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1、2008年12月大学英语四级考试真题Part I Writing (30minutes) Limiting The Use of Disposable Plastic Bags 1.一次性塑料袋曾被广泛的使用2.造成的问题 3.限制使用的意义 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)Thats enough, kidsIt was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her two child
2、ren when a young boy, aged about four, approached her two-year-old son and pushed him to the ground.“Id watched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child hed shoved,” she says. “I went over to them, picked up my son, turned to the boy and said, firmly, No, we dont push,” What h
3、appened next was unexpected.“The boys mother ran toward me from across the park,” Stella says, “I thought she was coming over to apologize, but instead she started shouting at me for disciplining her child. All I did was let him know his behavior was unacceptable. Was I supposed to sit back while he
4、r kid did whatever he wanted, hurting other children in the process?”Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough. Dealing with other peoples children has become a minefield.In my house, jumping on the sofa is not allowed. In my sisters house its encouraged. For her, its about kids bei
5、ng kids: “If you cant do it at three, when can you do it?”Each of these philosophies is valid and, it has to be said, my son loves visiting his aunts house. But I find myself saying “no” a lot when her kids are over at mine. Thats OK between sisters but becomes dangerous territory when youre talking
6、 to the children of friends or acquaintances.“Kids arent all raised the same,” agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University. “But theres still an idea that theyre the property of the parent. We see our children as an extension of ourselves, so if youre saying that my child is behaving inappropr
7、iately, then thats somehow a criticism of me.”In those circumstances, its difficult to know whether to approach the child directly or the parent first. There are two schools of thought.“Id go to the child first,” says Andrew Fuller, author of Tricky Kids. “Usually a quiet reminder that we dont do th
8、at here is enough. Kids nave finely tuned antennae (直觉) for how to behave in different settings.”He points out bringing it up with the parent first may make them feel neglectful, which could cause problems. Of course, approaching the child first can bring its own headaches, too.This is why White rec
9、ommends that you approach the parents first. “Raise your concerns with the parents if theyre there and ask them to deal with it,” she says. Asked how to approach a parent in this situation, psychologist Meredith Fuller answers: “Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of the friendshi
10、p. Preface your remarks with something like: I know youll think Im silly but in my house I dont want”When it comes to situations where youre caring for another child, white is straightforward: “common sense must prevail. If things dont go well, then have a chat.”Therere a couple of new grey areas. P
11、hysical punishment, once accepted from any adult, is no longer appropriate. “Now you cant do it without feeling uneasy about it,” White says.Men might also feel uneasy about dealing with other peoples children. “Men feel nervous,” White says. “A new set of considerations has come to the fore as part
12、 of the debate about how we handle children.”For Andrew Fuller, the child-centric nature of our society has affected everyone: “ The rules are different now from when todays parents were growing up,” he says, “Adults are scared of saying: Dont swear, or asking a child to stand up on a bus. Theyre wo
13、rried that there will be conflict if they point these things out either from older children, or their parents.”He sees it as a loss of the sense of common public good and public courtesy (礼貌), and says that adults suffer form it as much as children.Meredith Fuller agrees: “A code of conduct is hard
14、to create when youre living in a world in which everyone is exhausted from overwork and lack of sleep, and a world in which nice people are perceived to finish last.”“Its about what Im doing and what I need,” Andrew Fuller says. “The days when a kid came home from school and said, “I got into troubl
15、e”. And dad said, you probably deserved it. Are over. Now the parents are charging up to the school to have a go at teachers.”This jumping to our childrens defense is part of what fuels the “walking on eggshells” feeling that surrounds our dealings with other peoples children. You know that if you r
16、emonstrate(劝诫) with the child, youre going to have to deal with the parent. its admirable to be protective of our kids, but is it good?“Children have to learn to negotiate the world on their own, within reasonable boundaries,” White says. “I suspect that its only certain sectors of the population do
17、ing the running to the school better educated parents are probably more likely to be too involved.”White believes our notions of a more child-centred society should be challenged. “ Today we have a situation where, in many families, both parents work, so the amount of time children get from parents
18、has diminished,” she says.“Also, sometimes when we talk about being child-centred, its a way of talking about treating our children like commodities(商品). Were centred on them but in ways that reflect positively on us. We treat them as objects whose appearance and achievements are something we can be
19、 proud of, rather than serve the best interests of the children.”One way over-worked, under-resourced parents show commitment to their children is to leap to their defence. Back at the park, Bianchis intervention(干预) on her sons behalf ended in an undignified exchange of insulting words with the oth
20、er boys mother.As Bianchi approached the park bench where shed been sitting, other mums came up to her and congratulated her on taking a stand. “Apparently the boy had a longstanding reputation for bad behaviour and his mum for even worse behaviour if he was challenged.”Andrew Fuller doesnt believe
21、that we should be afraid of dealing with other peoples kids. “look at kids that arent your own as a potential minefield,” he says. He recommends that we dont stay silent over inappropriate behaviour, particularly with regular visitors.1. What did Stella Bianchi expect the young boys mother to do whe
22、n she talked to him?A) Make an apology. B) Come over to intervene. C) Discipline her own boy. D) Take her own boy. away2. What does the author say about dealing with other peoples children?A) Its important not to hurt them in any way B) Its no use trying to stop their wrongdoingC) Its advisable to t
23、reat them as ones own kids D) Its possible for one to get into lots of trouble3. According to professor Naomi white of Monash university, when ones kids are criticized, their parents will probably fee l .A) discouraged B) hurt C) puzzled D) overwhelmed4. What should one do when seeing other peoples
24、kids misbehave according to Andrew fuller?A) Talk to them directly in a mild way B) Complain to their parents politelyC) Simply leave them alone D) Punish them lightly5. Due to the child-centric nature of our society, .A) parents are worried when their kids swear at them B) people think it improper
25、to criticize kids in publicC) people are reluctant to point our kids wrongdoings D) many conflicts arise between parents and their kids6. In a world where everyone is exhausted from over work and lack of sleep, _.A) its easy for people to become impatient B) its difficult to create a code of conduct
26、C) its important to be friendly to everybody D) its hard for people to admire each other7. How did people use to respond when their kids got into trouble at school?A) Theyd question the teachers B) Theyd charge up to the schoolC) Theyd tell the kids to clam down D) Theyd put the blame on their kids8
27、. Professor white believes that the notions of a more child-centred society should be _. 9. According to Professor White, todays parents treat their children as something they _.10. Andrew Fuller suggests that , when kids behave inappropriately, people should not _. Part III Listening Comprehension
28、(35 minutes)Section A11. A) Only true friendship can last long. B) Letter writing is going out of style.C) She keeps in regular touch with her classmates. D) She has lost contact with most of her old friends.12. A) A painter. C) A porter. B) A mechanic. D) A carpenter.13. A) Look for a place near he
29、r office. B) Find a new job down the street.C) Make inquiries elsewhere. D) Rent the $600 apartment.14.A) He prefers to wear jeans with a larger waist. B) He has been extremely busy recently. C) He has gained some weight lately. D) He enjoyed going shopping with Jane yesterday.15.A)The woman possess
30、es a natural talent for art. B) Women have a better artistic taste than men. C) He isnt good at abstract thinking. D) He doesnt like abstract paintings.16.A) She couldnt have left her notebook in the library. B) she may have put her notebook amid the journals. C) she should have made careful notes w
31、hile doing reading. D) she shouldnt have read his notes without his knowing it.17. A) she wants to get some sleep B) she needs time to write a paper C) she has a literature class to attend D) she is troubled by her sleep problem18.A) He is confident he will get the job. B) His chance of getting the
32、job is slim. C) It isnt easy to find a qualified sales manager. D) The interview didnt go as well as he expected.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19.A) He can manage his time more flexibly. B) He can renew contact with his old friends. C) He can concentrate on his
33、 own projects. D) He can learn to do administrative work.20.A) Reading its ads in the newspapers. B) Calling its personnel department. C) Contacting its manager. D) Searching its website.21.A) To cut down its production expenses. B) To solve the problem of staff shortage. C) To improve its administr
34、ative efficiency. D) To utilize its retired employees resources.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.22.A) Buy a tractor. B) Fix a house. C) See a piece of property. D) Sign a business contract.23.A) It is only forty miles from where they live. B) It is a small one wi
35、th a two-bedroom house. C) It was bought at a price lower than expected. D) It has a large garden with fresh vegetables.24.A) Growing potatoes will involve less labor. B) Its soil may not be very suitable for corn. C) It may not be big enough for raising corn. D) Raising potatoes will be more profit
36、able.25. A) Finances B) Labor C) Equipment. D) ProfitsSection BPassage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26 A) To introduce the chief of the citys police force B)To comment on a talk by a distinguished guest C) To address the issue of community security D)To explain
37、the functions of the city council27.A) He has distinguished himself in city management B) He is head of the International Police Force C) He completed his higher education abroad D) He holds a masters degree in criminology28 A) To coordinate work among police departments B) To get police officers cl
38、oser to the local people C) To help the residents in times of emergency D) To enable the police to take prompt action29 A) Popular B) Discouraging C) Effective D) ControversialPassage TwoQuestion 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30 A) People differ greatly in their ability to co
39、mmunicate B) There are numerous languages in existence C) Most public languages are inherently vague D) Big gaps exist between private and public languages31 A) It is a sign of human intelligence B) In improves with constant practice C) It is something we are born with D) It varies from person to pe
40、rson32 A) how private languages are developed B) how different languages are related C) how people create their languages D) how children learn to use languagePassage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33 A) she was a tailor B) she was an engineer C) she was an educ
41、ator D) she was a public speaker34.A) Basing them on science-fiction movies. B) Including interesting examples in themC) Adjusting them to different audiences D) Focusing on the latest progress in space science35.A) Whether spacemen carry weapons B) How spacesuits protect spacemenC) How NASA trains
42、its spacemen D) What spacemen cat and drinkSection CCrime is increasing worldwide. There is every reason to believe the (36)_will continue through the next few decades.Crime rates have always been high in multicultural, industrialized societies such as the United States, but a new (37)_has appeared
43、on the world (38)_-rapidly rising crime rates in nations that previously reported few (39)_. Street crimes such as robbery, rape (40)_, and auto theft are clearly rising, (41)_in eastern European countries such as Hungary and in western European nations such as the United Kingdom.What is driving thi
44、s crime (42)_? There are no simple answers. Still，there are certain conditions(43) _with rising crime increasing heterogeneity (混杂) of populations, greater cultural pluralism, higher immigration, democratization of government,(44) _. These conditions are increasingly observable around the world. For
45、 instance, cultures that were previously isolated and homogeneous(同种类的) ,such as Japan, Denmark and Greece (45)_. Multiculturalism can be a rewarding, enriching experience, but it can also lead to a clash of values. Heterogeneity in societies will be the rule in the twenty-first century, and (46)_. Part IV Reading Comprehension
