大学英语四级（2013年12月考试改革适用）模拟试卷325

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the following topic The Importance of Self-study. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. 1．结合社会实际 2．自学重要的原因。 3．给出自己的看法。

Digital textbooks are changing the way many students learn. All the Fairfax County Public Schools have begun using online course material for their middle- and high-school students. This school year, the schools changed from books to digital textbooks for social studies in its middle and high schools. The change came after digital books were used in 15 schools last year. “Our students come to us technologically ready to use resources from a variety of different places, “ says Assistant Superintendent Peter Noonan. “The world is changing consistently. The online textbooks can change right along with the events that are happening.“ There’s an important financial benefit as well. “Usually it is between $50 and $70 to buy a textbook for each student, “ Noonan says, “which adds up to roughly $8 million for all of our students. We actually have bought all of the online textbooks for our students for just under $6 million.“ 1. What is happening to the schools in Fairfax County this school year? 2. How much money have schools saved with digital textbooks? 15 schools have started social studies. 15 schools have used digital textbooks. Students are ready to use electronic resources. Digital textbooks are used for social studies.

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, the government agency that regulates civil aviation in the United States, announced new rules this month to fight pilot tiredness. The new guidelines, which will go into effect in two years, call for reducing the number of pilots’ on-duty hours and giving them a 10-hour rest period between shifts, so they can get at least 8 hours of sleep. The new rules apply to only pilots of passenger airlines. FAA determined that including pilots who fly cargo planes a large portion of the aviation industry would add too much to the cost of carrying out the changes. But the Independent Pilots Association has taken legal action asking the government to set one level of safety for all pilots. 3. What is the main purpose of the new rules? 4. Why was the Independent Pilots Association unhappy about the new rules? To reduce the number of pilots on duty. To prevent pilots from working overtime. To ensure an adequate amount of sleep. To fix the amount of work for each pilot.

Doctors for children from the U.S. University have taken a look at one measure of children’ s health in Egypt, the Philippines and India—the extent to which children suffer body punishment and abuse. The data shows interesting cultural differences about what seems to be acceptable when it comes to physically punishing children.“ Among the things we learned, for example, was that in India, slapping a child in the face or head is more common than spanking them, “ the researchers say. “And in Egypt, 25 percent of the mothers said that they had beaten their child up, which was defined as hitting them over and over again with a closed fist.“ “And then the other interesting things were, like the Philippines, the rate of telling people that evil spirits was going to get them, the kind of emotional, kind of threatening to lock them out of the home, was very high.“ However, despite the differences in punishment methods, some remarkable similarities have been found. For example, the education level of mothers impacted how often they use physical punishment. The more years of education, the lower the rate of serious physical punishment in kids. 5. In which way do parents usually punish their children in India? 6. In which country would parents often threaten to punish children by leaving them outside? 7. What is the main purpose of the study? Slapping their children in the face or head. Spanking. Beating their children with a closed fist. Threatening to lock their children outside.

M: We seem to be having this conversation over and over again. W: You’re right. M: Look, I know how you feel about my smoking. You don’t have to tell me every day. W: I’m sorry. I worry about you. Let’s be honest. There’s always going to be a reason. After you graduate, it’s going to be hard to find a job, then there will be the stress from just starting a job. M: OK, I get your point. It’ s just so hard. You don’ t really understand because you have never smoked. W: You need some help. Why don’t you go to a doctor? M: You mean a psychiatrist? W: No, I don’t. I mean a general practitioner. Maybe you can get a patch, or some pills. Well, I don’t know, something to help you with the withdrawal. M: Really, I believe I can quit on my own. But I’ll think about it. I will. W: All right. I won’ t mention it for a week. Then I want to know your decision. Because if you don’ t get some help, I need to rethink our plans. M: You mean you’ d break our engagement over this? I can’ t believe it! W: I don’t know. Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 8. What are the two speakers talking about? 9. What is the man’ s reason for not giving up smoking? 10. What suggestion does the woman give the man to give up his smoking? 11. What can we conclude from the end of the conversation? Giving up smoking. Birth control of the family. Plan for seeing a doctor. Arrangement for breaking engagement.

W: Hi, I’m new here, and I was wondering how I could get a library card. M: Well, if you are a regular student you can use your student I.D. card as a library card. If not, you would apply at the loan office. W: What exactly can I borrow? I mean, can I take anything out from the library? M: Well, you can borrow almost everything including books and multimedia materials. But you cannot take out any serial like journals and magazines, and you may not take out books or multimedia if they have a not-for-loan status. W: Can you tell me something about the recall system here? My friend tells me if a book gets recalled. You have to bring them back right away, is that true? M: Oh, certainly not right away, but you do have to take it back within seven days of the recall notice. The reason we have this system is because that sometimes students need certain material urgently. W: But what if you can’t contact me? M: If we cannot contact you by phone or by letter, we will contact the department that you are registered in and have a recall notice delivered to your teacher. W: The last question—how much are the fines, by any chance? M: Thirty cents a day. So, take care not to be late. W: I think I’m quite clear now. Thanks a lot! Bye. M: Bye. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 12. Where does the conversation most probably take place? 13. What does the borrower have to do if the book is recalled? 14. What will the library do if a student can’t receive a recall notice? 15. How many money a borrower will be fined if he returns the book late? At a bookstore. At a library. On the telephone. At the student center.

Were you the first or the last child in your family? Or were you a middle or an only child? Some people think it matters where you were born in your family. But there are different ideas about what birth order means. Some people say that oldest children are smart and strong-willed. They are very likely to be successful. The reason for this is simple. Parents have a lot of time for their first child: they give him or her a lot of attention. So this child is very likely to do well. An only child will succeed for the same reason. What happens to the other children in me family? Middle children don’t get so much attention, so they don’t feel that important. If a family has many children, the middle one sometimes gets lost in the crowd. The youngest child, though, often gets special treatment. He or she is the baby. Often this child grows up to be funny and charming. Do you believe these ideas of birth order too? A recent study saw things quite differently. The study found that first children believed in family rules. They didn’t take many chances in their lives. They usually followed orders. Rules didn’t mean as much to later children in the family. They went out and followed their own ideas. They took chances and they often did better in life. Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard. 16. According to common belief, in what way are the first child and the only child alike? 17. What do people usually say about middle children? 18. What do we learn about later children in a family from a recent study of birth order? They strongly believe in family rules. They are very likely to succeed in life. They tend to take responsibility for themselves. They are in the habit of obeying their parents.

Demography is not destiny. As the debate over aging gets under way around the world, it would be wise to keep that in mind. In the U.S., President George W. Bush is making reform of social security a key goal of his second administration. In Germany and most of Europe, there is angst over how to pay growing numbers of pensioners. In Asia, there is apprehension about aging populations in Japan and China. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, global aging was high on the agenda. The big fear is that aging populations will bankrupt governments, erode economic vitality, and even harm geopolitical strength. Such a fear is wildly exaggerated. The truth is that relatively small changes in the rates of growth for productivity and immigration can sharply reduce the impact of demographics on a country’s economy. Small extensions of the working life by two or three years can significantly reduce the huge expense of retirement. The real problem with aging is politics, not demographics. How do ethnically homogeneous countries such as Germany or Japan open themselves to immigrants? How do the French and Italians, who expect to retire in their fifties, accept years of additional work? How do Americans agree to cut or delay the benefits from Social Security and Medicare? Countries face difficult choices ahead as they navigate the aging of their populations. But there is nothing in their future to stop them from succeeding, except the lack of political will. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard. 19. What is the goal of George W. Bush’s reform of his second administration? 20. What is the problem of the growing numbers of the aging people? 21. What is the real problem with the aging? Economic growth. Reducing unemployment. Social security. How to pay growing numbers of pensioners.

Mathew lived in a big city, and always had his hair cut by the same hairdresser. Mathew went to him once a month. The hairdresser worked alone, but he always cut Mathew’ s hair exactly as Mathew liked it, and while he was doing it, the two men would talk about their favorite games or movies. But one day the old hairdresser said to him, “Mathew, I’m going to be sixty-five years old next month, so I’m going to retire. I’m going to sell my shop to a young man who wants to be a hairdresser.“ Mathew was very sad to hear this, because he enjoyed talking to the old man, and he was also worried that his hair would not be cut as well by the new gentleman. He went to the shop again next month, and the new man was there. He did a very bad job when he cut Mathew’ s hair. Next month, Mathew went into the shop again. The young man asked him how he would like his hair cut, and Mathew answered, “Please cut it very short on the right side, but leave it as it is on the left. It must cover my ear. On top, cut all the hair away in the middle, but leave a piece at the front which can hang down to my chin.“ The young man was very surprised when he heard this. “But sir, “ he said, “I can’t cut your hair like that!“?“Why not?“ Mathew asked. “That’ s how you cut it last time.“ Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard. 22. How often did Mathew go to the old hairdresser? 23. Whom did the old hairdresser work with? 24. Why was the old hairdresser going to sell his shop? 25. How did the new hairdresser cut Mathew’ s hair? Once a week. Twice a week. Once a month. Twice a month.

Walking, if you do it vigorously enough, is the overall best exercise for regular physical activity. It requires no equipment, everyone knows how to do it and it carries the【C1】______risk of injury. The human body is designed to walk. You can walk in parks or along a river or in your neighborhood. To get【C2】______benefit from walking, aim for 45 minutes a day, an average of five days a week. Strength training is another important【C3】______of physical activity. Its purpose is to build and【C4】______bone and muscle mass, both of which shrink with age. In general, you will want to do strength training two or three days a week,【C5】______recovery days between sessions. Finally, flexibility and balance training are【C6】______important as the body ages. Aches and pains are high on the list of complaints in old age. The result of constant muscle tension and stiffness of joints, many of them are【C7】______, and simple flexibility training can【C8】______these by making muscles stronger and keeping joints lubricated (润滑). Some of this you do whenever you stretch. If you watch dogs and cats, you’ll get an idea of how natural it is. The general【C9】______is simple: whenever the body has been in one position for a while, it is good to【C10】______stretch it in an opposite position. A) allowing B) avoidable C) briefly D) component E) determined F) helping G) increasingly H) lowest I) maintain J) maximum K) prevent L) principle M) provoke N) seriously O) topic

How to Buy Happiness? Tips on What to Look out for A) If you have a few extra bucks that you don’t need for necessities like rent or loan payments, consider shopping for happiness. B) From ancient philosophers to current experts in behavioral economics, people have been pondering the link between money and happiness. Among them is author Gretchen Rubin, who thinks about happiness for a living. She’ s written several books on happiness, including The Happiness Project and the forthcoming Outer Order, Inner Calm. C) She helped think through the question of whether you can use discretionary money to buy happiness. Short answer: Probably not. But you can definitely spend money to increase it. A lifetime happiness shopping list might go like this. Buy better relationships D) The key to happiness is how you deal with other humans. It’s a recurring theme. “So if you’re spending your money to broaden or deepen relationships, that’s a good way,“ Rubin says. Use discretionary money to attend a college reunion or a friend’ s destination wedding. A corollary, especially for younger adults: Buy a social life. Young adults often experience an intense period of socializing with friends, searching for life partners and networking for career opportunities— all potential sources of happiness. Maybe increase social bar-and-restaurant spending or pay for a dating app. Buy experiences E) The usual advice is “buy experiences, not things“, but that requires a deeper dive. “What I find is often the line between experiences and things is not that clear,“ Rubin says. A bicycle can provide an experience, and a new camera can preserve one. So buy experiences, especially with other people, but also think about buying material things that allow you to have experiences or enhance them. Buy solutions F) Also known as “throw money at the problem“ or “buy back time“. “One thing that makes people happier is to feel they have control over their time and they’re not doing boring chores,“ Rubin says. So that could mean paying someone else to do yardwork or using a full-service laundry. It’ s the balancing act of money versus time. If you have a little extra money—probably because you sold your time to an employer—buy back time by paying for convenience. Buy for your interests G) What represents a happy experience for one person is not necessarily the same for another. Someone who mostly dines out should probably not use discretionary money to buy a fancy set of kitchen knives. But someone who loves to cook? Maybe so. Rubin reminds us, “Beautiful tools make work a joy.“ Buy discipline H) Want to improve your diet or fitness but have trouble summoning motivation? Use your money. That might mean choosing a pricier gym that’ s more convenient or even hiring a personal trainer to add accountability. At the supermarket, it could mean buying healthy foods that are more convenient, like bagged salad. “If you can make it slightly easier to get yourself to do something you want to do, that’ s a good way to spend your money,“ Rubin says. Buy stress relief I) Is there a simple fix for recurring arguments or sources of stress, especially with a significant other? If you argue about a messy home, can you afford maid service? Or, can you afford not to get maid service? “The question is always, ’Is it cheaper than marriage counseling?’“ Rubin quips. Buy money peace J) “One of the greatest luxuries money can buy is the freedom not to think about money,“ Rubin says. “Financial security is something that really contributes to people’s happiness.“ Paying off debt is a good idea, and building an emergency fund is an especially good one. It provides cash for not only real emergencies, like a car repair, but all those emergencies in our heads that never happen but keep us up at night because they might. Happiness is silencing the haunting “what-if “ voices. “The freedom from worry is a big boost to happiness,“ she says. Buy wiggle room K) If you have extra cash, use it to allow yourself to be sloppy without consequence. It could be as simple as buying a few extra pairs of underwear so you’re not pressed to do laundry every seven days. Buy a do-gooder high L) Be charitable. “Contributing to others is a great way to support the causes you believe in and put your values into the world,“ Rubin says. If you add a few of these purchases to your life’s shopping cart, chances are you’ll be happier when you check out.

Over the past decade, the environmental movement has exploded onto the mind of mainstream consumers, a fact not lost on marketers and advertisers. Green advertising started in the mid-1980s when issues of the environment muscled their way to the forefront of marketing. Advertisers saw the consumer desire for environmentally safe products and tried to meet the demand as quickly as possible. Not surprisingly, this first wave suffered from rough and poorly conceived marketing efforts. Many advertisers embraced a genuine concern for the environment. But consumers realized that some companies made false claims and exploited the movement, using such nebulous(模糊的)terms as “environmentally friendly“ and “green.“ Consumers grew wary of environmental appeals, and advertisers reacted by reducing its emphasis. To avoid future trouble, many companies waited for state and federal governments to define terms and provide legal guidelines, which paved the road to a second wave. In 1992 the Federal Trade Commission established guidelines for green marketing, followed shortly by state governments. California passed particularly strict laws, setting definitions for terms like “ozone friendly, “ “biodegradable, “ and “recycled.“According to the state’s court, “California seeks to guard against potentially specious: claims or ecological puffery(吹捧)about products with minimal environmental attributes. “Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Washington soon followed the Golden State’ s lead. The rigid regulations have left a number of advertisers confused and frustrated, although some feel that environmental claims have already peaked and are on their way out. Some believe that we’ ve now entered green advertising’ s third wave, where environmental concern is now part of the mainstream.

A proverb allegedly from ancient China was widely spread in the West: “If you want to be happy for a few hours, go to get drunk: if you want a lifetime happiness, take up gardening.“ The reason for the last option is this: Gardening is not only useful, but it helps you to identify yourself with nature, and thus brings you new joy each day besides improving your health. A research of a US university that I’ve read gives a definition of happiness as what makes a person feel comfortably pleased. To put it specifically, happiness is an active state of mind where one thinks one’ s life is meaningful, satisfactory and comfortable. This should be something lasting rather than transitory. Lots of people regard it the happiest to be at leisure. But according to a study, it is not a person with plenty of leisure but one at work that feels happy, especially those busy with work having little time for leisure. Happiness does not spell gains one is after but a desire to harvest what one is seeking for. People often do not cherish what they already have but yearn for what they cannot get. That is somewhat like a man indulging in fond dreams of numerous lovers while reluctant to settle down with the woman beside him. Happiness is a game balancing between two ends—what one has and what one wishes for, e.g. one’ s dream and the possibility to realize it. The study comes to this conclusion: A happy man is one who aims high but never forgets his actual situation: one who meets challenges that tap his ability and potentiality: one who is proud of his achievements and the recognition given to him. He has self-respect and self-confidence: treasures his own identity and loves freedom. He is sociable and enjoys wide-range communication with others: he is helpful and ready to accept assistance. He knows he is able to endure sufferings and frustrations: he is sensible enough to get fun from daily chores. He is a man capable of love and passion.

网上购物是中国近几年日益流行的新型购物方式。人们在购物网站搜索自己想要的物品，在网上发出电子订单并付款。卖家通过快递公司送货上门。网上购物的主要人群最初是大学生和白领，现在大多数网民都有过网购的经历。过去十年，购物网站的数量也有大幅增加，所售商品日益丰富。有人认为方便和低价是网上购物迅速发展的重要因