2019年12月四级真题（第1套）PartIWriting(30 minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed 3.minutes to write a letter to a foreign friend who wants to teachwords.PartIListening Comprehension(25 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear three news reports.At the end of each news report,you will hear two orthree questions.Both the news report and then questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,youmust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letteron Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1.A)Many facilities were destroyed by a wandering cow.B)A wandering cow knocked down one of its fences.C)Some tourists were injured by a wandering cow.D)A wandering cow was captured by the police.2.A)It was shot to death by a police officer.B)It found its way back to the park's zooC)It became a great attraction for tourists.D)It was sent to the animal control department.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A)It is the largest of its kind.B)It is going to be expanded.C)It is displaying more fossil specimens.D)It is starting an online exhibition4.A)A collection of bird fossils from Australia.B)Photographs of certain rare fossil exhibitsC)Some ancient wall paintings from Australia.D)Pictures by winners of a wildlife photo contest.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5.A)Pick up trash.B)Amuse visitorsC)Deliver messagesD)Play with children.6.A)They are especially intelligent.B)They are children's favoriteC)They are quite easy to tame.D)They are clean and pretty.7.A)Children may be harmed by the rooks.B)Children may be tempted to drop litter.C)Children may contract bird diseases.D)Children may overfeed the rooks.Section BDirections:In this section,you will hear two long conversations.At the end of each conversation,you will hearfour questions.Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,youmust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the correspondingletter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A)It will be produced at Harvard UniversityB)It will be hosted by famous professorsC)It will cover different areas of science.D)It will focus on recent scientific discoveries9.A)It will be more futuristic.B)It will be more systematic.C)It will be more entertaining.10.A)People interested in science.B)Youngsters eager to explore.C)Children in their early teens.D)Students majoring in science.11.A)Offer professional advice.B)Provide financial support.D)Make episodes for its first season.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A)Unsure.B)HelplessD)Dissatisfied.13.A)He is too concered with being perfect.B)He loses heart when faced with setbacks.C)He is too ambitious in achieving goalsD)He takes on projects beyond his ability14.A)Embarrassed.C)MiserableD)Resentful.15.A)Try to be optimistic whatever happens.B)Compare his present with his past only.C)Always leam from others'achievements.D)Treat others the way he would be treated.Section CDirections:In this section,you will hear three passages.At the end of each passage,you will hear three or fourquestions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you mustchoose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B).C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letteron Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A)They have a stronger sense of social responsibility.B)They are more likely to succeed in the humanities.C)They are more likely to become engineers.D)They have greater potential to be leaders.17.A)Praise girls who like to speak up frequently.B)Encourage girls to solve problems on their own.C)Insist that boys and girls work together more.D)Respond more positively to boys comments.18.A)Offer personalized teaching materialsB)Provide a variety of optional coursesC)Place great emphasis on test scores.D)Pay extra attention to top students.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A)It often rains cats and dogsB)It seldom rains in summer timeC)It does not rain as much as people think.D)It is one of the most rainy cities in the US.-2-20.A)They drive most of the time.B)The rain is usually very light.C)They have got used to the rain.D)The rain comes mostly at nightB)It has never seen thunder and lightningC)It has fewer cloudy days than any other coastal city.D)It has mild weather both in summer and in winter.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A)It occurs when people are doing a repetitive activityB)It results from exerting one's muscles continuouslyC)It happens when people engage in an uncommon activity.D)It comes from straining one's muscles in an unusual way23.A)Blood flow and body heat increase in the affected area.B)Body movements in the affected area become difficult.C)They begin to make repairs immediately.D)They gradually become fragmented.24.A)About one week.B)About two days.C)About ten days.D)About four weeks25.A)Apply muscle creams.C)Have a hot shower.D)Take pain-killers.Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one word for each blankfrom a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read the passage through carefully beforemaking your choices.Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter foreach item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bankmore than once.When travelling overseas,do you buy water in plastic bottles or take your chances with tap water?Imagineyou are wandering about on a Thai island or26 the ruins of Angkor.It's hot so you grab a bottle of water froma local vendor.It's the safe thing to do,right?The bottle is 27,and the label says "pure water".But maybewhat's inside is not so 28.Would you still be drinking it if you knew that more than 90 percent of all bottledwater sold around the world 29 microplastics?That's the conclusion of a recently30study,which analysed 259 bottles from 11 brands sold in ninecountries,31 an average of 325 plastic particles per litre of water.These microplastics included a32commonly known as PET and widely used in the manufacture of clothing and food and33 containers.Thestudy was conducted at the State University of New York on behalf of Orb Media,a journalism organisation.About a million bottles are bought every minute,not only by thirsty tourists but also by many of the 2.1 billionworldwide who live with usafe drinking water.Confronted with this 34,several bottled-water manufacturers including Nestle and Coca-Cola undertooktheir own studies using the same methodology.These studies showed that their water did contain microplastics,but far less than the Orb study suggested.Regardless,the World Health Organisation has launched a review intothe 35 health risks of drinking water from plastic bottles.A)adequateD naturalB)admiringJ)potential-3-C)containsK)releasedD)defendingL)revealingE)evidenceM)sealedF)instantN)solvesG)liquidO)substanceH)modifiedSection BDirections:In this section,you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Each statementcontains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions bymarking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The quiet heroism of mail delivery[A]On Wednesday,a polar wind brought bitter cold to the Midwest.Ovemight,Chicago reached a low of21 degrees Fahrenheit below zero,making it slightly colder than Antarctica().Alaska,and the North Pole.Wind chills were 64 degrees below zero in Park Rapids,Minnesota and 45 degrees below zero in Buffalo,NorthDakota,according to the National Weather Service.Schools,restaurants,and businesses closed,and more than1,000 flights were canceled.[B]Even the United States Postal Service (USPS)suspended mail delivery."Due to this arctic outbreak andconcems for the safety of USPS employees,"USPS announced Wednesday moring,"the Postal Service issuspending delivery Jan.30 in some 3-digit ZIP Code locations."Twelve regions were listed as unsafe onWednesday,on Thursday,eight remained.[C]As global surface temperatures increase,so does the likelihood of extreme weather.In 2018 alone,wildfires,volcanic eruptions,hurricanes,mudslides,and other natural disasters cost at least $49 billion in theUnited States.As my colleague Vann Newkirk reported,Puerto Rico is still confronting economic and structuraldestruction and resource scarcity from 2017's Hurricane Maria.Natural disasters can wreck a community'sinfrastructure,disrupting systems for months or years.Some services,however,remind us that life will eventuallyreturn,in some form,to normal.[D]Days after the deadly2017 wildfires in Santa Rosa,California,a drone(无人机)caught footage(连续)of a USPS worker,Trevor Smith,driving through burned homes in that familiar white van,collecting mailin an affected area.The video is striking:The operation is familiar,but the scene looks like the end of the world.According to Rae Ann Haight,the program manager for the national-preparedness office at USPS.Smith wasfulfilling a request made by some of the home owners to pick up any mail that was left utouched.For Smith.thiswas just another day on the job."I followed my route like I normally do,"Smith told a reporter."As I came acrossa box that was up but with no house,I checked,and there was mail-outgoing mail-in it.And so we pickedthose up and carried on.""[E]USPS has sophisticated emergency plans for natural disasters.Across the country,285 emergency-management teams are devoted to crisis control.These teams are trained annually using a framework known as thethree Ps:people,property,product.After mail service stops due to weather,the agency's top priority is ensuringthat employees are safe.Then it evaluates the health of infrastructure,such as the roads that mail carriers drive on.Finally,it decides when and how to re-open operations.If the destruction is extreme,mail addressed to the areawill get sent elsewhere.In response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.USPS redirected incoming New Orleans mail toexisting mail facilities in Houston.Mail that was already processed in New Orleans facilities was moved to anupper floor so it would be protected from water damage.[F]As soon as it's safe enough to be outside,couriers()start distributing accumulated mail on thestill-accessible routes.USPS urges those without standing addresses to file change-of-address fomms with theirnew location.After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005,mail facilities were set up in dozens of locations across thecountry in the two weeks that USPS was unable to provide street delivery[G]Every day,USPS processes,on average,493.4 million pieces of mail-anything from postcards toSocial Security checks to medicine.Spokespeople from both USPS and UPS told me all mail is important.Butsome mail can be extremely sensitive and timely.According to data released in January 2017,56 percent of billsare paid online,which means that just under half of payments still rely on delivery services to be completed.[H]It can be hard to identify which parcels are carrying crucial items such as Social Security checks,butUSPS and UPS try their best to prioritize sensitive material.They will coordinate with the Social SecurityAdministration to make sure that Social Security checks reach the right people in a timely fashion.After HurricaneFlorence and Hurricane Michael last fall,USPS worked with state and local election boards to make sure thatabsentee ballots were available and received or time.[I]Mail companies are logistics()companies,which puts them in a special position to help whendisaster strikes.In a 2011 USPS case study,the agency emphasized its massive infrastructure as a"umique federalasset"to be called upon in a disaster or terrorist attack."I think we're unique as a federal agency,"USPS officialMike Swigart told me,"because we're in literally every community in this country...We're obligated to deliver tothat point on a daily basis."[J]Private courier companies,which have more dollars to spend,use their expertise in logistics to helprevitalize damaged areas after a disaster.For more than a decade,FedEx has supported the American Red Cross inits effort to get emergency supplies to areas affected by disasters,both domestically and interationally.In 2012,the company distributed more than 1,200 MedPacks to Medical Reserve Corps groups in Califomia.They alsodonated space for 3.1 million pounds of charitable shipping globally.Last October,the company pledged Slmillion in cash and transportation support for Hurricanes Florence and Michael.UPS's charitable amm,the UPSFoundation,uses the company's logistics to help disaster-struck areas rebuild."We realize that as a company withpeople,trucks,warehouses,we needed to play a larger role,"said Eduardo Martinez,the president of the UPSFoundation.The company employs its trucks and planes to deliver food,medicine,and water.The day before Ispoke to Martinez in November,he had beer touring the damage from Hurricane Michael in Florida with theAmerican Red Cross."We have an obligation to make sure our communities are thriving,"he said.[K]Rebuilding can take a long time,and even then,impressions of the disaster may still remain.Returningto a normal life can be difficult,but some small routines-mail delivery being one of them-may help residentsremember that their communities are still their communities."When they see that carrier back out on the street,"Swigart said,"that's the first sign to them that life is starting to return to nommal."36.The United States Postal Service has a system to ensure its employees'safety.37.One official says USPS is unique in that it has more direct reach to communities compared with otherfederal agencies.38.Natural disasters can have a long-lasting impact on community life39.Mail delivery service is still responsible for the completion of almost half of payments.40.The sight of a mailman on the street is a reassuring sign of life becoming normal again41.After Hurricane Katrina interrupted routine delivery,temporary mail service points were set up.42.Postal service in some regions in the U.S.was suspended due to extreme cold weather43.Private postal companies also support disaster relief efforts by distributing urgent supplies44.A dedicated USPS employee was on the job carrying out duties in spite of extreme conditions.45.Postal services work hard to identify items that require priority treatment.Section CDirections:There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinishedstatements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B).C)and D).You should decide on the bestchoice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre-5-