英语四级真题及答案汇编

英语四级真题及答案

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.

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 cuts power consumption by 50% , mostly by using low-power appliances and solar panels.

Aside from the panels on the roof, Premier Gardens looks like a community of conventional homes. But inside, special windows cut power bills by blocking solar heat in summer and retaining indoor warmth in winter.

The rest of the energy savings comes from the solar units. They don't just feed the home they serve. If they generate more power than the home is using, the excess flows into the utility's power grid(电网). The residents are billed by \"net metering\" : they pay for the amount of power they tap off the grid, less the kilowatts(千瓦)they feed into it. If a home generates more power than it uses, the bill is zero.

That sounds like a bad deal for the power company, but it's not. Solar homes produce the most power on the hot sunny afternoons when everyone rushes home to turn up the air conditioner. \" It helps us lower usage at peak power times,\" says solar expert Mike Keesee. \" That lets us avoid building costly plants or buying expensive power at peak usage time. \"

What's not to like? Mostly the costs. The special features can add $ 25,000 or more to the purchase price of a house. Tax breaks bring the cost down, especially in California, but in many states ZEHs can be prohibitively expensive. For the consumer, it's a matter of paying now for the hardware to save later on the utilities.

58． Why are the Gatais eager to see their electricity bills now? 更多精品文档

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A．They want to see how much they have saved. B．They want to cut down their utility expenses. C．They want to know if they are able to pay. D．They want to avoid being overcharged. 59． What is special about the ZEH communities? A．They have created cutting-edge technologies. B．They aim to be self-sufficient in power supply. C．They are subdivided into half a dozen sections. D．They are built in harmony with the environment.

60． How are the residents in the ZEH communities billed for electricity use? A．They are only charged for the amount of power they consume on rainy days. B．They needn't pay a single cent for their power consumption on sunny days. C．They only pay for the excess power that flows into the utility's power grid. D．They pay for the electricity from the grid less their home-generated power. 61． What does the \"net metering\" practice mean to the power company? A．More pressure at peak time. B．Less profits in the short term. C．Increased electricity output. D．Reduced operational costs.

62． The author believes that buying a house in a ZEH community______. A．is but a dream for average consumers B．gives the owner substantial tax benefits C．is a worthy investment in the long run D．contributes to environmental protection

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Romantic love has clear evolutionary roots but our views about what makes an ideal romantic relationship can be swayed by the society we live in. So says psychologist Maureen O'Sullivan from the University of San Francisco. She suggests that humans have always tried to strengthen the pair-bond to maximise(使最大化)reproductive success.

Many societies throughout history and around the world today have cultivated strong pressures to stay married. In those where ties to family and community are strong, lifelong marriages can be promoted by practices such as the cultural prohibition of divorce and arranged marriages that are seen as a contract between two families, not just two individuals. In modern western societies, however, the focus on individuality and independence means that people are less concerned about conforming to(遵守)the dictates of family and culture. In the absence of societal pressures to maintain pair-bonds, O'Sullivan suggests that romantic love has increasingly come to be seen as the factor that should determine who we stay with and for how long. \" That's why historically we see an increase in romantic love as a basis for forming long-term relationships,\" she says.

According to O'Sullivan culture also shapes the sorts of feelings we expect to have, and actually do experience, when in love. Although the negative emotions associated with romantic love—fear of loss, disappointment and jealousy—are fairly consistent across cultures, the positive feelings can vary. \" If you ask Japanese students to list the positive attributes they expect in a romantic partner, they rate highly things like loyalty, commitment and devotion,\" says O'Sullivan. \" If you ask American college women, they expect everything under the sun: in addition to being committed, partners have to be amusing, funny and a friend. \"

We judge a potential partner according to our specific cultural expectations about what romantic love should feel like. If you believe that you have found true romance, and your culture tells you that this is what a long-term relationship should be based on, there is less need to rely on social or family pressures to keep couples together, O'Sullivan argues.

63． What does the author say about people's views of an ideal romantic relationship? A．They vary from culture to culture. B．They ensure the reproductive success. C．They reflect the evolutionary process. D．They are influenced by psychologists.

64． We can infer from the passage that strong family and community ties______. 更多精品文档

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A．largely rely on marriage contracts B．can contribute to stable marriages C．often run counter to romantic love D．make divorces virtually unacceptable

65． Without social pressures to keep pair-bonds, romantic love______. A．will be a substitute for marriage in human relationships B．plays a key role in maintaining long-term relationships C．is likely to replace the dictates of family and society D．is a way to develop individuality and independence

66． O'Sullivan believes that when people from different cultures fall in love, ______. A．they expect different things from their partner B．they tend to exaggerate each other's positive qualities C．they often fail to see each other's negative qualities D．they lay more emphasis on commitment and devotion 67． We can conclude from the passage that______.

A．cultural differences often tear apart a family built on romantic love B．marriages are hard to sustain without social or family pressures

C．romantic love is becoming increasingly important in family relationships D．romantic love tends to yield where family or social pressures are strong

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that our appetite and food intake are influenced by a large number of factors besides our biological need for energy, including our eating environment and our perception of the food in front of us.Studies have shown, for instance, that eating in front of the TV (or a similar distraction) can increase both hunger and the 更多精品文档

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amount of food consumed. Even simple visual cues, like plate size and lighting, have been shown to affect portion size and consumption.A new study suggested that our short-term memory also may play a role in appetite. Several hours after a meal, people’s hunger levels were predicted not by how much they’d eaten but rather by how much food they’d seen in front of them—in other words, how much they remembered eating.This disparity (差异) suggests the memory of our previous meal may have a bigger influence on our appetite than the actual size of the meal, says Jeffrey M. Brunstrom, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol.“Hunger isn’t controlled solely by the physical characteristics of a recent meal. We have identified an independent role for memory for that meal,” Brunstrom says. “This shows that the relationship between hunger and food intake is more complex than we thought.”These findings echo earlier research that suggests our perception of food can sometimes trick our body’s response to the food itself. In a 2011 study, for instance, people who drank the same 380-calorie (卡路里) milkshake on two separate occasions produced different levels of hunger-related hormones (荷尔蒙), depending on whether the shake’s label said it contained 620 or 140 calories. Moreover, the participants reported feeling more full when they thought they’d consumed a higher-calorie shake.What does this mean for our eating habits? Although it hardly seems practical to trick ourselves into eating less, the new findings do highlight the benefits of focusing on our food and avoiding TV and multitasking while eating.The so-called mindful-eating strategies can fight distractions and help us control our appetite, Brunstrom says. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

56. What is said to be a factor affecting our appetite and food intake? A) How we perceive the food we eat.C) When we eat our meals. B) What ingredients the food contains.D) How fast we eat our meals.

57. What would happen at meal time if you remembered eating a lot in the previous meal? A) You would probably be more picky about food. B) You would not feel like eating the same food. C) You would have a good appetite. D) You would not feel so hungry.

58. What do we learn from the 2011 study?

A) Food labels may mislead consumers in their purchases. B) Food labels may influence our body’s response to food. 更多精品文档

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C) Hunger levels depend on one’s consumption of calories. D) People tend to take in a lot more calories than necessary. 59. What does Brunstrom suggest we do to control our appetite? A) Trick ourselves into eating less.C) Concentrate on food while eating. B) Choose food with fewer calories.D) Pick dishes of the right size. 60. What is the main idea of the passage?

A) Eating distractions often affect our food digestion. B) Psychological factors influence our hunger levels. C) Our food intake is determined by our biological needs. D) Good eating habits will contribute to our health.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

As a society we might want to rethink the time and money spent on education, so that these resources can benefit a greater percentage of the population. Ideally, both high schools and colleges can prepare individuals for the ever-changing roles that are likely to be expected of them.High school degrees offer far less in the way of preparation for work than they might, or than many other nations currently offer, creating a growing skills gap in our economy. We encourage students to go on to college whether they are prepared or not, or have a clear sense of purpose or interest, and now have the highest college dropout rate in the world.We might look to other countries for models of how high schools can offer better training, as well as the development of a work ethic (勤奋工作的美德) and the intellectual skills needed for continued learning and development. I recommend Harvard’s 2011 “Pathways to Prosperity” report for more attention to the “forgotten half” (those who do not go on to college) and ideas about how to address this issue.Simultaneously, the liberal arts become more important than ever. In a knowledge economy where professional roles change rapidly and many college students are preparing for positions that may not even exist yet, the skill set needed is one that prepares them for change and continued learning.Learning to express ideas well in both writing and speech, knowing how to find information, and knowing how to do research are all solid background skills for a wide variety of roles, and such training is more important than any particular major in a liberal arts college. We need to continue to value broad preparation in thinking skills that will 更多精品文档

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serve for a lifetime.Students also need to learn to work independently and to make responsible decisions. The lengthening path to adulthood appears exacerbated (恶化) by parental involvement in the college years. Given the rising investment in college education, parental concern is not surprising, but learning where and when to intervene (干预) will help students take more ownership of the outcomes of these increasingly costly educations. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

61. What kind of education does the author think is ideal? A) It benefits the great majority of the general population. B) It prepares students to meet the future needs of society. C) It encourages students to learn throughout their lives.

D) It ensures that students’ expectations are successfully fulfilled.

62. What does the author say is the problem with present high school education? A) Ignoring the needs of those who don’t go to college. B) Teaching skills to be used right after graduation only. C) Giving little attention to those having difficulty learning. D) Creating the highest dropout rate in the developed world.

63. What characterizes a knowledge economy according to the passage? A) People have to receive higher education to qualify for a professional position. B) Students majoring in liberal arts usually have difficulty securing a job. C) New positions are constantly created that require people to keep learning. D) Colleges find it hard to teach students how to cope with the changing economy. 64. What does the author think a liberal arts college should focus on? A) Solid background knowledge in a particular field. B) Practical skills urgently needed in current society. C) Basic skills needed for change and lifelong learning. D) Useful thinking skills for advanced academic research. 更多精品文档

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65. What suggestion does the author offer to parents? A) Rethinking the value of higher education. B) Investing wisely in their children’s education. C) Helping their children to bring their talent into full play. D) Avoiding too much intervention in their children’s education.

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. “Many of these people made their wealth by doing something they’re passionate (有激情的) about,” says Daniel Egan, head of behavioral finance for Barclays Wealth Americas. “Given the choice, they prefer to continue working.” Barclays calls these people “nevertirees.”Unlike many Americans compelled into early retirement by company restrictions, the average nevertiree often has no one forcing his hand. If 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. “People are generally being 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.“We’re beginning to see a change in how people view retirement,” says George Leeson, co-director of the Institute of Population Ageing at Oxford. Where once retirement 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 “the Warren Buffett effect” is becoming more broadly appealing as individuals come to “view 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. 更多精品文档

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注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

56. What do we learn about the so-called “nevertirees”？ 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 “nevertirees”？ A) They are an obstacle to a company’s development. B) They lack the creativity of the younger generation. 更多精品文档

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C) They cannot work as efficiently as they used to. D) They prevent young people from getting ahead.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

When we talk about Americans barely into adulthood who are saddled with unbearable 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 these young adults are paying relatively high interest rates on the resulting credit card debt.Although many young people blame “socializing” as a barrier to saving money, most of them aren’t 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, because they’ll still 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. “If what we found continues to hold true, we may have more elderly people with substantial financial problems in the future,” warns Lucia Dunn, professor of economics at Ohio State. “If our findings 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. “Many people are borrowing on credit cards so heavily that payoff rates at these levels are 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.”

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 61. What 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. 更多精品文档

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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.

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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.

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

A new study shows a large gender gap on economic policy among the nation's professional economists, a divide similar to the gender divide found in the general public.

\"As a group, we are pro-market.\" says Ann Mari May. co-author of the study and a University of Nebraska economist. \"But women are more likely to accept government regulation and involvement in economic activity than our male colleagues.\"

\"It's very puzzling,\" says free market economist Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. \"Not a day goes by that I don't ask myself why there are so few women economists on the free market side.\"

A native of France, de Rugy supported government intervention(干预) early in her life but changed her mind after studying economics. \"We want many of the same things as liberals-less poverty, more health care-but have radically different ideas on how to achieve it.\"

Liberal economist Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic Policy and Research, says male economists have been on the inside of the profession, confirming each other's anti-regulation views. Women, as outsiders, \"are more likely to think independently or at least see people outside of the economics profession as forming their peer group,\" he says.

The gender balance in economics is changing. One-third of economics doctorates (博士学位) now go to women. \"More diversity is needed at the table when public policy is discussed,\" May says.

Economists do agree on some things. Female economists agree with men that Europe has too much regulation and that Wal-mart is good for society. Male economists agree with their female colleagues that military spending is too high.

The genders are most divorced from each other on the question of equality for women. Male 更多精品文档

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economists overwhelmingly think the wage gap between men and women is largely the result of individuals' skills, experience and voluntary choices. Female economists overwhelmingly disagree by a margin of 4-to-1.

The biggest disagreement: 76% of women say faculty opportunities in economics favor men. Male economists point the opposite way: 80% say women are favored or the process is neutral. 56. What is the finding of the new study?

A) The gender divide is a big concern of the general public. B) Men and women understand economics quite differently. C) The gap between male and female economists needs to be closed. D) Male and female economists disagree widely on economic policy. 57. What does Ann Mari May say about female economists?

A) They are strongly against male domination in the economics profession. B) They tend to support government intervention in economic activity. C) They usually play an active role in public policy-making. D) They are mostly strong advocates of free market economy. 58. What do we learn about economist Veronique de Rugy? A) She represents most female economists' standpoint. B) She devotes herself to eliminating women's poverty.

C) Her study of economics changed her view on government's role in economic activities. D) Her academic background helped her get into the inner circle of the economics profession. 59. What does Ann Mari May imply about public policy-making? A) More female economists should get involved. B) It should do justice to female economists' studies. C) More attention should be paid to women's rights. D) It should aim at sustainable development.

60. On what issue do male and female economists differ most? A) Government regulation. B) Job creation. C) Military spending. D) Gender equality.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

The number of postgraduate students travelling from non-EU countries to study at UK universities has fallen for the first time in 16 years, fuelling fears that the government's immigration crackdown is discouraging thousands of the brightest students from continuing their studies in Britain. 更多精品文档

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Jo Beall, British Council director of education and society, said the fall would cause alarm among UK vice-chancellors(大学行政主管). \"The sector was expecting a decline in growth, but the actual reduction in postgraduate numbers is of real concern as international students make up the majority of numbers in many postgraduate courses and research teams in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.\"

\"Attracting the brightest and most ambitious postgraduate and research students is critical if the UK is to maintain its quality reputation for research,\" Beall said.

Universities get a third of their tuition(学费) fee revenue from non-EU students. There is growing fear among vice-chancellors that this revenue-as well as the cultural, academic and economic benefit international students bring-is being put at risk.

Tim Westlake, director for the student experience at Manchester University, said students whose families relied on them working in the UK after their studies to gain experience and repay the fees were starting to look elsewhere.

Last month the home secretary. Theresa May. announced that embassy staff would interview more than 100 000 applicants in an attempt to prevent bogus(假冒的) ones entering the country. She also said immigrants were responsible for pushing up UK house prices. The comments followed the introduction of new limitations on students' right to work during and after their studies.

Beall said: \"Government statistics for the first time provide real evidence that the changes to UK visa regulations may have discouraged many students from applying to the UK. and in particular postgraduate students who are so important to the UK's research output. The UK enjoys an excellent reputation around the world for the high quality of our education system, so the government needs to ensure that institutions have all the support they need to attract international students who make a tremendous academic, cultural and economic contribution to the UK.\"

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

61. What has caused the decline of the number of non-EU postgraduates in the UK? A) The increase in tuition and fees. B) The ever-rising living expenses. C) Changed immigration policies. D) Universities' tightened budgets.

62. What is UK vice-chancellors' biggest concern? A) How to obtain financial support from the government. B) How to keep the academic reputation of their institutions. C) How to prevent bogus applicants entering their universities. D) How to stimulate the creativity of their research teams. 更多精品文档

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63. Why do UK universities try to attract postgraduate students from outside the EU? A) A substantial part of their revenue comes from non-EU students' tuition and fees. B) Non-EU postgraduate students are usually highly motivated. C) The number of UK postgraduate students has fallen sharply.

D) Some of the postgraduate programmers are specially designed for non-EU students.

64. What were the expectations of some non-EU students' families? A) Their children could enjoy the UK's cultural benefits. B) Their children could find well-paying jobs upon their return. C) Their children could become established academically. D) Their children could work in the UK after graduation.

65. What does Beall suggest the UK government should do? A) Allow promising international students to work in research teams. B) Revise UK visa regulations to accommodate non-EU students. C) Give universities adequate support to attract non-EU students. D) Try to address the needs of international students in the UK.

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