2009年12月大学英语四级考试真题及答案

2009年12月大学英语四级考试真题及答案

Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)

注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Creating a Green Campus. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below: 1. 建设绿色校园很重要

2. 绿色校园不仅指绿色的环境?? 3. 为了建设绿色校园，我们应该?? Creating a Green Campus

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 question 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid

Good grades and high tests scores still matter—a lot—to many colleges as they award financial aid.

But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as “merit aid”, is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars.

George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients(接受者), pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago.

Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008.

Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don’t meet need eligibility(资格)have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school.

For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running.

But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. “They’re trying to buy students,” says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum.

Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it.

“As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid,” says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report’s ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17.

Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, “served us well,” Inzer says, but “to be discounting the price for families that don’t need financial aid doesn’t feel right any more.”

Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level.

Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state’s public institutions.

But in recent years, a growing chorus(异口同声)of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be “a sign that people are starting to realize that there’s this destructive competition going on,” says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need.

David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors.

“No one can take one-sided action,” says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption(豁免)from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, “This is a merry-go-round that’s going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves.”

A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don’t qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs.

That’s one reason Allegheny College doesn’t plan to drop merit aid entirely.

“We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship,” says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny’s vice president for enrollment.

Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment(捐赠), meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program.

“Yeah, we’re playing the merit game,” acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. “The fact of the matter is, it’s not just about the lowest-income people. It’s the average American middle-class family who’s being priced out of the market.”

*A few words about merit-based aid:

Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships.

Academic merit scholarships are based on students’ grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process.

Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel(突出)in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee(裁判). Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance.

Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio(选辑)of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing.

1. With more and more low-income students pursuing higher education, a number of colleges are ________.

A) offering students more merit-based aid B) revising their financial aid policies C) increasing the amount of financial aid D) changing their admission processes 2. What did Allegheny College in Meadville do three years ago? A) It tried to implement a novel financial aid program. B) It added $ 2.5 million to its need-based aid program. C) It phased out its merit-based scholarships altogether. D) It cuts its merit-based aid to help the needy students.

3. The chief purpose of rankings-conscious colleges in offering merit aid is to ______. A) improve teaching quality B) boost their enrollments C) attract good students D) increase their revenues

4. Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, believes ______. A) it doesn’t pay to spend $ 1 million a year to raise its ranking B) it gives students motivation to award academic achievements C) it’s illogical to use so much money on only 4% of its students D) it’s not right to give aid to those who can afford the tuition

5. In recent years, merit-based aid has increased much faster than need-based aid due to ______.

A) more government funding to colleges B) fierce competition among institutions C) the increasing number of top students D) schools’ improved financial situations

6. What is the attitude of many private colleges toward merit aid, according to David Laird? A) They would like to see it reduced. B) They regard it as a necessary evil.

C) They think it does more harm than good.

D) They consider it unfair to middle-class families.

7. Why doesn’t Allegheny College plan to drop merit aid entirely?

A) Raising tuitions have made college unaffordable for middle-class families. B) With rising incomes, fewer students are applying for need-based aid. C) Many students from middle-income families have come to rely on it. D) Rising incomes have disqualified many students for need-based aid.

8. Annual renewal of academic merit scholarships depends on whether the recipients remain ______.

9. Applicants for athletic merit scholarships need a recommendation from a coach or a referee who ______ their exceptional athletic performance.

10. Applicants for artistic merit scholarships must produce evidence to show their ______ in a particular artistic field

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 the best answer is. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Questions 11 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 11. A) Get some small change. B) Find a shopping center. C) Cash a check at a bank. D) Find a parking meter.

12. A) Shopping with his son. B) Buying a gift for a child. C) Promoting a new product. D) Bargaining with a salesgirl. 13. A) Taking photographs. B) Enhancing images. C) Mending cameras. D) Painting pictures.

14. A) He moved to Baltimore when he was young. B) He can provide little useful information. C) He will show the woman around Baltimore. D) He will ask someone else to help the woman.

15. A) He is rather disappointed. B) He is highly ambitious.

C) He can’t face up to the situation D) He knows his own limitation.

16. A) She must have paid a lot B) She is known to have a terrific figure. C) Her gym exercise has yielded good results. D) Her effort to keep fit is really praiseworthy.

17. A) Female students are unfit for studying physics. B) He can serve as the woman’s tutor. C) Physics is an important course at school. D) The professor’s suggestion is constructive.

18. A) Indifferent. B) Doubtful. C) Pleased. D) Surprised.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. A) He prefers the smaller evening classes. B) He has signed up for a day course. C) He has to work during the day. D) He finds the evening course cheaper. 20. A) Learn a computer language. B) Learn data processing. C) Buy some computer software. D) Buy a few coursebooks.

21. A) Thursday evening, from 7:00 to 9:45. B) From September 1 to New Year’s eve. C) Every Monday, lasting for 12 weeks. D) Three hours a week, 45 hours in total. 22. A) What to bring for registration. B) Where to attend the class. C) How he can get to Frost Hall. D) Whether he can use a check. Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 23. A) A training coach. B) A trading adviser. C) A professional manager. D) A financial trader.

24. A) He can save on living expenses. B) He considers cooking creative.

C) He can enjoy healthier food. D) He thinks take-away is tasteless. 25. A) It is something inevitable. B) It is frustrating sometimes. C) It takes patience to manage. D) It can be a good thing. 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 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. A) There were no planets without moons. B) There was no air or water on Jupiter. C) Life was not possible in outer space. D) The mystery of life could not be resolved. 27. A) It has a number of active volcanoes. B) It has an atmosphere like the earth’s. C) It has a large ocean under its surface. D) It has deep caves several miles long.

28. A) Light is not an essential element to it. B) Life can form in very hot temperatures. C) Every form of life undergoes evolution. D) Oxygen is not needed for some life forms. Passage Two

Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard. 29. A) Whether they should take the child home. B) What Dr. Mayer’s instructions exactly were. C) Who should take care of the child at home. D) When the child would completely recover.

30. A) She encourages them to ask questions when in doubt. B) She makes them write down all her instructions. C) She has them act out what they are to do at home. D) She asks them to repeat what they are supposed to do.

31. A) It lacks the stability of the printed word. B) It contains many grammatical errors. C) It is heavily dependent on the context. D) It facilitates interpe Passage Three

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 32. A) Job security. B) Good labour relations.

C) Challenging work. D) Attractive wages and benefits. 33. A) Many tedious jobs continue to be done manually. B) More and more unskilled workers will lose jobs. C) Computers will change the nature of many jobs. D) Boring jobs will gradually be made enjoyable. 34. A) Offer them chances of promotion. B) Improve their working conditions.

C) Encourage them to compete with each other. D) Give them responsibilities as part of a team. 35. A) They will not bring real benefits to the staff. B) They concern a small number of people only. C) They are arbitrarily set by the administrators.

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