2009年12月大学英语四级考试真题试卷-word版

Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
　　Section A http://www.hxen.net
　　Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
　　Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.
　　In families with two working parents, fathers may have more impact on a child’s language development than mothers, a new study suggests.
　　Researchers 47 92 families form 11 child care centers before their children were a year old, interviewing each to establish income, level of education and child care arrangements. Overall, it was a group of well-class families, with married parents both living in the home.
　　When the children were 2, researchers videotaped them at home in free-play sessions with both parents, 48 all of their speech. The study will appear in the November issue of The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
　　The scientists measured the 49 number of utterance (话语) of the parents, the number of different words they used, the complexity of their sentences and other 50 of their speech. On average, fathers spoke less than mothers did, but they did not differ in the length of utterances or proportion of questions asked.
　　Finally, the researchers 51 the children’s speech at age 3, using a standardized language test. The only predictors of high scores on the test were the mother’s level of education, the 52 of child care and the number of different words the father used.
 
　　The researchers are 53 why the father’s speech, and not the mother’s, had an effect.
　　“It’s well 54 that the mother’s language does have an impact,” said Nadya Pancsofar, the lead author of the study. It could be that the high-functioning mothers in the study had 55 had a strong influence on their children’s speech development, Ms. Pancsofar said, “or it may be that mothers are 56 in a way we didn’t measure in the study.”
　　注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。
　　A) already B) analyzed C) aspects D) characters E) contributing F) describing
　　G) established H) quality I) quoted J) recording K) recruited L) total
　　M) unconscious N) unsure O) yet

Section B
　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
　　Passage One
　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
　　Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so, but selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see. http://www.hxen.net

　　Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic (酗酒的) mothers.
　　These images have helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.
　　It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.
　　Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House—mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone—an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long.
　　57. Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?
　　A) She serves as a role model for African women.
　　B) She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady.
　　C) She will present to the world a new image of African-American women.
　　D) She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women.
　　58. What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?
　　A) They are victims of violence. B) They are of an inferior violence.
　　C) They use quite a lot of body language. D) They live on charity and social welfare.
　　59. What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?
　　A) Whether Michelle can live up to the high expectations of her fans.
　　B) How Michelle should behave as a public figure.
　　C) How proud they are to have a black woman in the White House.
　　D) What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House.
　　60. What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?
　　A) However many fans she has, she should remain modest,
　　B) She shouldn’t disappoint the African-American community.
　　C) However hard she tries, she can’t expect to please everybody.
　　D) She will give priority to African-American women’s concerns.
　　61. What do many African-American women hope Michelle Obama will do?
　　A) Help change the prevailing view about black women.
　　B) Help her husband in the task of changing America.
　　C) Outshine previous First Lady.
　　D) Fully display her fine qualities.
 
　　Passage Two
　　Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
　　When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2009, they’ll be joined by a new face; Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教务长) of Yale, who’ll become Oxford’s vice-chancellor—a position equivalent to university president in America.
　　Hamilton isn’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc, have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it’s gone global. Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: outward from America.
　　The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of the university’s budget. “We didn’t do any global consideration,” says Patricia Hayes, the board’s chair. The board ultimately picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist (活动家) who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a distinctively American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.
　　Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student number. The decline in government support has made funding-raising an increasing necessary ability among administrators and has hiring committees hungry for Americans.
　　In the past few years, prominent schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen “a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position.”
　　Of course, fund-raising isn’t the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind of promote international programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices.
　　62. What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the passage?
　　A) Institutions worldwide are hiring administrators from the U.S.
　　B) A lot of political activists are being recruited as administrators.
　　C) American universities are enrolling more international students.
　　D) University presidents are paying more attention to funding-raising.
　　63. What is the chief consideration of American universities when hiring top-level administrators?
　　A) The political correctness. B) Their ability to raise funds.
　　C) Their fame in academic circles. D) Their administrative experience.
　　64. What do we learn about European universities from the passage?
　　A) The tuitions they charge have been rising considerably.
　　B) Their operation is under strict government supervision.
　　C) They are strengthening their position by globalization.
　　D) Most of their revenues come from the government.
　　65. Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard as its vice-chancellor chiefly because _____.
　　A) she was known to be good at raising money
　　B) she could help strengthen its ties with Yale
　　C) she knew how to attract students overseas
　　D) she had boosted Yale’s academic status
　　66. In what way do top-level administrators from abroad contribute to university development?
　　A) They can enhance the university’s image.
　　B) They will bring with them more international faculty.
　　C) They will view a lot of things from a new perspective.
　　D) They can set up new academic disciplines.