diss是什么意思2013年12月英语四级真题及答案(第二套)(word版)

2021年1月8日发(作者：霍仲初)
2013年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第2套)
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essaybased on the picture
below. You should start you,:
phone in people's then and then explain the consequences of overusing it. You should write at
least 120 words but no more than, 180 words.

Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At
the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the
conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause.
During the pause, you must
is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through
the centre.
1. A) Go to a place he has visited.
B) Make her own arrangements.
C) Consult a travel agent.
D) Join in a package tour.
2. A) They are on a long trip by car.
B) They are stuck in a traffic jam.
C) They are used to getting up early.
D) They are tired of eating out at night.
3. A) He is a person difficult to deal with.
B) He dislikes any formal gathering.
C) He is unwilling to speak in public.
D) He often keeps a distance from others.
4. A) Work in another department.
B) Pursue further education.
C ) Recruit graduate students.
D) Take an administrative job.
5. A) He would not be available to start the job in time.
B) He is not quite qualified for the art director position.
C) He would like to leave some more time for himself.
D) He will get his application letter ready before May 1.
6. A) Cleaner.
B) Mechanic.


C) Porter.
D) Salesman.
7. A) Request one or two roommates to do the cleaning.
B) Help Laura with her term paper due this weekend.
C) Get Laura to clean the apartment herself this time.
D) Ask Laura to put off the cleaning until another week.
8. A) A problem caused by the constryction.
B) An accident that occurred on the bridge.
C) The building project they are working on.
D) The public transportation conditions.
Question 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. A) To look for a job as a salesperson.
B) To have a talk with Miss Thompson.
C) To place an order for some products.
D) To complain about a faulty appliance.
10. A) The person in charge is not in the office.
B) The supplies are out of stock for the moment.
C) They failed to reach an agreement on the price.
D) The company is re-cataloguing the items.
11. A) 0743, 12536 extension 15.
B) 0734, 21653 extension 51.
C) 0734, 38750 extension 15.
D) 0743, 62135 extension 51.
Questions 12 to 15rose based on the convermttion you have just heard.
12. A) Since he found a girlfriend.
B) Since he took to heavy smoking,
C) Since he began to exercise regularly.
D) Since he started to live on his own.
13. A) He is getting too, fat.
B) He smokes too much.
C) He doesn't eat vegetables.
D) He doesn't look well at all.
14. A) They are ovenveight for their age.
B) They are respectful to their parents.
C) They are still in their early twenties.
D) They dislike doing physical exercise.
15. A) To quit smoking,
B) To reduce his weight.
C) To find a girlfriend.
D) To follow her advice.
Section B
Dircctions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will
hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear
a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ), B), C) and D ).


Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre..
Passage One
Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. A) They have destroyed several small towns.
B) They will soon spread to San Francisco.
C) They have injured many residents.
D) They are burning out of control.
17. A) They have been hospitalizeded.
B) They have got skin problems.
C) They were choked by the thick smoke.
D) They were poisoned by the burning chemical.
18. A) It failed because of a sudden rocket explosion. B) It
has been re, scheduled for a midday takeoff.
C) It has been canceled due to technical problems.
D) It was delayed for eleven hours and thirty minutes.
19. A) They made frequent long, distance calls to each other.
B) They illegally used government computers in New Jersey.
C) They were found to be smarter than computer specially.
D) They were arrested for stealing government information. Passage Two
Questions 20 to 22 are basd on the passage you have just heard.
20. A) Peaceful.
B) Considerate.
C) Generous.
D) Cooperative.
21. A) Someone dumped the clothes left in the washer and dryer.
B) Someone broke the washer and dryer by overloading them.
C) Mindy Lance's laundry blocked the way to the laundry room.
D) Mindy Lance threatened to take revenge on her neighbors.
22. A) Asking the neighborhood committee for help.
B) Limiting the amount of laundry for each wash.
C) Informing the building manager of the matter.
D) Installing a few more washers and dryers.
Passage Three
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
23. A) She is both a popular and highly respected author,
B) She is the most love African novelist of a J1 times.
C) She is the most influential author since the 1930's.
D) She is the first writer to focus on the fate of slaves.
24. A) The Book Critics Circle Award.
B) The Nobel Prize for literature.
C) The Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

D) The National Book Award.
25. A) She is a relative of Morrison's.


B) She is a slave from Africa.
C) She is a skirled storyteller.
D) She is a black woman,
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for
the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for
the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard.
Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
Many college students today own personal computers that cost anywhere from $$1,000 to perhaps $$ 5,000
or more. 26 , it is not uncommon for them to purchase 27 costing another several hundred
dollars, Twenty years ago, computers were 28 , but they were very large and extremely expensive.
Few, if any, 29 purchased computers for home use..Over the years the price of the
a computer-its memory-has declined to less than a thousandth of the price per unit of memory that
prevailed twenty years ago. This is the main reason why computers cost so much less today than
they used to. Moreover, 30 improvements have made it possible to 31 memory circuitry that
is small enou~ to fit into the portble personal computers that many of us own and use. 32 ,
as the price of computation has declined the average consumer and business have spent more on
purchasing computers. 33 , improved agricultural technology, hybrid (杂交) seeds, 34
animal breeding, and so on have vastly increased the amount of output a typical farmer can produce.
The prices of goods such as meats and grains have fallen sharply relative to the prices of most
other goods and services. As agricultural prices have fallen, many households have decreased their
total expenses on food. Even though the 35
of a product purchased generally increase when its price falls, total expenses on it may decline.
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one
word foreach 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 identifed by
a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single
line through the centre. Fou may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
To get a sense of how women have progressed in science, take a quick tour of the physics department
at the University of California, Berkeley. This is a storied place, the 36 of some of the most
important discoveries in modern science-- starting with Ernest Lawrence's invention of the
cyclotron (回旋加速器) in1931. A generation ago, female faces were 37 and, even today, visitors
walking through the first floor of LeConte Hall will see a full corridor of exhibits 38 the
many distinguished physicists who made history here, 39 all of them white males.
But climb up to the third floor and you'll see a 40 display. There, among the photos of current
faculty members and students, are portraits of the 41 head of the department, Marjorie Shapiro,
and four other women whose research 42 everything from the mechanics of the universe to the
smallest particles of matter. A sixth woman was hired just two weeks ago. Although they're still
only about 10 percent of the physics faculty, women are clearly a presence here. And the real
43 may be in the smaller photos to the right: graduate and undergraduate students, about 20
percent of them female. Every year Berkeley sends its fresh female physics PhDs to the country's


top universities. That makes Shapiro optimistic, but also 44
better,
A) circumstance
B) confidence
C) covers
D) current
E) deals
F) different
G) exposing
H) fast
I) honoring
J) hope
K) presently
L) rare
M) realistic
N) site
O) virtually
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.
Each statement contains information in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from
which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph
is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet
2.
Is College a Worthy Investment?
A) Why are we spending so much money on college? Andwhy are we so unhappy about it? We all seem
to agree that a college education is wonderful, and yet strangely we worry when we see families
investing so much in this supposedly essential good. Maybe it's time to ask a question that
seems almost sacrilegious (大不敬) : is all this investment in college education really worth
it?
B) The answer. I fear, is no. For an increasing number of kids, the extra time and money spent
pursuing a college diploma will leave them worse off than they were before they set foot on campus.
C) For my entire adult life, a good education has been the most important thing for middle-class
households. My parents spent more educating my sister and me than they spent on their house, and
they're not the only ones.., and, of course, for an increasing number of families, most of the
cost of their house is actually the cost of living in a good school district. Questioning the
value of a college education seems a bit like questioning the value of happiness, or tim.
D) The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a
college education has nearly doubled in that time. Is the education that today's students are
getting twice as good? Are new workers twice as smart? Have they become somehow massively more
expensive to educate?
E ) Perhaps a bit. Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economics professor, says,
data, and I see college costs rising faster than inflation up to the mid-1980s by 1 percent
a year. Now I see them rising 3to 4 percent a year over inflation. What has happened? The federal
government has started dropping money out of airplanes. 补


贴的) loans have become available, and
Bryan Caplan, who is writing a book about education, agrees:
that will continue as long as the subsidies continue.
F) Promotional literature for colleges and student loans often speaks of debt as an
in yourself. But an investment is supposed to generate income to pay off the loans. More than
haft of all recent graduates are tmemployed or in jobs that do not require a degree, and the amount
of student- loan debt carried by households has increased more than five times since 1999. These
graduates were told that a diploma was all they needed to succeed, but it won't even get them
out of the spare bedroom at Mom and Dad's. For many, the most visible result of their four years
is the loan payments, which now average hundreds of dollars a month on loan balances in the tens
of thousands.
G) It's true about the money --sort of. College graduates now make 80 percent more than people
who have only a high-school diploma, and though there are no precise estimates, the wage premium
(高出的部分) for an outstanding school seems to be even higher. But that's not true of every student.
It's very easy to spend four years majoring in English literature and come out no more employable
than you were before you went in. Conversely, chemical engineers straight out of school can
easily make almost four times the wages of an entry-level high-sch0ol graduate.
H) James Heckman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, has examined how the returns on education
break down for individuals with different backgrounds and levels of ability.
high prices, you're still finding a high return for individuals who are bright and motivated,
he says. On the other hand,
it.
but they also agree that the rapid increase in price is eating up more and more of the potential
return. For borderline students, tuition ( 学费) rise can push those returns into negative
territory.
I) Everyone seems to agree that the government, and parents, should be rethinking how we invest
in higher education- and that employers need to rethink the increasing use of college degrees
as crude screening tools for jobs that don't really require college skills,
a surplus of college graduates and looking to fill jobs are just adding that requirement,
Vedder.
J) We have started to see some change on the fmance side. A law passed in 2007 allows many students
to cap their loan payment at 10 percent of their income and forgives any balance after 25 years.
Bnt of course, that doesn't control the cost of education; it just shifts it to taxpayers. It
also encourages gradimtes to choose lower- paying careers, which reduces the financial return
to education still further. subsidizing people to become priests and poets and so forth,
says Heckman. may think that's a good thing, or you may not. Either way it will be expensive
for the government.
K) What might be a lot cheaper is putting more kids to work. Caplan notes that work also btfilds
valuable skills--probably more valuable for kids who don't naturally love sitting in a classroom.
Heckman agrees wholeheartedly:
what we've learned, and public policy should recognize that.
L) Heckman would like to see more apprenticeship-style (学徒式) programs, where kids can learn
in the workplace learn not just specific job skills, but the kind of skills,like getting
to work on time and getting along with a team, that are crucial for career success,


having mentors (指导者) and having workplace-based education,
seen examples of this kind of program working.
M) Ah, but how do we get there from here? With better public policy, hopefully, but also by making
better individual decisions.
Vedder,
are going to wake up and ask, 'Why am I going to college?'
46. Caplan suggests that kids who don't love school go to work,
47. An increasing number of families spertd more money on houses in a good school district,
48. Subsidized loans to college students are a huge waste of money, according to one economist.49.
More and more kids find they fare worse with a college diploma,
50. For those who are not prepared for higher education, going to College is not worth it.
51. Over the years the cost of a college education has increased almost by 100%.
52. A law passed recently allows many students to pay no more than one tenth of their income for
their college loans.
53. Middle-class Americans have highly valued a good education.
54. More kids should be encouraged to participate ms where they can learn not only job
skills but also social skills.
55. Over fifty percent of recent college graduates remain unemployed or unable to fred a suitable
job.

Section C
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 batter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single
line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
A recent global survey of 2,000 high-net-worth individUalS found that 60% were not planning on
a traditional retirement. Among US participants, 75% expected to continue working in some capacity
even after stepping away from full-time jobs.
sometting they're passionate (有激情的) about,”.says Daniel Egan, head of behavioral finance
for Barclays Wealth Americas. the.. choice, they prefer to continue workirtg,
Barclays calls these people
Unlike many Americans compelled into early retirement by company restrictiolls, the average
nevertiree often has no one forcing his hand. tf 106-year-old investor Irving Kahn, head of his
own family firm, wants to keep coming to work every day, who's going to stop him?
Seventy-eight-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's job security is guaranteed
in the Constitution.
It may seem that these elderly people are trying to cheat death. In fact, they are. And it's working.
Howard Friedman, a professor at UC Riverside, found in his research that those who work hardest
and are successful in their careers often live the longest lives.
given bad advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying, and retire to Florida,, he says. He
described one study participant, still working at the age of 100, who was. recently disappointed
to see his son retire.



of the Institute of Population Ageing at Oxford. Where once ret~rement was seen as a brief reward
after a long struggle through some miserable job, it is now akin (近似) to being cast aside, What
Leeson terms
to retirement as not simply being linked to economic productivity but also about contribution,

Observers are split on whether this is a wholly good thing, On the one hand, companies and financial
firms can benefit from the wisdom of a resilient ( 坚韧的 ) chief, On the other, the new generation
can find it more difficult to advance--an argument that typically holds little sway to a nevertiree.
56. What do we learn about the so-called
A) They are passionate about making a fortune.
B) They have no choice but to continue working.
C) They love what they do and choose not to retire.
D) They will not retire unless they are compelled to.
57. What do Irving Kahn and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have in common?
A) Neither of them is subject to forced retirement.
B) Neither of them desires reward for their work.
C) Both cling to their positions despite opposition
D) Both are capable of coping with heavy workloads.
58, What is the finding of Howard Friedman's research?
A) The harder you work, the bigger your fortune will be.
B) The earlier you retire, the healthier you will be.
C) Elderly people have to slow down to live longer.
D) Working at an advanced age lengthens people's life.
59. What is the traditional view of retirement according to the passage?
A) It means a burden to the younger generation.
B) It is a symbol of a mature and civilized society.
C) It is a compensation for one's life-long hard Work.
D) It helps increase a nation's economic productivity.
60. What do critics say about
A) They are an obstacle to a company's development,
B) They lack the creativity of the younger generation.
C) They cannot work as efficiently as they used to.
D) They prevent young people from getting ahead.
Passage Two
QuesUons 61 to 65 are based on the following paassage,
When we talk about Americans barely into adulthood who are saddled with uttbearable levels of
debt, the conversation is almost always about student loan debt. But there's a growing body of
evidence suggesting that today's young adults are also drowning in credit-card debt-and that many
of them will take this debt to their graves.
More than 20% overspent their income by more than $$100 every single month. Since they haven't
built up their credit histories yet, it's a safe bet that theae young adults are paying relatively
high interest rates on the resulting credit card debt.
Although many young people blame


knocking back $$ 20 drinks in trendy ( 时尚的) lounges. They're struggling with much more daily
financial demands.
To a disturbingly large extent, the young and the broke are relying on credit cards to make it
until their next payday. This obviously isn't sustainable in the long run, and it's going -to
put a huge drag on, their spending power even after they reach their peak earning years, becattse
they'll sttll be paying interest
on that bottle Of orange juice or box of spaghetti (意式面条) they bOUght a decade earlier.
A new study out of Ohio State University found that young adults are accumulating credit card
debt at a more rapid rate than other age groups, and that they're slower at paying it off,
what we found continues to hold true, we may have more elderly people with substantial financial
problems in the future,warns Lucia Duma, professor of economics at Ohio State, our persist,
we may be
faced with a financial crisis among elderly ,people who can't pay off their credit cards,
Dunn says a lot of these young people are never going to get out from under their credit card
debt.
not sufficient to recover their credit card debt by the end of their life, which could have loss
implications for the credit card issuing banks.
61. Wilt is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A) Many young Americans will never be able to pay off their debts.
B) Credit cards play an increasingly important role in college life.
C) Credit cards are doing more harm than student loans.
D) The American credit card system is under criticism.
62. Why do young people have to pay a higher interest on their credit card debt?
A) They tend to forget about the deadlines.
B) They haven't developed a credit history,
C) They are often unable to pay back in time. -
D) They are inexperienced in managing money.
63. What is said to be the consequence of young adults relying on credit cards to make ends meet?
A) It will place an unnecessary burden on society.
B) It will give them no motivation to work hard.
C) It will exert psychological pressure on them.
D) It will affect their future spending power.
64. What will happen to young adults if their credit card debt keeps accumulating according to
Lucia Dunn?
A) They will have to pay an increasingly higher interest rate.
B) They may experience a financial crisis in their old age.
C) Their quality of life will be affected.
D) Their credit cards may be cancelled.
65. What does Lucia Dunn think might be a risk for the credit card issuing banks?
A) They go bankrupt as a result of over-lending.
B) They lose large numbers of their regular clients.
C) Their clients leave their debts unpaid upon death.
D) Their interest rates have to be reduced now and then.
Part IV Translation (30 minutes)


Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into
English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2,
中国结(the Chinese knot)最初是由手工艺人发 明的，经过数百年不断的改进，已经成为一种优雅多
彩的艺术和工艺。在古代，人们用它来记录事件，但 现在主要用于装饰的目的。“结”在中文里意味着爱
情、婚姻和团聚。中国结常常作为礼物交换或用作饰 品祈求好运和避邪。这种形式的手工艺(handicn疵)
代代相传，现在已经在中国和世界各地越来 越受欢迎。


2013年l2月大学英语四级考试真题
答案与详解(第2套)
Part I Writing
范文点评

Part H Listening Comprehension
Section A
1. W: I'd like to take a trip to Florida for my spring break. Can you give me any idea where,
to go?
M: I could tell you about the places I visited, but I think you'd better look up a travel agency
to help the arrangement.
W: What does the man suggest the woman do? C) 。
2. M: I'm reall,v tired of driving at night, even though the traffic seems fine.
W: I see. Let's stop for some food and then find a motel nearby, so we can start eaxiy tomorrow.
M: What do we learn about the speakers? A) 。
3. M: Jeff's got a lot of good ideas, Do you think he is willing to come to the meeting?