2013年12月英语四级考试真题答案卷一_第11页

Section B

Passage One

Donna Fredrick's served with the Peace Corps for two years in Brazil. (16)She joined the Peace Corps. After she graduated from college because she wanted to do something to help other people. (17)She had been brought up on a farm, so the Peace Corps assigned her to an agricultural project. Before she went to Brazil’ she studied Portuguese for three months. She also learned a great deal about its history and culture. During her two years with the Peace Corps, Donna lived in a village in northeastern Brazil. That part of Brazil is very dry and farming is often difficult there. Donna helped the people of the village to organise an irrigation project, and she also advised them on planting crops that didn't require much water. When Donna returned to the States, she couldn't settle down. She tried several jobs, but they seemed very boring to her. (18)She couldn't get Brazil out of her mind. Finally, one day she got on a plane and went back to Brazil. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She just wanted to be there. After a few weeks, Donna found a job as an English teacher, teaching five classes a day. Like most of the teachers, she doesn't make much money. She shares a small apartment with another teacher. (19) And she makes a little extra money by sending stories to newspapers in the States. Eventually she wants to quit teaching and work as a full-time journalist.

16. Why did Donna join the Peace Corps after she graduated from college?

A)【精析】目的原因题。短文开始就提到，Donna Fredrick女士在Peace Corps工作了两年,她大学 毕业后之所以来到这里是因为她想帮助别人。

17.What was Donna assigned to do in Brazil?

B)【精析】细节辨认题。短文提到Donna在农场长 大,所以她在巴西Peace Corps工作时被安排从事 农业项目。

18.Why did Donna go back to Brazil once again?

D) 【精析】目的原因题。短文提到Donna回国后找 了几份工作,但都感到无聊,她无法忘记她在巴西 度过的日子,于是重返巴西。

19. How did Donna make extra money to support herself?

B) 【精析】细节辨认题。短文末尾提到Donna返回 巴西后当了一名教师,但收人微薄,她只得和另一 名教师同住一间公寓,靠给美国报纸写文章赚点额外收人。

Passage Two

(20)Results of a recent Harry’s poll on free time showed that the average work week for many Americans is 50 hours. With the time spent eating, sleeping and taking care of household duties, (20) there’s little time left for leisure activities for many Americans. However, having free time to relax and pursue hobbies is important. People need time away from the pressures of study or work to relax and enjoy time with friends and family. In different countries, free time is spent in different ways. (21)The results of the Harry’s poll showed that reading was the most popular spare time activity in the US. This was followed by watching TV. In a UK survey on leisure time activities, watching TV and videos was the most popular. Listening to the radio came second. In a similar survey conducted in Japan, the most popular free time activity was eating out. The second most popular activity was driving. There were also differences in the most popular outdoor pursuits between the three countries. The most popular outdoor activity for Americans was gardening. (22)In the UK, it was going to the pub. In Japan, going to bars ranked eighth in popularity and gardening ranked ninth. Although people around the world may enjoy doing similar things in their free time, there’s evidence to suggest that these interests are changing. In the US, for example, the popularity of computer activities is increasing. Many more people in the

States are spending their free time surfing the Web, emailing friends or playing games online.

20. What is the recent Harry's poll mainly about?

C)【精析】推理判断题。短文一开始提到，Harry的一项民意调查发现,许多美国人每周平均工作50个小时,几乎没有时间用于休闲娱乐,短文接下来 介绍了这一调查的主要容,是关于业余时间和业余活动的。

21, what was the most popular leisure activity in the US?

A)【精析】细节辨认题。Harry的调查表明，美国最 流行的业余活动是读书,其次是看电视。

22. What was the most popular outdoor pursuit in the UK?

C)【精析】细节辨认题。短文最后提到，在所有的户 外活动中,美国人最爱园艺,英国人最爱去酒吧。

Passage Three

(23)On March 13，while on duty, Charles McLaughlin, a very careless driver employed by the company Lummis, was involved in another accident. The accident occurred in Riverside California. Not paying attention to his driving, McLaughlin turned right on main street in 33rd street and hit a Volkswagen Rabbit. This caused minor damage to his truck and serious damage to the car. (23)On the basis of the police report, the Lummis Accident Committee correctly determined that McLaughlin had been quite careless. As a result of the committee’s conclusion, the branch manager Mr. David Rossi reported that he had talked with McLaughlin about his extremely poor driving record. Further evidence of McLaughlin's irresponsibility occurred on May 6 when he was returning from his shift. That day he ran into a roll-up door at the Lummis facility in Valero, causing significant damage to the door. Damage to the truck, however, was minor. (24) Finally, on June 7’ McLaughlin once again demonstrated his carelessness by knocking down several mailboxes near the edge of the company's parking lot. There was damage to the mailboxes and minor damage to the truck. Mr. David Rossi stated that he had spoken with McLaughlin on several occasions about his driving record. (25)He added that he had warned McLaughlin that three preventable accidents in one year could lead to his discharge, as indeed it should.

23. What did the Lummis Accident Committee find out about the accident that occurred on March 13?

D) 【精析】细节推断题。短文一开始提到3月13日 25. 发生的交通事故,事故责任者McLaughlin是一个 粗心的司机，接下来警察的调查也表明 A) McLaughlin的粗心是造成这次事故的主要原因。

24. What did McLaughlin do on June 7 near the edge of the company's parking lot?

B) 【精析】细节辨认题。短文共提到三次因McLaughlin的粗心而导致的交通事故,在6月7日的事故中， 他在公司停车场附近撞倒了几个邮筒。

25. What is most probably going to happen to McLaughlin?

A) 【精析】细节推断题。短文末尾部分提到， McLaughlin的老板曾几次找他谈话,并警告他如 果一年内发生三次完全可以避免的事故,他就会 被解雇。