businesses will benefit but the vast bulk of the savings will be captured by workers, not their employers. In the next couple of years the businesses that thrive will be those that are tight with costs, careful of debt, cautious with cash flow and extremely attentive to what customers want. They will include plenty of names no one has yet heard of. Times change, and corporations change with them. In 1955 Time’s Man of the Year was Harlow Curtice, the boss of GM. His firm was leading America towards “a new economic order”, the magazine wrote. Thanks to men like Curtice, “the bonds of scarcity” had been broken and America was rolling “to an all-time high of prosperity”. Soon, Americans would need to spend “comparatively little time earning a living”. Half a century later GM is a typical example of poor management. In March its chief executive was fired by Time’s current Man of the Year, Mr Obama. The government now backs up the domestic car industry, lending it money and overseeing its turnaround plans. With luck, this will be short-lived. But there is a danger that Washington will end up micromanaging not only Detroit but also other parts of the economy. And clever as Mr Obama’s advisers are, history suggests they will be bad at this. 1. From the first paragraph, we learn that America’s recession is the result of ______. A) a messy real estate market C) unregulated competition B) a combination of causes D) financiers’ mismanagement 2. At the worst time, the total value of listed shares in American firms shrank by ______. A) 57% C) 12.8% B) 15% D) 3.5% 3. According to Arne Sorenson, the president of Marriott hotels, the current recession ______. A) was the worst he had ever seen since World War II B) reduced his revenues to a quarter of normal years C) hit his business as hard as the 9/11 terrorist attack D) spoiled his plans to build more hotels in Las Vegas 4. The Big Three American carmakers need restructuring to survive because ______. A) their production capacity has shrunk to less than half of the previous year B) their technology has fallen behind their competitors’ elsewhere in the world C) they have borrowed too heavily and accumulated too large amounts of debt D) they cannot cope with the ruinous costs accumulated over the post-war years 5. Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, cancelled a conference in Las Vegas in order to ______. A) raise its efficiency C) avoid seeming wasteful B) cut unnecessary costs D) have fun in San Francisco 6. The author of this report seems to be ______. A) against too much government interference in the economy B) optimistic about Obama’s effort to reduce CO2 emissions C) interested in political and economic reforms D) concerned about the interests of the workforce 7. According to the author, Obama’s plan to limit carbon dioxide emissions will ______. A) not benefit America’s industry C) do good to the environment B) benefit the whole nation D) by no means be inexpensive 8. Because Harlow Curtice’s firm was leading America in creating “a new economic order”, he was named by Time magazine as ______________________________ in 1955. 9. In March, General Motors’ chief executive was fired by Mr Obama for ______________________________. 10. The author is afraid that the Obama administration will end up ______________________________ America’s economy. Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. 11. A) The woman is the manager’s secretary. B) The man found himself in a wrong place. C) The man is the manager’s business associate. D) The woman was putting up a sign on the wall. 12. A) He needs more time for the report. B) He needs help to interpret the data. C) He is sorry not to have helped the woman. D) He does not have sufficient data to go on. 13. A) A friend form New York. C) A postal delivery. B) A message from Tony. D) A change in the weather. 14. A) She is not available until the end of next week. B) She is not a reliable source of information. C) She does not like taking exams. D) She does not like psychology. 15. A) He will help the woman carry the suitcase. B) The woman’s watch is twenty minutes fast. C) The woman shouldn’t make such a big fuss. D) There is no need for the woman to be in a hurry. 16. A) Mary is not so easygoing as her. B) Mary and she have a lot in common. C) She finds it hard to get along with Mary. D) She does not believe what her neighbors said. 17. A) At an information service. C) At a repair shop. B) At a car wash point. D) At a dry cleaner’s. 18. A) The woman came to the concert at the man’s request. B) The man is already fed up with playing the piano. C) The piece of music the man played is very popular. D) The man’s unique talents are the envy of many people. Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 19. A) He has taught Spanish for a couple of years at a local school. B) He worked at the Brownstone Company for several years. C) He owned a small retail business in Michigan years ago. D) He has been working part-time in a school near Detroit. 20. A) He prefers a full-time job with more responsibility. B) He is eager to find a job with an increased salary. C) He likes to work in a company close to home. D) He would rather get a less demanding job. 21. A) Sports. C) Foreign languages. B) Travel. D) Computer games. 22. A) When he is supposed to start work. B) What responsibilities he would have. C) When he will be informed about his application. D) What career opportunities her company can offer. Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 23. A) She is pregnant. C) She has just finished her project. B) She is over 50. D) She is a good saleswoman. 24. A) He takes good care of Lisa. C) He is good at business management. B) He is the CEO of a giant company. D) He works as a sales manager. 25. A) It is in urgent need of further development. B) It produces goods popular among local people. C) It has been losing market share in recent years. D) It is well positioned to compete with the giants. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage One Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard. 26. A) It is lined with tall tress. C) It has high buildings on both sides. B) It was widened recently. D) It used to be dirty and disorderly. 27. A) They repaved it with rocks. C) They beautified it with plants. B) They built public restrooms on it. D) They set up cooking facilities near it. 28. A) What makes life enjoyable. C) What a community means. B) How to work with tools. D) How to improve health. 29. A) They were obliged to fulfill the signed contract. B) They were encouraged by the city officials’ praise. C) They wanted to prove they were as capable as boys. D) The derived happiness from the constructive work. Passage Two Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard. 30. A) The majority of them think it less important than computers. B) Many of them consider it boring and old-fashioned. C) The majority of them find it interesting. D) Few of them read more than ten books a year. 31. A) Novels and stories. C) History and science books. B) Mysteries and detective stories. D) Books on culture and tradition. 32. A) Watching TV. C) Reading magazines. B) Listening to music. D) Playing computer games. Passage Three Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 33. A) Advice on the purchase of cars. B) Information about the new green-fuel vehicles. C) Trends for the development of the motor car. D) Solutions to global fuel shortage. 34. A) Limited driving range. C) The short life of batteries. B) Huge recharging expenses. D) The unaffordable high price. 35. A) They need to be further improved. B) They can easily switch to natural gas. C) They are more cost-effective than vehicles powered by solar energy. D) They can match conventional motor cars in performance and safety. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. My favorite T.V. show? “The Twilight Zone.” I (36) ________ like the episode called “The Printer’s Devil.” It’s about a newspaper editor who’s being (37) ________out of business by a big newspaper syndicate—you know, a group of papers (38) ________by the same people. He’s about to (39) ________ suicide when he’s interrupted by an old man who says his name is Smith. The editor is not only offered $5,000 to pay off his newspaper’s (40) ________, but this Smith character also offers his (41) ________for free. It turns out that the guy (42) ________ the printing machine with amazing speed, and soon he’s turning out newspapers with (43) ________ headlines. The small paper is successful again. The editor is amazed at how quickly Smith gets his stories—only minutes after they happen—but soon he’s presented with a contract to sign. Mr. Smith, it seems, is really the devil! (44) ____________________________________________________________________________________, so he agrees to sign. But soon Smith is reporting the news even before it happens—and it’s all terrible—one disaster after another.(45) ___________________________________________________________________________________. I really like these old episodes of “The Twilight Zone” because the stories are fascinating. (46) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage. Just when you had figured out how to manage fat in your diet, researchers are now warning against another common mealtime pitfall (陷阱) — salt. A study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Stanford University and Columbia University shows that even a 47 decrease in daily salt intake (摄入) can lead to dramatic health benefits. The authors 48 an annual drop of as many as 120,000 cases of heart disease, 66,000 49 of stroke and 99,000 heart attacks 50 by high blood pressure after a 3-g-per-day reduction in salt. The advantages, not surprisingly, were greater for African Americans, who are more likely to 51 high blood pressure than other ethnic groups, and for the elderly, since blood vessels stiffen with age, which can lead to higher blood pressure. “Everyone in the U.S. is consuming salt far in 52 of what is good for them,” says lead author Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of UCSF. “What we are suggesting is that a population-wide effort to reduce salt intake, even 53 , will have health benefits.” The team conducted a computer-based analysis to determine the 54 of a 3-g-per-day reduction in salt intake on rates of heart disease and death. They also calculated the cost savings emerging from the amount of disease that would be 55 because of lower blood pressure. The conclusion: by cutting salt intake nationwide, the U.S. could save $10 billion to $24 billion 56 in health care costs. A) accidents I) excess B) annually J) impact C) avoided K) instances D) caused L) modest E) considerable M) revised F) develop N) slightly G) documented O) undertake H) dramatically Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage One Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. The Gatais used to frown when they received power bills that routinely topped $200. Last September the couple moved into a 1,500-square-foot home in Premier Gardens, a subdivision of 95 “zero-energy homes”(ZEH) just outside town. Now they’re actually eager to see their electricity bills. The grand total over the 10 months they’ve lived in the three-bedroom house: $75. For the past two months they haven’t paid a cent. ZEH communities are the leading edge of technologies that might someday create houses that produce as much energy as they consume. Premier Gardens is one of a half-dozen subdivisions in California where every home cut