2009年12月大学英语四级考试全真模拟试题

2009年12月大学英语四级考试模拟试题三

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic “Education: Examination-Oriented or Quality-Oriented”. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:

1. 应试教育现状及其原因；

2. 素质教育的优点；

3. 你的观点。

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)

Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

Selling Expertise on the Internet for Extra Cash

Teresa Estes, a licensed mental-health counselor, watched as business at her private practice decreased last year. Then the single mother turned to her keyboard to boost her income.

Ms. Estes applied to become an “expert” on LivePerson Inc., a Web site where clients pay for online chat time with professionals and advisers of all fields. For $1.89 a minute — a rate she set — the 39-year-old from Marianna, Fla., dispenses advice to clients around the globe. She spends about four hours a day online, often at night, when her daughter has gone to bed.

“It was the economy,” she says of her move to take her skills online. “Live Person is more profitable than my private practice.” Ms. Estes had charged her private clients up to $75 an hour.

As the recession deepens, a small but growing number of people are taking their skills online, offering expertise or performing specified tasks for a fee. Labor-at-the-keyboard sites are gaining popularity as people increasingly turn to the Web in search of work. Internet job-search sites saw a 51% rise in traffic from January 2008 to January 2009, according to comScore Media Metrix, to 26.7 million unique visitors.

Among the many fee-for-service Web sites out there, at least three are attracting a significant number of users — though consumers should exercise a healthy degree of skepticism when consulting any of these sites. Live Person seeks out experts on a slew of topics, including mental health, financial services, shopping and fashion, as well as psychics and spiritual advisers. Mechanical Turk, a Web service run by https://www.360docs.net/doc/c42902546.html, Inc., pays workers to perform tasks, such as cataloging products online. Associated Content pays contributors to write articles on a wide range of subjects, from organic flower gardening to how to apply for financial aid.

Live Person went public in 2001, and the current version of the site was launched in late 2007. Today, the site has 30,000 registered experts, attracting an average of 100,000 people a year who pay for the offered services, says Chief Executive Officer Robert LoCascio. Roughly 3,500 people have made contributing to the site their full-time job, he says.

Live Person says it vets contributors’ qualifications, such as medical licenses or financial certification, through a third party, and relies heavily on its community reviews. Some 200 people a day apply to be Live Person experts, up from 120 a year ago, says Mr. LoCascio. Once cleared, advisers work with clients on a cost-per-minute basis set by the adviser. The site takes a commission of between 30% and 35%.

Associated Content, by contrast, reviews submissions in house and then decides how much to pay for them. The site, which specializes in how-to pieces and feature stories on news topics, had 237,000 registered contributors and more than one million content pieces as of February, both about double from the same month a year ago.

After posting the content, the site sells advertisements against it and distributes it to other companies, such as online shoe retailer Zappos, which use the content on their own Web sites. If Associated Content accepts a submission (it says it rejects about 25% of them), the author gets between $5 and $30, plus $1.50 for each 1,000 page views. An ability to write

“search-engine-optimized” content, an industry term for generating good Google results, helps, says site founder Luke Beatty.

Peop le are not only looking for payment but also establishing their credentials “as somebody with experience”, he says. Writing about a specific profession, such as law or real estate, helps raise a person’s profile online, enhancing his job searches, says Mr. Beatty.

Sabah Karimi, a 26-year-old from Orlando, Fla., left a career in marketing to become a

full-time freelance writer and now spends between 8 and 10 hours a week writing for Associated Content. She has been at it for about three years and says she earns roughly $1,000 a month from her past and current submissions.

Ms. Karimi cautions newcomers to Associated Content that it takes time to build up earnings. She says she learned how to write articles that would bring traffic and often looks for newsy ideas that will attract readers.

Mechanical Turk, by contrast, is based on “crowd sourcing”, or breaking a task into lots of tiny pieces and giving it to a big group of people to complete quickly. Most of these jobs — which the site calls HITs, for human intelligence tasks — pay just a few cents. Efficient MTurkers, as they call themselves, can make more than $100 a week doing things such as finding someone’s email address or labeling images of a particular animal in a photograph.

Amazon says that MTurk now has 200,000 workers from 100 different countries, but it doesn’t keep track of past figures.

The site — named for an 18th-century stunt involving a turbaned chess-playing “machine” with an actual chess master hidden within — began as a way to help Amazon manage its product database, says Sharon Chiarella, vice president of Amazon Mechanical Turk. Amazon uses the site to help sort images and content, paying people a few cents a task. Mechanical Turk also serves a variety of companies who need Web tasks performed, especially those that require a human element. Test-prep startup Knewton Inc., for example, uses it extensively for focus-group-type tasks, as well as enlisting people to take its practice tests.

Keri Knutson, a mother of five from Independence, La., discovered Mechanical Turk when her eldest son was headed for college. Ms. Knutson, now 45, needed money for his tuition and fees. She took on all kinds of low-paying but easy tasks at the beginning, from finding a place to purchase a specific item to identifying the name of a street in a photograph.

People looking to make money online as fee-for-service experts should read the fine print. Live Person has one of the more formal payment systems, requiring users to sign up for an account before talking with an expert. Some sites, including Associated Content and Mechanical Turk, reserve the right to refuse payment if a task is not completed satisfactorily.

Most sites have a robust community of workers who regularly offer one another tips on which tasks pay the best. Mechanical Turk users have an independent site called Turker Nation

(https://www.360docs.net/doc/c42902546.html,), which reviews the companies that solicit (索求) and pay for tasks so that workers can check a company’s record before taking on a task.

Consumers who use these sites also need to exercise caution. Relying on legal or medical advice from an unknown online source has obvious drawbacks, and the Web sites acknowledge that some users have registered complaints about the advice offered on the sites. LivePerson warns consumers to offer their financial and personal details with care.

For the workers on these sites, even incremental sources of income are helpful these days. Ms. Knutson now spends the majority of her time transcribing Web audio and video for clients, earning about $250 a week for 30 hours of work. She says she has seen more competition lately but is determined to keep up her weekly pace.

“If I didn’t have this money,” she says, “we’d be struggling to find what to eat every week.”

1. What is the passage mainly talking about?

A) The economic recession will last a few years.

B) More people are taking their skills online to make money.

C) Asking for advice through the Internet is a good way to solve your problems.

D) People shouldn’t release their financial and personal details online.

2. Live Person Inc. is a Web site where ___________.

A) people chat with each other and make friends freely

B) professionals and advisers help others for free

C) people pay money for applying to become an expert

D) clients pay for online chat time with professionals and advisers

3. Why are labor-at-the-keyboard sites gaining popularity?

A) Because people love to work on the Internet.

B) Because more people are finding jobs on the Internet.

C) Because people are being asked to work on the Internet.

D) Because working on the Internet is easier than other ways of working.

4. How much will an expert get through Live Person if a client pays $10?

A) $3 to $3.5. B) $10. C) $6.5 to $7. D) $5.

5. Mechanical Turk originated as a method to _________.

A) label images of a particular animal in a photograph

B) serve a variety of companies who need Web tasks performed

C) help Amazon manage its product database

D) find someone’s email address

6. What does Turker Nation do?

A) It reserves the right to refuse payment if a task is not completed satisfactorily.

B) It relies on legal or medical advice from an unknown online source.

C) It registers complaints about the advice offered on the site.

D) It reviews the companies that solicit and pay for tasks.

7. What does Ms. Knutson spend the majority of her time doing?

A) Finding a place to purchase a specific item.

B) Identifying the name of a street in a photograph.

C) Transcribing Web audio and video for clients.

D) Struggling to find what to eat every week.

8. Associated Content pays contributors to write articles on a wide range of subjects, from organic flower gardening to how to ______________.

9. Live Person says it vets contributors’ qualifications through a third party, and relies heavily on its _______.

10. Amazon says that MTurk now has 200,000 workers from ______________.

Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)

■Sec tion 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 asked 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.

11. A) It will be better to say nothing to Paul.

B) Paul himself will come to talk to them.

C) The man should be the one to speak to Paul.

D) The man should replace the radio before she talks to Paul.

12. A) Not give any suggestions to Jack.

B) Not see Jack any more.

C) Not listen to Jack’s words.

D) Not save his words on Jack.

13. A) They should give up talking.

B) They should both make a compromise.

C) They can meet next time.

D) They are both halfway.

14. A) He likes rings very much.

B) He often burns holes in his new coats.

C) He’s very extravagant with money.

D) He is very poor.

15. A) She missed the bus.

B) She caught the bus.

C) She got up five minutes earlier than usual.

D) She likes getting up early in the morning.

16. A) In the library.

B) In the college bookstore.

C) At a news-stand.

D) At a department store.

17. A) Teacher and student.

B) Doctor and patient.

C) Manager and office worker.

D) Travel agent and customer.

18. A) Move the washing machine to the basement.

B) Turn the basement into a workshop.

C) Repair the washing machine.

D) Finish her assignment.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. A) She will go to see her brother.

B) She will go to Hawaii with her family.

C) She will stay at home with her family.

D) She will find a part-time job.

20. A) Very exciting. B) Too bad.

C) Very boring. D) Not too bad.

21. A) A new bicycle. B) A new dictionary.

C) A new computer. D) A new cellphone.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

22. A) She has a good chance to study abroad but she doesn’t have enoug h money.

B) Her parents don’t want her to go too far away from them.

C) She won’t have as many vacations as she has as a student.

D) She wants to study abroad but she has been offered a good job.

23. A) It is not as good as studying abroad.

B) He thinks being a teacher is boring.

C) It is a good opportunity.

D) He thinks the salary for the job is too low.

24. A) Asking her friends for advice.

B) Making the choice by herself.

C) Asking her parents for advice.

D) Asking her teachers for advice.

25. A) Choose to be an English teacher.

B) Give up both opportunities.

C) Study overseas.

D) Teach English for a few years before going abroad.

■Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the 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).

Passage One

Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. A) About 40%. B) About 46%. C) About 80%. D) About 54%.

27. A) People in South Korea are no longer interested in Hollywood movies.

B) It is much cheaper to see a local movie than a Hollywood one.

C) Hollywood’s films are not as good as before.

D) South Korea’s film industry has developed a lot.

28. A) They are releasing the movies first in America and then in other countries.

B) They are releasing the movies in America and other countries at the same time.

C) They send people who sell illegally copied movies to court.

D) They encourage people to buy legal DVDs by giving a high discount.

29. A) Many people believe that DVDs are not of good quality.

B) People are more likely to get movies from the Internet.

C) Some people think that DVDs are very expensive.

D) People like watching TV better than watching DVDs.

Passage Two

Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

30. A) Once. B) Twice.

C) Three times. D) Four times.

31. A) He was the president with the longest presidency.

B) He led the American people through the Great Depression.

C) He led the American people through the First World War.

D) He was the most influential president in American history.

32. A) On April 12, 1944. B) On April 12, 1945.

C) On July 12, 1944. D) On July 12, 1945.

Passage Three

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. A) Cooking food. B) Boiling water.

C) Killing bacteria. D) Generating electricity.

34. A) The parabolic cooker. B) The panel cooker.

C) The box cooker. D) It’s not mentioned.

35. A) Solar Cookers

B) How to Use Solar Ovens

C) How to Cook Meals

D) How to Choose Solar Ovens

■Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage 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 missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

Some people’s ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose. Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It (36)_______ dirt and other matter and keeps (37)_______ out. Doctors think it might also help protect against (38)_______. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry. So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. There are two kinds of cerumen. Most people of

(39)_______ or African ancestry have the “wet” kind: thick and (40)_______. East Asians commonly have “dry” earwax.

But you can have too much of a good thing. The glands in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax is normally (41)_______; it falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can (42)_______ and form a blockage that (43)_______ with sound waves and reduces hearing. (44)_____________________

_______________________. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.

Experts suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself.

(45)_________________________. Another way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal.

(46)__________________

____________________________. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)

■ Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its 47 lie mainly in blues, rhythm and blues, country, folk, gospel, and jazz. The style subsequently spread to the rest of the world and developed further, leading ultimately to 48 rock music.

The term “rock and roll” now covers at least two different meanings, both in common usage. The American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both 49 rock and roll as synonymous with rock music.

50 , https://www.360docs.net/doc/c42902546.html, defines the term as referring specifically to the music of the 1950s.

Classic rock and roll is 51 played with one or two electric guitars, a string bass or an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit. In the 52 rock and roll styles of the late 1940s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally 53 or supplemented by the guitar in the middle to late 1950s.

The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a 54

social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and in the new medium of television, 55 lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It went on to spawn various sub-genres, often without the initially 56 backbeat, that are now more commonly

■Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished sentences. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice.

Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

According to a report, around 30,000 pupils started secondary school last year with the math skills of a seven-year-old. MPs (国会议员) warned that many young people would need “expensive” remedial lessons in later life to get a job — posing major problems for the economy. The findings came just months after Ofsted（教育标准办公室）claimed almost half of math lessons in English schools were not good enough. It said many teachers relied on textbooks and mundane exercises to make sure pupils passed exams at the expense of a proper understanding of the subject. MPs backed the conclusions, saying too many pupils found lessons “boring”. They insist ed improvements had been made under Labor but achievement had “leveled off” in recent years.

In 2008, 79 percent of pupils met the Government’s expected standard at the end of primary school, well short of the 85 percent target set for 2006. Around five percent moved to secondary school with the math skills of a seven- year-old, said the committee. In 2006, ￡2.3 billion was spent teaching the subject. It equates to around a quarter of the ￡10 billion total budget for primary teaching and support staff.

The report said the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) needed to “radically rethink its strategy for improving pupil attainment; otherwise we seriously doubt that the department will meet its 2011 target”. The target demands that 84.5 perce nt of pupils will make the necessary progress between 7 and 11.

Last year, the DCSF published a major review of math education in England to boost standards. It called for a math specialist in every primary school within 10 years and more emphasis on math ematical “play” in nursery schools. Mr. Leigh said, “The department’s 10-year program to train 13,000 specialist math teachers will not benefit some primary schools for another decade. That’s far too long; the department needs to look for ways to accelerate the program.” Sarah McCarthy Fry, the Schools Minister, said, “We have already accepted the main recommendation from a recent independent review of primary math that every school should have a specialist math teacher and have pledged ￡24 million over the next three years for a training program for teachers.”

Nick Gibb, the Tory shadow schools secretary, said, “The Government is not getting value for the money they have piled into education and the country is falling behind in international league tables as a result. The Government has failed to replace methods of teaching which have failed with tried and tested methods used in countries that have much higher levels of math achievement.”

57. What do we learn from the first paragraph?

A) 30,000 pupils started secondary school with poor math skills.

B) MPs insist more improvements should be made under Labor.

C) Young people need medical lessons to get a job.

D) Half of English schools were not good enough.

58. According to the passage, what happened in 2006?

A) 21% of pupils didn’t meet the Government’s expected standard.

B) The target set for 2006 was 87 percent.

C) ￡2.3 billion was spent on math teaching.

D) The total budget for primary teaching and support staff was ￡5 billion in 2006.

59. What will people probably do to improve math education in England?

A) Spend money on training specialist math teachers.

B) Hire a math specialist for every primary school.

C) Allow pupils to have more mathematical “play”.

D) Spend more time on math education.

60. What do Nick Gibb’s words mean?

A) The British government should put more money into math education.

B) Britain is falling behind in the international knowledge competition.

C) The British government should learn from other countries’ failures.

D) The British government should change their teaching methods every few years.

61. What’s the passage mainly talking about?

A) There aren’t enough math teachers in British primary schools.

B) The British government didn’t spend enough money on math educa tion.

C) British pupils are not good at math.

D) Math lessons in British primary schools need to be improved.

Passage Two

Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

Bananas, always the fashion victims of the produce section, are wearing another new label this spring. Bananas with “Fair Trade Certified” stickers have been available in the United States since October. They represent the new front of an international effort to help first-world consumers improve the living standards of the third-world farmers who grow much of their food.

By expanding its reach to the produce section, Fair Trade is now trying to reach the American supermarket shopper. Fair Trade deals directly with farmer cooperatives. It helps organize, avoiding brokers (代理人) and middlemen. It guarantees higher prices for the farmers’ goods and helps them set up schools and health clinics.

The Fair Trade movement took root in Europe in the 1990’s as a way of bolstering coffee farmers as prices were collapsing. Since Fair Trade began, more than a million coffee growers and other farmers have joined cooperatives that sell their products through Fair Trade channels instead of directly to a commercial producer.

Not everyone is greeting the Fair Trade label with open arms. Several American coffee importers recently pulled out of Fair Trade, citing TransFair’s “corporate friendly” policies that allow large companies to use the Fair Trade logo in their marketing even if only a small amount of the company’s overall purchases are Fa ir Trade certified.

Edmund LaMacchia, the national produce coordinator for Whole Foods, said Fair Trade is only one of many consumer choices. “Whole Foods has its own team of inspectors and has no plans to carry Fair Trade products”, Mr. LaMacchia said. “Our standards are higher than Fair Trade’s, actually.” Fair Trade is only one of several labels your bananas might be wearing this year. Another is that of the Rainforest Alliance, which certifies the use of sustainable agriculture methods.

So far, though, Fair Trade is the biggest. A Fair Trade label by itself does not guarantee an organic product, but most Fair Trade bananas are also organic, Ms. Bourque said, because pesticides are usually too costly for the small farmers who grow them. If the bananas are organic, they will be labeled as such, and will probably be wearing a sticker to prove it.

62. Why are bananas wearing “Fair Trade Certified” stickers?

A) It means bananas are the fashion victims of the produce section.

B) It means bananas have got a new label.

C) It means bananas with these stickers are available in the United States.

D) It represents an international effort to help the third-world farmers.

63. What does Fair Trade do?

A) It helps farmers sell their products for a higher profit.

B) It appoints brokers and middlemen to deal with farmer cooperatives.

C) It brings down the price of farmers’ goods.

D) It sets up schools and health clinics for American farmers.

64. What was the original purpose of the Fair Trade movement?

A) To cooperate with coffee growers and other farmers.

B) To help coffee farmers as prices were collapsing.

C) To prevent farmers from selling their products to commercial producers.

D) To sell products through coffee growers and other farmers.

65. What can we infer from this passage?

A) American coffee importers will never buy their products through Fair Trade channels.

B) Fair Trade is the only label that bananas might be wearing this year.

C) Not every consumer considers Fair Trade products the only choice.

D) Whole Foods and the Rainforest Alliance are more influential than Fair Trade.

66. What is the best title for this passage?

A) Helping the Third World: One Banana at a Time

B) Consumers Face More Choices

C) Fair Trade — the Best Sticker

D) The Fair Trade Movement

Part V Cloze (15 minutes)

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage.

Everyone knows hand washing is important. But a new study shows how washing your hands 67 , and at the right time, can have a big impact on your family’s risk of getting sick.

Most studies on hand washing focus on 68 and food service workers. But this month’s American Journal of Infection Control focuses on washing hands at 69 as a way to stop infections from 70 . Several studies show hands are the single most important 71 route for all types of infections.

Even though most people know to wash their hands after using the toilet or handling a diaper （尿布）, studies 72 many people are still ending up with germs on their hands.

One study looked in homes of 73 recently vaccinated against polio (脊髓灰质炎). After vaccination, the virus is

74 to be shed in the baby’s feces (粪便). Researchers found the virus on 13 percent of bathroom, living room and kitchen surfaces. 75 the virus from the vaccine didn’t pose a health risk, feces-borne viruses can 76 through the home.

Doorknobs and toilet flush handles are key 77 of germ transmission in the home. That’s why people should focus on cleaning such surfaces 78 and always wash their hands after touching them. In one study, a 79 touched a door handle contaminated with a virus. He then shook hands 80 other volunteers, and spread the virus to six people.

The study authors note that the timing of hand washing is key. It’s 81 to wash hands after using the toilet, before eating or handling food. Other crucial times for hand washing are after 82 a diaper or cleaning up after a pet, or after touching garbage cans, dish rags and utensils that may have come 83 contact with raw food.

While it may be hard to 84 that something as simple as regular hand washing can make a difference in your family’s he alth, consider what happened during the 2003 outbreak of SARS. The outbreak 85 extensive public and community health measures, including regular hand washing. Not only was the SARS outbreak contained, 86 other cases of illnesses dropped sharply.

67. A) occasionally B) often C) sometimes D) repeatedly

68. A) chemical B) physical C) medical D) mental

69. A) home B) clinics C) hospitals D) school

70. A) living B) spreading C) surviving D) going

71. A) transmit B) transfer C) transferring D) transmission

72. A) claim B) agree C) suggest D) object

73. A) parents B) teachers C) adults D) infants

74. A) known B) said C) moved D) added

75. A) When B) While C) Why D) Which

76. A) travel B) go C) fly D) float

77. A) questions B) opportunities C) ideas D) sources

78. A) always B) frequently C) regularly D) actually

79. A) volunteer B) baby C) worker D) person

80. A) in B) on C) with D) through

81. A) useless B) obvious C) interesting D) thankful

82. A) taking B) using C) changing D) bringing

83. A) of B) for C) from D) into

84. A) dream B) know C) figure D) believe

85. A) triggered B) started C) helped D) saved

86. A) yet B) while C) but D) since

Part VI Translation (5 minutes)

Directions: Complete the sentences by translating into English the Chinese given in brackets.

87. It was after the failure of this attempt that he _____________(诉诸武力).

88. A lot of people nowadays have muscular problems in the neck, the shoulders and the back

___________________(主要是由于工作中的压力和紧张造成的).

89. This occupation ____________________(关注于计划和监督) the arrangement of exhibitions of collections.

90. ____________________ (令学生失望的是), the books they needed were sold out at the bookstore.

91. A number of women interviewed found ___________________________(获得提升很难). Part I Writing

One possible version:

Education: Examination-Oriented or Quality-Oriented From primary school to college, students, teachers and parents all are struggling for high scores. This is because the current education system is not aimed at quality, but only at developing

students’ abil ity to perform well on tests. As a result, many students, even those with high scores, often do poorly when it comes to the practical application of what they’ve learned.

Therefore, China is challenging examination-oriented education by advocating

quality-oriented education. The alternative will focus on the students’ ability as a whole. The exam results will no longer play a key role in evaluating a student.

Personally, I firmly believe in the effectiveness of this new policy. I have seen in my mind’s eye the more dedicated study, the looser environment, yet the more creative minds of the future students. Our education, so to speak, will bring up a new generation.

Part II Reading Comprehension

(Skimming and Scanning)

1. B)。纵观全文可知，本文主要讲述的是“有更多的人利用自己掌握的专业知识或技术在网上赚钱”。

2. D)。参见第二段“LivePerson Inc., a Web site where clients pay for online chat time with professionals and advisers of all fields.”可知，在LivePerson网站上，咨询者付费后可向该网站上各领域的专业人士咨询。

3. B)。参见第四段“Labor-at-the-keyboard sites are gaining popularity as people increasingly turn to the Web in search of work.”可知，该网站越来越受欢迎是因为有更多的人转向网络寻找工作。

4. C)。参见第七段末句“The site takes a commission of between 30% and 35%.”可知，网站从咨询者交的钱中提取30%到35%的佣金，所以，剩下的部分应该是由那些网络“专家”获得，按照比列应该是65%到70%。

5. C)。根据第十五段“began as a way to help Amazon manage its product database”可知，Mechanical Turk最初的设计目的是“帮助Amazon管理它的产品数据库”。

6. D)。根据倒数第四段“Mechanical Turk users have an independent site called Turker Nation (https://www.360docs.net/doc/c42902546.html,), which reviews the companies that solicit and pay for tasks so that workers can check a company’s record before taking on a task.”可知，Turker Nation是一个专门提供公司业务需求信息和支付情况的网站，网络“专家”在为某家公司提供服务之前，可以对这家公司的业务记录有一个了解。

7. C)。根据倒数第二段第二句可知，Ms. Knutson目前将大部分时间用于为客户转录网络视频和音频。

8. apply for financial aid。参见第五段最后一句“Ass ociated Content pays contributors to write articles on a wide range of subjects, from organic flower gardening to how to apply for financial aid.”可知，Associated Content网站向人们征集稿件，稿件涉及的范围很广，从建造生态花园到申请经济援助。

9. community reviews。参见第七段“LivePerson says it vets contributors’ qualifications, such as medical licenses or financial certification, through a third party, and relies heavily on its community reviews.”可知，LivePerson对这些在网上用知识和技术赚钱的人会进行审核，例如行医许可或经济师证书等，通过以社区论坛为主的第三方进行认证。

10. 100 different countries。参见第十四段“Amaz on says that MTurk now has 200,000 workers from 100 different countries ...”可知，MTurk现在有来自100个国家的20万名“网络员工”。

Part III Listening Comprehension

11-15 CABCA 16-20 BCDBD

21-25 CDCCA 26-30 BDBBD

31-35 BBDCA 36. traps

37. insects 38. infections 39. European 40. sticky

41. expelled 42. harden

43. interferes

44. People can also cause a blockage when they try to clean out their ears — but only push the wax deeper inside

45. They say the wax can be softened with mineral oil, or ear drops

46. Use a device to gently direct water against the wall of the ear canal

Tape Script of Listening Comprehension

Section A

11. M: Would you tell Paul I am sorry that I lost his radio?

W: Hadn’t you better tell him yourself?

Q: What does the woman mean?

12. M: I told Jack many times, but he never seemed to listen to me.

W: You’d better save your energy. He never listened to others’ ad vice.

Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?

13. W: Maybe we are just wasting each other’s time discussing this silly project.

M: Don’t you think we should meet each other halfway?

Q: What does the man mean?

14. W: You see, Tom is buying that expensive ring.

M: Money burns a hole in his pocket. He won’t have any money left within two days.

Q: What can we infer about Tom?

15. M: Did you catch the school bus this morning?

W: I would have if I had gotten up 5 minutes earlier.

Q: What do we know about the woman?

16. M: I’d like to return this textbook. Some pages are missing.

W: You’ll have to see the manager about that.

Q: Where does this conversation most likely take place?

17. W: Mr. Smith, I wonder whether it’s possible for me to take a vacation early next month?

M: Did you fill out a request form?

Q: What is the probable relationship between the two speakers?

18. M: Mary is in the basement trying to repair the washing machine.

W: Shouldn’t she be working on her term paper?

Q: What does the woman think Mary should do?

Now you’ll hear two long conversations.

Conversation One

M: This semester has gone so quickly! Our exams are coming to an end.

W: Yes, I’m so excited about the coming winter vacation. I have made all the arrangements for my vacation.

M: What are you planning to do?

W: Well, my family and I have a trip planned to Hawaii. It will be a great place to spend such a cold winter. Besides, we’ve been talking about going there for years, and we finally went to an agent and planned the whole thing out.

M: Wow! That does sound exciting. I am also dreaming about a trip there, but unfortunately, I have never had a chance.

W: I’m sure you’ll be able to go sometime soon. So, what’s your plan for the winter holiday? M: I intend to look for a part-time job to save a little money for next year. It will also be a good experience.

W: That doesn’t sound too bad, either.

M: You know, I really want to buy a new computer next semester, so I have to save as much money as possible.

W: Yeah, I remember you telling me that before.

M: I’d rather my parents didn’t pay for it. I’d feel proud of myself if I bought it with the money I earned.

W: Sounds like you have a goal this winter.

M: Yes. Next semester you’ll have to tell me all about your trip!

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. What is the woman’s plan for the winter vacation?

20. What does the woman think of the man’s plan for the winter vacation?

21. What does the man want to buy next semester?

Conversation Two

M: Hi, Maggie. Have you made up your mind?

W: What?

M: I mean, have you decided to study abroad or to find a job after graduation?

W: I haven’t made my decision yet. It’s a hard decision.

M: Why’s that? Just a couple of days ago, you were telling me how much you wanted to go overseas to study.

W: Yes, but a vacancy just opened up in the English Department.

M: So?

W: They offered me a position teaching English. So now I don’t know what to do.

M: What a great opportunity! I see what you mean though, a tough choice.

W: I’ve been preparing and studying to go abroad. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy, and I hate to see it all go to waste.

M: Don’t think about it too much. The job sounds like an excellent opportunity. You should grab it when you have the chance.

W: I’d like to, but I still feel like I should think about it some more.

M: If you can’t make your decision on your own, I suppose you could ask your parents for advice.

W: Come on! My parents don’t want me too far away from them. I don’t think they would allow me to go to America.

M: Oh, too bad! But you should keep your parents’ feelings in mind.

W: Maybe you are right. Being a teacher isn’t bad, right?

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

22. Why can’t the woman make up her mind?

23. What does the man think of the woman’s job offer?

24. What is the man’s advice to the woman?

25. What will the woman most probably do?

Section B

Hollywood is increasingly looking outside America’s borders for s tars and profit.

Jonathan Taplin is a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He says that today, about 54 percent of the ticket sales for Hollywood studios now come from outside the United States.

For the last three months of 2007, foreign sales totaled about 880 million dollars. But there is fierce competition for each movie dollar.

Hollywood has lost market share in some places as other countries develop their own film industries. For example, in the mid 1980s, American films had 80 percent of the market in South Korea. Today that share is about 40 percent.

Hollywood also faces competition from illegally copied movies, a major issue to the Motion Picture Association of America. The trade group estimated more than 18 billion dollars in worldwide losses from piracy in 2005.

Hollywood reporter Alan Silverman says piracy has influenced how American movies are released. In the past, Hollywood studios waited months after the American release of a film to release it in foreign markets. Now, many aim to release films at the same time around the world.

Foreign markets may also influence how people get their movies. Different nations have different levels of technology.

Efforts to settle on the next-genera tion DVD got a lot of attention recently. Sony’s Blu-ray technology for high-definition televisions won the competition with Toshiba’s HD DVD format.

Yet DVD sales have dropped in recent years. This may be a sign that people are increasingly getting their movies off the Internet. The Internet is another front in Hollywood’s war on piracy. But more than that, it presents complex business questions for an industry now built mostly on DVD and ticket sales.

Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. What percentage of ticket sales for Hollywood studios come from inside the United States?

27. Why has Hollywood lost market share in South Korea?

28. What are American movie companies doing to fight against piracy?

29. Why have DVD sales dropped in recent years?

Passage Two

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the most influential presidents in American history. He was elected president four times. He served more than 12 years, longer than any other president. He led the nation through its worst economic crisis, and through one of its worst wars.

Franklin Roosevelt was first elected president in 1932. As the Democratic candidate, he defeated President Herbert Hoover. Americans were suffering through a terrible economic depression. About 25 percent of American workers had lost their jobs. They had no money. They had no hope. They waited in long lines to receive free food. Americans did not know if the new president could end the economic crisis.

On the day Franklin Roosevelt was elected as the new president, he promised, “This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” During the next three months, he led Congress in passing more major new programs than what the nation had seen for many years. President Roosevelt called his reform program “The New Deal”.

He was reelected president for the fourth time in 1944. Most Americans believed the country should not change its leader in the middle of a war. When he was sworn in, President Roosevelt’s speech lasted only six minutes. He declared that America had learned that we cannot live alone at peace, that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of nations far away.

President Roosevelt did not live to see the victory of the Allies and the end of World War II. He died less than three months later, on April 12th, 1945, in Warm Springs, Georgia. Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

30. How many times was Franklin Roosevelt elected president?

31. What was Franklin Roosevelt’s biggest achievement?

32. When did President Roosevelt die?

Passage Three

Millions of people around the world cook their food over a smoky fire every day. It is often difficult to find wood for the fire. People who do not have wood must spend large amounts of money on cooking fuel. However, there is a much easier way to cook food using energy from the sun.

Solar cookers, or ovens, have been used for centuries. A Swiss scientist made the first solar oven in 1767. Today, people are using solar cookers in many countries around the world. People use solar ovens to cook food and to heat drinking water to kill bacteria and other harmful organisms.

There are three kinds of solar ovens. The first is a box cooker. It is designed with a special wall that shines or reflects sunlight into the box. Heat gets trapped under a piece of glass or plastic covering the top of the cooker. A box oven is effective for slow cooking of large amounts of food.

The second kind of solar oven is a panel cooker. It includes several flat walls, or panels, that directly reflect the sun’s light onto the food. The food is inside a separate container of plastic or glass that traps heat energy. People can build panel cookers quickly and with very few supplies. They do not cost much. In Kenya, for example, panel cookers are being manufactured for just two dollars.

The third kind of solar oven is a parabolic cooker. It has rounded walls that aim sunlight directly into the bottom of the oven. Food cooks quickly in parabolic ovens. However, these cookers are hard to make. They must be re-aimed often to follow the sun. Parabolic cookers can also cause burns and eye injuries if they are not used correctly.

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. Which of the following is NOT a function of solar ovens?

34. What kind of oven is effective for slow cooking of a lot of food?

35. Which is the best title for this passage?

Section C

Some people’s ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose. Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It (36) traps dirt and other matter and keeps (37) insects out. Doctors think it might also help protect against (38) infections. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry. So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. There are two kinds of cerumen. Most people of (39) European or African ancestry have the “wet” kind: thick and (40) sticky. East Asians commonly have “dry” earwax.

But you can’t have too much of a good thing. Th e glands in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax is normally (41) expelled; it falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can (42) harden and form a blockage that (43) interferes with sound waves and reduces hearing. (44) People can also cause a blockage when they try to clean out their ears — but only push the wax deeper inside. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.

Experts suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself. (45) They say the wax can be softened with mineral oil, or ear drops. Another way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal. (46) Use a device to gently direct water against the wall of the ear canal. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.

Part IV Reading Comprehension

(Reading in Depth)

Section A

47. D)。此处需要一个名词。此处讲的是摇滚主要植根于布鲁斯、节奏布鲁斯、乡村音乐、民歌、福音歌以及爵士乐。

48. J)。此处需要一个形容词。参见上题解析可知，摇滚最终发展为现代的摇滚音乐。

49. A)。此处需要一个动词。根据前面出现的两个词典给出的解释及后面的内容可以推断，这里是对摇滚进行定义。

50. L)。此处需要一个副词。根据上下文可知，https://www.360docs.net/doc/c42902546.html,与前两个词典的定义不同，它将摇滚定义为20世纪50年代的音乐而不是现代音乐。

51. E)。此处需要一个副词。根据上下文可知，古典摇滚乐通常由如下乐器合奏：一两把电吉他；一个弦贝司或电贝司；一组架子鼓。

52. G)。此处需要一个形容词。根据下文出现的1940s这个时间可知，这里讲的是20世纪40年代末期出现的最早的摇滚风格。

53. M)。此处需要一个动词。根据下文“or supplemented by the guitar”可知，钢琴与萨克斯风这些早期主打乐器被20世纪50年代中后期的吉他所取代或补充。

54. C)。此处需要一个形容词。根据上下文可知，摇滚对社会产生的影响是独特的。

55. H)。此处需要一个动词。此处讲的是，除了音乐风格，在电影及电视媒体里均可见摇滚对生活风格、流行、态度及语言的影响。

56. B)。此处需要一个形容词。此处讲摇滚继续发展成各种不同的类型，一般都没有摇滚乐初期特有的强节奏基调。

Section B

Passage One

57. A)。根据文章首段首句可知，去年升初中的小学生中大约有3万名学生数学水平只相当于7岁小孩的数学水平，也就是说这些小孩的数学能力很差。

58. C)。根据第二段“In 2006, ￡2.3 billion was spent teaching the subject.”可知，2006年花在数学教育上的费用为23亿英镑。

59. A)。第四段提到在十年的时间里为每所小学配备一名数学专家并加强对幼儿园数学游戏的重视，但重点主要是谈论花经费培训数学教师这件事。

60. C)。最后一段Nick Gibb主要讲“英国政府在教育上花了钱却没有达到预期的效果，并因此而落后于其他国家；同时英国政府在数学教育上还在走一些老路，而这些老路已经被有较高数学教育水平的国家尝试并证明走不通。”言外之意即：英国应该吸取其他国家的经验教训。

61. D)。这是一个主旨题，这篇文章指出了英国在数学教育方面存在的问题并给出了解决办法，文章围绕英国小学数学教育需要改进这一中心思想展开。

Passage Two

62. D)。参见第一段“They represent the new front of an international effort to help first-world consumers improve the living standards of the third-world farmers who grow much of their food.”一句可知，Fair Trade推出这一标准的目的是为了帮助第三世界国家的果农，让他们生产的香蕉更有竞争力、更有市场。

63. A)。参见第二段“It guarantees higher prices for the farmers’ goods and helps them set up schools and health clinics.”一句可知，Fair Trade的作用是帮助农民把他们生产的农产品卖出个好价钱。

64. B)。参见第三段“The Fair Trade movement took root in Europe in the 1990’s as a way of bolstering coffee farmers as pri ces were collapsing.”一句可知，Fair Trade成立于20世纪90年代的欧洲，它成立的最初目的是为了挽救种植咖啡的农民，因为当时咖啡的价格下跌得很厉害。

65. C)。参见第四段“Not everyone is greeting the Fair Trade label with open arms.”一句可知，消费者可以有不同的选择，并不一定要买Fair Trade推荐的产品。

66. A)。纵观全文，本文的目的是向读者推荐被Fair Trade认可并贴有Fair Trade Certified标签的香蕉，推荐香蕉的最终目的还是为了帮助生活在第三世界国家的香蕉种植者。

Part V Cloze

67. B)。此处讲的是“经常洗手可以预防疾病”，其他三个选项的意思分别是“偶尔”、“有时”、“重复地”，这与原文要表述的意思不符。

68. C)。根据后文的“food service workers”可知，餐饮服务者和医疗服务者是与人们日常接触比较密切的人群，因此可以判断，此处讲的是“大多数针对洗手的研究都集中于医疗服务者和餐饮服务者”。

69. A)。根据后文的讲述可知，此处说的是“在家洗手”。

70. B)。根据上文的stop infections from ...可以推断，此处讲的是“阻止传染病的传播”。

71. D)。根据上下文的叙述可知，此处讲的是“一些研究表明：手是各种传染病的最主要传播途径”。

72. C)。此处讲的是“研究表明许多人洗完手后，手上仍然残留有细菌”，suggest在此处不是“建议”的意思，而是“表明”的意思。

73. D)。根据后文的baby可以推断此处讲的是“有一项研究探究了最近接种了脊髓灰质炎疫苗的婴儿家庭”。

74. A)。根据上文的after vaccination可知，此处讲的是“儿童接种疫苗后，病毒会从婴儿粪便中排泄出去”。

75. B)。此处意为“虽然疫苗中的病毒并不会带来健康风险，但是这项研究显示粪便中携带的病毒会在家中传播”。

76. A)。参见上题解析，travel在此处有“传播”的意思。

77. D)。此处讲的是“门把手和冲水马桶的手柄都是家中细菌的重要传染源”。

78. C)。此处讲的是“正因为以上原因，人们要定期清洁这些地方；每次接触过这些地方后都要洗手”。

79. A)。此处讲的是“针对病菌的传播，研究者安排了一项试验，他们让一名志愿者触摸了带有病毒的门把手”。

80. C)。shake hands with sb.是固定搭配，意为“同某人握手”。

81. B)。根据上文的“The study authors note that the timing of hand washing is key.”和下文的“wash hands after using the toilet, before eating or handling food”可知，此处讲的是“显然，每次上厕所后要洗手，吃东西或拿食物前要洗手”。

82. C)。根据后文的“a diaper”可知，此处讲的是“给孩子换过尿布之后要洗手”。

83. D)。come into contact with ... 是固定搭配，意为“与……接触”。

84. D)。此处讲的是“人们可能很难相信，像洗手这种简单的事情可以改善一个家庭的健康状况”。

85. A)。trigger这个词用在此处很恰当，此处讲的是“SARS的爆发催生了广泛的公共和社区卫生保健措施的出台，其中包括常洗手”。

86. C)。not only ... but also是固定搭配，意为“不但……而且……”，also可以省略，但是but 不能省略。

Part VI Translation

87. resorted to force

88. mainly due to stress and tension in their work

89. focuses on planning and overseeing

90. To the students’ disappointment

91. it difficult to get a promotion