1、2012年 9月国家公共英语（四级）真题试卷及答案与解析 PART A Directions: For Questions 1-5, you will hear a conversation. While you listen, fill out the table with the information you have heard. Some of the information has been given to you in the table. Write only 1 word in each numbered box. You will hear the recording t
2、wice. You now have 25 seconds to read the table below. 0 PART B Directions: For Questions 6-10, you will hear a passage. Use not more than 3 words for each answer. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 25 seconds to read the sentences and the questions below. 5 PART C Directions: You will
3、hear three dialogues or monologues. Before listening to each one, you will have 5 seconds to read each of the questions which accompany it. While listening, answer each question by choosing A, B, C or D. After listening, you will have 10 seconds to check your answer to each question. You will hear e
4、ach piece ONLY ONCE. 11 Why did the police officer stop the driver? （ A） The driver exceeded the speed limit. （ B） The driver didnt stop at the zebra crossing. （ C） The officer was conducting a routine check. （ D） The officer found the cars brake lights were out. 12 Why did the driver mention his wi
5、fes cousins husband? （ A） To prove his connection with the officer. （ B） To show himself as an influential man. （ C） To influence the police officer. （ D） To establish a new friendship. 13 What did the police officer threaten to do? （ A） Give the driver a ticket. （ B） Take the driver to court. （ C）
6、Retain the drivers car. （ D） Take the driver to the police station. 14 What is the origin of Kwanzaa related to? （ A） Religion. （ B） Family life. （ C） Agriculture. （ D） Community. 15 Which of the following colors is used for decoration in Kwanzaa? （ A） Yellow. （ B） Green. （ C） White. （ D） Blue. 16 W
7、hat do the seven candies stand for? （ A） Principles. （ B） Cultures. （ C） Tribes. （ D） Colors. 17 When was the World Bank officially founded? （ A） In 1944. （ B） In 1946. （ C） In 1949. （ D） In2000. 18 The World Bank dreams of a world without （ A） inequality （ B） poverty （ C） oppression （ D） conflicts
8、19 What do we know about the World Bank member countries? （ A） They have equal say. （ B） They decide on the banks work. （ C） They are the board members. （ D） They are its shareholders. 20 How many leading contributors does the World Bank have? （ A） 24. （ B） 19. （ C） 5. （ D） 3 一、 Section II Use of En
9、glish (15 minutes) Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. 20 Humans like to regard themselves as exceptional. Many philosophers believe humans are the only【 C1】 _which understands that others have their own personal
10、thoughts. That understanding is known in the【 C2】 _as having a “theory of mind,“ and it is considered the 【 C3】 _to such cherished human【 C4】 _as sympathy and deception. Biologists have learned to treat such【 C5】 _with caution. Bemd Heinrich and Thomas Bugnyar describe an experiment they have carded
11、 out【 C6】 _ravens. 【 C7】 _to gaze is reckoned to be a good【 C8】 _of the development of theory of mind in human children. 【 C9】 _about 18 months, most children are able to follow the gaze of another person, and【 C10】 _things about the gazer from it. Failure to【 C11】 _this trick is an early symptom of
12、 autism, a syndrome whose main underlying feature is a(n) 【 C12】 _to understand that other people have【 C13】 _, too. To【 C14】 _whether ravens could follow gaze, Dr Heinrich used six six-month-old hand-reared ravens. The birds were set, one at a time, on a perch on one side of a room divided by a bar
13、rier. An experimenter in front of the barrier【 C15】 _his head and eyes in a particular【 C16】 _and gazed for 30 seconds before looking【 C17】 _. Dr Heinrich found that all the birds were able to follow the gaze of the experimenters, even【 C18】 _the barrier. In the【 C19】 _case, the curious birds either
14、 jumped down from the perch and walked around the barrier to have a【 C20】 _or leapt on top of it and peered over. 21 【 C1】 （ A） category （ B） group （ C） race （ D） species 22 【 C2】 （ A） perspective （ B） trade （ C） business （ D） skill 23 【 C3】 （ A） secret （ B） attribution （ C） alternative （ D） gateway
15、 24 【 C4】 （ A） qualities （ B） operations （ C） habits （ D） values 25 【 C5】 （ A） comparisons （ B） findings （ C） assertions （ D） studies 26 【 C6】 （ A） on （ B） to （ C） against （ D） for 27 【 C7】 （ A） Indifference （ B） Response （ C） Resistance （ D） Instinct 28 【 C8】 （ A） call （ B） reason （ C） hint （ D） me
16、asure 29 【 C9】 （ A） With （ B） In （ C） By （ D） At 30 【 C10】 （ A） imagine （ B） infer （ C） locate （ D） confer 31 【 C11】 （ A） develop （ B） find （ C） plan （ D） conceal 32 【 C12】 （ A） resent （ B） tendency （ C） attempt （ D） inability 33 【 C13】 （ A） senses （ B） minds （ C） beliefs （ D） faculties 34 【 C14】 （
17、A） argue （ B） prove （ C） test （ D） confirm 35 【 C15】 （ A） moved （ B） hid （ C） revealed （ D） adjusted 36 【 C16】 （ A） manner （ B） direction （ C） type （ D） circle 37 【 C17】 （ A） down （ B） up （ C） away （ D） inside 38 【 C18】 （ A） into （ B） within （ C） beyond （ D） from 39 【 C19】 （ A） former （ B） latter （
18、C） ordinary （ D） unusual 40 【 C20】 （ A） look （ B） rest （ C） try （ D） taste Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D . Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. 40 Conventional wisdom has long held that mammals stayed minions of years
19、on earth. As long as dinosaurs roamed the lands, our distant ancestors never got to be much more than chicken-hearted creatures that sneaked out at night to grab bits of plants when the terrible lizards were asleep. Only when they were wiped out did mammals begin to earn a little evolutionary respec
20、t. But that picture changed dramatically with the announcement in Nature of two impressive fossils. One, of a brand-new species named R. giganticus, broke apart the notion that most dinosaurage mammals were never larger than squirrels. The animal had the dimensions of a midsize dog-by far the bigges
21、t dinosaur-age mammal ever found. And the second, a new specimen of a previously discovered species called R. robustus, refuted the notion that it was always the mammals that got eaten. Inside the skeleton where the animals stomach would have been are the fossilized remains of a baby dinosaur. “This
22、 discovery was the chance of a lifetime,“ says Jin Meng, scientist and coauthor of the paper. Indeed, Meng didnt expect to find things like this at all. The smaller skeleton was discovered about two years ago by villagers in Chinas Liaoning province, site of some of the richest fossil beds in the wo
23、rld. They brought it to the attention of scientists, who took it to an institute for examination. “We didnt see the stomach contents at first,“ says Meng. After they did, however, it didnt take them long to realize they had struck scientific gold. On closer examination, the scientists determined tha
24、t the remains were those of a juvenile dinosaur. Some of the arm and leg bones were still attached to each other, suggesting that R. robustus didnt chew its food thoroughly but wolfed it down in large chunks. Taken together, the finds overturn the already eroded idea that early mammals were tiny and
25、 timid. Now paleontologists can stop cooking up theories to explain why mammals were so little-that they had to be small to avoid being found, for example, or they couldnt grow larger because dinosaurs already occupied those ecological spaces. But its now clear that mammals did fill some of the spac
26、es reserved for larger animals. “Its quite possible,“ says paleontologist Anne Well, “that they competed with dinosaurs for the same prey. “ And because they ate dinosaurs, they may even have had an influence on dinosaur evolution. What sort of influence? “We dont know,“ she says. “Thats how it is w
27、ith the best finds. They leave you with more questions than answers. “ 41 Mammals in the dinosaur age used to be described as （ A） fierce and dangerous. （ B） shrewd and swift. （ C） doglike and sneaky. （ D） small and cowardly. 42 The fossil of a baby dinosaur in the skeleton of R. robustus indicates
28、that （ A） R. robustus must have died in its pregnancy. （ B） this mammal could have died while fighting with dinosaurs. （ C） R. robustus swallowed the baby dinosaur as its food. （ D） mammals would eat their young when starved. 43 By saying “they had struck scientific gold“ (Lines 1-2, Paragraph 4), t
29、he author means that （ A） their discovery earned them great fame. （ B） their findings enjoyed enormous market value. （ C） they acquired valuable resources for their studies. （ D） they had made a significant discovery in their research. 44 The expression “cooking up“ (Line 2, Paragraph 5) indieatas t
30、hat the author （ A） doubts the validity of the previous scientific explanations. （ B） thinks the new discoveries have practical significance. （ C） regards previous ecological studies as simply story-making. （ D） considers those new discoveries no longer hold water. 45 What is the possible connection
31、 between mammals and dinosaurs? （ A） Mammals were under dinosaurs rule most of the time. （ B） Mammals might have contributed to the evolution of dinosaurs. （ C） Dinosaurs failed in the competition with mammals for food. （ D） Baby dinosaurs were the main source of food for mammals. 45 Schools of educ
32、ation have long been objects of criticism. From James Koorners 1963 book, The Miseducation of Americas Teachers, up through two recent reports by national commissions, critics have complained about the intellectual emptiness of the curriculum at ed schools and the lack of connection between what is
33、taught and the realities teachers face in the classroom. A recent survey of teachers about their graduate-school training drew comments like “the shabbiest psychobabble imaginable“ and “a waste of time. “ With an estimated 2 million new teachers needed over the next decade, the shortcomings in educa
34、tion schools are a practical concern. In what is a generally bleak landscape, a small number of schools stand out as innovators. Two key qualities distinguish these exemplars. First, they require that students master the subjects they will be teaching and structure their curricula accordingly. Secon
35、d, these programs put a premium on hands-on experience. While traditional ed-school curricula am filled with courses on theory, the new approach places much greater emphasis on learning by doing. At Ohio State University in Columbus, students in the one-year masters program spend half their time tea
36、ching in one of 55 Franklin County public schools, where they are paired with experienced teachers. “You are immersed from Day 1,“ says OSU graduate student Kelley Crockett, a 37-year-old former businesswoman who does practical training at Gables Elementary School. “And that forces you to be intimat
37、ely involved. “ In New York City, the Bank Street College of Education-a two-year program-runs its own junior high. “That keeps us honest,“ says the schools president, Augusta Kappner. “We are encouraging students to see how they function in school settings so they can constantly improve. “ Comparab
38、le programs exist at some other institutions, including the University of Virginia and Trinity University in San Antonio. But Linda Darling-I-Iamond, a professor at Columbia Universitys Teachers College who is an expert on teacher training, estimates that only 40 percent of the 1, 200 teacher-educat
39、ion programs in the country have met national accreditation standards. Most education schools, she says, “have operated bureaucratically, assuming that teachers didnt need to know many things, Just give them a textbook and send them on. “ 46 By saying “intellectual emptiness of the curriculum“ ( Lin
40、es 3-4, Paragraph 1 ) the critics mean to argue that （ A） there were not sufficient items in the eurfieulum. （ B） the curriculum was poorly designed academically. （ C） the training based on the curriculum was hardly imaginable. （ D） the enrricnlum did not sufficiently address learners needs. 47 Acco
41、rding to the author, the eooeern over the eurrent situation in ed schools is （ A） well-grounded. （ B） unnecessary. （ C） widespread. （ D） ill-founded. 48 The word “premium“ ( Line 6, Paragraph 2) probably means （ A） difficulty. （ B） emphasis. （ C） limitation. （ D） reward. 49 It can be inferred from L
42、inda Darling-Hammonds comment that （ A） most ed schools should undergo fundamental reform. （ B） it is too difficult for ed schools to overcome bureaucracy. （ C） teachers at ed schools emphasize too much the value of a textbook. （ D） most ed school teachers am unwilling to participate in the innovati
43、ons. 50 Which of the following would be the best title for the text? （ A） A Birds Eye View on Teacher Training Programs （ B） Traditional versus Modern Schools of Education （ C） Innovation at Some Schools of Education （ D） Comparison between Teacher Training Programs 50 Its almost an article of faith
44、: your best ally in the fight against cancer is a doggedly optimistic outlook. And it would seem that mounting evidence of the links between emotional and physical well-being would support that view. The only problem is that there is no good evidence to support that belief when it comes to eaneer. M
45、oreover, the “tyranny“ of positive thinking often becomes just one more burden for the sick. It was research in the 1970s and 80s that first popularized the idea that attitude might affect cancer outcomes. Sueh research led doctors to encourage patients to think happy thoughts and visaalize their im
46、mune system blasting away cancer cells. But most of those studies have been dismissed as either flawed or inconclusive. A review of 37 studies that was published in the British Medical Journal in 2002 found that although a positive outlook does correlate with the perception of less pain by patients-
47、a real benefit-there is “little consistent evidence that coping styles play an important part in survival from or recurrence of cancer. “ Still, the optimism theory remains attraetive. One reason is that Americans live in a enlture that desires control. We want to befieve that we can beat cancer by
48、imposing our will on the disease. A better reason is that mental states like depression and chronic anxiety have been shown to have physical consequences that affect the progression of such illnesses as heart disease and diabetes. While a similar connection is biologically plausible for cancer, it i
49、s far from proven. Even researchers who believe that studies will ultimately establish links between stress and the progression of cancer, like Stanfords Dr. David Spiegel, know the picture is complex. “It isnt a matter of Fix it in your mind, and you fix it in your body, “ he says, “but it would be strange if what goes on in our minds didnt affect how our bodies deal with illness. “ So where does that leave cancer patients? Doctors know that
