2013年6月四级考试真题与精析(第1套)

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2013年6月大学英语四级考试真题(第1套)

Part I Writing (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.

Surviving the Recession

America’s recession began quietly at the end of 2007. Since then it has evolved

into a global crisis. Reasonable people may disagree about whom to blame. Financiers

who were not as clever as they thought they were? Regulators falling asleep at work?

Consumers who borrowed too much? Politicians who thoughtlessly promoted home-

ownership for those who could not afford it? All are guilty; and what a mess they

have created.

Since 2007 America has shed 5 million jobs. More than 15% of the workforce

are jobless or underemployed—roughly 25 million workers. The only industries

swelling their payrolls are health care, utilities and the federal government. The value

of listed shares in American firms collapsed by 57% from its peak in October 2007 to

a low in March this year, though it has since bounced back somewhat. Industrial

production fell by 12.8% in the year to March, the worst slide since the Second World

War. Mark Zandi, an economist at Moody’s Economy.com, predicts that the recession

will shrink America’s economy by 3.5% in total. For most executives, this is the

worst business environment they’ve ever seen.

Times are so tough that even bosses are taking pay cuts. Median (中位数的) pay

for chief executives of S&P 500 companies fell 6.8% in 2008. The overthrown

business giants of Wall Street took the biggest knock, with average pay cuts of 38%

and median bonuses of zero. But there was some pain for everyone: median pay for

chief executives of non-financial firms in the S&P 500 fell by 2.7%.

2013 年6月大学英语四级考试真题与精析（第 1套）第 1 页

Nearly every business has a sad tale to tell. For example, Arne Sorenson, the

president of Marriott hotels, likens the crisis to the downturn that hit his business after

September 11th, 2001. When the twin towers fell, Americans stopped travelling.

Marriott had its worst quarter ever, with revenues per room falling by 25%. This year,

without a terrorist attack, the hotel industry is “putting the same numbers on the

board”, says Mr Sorenson.

The hotel bust (不景气), like most busts, was preceded by a breathtaking boom.

Although many other big firms resisted the temptation to over-borrow, developers

borrowed heavily and built bigger and fancier hotels as if the whole world were

planning a holiday in Las Vegas. When the bubble burst, demand collapsed. Hotel

owners found themselves with a huge number of empty rooms even as a lot of

unnecessary new hotels were ready to open.

Other industries have suffered even more. Large numbers of builders, property

firms and retailers have gone bankrupt. And a disaster has hit Detroit. Last year the

American car industry had the capacity to make 17 million vehicles. Sales in 2009

could be barely half of that. The Big Three American carmakers—General Motors,

Ford and Chrysler—accumulated ruinous costs over the post-war years, such as gold-

plated health plans and pensions for workers who retired as young as 48. All three are

desperately restructuring. Only Ford may survive in its current form.

Hard times breed hard feelings. Few Americans understand what caused the

recession. Some are seeking scapegoats ( 替罪羊 ). Politicians are happy to take

advantage. Bosses have been summoned to Washington to be scolded on live

television. The president condemns their greed.

Extravagance (奢侈) is out

Businessfolk are bending over backwards to avoid seeming extravagant.

Meetings at resorts are suddenly unacceptable. Goldman Sachs, an investment bank,

cancelled a conference in Las Vegas at the last minute and rebooked it in San

Francisco, which cost more but sounded less fun.

Anyway, the pain will eventually end. American business will regain its shine.

Many firms will die, but the survivors will emerge leaner and stronger than before.

The financial sector’s share of the economy will shrink, and stay shrunk for years to

come. The importance of non-financial firms will accordingly rise, along with their

ability to attract the best talent. America will remain the best place on earth to do

business, so long as Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress resist the

temptation to interfere too much, and so long as organised labour does not overplay

its hand.

The crisis will prove hugely disruptive (破坏性的), however. Bad management

techniques will be exposed. Necessity will force the swift adoption of more efficient

ones. At the same time, technological innovation (创新) will barely pause for breath,

and two big political changes seem likely.

Mr Obama’s plan to curb carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions ( 排放 ), though

necessary, will be far from cost-free, whatever his sunny speeches on the subject

might suggest. The shift to a low-carbon economy will help some firms, hurt others

and require every organisation that uses much energy to rethink how it operates. It is

2013 年6月大学英语四级考试真题与精析（第 1套）第 2 页

harder to predict how Mr Obama’s proposed reforms to the failing health-care system

will turn out. If he succeeds in curbing costs—a big if—it would be a huge gain for

America. Some businesses will benefit but the vast bulk of the savings will be

captured by workers, not their employers.

In the next couple of years the businesses that thrive will be those that are tight

with costs, careful of debt, cautious with cash flow and extremely attentive to what

customers want. They will include plenty of names no one has yet heard of.

Times change, and corporations change with them. In 1955 Time’s Man of the

Year was Harlow Curtice, the boss of GM. His firm was leading America towards “a

new economic order”, the magazine wrote. Thanks to men like Curtice, “the bonds of

scarcity” had been broken and America was rolling “in an all-time high of

prosperity”. Soon, Americans would need to spend “comparatively little time earning

a living”.

Half a century later GM is a typical example of poor management. In March its

chief executive was fired by Time’s current Man of the Year, Mr Obama. The

government now backs up the domestic car industry, lending it money and overseeing

its turnaround plans. With luck, this will be short-lived. But there is a danger that

Washington will end up micromanaging not only Detroit but also other parts of the

economy. And clever as Mr Obama’s advisers are, history suggests they will be bad at

this.

注意: 此部分试题请在答题卡 1上作答。

1. From the first paragraph, we learn that America’s recession is the result of .

A) a messy real estate market C) unregulated competition

B) a combination of causes D) financiers’ mismanagement

2. At the worst time, the total value of listed shares in American firms shrank by .

A) 57% C) 12.8%

B) 15% D) 3.5%

3. According to Arne Sorenson, the president of Marriott hotels, the current recession

A) was the worst he had ever seen since World War II

B) reduced his revenues to a quarter of normal years

C) hit his business as hard as the 9/11 terrorist attack

D) spoiled his plans to build more hotels in Las Vegas

4. The Big Three American carmakers need restructuring to survive because .

A) their production capacity has shrunk to less than half of the previous year

B) their technology has fallen behind their competitors’ elsewhere in the world

C) they have borrowed too heavily and accumulated too large amounts of debt

D) they cannot cope with the ruinous costs accumulated over the post-war years

5. Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, cancelled a conference in Las Vegas in order

to .

A) raise its efficiency C) avoid seeming wasteful

B) cut unnecessary costs D) have fun in San Francisco

6. The author of this report seems to be .

A) against too much government interference in the economy

2013 年6月大学英语四级考试真题与精析（第 1套）第 3 页

B) optimistic about Obama’s effort to reduce CO₂ emissions

C) interested in political and economic reforms

D) concerned about the interests of the workforce

7. According to the author, Obama’s plan to limit carbon dioxide emissions will .

A) not benefit America’s industry C) do good to the environment

B) benefit the whole nation D) by no means be inexpensive

8. Because Harlow Curtice’s firm was leading America in creating “a new economic

order”, he was named by Time magazine as in 1955.

9. In March, General Motors’ chief executive was fired by Mr Obama for .

10. The author is afraid that the Obama administration will end up America’s

economy.

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 question 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 center.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。

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. C) A postal delivery.

B) A message from Tony. 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. C) At a repair shop.

2013 年6月大学英语四级考试真题与精析（第 1套）第 4 页

B) At a car wash point. 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 22 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 prefers a full-time job with more responsibility.

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 would rather get a less demanding job.

21. A) Sports. C) Foreign languages.

B) Travel. D) Computer games.

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.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

23. A) She is pregnant. C) She has just finished her project.

B) She is over 50. D) She is a good saleswoman.

24. A) He takes good care of Lisa. C) He is good at business management.

B) He is the CEO of a giant company. D) He works as a sales manager.

25. A) It is in urgent need of further development.

B) It produces goods popular among local people.

C) It has been losing market share in recent years.

D) It is well positioned to compete with the giants.

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.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。

Passage One

Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. A) It is lined with tall trees. C) It has high buildings on both sides.

B) It was widened recently. D) It used to be dirty and disorderly.

27. A) They repaved it with rocks. C) They beautified it with plants.

B) They built public restrooms on it. D) They set up cooking facilities near it.

28. A) What makes life enjoyable. C) What a community means.

2013 年6月大学英语四级考试真题与精析（第 1套）第 5 页

B) How to work with tools. 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 think it less important than computers.

B) Many of them consider it boring and old-fashioned.

C) The majority of them find it interesting.

D) Few of them read more than ten books a year.

31. A) Novels and stories. C) History and science books.

B) Mysteries and detective stories. D) Books on culture and tradition.

32. A) Watching TV. C) Reading magazines.

B) Listening to music. D) Playing computer games.

Passage Three

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. A) Advice on the purchase of cars.

B) Information about the new green-fuel vehicles.

C) Trends for the development of the motor car.

D) Solutions to global fuel shortage.

34. A) Limited driving range. C) The short life of batteries.

B) Huge recharging expenses. D) The unaffordable high price.

35. A) They need to be further improved.

B) They can easily switch to natural gas.

C) They are more cost-effective than vehicles powered by solar energy.

D) They can match conventional motor cars in performance and safety.

Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is

read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the

passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered

from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44

to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can

either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your

own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check

what you have written.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。

My favorite T.V. show? “The Twilight Zone.” I (36) _______ like the episode

called “The Printer’s Devil.” It’s about a newspaper editor who’s being (37) _______

out of business by a big newspaper syndicate – you know, a group of papers (38)

_______ by the same people.

He’s about to (39) _______ suicide when he is interrupted by an old man who

says his name is Smith. The editor is not only offered $5,000 to pay off his

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2013年6月大学英语四级考试真题(第1套)PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessay.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthepictureandthenexpressyourviewsontheimportanceofreadingliterature.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartIIReadingComprehension...

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2013年6月四级考试真题与精析(第1套)

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