1、2008 年年 12 月英语四级考试真题月英语四级考试真题Part IWriting（30 minutes）Directions:For this part,you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Limiting theUse of Disposable Plastic Bag.You should write at least 150 words following the outline givenbelow.1.一次性塑料袋的使用2.使用一次性塑料袋带来的问题3.限制一次性塑料袋的意义Limiting the
2、 Use of Disposable Plastic BagPart 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 thequestions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the four choices marked A,B,C and D.Fo
3、r questions 8-10,complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Thats enough,kidsIt was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her twochildren when a young boy,aged about four,approached her two-year-old son and pushed him tothe ground.“Id watche
4、d him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child hed shoved,”shesays.”I went over to them,picked up my son,turned to the boy and said,firmly,No,we dontpush,”What happened next was unexpected.“The boys mother ran toward me from across the park,”Stella says,”I thought she wascoming ov
5、er to apologize,but instead she started shouting at me for disciplining her child,All Idid was let him know his behavior was unacceptable.Was I supposed to sit back while her kid didwhatever he wanted,hurting other children in the process?”Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough.D
6、ealing with other peopleschildren has become a minefield.In my house,jumping on the sofa is not allowed.In my sisters house its encouraged.For her,its about kids being kids:“If you cant do it at three,when can you do it?”Each of these philosophies is valid and,it has to be said,my son loves visiting
7、 his auntshouse.But I find myself saying“no”a lot when her kids are over at mine.Thats OK betweensisters but becomes dangerous territory when youre talking to the children of friends oracquaintances.“Kids arent all raised the same,”agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University.”Butthere is still
8、 an idea that theyre the property of the parent.We see our children as an extension ofourselves,so if youre saying that my child is behaving inappropriately,then thats somehow acriticism of me.”In those circumstances,its difficult to know whether to approach the child directly or theparent first.The
9、re are two schools of thought.“Id go to the child first,”says Andrew Fuller,author of Tricky Kids.Usually a quietreminder that we dont do that hereis enough.Kids nave finely tuned antennae(直觉)for how tobehave in different settings.”He points out bringing it up with the parent first may make them fee
10、l neglectful,which couldcause problems.Of course,approaching the child first can bring its own headaches,too.This is why White recommends that you approach the parents first.Raise your concerns withthe parents if theyre there and ask them to deal with it,”she says.Asked how to approach a parent in t
11、his situation,psychologist Meredith Fuller answers:“Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of the friendship.Preface your remarkswith something like:I know youll think Im silly but in my house I dont want”When it comes to situations where youre caring for another child,white is strai
12、ghtforward:“common sense must prevail.If things dont go well,then have a chat.”Therere a couple of new grey areas.Physical punishment,once accepted from any adult,isno longer appropriate.“A new set of considerations has come to the fore as part of the debateabout how we handle children.”For Andrew F
13、uller,the child-centric nature of our society has affected everyone:”The rulesare different now from when todays parents were growing up,”he says,“Adults are scared ofsaying:dont swear,or asking a child to stand up on a bus.Theyre worried that there will beconflict if they point these things out eit
14、her from older children,or their parents.”He sees it as a loss of the sense of common public good and public courtesy(礼貌),and saysthat adults suffer form it as much as child.Meredith Fuller agrees:“A code of conduct is hard to create when youre living in a world inwhich everyone is exhausted from ov
15、erwork and lack of sleep,and a world in which nice peopleare perceived to finish last.”“Its about what Im doing and what I need,”Andrew Fuller says.”the days when a kid camehome from school and said,“I got into trouble”.And dad said,you probably deserved it.Areover.Now the parents are charging up to
16、 the school to have a go at teachers.”This jumping to our childrens defense is part of what fuels the“walking on eggshells”feeling that surrounds our dealings with other peoples children.You know that if youremonstrate(劝诫)with the child,youre going to have to deal with the parent.Its admirable to be
17、protective of our kids,but is it good?“Children have to learn to negotiate the world on their own,within reasonable boundaries,”White says.“I suspect that its only certain sectors of the population doing the running to theschool better educated parents are probably more likely to be too involved.”Wh
18、ite believes our notions of a more child-centered,it a way of talking about treating ourchildren like commodities(商品).Were centered on them but in ways that reflect positively on us.We treat them as objects whose appearance and achievements are something we can be proud of,rather than serve the best
19、 interests of the children.”One way over-worked,under-resourced parents show commitment to their children is to leapto their defence.Back at the park,Bianchi intervention(干预)on her son behalf ended in anundignified exchange of insulting words with the other boymother.As Bianchi approached the park b
20、ench where shed been sitting,other mums came up to herand congratulated her on taking a stand.“Apparently the boy had a longstanding reputation forbad behaviour and his mum for even worse behaviour if he was challenged.”Andrew Fuller doesnt believe that we should be afraid of dealing with other peop
21、les kids.“look at kids that arent your own as a potential minefield,”he says.He recommends that we dontstay silent over inappropriate behaviour,particularly with regular visitors.1.What did Stella Bianchi expect the young boys mother to do when she talked to him?A)make an apologyB)come over to inter
22、veneC)discipline her own boyD)take her own boy away2.What does the author say about dealing with other peoples children?A)its important not to hurt them in any wayB)its no use trying to stop their wrongdoingC)its advisable to treat them as ones own kidsD)its possible for one to get into lots of trou
23、ble3.According to professor Naomi white of Monash university,when ones kids are criticized,theirparents will probably feel_A)discouragedB)hurtC)puzzledD)overwhelmed4.What should one do when seeing other peoples kids misbehave according to Andrew fuller?A)talk to them directly in a mild wayB)complain
24、 to their parents politelyC)simply leave them aloneD)punish them lightly5.Due to the child-centric nature of our society,_A)parents are worried when their kids swear at themB)people think it improper to criticize kids in publicC)people are reluctant to point our kidswrongdoingsD)many conflicts arise
25、 between parents and their kids6.Inaworldwhereeveryoneisexhaustedfromoverworkandlackofsleep,_A)its easy for people to become impatientB)its difficult to create a code of conductC)its important to be friendly to everybodyD)its hard for people to admire each other7.How did people use to respond when t
26、heir kids got into trouble at school?A)theyd question the teachersB)theyd charge up to the schoolC)theyd tell the kids to clam downD)Theyd put the blame on their kids8.Professorwhitebelievesthatthenotionsofamorechild-centredsocietyshouldbe_9.Accordingtoprofessorwhite,todaysparentstreattheirchildrena
27、ssomethingthey_10.Andrewfullersuggeststhat,whenkidsbehaveinappropriately,peopleshouldnot_Part IIIListening Comprehension(35 minutes)SectionADirections:In this section,you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At theend of each conversation,one or more questions will be asked about
28、 what was said.Both theconversation 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 whichis the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethroug
29、h the centre.11.A)Only true friendship can last long.B)Letter writing is going out of style.C)She keeps in regular touch with her classmates.D)She has lost contact with most of her old friends.12.A)A painter.C)Aporter.B)A mechanic.D)Acarpenter.13.A)Look for a place near her office.C)Make inquiries e
30、lsewhere.B)Find a new job down the street.D)Rent the$600 apartment.14.A)He prefers to wear jeans with a larger waist.B)He has been extremely busy recently.C)He has gained some weight lately.D)He enjoyed going shopping with Jane yesterday.15.A)The woman possesses a natural for art.B)Women have a bett
31、er artistic taste than men.C)He isnt good at abstract thinking.D)He doesnt like abstract paintings.16.A)She couldnt have left her notebook in the library.B)she may have put her notebook amid the journals.C)she should have made careful notes while doing reading.D)she shouldnt have read his notes with
32、out his knowing it.17.A)she wants to get some sleepC)she has a literature class to attendB)she needs time to write a paperD)she is troubled by her sleep problem18.A)He is confident he will get the job.B)His chance of getting the job is slim.C)It isnt easy to find a qualified sales manager.D)The inte
33、rview didnt go as well as he expected.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19.A)He can manage his time more flexibly.B)He can renew contact with his old friends.C)He can concentrate on his own projects.D)He can learn to do administrative work.20.A)Reading its ads in t
34、he newspapers.B)Calling its personnel department.C)Contacting its manager.D)Searching its website.21.A)To cut down its production expenses.B)To solve the problem of staff shortage.C)To improve its administrative efficiency.D)To utilize its retired employeesresources.Questions 22 to 25 are based on t
35、he conversation you have just heard.22.A)Buy a tractor.B)Fix a house.C)See a piece of property.D)Sing a business contract.23.A)It is only forty miles form where they live.B)It is a small one with a two-bedroom house.C)It was a large garden with fresh vegetables.D)It has a large garden with fresh veg
36、etables.24.A)Growing potatoes will involve less labor.B)Its soil may not be very suitable for corn.C)It may not be big enough for raising corn.D)Raising potatoes will be more profitable.25.A)FinancesB)EquipmentC)LaborD)ProfitsSection BDirections:In this section,you will hear 3 short passages.At the
37、end of each passage,you willhear some questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you heara 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.Pas
38、sage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26A)To introduce the chief of the citys police forceB)To comment on a talk by a distinguished guestC)To address the issue of community securityD)To explain the functions of the city council27A)He has distinguished himself in cit
39、y managementB)He is head of the International Police ForceC)He completed his higher education abroadD)He holds a masters degree in criminology28A)To coordinate work among police departmentsB)To get police officers closer to the local peopleC)To help the residents in times of emergencyD)To enable the
40、 police to take prompt action29A)PopularB)discouragingC)effectiveD)controversialPassage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30A)people differ greatly in their ability to communicateB)there are numerous languages in existenceC)Most public languages are inherently vagueD
41、)Big gaps exist between private and public languages31A)it is a sign of human intelligenceB)in improves with constant practiceC)it is something we are born withD)it varies from person to person32A)how private languages are developedB)how different languages are relatedC)how people create their langu
42、agesD)how children learn to use languagePassage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33A)she was a tailorB)she was an engineerC)she was an educatorD)she was a public speaker34.A)Basing them on science-fiction movies.B)Including interesting examples in themC)Adjusting
43、them to different audiencesD)Focusing on the latest progress in space science35.A)Whether spacemen carry weaponsB)How spacesuits protect spacemenC)How NASA trains its spacemenD)What spacemen cat and drinkSection CDirections:In this section,you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read
44、 for thefirst time,you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for the secondtime,you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you havejust heard.For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information.
45、For these blanks,you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the mainpoints in your own words.Finally,when the passage is read for the third time,you should checkwhat you have written.Crime is increasing world wide.There is every reason to believe the(36)_will continuethroug
46、h the next few decades.Crime rates have always been high in multicultural,industrialized societies such as theUnited States,but a new(37)_has appeared on the world(38)_rapidly rising crime rates innations that previously reported few(39)_.Street crimes such as robbery,rape(40)_andauto theft are clea
47、rly rising(41)_in eastern European countries such as Hungary and in westernEuropean nations such as the united Kingdom.What is driving this crime(42)_?There are no simple answers.Still，there are certainconditions(43)_with rising crime increasingheterogeneity(混杂)of populations,greaterculturalpluralis
48、m,higherimmigration,democratizationofgovernment,(44)_.These conditions are increasingly observable around the world.For instance,cultures thatwere previously isolated and homogeneous(同种类的),such as Japan,Denmark and Greece(45)_.Multiculturalism can be a rewarding,enriching experience,but it can also
49、lead to a clash ofvalues.Heterogeneityinsocietieswillbetheruleinthetwenty-firstcentury,and(46)_Part IV Reading Comprehension（Reading in Depth）（25minutes）SectionAQuestion 47-56A bookless life is an incomplete life.Books influence the depth and breadth of life.Theymeet the natural_47_for freedom,for e
50、xpression,for creativity and beauty of life.Learners,therefore,must have books,and the right type of book,for the satisfaction of their need.Readers turn_48_ to books because their curiosity concerning all manners of things,their eagerness to share in the experiences of others and their need to _49
