2024年2月16日发(作者：)

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题(第2套)

Part I

Writing

(30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay.

Suppose you have twooptions upon graduation: one is to take a job in a

company and the other to go to agraduate school. You are to make a choice

between the two. Write an essay to explain thereasons for your choice.

You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180words.

Part Ⅲ

Reading Comprehension

(40 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are

required to select one wordfor each blank from a list of choices given

in a word bank following the passage. Read thepassage through carefully

before making your choice in the bank isidentified by a

letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on AnswerSheet

2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words

in thebank more than once.

Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.

The ocean is heating up. That's the conclusion of a new study that finds

that Earth's oceans now26heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago.

Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 hastaken place since 1997,

researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.

Warming waters are known to27 to coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and they take

up more spacethan cooler waters, raising sea28While the top of the ocean

is well studied, its depths are moredifficult to 29The researchers

gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get abetter30

of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together

temperature readingscollected by everything from a 19th century31 of

British naval ships to modem automated oceanprobes. The extensive data

sources,32 with computer simulations ( 计算机模拟), created atimeline of

ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and

warming fromfossil fuel33

About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial

era now resides at a34 of more than 700 meters, the researchers found.

They say they're35whether the deep-seawarming canceled out warming at the

sea's surface.

A. absorb

B. Combined

C. Contribute

D. depth

E. emissions

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F. excursion

G. explore

H. floor

I. heights

J. indifferent

K. levels

L. mixed

M. picture

N. unsure

O. voyage

Section B

Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten

statements attached to it. Eachstatement contains information given in

one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom which the information

is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than paragraph is

marked with a the questions by marking thecorresponding

letter on Answer Sheet 2.

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

A) I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation--and how

people persevere aftersetbacks--as a psychology graduate student at Yale

University in the 1960s. Animal experiments bypsychologists at the

University of Pennsylvania had shown that after repeated failures, most

animalsconclude that a situation is hopeless and beyond their control.

After such an experience an animaloften remains passive even when it can

effect change--a state they called learned helplessness.

B) People can learn to be helpless, too. Why do some students give up when

they encounter difficulty,whereas others who are no more skilled continue

to strive and learn? One answer, I soondiscovered, lay in people's beliefs

about why they had failed.

C) In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability

depresses motivation more than doesthe belief that lack of effort is to

blame. When I told a group of school children who displayedhelpless

behavior that a lack of effort led to their mistakes in math, they learned

to keep tryingwhen the problems got tough. Another group of helpless

children who were simply rewarded fortheir success on easier problems did

not improve their ability to solve hard math problems. Theseexperiments

indicated that a focus on effort can help resolve helplessness and

generate success.

D) Later, I developed a broader theory of what separates the two general

classes of learners--helplessversus mastery-oriented. I realized these

different types of students not only explain their failuresdifferently,

but they also hold different "theories" of helpless ones

believeintelligence is a fixed characteristic: you have only a certain

amount, and that's that. I call this a"fixed mind-set (思维模式). "

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Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors toa

lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid

challenges because challengesmake mistakes more likely. The

mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence isnot

fixed and can be developed through education and hard work. Such children

believe challengesare energizing rather than intimidating (令人生畏);

they offer opportunities to learn. Studentswith such a growth mind-set

were destined (注定) for greater academic success and were quitelikely

to outperform their counterparts.

E) We validated these expectations in a study in which two other

psychologists and I monitored 373students for two years during the

transition to junior high school, when the work gets more difficultand

the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect

their math grades. At thebeginning of seventh grade, we assessed the

students' mind-sets by asking them to agree or disagreewith statements

such as "Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't

reallychange. " We then assessed their beliefs about other aspects of

learning and looked to see whathappened to their grades.

F) As predicted, the students with a growth mind-set felt that learning

was a more important goal thangetting good grades. In addition, they held

hard work in high regard. They understood that evengeniuses have to work

hard. Confronted by a setback such as a disappointing test grade,

studentswith a growth mind-set said they would study harder or try a

different strategy. The students whoheld a fixed mind-set, however, were

concerned about looking smart with less regard for had

negative views of effort, believing that having to work hard was a sign

of low thought that a person with talent or intelligence did

not need to work hard to do uting a bad grade to their own lack

of ability, those with a fixed mind-set said that they wouldstudy less

in the future, try never to take that subject again and consider cheating

on future tests.

G) Such different outlooks had a dramatic impact on performance. At the

start of junior high, the mathachievement test scores of the students with

a growth mind-set were comparable to those ofstudents who displayed a

fixed mind-set. But as the work became more difficult, the students witha

growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades

overtook those of theother students by the end of the first semester--and

the gap between the two groups continued towiden during the two years we

followed them.

H) A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the

workplace and discourage orignore constructive criticism and advice.

Research shows that managers who have a fixed mind-setare less likely to

seek or welcome feedback from their employees than are managers with a

growthmind-set.

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I) How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by

telling stories aboutachievements that result from hard work. For

instance, talking about mathematical geniuses whowere more or less born

that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of

greatmathematicians who fell in love with math and developed amazing

skills produce a growth mind-set.

J) In addition, parents and teachers can help children by providing

explicit instruction regarding themind as a learning machine. I designed

an eight-session workshop for 91 students whose mathgrades were declining

in their first year of junior -eight of the students

receivedinstruction in study skills only, whereas the others attended a

combination of study skills sessionsand classes in which they learned

about the growth mind-set and how to apply it to schoolwork. Inthe growth

mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled "You

Can Grow YourBrain. " They were taught that the brain is like a muscle

that gets stronger with use and thatlearning prompts the brain to grow

new connections. From such instruction, many students beganto see

themselves as agents of their own brain development. Despite being unaware

that there weretwo types of instruction, teachers reported significant

motivational changes in 27% of the childrenin the growth mind-set workshop

as compared with only 9% of students in the control group.

K) Research is converging (汇聚) on the conclusion that great

accomplishment and even genius istypically the result of years of passion

and dedication and not something that flows naturally from agift.

36. The author's experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set

believe having to work hard is an indication of low ability.

37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome

frustration and achieve success.

38. We can cultivate a growth mind-set in children by telling success

stories that emphasize hard work and love of learning.

39. Students' belief about the cause of their failure explains their

attitude toward setbacks.

40. In the author's experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed

greater perseverance in solving difficult math problems.

41. The author conducted an experiment to find out about the influence

of students' mind-sets on math learning.

42. After failing again and again, most animals give up hope.

43. Informing students about the brain as a learning machine is a good

strategy to enhance their motivation for learning.

44. People with a fixed mind-set believe that one's intelligence is

unchangeable.

45. In the workplace, feedback may not be so welcome to managers with a

fixed mind-set.

Section C

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Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed

by some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four

choices marked A., B., C. AndD . You should decide on the best choice and

mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through

the centre.

Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

"Sugar, alcohol and tobacco," economist Adam Smith once wrote," are

commodities which arenowhere necessaries of life, which have become

objects of almost universal consumption, and whichare, therefore,

extremely popular subjects of taxation. "

Two and a haft centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on

alcohol and tobacco. Withsurging obesity levels putting increasing strain

on public health systems, governments around the worldhave begun to toy

with the idea of taxing sugar as well.

Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of

Mexico's taxation found afall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a

rise in sales of untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast,a Danish tax

on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid

claims thatconsumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany

to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattierfare.

The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct

government eless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that

industry groups are under pressure todemonstrate their products are

healthy as well as tasty.

Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve

the quality of itsofferings. For example, some drink manufacturers have

cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.

Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either

by reducing the amount ofsugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding

an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, somecompanies have

been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to

adjust thefundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having

salt on the outside, but none on theinside, reduces the salt content

without changing the taste.

While reformulating recipes ( 配方) is one way to improve public health,

it should be part of amulti-sided approach. The key is to remember that

there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity,a mixture of

approaches--including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion

sizes--will beneeded. There is no silver bullet.

46. What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and .tobacco?

A. They were profitable to manufacture.

B. They were in ever-increasing demand.

C. They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.

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D. They were no longer considered necessities of life.

47. Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?

A. They are under growing pressure to balance their national budgets.

B. They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.

C. The practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular and

profitable.

D. The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in

generating profits.

48. What do we learn about Danish taxation on fat-rich foods?

A. It did not work out as well as was expected.

B. It gave rise to a lot of problems on the border.

C. It could not succeed without German cooperation.

D. It met with firm opposition from the food industry.

49. What is the more recent effort by food companies to make foods and

drinks both healthy and tasty?

A. Replacing sugar or salt with alternative ingredients.

B. Setting a limit on the amount of sugar or salt in their products.

C. Investing in research to find ways to adapt to consumers' needs.

D. Adjusting the physical composition of their products.

50. What does the author mean by saying, at the end of the passage, "There

is no silver bullet" ( Line 4, Para.7)?

A. There is no single easy quick solution to the problem.

B. There is no hope of success without public cooperation.

C. There is no hurry in finding ways to solve the obesity problem.D. There

is no effective way to reduce people's sugar consumption.

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models

eating tissues or cottonballs to hold off hunger, and models collapsing

from hunger-induced heart attacks just seconds afterthey step off the

runway.

Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades,

and two researchers saya model's body mass should be a workplace health

and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday inthe American Journal

of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case

forgovernment regulation of the fashion industry.

The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under

16--low enough toindicate starvation by the World Health Organization's

standard. And Record and Austin are worried notjust about the models

themselves, but about the vast number of girls and women their images

influence.

"Especially girls and teens," says Record. "Seventy percent of girls aged

10 to 18 report that theydefine perfect body image based on what they see

in magazines. " That's especially worrying, she says,given that anorexia

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(厌食症) results in more deaths than does any other mental illness,

according tothe National Institute of Mental Health.

It's commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like

lung disease in coalminers. Professional fashion models are particularly

vulnerable to eating disorders resulting fromoccupational demands to

maintain extreme thinness.

Record's suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI

below 18.

In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model's weight.

Agents and fashion houseswho hire models with a BMI under 18 could pay

$ 82,000 in fines and spend up to 6 months in ting the fashion

industry in the United States won't be easy, Record says. But with the

new rulesin France, U.S. support could make a difference. "A designer

can't survive without participating inParis Fashion Week", she says,

adding," Our argument is that the same would be true of New YorkFashion

Week. "

51. What do Record and Austin say about fashion models' body mass?

A. It has caused needless controversy.

B. It is but a matter of personal taste.

C. It is the focus of the modeling business.

D. It affects models' health and safety.

52. What are Record and Austin advocating in the Monday editorial?

A. A change in the public's view of female beauty.

B. Government legislation about models' weight.

C. Elimination of forced weight loss by models.

D. Prohibition of models eating non-food stuff.

53. Why are Record and Austin especially worried about the low body mass

index of models?

A. It contributes to many mental illnesses.

B. It defines the future of the fashion industry.

C. It has great influence on numerous girls and women.

D. It keeps many otherwise qualified women off the runway.

54. What do we learn about France's fashion industry?

A. It has difficulty hiring models.

B. It has now a new law to follow.

C. It allows girls under 18 on the runway.

D. It has overtaken that of the United States.

55. What does Record expect of New York Fashion Week?

A. It will create a completely new set of rules.

B. It will do better than Paris Fashion Week.

C. It will differ from Paris Fashion Week.

D. It will have models with a higher BMI.

Part Ⅳ

Translation

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( 30 minutes )

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a

passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer

Sheet 2.

在中国文化中，黄颜色是一种很重要的颜色，因为它具有独特的象征意义。在圭蝗(feudal)社会中，它象征统治者的权力和权威。那时，黄色是专为皇帝使用的颜色，皇家宫殿全都漆成黄色，皇袍总是黄色的，而普通老百姓是禁止穿黄色衣服的。在中国，黄色也是收获的象征。秋天庄稼成熟时，田野变得一片金黄。人们兴高采烈，庆祝丰收。

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案与详解

(第2套)

Part IWriting

范文点评

高分范文

Going to Graduate School Is a Better Choice

①If given two options after graduation, that is, totake a job in a company

or to go to a graduate school, I'dprefer the latter.

② First and foremost, it is widely acknowledged thata higher level of

education means better payments and moreopportunities in the future in

China. ③ Therefore, I thinkanother two or three years' investment in

graduate educationmust be worthwhile in the long run. ④ Secondly, I

lovemy major and have a strong desire to further my study soas to deeply

explore some academic issues in this field.⑤Finally, the job market for

undergraduate students is toocompetitive for average students like me to

find asatisfying job.⑥ Thus, it would be a better choice if Icould obtain

a master's degree.

⑦ Considering the three reasons listed above, I wouldchoose to go to

a graduate school after graduation to earn abetter future.

作文全文翻译

Part II Listening Comprehension

Section A

News Report one

Part ⅢReading Comprehension

Section A

阅读全文翻译

选项归类

名词：

深度，深厚；

ons排放；

ion远足，短途旅游；

地板，楼层；

s高度，高地；

水平面，水平；

e局面，图画；

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航行，航程

动词：

吸收，吸引……的注意；

ed使结合；

bute是(造成某情况)的一个原因，贡献；

e探索，探险；

使成水平，使平等；

使混合，混淆；

e想象，描述

形容词：

ed联合的；

erent漠不关心的；

混合的，混淆的；

不确定的，缺乏信心的

详解详析

26．。查看解析

27．bute。查看解析

28．。查看解析

29．e。查看解析

30．e。查看解析

31．。查看解析

32．ed。查看解析

33．ons。查看解析

34．。查看解析

35．。查看解析

阅读全文翻译

详解详析

36. F。查看解析

37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome

frustration and achieve success.

专注于努力在帮助孩子战胜挫折，获得成功方面是有效的=由题干中的Focusing

on effort和achieve success定位到原文画线处

该段第一句提到，比起归因于缺乏努力，把糟糕的表现归因于缺乏能力对积极性的打击更大。因此应该让孩子专注于付出努力会帮助他们勇敢地面对挫折，获得成功。题干二中的overcome frustration对应原文中的resolve helplessness，achieve对应generate，故答案为C。

38. I。查看解析

39. B。查看解析

40. In the author's experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed

greater perseverance in solving difficult math problems.

在作者的实验中，拥有成长思维模式的学生在解决数学难题时表现出更强大的毅力，

由题干中的greater perseverance和difficult定位到原文画线处。

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该段开头提到这两种不同看法或者说两种思维模式会对学生的学业表现产生重大影响，但这种影响并不会在一开始显现出来。当课程的难度逐渐增大时，拥有成长思维模式的学生会表现出更强大的毅力。题干中的perseverance对应原文中的persistence，题干是对原文的同义转述，故答案为G。

41. E。查看解析

42. After failing again and again, most animals give up hope.

在一次又一次的失败之后，大多数动物都会放弃希望。

由题干中的failing again and again和give up hope定位到原文画线处。

定位句指出宾夕法尼亚大学的心理学家们做的动物实验表明，大多数动物在遭遇多次失败之后，都会认为没有希望了，对于糟糕的情况它们束手无策，、题干中的failing again and again对应原文中的repeated failures：give up hope对应原文中的hopeless，故答案为A。

43. J。查看解析

44. D。查看解析

45. H。查看解析

Section C

Passage One

阅读全文翻译

详解详析

46．C。

47．B。

48．A。由题干中Danish taxation on fat-rich foods定位至第三段第三句：By contrast, a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after

its introduction, amid claims that consumers were avoiding it by crossing

the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper．fattier fare．

事实细节题。第三段讨论了糖、酒、烟税的有效性问题。墨西哥的酒税是有效的，但是丹麦征收的高脂肪食品税却在执行一年后就被废除了，因为消费者为避免纳税可以跨境去德国购买能满足其需求且更便宜、脂肪含量更高的食品。由此可知，A.“没有像预期的那样有效”符合原文意思，故本题答案为A。

B.“带来了许多边境问题”、C.“没有德国的合作不可能成功”在原文中均未提及，故均排除；D.“遇到了食品业的坚决反对”虽然符合第四段第一句的表述，但是第三段中并没有明确指出丹麦的政策是否遇到了抵制，故排除。

49．D。查看解析。50．A。查看解析

Passage Two

全文翻译

你可能听说过时尚行业的一些恐怖故事：模特们吃下纸巾或棉花球来抵抗饥饿，她们走下T台后不久就因饥饿导致的心脏病而倒下。

(51)几十年以来过瘦的模特一直是争论的焦点，两位研究者称模特的体重应该成为职场健康的安全问题。(52)在星期一发行的《美国公共健康杂志》上，凯瑟琳·雷科德和布瑞恩·奥斯汀阐述了政府加强时尚行业管理的理由。

国际T台模特的体重指数(BMI)平均不到l6——按照世界卫生组织的标准足以表明饥饿。(53)雷科德和奥斯汀担忧的不仅仅是模特本身，还有受模特形象影响的大量盘性。

“尤其是女孩和青少年。”雷科德说，“70％的l0～18岁女孩认为，她们根据在欢迎下载

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杂志上看到的来定义什么是完美体型。”雷科德说这尤其让人担心，因为根据国家精神健康研究院统计，厌食症导致的死亡人数比任何其他精神疾病都要多。

众所周知，某些疾病与职业相关，例如煤矿工人易得肺病。由于职业需要保持极瘦的体型，专业模特尤其易患饮食失调。

雷科德的建议是禁止模特代理公司雇佣体重指数低于l8的模特。

(54)四月份，法国通过了一项法律，给模特的体重规定了更低的限制。模特代理公司和时尚企业如果雇用体重指数低于l8的模特，要缴纳82000美元的罚款，入狱最高达6个月。雷科德说监管美国的时尚业并不轻松。但是随着法国通过了新法律，在美国的支持会大有不同。(55)她补充道，“如果不参加巴黎时尚周，一个设计师都无法生存。我们认为．纽约时尚周也应如此。”

详解详析

51．D。查看解析52．B。查看解析53．C。查看解析54．B。查看解析55．D。查看解析

Part IV

Translation

参考译文

In Chinese culture, yellow is a color occupying a fairly prominent

position, which is endowed with unique symbolic significance. In the

feudal society, yellow stands for the ruler's power and authority. At that

time,yellow was specially designed for the emperor, with the royal palace

painted yellow and the imperial robealways being yellow while the ordinary

people were never being permitted to wear yellow. In China, yellow is also

the symbol of harvest. When crops are ripening in the fall, farmers

celebrate the harvest in high spirits,with the fields taldng on a vast

expanse of golden appearance.

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