2023年12月英语四级真题试题和答案.doc

2007年12月22日大学英语四级真题试题B卷
　　Part I Writing (30 minutes)
　　注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。
　　Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)
　　Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. 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.
　　Universities Branch Out
　　As never before in their long history, universities have become instruments of national competition as well as instruments of peace. They are the place of the scientific discoveries that move economies forward, and the primary means of educating the talent required to obtain and maintain competitive advantage. But at the same time, the opening of national borders to the flow of goods, services, information and especially people has made universities a powerful force for global integration, mutual understanding and geopolitical stability.
　　In response to the same forces that have driven the world economy, universities have become more self-consciously global: seeking students from around the world who represent the entire range of cultures and values, sending their own students abroad to prepare them for global careers, offering course of study that address the challenges of an interconnected world and collaborative (合作旳) research programs to advance science for the benefit of all humanity.
　　Of the forces shaping higher education none is more sweeping than the movement across borders. Over the past three decades the number of students leaving home each year to study abroad has grown at an annual rate of 3.9 percent, from 800,000 in 1975 to 2.5 million in 2023. Most travel from one developed nation to another, but the flow from developing to developed countries is growing rapidly. The reverse flow, from developed to developing countries, is on the rise, too. Today foreign students earn 30 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded in the United States and 38 percent of those in the United Kingdom. And the number crossing borders for undergraduate study is growing as well, to 8 percent of the undergraduates at America’s best institutions and 10 percent of all undergraduates in the U.K. In the United States, 20 percent of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born, and in China many newly hired faculty members at the top research universities received their graduate education abroad.
　　Universities are also encouraging students to spend some of their undergraduate years in another country. In Europe, more than 140,000 students participate in the Erasmus program each year, taking courses for credit in one of 2,200 participating institutions across the continent. And in the United States, institutions are helping place students in the summer internships (实习) abroad to prepare them for global careers. Yale and Harvard have led the way, offering every undergraduate at least one international study or internship opportunity—and providing the financial resources to make it possible.
　　Globalization is also reshaping the way research is done. One new trend involves sourcing portions of a research program to another country. Yale professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Tian Xu directs a research center focused on the genetics of human disease at Shanghai’s Fudan University, in collaboration with faculty colleagues from both schools. The Shanghai center has 95 employees and graduate students working in a 4,300-square-meter laboratory seminars with scientists from both campuses. The arrangement benefits both countries; Xu’s Yale lab is more productive, thanks to the lower costs of conducting research in China, and Chinese graduate students, postdoctors and faculty get on-the-job training from a world-class scientist and his U.S. team.
　　As a result of its strength in science, the United States has consistently led the world in the commercialization of major new technologies, from the mainframe computer and the integrated circuit of the 1960s to the Internet infrastructure (基础设施) and applications software of the 1990s. the link between university-based science and industrial application is often indirect but sometimes highly visible: Silicon Valley was intentionally created by Stanford University, and Route 128 outside Boston has long housed companies spun off from MIT and Harvard. Around the world, governments have encouraged copying of this model, perhaps most successfully in Cambridge, England, where Microsoft and scores of other leading software and biotechnology companies have set up shop around the university.
　　For all its success, the United States remains deeply hesitant about sustaining the research- university model. Most politicians recognize the link between investment in science and national economic strength, but support for research funding has been unsteady. The budget of the National Institutes of Health doubled between 1998 and 2023, but has risen more slowly than inflation since then. Support for the physical sciences and engineering barely kept pace with inflation during that same period. The attempt to make up lost ground is welcome, but the nation would be better served by steady, predictable increases in science funding at the rate of long-term GDP growth, which is on the order of inflation plus 3 percent per year.
　　American politicians have great difficult recognizing that admitting more foreign students can greatly promote the national interest by increasing international understanding. Adjusted for inflation, public funding for international exchanges and foreign-language study is well below the levels of 40 years ago, in the wake of September 11, changes in the visa process caused a dramatic decline in the number of foreign students seeking admission to U.S. universities, and a corresponding surge in enrollments in Australia, Singapore and the U.K. Objections from American university and the business leaders led to improvements in the process and reversal of the decline, but the United States is still seen by many as unwelcoming to international students.
　　Most Americans recognize that universities contribute to the nation’s well-being through their scientific research, but many fear that foreign students threaten American competitiveness by taking their knowledge and skills back home. They fail to grasp that welcoming foreign students to the United States has two important positive effects: first, the very best of them stay in the States and— like immigrants throughout history—strengthen the nation; and second, foreign students who study in the United States become ambassadors for many of its most cherished (珍视) values when they return home. Or at least they understand them better. In America as elsewhere, few instruments of foreign policy are as effective in promoting peace and stability as welcoming international university students.
　　注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。
　　1. From the first paragraph we know that present-day universities have become ________.
　　A) more popularized than ever before
　　B) in-service training organizations
　　C) a powerful force for global integration
　　D) more and more research-oriented
　　2. Over the past decades, the enrollment of overseas students has increased ________.
　　A) at an annual rate of 8 percent
　　B) at an annual rate of 3.9 percent
　　C) by 800,000
　　D) by 2.5 million
　　3. In the United States, how many of the newly hired professors in science and engineering are foreign-born?
　　A) 38%
　　B) 10%
　　C) 30%
　　D) 20%
　　4. How do Yale and Harvard prepare their undergraduates for global careers?
　　A) They give them chances for international study or internship.
　　B) They arrange for them to participate in the Erasmus program.
　　C) They offer them various courses in international politics.
　　D) They organize a series of seminars on world economy.
　　5. An example illustrating the general trend of universities’ globalization is ________.
　　A) Yale’s establishing branch campuses throughout the world
　　B) Yale’s student exchange program with European institutions
　　C) Yale’s helping Chinese universities to launch research projects
　　D) Yale’s collaboration with Fudan University on genetic research.
　　6. What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?
　　A) It is known to be the birthplace of Microsoft Company.
　　B) It was intentionally created by Stanford University.
　　C) It is where the Internet infrastructure was built up.
　　D) It houses many companies spun off from MIT and Harvard.
　　7. What is said about the U.S. federal funding for research?
　　A) It has increased by 3 percent.
　　B) It doubled between 1998 and 2023.
　　C) It has been unsteady for years.
　　D) It has been more than sufficient.
　　8. The dramatic decline in the enrollment of foreign students in the U.S. after September 11 was caused by ________.
　　9. Many Americans fear that American competitiveness may be threatened by foreign students who will ________.
　　10. The policy of welcoming foreign students can benefit the U.S. in that the very best of them will stay and ________.
　　Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)
　　Section A
　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be 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. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
　　11. A) She used to be in poor health.
　　B) She didn’t do well at high school.
　　C) She was popular among boys.
　　D) She was somewhat overweight.
　　12. A) At the airport.
　　B) At the hotel reception.
　　C) In a restaurant.
　　D) In a booking office.
　　13. A) Having confidence in her son.
　　B) Telling her son not to worry.
　　C) Teaching her son by herself.
　　D) Asking the teacher for extra help.
　　14. A) Have a short break.
　　B) Take two weeks off.
　　C) Go on vacation with the man.
　　D) Continue her work outdoors.
　　15. A) He is taking care of his twin brother.
　　B) He is worried about Rod’s health.
　　C) He has been in perfect condition.
　　D) He has been feeling ill all week.
　　16. A) She bought a new set of furniture from Italy last month.
　　B) She sold all her furniture before she moved house.
　　C) She plans to put all her old furniture in the basement.
　　D) She still keeps some old furniture in her new house.
　　17. A) The woman forgot leading the book to the man.
　　B) The woman doesn’t find the book useful any more.
　　C) The woman doesn’t seem to know what the book is about.
　　D) The woman wondered why the man didn’t return the book.
　　18. A) Most of the man’s friends are athletes.
　　B) The man doesn’t look like a sportsman.
　　C) Few people share the woman’s opinion.
　　D) The woman doubts the man’s athletic ability.
　　Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
　　19. A) She is afraid that she has lost it.
　　B) She is going to get it at the airport.
　　C) She has packed it in one of her bags.
　　D) she has probably left it in a taxi.
　　20. A) It will cost her a lot.
　　B) It will last one week.
　　C) It ends in winter.
　　D) It depends on the weather.
　　21. A) There is a lot of stuff to pack.
　　B) There might be a traffic jam.
　　C) The plane is taking off soon.
　　D) The taxi is waiting for them.
　　22. A) At home.
　　B) In the man’s car.
　　C) By the side of a taxi.
　　D) At the airport.
　　Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
　　23. A) She is thirsty for promotion.
　　B) She is tired of her present work.
　　C) She wants a much higher salary.
　　D) She wants to save travel expenses.
　　24. A) Language instructor.
　　B) Environmental engineer.
　　C) Translator.
　　D) Travel agent.
　　25. A) Devotion and work efficiency.
　　B) Lively personality and inquiring mind.
　　C) Communication skills and team spirit.
　　D) Education and experience.
　　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). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
　　Passage One
　　Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　26. A) They want children to keep them company.
　　B) They want to enrich their life experience.
　　C) They need looking after in their old age.
　　D) They care a lot about children.
　　27. A) Their birth parents often try to conceal their birth information.
　　B) They are usually adopted from distant places.
　　C) Their birth information is usually kept secret.
　　D) Their adoptive parents don’t want them to know their birth parents.
　　28. A) They do not want to hurt the feelings of their adoptive parents.
　　B) They have mixed feelings about finding their natural parents.
　　C) They generally hold bad feelings towards their birth parents.
　　D) They are fully aware of the expenses involved in the search.
　　29. A) Adoption has much to do with love.
　　B) Understanding is the key to successful adoption.
　　C) Most people prefer to adopt children from overseas.
　　D) Early adoption makes for closer parent-child relationship.
　　Passage Two
　　Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　30. A) He suffered from mental illness.
　　B) He bought The Washington Post.
　　C) He was once a reporter for a major newspaper.
　　D) He turned a failing newspaper into a success.
　　31. A) She committed suicide because of her mental disorder.
　　B) She got her first job as a teacher at the University of Chicago.
　　C) She was the first woman to lead a big U.S. publishing company.
　　D) She took over her father’s position when he died.
　　32. A) Katharine had exerted an important influence on the world.
　　B) People came to see the role of women in the business world.
　　C) American media would be quite different without Katharine.
　　D) Katharine played a major part in reshaping Americans’ mind.
　　Passage Three
　　Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　33. A) It’ll allow them to receive free medical treatment.
　　B) It’ll prevent the doctors from overcharging them.
　　C) It’ll enable them to enjoy the best medical care.
　　D) It’ll protect them from possible financial crises.
　　34. A) They may not be able to receive timely medical treatment.
　　B) They can only visit doctors who speak their native languages.
　　C) They have to go through very comp