2013年12月英语四级真题题目试题答案解析 答题技巧Microsoft Wor

2013年12月英语四级答案

范文：

It is frequently observed that many people keep looking down at their mobile phones whatever they are doing. It is true that mobile phones have brought great convenience to us as we can send short messages, check e-mails, surf the Internet, or watch videos almost anywhere. Howe ver, the overuse of mobile phones also leads to some serious problems.

The over-dependence on mobile phones can harm the relationship among friends and family. With mobile phones, people do not talk as much as before. For example, sometimes at dinner tables, ins tead of chatting and laughing with each other, many people choose to chat with other friends onlin e. In other words, mobile phones help people contacting friends far away more easily at the expens e of reducing the communication with those who are sitting right next to them.

In conclusion, mobile phone can be a useful tool in modern life, but overusing it damages interper sonal relationship. There is no point to lose our int 点评：

本题漫画探讨手机的广泛使用对人们生活的影响。话题贴近日常生活，难度中等。题目要求简述手机在人们生活中越来越重要的角色，并解释过度使用手机可能带来的后果。

考生主要可以从以下几个角度思考： 1. 对健康的危害； 2. 对人际关系的负面影响； 3. 对个人学习、发展的阻碍 aware that things we do this way, they do that way

四级听力短对话

Question 1

M: After high school, I’d like to go to college and major in business administration.

W: But I’d rather spend my college days finding out how children learn.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

Question 2

W: Is everything ready for the conference?

M: The only thing left to do is set up the microphones and speakers. They'll be here in a few minutes. Q: What preparations have yet to be made?

Question 3

W: Is it almost time to go home now? I'm so tired. I can hardly see straight.

M: Just a few more minutes, then we can go.

Q: What is the woman’s problem?

Question 4

W: I'm not sure what I’m in a mood for. Ice-cream or sandwiches? They are both really good here. M: The movie starts in an hour. And we still have to get there and park. So just make a decision.

Q: What does the man mean?

Question 5

W: Tom said he would come to repair our solar heater when he has time.

M: He often says he is willing to help, but he never seems to have time.

Q: What does the man imply about T om?

Question 6

W: So you know that Sam turns down the job offered by the travel agency.

M: Yes. The hours were convenient. But if he had accepted it, he wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

Question 7

M: Could you tell me a bit about the business your company is doing?

W: We mainly deal with large volume buyers from western countries and our products have been well received.

Q: What business is the woman’s company doing?

Question 8

W: Yesterday I made reservations for my trip to Miami next month.

M: You must really be looking forward to it. You haven’t had any time off for at least two years.

Q: What is the woman going to do?

【答案】

1.D The woman is going to major in child education.

2.B The sound equipment has to be set up.

3.A She is exhausted.

4.C The woman should order her food quickly.

5. B He doesn’t keep his promises.

6.C The pay offer by the travel agency is too low.

7.A International trade.

8.D T ake a vacation.

【点评】

本次四级短对话无论从对话内容还是从题目本身来看，整体难度相对简单，和往年该部分相类似，话题覆盖日常生活（生活琐事、看电影、旅游等）、校园生活、商务工作（会议、求职等）。例如，对话2、6、7均涉及商务工作话题；对话3、4、5、8均涉及日常生活话题；对话1则为校园生活话题。主要考查事实细节和推理判断，其中，事实细节题比重相对较大，这对于广大考生来说是有利的。主要难词生词有：solar heater“太阳能热水器”，travel agency“旅行社”，make ends meet“收支相抵”，make reservations for“预订，预约”，what I'm in a mood for“我想吃什么”等，理解好生难单词对整个听力内容的把握大有裨益，所以考生平时应多积累一些词汇和常用表达。

：长对话1

学也可以研究一下考题。希望大家四级考试顺利通过。

【四级听力长对话原文1】

M: Excuse me, I need some information about some of the towns near here.

W: What would you like to know?

M: Well, first, I'd like directions to go to Norwalk. I believe there is an interesting museum there. It isn't far, is it?

W: No, not at all. Norwalk is about eighteen miles east of here on Route 7. And you're right. It's a wonderful little museum.

M: Oh good. Now what about Amitsville? I have some friends. I'd like to visit there and I also want to get to Newton. They are near each other, aren't they?

W: Hmm... well, they are actually in opposite directions. Amitsville is northeast. It's about thirty five miles northeast of here.

M: Huh-uh, thirty five miles northeast. And how about Newton?

W: Well, Newton is in the other direction. It's southwest, so it isn't really very close to Amitsville at all and it's a long drive. It's about fifty five miles southwest from here and the road is not at all straight.

M: Fifty five miles southwest! Well, maybe I won't go there this time.

W: I'd recommend visiting Westfield or Great Town. They are both very close. Westfield is just seven miles west of here and Great T own is about five miles south. They are really pretty little towns with lots of old houses and beautiful tree-lined streets.

M: I see. Seven miles west to Westfield and five miles south to Great Town. Good. Well, I think that's all the information I need for a while. Thank you. You've been very helpful.

W: You're welcome, sir. I hope you enjoy your stay.

Q9: What does the man know about Norwalk?

Q10: What does the woman say about Amitsville and Newton?

Q11: What do we learn about Westfield and Great T own?

【答案】

9. B) It has an interesting museum.

10. A) They are in opposite directions.

11. C) They have lots of old houses.

【点评】

该对话属于比较常见“问路”话题。因此考生在考试中听到开头一两句之后可以在草稿纸上画一个东西南北的方位箭头图，中心点是男士所在的地方。这样听到后面介绍其它景点时，可以立刻在相应方位把地名缩写和距离数字很快记下。避免听到很多不同地名和数字时候头脑一片混乱。

三个问题都是考查事实细节。但没有考查Norwalk，Amitsville and Newton，Westfield and Great Town这几个地方的具体距离及位置，因此题目比较容易。因此该话题备考一方面有意识记下数字和方位以防万一考查具体点，另一方面要注意理解对话的中出现的一些中心句。如“…they are actually in opposite directions.”

【长对话2原文】

M: Err... Sandra, I've finished with Mr. Gartner now. Do you think you could pop through in bringing me up-to-date on their arrangements for the Italian trip?

W: Certainly, Mr. Wilkinson. I'll bring everything with me.

M: Right, take a seat. Now my first meeting is when?

W: Your first meeting is on Monday the 21st at 9a.m. with Dr. Gucci of Bancos en Piedra in Milan.

M: OK, so can I fly out early Monday morning?

W: Well, there is a flight to Lenarty Airport which leaves at six thirty London time and gets in at eight thirty Italian time.

M: Yeah, but that only leaves me thirty minutes to clear customs in getting to the city center and it means I have to check in by five thirty, which means leaving home at about four fifteen.

W: I'm afraid so.

M: Hmm... not so keen on that. What's the program for the rest of that day?

W: It's quite full, I'm afraid. At eleven, you're seeing Gianni Riva at Megastar and then you'll have a lunch engagement with Gavin from the Chamber of Commerce at one.

M: Where's that?

W: You're meeting him at his office and then he's taking you somewhere.

M: Good, that sounds fine. What about the afternoon?

W: Well, at three thirty, you're seeing our sales representative there and then you're free till evening.

M: I see. I seem to remember that I'm having a dinner with someone from Bergamo.

W: That's right. And Mr. Betty from SAP Industries at eight.

Q12: What would the man like the woman to do?

Q13: At what time is Mr. Wilkinson going to leave home for the airport?

Q14: Who is Mr. Wilkinson going to have a lunch with on Monday?

Q15: What is most probably the woman's job?

【答案】

12. B) Inform him of the arrangements for his trip in Italy.

13. D) About 4:15.

14. D) Gavin from the Chamber of Commerce.

15. C) Secretary.

【点评】

该对话属于商务场合老板与秘书间有关“日程安排”常见的对话。抓住这一主题，第一题和第四题的答案就显而易见了。同时对于对话中何时何地与何人的相关日程要多加留意，第二题和第三题分别考查了时间和人物的细节题。因此预测可能出现较多时间和人物的话题，注意可以随手简单记一下。对于人名拼写不要纠结，首字母缩写自己能辨认即可

短文1

Part III Listening Comprehension

Passage 1

Donna Fredrick’s served with the Peace Corps for two years in Brazil. She joined the Peace Corps after she graduated from the college because she wanted to do something to help other people. She had been brought up on a farm, so the Peace Corps assigned her to an agricultural project. Before she went to Brazil, she studied Portuguese for three months. She also learnt a great deal about its history and culture. During her two years with the Peace Corps, Donna lived in a village in northeast Brazil. That part of Brazil is very dry and farming is often difficult there. Donna helped the people of the village to organise an irrigation project, and she also advised them on planting crops that didn’t require much water. When Donna returned to the States, she couldn’t settle down. She tried several jobs, but they seemed very boring to her. She couldn’t get Brazil out of her mind. Finally, one day she got on a plane and went back to Brazil. She wasn’t sure what she’s going to do. She just wanted to be there. After a few weeks,

Donna found a job as an English teacher, teaching five classes a day. Like most of the teachers, she doesn’t make much money. She shares a small apartment with another teacher. And she makes a little extra money by sending stories to newspapers in the States. Eventually she wants to quit teaching and work as a full-time journalist.

Question 16

Why did Donna join the Peace Corps after she graduated from college?

Question 17

What was Donna assigned to do in Brazil?

Question 18

Why did Donna go back to Brazil once again?

Question 19

How did Donna make extra money to support herself?

答案：

16. A She had a desire to help others.

17. B Work on an agricultural project.

18. D She could not get the country out of her mind.

19. B By writing stories for American newspaper.

【点评】

本篇短文主要讲述了Donna Fredrick的职业发展，大学毕业之后加入和平队（the Peace Corps），参加农业项目，两年的时间她住在巴西的东北部，开展灌溉项目，帮助当地居民种植无需很多水的农作物。回到美国之后尝试了几个工作，但仍心心念念巴西。最终回到巴西任英语老师，同时兼职给美国报纸写文章，来赚取额外的生活费。最后Donna 想辞去教师工作专心做全职记者。

本篇文章基本上没有生僻的词汇，以叙述为主；不知道Peace Corps的意思不会影响做题，只需将其定义为一个组织名，中间涉及的Brazil，Portuguese也都是大家较熟悉的单词。四个题目都是考查考生对事实细节的抓取能力。

Passage 2

Results of a recent Harry’s poll on free time showed that the average work week for many Americans is 50 hours. With the time spent eating, sleeping and taking care of the household duties, there’s little time left for leisure activities for many Americans. However, having free time to relax and pursue hobbies is important. People need time away from the pressures of study or work to relax and enjoy time with friends and family. In different countries free time is spent in different ways. The results of a Harry’s poll showed that reading was the most popular spare time activity in the US. This was followed by watching TV. In a UK survey on leisure time activities, watching TV and videos was the most popular. Listening to the radio came second. In a similar survey conducted in Japan, the most popular free time activity was eating out. The second most popular activity was driving. There were also differences in the most popular outdoor pursuits between the three countries. The most popular outdoor activity for Americans was gardening. In the UK, it was going to the pub. In Japan, going to bars ranked eighth in popularity and gardening ranked ninth. Although people around the world may enjoy doing similar things in their free time, there’s evidence to suggest that these interests are changing. In the US, for example, the popularity of computer activities is increasing. Many more people in the States are spending their free time surfing the web, emailing friends or playing games online.

Question 20

What is the recent Harry's poll about?

Question 21

What was the most popular leisure activity in the US?

Question 22

What was the most popular outdoor pursuit in the UK?

答案：

20. C Time spent on leisure activities.

21. A Reading.

22. C Going to the pub.

短文3

以下为2013年12月大学英语四级考试听力短文3答案，由沪江网校提供，考完试的同学可以看一下，备考的同学也可以研究一下考题。希望大家四级考试顺利通过。

On March 13th, while on duty Charles Mclaughlin, a very careless driver employed by the company

Lummis was involved in another accident. The accident occurred in Riverside California. Not paying attention to his driving, Mclaughlin turned right on main street and 33rd street and hit Volkswagen rabbit. This caused minor damage to his truck and serious damage to the car. On the basis of the police report, the Lummis accident committee correctly determined that Mclaughlin had been quite careless. As a result of the committee’s conclusion, the branch manager Mr. David Rossi reported that he had talked with Mclaughlin about his extremely poor driving record. Further evidence of Mclaughlin's irresponsibility occurred on May 6th when he was returning from his shift. That day he ran into a roll-up door at the Lummis facility in Valero, causing significant damage to the door. Damage to the truck, however, was minor. Finally, on June 7th, Mclaughlin once again demonstrated his carelessness by knocking down several mail boxes near the edge of the company’s parking lot. There was damage to the mailboxes and minor damage to the truck. Mr. David Rossi stated that he had spoken with Mclaughlin on several occasions about his driving record. He added that he had warned Mclaughlin that three preventable accidents in one year could lead to his discharge, as indeed it should.

23. What did the Lummis accident committee find out about the accident that occurred on March 13th?

24. What did Mclaughlin do on June 7th near the edge of the company’s parking lot?

25. What is most probably going to happen to Mclaughlin?

23. 答案：D) Mclaughlin's carelessness resulted in the collision.

24. 答案：B) He knocked down several mailboxes.

25. 答案：A) He will lose his job.

【点评】

本篇短文主要讲了Charles Mclaughlin一年之内因粗心大意所发生的三次交通事故。

第一次：时间：3月13日；经过：Mclaughlin驾驶货车在主大街第33大街向右拐弯撞上一辆小轿车。原因：Mclaughlin 粗心大意；造成的后果：卡车轻微受损，小轿车严重损坏；

第二次：时间：5月6日；经过：Mclaughlin在换班的时候驾驶货车撞到一个卷帘门；原因：Mclaughlin不负责任，粗心；造成的后果：卷帘门严重损坏，卡车受损；

第三次：时间：6月7日；经过：Mclaughlin驾驶货车在公司停车场附近撞翻了几个邮筒；原因：Mclaughlin粗心大意；造成的后果：邮筒严重受损，卡车轻微受损。

本篇文章是听力第三篇短文，难度不大。文章虽然出现了一些人名和地名，但是同学们不需要知道它们是什么意思，人名地名不会作为考察点放在题目中，同学们需要重点分辨的是这三次事故发生的时间，题目重点考察同学对短文信息细节的抓取能力。但是其中有几个短语和单词需要关注一下：pay attention to 注意；重视；run into 撞上；撞到；roll-up

door 卷帘门；knock down 撞翻；parking lot 停车场；mailbox 邮箱，邮筒；preventable 可预防的；as的用法。理解了这些词的意思，对本篇听力的整体理解基本就没有什么障碍了。

听力填空

When Captain Cook asked the chiefs in Tahiti why they always ate (26)apart and alone, they repl ied, "Because it is right." If we ask Americans why they eat with knives and forks, or why their men wear pants (27)instead of skirts or why they may be married to only one person at a time, w e are likely to get (28)similar and very uninformative answers: "Because it's right." "Because that 's the way it's done." "Because it's the(29) custom." Or even "I don't know." The reason for these and countless other patterns of social behavior is that they are(30) controlled by social norms –shared rules or guidelines which prescribe the behavior that is appropriate in a given situation. N orms (31)define how people "ought to" behave under particular circumstances in a particular soci ety.We conform (遵守) to norms so readily that we are hardly aware they (32)exist. In fact we are much more likely t o notice (33)departuresfrom norms than conformity to them. You would not be surprised if a stra nger tried to shake hands when you were introduced, but you might be a little (34)startled if they bowed, started to stroke you or kissed you on both (35)cheeks. Yet each of these other forms of g reeting is appropriate in other parts of the world. When we visit another society whose norms are different, we quickly become

Part III Reading Comprehension (40 mi nutes) Section A

To get a sense of how women have progressed in science take a quick tour of the physics departme nt at the University of California Berkeley.This is a storied place the 36 of some of the most impor tant discoveries in modern science-starting with Ernest Lawrence's invention of the cvclotron(回旋加速器)in 1931.A generation ago female faces were 37 and.even today,visitors walking through the firs t floor of LeConte Hall will See a full corridor of exhibits 38 the many distinguished physicists wh o made history here, 39 all of there white males

But climb up to the third floor and you'll see a 40 display.There,among the photos of current facnlt y members and students are portraits of the 41 head of the department,Marjorie Shapiro and four o ther women whose reseaich 42 everything from the mecheanics of the universe to the smallest part icles of matter.A sixth woman was hired just two weeks ago.Although they're Still only about 10 p ercent of the physics faculty,women are clearly a presence here.And the real 43 may be in the smal ler photos to the right graduate and undergraduate students about 20 percent of them female.Ever y years Berkeley sends its fresh female physics PhDs to the country's top universities.That makes

Shapiro optimistic but also 44 "I believe things are getting bette "she says "but they're not getting better as 45 as i would like."

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答 A)circumstance B)confidence C)covers D)current E)deals F)different G)exposing H)fast I)hono ring J)hope K)presently L)rare M)realistic N)site O)virtually

36. N) site

37. L) rare

38. I) honoring

39. F) virtually

40. O) different

41. D) current

42. C) covers

43. J) hope

44. M) realistic

45. H) fast

Why are we spending so much money on college?

. And why are we so unhappy about it? We all seem to agree that a college education is wonderful, and yet strangely we worry when we see families investing so much in this supposedly essential good. Maybe it’s time to ask a question that seems almost sacrilegious: is all this investment in college education really worth it?

B.The answer, I fear, is that it’s not. For an increasing number of kids, the extra time and money spent pursuing a college diploma will leave them worse off than they were before they set foot on campus.

C. For my entire adult life, an education has been the most important thing for middle-class households. My parents spent more educating my sister and me than they spent on their house, and they’re not the only ones ... and, of course, for an increasing number of families, most of the cost of their house is actually the cost of living in a good school district. Questioning the value of a college education seems a bit like questioning the value of happiness, or fun.

Donald Marron, a private-equity investor whose portfolio companies have included a student-loan firm and an educational-technology startup, says, “If you’re in a position to be able to pay for education, it’s a bargain.” Those who can afford a degree from an elite institution are still in an enviable position. “You’ve got that with you for your whole life,” Marron pointed out. “It’s a real imprimatur that’s with you, as well as access to all these relationships.”

That’s true. I have certainly benefited greatly from the education my parents sacrificed to give me. On the other hand, that kind of education has gotten a whole lot more expensive since I was in school, and jobs seem to be getting scarcer, not more plentiful. These days an increasing number of commentators are nervously noting the uncomfortable similarities to the housing bubble, which started with parents telling their children that “renting is throwing your money away,” and ended in mass foreclosures.

An education can’t be repossessed, of course, but neither can the debt that financed it be shed, not even, in most cases, in bankruptcy. And it’s hard to ignore the similarities: the rapid run-up in prices, at rates much higher than inflation; the increasingly frenetic recruitment of new buyers, borrowing increasingly hefty sums; the sense that you are somehow saving for the future while enjoying an enhanced lifestyle right now, and of course, the mountain of debt.

The price of a McDonald’s hamburger has risen from 85 cents in 1995 to about a dollar today.

D. The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college education has nearly doubled in that time. Is the education that today’s students are getting twice as good? Are new workers twice as smart? Have they become somehow massively more expensive to educate?

E. Perhaps a bit. Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economics professor who heads the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, notes that while we may have replaced millions of filing clerks and payroll assistants with computers, it still takes one professor to teach a class. But he also notes that “we’ve been slow to adopt new technology because we don’t want to. We like getting up in front of 25 people. It’s more fun, but it’s also damnably expensive.”

Vedder adds, “I look at the data, and I see college costs rising faster than inflation up to the mid-1980s by 1 percent a year. Now I see them rising 3 to 4 percent a year over inflation. What has happened? The federal government has started dropping money out of airplanes.” Aid has increased, subsidized loans have become available, and “the universities have gotten the money.” Economist Bryan Caplan, who is writing a book about education, agrees: “It’s a giant waste of resources that will continue as long as the subsidies continue.”

F.Promotional literature for colleges and student loans often speaks of debt as an “investment in yourself.” But an investment is supposed to generate income to pay off the loans. More than half of all recent graduates are unemployed or in jobs that do not require a degree, and the amount of student-loan debt carried by households has more than quintupled since 1999. These graduates were told that a diploma was all they needed to succeed, but it won’t even get them out of the spare bedroom at Mom and Dad’s. For many, the most tangible result of their four years is the loan payments, which now average hundreds of dollars a month on loan balances in the tens of thousands.

A lot of ink has been spilled over the terrifying plight of students with $100,000 in loans and a job that will not cover their $900-a-month payment. Usually these stories treat this massive debt as an unfortunate side effect of spiraling college costs. But in another view, the spiraling college costs are themselves an unfortunate side effect of all that debt. When my parents went to college, it was an entirely reasonable proposition to “work your way through” a four-year, full-time college program, especially at a state school, where tuition was often purely nominal. By the time I matriculated, in 1990, that was already a stretch. But now it’s virtually impossible to conceive of high-school students making enough with

summer jobs and part-time jobs during the school year to put themselves through a four-year school. Nor are their financially shaky parents necessarily in a position to pick up the tab, which is why somewhere between one half and two thirds of undergrads now come out of school with debt.

In a normal market, prices would be constrained by the disposable income available to pay them. But we’ve bypassed those constraints by making subsidized student loans widely available. No, not only making them available: telling college students that those loans are “good debt” that will enable them to make much more money later.

G. It’s true about the money—sort of. College graduates now make 80 percent more than people who have only a high-school diploma, and though there are no precise estimates, the wage premium for an elite school seems to be even higher. But that’s not true of every student. It’s very easy to spend four years majoring in English literature and beer pong and come out no more employable than you were before you went in. Conversely, chemical engineers straight out of school can easily make triple or quadruple the wages of an entry-level high-school graduate.

H. James Heckman, the Nobel Prize–winning economist, has examined how the returns on education break down for inpiduals with different backgrounds and levels of ability. “Even with these high prices, you’re still finding a high return for inpiduals who are bright and motivated,” he says. On the other hand, “if you’re not college ready, then the answer is no, it’s not worth it.” Experts tend to agree that for the average student, college is still worth it today, but they also agree that the rapid increase in price is eating up more and more of the potential return. For borderline students, tuition hikes can push those returns into negative territory.

Effectively, we’ve treated the average wage premium as if it were a guarantee—and then we’ve encouraged college students to borrow against it. The result will be no surprise to anyone who has made the mistake of setting his or her teenager loose in a shopping mall with a credit card and no spending limit. Eighteen-year-olds demand amenities—high-speed Internet, well-upholstered classrooms, world-class fitness facilities—and in order to stay competitive, college administrators happily provide them. Then they raise the tuition for which the 18-year-olds are obediently borrowing the money.

“We have an academic arms race going on,” says Vedder. “Salaries have done pretty well. Look at the president of Yale. Compare his salary now with his salary in 2000.”In 2000, Richard Levin earned $561,709. By 2009, it was $1.63 million. “A typical university today has as many administrators as faculty.”

Vedder also notes the decrease in teaching loads by tenured faculty, and the vast increase in nonacademic amenities like plush dorms and intercollegiate athletics. “Every campus has its climbing wall,” he notes drily. “You cannot have a campus without a climbing wall.”

Just as homeowners took out equity loans to buy themselves spa bathrooms and chef’s kitchens and told themselves that they were really building value with every borrowed dollar, today’s college students can buy themselves a four-year vacation in an increasingly well-upholstered resort, and everyone congratulates them for investing in themselves.

Unsurprisingly those 18-year-olds often don’t look quite so hard at the education they’re getting. In Academically Adrift, their recent study of undergraduate learning, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa find

that at least a third of students gain no measurable skills during their four years in college. For the remainder who do, the gains are usually minimal. For many students, college is less about providing an education than a credential—a certificate testifying that they are smart enough to get into college, conformist enough to go, and compliant enough to stay there for four years.

When I was a senior, one of my professors asked wonderingly, “Why is it that you guys spend so much time trying to get as little as possible for your money?” The answer, Caplan says, is that they’re mostly there for a credential, not learning. “Why does cheating work?” he points out. If you were really just in college to learn skills, it would be totally counterproductive. “If you don’t learn the material, then you will have less human capital and the market will punish you—there’s no reason for us to do it.” But since they think the credential matters more than the education, they look for ways to get the credential as painlessly as possible.

There has, of course, always been a fair amount of credentialism in education. Ten years ago, when I entered business school at the University of Chicago, the career-services person who came to talk to our class said frankly, “We could put you on a cruise ship for the next two years and it wouldn’t matter.”

But how much, exactly, does credentialism matter? For years there’s been a fierce debate among economists over how much of the value of a degree is credentials and how much the education. Heckman thinks the credentialism argument—what economists call “signaling”—is “way overstated.” His work does show that a lot depends on outside factors like cognitive ability and early childhood health. But he says flatly that “no one thinks that schooling has no effect on ability.”

That debate matters a lot, because while the value of an education can be very high, the value of a credential is strictly limited. If students are gaining real, valuable skills in school, then putting more students into college will increase the productive capacity of firms and the economy—a net gain for everyone. Credentials, meanwhile, are a zero-sum game. They don’t create value; they just reallocate it, in the same way that rising home values serve to ration slots in good public schools. If employers have mostly been using college degrees to weed out the inept and the unmotivated, then getting more people into college simply means more competition for a limited number of well-paying jobs. And in the current environment, that means a lot of people borrowing money for jobs they won’t get.

But we keep buying because after two decades prudent Americans who want a little financial security don’t have much left. Lifetime employment, and the pensions that went with it, have now joined outhouses, hitching posts, and rotary-dial telephones as something that wide-eyed children may hear about from their grandparents but will never see for themselves. The fabulous stock-market returns that promised an alternative form of protection proved even less durable. At least we have the house, weary Americans told each other, and the luckier ones still do, as they are reminded every time their shaking hand writes out another check for a mortgage that’s worth more than the home that secures it. What’s left is ... investing in ourselves. Even if we’re not such a good bet.

Between 1992 and 2008, the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded rose almost 50 percent, from around 1.1 million to more than 1.6 million. According to Vedder, 60 percent of those additional students ended up in jobs that have not historically required a degree—waitress, electrician, secretary, mail carrier. That’s one reason the past few decades have witnessed such an explosion in graduate and professional degrees, as kids who previously would have stopped at college look for ways to stand out in the job

market.

It is in that market that students may first, finally, have begun to revolt. For decades, when former English majors wondered how to get out of their dead-end jobs, the answer was “go to law school”—an effect that was particularly pronounced in economic downturns. In 2010 in the Los Angeles Times, Mark Greenbaum warned prospective lawyers that “the number of new positions is likely to be fewer than 30,000 per year. That is far fewer than what’s needed to accommodate the 45,000 juris doctors graduating from U.S. law schools each year.”

That was the year that LSAT taking peaked, with 170,000 prospective lawyers signing up for the test. But then students apparently started heeding Greenbaum’s warning. Two years later that figure dropped to just 130,000, lower than it had been in more than a decade. Law-school applications also dropped, from 88,000 to 67,000.

That’s a heartening sign for those of us who believe that we’ve been graduating too many unemployable lawyers. But as we saw with the housing and dotcom booms, what comes after a bubble is not usually a return to a nice, sustainable equilibrium; it’s chaos. Of course, the first thing to do when you’re in a hole is stop digging. But that still leaves you in a pretty big hole.

I. Everyone seems to agree that the government, and parents, should be rethinking how we invest in higher education—and that employers need to rethink the increasing use of college degrees as crude screening tools for jobs that don’t really require college skills. “Employers seeing a surplus of college graduates and looking to fill jobs are just tacking on that requirement,” says Vedder. “De facto, a college degree becomes a job requirement for becoming a bartender.”

J. We have started to see some change on the finance side. A law passed in 2007 allows many students to cap their loan payment at 10 percent of their income and forgives any balance after 25 years. But of course, that doesn’t control the cost of education; it just shifts it to taxpayers. It also encourages graduates to choose lower-paying careers, which diminishes the financial return to education still further. “You’re subsidizing people to become priests and poets and so forth,” says Heckman. “You may think that’s a good thing, or you may not.” Either way it will be expensive for the government.

K. What might be a lot cheaper is putting more kids to work: not necessarily as burger flippers but as part of an educational effort. Caplan notes that work also builds valuable skills—probably more valuable for kids who don’t naturally love sitting in a classroom. Heckman agrees wholeheartedly: “People are different, and those abilities can be shaped. That’s what we’ve learned, and public policy should recognize that.”

L. Heckman would like to see more apprenticeship-style programs, where kids can learn in the workplace—learn not just specific job skills, but the kind of “soft skills,” like getting to work on time and getting along with a team, that are crucial for career success. “It’s about having mentors and having workplace-based education,” he says. “Time and again I’ve seen examples of this kind of program working.”

M. Ah, but how do we get there from here? With better public policy, hopefully, but also by making better inpidual decisions. “Historically markets have been able to handle these things,” says Vedder, “and I think eventually markets will handle this one. If it doesn’t improve soon, people are going to wake up

and ask, ‘Why am I going to college?’?”

一下考题。希望大家四级考试顺利通过。

46. K --- Caplan suggests that kids who don’t love school go to work.

47. C ---An increasing number of families spend more money on houses in a good school district.

48.E--- Subsidized loans to college students are a huge waste of money, according to one economist.

49. B--- More and more kids find they fare worse with a college diploma.

50. H --- For those who are not prepared for higher education, going to college is not worth it.

51. D --- Over the years the cost of a college education has increased almost by 100%.

52. J --- A law passed recently allows many students to pay no more than one tenth of their income for their college loans.

53. C --- Middle-class Americans have highly valued a good education.

54. L --- More kids should be encouraged to participate in programs where they can learn not only job skills but also social skills.

55. F --- Over fifty percent of recent college graduates remain unemployed or unable to find a suitable job.

四级阅读仔细阅读1（第二版）答案

56. C. They love what they do and choose not to retire.

57. A. Neither of them is subject to forced retirement.

58. D. Working at an advanced age lengthens people's life.

59. C. It is a compensation for one's life-long hard work.

60. D. They prevent young people from getting ahead.

【点评】

本文出自Newsweek的文章‘Nevertirees’: Elderly Americans Who Refuse to Retire。Newsweek是美国知名媒体，历年四六级考试中，不少阅读文章选自于此。建议考生平时经常浏览这类外国主流网站，熟悉英语国家人士的行文表达习惯，以便做阅读时胸有成竹。

本篇阅读涉及的是美国的新兴社会现象——老年人不愿退休。文章谈论了一群老人，他们年富力强时在事业上成就斐然，甚至到了古稀之年，对工作依旧热情不减。这种现象一方面体现出人们对待退休的态度有所转变; 另一方面，该现象也遭来了批判之声：老年人占着工作岗位，给年轻一代职业生涯设下了障碍。

文章本身话题比较新颖，词汇及语篇理解方面的难度不大。但不少答案定位点都需要考生具有较强的英文理解力。五道题目中，只有第三题考查的是细节推断，其余四题均考查细节归纳。由此可见，该篇阅读重点考查获取目标信息的能力。考生必须在有限的时间内，迅速过滤掉无关信息，定位于目标信息（即考题答案所在位置），结合上下文，作出正确判断。总的来说，考生须在平时多读英语原版文章，熟悉英语文章的构架、表达，才能在考场游刃有余。

61. A) Many young Americans will never be able to pay off their debts.

62. B) They haven't developed a credit history.

63. D) It will affect their future spending power.

64. B) They may experience a financial crisis in their old age.

65. C) Their clients leave their debts unpaid upon death.

【点评】

本文出自Time的Business & Money板块，原文标题为T oday’s Young Adults Will Never Pay Off Their Credit Card Debts。可以说这篇阅读一出，再一次印证了Time以及经济类文章一直是四级出题老师的宠儿。

该篇的话题并不为考生所陌生，全文围绕“现今的年轻人或许永远无法偿还清信用卡借款”展开，用一个个事实为大家陈述了这个猜测的理由。例如年轻人依赖信用卡，长此以往下去，即使到了他们赚钱能力最强的年纪，也会成为扯人口消费力后腿的人群。而且据Lucia Dunn教授称，这些年轻人在老年将会面临经济危机。

从考题来看，除了61题为段落的主旨大意题外，其余都是常见的事实细节题。同学在做题时可以根据问题中的关键词定位到原文的段落，如63题的relying on，64题的Lucia Dunn等都可以直接帮助考生快速找到答案所在的段落。另外，由于我们说经济类文章几乎年年出现在四级试卷中，考生不妨多多接触此类题材，并积累相关的词汇，为自己的阅读得分做好充足的准备

翻译原文：

中国结（the Chinese knot)最初是由手工艺人发明的。经过数百年不断的改造，已经成为一种优雅多彩的艺术和工艺。在古代，人们用它来记录事件，但现在主要用于装饰的目的。“结”在中文里意味着爱情，婚姻和团聚。中国结常常作为礼物交换或用作饰品祈求好运和避邪。这种形式的手工艺（handcraft)代代相传，现在已经在中国和世界各地越来越受欢迎。译文：

The Chinese knot is originally invented by the handicraftsman.After several hundred years’innov ation,it has evolved into an elegant and colorful art and craft.In ancient times,it was used for r ecording events,while now it is mainly a decorative handicraft art.In Chinese,"Knot"means love ,marriage and reunion.The Chinese knot is often used as a gift to express good wishes or a tali sman to ward off evil spirits.The handcraft has passed on for generations and become more and more popular in China and the world.【点评】

原文与样题“神似”，不管是题材、句式、用词以及难度都与样题“剪纸”如出一辙，相信按照样题模式进行练习，面对考题一定得心应手。同时文章中还出现了一些翻译中的高频词汇，如“由……发明”、“代代相传”、“意味着”、“世界各地”等等，以及用“while”表示对比等常见句式，充分说明只要语法词汇双管齐下，翻译准确率定能大大提升。

2013英语四级考试全攻略考试入门四级词汇四级语法四级听力四级写作四级阅读

无须复习，只要1天英语四级就能过！！！方法让你喷血！！

1、听力，有三种题型，dialogue(十个对话)，passage(三个短文)，compound dictation(复合式听写，也就是传说中的段子题)，第一种每年必考，后两种逐年交替，其中考passage的次数相对较多。

最容易得分的是dialogue和passage，只要记住一个超级技巧即可：对话所述事情总是向不好的方面发展。举几个例子：比如对话里问教授的讲座lecture难不难，记住一定难，老师的作业assignment多不多，一定多，男士发出的邀请，女士会答应吗，永远不会，永远是一个傻哥们发出邀请，邀请的对象是Mary，问我们游泳好吗，滑冰好吗，跳舞好吗，吃饭好吗，Mary的回答永远是，我非常的想去，but不去，四级考了十几年了，Mary从来没有去过，今年照样不会。所以大家记住，只要是对话，必然会发生意外的事情，再举个例子，两个选项，A火车准时，B火车晚点如果你是出题老师，你怎么设置对话，当然是晚点了，准时有什么好说的，总不能两个神经病，或者是两人刚谈恋爱，来到车站，没话找话，男的说，哇，火车准时了，女的说，咿！还真准时了耶！所以准时是不可能的，不好的事情一般都是最后的答案！对于compound dictation，上学期偶运气好没有考这个，但是偶觉得这种题确

实比较难，只能竖直耳朵专心听了，即使听不懂，也要根据上下文瞎猜一个，空着肯定没分，瞎猜说不定老师看错了还会给你一分！分三部分（段对话，段子，最后的拼写）

1，拿到题目马上看，每一题最好能画出关键词，只要是你能分析这个题目会问什么

2，会用排除法：鹤立鸡群的马上排除，就是说那一项中的内容和其他的完全不一样的马上排除；两个句子一样意思的也排除。

3，动作预测题，段对话中，就是动词开头的句子，听到什么就不选什么，可以的话，把听到的动词排序。

4，听这些段对话，重点是听第二个人说的，还有同时也要注意转折！！

5，哈哈，有虚拟语气的不要选哦！就是听到wish,hope这些词，因为四级里边的人一般都是很悲哀的，都是做不成功的

6，一些场景题咯，比如图书馆，邮局，租房子，交通场景，酒店……这些和大学生息息相关的场景会考~那就要注意不同场景的特殊词汇，专有词汇！

7，长对话，一般答案会分为上中下！就是要注意听！前三句必定出第一个答案！！然后文章中间出一个，结尾出一个！还是要注意听转折！ 8，段子题，听到什么选什么。注意听形容词动词

9，最后的听写：先说句子，无论如何，一定要写成句子！会听三遍，第一遍，先听动词，名词（就是你要知道是什么人做了什么，把这些动词和名词写出来），然后第二遍，再把一些介词之类的写出来，最后一遍听的时候，可以更确定那句话的意思是什么，把没有写的补上。关键来了！！！要是写不出来那些词，但是你知道意思的，可以把整句话的意思给替换了，不一定用原来的句子！写完之后，一定要检查时态，单复数。写这3个句子，越简单越好，只要意思对！！！ 10，接下来是单词，按我说的，因为有8个空，你就在听第一遍的时候分为先写1,3,5,7 然后听第二遍的时候写2,4,6,8. 最后一遍的时候去确定！

我想补充的是，千万不要听历年真题，不管是磁带还是MP3，这些只会让你觉得更烦，偶当时就只是在偶mp3里面存了一些BACK STREET BOY的as long as you love me，I PROMISE YOU 等和Mariah carey的Always Be My Baby等等，当偶困了的时候就在自习室里假寐一会儿，听歌养神！

2、阅读，这是我们应考的重点，阅读题得分的高低直接影响到你是否能过，在这里我

针对每种题型谈一谈，㈠事实细节题，据偶的观察，每年必考地方是列举处，即有first，sceond，in addition……的地方，还有举例与打比方的地方，即有as，such ，for instance等出现的地方，有几个应考规律，大家记住，1)选项中照抄或似乎照抄原文的一般不是答案，而同义词替换的是正确答案，

2)选项中表达意义较具体，也就是句子较长的一般不是答案而概括性的，抽象的是答案， 3)选项中有绝对语气词的比如must，never，merely等不是答案而有不十分肯定语气词的是正确答案，比如could，might，possible等。下面是一些实用的，可能雷同了。。。 1，先看后面的作答的问题，画出关键词

2，再回到原文找，快速阅读的答案直接在关键词（大写的，人名，地名……）的句子；两篇精读的答案要看关键词出现的那个句子，以及前一句和后一句。可以看看第一句话看看文章主要说什么内容。

3，然后找到了答案就选。若还选不出，要善于利用排除法。 4，关于美国的，多数是坏事。

5，为了节省时间，一般举例子的就不看了，比如 for examples后不看了。 6，注意看转折！！！比如but后面的很重要！

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