1、2012年 6月大学英语四级真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled On Excessive Packaging following the outline given below. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. 1目前许多商品存在过度包装的现象 2出现这一现象的原因 3我对这一现象的看法和建议 On E
2、xcessive Packaging 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For questions 1-7, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the informati
3、on given in the passage; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Small Schools Rising This years list of the top 100 high schools shows that today, those with fewer students are flourishing. Fi
4、fty years ago, they were the latest thing in educational reform: big, modern, suburban high schools with students counted in the thousands. As baby boomers (二战后婴儿潮出生的人 ) came of high-school age, big schools promised economic efficiency, a greater choice of courses, and, of course, better football te
5、ams. Only years later did we understand the trade-offs this involved: the creation of excessive bureaucracies (官僚机构 ), the difficulty of forging personal connections between teachers and students. SAT scores began dropping in 1963; today, on average, 30% of students do not complete high school in fo
6、ur years, a figure that rises to 50% in poor urban neighborhoods. While the emphasis on teaching to higher, test-driven standards as set in No Child Left Behind resulted in significantly better performance in elementary (and some middle) schools, high schools for a variety of reasons seemed to have
7、made little progress. Size isnt everything, but it does matter, and the past decade has seen a noticeable counter-trend toward smaller schools. This has been due, in part, to the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda-tion, which has invested $1.8 billion in American high schools, helping to open about 1,000
8、 small schools most of them with about 400 kids each, with an average enrollment of only 150 per grade. About 500 more are on the drawing board. Districts all over the country are taking notice, along with mayors in cities like New York, Chicago, and San Diego. The movement includes independent publ
9、ic charter schools, such as No. 1 BASIS in Tucson, with only 120 high-schoolers and 18 graduates this year. It embraces district-sanctioned magnet schools, such as the Talented and Gifted School, with 198 students, and the Science and Engineering Magnet, with 383, which share a building in Dallas, a
10、s well as the City Honors School in Buffalo, N.Y., which grew out of volunteer evening seminars for students. And it includes alternative schools with students selected by lottery (抽签 ), such as H-B Woodlawn in Arlington, Va. And most noticeable of all, there is the phenomenon of large urban and sub
11、urban high schools that have split up into smaller units of a few hundred, generally housed in the same grounds that once boasted thousands of students all marching to the same band. Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, Calif, is one of those, ranking No. 423 among the top 2% in the country on Newswe
12、eks annual ranking of Americas top high schools. The success of small schools is apparent in the listings. Ten years ago, when the first Newsweek list based on college-level test participation was published, only three of the top 100 schools had graduating classes smaller than 100 students. This yea
13、r there are 22. Nearly 250 schools on the full Newsweek list of the top 5% of schools nationally had fewer than 200 graduates in 2007. Although many of Hillsdales students came from wealthy households, by the late 1990s average test scores were sliding and it had earned the unaffectionate nickname (
14、绰号 ) “Hillsjail.“ Jeff Gilbert, a Hillsdale teacher who became principal last year, remembers sitting with other teachers watching students file out of a graduation ceremony and asking one another in astonishment, “How did that student graduate?“ So in 2003 Hillsdale remade itself into three “houses
15、,“ romantically named Florence, Mar-rakech and Kyoto. Each of the 300 arriving ninth graders are randomly (随机地 ) assigned to one of the houses, where they will keep the same four core subject teachers for two years, before moving on to another for 11th and 12th grades. The closeness this system cult
16、ivates is reinforced by the institution of “advisory“ classes. Teachers meet with students in groups of 25, five mornings a week, for open-ended discussions of everything from homework problems to bad Saturday-night dates. The advisers also meet with students privately and stay in touch with parents
17、, so they are deeply invested in the students success. “Were constantly talking about one anothers advisees,“ says English teacher Chris Crockett. “If you hear that yours isnt doing well in math, or see them sitting outside the deans office, its like a personal failure.“ Along with the new structure
18、 came a more demanding academic program; the percentage of freshmen taking biology jumped from 17 to 95. “It was rough for some, but by senior year, two-thirds have moved up to physics,“ says Gilbert. “Our kids are coming to school in part because they know there are adults here who know them and ca
19、re for them.“ But not all schools show advances after downsizing, and it remains to be seen whether smaller schools will be a cure-all solution. The Newsweek list of top U.S. high schools was made this year, as in years past, according to a single metric, the proportion of students taking college-le
20、vel exams. Over the years this system has come in for its share of criticism for its simplicity. But that is also its strength: its easy for readers to understand, and to do the arithmetic for their own schools if theyd like. Ranking schools is always controversial, and this year a group of 38 super
21、intendents (地区教育主管 ) from five states wrote to ask that their schools be excluded from the calculation. “It is impossible to know which high schools are the best in the nation,“ their letter read, in part. “Determining whether different schools do or dont offer a high quality of education requires a
22、 look at many different measures, including students overall academic accomplishments and their subsequent performance in college, and taking into consideration the unique needs of their communities.“ In the end, the superintendents agreed to provide the data we sought, which is, after all, public i
23、nformation. There is, in our view, no real dispute here; we are all seeking the same thing, which is schools that better serve our children and our nation by encouraging students to tackle tough subjects under the guidance of gifted teachers. And if we keep working toward that goal, someday, perhaps
24、, a list wont be necessary. 2 Fifty years ago, big, modern, suburban high schools were established in the hope of_. （ A） ensuring no child is left behind （ B） increasing economic efficiency （ C） improving students performance on SAT （ D） providing good education for baby boomers 3 What happened as a
25、 result of setting up big schools? （ A） Teachers workload increased. （ B） Students performance declined. （ C） Administration became centralized. （ D） Students focused more on test scores. 4 What is said about the schools funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation? （ A） They are usually magnet s
26、chools. （ B） They are often located in poor neighborhoods. （ C） They are popular with high-achieving students. （ D） They are mostly small in size. 5 What is most noticeable about the current trend in high school education? （ A） Some large schools have split up into smaller ones. （ B） A great variety
27、 of schools have sprung up in urban and suburban areas. （ C） Many schools compete for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds. （ D） Students have to meet higher academic standards. 6 Newsweek ranked high schools according to_ （ A） their students academic achievement （ B） the number of their stud
28、ents admitted to college （ C） the size and number of their gradating classes （ D） their college-level test participation 7 What can we learn about Hillsdale s students in the late 1990s? （ A） They were made to study hard like prisoners. （ B） They called each other by unaffectionate nicknames. （ C） M
29、ost of them did not have any sense of discipline. （ D） Their school performance was getting worse. 8 According to Jeff Gilbert, the “advisory“ classes at Hillsdale were set up so that students could （ A） tell their teachers what they did on weekends （ B） experience a great deal of pleasure in learni
30、ng （ C） maintain closer relationships with their teachers （ D） tackle the demanding biology and physics courses 9 _is still considered a strength of Newsweeks school ranking system in spite of the criticism it receives. 10 According to the 38 superintendents, to rank schools scientifically, it is ne
31、cessary to use 11 To better serve the children and our nation, schools should hire gifted teachers and encourage students to take_. 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 aske
32、d about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Cleaning the kitchen. （ B） Painting the dining room. （
33、C） Discussing a house plan. （ D） Trying to sketch a map. （ A） She is very fussy about what she eats. （ B） She usually takes a snack in the KFC. （ C） She is tired of the food in the canteen. （ D） She often eats in a French restaurant. （ A） Listening to some loud music. （ B） Preparing for an oral exam
34、ination. （ C） Practicing for a speech contest. （ D） Talking loudly on the telephone. （ A） The man should buy himself a new suit. （ B） The mans jeans and T-shirts are stylish. （ C） The man can dress casually for the occasion. （ D） The man has left a good impression on her family. （ A） Fashionable pan
35、ts in bright colors. （ B） 100% cotton pants in dark blue. （ C） Grey pants made from pure cotton. （ D） Something to match her brown pants. （ A） Its price. （ B） Its location. （ C） Its facilities. （ D） Its comfort. （ A） Take a photo. （ B） Look for a new job. （ C） Adopt a child. （ D） Travel overseas. （
36、A） It is a routine offer. （ B） It is a good bargain. （ C） It is new on the menu. （ D） It is quite healthy. （ A） It has a history as long as paper processing. （ B） It remains a major part of industrial activity. （ C） It has gradually given way to service industry. （ D） It accounts for 80 percent of t
37、he regions GDP. （ A） Shortage of funding. （ B） Lack of resources. （ C） Transport problems. （ D） Poor management. （ A） Product promotion campaigns. （ B） Competition from rival companies. （ C） Possible locations for a new factory. （ D） Measures to create job opportunities. （ A） Having her bicycle repa
38、ired. （ B） Conducting a market survey. （ C） Lecturing on business management. （ D） Hosting an evening TV program. （ A） He worked as a salesman. （ B） He served as a consultant. （ C） He repaired bicycles. （ D） He coached in a racing club. （ A） He wanted to be his own boss. （ B） He didnt want to start
39、from scratch. （ C） He found it more profitable. （ D） He didnt want to be in too much debt. （ A） They are paid by the hour. （ B） They are all the mans friends. （ C） They work five days a week. （ D） They all enjoy gambling. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the
40、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. （ A） They had known each other since childhood. （ B） They shared many extracurricular
41、 activities. （ C） They shared mutual friends in school. （ D） They had many interests in common. （ A） At a local club. （ B） At Joes house. （ C） At the boarding school. （ D） At the sports center. （ A） It is hard for people from different backgrounds to become friends. （ B） Durable friendships can be v
42、ery difficult to maintain. （ C） One has to be respectful of other people in order to win respect. （ D） Social divisions will break down if people get to know each other. （ A） At a street corner. （ B） At a parking meter. （ C） Near the entrance of a park. （ D） In his buildings parking lot. （ A） It had
43、 been taken by the police. （ B） It had been moved to the next block. （ C） It had been parked at a wrong place. （ D） It had been stolen by someone. （ A） In the city garage. （ B） In a neighboring town. （ C） At the Greenville center. （ D） At a public parking lot. （ A） The mysteriousness of creativity.
44、（ B） Famous creative individuals. （ C） A major scientific discovery. （ D） Creativity as shown in arts. （ A） It is the source of all artistic work. （ B） It is something people all engage in. （ C） It helps people acquire knowledge. （ D） It starts soon after we are born. （ A） Natural curiosity. （ B） Cr
45、itical thinking. （ C） Creative imagination. （ D） Logical reasoning. （ A） It is a unique human trait. （ B） It is part of everyday life. （ C） It is yet to be fully understood. （ D） It is beyond ordinary people. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passag
46、e is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the miss
47、ing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the 36 Students have been complaining more and more about stolen property. Radios, cell phones, bicycles, pocket【 B1】 _, and books have all been reported stolen. Are there enough campus police to
48、do the job? There are 20 officers in the Campus Security Division. Their job is to【 B2】_crime, accidents, lost and found【 B3】 _, and traffic problems on campus. More than half of their time is spent directing traffic and writing parking tickets. 【 B4】_promptly to accidents and other【 B5】 _is importa
49、nt, but it is their smallest job. Dealing with crime takes up the rest of their time. Very【 B6】 _do any violent crimes actually【 B7】 _. In the last five years there have been no【 B8】 _, seven robberies, and about 60 other violent attacks, most of these involving fights at parties. On the other hand, 【 B9】 _, which usually involves breaking windows or lights or writing on walls. The thefts are not the carefully planned burglaries(入室盗窃 ) that you see in
