townhall2016年12月英语四级真题第一套+阅读部分详解

2021年1月9日发(作者：万里)
2016年12月英语四级真题（第一套）

Part I Writing (30minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you
are two options upon graduation: one is to take a job in a company and
the other to go to a graduate school. You are to make a choice between
the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should
write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)

Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news
report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report 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). Then
mark the corresponding letter on the Answer sheet1with a single line
through the centre.

Questions 1and 2 are based on the news report you have just the heard.

1. A) It was going to be renovated. C) It was dangerous to live in.
B) He could no longer pay the rent. D) He had sold it to the royal family.

2. A) A storm. C) A forest fire.
B) A strike. D) A Terrorist attack.

Questions 3and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.

3. A) They lost contact with the emergency department.
B) They were injured by suddenly falling rocks.
C) They sent calls for help via a portable radio.
D) They were trapped in an underground elevator.

4. A) They provided the miner with food and water.
B) They sent supplies to keep the miners warm.
C) They released the details of the accident.
D) They tried hard to repair the accident.

Question 5 to7 are based on the news report you have just heard.

5. A) Raise postage rates. C) Close some of its post offices.
B) Improve its services. D) Redesign delivery routes.

6. A) Closing offices on holidays. C) Computerizing mail sorting processes.
B) Shortening business hours. D) Stopping mail delivery on Saturdays.

7. A) A lot of controversy will arise
B) Taxpayers will be very pleased
C) Many people will begin to complain
D) Many post office staff will lose their jobs

Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each
conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the
questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must
choose the best answer from four choice marked A),B),C) and D).Then
mark the corresponding letter an Answer sheet 1 with a single line
though the centre.

Question8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

8. A)He will lose part of his pay. C)He will be given a warning.
B)He will go through retraining. D)He is go good terms with his workmates.

9. A)He is an experienced press operator. C)He is always on time.
B)He is trustworthy guy. D）He is go good terms with his workmates.

10. A) She is a trade union representative. C) She is better at handing such matters.
B) She is a senior manager of the shop. D) She is in charge of public relation.

11. A) He is always trying to stir up trouble.
B) He is skilled and experienced.
C) He is very close to the manager.
D) He is always complaining about low wages.

Question12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12. A) Open. C) Selfish.
B) Reserved. D) Friendly.

13. A) They read a book. C) They stay quiet.
B) They talk about the weather D) They chat with fellow passengers.

14. A) She was unwilling to make friends with workmates.
B) She was never invited to a colleague’s home.
C) She was eager to visit an English castle.
D) She was always treated as a foreigner.

15. A) House are much more quiet. C) They want a garden of their own.
B) They want to have more space. D) Houses provide more privacy.

Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage,
you will hear three or four 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 1 with a single line through the
centre.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16. A) They will automatically be given hiring priority.
B) They don’t have to go through job interviews.
C) They are likely to get much higher pay.
D) They don’t have much choice of jobs.

17. A) Visit the school careers services. C) Look at school bulletin boards.
B) Ask their professors for help. D) Go through campus newspapers.

18. A) Providing students with information about the library.
B) Helping students arrange appointments with librarians.
C) Supervising study spaces to ensure a quiet atmosphere.
D) Helping students find the books and journals they need.

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

19. A) It tastes better. C) It is easier to grow.
B) It may be sold at a higher price. D) It can better survive extreme weathers.

20. A) It can grow in drier soil. C) It will replace green tea one day.
B) It is immune to various diseases. D) It is healthier than green tea.

21. A) It does not have a stable market.
B) It has made tea farmers’ life easier.
C) It does not bring the promised health benefits.
D) It has been well received by many tea drinkers.

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

22. A) They care more about environment.
B) They decorate their homes themselves.
C) They prefer unique objects of high quality.
D) They need decorations to show their status.

23. A) They made great contributions to society.
B) They could only try to create at night.
C) They were proud of their creations.
D) They focused on the quality of their products.

24. A) Identify fake crafts. C) Design handicrafts themselves.
B) Make wise choices. D) Learn the importance of creation.

25. A) To attract foreign investments. C) To arouse public interest in crafts.
B) To preserve the traditional culture. D) To boost the local economy.


PARTⅢ Reading Comprehension (40 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. Please
mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a
single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the
bank more than once.

Many men and women have long bought into the idea that there are “male” and “female”
brains, believing that explains just about every difference between the sexes. A new study 26
[谓语动词，与questioning意义一致]that belief, questioning whether brains really can be
distinguished by gender.
In the study, Tel Aviv University researchers 27 [谓语动词，与for可以连用]for sex
differences throughout the entire human brain
And what did they find? Not much. Rather than offer evidence for 28 [非谓语动词，
v-ing,可以与as连用]brains as “male” or “female”, research shows that brains fall into a wide
range, with most people falling right in the middle.
Daphna Joel, who led the study, said her research found that while there are some
gender-based 29 , [前面是形容词，后面应该填写名词]many different types of brain can’t
always be distinguished by gender.
While the “average” male and “average” female brains were 30 [在be与形容词之间，可
能填副词或过去分词构成被动态]different, you couldn’t tell it by looking at individual brain
scans. Only a small 31 [根据意思，small后应该填写名词，“比例”或相近的意义]of people
had “all-male” or “all-female” characteristics.
Larry Cahill, an American neuroscientist (神经科学家), said the study is an important
addition to a growing body of research questioning 32 [动词后，名词前，应该填写形容词，
修饰名词]beliefs about gender and brain function. But he cautioned against concluding from this
study that all brains are the same, 33 [逆接，与of连用]of gender.
“There’s a mountain of evidence 34 [非谓语动词，后面有宾语，应该用v- ing,有“证明，
证实”等意义]the importance of sex influences at all levels of brain function ,” he told The Seattle
Times.
If anything, he said, the study 35 [谓语动词]that gender plays a very important role in
the brain—“even when we are not clear exactly how.”

A) abnormal I) regardless
B) applied J) searched
C) briefly K) similarities
D) categorizing L) slightly
E) challenges M) suggests
F) figure N) tastes
G) percentage O) traditional
、 H) proving


Section B
Directions: In this section, you are gonging to read a passage with ten statements
attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the
paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.
You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked
with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter
on Answer sheet 2.

Can Burglars Jam Your wireless Security System?

[A] Any product that promises to protect your home deserves careful examination. So it isn’t
surprising that you’ll find plenty of strong opinion about the potential vulnerabilities of
popular home-security systems.

[B] The most likely type of burglary(入室盗窃) by far is the unsophisticated crime of
opportunity,[40] usually involving a broken or some forced entry. According to the FBI,
crimes like these accounted for roughly two-thirds of all household burglaries in the US in
2003. The wide majority of the rest were illegal, unforced entries that resulted from something
like a window being left open. The FBI doesn’t even track those statistics.

[C] One of the main theoretical home-security concerns is whether or not a given system is
vulnerable to being blocked from working altogether. With wired setups, the fear is that a
burglar(入室盗窃）might be able to shut your system down simply by cutting the right cable.
With a wireless setup, you stick battery-powered sensor up around your home that keeps an