2016年英语专业四级考试真题

00:01.49] TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS （2016）
[00:05.63]-GRADE FOUR-
[00:07.88]PART ⅠDICTATION
[00:11.01]Listen to the following passage. 
[00:13.45]Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. 
[00:17.19]During the first reading, 
[00:19.00]which will be done at normal speed, 
[00:21.18]listen and try to understand the meaning. 
[00:24.24]For the second and third readings, 
[00:26.28]the passage will be read sentence by sentence, 
[00:28.99]or phrase by phrase, 
[00:30.73]with intervals of 15 seconds. 
[00:33.44]The last reading will be done at normal speed again 
[00:36.71]and during this time 
[00:37.82]you should check your work. 
[00:39.85]You will then be given 1 minute 
[00:41.88]to check through your work once more.
[00:44.47]Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE.
[00:48.55]Now listen to the passage.
[00:51.67]Think Positive and Feel Positive
[00:55.59]Are you confident 
[00:56.78]or insecure in a difficult situation? / 
[01:00.14]Do you react positively or negatively? / 
[01:04.07]The answer may depend in part 
[01:06.15]on whom you’re around. / 
[01:08.33]A study found 
[01:09.34]that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases. / 
[01:13.88]For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / 
[01:19.75]They measured each roommate’s tendency 
[01:22.17]towards negative thinking. / 
[01:24.33]It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. / 
[01:28.29]Students with a negative thinking roommate 
[01:30.85]became more depressed themselves, / 
[01:33.66]and students with more positive thinking roommates / 
[01:36.67]were more likely to become more positive as well.
[01:40.83]The second and third readings. 
[01:42.99]You should begin writing now.
[01:46.44]Are you confident 
[01:47.56]or insecure in a difficult situation? / 
[02:05.67]Are you confident 
[02:06.73]or insecure in a difficult situation? / 
[02:24.82]Do you react positively or negatively? / 
[02:42.82]Do you react positively or negatively? / 
[03:00.71]The answer may depend in part 
[03:02.60]on whom you’re around. / 
[03:18.97]The answer may depend in part
[03:20.69]on whom you’re around. / 
[03:37.13]A study found 
[03:38.02]that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases. / 
[03:56.53]A study found 
[03:57.40]that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases. /
[04:16.10]For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / 
[04:36.34]For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / 
[04:56.51]They measured each roommate’s tendency 
[04:58.59]towards negative thinking. / 
[05:14.79]They measured each roommate’s tendency 
[05:16.94]towards negative thinking. / 
[05:33.15]It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. / 
[05:51.45]It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. / 
[06:09.66]Students with a negative thinking roommate 
[06:11.90]became more depressed themselves, / 
[06:29.30]Students with a negative thinking roommate 
[06:31.50]became more depressed themselves, /
[06:48.88]and students with more positive thinking roommates / 
[07:06.34]and students with more positive thinking roommates / 
[07:23.84]were more likely to become more positive as well.
[07:41.89]were more likely to become more positive as well.
[07:59.87]The last reading.
[08:01.68]Are you confident 
[08:02.86]or insecure in a difficult situation? / 
[08:06.23]Do you react positively or negatively? / 
[08:10.14]The answer may depend in part 
[08:12.09]on whom you’re around. / 
[08:14.47]A study found 
[08:15.38]that negative thinking can be contagious in some cases. / 
[08:19.96]For example, the researchers studied 103 college roommates. / 
[08:25.88]They measured each roommate’s tendency 
[08:28.04]towards negative thinking. / 
[08:30.30]It was found that thinking patterns can be contagious. / 
[08:34.37]Students with a negative thinking roommate 
[08:36.94]became more depressed themselves, / 
[08:39.68]and students with more positive thinking roommates / 
[08:42.60]were more likely to become more positive as well.
[08:46.82]Now, you have one minute to check through your work.
[09:48.52]This is the end of Part I Dictation.
[09:53.52]PART ⅡLISTENING COMPREHENSION
[09:57.17]SECTION A TALK
[10:00.72]In this section you will hear a talk. 
[10:03.58]You will hear the talk ONCE ONLY. 
[10:06.57]While listening, 
[10:07.58]you may look at the task on ANSWER SHEET ONE 
[10:10.75]and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. 
[10:15.19]Make sure what you fill in 
[10:17.20]is both grammatically and semantically acceptable. 
[10:21.38]You may use the blank sheet for note-taking.
[10:24.44]You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task.
[10:59.37]Now listen to the talk. 
[11:01.08]When it is over, 
[11:02.17]you will be given TWO minutes to check your work.
[11:06.11]What Is Grit?
[11:08.43]Good afternoon, everyone. 
[11:10.11]Today, I would like to talk about my research project 
[11:13.94]concerning the key to success. 
[11:17.26]I would like to start my topic with my own story.
[11:21.55]When I was 27 years old, 
[11:24.21]I left for a demanding job-
[11:26.79]teaching seventh graders math 
[11:28.94]in the New York City public schools. 
[11:32.45]And like any teacher, 
[11:34.16]I made quizzes and tests. 
[11:36.98]I gave out homework assignments. 
[11:39.66]When the work came back, 
[11:41.09]I calculated grades.
[11:44.06]What struck me was that 
[11:45.66]I.Q. was not the only difference 
[11:49.57]between my best and my worst students. 
[11:52.97]Some of my strongest performers 
[11:55.07]did not have super I.Q. scores. 
[11:58.39]Some of my smartest kids weren’t doing so well. 
[12:03.49]Then, I felt very interested 
[12:06.17]in knowing the reason why the students’ math performance 
[12:10.02]is not that closely related to their I.Q. scores. 
[12:15.42]I started studying kids and adults 
[12:17.93]in all kinds of challenging settings, 
[12:21.77]and in every study my question was, 
[12:25.38]who is successful here and why. 
[12:29.36]My research team and I 
[12:30.97]went to West Point Military Academy. 
[12:34.44]We tried to predict 
[12:35.52]which students would stay in military training 
[12:38.97]and which would drop out. 
[12:41.68]We went to the National Spelling Contest 
[12:44.27]and tried to predict 
[12:45.58]which children would advance furthest in competition. 
[12:49.93]We worked with private companies, 
[12:51.63]asking which of these salespeople is going to keep their jobs, 
[12:57.09]and who’s going to earn the most money. 
[13:01.18]We went to many places and finally, 
[13:04.29]one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. 
[13:11.23]And it wasn’t social intelligence. 
[13:13.91]It wasn’t good looks, physical health, 
[13:16.92]and it wasn’t I.Q. It was grit.
[13:23.28]What is grit? 
[13:24.95]Well, grit is passion and perseverance 
[13:29.25]for very long-term goals. 
[13:32.30]Grit is sticking with your future, 
[13:35.00]day in, day out, 
[13:37.01]not just for the week, 
[13:38.79]not just for the month, but for years, 
[13:42.20]and working really hard to make future a reality. 
[13:47.25]Grit is living your life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
[13:55.38]A few years ago, 
[13:56.82]I started studying grit in the Chicago public schools. 
[14:02.03]I asked thousands of high school juniors 
[14:04.77]to take grit questionnaires, 
[14:07.29]and then waited around more than a year 
[14:09.62]to see who would graduate. 
[14:12.79]It turned out that 
[14:14.14]grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate, 
[14:18.32]even when I matched them on every characteristic I could measure, 
[14:23.48]things like family income, test scores, and so on.
[14:28.76]To me, the most shocking thing about grit is how little we know, 
[14:34.68]how little science knows, about building it. 
[14:40.05]Every day, parents and teachers ask me, 
[14:43.40]“How do I build grit in kids? 
[14:46.91]How do I keep them motivated for the long run?”
[14:51.37]Our data shows very clearly 
[14:53.41]that there are many talented individuals 
[14:56.51]who simply do not follow through on their commitment. 
[15:01.56]In fact, in our data, 
[15:03.78]grit is usually unrelated to measures of talent. 
[15:09.83]So far, the best idea I’ve heard about building grit in kids 
[15:15.01]is something called “growth mindset.” 
[15:19.28]Growth mindset is the belief
[15:21.21] that the ability to learn is not fixed, 
[15:24.43]that it can change with your effort. 
[15:28.09]Kids with grit are much more likely to persevere when they fail, 
[15:33.34]because they don’t believe that failure is a permanent condition.
[15:39.07]So growth mindset is a great idea for building grit.
[15:44.85]But we need more. 
[15:46.73]And that’s where I’m going to end my talk, 
[15:49.77]because that’s where we are. 
[15:51.99]That’s the work that stands before us. 
[15:56.07]We have to be willing to fail, 
[15:58.78]to be wrong, to start over again with lessons learned.
[16:04.59]As a conclusion, 
[16:07.00]we need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier. 
[16:12.45]Next time, I would like to share with you 
[16:15.16]my experience in building up students’ grit.
[16:20.27]Now, you have TWO minutes 
[16:21.66]to check your work.
[18:22.50]THIS IS THE END OF SECTION A TALK.
[18:26.50]SECTION B CONVERSATIONS
[18:29.91]In this section you will hear two conversations. 
[18:33.03]At the end of each conversation, 
[18:35.21]five questions will be asked about what was said. 
[18:38.57]Both the conversation and the questions 
[18:41.27]will be spoken ONCE ONLY. 
[18:43.92]After each question there will be a ten-second pause. 
[18:48.10]During the pause, 
[18:49.23]you should read the four choices of A）, B）, C） and D）, 
[18:53.87]and mark the best answer to each question
[18:56.35]on ANSWER SHEET TWO.
[18:59.42]You have THIRTY seconds to preview the questions.
[19:33.49]Now listen to the conversations.
[19:37.29]Conversation One
[19:39.36]Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation one
[19:44.80]W: Hello, this is Kate Smith.
[19:47.46]I’m calling from ABC Company.
[19:49.72]M: Oh, hello, Kate. Great to hear from you.
[19:52.94]W: You’ve already been told 
[19:54.40]that you’ve been shortlisted for interview.
[19:56.45]M: Oh, yes.
[19:57.92]W: Well, we are very excited about meeting you. 
[20:00.95]OK. I just want to talk you through the procedure for the day. 
[20:05.16]Someone will meet you when you arrive, 
[20:07.59]and then bring you up to meet myself and Arthur Miller, the CEO.
[20:12.12]M: OK, sounds good. 
[20:13.89]So will you be the only members of the interview panel there then?
[20:18.77]W: Yes, it’ll be just me and Arthur who will talk to you. 
[20:23.51]The interview will be in three parts. 
[20:26.32]First of all, we’ll ask you some general questions about yourself 
[20:30.86]and your educational and professional background, 
[20:34.21]and then we’ll move on to specifics.
[20:36.60]M: Oh, er, specifics? 
[20:39.16]Well, er...what kind of questions will you be asking?
[20:43.77]W: Well, it’ll be very similar to the personal statement 
[20:47.27]you submitted with your CV. 
[20:49.52]We’ll be expecting you to...
[20:51.64]to give actual examples of problems 
[20:54.08]you’ve faced and solved, 
[20:56.21]and of what you feel are the major successes in your career so far.
[21:00.91]M: OK, well. Yeah, that sounds great. Can’t wait!
[21:05.52]W: Then there’ll be a chance for you to ask us any questions-
[21:09.77]about the job itself, or ABC Company in general.
[21:14.18]M: Oh, um...OK. I’ll think of something!
[21:18.28]W: After that, we’d like you to give a short presentation 
[21:21.96]on how you see ABC as a company progressing, 
[21:25.56]and how you see yourself taking us there.
[21:28.47]M: OK, so will I be expected to give like a formal style presentation?
[21:36.22]W: It can be as formal or informal as you like. 
[21:39.64]There’ll be a computer and a data projector there available. 
[21:44.11]If you need anything else, just let us know.
[21:47.63]M: Oh, um...OK, a presentation! I’ll think of something.
[21:52.98]I haven’t done one of those in a while.
[21:56.10]W: Is that all clear?
[21:57.42]M: Yes.
[21:58.40]W: Great. So, Daniel, 
[21:59.63]I’ll see you at 11 a.m., Thursday next week.
[22:02.87]M: OK, great. I look forward to meeting you! Thanks, bye.
[22:07.27]W: Bye.
[22:09.02]Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One.
[22:14.09]1. Why does the woman call the man?
[22:28.91]2. What kind of questions can the man ask in the interview?
[22:45.47]3. Which is the last part of the interview?
[23:00.37]4. What might be expected from the man’s presentation?
[23:16.36]5. When is the interview scheduled?
[23:31.22]This is the end of Conversation One
[23:36.83]Conversation Two
[23:39.04]Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two.
[23:43.86]W: It says a growing number of students 
[23:45.82]are making a major hole 
[23:47.27]from the minute they enter the real world 
[23:50.08]because they are already, some of them, 
[23:52.83]more than 100,000 dollars in debt. 
[23:55.91]With us now is Mark Spenser. 
[23:58.13]He is the senior financial analyst from SBC Bank. 
[24:02.22]Welcome to you.
[24:03.63]M: Thank you. Nice to be with you.
[24:06.27]W: Now, I guess there are two kinds of debts, 
[24:09.53]good debt and bad debt. Where does this go?
[24:13.19]M: Well, student loan debt is traditionally considered good debt, 
[24:18.49]but the problem for many students and their families 
[24:21.48]is that the cost of colleges 
[24:23.94]has been going up at 6 to 8 percent a year, 
[24:28.28]far faster than the income, 
[24:30.84]far faster than the standard of living. 
[24:34.32]That means debt’s taking on a bigger and bigger role 
[24:38.57]in financing education.
[24:41.23]W: How much debt is too much debt for...for one student?
[24:45.64]M: Well, one guideline is 
[24:48.48]that you look at the first year salary 
[24:51.15]in your field after graduation, 
[24:53.84]and use that as a barometer, but even then...
[24:58.03]W: Is that right?
[24:59.44]M: Well, you are talking big payments even in that instance, 
[25:04.23]for example, 30,000 dollars worth of debt. 
[25:09.02]If you are gonna repay that over 10 years, 
[25:12.16]you are talking more than 300 dollars a month that, 
[25:16.61]in payments every month for 10 years.
[25:20.54]W: But there is surely more than one way 
[25:22.58]to get a loan for college. 
[25:24.74]There are government programs. 
[25:26.75]There are so many kinds of grants. 
[25:29.47]What’s...what’s the best advice for people 
[25:31.87]who are looking for these loans 
[25:34.05]to try to keep themselves from going under?
[25:37.19]M: I understand that loans are just one way of college finance. 
[25:41.92]Take advantage of the other opportunities.
[25:45.24]Things like a college savings plan let... 
[25:48.41]let you save on a tax advantage basis.
[25:52.38]So you can put money away in these accounts
[25:55.05]and withdraw tax-free to pay for that education.
[25:59.89]W: So, it’s important to start early 
[26:02.44]and that really reduces that reliance on debt later.
[26:06.16]M: Another thing, leave no stone unturned, 
[26:10.06]looking at grants, scholarships, even on-campus jobs. 
[26:15.34]I mean every dollar you get that way 
[26:19.06]is seen as another dollar you don’t have to borrow later.
[26:23.56]W: The kinds of jobs that so many students, fresh off students, 
[26:28.14]like to go into, er, charity stuff, volunteer work. 
[26:32.82]This debt is eliminating a lot of that, isn’t it?
[26:36.69]M: I think that’s the social cost. 
[26:38.99]Really, I mean...you know, when you consider that, 
[26:42.91]you know, people may pass up a rewarding career 
[26:46.38]in charitable work, or non-profit organization 
[26:49.99]because they have to get a higher salary someplace else 
[26:53.59]to pay off that debt.
[26:55.69]W: Yeah, that’s for sure. 
[26:57.79]Mark Spenser, senior financial analyst from SBC Bank. 
[27:02.09]Mark, good you could be here.
[27:04.09]M: Thank you.
[27:05.85]Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two.
[27:11.26]6. What is the interview mainly about?
[27:26.28]7. How does the cost of college education change every year?
[27:42.95]8. What is used to measure student loan debt as a guideline?
[27:59.83]9. What is the advantage of joining a college savings plan?
[28:16.53]10. What is the possible social cost of a college loan?
[28:33.42]This is the end of Conversation Two.