2019年12月四级真题（第2套）
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to learn Chinese. Please recommend a place to him. You should write at least 120 words but no more than] 80 words
Part II Section A Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)
Directions: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and then 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 1 with a single line through the centre
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
I A) Th b f 1. e num er o ma e nurses has gone down.
B) There 1s小scnmmat10n agamst male nurses
C) There is a gro灼ng shortage of medical personnel.
D) The number of nurses has dropped to a record low
2. A) Wo如ng conditions.
B) Educational system
C) Inadequate pay.
D) Cultural bias
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
3. A) He fell out of a lifeboat
C) He lost his way on a beach
4. A) The lifeboats patrol the area round the clock
C) The emergency services are efficient
B) He was almost drowned
D) He enjoyed swimming in the sea
B) The beach is a good place to watch the tide
D) The beach is a popular tourist resort
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
5. A) It climbed 25 storeys at one go
C) It escaped from a local zoo
6. A) Release it into the wild
C) Send it back to the zoo
7. A) A raccoon can perform acts no human can
C) The raccoon did something no politician could
B) It broke into an office room
D) It became an online star
B) Return it to its owner
D) Give it a physical checkup
B) A raccoon can climb much higher than a cat
D) The raccoon became as famous as some politicians
Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation 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 1 with a single line through the centre
Questions 8 to 11 are based on th e conversation you have just heard.
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8. A) She received a bonus unexpectedly
C) She received her first monthly salary
9. A) Two decades ago
C) Just last month
IO. A) He sent a small check to his parents
C) He took a few of his friends to a gym
I 1. A) Join her colleagues for gym exercise
C) Buy some professional clothes
B) She got a well-paying job in a bank
D) She got a pay raise for her performance
B) Several years ago
D) Right after graduation
B) He treated his parents to a nice meal
D) He immediately deposited it in a bank
B) Visit her fom记r university campus
D) Budget her salary carefully
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. A) He has just too many伽ngs to attend to
C) He has a difficult decision to make
13. A) Turn to his girlfriend for assistance
C) Think twice before ma灼ng the dec1s10n
14. A) His girlfriend does not support his dec1s10n
C) He lacks the money for his doctoral program
15. A) They need time to make preparations
C) They need to save enough money for it
Section C
B) He has been overworked recently
D) He has just quarreled with his girlfriend
B) Give priority to血ngs more urgent
D) Seek advice from his family and advisor
B) He is not particularly keen on the job offered
D) His parents and advisor have different op1mons
B) They haven't started their careers yet
D) They haven't won their parents' approval
Directions: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four 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 1 with a single line through the centre
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. A) Expre函ng ideas and op血onsfreely
B) Enriching social and血ellectual lives
C) Acqui门ng面om画on and professional knowledge
D)U匀ng面om画on to understand and solve problems
17. A) Traveling to different places in the world
C) Improving mind-reading strateg 氐S
18. A) Participate in debates or discuss10ns
C) Discard personal biases and prejudices
B) Playing games that challenge one's mind
D)Rea小ng classic scientific literature
B) Expose themselves to different cultures
D) Give others freedom to express themselves
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19. A) Why dogs can be faithful friends of humans
C) The reason a great many people love dogs
B) The nature of relationships between dogs
D) How dogs feel about their bonds with humans
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20. A) They behave like other皿malsm many ways
C) They can respond to humans'questions
21. A) They stay with one partner for life
C) They experience true romantic love
B) They have an unusual sense of responsibility
D) They can fall in love just like humans
B) They have their own joys and sorrows
D) They help humans m vanous ways
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22. A) A rare ammal
23. A) Da血g it
B) A historical site
B) Preserving it
24. A) The channel needs to血erview the boy
C) The boy's family had acted correctly
C) A cow bone
C) Meas叩ng it
D) A precious stone
D) Identi陌ng it
B) The boy should have called an expert
D) The site should have been protected
B) Ask the university to reward Jude
D) Seek additional funds for the search
25. A) Conduct a more detailed search
C) Search for similar fossils elsewhere
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 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.
旧nally, some good news about airplane travel. If you are on a plane with a sick passenger, you are unlikely to get sick. That is the 26 of a new study that looked at how respiratory (呼吸道） viruses 27 on airplanes
Researchers found that only people who were seated in the same row as a passenger with the flu, for example—or one row in front of or b啦nd that individual—had a high risk of cat啦ng the illness. All other passengers had only a very 28 chance of ge山ng sick, acco咄ng to the fin小ngs. Media reports have not necessarily presented 29 infom画on about the risk of ge山ng infected on an airplane in the past. Therefore, these new fin小ngs should help airplane passengers to feel less 30 to cat啦ng respiratory infections while traveling by air
Prior to the new study, little was known about the risks of ge山ng 31 infected by common respiratory viruses, such as the flu or common cold, on an airplane, the researchers said. So, to 32 the risks of infection, the study team flew on IO different 3 3 in the U.S. d血ng the flu season.
The researchers found that passengers si山ng within two seats on 34 side of a person infected with the flu, as well as those si山ng one row in front of or behind this individual, had about an 80 percent chance of getting sick. But other passengers were 3 5 safe from infection. They had a less than 3 percent chance of catching the flu
A) accurate
I) nearby
B) conclus10n
J) respond
C) directly
K) slim
D) either
L) spread
E) evaluate
M) summit
F) explorations
N) v1v1dly
G) flights
0) vulnerable
H) largely
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Section B Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given 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 Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?
[A] Along with old classics like "carrots give you night vision" and "Santa doesn't b门ng toys to 血sbehaving children", one of the most well-worn phrases of tired parents everywhere is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many of us grow up believing that skipping breakfast is a serious mistake, even if only two thirds of adults in the UK eat breakfast regularly, acco咄ng to the British Dietetic Association, and around three-quarters of Americans
[B] "The body uses a lot of energy stores for growth and repair through the night," expl扣ns diet specialist Sarah Elder. "Ea血g a balanced breakfast helps to up our energy, as well as make up for protein and calcium used throughout the night." But there's widespread disagreement over whether breakfast should keep its top spot in the 加rarchy( 等级） of meals. There have been concerns around the sugar content of cereal and the food industry's involvement in pro-breakfast research— and even one claim from an academic that breakfast is "dangerous"
[ C] What's the reality? Is breakfast a necessary start to the day or a marke血g tactic by cereal compa血s?
The most researched aspect of breakfast (and breakfast-skipping) has been its links to obesity. Scientists have different theories as to why there's a relationship between the two. In one US study that analysed the health data of 50,000 people over seven years, researchers found that those who made breakfast the largest meal of the day were more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who ate a large lunch or dinner. The researchers argued that breakfast helps reduce daily calorie血ake and improve the quality of our diet— 匀nce breakfast foods are often higher in fibre and nutrients
[D] But as with any study of this 灼nd, it was unclear if that was the cause— or if breakfast-skippers were just more likely to be overweight to begin with. To find out, researchers designed a study in which 52 obese women took part in a 12-weck weight loss programme. All had the same number of calories over the day, but half had breakfast, while the other half did not. What they found was that it wasn't breakfast itself that caused the participants to lose weight: it was changing their normal rou血e
[E] If breakfast alone isn't a guarantee of weight loss, why is there a link between obesity and breakfast skipping? Alexandra Johnstone, professor of appetite research at the University of Aberdeen, argues that it may simply be because breakfast-skippers have been found to be less knowledgeable about nutrition and health. "There are a lot of studies on the relationship between breakfast ea血g and possible health outcomes, but this may be because those who eat breakfast choose to habitually have health-e咄a的ng behaviours such as regular exercise and not smo灼ng," she says
[F]A 2016 review of IO studies loo灼ng血o the relationship between breakfast and weight management concluded there is "limited evidence" suppo巾ng or refuting (反驳） the argument that breakfast influences weight or food血ake, and more evidence is required before breakfast recommendations can be used to help prevent obesity
[G]Researchers from the University of Surrey and University of Aberdeen are halfway through research loo灼ng血o the mechanisms behind how the time we eat influences body weight. Early fin小ngs suggest that a bigger breakfast is beneficial to weight control. Breakfast has been found to affect more than just weight. Skipping breakfast has been associated with a 27囥ncreased risk of heart disease, a 21 % higher risk of type 2 diabetes in men, and a 20%higher risk of type 2 diabetes in women. One reason may be breakfast's nutritional value— partly because cereal is fortified (增加营养价值） with vita血ns. In one study on the breakfast habits of 1,600 young people in the UK, researchers found that the fibre and micronutrient血ake was better in those who had breakfast regularly. There have been similar findings in Australia, Brazil, Canada and the US
[H]Breakfast is also associated with improved brain function, inclu小ng concentration and language use. A review of 54 studies found that ea血g breakfast can improve memory, though the effects on other brain functions were inconclusive. However, one of the review's researchers, Mary Beth Spitznagel, says there is "reasonable" evidence breakfast does improve concentration — there just needs to be more research. "Looking at studies that
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tested concentration the number of studies sho灼ng a benefit was exactly the same as the number that found no benefit," she says. "And d. no stu 1es found that eatmg breakfast was bad for concentrat10n "
[I] What's most important, some argue, is what we eat for breakfast. High-protein breakfasts have been found particularly effective in reducing the Ion阻ng for food and consumption later in the day, according to research by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Org画sation. While cereal rem扣ns a 伍m favourite among breakfast consumers in the UK and US, a recent investigation血o the sugar content of 'adult' breakfast cereals found that some cereals cont扣n more than three-quarters of the recommended daily amount of free sugars in each portion, and sugar was the second or third highest ingredient in cereals
[J] But some research suggests if we're going to eat sugary foods, it's best to do it early. One study recruited 200 obese adults to take part in a 16-week-long diet, where half added dessert to their breakfast, and half didn't Those who added dessert lost an average of 40 pounds more—however, the study was unable to show the long term effects. A review of 54 studies found that there is no consensus yet on what type of breakfast is healthier, and conclude that the type of breakfast doesn't matter as much as simply ea血g some血ng
[K] While there's no conclusive evidence on exactly what we should be ea血g and when, the consensus 1s that we should listen to our own bodies and eat when we're hungry. "Breakfast is most important for people who are hungry when they wake up," Johnstone says. "Each body starts the day differently—and those individual differences need to be researched more closely," Spitznagel says. "A balanced breakfast is really helpful, but get血g regular meals throughout the day is more important to leave blood sugar stable through the day, which helps control weight and hunger levels," says Elder. "Breakfast isn't the only meal we should be ge山ng right"
36. Acco咄ng to one professor, obesity is related to a lack of basic awareness of nutrition and health
3 7. Some scientists claim that people should consume the right灼nd of food at breakfast
38. Op血ons differ as to whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day
3 9. It has been found that not ea血g breakfast is related to the incidence of cert扣n diseases in some countries
40. Researchers found it was a change in ea血g habits rather than breakfast itself that induced weight loss
41. To keep oneself healthy, ea血g breakfast is more important than cho函ng what to eat
42. It is widely considered wrong not to eat breakfast
43. More research is needed to prove that breakfast is related to weight loss or food血ake
44. People who prioritise breakfasts tend to have lower calorie but higher nutritional血ake
45. Many studies reveal that ea血g breakfast helps people memorise and concentrate
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 letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
T extbooks represent an 11 billion dollar industry, up from $8 billion in 2014. Textbook publisher Pearson 1s the largest publisher—of any 灼nd—in the world
It costs about $1 million to create a new textbook. A freshman textbook will have dozens of contributors, from subject-matter experts through graphic and layout artists to expert reviewers and classroom testers. Textbook publishers connect professors, instructors and students in ways that alternatives, such as open e-textbooks and open educational resources, simply do not. This connection happens not only by means of collaborative development, review and tes血g, but also at conferences where faculty regularly decide on their textbooks and cu 订icula for the co血ng year
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It is true that textbook publishers have recently reported losses, largely due to students ren血g or buying used p门nt textbooks. But this can be chalked up to the excessively high cost of their books—which has increased over 1, 000 percent匀nce 1977. A restruct叩ngof the textbook industry may well be in order. But this does not mean the end of the textbook itself
While they may not be as dynamic as an iPad, textbooks are not passive or lifeless. For example, over the centuries, they have simulated (杠莫才以） dialogues in a number of ways. From 1800 to the resent day, textbooks have done this by po匀ng questions for students to answer inductively (归纳性地）. That means students are asked to use their individual experience to come up with answers to general questions. Today's psychology texts, for example, ask: "How much of your personality do you think you inherited?" while ones in physics say: "How can you predict where the ball you tossed will land? "
Experts observe that "textbooks come in layers, something like an onion." For an active learner, engagmg with a textbook can be an 血eractive experience: Readers proceed at their own pace.They "customize" their books by engaging with different layers and linkages. Highligh血g, Post-It notes, dog-ears and other techniques allow for further customization that students value in pr血books over digital forms of books
46. What does the passage say about open educational resources?
A) They contribute to tea啦ng as much as to leammg
B) They don't profit as much as traditional textbooks do
C) They can't connect professors and students as textbooks do
D) They compete fiercely for customers with textbook producers
47. What is the m扣n cause of the publishers'losses?
A) Failure to meet student need
C) Emergence of e-books
48. What does the textbook industry need to do?
A) Reform its structures
C) Find replacements for printed textbooks
B) Industry restruct叩ng
D) Falling sales
B) Cut its retail pnces
D) Change its bu匀ness strategy periodically
49. What are students expected to do in the lea血ng process?
A) Think carefully before answe门ng each question.
B) Ask questions based on their own understanding
C) Answer questions u匀ng their personal experience.
D) Give answers sho灼ng their respective personality
5 0. What do experts say about students u匀ng textbooks?
A) They can digitalize the pr血s easily
C) They can purchase customized vers10ns
B) They can learn in an interactive way
D) They can adapt the material themselves
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
When we think of画mals and plants, we have a pretty good way of div汕ng them 血o two distinct groups: one converts sunlight into energy and the other has to eat food to make its energy. Well, those div汕ng lines come era啦ng down with the discovery of a sea slug(海姑蛹） that's truly half皿mal and half plant. It's pretty皿redible how it has managed to hijack the genes of the algae (藻类） on which it feeds
The slugs can manufacture chlorophyl l, the green pigment(色素） in plants that captures energy from sunlight, and hold these genes within their body.The term kleptoplasty is used to describe the practice of u匀ng
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hijacked genes to create nutrients from sunlight. And so far, this green sea slug is the only known 画mal that can be truly considered solar-powered, although some画mals do exhibit some plant-like behaviors. Many scientists have studied the green sea slugs to con伍m that they are actually able to create energy from sunlight
In fact, the slugs use the genetic material so well that they pass it on to their future generations. Their bab氐S retain the ability to produce their own chlorophyll, though they can't generate energy from sunlight until they've eaten enough algae to steal the necessary genes, which they can't yet produce on their own
"There's no way on earth that genes from an alga should work inside an皿mal cell," says Sidney Pierce from the University of South Florida. "And yet here, they do. They allow the画mal to rely on sunsh皿for its nutrition. So if something happens to their food source, they have a way of not starving to death until they find more algae to eat "
The sea slugs are so good at gathe门ng energy from the sun that they can live up to nine months without having to eat any food. They get all their nutritional needs met by the genes that they've hijacked from the algae
51. What is the distinctive feature of a sea slug?
A) It looks like both a plant and an画mal
C) It lives half on animals and half on plants
52. What enables the sea slug to live like a plant?
A) The genes it captures from the sea plant algae
C) The nutrients it hijacks from other species
53. What does the author say about baby sea slugs?
A) They can live without sunlight for a long time
B) It converts some sea animals into plants
D) It gets energy from both food and sunlight
B) The mechanism by which it conserves energy
D) The green pigment it inherits from its ancestors
B) They can absorb sunlight right after their birth
C) They can survive without algae for quite some time.
D) They can produce chlorophyll on their own
54. What does Sidney Pierce say about genes from an alga?
A) They are stolen from皿mals like the sea slug
C) They don't usually function inside皿mal cells
55. What do we learn about sea slugs from the passage?
A) They behave the way most plant species do
C) They will turn血o plants when they mature
B) They can't function unless exposed to sunlight
D) They can readily be converted to sea slug genes
B) They can survive for months without ea血g
D) They will starve to death without sunlight
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
中国的家庭观念与其文化传统有关。和睦的大家庭曾非常令人羡慕。过去四代同堂并不少见。由于这个传统许多年轻人婚后继续与父母同住。今天， 这个传统正在改变。随着住房条件的改善， 越来越多年轻夫妇选择与父母分开住。但他们之间的联系仍然很密切。许多老年人仍然帮清照看孙辈。年轻夫妇也抽时间探望父母， 特别是在春节和中秋节等重要节日。
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