2012年12月大学英语四级考试真题与答案(汇总版)

Passage 3

A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He compares a thousand times a day the difference between language as he uses it and language as those around him use it. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, kids learning to do all the other things they learn without adult teachers, to walk, run, climb, ride a bike, play games, compare their own performance with what more skilled people do, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to detect his mistakes. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him. Soon he becomes dependent on the expert. We should let him do it himself. Let him figure out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what is the answer to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or that.

If right answers need to be given, as in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such tedious work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that they can’t find the way to get the right answer.

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

Q33 How does a child learn to do something according to the speaker?

答案：D. By comparing his performance with others.

Q34 What belief do teachers commonly hold according to the speaker?

答案：C. Children cannot detect their own mistakes.

Q35 What does the speaker imply about the current way of teaching?

答案：A. It is unhelpful to students’ learning.

点评：

本篇文章主要论述要让孩子们学着自己判断事情。目前的教学方法对学生学习没有什么帮助作用，老师认为学生不能发现他们自己身上的错误，孩子习得一件事情是通过把自己的行为和其他人的行为作对比而来的，而这就逐渐让孩子们失去了自己，变成了其他人，从而慢慢产生依赖感。文章结尾暗示作者对这种教学方法是不赞成的，同时，提出老师的工作是应该帮助孩子们找到正确答案的方法，而不是什么都为他们做好安排好。

Section C

Time is, for the average American, of utmost importance.  To the foreign visitor, Americans seem to be more concerned with getting things accomplished on time (according to a predetermined schedule) than they are with developing deep interpersonal relations.  Schedules, for the American, are meant to be planned and then followed in the smallest detail.

       It may seem to you that most Americans are completely controlled by the little machines they wear on their wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make it to their next appointment on time.

       Americans’ language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued.  Time is something to be “on,” to be “kept,” “filled,” “saved,” “wasted,” “gained,”  “planned,” “given,” “made the most of,” even “killed.”

       The international visitor soon learns that it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America.

       Time is so valued in America, because by considering time to be important one can clearly achieve more than if one “wastes” time and doesn’t keep busy.  This philosophy has proven its worth.  It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America.  Many American proverbs stress the value of guarding time, using it wisely, and setting and working toward specific goals. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.

答案：

36.  foreign

37. accomplished

38.  interpersonal

39.  detail.

40.  controlled

41.  abruptly

42.  references

43.  indication

44.  it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America.

45.  It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America.

46.  Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.

原文出处：http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/pages/faculty/alee/extra/American_values.html

【点评】本文讨论的是美国人的时间观念。开头提出美国人非常看重时间规划，以至于到了被认为“手表控制人”的地步，接下来从语言角度给出证明，最后又从原因角度解释说明。

本文的难点在于，开头有长难句，包含插入语、比较级等，容易造成困扰。而在语言角度探讨时，有给出一系列动词，容易出现漏听及注意力分散。同时，utmost, abruptly, reference, philosophy, productivity等较难词汇也会带来一定困扰。

空格整体分布较为均匀，除第三段两空间隔较近，第二个容易错过外，其它空填写时间均较为充足。所填词语格式比较重要，如-ed，-s等均是不可漏过的细节。