1、2017年 12月大学英语四级真题试卷（二）及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing 1 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on how to best handle the relationship between teachers and students. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Section A （ A） It tries to entertain its
2、 audience. （ B） It tries to look into the distance. （ C） It wants to catch peoples attention. （ D） It has got one of its limbs injured. （ A） It was spotted by animal protection officials. （ B） It was filmed by a local television reporter. （ C） Its videos were posted on social media. （ D） Its picture
3、 won a photography prize. （ A） The distance travelled. （ B） The incidence of road accidents. （ C） The spending on gas. （ D） The number of people travelling. （ A） Fewer people are commuting. （ B） Gas consumption is soaring. （ C） Job growth is slowing down. （ D） Rush-hour traffic is worsening. （ A） He
4、 told a stranger the sad story about himself. （ B） He helped a stranger to carry groceries to his car. （ C） He went up to a stranger and pulled at his sleeves. （ D） He washed a strangers car in return for some food. （ A） He ordered a lot of food for his family. （ B） He gave him a job at his own comp
5、any. （ C） He raised a large sum of money for him. （ D） He offered him a scholarship for college. （ A） He works hard to support his family. （ B） He is an excellent student at school. （ C） He is very good at making up stories. （ D） He has been disabled since boyhood. Section B （ A） Attended an economi
6、cs lecture. （ B） Taken a walk on Charles Street. （ C） Had a drink at Queen Victoria. （ D） Had dinner at a new restaurant. （ A） Treat a college friend to dinner. （ B） Make preparations for a seminar. （ C） Attend his brothers birthday party. （ D） Visit some of his high school friends. （ A） Gather stat
7、istics for his lecture. （ B） Throw a surprise birthday party. （ C） Meet with Jonathans friends on the weekend. （ D） Join him in his brothers birthday celebration. （ A） By car. （ B） By train. （ C） By taxi. （ D） By bus. （ A） Taking a vacation abroad. （ B） Reviewing for his last exam. （ C） Saving enoug
8、h money for a rainy day. （ D） Finding a better way to earn money. （ A） Preparing for his final exams. （ B） Negotiating with his boss for a raise. （ C） Working part time as a waiter. （ D） Helping the woman with her courses. （ A） Finish her term paper. （ B） Save enough money. （ C） Learn a little bit o
9、f Spanish. （ D） Ask her parents permission. （ A） He has rich sailing experience. （ B） He speaks Spanish fluently. （ C） He is also eager to go to Spain. （ D） He is easy to get along with. Section C （ A） She went to the same university as her mother. （ B） She worked as a nurse in the First World War.
10、（ C） She won the Nobel Prize two times. （ D） She was also a Nobel Prize winner. （ A） She fought bravely in a series of military operations. （ B） She developed X-ray facilities for military hospitals. （ C） She helped to set up several military hospitals. （ D） She made donations to save wounded soldie
11、rs. （ A） Both died of blood cancer. （ B） Both fought in World War I. （ C） Both won military medals. （ D） Both married their assistants. （ A） They were the first settlers in Europe. （ B） They were the conquerors of Norway. （ C） They discovered Iceland in the ninth century. （ D） They settled on a smal
12、l island north of England. （ A） It was some five hundred miles west of Norway. （ B） It was covered with green most time of the year. （ C） It was the Vikings most important discovery. （ D） It was a rocky mass of land covered with ice. （ A） The Vikings ocean explorations. （ B） The making of European n
13、ations. （ C） The Vikings everyday life. （ D） The Europeans Arctic discoveries. （ A） Work hard for a better life. （ B） Make mistakes now and then. （ C） Dream about the future. （ D） Save against a rainy day. （ A） Teach foreign languages for the rest of his life. （ B） Change what he has for his past im
14、aginary world. （ C） Exchange his two-story house for a beach cottage. （ D） Dwell on the dreams he had dreamed when young. （ A） Criminal law. （ B） City planning. （ C） Oriental architecture. （ D） International business. （ A） Dream and make plans. （ B） Take things easy in life. （ C） Be content with wha
15、t you have. （ D） Enjoy whatever you are doing. Section A 26 Technological changes brought dramatic new options to Americans living in the 1990s. During this decade new forms of entertainment, commerce, research, and communication became commonplace in the U. S. The driving force behind much of this
16、change was a( n)【 C1】 _ popularly known as the Internet. The Internet was developed during the 1970s by the Department of Defense. In the case of an attack, military advisers suggested the【 C2】 _ of being able to operate one computer from another terminal- In the early days, the Internet was used ma
17、inly by scientists to communicate with other scientists. The Internet【 C3】 _ under government control until 1984. One early problem faced by Internet users was speed. Phone lines could only transmit information at a【 C4】 _ rate. The development of fiber-optic (光纤 ) cables allowed for billions of bit
18、s of information to be received every minute. Companies like Intel developed faster microprocessors, so personal computers could process the【 C5】_ signals at a more rapid rate. In the early 1990s, the World Wide Web was developed, in large part, for【 C6】_ purposes. Corporations created home pages wh
19、ere they could place text and graphics to sell products. Soon airline tickets, hotel【 C7】 _ , and even cars and homes could be purchased online. Universities【 C8】 _ research data on the Internet, so students could find【 C9】 _ information without leaving their dormitories. Companies soon discovered t
20、hat work could be done at home and【 C10】_ online, so a whole new class of telecommuters began to earn a living from home offices unshaven and wearing pajamas (睡衣 ). A) advantage I) maintained B) commercial J) occupations C) conservation K) posted D) equipped L) remained E) incoming M) reservations F
21、) innovation N) submitted G) limited O) valuable H) local 27 【 C1】 28 【 C2】 29 【 C3】 30 【 C4】 31 【 C5】 32 【 C6】 33 【 C7】 34 【 C8】 35 【 C9】 36 【 C10】 Section B 36 The Health Benefits of Knitting A) About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. I agreed to give it a try. B) My mother had
22、 taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout college and for a few years thereafter. Then decades passed without my touching a knitting needle. But within two Mondays in the group, I was hooked, not only on knitting but also on crocheting (钩织 ), and I was on my way to becoming a highl
23、y productive crafter. C) Ive made countless baby blankets, sweaters, scarves, hats, caps for newborns. I take a knitting project with me everywhere, especially when I have to sit still and listen. As I discovered in college, when my hands are busy, my mind stays focused on the here and now. D) It se
24、ems, too, that Im part of a national renewal of interest in needle and other handicrafts (手工艺 ). The Craft Yam Council reports that a third of women ages 25-35 now knit or crochet. Even men and schoolchildren are swelling the ranks, among them my friends three small grandsons. Last April, the counci
25、l created a “Stitch Away Stress“ campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of The Relaxation Response, says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation (沉思 ) and yo
26、ga. Once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting can lower heart rate and blood pressure. E) But unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. I keep photos of my singular accomplishments on my cellphone to b
27、oost my spirits when needed. F) Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed hundreds of thousands of knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities main benefits. Among them is the father of a prematurely born daughter who reported that during the
28、babys five weeks in the intensive care unit, “learning how to knit infant hats gave me a sense of purpose during a time that I felt very helpless. Its a hobby that Ive stuck with, and it continues to help me cope with stress at work, provide a sense of order in hectic (忙乱的 ) days, and allow my brain
29、 time to solve problems. “ G) A recent email from the yarn (纺纱 ) company Red Heart titled “Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting“ prompted me to explore what else might be known about the health value of activities like knitting. My research revealed that the rewards go well beyond replacing st
30、ress and anxiety with the satisfaction of creation. H) For example, Karen Hayes, a life coach in Toronto, conducts knitting therapy programs, including Knit to Quit to help smokers give up the habit, and Knit to Heal for people coping with health crises, like a cancer diagnosis or serious illness of
31、 a family member. Schools and prisons with craft programs report that they have a calming effect and enhance social skills. And having to follow instructions on complex craft projects can improve childrens math skills. I) Some people find that craftwork helps them control their weight. Just as its c
32、hallenging to smoke while knitting, when hands are holding needles and hooks, theres less snacking and mindless eating out of boredom. J) Ive found that my handiwork with yarn has helped my arthritic (患关节炎的 ) fingers remain more dexterous (灵巧的 ) as I age. A woman encouraged to try knitting and croch
33、eting after developing an autoimmune disease that caused a lot of hand pain reported on the Craft Yarn Council site that her hands are now less stiff and painful. K) A 2009 University of British Columbia study of 38 women with an eating disorder who were taught to knit found that learning the craft
34、led to significant improvements. Seventy-four percent of the women said the activity lessened their fears and kept them from thinking about their problem. L) Betsan Corkhill, a wellness coach in Bath, England, and author of the book Knit for Health migrants are often not much better off than they we
35、re in the countryside. Why? The immediate problem is poverty. Most of Africa is urbanising at a lower level of income than other regions of the world did. That means theres little money around for investment that would make cities liveable and more productive. Without upgrades and new capacity, brid
36、ges, roads and power systems are unable to cope with expanding populations. With the exception of South Africa, the only light rail metro system in sub-Saharan Africa is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Traffic jam leads to expense and unpredictability, things that keep investors away. In other parts of th
37、e world, increasing agricultural productivity and industrialisation went together. More productive farmers meant there was a surplus that could feed cities; in turn, that created a pool of labour for factories. But African cities are different. They are too often built around consuming natural resou
38、rces. Government is concentrated in capitals, so is the money. Most urban Africans work for a small minority of the rich, who tend to be involved in either cronyish (有裙带关系的 ) businesses or politics. Since African agriculture is still broadly unproductive, food is imported, consuming a portion of rev
39、enue. So what can be done? Though African countries are poor, not all African cities are. In Lagos, foreign oil workers can pay as much as $ 65,000 per year in rent for a modest apartment in a safe part of town. If that income were better taxed, it might provide the revenue for better infrastructure
40、. If city leaders were more accountable to their residents, they might favour projects designed to help them more. Yet even as new roads are built, new people arrive. When a citys population grows by 5% a year, it is difficult to keep up. 47 What do we learn from the passage about cities in sub-Saha
41、ran Africa? （ A） They have more slums than other cities in the world. （ B） They are growing fast without becoming richer. （ C） They are as modernised as many cities elsewhere. （ D） They attract migrants who want to be better off. 48 What does the author imply about urbanisation in other parts of the
42、 world? （ A） It benefited from the contribution of immigrants. （ B） It started when peoples income was relatively high. （ C） It benefited from the accelerated rise in productivity. （ D） It started with the improvement of peoples livelihood. 49 Why is sub-Saharan Africa unappealing to investors? （ A）
43、 It lacks adequate transport facilities. （ B） The living expenses there are too high. （ C） It is on the whole too densely populated. （ D） The local governments are corrupted. 50 In what way does the author say African cities are different? （ A） They have attracted huge numbers of farm labourers. （ B
44、） They still rely heavily on agricultural productivity. （ C） They have developed at the expense of nature. （ D） They depend far more on foreign investment. 51 What might be a solution to the problems facing African cities? （ A） Lowering of apartment rent. （ B） Better education for residents. （ C） Mo
45、re rational overall planning. （ D） A more responsible government. 51 For the past several decades, it seems theres been a general consensus on how to get ahead in America: Get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy your own home. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do
46、, is it attainable? The most recent National Journal poll asked respondents about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goals, and whether or not they felt a significant amount of control over their ability to be successful. Overwhelmingly, the results show that today, the idea of the A
47、merican dream and what it takes to achieve it looks quite different than it did in the late 20th century. By and large, people felt that their actions and hard work not outside forces were the deciding factor in how their lives turned out. But respondents had decidedly mixed feelings about what acti
48、ons make for a better life in the current economy. In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority 52 percent think that young people do not need a four-year
49、college education in order to be successful. Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a masters degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of the degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new perspectives and life experiences. Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the mili
