1、大学英语四级（ 2013年 12月考试改革适用）模拟试卷 184及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the statement “We can learn more from people at a higher level than us (like teachers) than from people who are at the same level as us.“ Do you agree or disagree? You
2、 can cite examples to illustrate your viewpoint. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Section A （ A） Happy life the seniors enjoy nowadays. （ B） Problems of the aging population. （ C） A survey about economic growth. （ D） The rapid pace of retirements now. （ A） 5. （ B） 6. （
3、 C） 20. （ D） 34. （ A） Fewer meat products will go to developed countries. （ B） Both environment and public health will be threatened. （ C） Peoples income will decrease in developing countries. （ D） The pace of urbanization will slow down a bit. （ A） Consumer class rises in developing countries. （ B）
4、 Four-footed livestock are easier to raise. （ C） Farm animals often provide nutrients. （ D） People are fond of milk, cheese and meat. （ A） They had an exact man-like appearance. （ B） They were more intelligent than humans. （ C） They could finish most housework for us. （ D） They could do many things
5、like people. （ A） Its arms and hands have great strength. （ B） It can learn complicated operations by itself. （ C） It can play soccer with elementary students. （ D） It can teach students knowledge of robotics. （ A） They train children to learn integrated subjects. （ B） They improve students learning
6、 interest and efficiency. （ C） They can be used as suitable learning tools for children. （ D） They can free children from their daily homework. Section B （ A） Supportive. （ B） Opposed. （ C） Pessimistic. （ D） Neutral. （ A） It has no difference from other cells. （ B） It can only become a certain type
7、of cell. （ C） It cant become a kidney cell. （ D） It maintains and repairs the body. （ A） They can develop into human organ. （ B） They are able to cure cancer. （ C） They help to recreate stem cells. （ D） They are able to create new DNA. （ A） They dont know about the benefits of the research. （ B） The
8、 research goes against their religious beliefs. （ C） The research costs too much money. （ D） They insist that the research is against nature. （ A） It uses new technology. （ B） It is installed with a robot. （ C） It is as clever as human. （ D） It can talk with people. （ A） He does the work of making m
9、aps. （ B） He is reliable on giving directions. （ C） He is a Geographic specialist. （ D） He knows more than a computerized map. （ A） They will tell drivers the accident on the road ahead. （ B） They will remind drivers if there is only a little oil left. （ C） They will help drivers sheer off in the op
10、posite direction. （ D） They will give an alarm if drivers get too close to other cars. （ A） He couldnt find the way. （ B） His car ran out of oil. （ C） He came at rush hour. （ D） His watch was slow. Section C （ A） Resolve tough social and economic problems. （ B） Raise the major international challeng
11、es. （ C） Collect different world views together. （ D） Encourage people to seek happiness. （ A） It will help to look at the role of governments in culture. （ B） It will create a new platform to protect environment. （ C） It will help society to develop and grow. （ D） It will solve the pressing economi
12、c, social and environmental issues. （ A） Think about how to connect people around the world. （ B） To attract large number of international talent together. （ C） Discuss how cultural policy can be enriched. （ D） To share ideas of tackling cultural problems. （ A） It is organized by Scotlands governmen
13、t. （ B） It strengthens friendships among nations. （ C） It may be the greatest cultural festival. （ D） It is a unique gathering in the world. （ A） How to paint something. （ B） Who the painter Grand Wood was. （ C） Why a painting is popular. （ D） Simple farmers living in America. （ A） Because the desig
14、n was too strong. （ B） Because the painting looked like a photograph. （ C） Because the painting was too simple. （ D） Because the painting seemed to laugh at farmers. （ A） The painting was making fun of people. （ B） The painting was a symbol of the US. （ C） The painting expressed an understanding of
15、people. （ D） The painting showed the strength of American farmers. （ A） All languages have equal values. （ B） Some languages need more efforts to learn. （ C） Some languages are certainly more important. （ D） English is the most important language worldwide. （ A） They predominate the English world. （
16、 B） They are unable to adapt to the competitive world. （ C） They invest more time in learning a foreign language. （ D） They may face a depressing economic future. （ A） To do business effectively. （ B） To meet others requirement. （ C） To improve linguistic skills. （ D） To promote proficiency in Engli
17、sh. Section A 26 If youre in charge of Christmas dinner, with all its interconnected tasks and challenges of timing when to preheat the oven, whether to put the potatoes in before the eggs why not write down every【 C1】 _that needs doing, in order, then do them, checking them off as you go? That can
18、be very helpful. The Checklist Manifesto, written by the journalist and doctor Atul Gawande, shows the importance of checklist when hospital doctors are【 C2】 _to tick off items on checklists as they carry out routine but critical procedures. In one trial, the rate of infections from intravenous (静脉内
19、的 ) drips fell from 11% of all patients to zero【 C3】_because staff were compelled to work through a checklist of no-brainer items, such as【 C4】 _their hands. A more recent study, which included UK hospitals, suggested that wider use of checklists might【 C5】 _40% of deaths during treatment. Unlike in
20、 medicine, the【 C6】 _uses of checklists in everyday life a list for holiday packing, for instance, arent usually matters of life and death. The idea of making a checklist is so stupidly obvious that it seems impossible it could have so【 C7】_an effect. But the truth is that all life, not just medicin
21、e, is【 C8】 _complex: if highly trained intensive-care specialists can forget a【 C9】 _step, its sure that anyone might. Besides, the step-by-step structure of checklists can narrow your【 C10】 _to the next action. All you have to remember is to “do the next right thing“. Then the next, and the next. A
22、) action E) increasingly I) request M) subject B) crucial F) normally J) required N) vast C) focus G) potential K) shaking O) washing D) gradual H) prevent L) simply 27 【 C1】 28 【 C2】 29 【 C3】 30 【 C4】 31 【 C5】 32 【 C6】 33 【 C7】 34 【 C8】 35 【 C9】 36 【 C10】 Section B 36 Music in higher education: wha
23、t is it worth? A Music has found itself increasingly central in the subject controversy surrounding higher education (HE). Recent data showed the total number of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service entries to study music rose by 3.5% in the 2013 cycle, following significant increases in app
24、lications for medical-related sciences, mathematical sciences, computer sciences, engineering and economics. Yet numbers of prospective higher education applicants who studied music A-level fell last year by 7%. B Many music educators speak of feeling marginalized (边缘化 ), with their subject excluded
25、 from the Ebacc (英国文凭考试 ) and noticeably absent from the Stem grouping (science, technology, engineering and maths) absent too from the Russell Groups approved list of “facilitating subjects“ (ones that will “keep a wide range of degree courses and career options open to you“). C The value of studyi
26、ng music in higher education in the context of the economically-charged narrative on education provided the background to a recent roundtable discussion held at the Royal Academy of Music and involving senior figures from higher education, sixth-form education and the arts industry. All participants
27、 in the roundtable agreed that studying music at higher education equips students with a range of transferable skills that are of inestimable (不可估量的 ) value in the workplace. Music education and cultural value D Contributing under the Chatham House rule, which allows comments to be reported freely,
28、panel members began by disagreeing over the relationship between music education and cultural value. “We are beginning to look at the question of music education from the other end of the telescope, not so much in terms of what happens during the period of education, but afterwards,“ said one contri
29、butor. E One speaker argued that the relationship between music education and cultural value was not necessarily a direct one. “Many of those who add cultural value to the country do so because there is value here already. Our cultural value is increased by a critical mass coming from all over the w
30、orld that wants to be part of our scene. The role musical education plays in cultural value, or to put it crudely, what we are producing in terms of the economy, is probably falling rather than increasing.“ This comment was contested by another member of the panel, who cited the increasing numbers o
31、f foreign students studying music at UK institutions, and personal evidence from those who claimed that paying more to study in the UK was worth it for the extra value they gained from being educated here. Another pointed to the legally binding commitments made by government to promote musical parti
32、cipation in 2011-12 and, more recently, the National Plan for Music. F However, others around the table did acknowledge that UK institutions lacked the political backing enjoyed by their European peers or the financial power of America, “only just paying the bills on the back of a British mess of fe
33、es, poor fund and a scratchy targeted portion of HE funding,“ as one panellist put it. Instrumental or natural? G The discussion over what skills music graduates hold, both on academic or vocational courses, was noticeably more one-sided. High-end ability in collaboration, analysis, work ethic, symp
34、athy, innovation and performing well under pressure were cited by numerous contributors as those that were compulsory in any decent music student. “The qualities one would be after in a work-force suitable to meet the challenges of todays economy are all those found in a music graduate,“ noted one c
35、ommentator. “We need to break up this myth that musicians are self-prevailing and just create more musicians,“ added anothertop city firms, accountancy organisations and computing companies as among those who favour music graduates as potential employees. H There was growing frustration among the pa
36、nel concerning both the role of higher education institutions in promoting music and the continued justification of musical study from a non-musical perspective. “Its time for music departments to wake up and promote more clearly their value and benefits,“ said one contributor. “The value of HE musi
37、c itself has been clouded by the panic over school music. We dont sell music at HE by saying it will make you more literate, or better at maths. It has an inborn value.“ I “People in music know what highly skilled music students can do, and what music adds to the lives of people, but we keep saying
38、society does not understand,“ added another. “Why? Either because we cant assert our own value, or because we refuse to engage with society.“ Education access J Despite general consensus as to the inherent cultural-economic value of musical study, there was considerable discontent around the table a
39、bout its accessibility. One speaker commented on the decreasing number of music students at top institutions coming from backgrounds other than “music specialist schools, and private schools“. Another complained about the lack of focus from government regarding ring-fenced (专项的 ) money for music hub
40、s (活动中心 ) beyond 2015, pointing out the risk of increased private outsourcing, uneven regional provision and, ultimately, a situation in which only those with financial advantage can access musical training to a standard that will enable them to pursue it to higher education. K In this context, the
41、facilitating subjects of Russell Group universities came under harsh criticism from some commentators, who argued that there was disagreement over their significance among leading universities, misunderstanding by schools and hijacking (劫持 ) by government in the latest round of league tables. This,
42、two speakers agreed, was directing first generation students away from music at higher education by disconnecting the subject from a perspective on higher education dominated by tuition fees and employability. L A general note of warning was sounded by one about the upcoming loss of students from po
43、stgraduate study in the next five years as a result of financial pressures, and all agreed that higher education departments needed to do more to just utter the value of music in a public forum. “We need to reconnect music with the world of ideas,“ one panelist concluded. “We can pull people into mu
44、sic through linking the ideas, science, film and literature that surround the context of musical creation. We must not fall back into isolation, but rather communicate the obvious value of music.“ 37 Panel members in the discussion had different opinions about the relationship between music educatio
45、n and cultural value. 38 Compared with their European and American peers, UK institutions lack enough political and financial support. 39 Last year, the number of students who study music A-level decreased. 40 Russell Groups facilitating subjects received severe criticism as they are driving student
46、s away from music study in higher education. 41 The value of music study in higher education shouldnt be justified from a non-musical point of view. 42 More and more foreign students come to UK universities to study music. 43 The absence of music subject from Ebacc and Stem grouping gives some music
47、 educators a sense of marginalization. 44 Its warned that the postgraduate students who study music might decrease in the next five years. 45 Collaboration and innovation are among the skills that decent music students must hold. 46 It is believed by numerous people that the accessibility of musical
48、 study is far from satisfying. Section C 46 As an opportunity to highlight womens contributions, International Womens Day has always served to commemorate (纪念 ) the cutting edge of the global womens movement, from demanding better working conditions in US sweatshop factories of the early 1900s, to v
49、oting rights, pay equality and, more recently, promoting womens leadership in politics and business. Recent years have featured womens economic contributions, ranging from women producing nearly 90% of the food in Africa, to 7.8 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. with $1.2 trillion in total receipts. Yet qualified women are continually held back in their efforts to contribute at the highest levels of economic and financial leadership, while global policies and companie
