2007 年 12 月英语四级真题及答案
Part Ⅰ
Writing
(30 minutes)
注意:此部分试题在答题卡 1 上。
Part Ⅱ Rading comprehension (Skimming and scanning) (15minutes)
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passsage 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.
Univeraities Branch Out
As never before in their long story, 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 advantages. 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-consciousy 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 courses of study that address the challenges of an interconnected world
and collaborative
(合作的)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 3.0 percent, from 8000,000 in 1975
to 2.5 million in 2994. Most travel from one developed nation to another, but the
flow from developing to developed countries id 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 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, 2000 participating
institutions across the continent. And in the United States, institutions are
helping place students in 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 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 conducing from a
word-class scientist and his U.S. team.
As a result of its strength in science, the United States has consistently led
of the world in the world in the commercialization of major new technologies, from
the mainframe computer and 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 his 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 politician 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 2003,but has risen
more slowly than inflations 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 difficulty 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 Americans university and business leaders led to improvements in
the process and a 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 and like immigrants throughout
history-strength 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:此部分试题请在答题卡 1 上作答。
1.From the first paragraph we know that present –day universities have become
A.more and more research-oriented
B.in-service training organizations
C.more popularized than ever before
D.a powerful force for global integration
2.Over the past three decades, the enrollment of overseas students has increased
A.by2.5 million
B.by 800,000
C.at an annual rate of 3.9 percent
D.at an annual rate of 8 percent
3.In the United States,how many of the newly hired professors in science and
engineering are foreign-born?
A.10%
B.20%
C.30%
D.38%
4.How do Yale and Harvard prepare their undergraduates for global careers?
A.They organize a series of seminars on world economy
B.They offer them various courses in international politics
C.They arrange for them to participate in the Erasmus program
D.They give them chances for international study or internship
5.An example illustrating the general trend of universities’ globalization is
A.Yale’s collaboration with Fudan University on genetic research
B.Yale’s helping Chinese universities to launch research projects
C.Yale’s student exchange program with European institutions
D.Yale’s establishing branch campuses throughout the world
6.What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?
A.It houses many companies spun off from MIT and Harvard
B.It is known to be the birthplace of Microsoft Company
C.It was intentionally created by Stanford University
D.It is where the Internet infrastructure was built up
7.What is said about the U.S. federal funding for research?
A.It has increased by 3 percent
B.It has been unsteady for years
C.It has been more than sufficient
D.It doubled between 1998 and 2003
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 competiveness 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
Direction: In his section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long
conversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeasked
about what was said. both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only
once. After each question there will a pause. During the pause, you must read the
fourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmark
the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2 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.
C)
She
was
somewhat
overweight
B) She was popular among boys.
D) She didn’t do well at high
school.
12. A) At he airport.
C) In a booking office.
B) In a restaurant.
D) At the hotel reception.
13. A) Teaching her son by herself.
C) Asking the teacher for extra
help.
B) Having confidence in her son.
D) Telling her son not to
worry.
14. A) Have a short break.
C) Continue her work outdoors.
B) Take two weeks off.
D) Go on vacation with the man.
15. A) He is taking care of this twin brother.
C) He is worried about Rod’s
health.
C) He ha been feeling ill all week.
D) He has been in perfect
condition.
16. A) She sold all her furniture before she moved house.
B) She still keeps some old furniture in her new house.
C) She plans to put all her old furniture in the basement.
D) She brought a new set of furniture from Italy last month.
17. A) The woman wondered why the man didn’t return the book.
B) The woman doesn’t seem to know what the book is about.
C) The woman doesn’t find the book useful any more.
D) The woman forgot lending the book to the man.
18. A) Most of the man’s friends are athletes.
B) Few people share the woman’s opinion.
C) The man doesn’t look like a sportsman.
D) The woman doubts the man’s athletic ability.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have heard.
19. A) She has packed it in one of her bags.
B) She has probably left it in a taxi.
C) She id going to get it the airport.
D) She is afraid that she has lost it.
20) A) It ends in winter.
B) It will cost her a lot.
C) It will last one week.
D) It depends on the weather.
21. A) The plane is taking off soon.
B) There might be a traffic jam.
C) The taxi is waiting for them.
D) There is a lot of stuff to pack.
22. A) At home.
B) In the man’s car.
C) At the airport.
D) By the side of a taxi.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23. A) She is thirsty for promotion.
B) She wants a much higher salary.
C) She is tired of
her present work.
D) She wants to save travel expenses.
24. A) Translator.
B) Travel agent.
C) Language instructor.
D) Environment engineer.
25. A) Lively personality and inquiring mind.
B) Communication skills and team spirit.
C) Devotion and work efficiency.
D) Education and experience.
Section B
Directions: Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassage.Attheendofeachpassage,
youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswill
bespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestions.,youmustchoosethe
bestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmark
thecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethrough
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 care a lot about children.
B)They need looking after in their old age.
C)They want to enrich their life experience.
D)They want children to keep them company.
27. A. They are usually adopted from distant places.
B.Their birth infromation is usually kept secret.
C.Their birth parents often try to conceal their birth information.
D.Their adoptive parents don’t want them to know their birth parents.
28. A.They generally hold bad feelings towards their birth parents.
B.They do not want to hurt the feelings of their adoptive parents.
C.They have mixed feelings about finding their natural parents.
D.They are fully aware of
the expenses involved in the search.
29. A.Early adoption makes for closer parent-child relationship.
B.Most people prefer to adopt children from overseas.
C.Understanding is the key to successful adoption.
D.Adoption has much to do with love.
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 washing on post.
C.He turned a failing newspaper into a success.
D.He was once a reporter for a major newspaper.
31. A.She was the first woman to lead a big U.S.publishing company.
B.She got her first job as a teacher at the University of Chicago.
C.She committed suicide because of her mental disorder.
D.She took over her father’s
position when he died.
32. A.People came to see the role of women in the business world.
B.Katharine played a major part in reshaping Americans’mind.
C.American media would be quite different without Katharine.
D.Katharine had exerted an important influence on the world.
Passage Three
Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
33. A.It’ll enable them to enjoy the best medical care.
B.It’ll allow them to receive free medical theatment.