2013年6月英语四级第三套真题及答案.doc

2013年 6月大学英语四级考试真题及答案详解 Total score: 710 Total time allowed: 125 minutes 特注： 2013年 6月大学四级考试采用多题多卷形式，本试卷含两套写作题，考生可以任选其一。 Part I Writing (多题多卷写作题 1) (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then express your views on the importance of doing small things before undertaking something big. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Part I Writing (多题多卷写作题 2) (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then express your views on the importance of reading literature. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage 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. Can Digital Textbook Truly Replace the Print Kind? The shortcomings of traditional print edition textbooks are obvious: For starters they’re heavy, with the average physics textbook weighing 3.6 pounds. They’re also expensive, especially when you factor in the average college student’s limited budget, typically costing hundreds of dollars every semester. But the worst part is that print version of textbooks are constantly undergoing revisions. Many professors require that their students use only the latest versions in the classroom, essentially rendering older texts unusable. For students, it means they’re basically stuck with a four pound paper-weight that they can’t sell back. Which is why digital textbooks, if they live up to their promise, could help ease many of these shortcomings. But till now, they’ve been something like a mirage（幻影）in the distance, more like a hazy（模糊的）dream than an actual reality. Imagine the promise: Carrying all your textbooks in a 1.3 pound iPad? It sounds almost too good to be true. But there are a few pilot schools already making the transition（过渡）over to digital books. Universities like Cornell and Brown have jumped onboard. And one medical program at the University of California, Irvine, gave their entire class iPads with which to download textbooks just last year. But not all were eager to jump aboard. “People were tired of using the iPad textbook besides using it for reading,” says Kalpit Shah, who will be going into his second year at Irvine’s medical program this fall. “They weren’t using it as a source of communication because they couldn’t read or write in it. So a third of the people in my program were using the iPad in class to take notes, the other third were using laptops and the last third were using paper and pencil.” The reason it hasn’t caught on yet, he tells me, is that the functionality of e-edition textbooks is incredibly limited, and some students just aren’t motivated to learn new study behavior. But a new application called Inkling might change all that. The company just released an updated version last week, and it’ll be utilized in over 50 undergraduate and graduate classrooms this coming school year. “Digital textbooks are not going to catch on,” says Inkling CEO Matt Maclnnis as he’s giving me a demo（演示）over coffee. “What I mean by that is the current perspective of the digital textbook is it’s an exact copy of the print book. There’s Course Smart, etc., these guys who take any image of the page and put it on a screen. If that’s how we’re defining digital textbooks, there’s no hope of that becoming a mainstream product.” He calls Inkling a platform for publishers to build rich multimedia content from the ground up, with a heavy emphasis on real-world functionality. The traditional textbook merely serves as a skeleton. At first glance Inkling is an impressive experience. After swiping（敲击）into the iPad app (应用软件 ), which you can get for free here, he opens up a few different types of textbooks. Up first is a chemistry book. The boot time is pretty fast, and he navigates through (浏览 ) a few chapters before swiping into a fully rendered 3D molecule that can be spun around to view its various building blocks. “Publishers give us all of the source media, artwork, videos,” he says, “We help them think through how to actually build something for this platform.” Next he pulls up a music composition textbook, complete with playable demos. It’s a learning experience that attacks you from multiple sensory directions. It’s clear why this would be something a music major would love. But the most exciting part about Inkling, to me, is its notation（批注）system. Here’s how it works! When you purchase a used print book, it comes with its previous owner’s highlights and notes in the margins. It uses the experience of someone who already went through the class to help improve your reading (how much you trust each notation is obviously up to you). But with lnkling, you can highlight a piece of content and make notes. Here’s where things get interesting, though: If a particularly important passage is highlighted by multiple lnkling users, that information is stored on the cloud and is available for anyone reading the same textbook to come across. That means users have access to notes from not only their classmates and Facebook friends, but anyone who purchased the book across the country. The best comments are then sorted democratically by a voting system, meaning that your social learning experience is shared with the best and brightest thinkers. As a bonus, professors can even chime in (插话 ) on discussions. They’ll be able to answer the questions of students who are in their class directly via the interactive book. Of course, Inkling addresses several of the other shortcomings in traditional print as well. Textbook versions are constanly updated, motivating publishers by minimizing production costs (the big ones like McGraw-Hill are already onboard). Furthermore, students will be able to purchase sections of the text instead of buying the whole thing, with individual chapters costing as little as $2.99. There are, however, challenges. “It takes efforts to build each book,” Maclnnis tells me. And it’s clear why. Each interactive textbook is a media-heavy experience built from the ground up, and you can tell that it takes a respectable amount of manpower to put together each one. For now the app is also iPad-exclusive, and though a few of these educational institutions are giving the hardware away for free, for other students who don’t have such a luxury it’s an added layer of cost — and an expensive one at that. But this much is clear. The traditional textbook model is and has been broken for quite some time. Whether digitally interactive ones like Inkling actually take off or not remains to be seen, and we probably won’t have a definite answer for the next few years. However the solution to any problem begins with a step in a direction. And at least for now, that hazy mirage in the distance? A little more tangible (可触摸的 ), a little less of a dream. 1. The biggest problem with traditional print textbooks is that _____. A) they are not reused once a new edition comes out B) they cost hundreds of dollars every semester C) they are too heavy to carry around D) they take a longer time to revise 2. What does the author say about digital textbooks? A) It’s not likely they will replace traditional textbooks. B) They haven’t fixed all the shortcomings of print books. C) Very few of them are available in the market. D) Many people still have difficulty using them. 3. According to Kalpit Shah, some students still use paper and pencil because _____. A) they find it troublesome to take notes with an iPad B) they are unwilling to change their study behavior C) they have get tired of reading on the iPad D) they are not used to reading on the screen 4. Inkling CEO Matt Maclnnis explains that the problem with Course Smart’s current digital textbooks is that _____. A) they have to be revised repeatedly B) they are inconvenient to use in class C) they are different from most mainstream products D) they are no more than print versions put on a screen 5. Matt Maclnnis describes the updated version of lnkling as _____. A) a good example of the mainstream products B) a marvelous product of many creative ideas C) a platform for building multimedia content D) a mere skeleton of traditional textbooks 6. The author is most excited about lnkling’s notation system because one can _____. A) share his learning experience with the best and brightest thinkers B) participate in discussions with classmates and Facebook friends C) vote for the best learners democratically D) store information on the cloud 7. One additional advantage of the interactive digital textbook is that _____. A) students can switch to different discussions at any point B) students can download relevant critical comments C) professors can join in students’ online discussions D) professors can give prompt feedback to students’ homework 8. One of the challenges to build an interactive digital textbook from the ground up is that is takes a great deal of _____. 9. One problem for students to replace traditional textbooks with interactive digital ones is the high ______ of the hardware. 10. According to the author, whether digital textbooks will catch on still _____. Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. 11. A) The woman is the manager's secretary. B) The man found himself in a wrong place. C) The man is the manager's business associate. D) The woman was putting up a sign on the wall. 12. A) He needs more time for the report. B) He needs help to interpret the data. C) He is sorry not to have helped the woman D) He does not have sufficient data to go on. 13. A) A friend from New York. B) A message from Tony. C) A postal delivery. D) A change in the weather. 14. A) She is not available until the end of next week. B) She is not a reliable source of information. C) She does not like taking exams. D) She does not like psychology. 15. A) He will help the woman carry the suitcase. B) The woman's watch is twenty minutes fast. C) The woman shouldn't make such a big fuss. D) There is no need for the woman to be in a hurry. 16. A) Mary is not so easygoing as her. B) Mary and she have a lot in common. C) She finds it hard to get along with Mary. D) She does not believe what her neighbors said. 17. A) At an information service. B) At a car wash point. C) At a repair shop. D) At a dry cleaner's. 18. A) The woman came to the concert at the man's request. B) The man is already fed up with playing the piano.. C) The piece of music the man played is very popular. D) The man's unique talents are the envy of many people. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 19. A) He has taught Spanish for a couple of years at a local school. B) He worked at the Brownstone Company for several years. C) He owned a small retail business in Michigan years ago. D) He has been working part-time in a school near Detroit. 20. A) He would rather get a less demanding job. B) He is eager to find a job with an increased salary. C) He likes to work in a company close to home. D) He prefers a full-time job with more responsibility. 21. A) Travel. B) Sports. C) Foreign languages. D) Computer games. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 22. A) When he is supposed to start work. B) What responsibilities he would have. C) When he will be informed about his application. D) What career opportunities her company can offer. 23. A) She is over 50. B) She is pregnant. C) She has just finished her project. D) She is a good saleswoman. 24. A) He works as a sales manager. B) He is the CEO of a giant company. C) He is good at business management. D) He takes good care of Lisa. 25. A) It is well positioned to compete with the giants. B) It produces goods popular among local people. C) It has been losing market share in recent years. D) It is in urgent need of further development. Section B Directions: In this section you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some 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 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage One Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard. 26. A) It is lined with tall trees. B) It was widened recently. C) It has high buildings on both sides. D) It used to be dirty and disorderly. 27. A) They repaved it with rocks. B) They built public restrooms on it. C) They beautified it with plants. D) They set up cooking facilities near it. 28. A) What makes life enjoyable. B) How to work with tools. C) What a community means. D) How to improve health. 29. A) They were obliged to fulfill the signed contract. B) They were encouraged by the city officials' praise. C) They wanted to prove they were as capable as boys. D) They derived happiness from the constructive work. Passage Two Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard. 30. A) The majority of them find it interesting. B) Many of them consider it boring and old-fashioned. C) The majority of them think it less important than computers. D) Few of them read more than ten books a year. 31. A) Mysteries and detective stories. B) Novels and stories. C) History and science books. D) Books on culture and tradition. 32. A) Listening to music. B) Watching TV. C) Reading magazines. D) Playing computer games. Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 33. A) Advice on the purcha