2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题完整版（第二套）

【作文】

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the importance of writing ability and how to develop it. 120-180 words.

【答案】Writing is a skill tested in all major standardized educational tests, including CET-4/6, TOEFL, IELTS, and so on. But there has been no shortage of reports from different sources that a large proportion of students, especially college students, have ill-performed writing skills, earning relatively low scores in tests as well as on school assignments.

In my opinion, writing is a crucial skill for students. It is a reliable way by which one impart knowledge, suggest plans, fight for one’s idea, refute a theory, and many other purposes. So if you are good at writing, then you are able to fulfill the tasks above mentioned more effectively. Besides, noted writes, be they novelists, poets or editors-in-chief enlighten every generation of readers with new experiences. That’s why readers today still discuss on and share their opinions on great books such as A Dream in Red Mansions.

In a nutshell, few skills are more important than writing in the current society. So my suggest would be that every one, college students particular, takes time to hone writing skills, get more practice in it, so that we can live up to the social expectation of becoming socialist successors.

【解析】第一段提出问题，第二段描述事实，第三段得出结论或给出建议。

【听力】

Section A

News Report One

A message in a bottle sent out to sea by a New Hampshire man more than five decades ago was found 1500 miles away and he‘s been returned to his daughter. The long lost message was discovered by Clint Buffington of Utah while he was vacationing. Buffington says he found a soda bottle half-buried in the sand that looked like it had been there since the beginning of time.

The note inside the bottle said， “Return to 419 Ocean Street and receive a reward of $150 from Richard and Tina Pierce， owners of the beach Comber motel.

The motel was owned by the Paula Pierce in 1960. Her father had written the notes as a joke and had thrown it into the Atlantic Ocean. Buffington flew to New Hampshire to deliver that message to Pola Pierce. She held up to her father's promise giving Buffington that reward. But the biggest reward is the message in a bottle finding its way back home.

Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.

1. What is the news report mainly about？

2. Why did Paula Pierce give Clint Buffington the reward？

News Report Two

Millions of bees have died in South Carolina during aerial insect spraying operations that were carried out to combat the Zika virus. The insects spraying over the weekend left more than 2 million bees dead on the spot in Dorchester county South Carolina， where four travel-related cases of Zika disease have been confirmed in the area. Most of the deaths came from Flower Town Bee farm， a company in Somerville that sells bees and honey products. Juanita Stanley who owns the company said the farm looks like it's been destroyed. The farm lost about 2.5 million bees. Dorchester county officials apologized for the accidental mass killing of bees. Dorchester County is aware that some beekeepers in the area that was sprayed on Sunday lost their bee colonies. County manager Jason Ward said in a statement. “I'm not pleased that so many bees were killed.”

Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.

3. Why was spraying operations carried out in Dorchester County？

4. What does the news reports say about Flower Town Bee farm？

News Report Three

The world's largest aircraft has taken to the skies for the first time. The Airlander 10 spent nearly 2 hours in the air having taken off from Coddington airfield in Bedfordshire. During its flight it reached 3000 feet and performed a series of gentle turns all over a safe area. The aircraft is massive as long as a football field and as tall as 6 double decker buses and capable of flying for up to 5 days. It was first developed for the US government as a long range spy aircraft， but was abandoned following budget cutbacks. The aircraft cost 25 million pounds and can carry heavier loads than huge jet planes while also producing less noise and omitting less pollution. The makers believe it's the future of aircraft and one day we'll be using them to go places. But there's still a long way to go. The Airlander will need to have 200 hours flying time before being allowed to fly by the aviation administration if it passes though we can hope we'll all get some extra legroom.

Questions 5 and 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.

5. What do we learn about the first flight of the Airlander 10？

6. What caused the US government to abandon the Airlander 10 as a spy aircraft？

7. What is the advantage of the Airlander 10 over huge jet planes？

Section B

Conversation One

M： Do you feel like going out tonight？

W：Yeah，why not，we haven‘t been out for ages， what’s on？

M： Well， there‘s a film about climate change. Does it sound good to you？

W： No， not really， it doesn‘t really appeal to me. What’s it about？ Just climate change？

M： I think it‘s about how climate change affects everyday life. I wonder how they make it entertaining.

W： Well， it sounds really awful， it‘s an important subject I agree. But I am not in the mood for anything depressing. What else is on？

M：There‘s a Spanish dance festival.

W： Oh， I love dance. That sounds really interesting.

M： Apparently， it‘s absolutely brilliant. Let’s see what it says in the paper. A leads an exciting production of the great Spanish love story Kamen.

W： Ok， then. What time is it on？

M： At 7：30.

W： Well， that‘s no good. We haven’t got enough time to get there. Is there anything else？

M： There‘s a comedy special on.

W： Where‘s it on？

M： It‘s at the city theater. It’s a charity comedy night with lots of different acts. It looks pretty good. The critic in the local the paper says it‘s the funniest thing he’s ever seen. It says here Roger Whitehead is an amazing host to a night of fun performances.

W： Em…… I am not keen on him. He is not very funny.

M： Are you sure your fancy going out tonight？ You are not very enthusiastic.

W： Perhaps you are right. Okay， let‘s go to see the dance. But tomorrow， not tonight.

M： Great， I‘ll book the tickets online.

Questions 8 and 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

8. What does the women think of the climate change？

9. Why do the speakers give up going to the Spanish dance festival tonight？

10. What does the critic say about the comedy performed at the city theater？

11. What does the woman decide to do tomorrow？

Conversation Two

W： Good morning Mr. Lee， May I have a minutes of your time？

M： Sure Katherine， what can I do for you？

W： I‘m quiet anxious about transferring over to our college， I’m afraid I won‘t fit in.

M： don't worry Katherine， it‘s completely normal for you to be nervous about transferring schools， this happens to many transfer students.

W： Yes， I know， but I‘m younger than most students in my year and that worries me a lot.

M： Well， you may be the only younger one in your year， but you know， we have a lot of after-school activities you can join in， and so， this way， you will be able to meet new friends of different age groups.

W： That‘s nice， I love games and hobby groups.

M： I‘m sure you do， so will be just fine， don’t worry so much and try to make the most of what we have on offer here， also， remember that you can come to me anytime of the day if you need help.

W： Thanks so much， I definitely feel better now， as a matter of fact， I‘ve already contacted one of the girls who will be living in the same house with me， and she seemed really nice. I guess living on campus， I'll have a chance to have a close circle of friends， since we'll be living together.

M： All students are very friendly with new arrivals. Let me check who would be living with you in your flat. Okay. There are Hannah， Kelly， and Bree. Bree is also a new student here， like you， I‘m sure you two ’ll have more to share with each other.

Questions 12 and 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12. Why does Katherine feel anxious？

13. What does Mr. Lee encourage Katherine to do？

14. What does Mr. Lee promised to do for Katherine？

15. What do we learn about Katherine‘ schoolmate Bree？

Section C

Passage One

Have you ever felt like you would do just about anything to satisfy your hunger？ A new study in mice may help to explain why hunger can feel like such a powerful motivating force. In the study， researchers found that hunger outweighed other physical drives， including fear， thirst and social needs.

To determine which feeling won out， the researchers did a series of experiments. In one experiment， the mice were both hungry and thirsty. When given the choice of either eating food or drinking water， the mice went for the food， the researchers found. However， when the mice were well-fed but thirsty， they opted to drink， according to the study. In the second experiment meant to pit the mice's hunger against their fear， hungry mice were placed in a cage that had certain “fox-scented” areas and other places that smelled safer （in other words， not like an animal that could eat them） but also had food. It turned out that， when the mice were hungry， they ventured into the unsafe areas for food. But when the mice were well-fed， they stayed in areas of the cage that were considered “safe.” Hunger also outweighed the mice's social needs， the researchers found. Mice are usually social animals and prefer to be in the company of other mice， according to the study. When the mice were hungry， they opted to leave the company of other mice to go get food.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16. What is the researchers‘ purpose in carrying out the serious experiment with mice？

17. In what circumstances， do mice venture into unsafe areas？

18. What is said about mice at the end of the passage？

Passage Two

The United States has one of the best highway systems in the world. Interstate highways connect just about every large and mid-sized city in the country. Did you ever wonder why such a complete system of excellent roads exists？ For an answer，you would have to go back to the early 1920s. In those years， just after World War I， the military wanted to build an American highway system for national defense. Such a system could， if necessary， move troops quickly from one area to another. It could also get people out of cities in danger of being bombed. So-called roads of national importance were designated， but they were mostly small country roads. In 1944， Congress passed a bill to upgrade the system， but did not fund the plan right away. In the 1950s， the plan began to become a reality. Over $25 billion was appropriated by congress， and construction began on about 40，000 miles of new roads. The idea was to connect the new system to existing expressways and freeways. And though the system was built mostly to make car travel easier， defense was not forgotten. For instance， highway overpasses had to be high enough to allow trailers carrying military missiles to pass under them. By 1974， this system was mostly completed. A few additional roads would come later. Quick and easy travel between all parts of the country was now possible.

Questions 19 and 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

19. What does the speaker say about the American highway system？

20. What was the original purpose of building a highway system？

21. When was the interstate highway system mostly completed？

Passage Three

Texting while driving was listed as a major cause of road deaths among young Americans back in 2013. A recent study said that 40% of American teens claim to have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger. This sounds like a widespread disease but it's one that technology may now helped cure. T.J. Evarts， a 20- year-old inventor， has come up with a novel solution that could easily put texting drivers on notice. It's called Smart Wheel， and it's designed to fit over the steering wheel of most standard vehicles to track whether or not the driver has two hands on the wheel at all times. Evarts‘ invention warns the drivers with the light and the sound when they hold the wheel with one hand only， but as soon as they place the other hand back on the wheel the light turns back to green and the sound stops. It also watches for what's called “close by hands”， where both hands are close together near the top of the wheel so the driver can type with both thumbs and drive at the same time. All the data Smart Wheel collects is also sent to a connected app. So any parents who install Smart Wheel can keep track of the teens’ driving habits. If they try to remove or damage the cover， that's reported as well.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

22. What is a major cause of road deaths among young Americans？

23. What is Smart Wheel？

24. What happens if the driver has one hand on the wheel？

25. How do parents keep track of their teens‘ driving habits？

参考答案：

ABBCA CDADC BDCAD BACDB ABACB

1. A）The return of a bottled message to its owner's daughter.

【解析】根据原文：A message in a bottle sent out to sea by a New Hampshire man more than five decades ago was found 1500 miles away and he‘s been returned to his daughter.可以得到答案。

2. B）She wanted to honor her father's promise.

【解析】根据原文：She held up to her father's promise giving Buffington that reward. 可以得出答案。

3. B）Several cases of Zika disease had been identified.

【解析】根据原文：The insects spraying over the weekend left more than 2 million bees dead on the spot in Dorchester county South Carolina， where four travel-related cases of Zika disease have been confirmed in the area.可以得出答案。

4. C）It lost a huge stock of bees.

【解析】根据原文：The farm lost about 2.5 million bees.可以得出答案。

5. A）It stayed in the air for about two hours.

【解析】根据原文：The Airlander 10 spent nearly 2 hours in the air having taken off from Coddington airfield in Bedfordshire. 可以得出答案。

6. C）Inadequate funding.

【解析】根据原文：It was first developed for the US government as a long range spy aircraft， but was abandoned following budget cutbacks. 可以得出答案。

7. D）It is more environmentally friendly.

【解析】根据原文：The aircraft cost 25 million pounds and can carry heavier loads than huge jet planes while also producing less noise and omitting less pollution.可以得出答案。

8. A）It seems a depressing topic.

【解析】根据原文：Well， it sounds really awful， it‘s an important subject I agree.可以得出答案。

9. D）They can't make it to the theater.

【解析】根据原文：Well， that‘s no good. We haven’t got enough time to get there. 可以得出答案。

10. C）It is the most amusing show he has ever seen.

【解析】根据原文：The critic in the local the paper says it‘s the funniest thing he’s ever seen. 可以得出答案。

11. B）Go and see the dance.

【解析】根据原文：Perhaps you are right. Okay， let‘s go to see the dance. But tomorrow， not tonight.可以得出答案。

12. D）She worries she won't fit in as a transfer student.

【解析】根据原文： I‘m quiet anxious about transferring over to our college， I’m afraid I won‘t fit in.可以得出答案。

13. C）Participate in after-school activities.

【解析】根据原文：Well， you may be the only younger one in your year， but you know， we have a lot of after-school activities you can join in， and so， this way， you will be able to meet new friends of different age groups.可以得出答案。

14. A）Give her help whenever she needs.

【解析】根据原文：I‘m sure you do， so will be just fine， don’t worry so much and try to make the most of what we have on offer here， also， remember that you can come to me anytime of the day if you need help.可以得出答案。

15. D）She has just transferred to college.

【解析】根据原文： All students are very friendly with new arrivals. 可以得出答案。

16. B）To find out which physical drive is the most powerful.

【解析】根据原文：A new study in mice may help to explain why hunger can feel like such a powerful motivating force. 可以得出答案。

17. A）When they are hungry.

【解析】根据原文：It turned out that， when the mice were hungry， they ventured into the unsafe areas for food.可以得出答案……

18. C）They prefer to be with other mice.

【解析】根据原文：Mice are usually social animals and prefer to be in the company of other mice， according to the study.可以得出答案。

19. D）It is one of the best in world.

【解析】根据文章：The United States has one of the best highway systems in the world. 可以得出答案。

20. B）To move troops quickly from place to place.

【解析】根据文章：uch a system could， if necessary， move troops quickly from one area to another. 可以得出答案。

21. A）In the 1970s.

【解析】根据文章：By 1974， this system was mostly completed. 可以得出答案。

22. B）Messaging while driving.

【解析】根据文章：Texting while driving was listed as a major cause of road deaths among young Americans back in 2013. 可以得出答案。

23. D）A device to ensure people drive with both hands.

【解析】根据文章：It's called Smart Wheel， and it's designed to fit over the steering wheel of most standard vehicles to track whether or not the driver has two hands on the wheel at all times.可以得出答案。

24. C）They are alerted with a light and sound.

【解析】根据文章： Evarts‘ invention warns the drivers with the light and the sound when they hold the wheel with one hand only， but as soon as they place the other hand back on the wheel the light turns back to green and the sound stops.可以得出答案。

25. B）Using a connected app.

【解析】根据文章：All the data Smart Wheel collects is also sent to a connected app. 可以得出答案。

【阅读】

PartⅢ Reading Section C

26.C-cast

27.L-replaced

28.F-efficient

29.J-professionals

30.E-decorative

31.G-electrified

32.I-photographed

33.B-approach

34.K-quality

35.H-identify

36-F

37-C

38-I

39-E

40-B

41-K

42-H

43-D

44-A

45-G

Passage One

Living in an urban area with green spaces has a long-lasting positive impact on people's mental well-being， a study has suggested. UK researchers found moving to a green space had a sustained positive effect， unlike pay rises or promotions， which only provided a short-term boost. Co-author Mathew White， from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter， UK， explained that the study showed people living in greener urban areas were displaying fewer signs of depression or anxiety. “There could be a number of reasons，” he said， “for example， people do many things to make themselves happier： they strive for promotion or pay rises， or they get married. But the trouble with all those things is that within six months to a year， people are back to their original baseline levels of well-being. So， these things are not sustainable； they don‘t make us happy in the long term. We found that for some lottery（彩票）winners who had won more than ￡500，000 the positive effect was definitely there， but after six months to a year， they were back to the baseline.”

Dr. White said his team wanted to see whether living in greener urban areas had a lasting positive effect on people's sense of well-being or whether the effect also disappeared after a period of time. To do this， the team used data from the British Household Panel Survey compiled by the University of Essex.

Explaining what the data revealed， he said： “What you see is that even after three years， mental health is still better， which is unlike many of the other things that we think will make us happy.” He observed that people living in green spaces were less stressed， and less stressed people made more sensible decisions and communicated better.

46. According to one study， what do green spaces do to people？

A） Improve their work efficiency.

B） Add to their sustained happiness.

C） Help them build a positive attitude towards life.

D） Lessen their concerns about material well-being.

47. What does Dr. White say people usually do to make themselves happier？

A） Earn more money.

B） Gain fame and popularity.

C） Settle in an urban area.

D） Live in a green environment.

48. What does Dr. White try to find out about living in a greener urban area？

A） How it affects different people.

B） How strong its effect is.

C） How long its positive effect lasts.

D） How it benefits physically

49. What did Dr. White research reveal about people living in a green environment？

A） Their stress was more apparent than real.

B） Their decisions required less deliberation.

C） Their memories were greatly strengthened.

D） Their communication with others improved.

50. According to Dr. White， what should the government do to build more green spaces in cities？

A） Find financial support.

B） Improve urban planning.

C） Involve local residents in the effort.

D） Raise public awareness of the issue.

答案：BACDA

Passage Two

A letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives（档案馆） by the FBI after being stolen twice.

“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing，” says Effie Kapsalis， head of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. “It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern， from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes，” and the intern put the letter back. “The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”

Decades passed. Finally the FBI received a tip that the stolen document was located very close to Washington， D.C. Their art crime team recovered the letter but were unable to press charges because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both authentic and definitely Smithsonian‘s property.

The letter was written by Darwin to thank an American geologist， Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden， for sending him copies of his research into the geology of the region that would become Yellowstone National Park.

The letter is in fairly good condition， in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long.“It was luckily in good shape，” says Kapsalis，“ and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has colored it slightly， but nothing that will prevent us from using it. After it is repaired， we will take digital photos of it and that will be available online. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online.”

It would now be difficult for an intern， visitor or a thief to steal a document like this. “Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s，”says Kapsalis. “and we keep our high value documents in a safe that I don‘t even have access to.”

51.What happened to Darwin‘s letter in the 1970s？

A. It was recovered by the FBI.

B. It was stolen more than once.

C. It was put in the archives for research purposes.

D. It was purchased by the Smithsonian Archives.

52. What did the FBI do after the recovery of the letter？

A. They proved its authenticity.

B. They kept it in a special safe.

C. They arrested the suspect immediately.

D. They pressed criminal charges in vain.

53.What is Darwin‘s letter about？

A. The evolution of Yellowstone National Park.

B. His cooperation with an American geologist.

C. Some geological evidence supporting his theory.

D. His acknowledgement of help from a professional.

54. What will the Smithsonian Institution Archives do with the letter according to Kapsalis？

A. Reserve it for research purposes only.

B. Turn it into an object of high interest.

C. Keep it a permanent secret.

D. Make it available online.

55.What has the past half century witnessed according to Kapsalis？

A. Growing interest in rare art objects.

B. Radical changes in archiving practices.

C. Recovery of various missing documents.

D. Increases in the value of museum exhibits.

答案：BDDDB

【翻译】

PartⅣ Translation

56.【题干】过去，乘飞机出行对大多数中国人来说是难以想象的。如今随着经济的发展和生活水平的提高，越来越多的中国人包括许多农民和外出务工人员都能乘飞机出行。他们可以乘飞机到达所有大城市,还有许多城市也在筹建机场。航空服务不断改进，而且经常会有特价机票。近年来，节假日期间选择乘飞机外出旅游的人不断增加。

【答案】In the past, it was difficult for most Chinese people to imagine a time when they could travel by plane. At present, however, with the development of economy and the enhancement of living standards, Chinese people in increasing numbers, including many peasants and migrant workers, are able to travel by air. They can reach all big cities by airplane and many cities are preparing to built airfields. Air services have been continuously improved and there are often low cost airlines. In recent years, the number of people who would like to travel by plane during holidays has been growing.

【解析】注意时态、语态的变化。