英語四級考試需要同學們用心去準備，抓住高頻考點就更容易在英語四級考試中獲得高分。所以社科賽斯考研網小編為同學們整理了2015年12月英語四級真題（第二套）。
2015年12月英語四級真題（第二套）
Directions：For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the saying"Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. " You can cite examples to illustrate the importance of lifelong learning. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will bea pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C. and D), and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.
1. A. The agenda for the board of directors' meeting.
B. The details of the meeting to be held next week.
C. The reason for the man's absence from the meeting.
D. The time for the man's visit to the woman's company.
2.A. At a travel agency.
B. At a department store.
C. In a library.
D. In a post office.
3.A. He cannot hear the woman's call.
B. He cannot get through to New York.
C. He cannot recall the phone number.
D. He cannot find a public phone nearby.
4.A. Watch a movie with the woman.
B. Revise his thesis in the office.
C. Do some shopping with Jane.
D. Discuss his thesis with Prof. Hudson.
5. A. He just cannot work properly without a watch.
B. He has no idea where he can buy a gold watch.
C. He still does not know where he left his watch.
D. He is not sure what went wrong with his watch.
6.A. He forgot all about what he said.
B. He slipped and hurt his head.
C. He was sorry for being off sick last week.
D. He thought the woman's car had been sold.
7.A. She should try to catch an earlier bus.
B. She is absent from his class too often.
C. She is always making excuses for being late.
D. She should come up with a better excuse.
8.A. He is going to help the woman out.
B. He has to move out of the building soon.
C. He is on his way to see a real estate agent.
D. He will stay with the woman's brother.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9.A. From the wanted cohunn.
B. From some of her friends.
C. From a telephone directory.
D. From a television commercial.
10.A. She received full-time education abroad.
B. She graduated from an open university.
C. She fmished her secondary school.
D. She studied in a vocational college.
11.A. She is a shorthand-typist.
B. She works as a tour guide.
C. She is a policewoman.
D. She teaches an evening class.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12.A. It provides him with career opportunities.
B. It helps enlarge his customer network.
C. It has been off and on for ten years.
D. It was interrupted for four years.
13.A. Individualized service.
B. Traditional setting.
C. Home-made beer.
D. Social games.
14.A. The quality of beer.
B. The atmosphere.
C. The owner's attitude.
D. The right location.
15.A. It is a rather tough job.
B. It is a profitable business.
C. It helps old people kill time.
D. It makes retirees feel useful.
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After youhear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A , B ,C. and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16.A. It is becoming increasingly popular.
B. It helps the user to escape reality.
C. It gives rise to serious social instability.
D. It hurts a person and those around them.
17.A. They use drugs just for fun.
B. They take drugs to get high.
C. They use drugs as medicine.
D. They keep drug use a secret.
18. A. It is quite common in entertainment circles.
B. It is the cause of various social problems.
C. It is hard to get rid of.
D. It is fatal to the user.
Passage Two
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19.A. Taking up exercises after recovery.
B. Producing tasty healthy frozen food.
C. Finding new ways to cure heart disease.
D. Going on a diet upon leaving the hospital.
20.A. Itwas carefully tested with consumers.
B. It was promoted by health organizations.
C. It was disapproved by many diet experts.
D. It was highly expected by the general public.
21.A. Competitive price.
B. Low expectations.
C. Vigorous promotion.
D. Unique ingredients.
22. A. It was suggested by the firm's vice-president.
B. It matches the food's dark green packaging.
C. It has a positive implication for consumers.
D. It tricks the elders into impulse purchasing.
Passage Three
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
23.A. It is practiced in most of the states.
B. It will be abolished sooner or later.
C. It has drawn a lot of criticism from overseas.
D. It has to be approved by the Supreme Court.
24. A. Whether the practice should be allowed to continue in future.
B. Whether there should be a minimum age limit for execution.
C. What type of criminals should receive it.
D. What effect it might have on youngsters.
25. A. The court sentenced him to life in prison for killing two friends.
B. The governor changed his death sentence to life in prison.
C. He was the first minor to be executed in South Carolina.
D. He was sentenced to death for a crime he committed as a minor.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with, the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.Some people borrow money and "forget" to pay it back.
Large loans are seldom the issue; they are usually treated as business（26）, with the terms spelled out on paper. But many women suffer（27）over problems like Carol's "My friend Ginny is always28cash," she says. "I hate to recall how often I've ' loaned' her a dollar or two for a drink or a movie. Each loan is so small I'd feel really cheap making a big deal out of it; still, I do（29）the fact that she never pays me back. "Carol admits to being "too（30）or something" to demand repayment, but she has resolved tostop lending money to Ginny. "The last time she asked for five dollars to pay for her dry cleaning, I just told her I couldn't（31）it. "Another woman suggests a bolder（32）. "When somebody refuses to repay a loan, I（33）byrequesting one myself," she says. "'I left home without my wallet,' I'll say. 'Can you lend meenough to cover lunch?' Then, when the money is safely in hand, I am struck by a sudden（34）Why, this is exactly the amount I loaned you last week ! How（35）! Now you won't have to repay me'" She says it works like a charm.
Section A
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 isidentified 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 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
For many Americans,2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold spell.Late November and December（36）early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when, for the first time in two（37）, record-cold days will likely turn out to have oumumbered record-warm ones. But the U. S. was the exception: November was the warmest ever（38）, and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record. Enjoy the snow now, because（39）are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That's because, scientists are predicting,2014 will be an El Nifio Year. El Nino, Spanish for "the child",（40）when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet's surface, that the（41）energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. El Ninos are（42）with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa（43）dry weather. Marine life may be affected too: E1 Ninos can（44）the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich ( 營養豐富的） water that supports large fish（45）, and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral ( 珊瑚).
A. Additional
B. Associated
C. bore
D. Chances
E. Communicated
F. Decades
G. experiences
H. globally
I. logically
J. occurs
K. populations
L. realize
M. reduce
N. Saw
O. Specific
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
How to Eat Well
A. Why do so many Americans eat tons of processed food, the stuff that is correctly called junk (垃圾. and should really carry warning labels?
B. It's not because fresh ingredients are hard to come by. Supermarkets offer more variety than ever, and there are over four times as many farmers' markets in the U. S. as there were 20 years ago. nor is it for lack of available information. There are plenty of recipes (食譜), how-to videos and cooking classes available to anyone who has a computer, smartphone or television. If anything, the information is overwhelming.
C. And yet we aren't cooking. If you eat three meals a day and behave like most Americans, you probably get at least a third of your dally calories (卡路里. outside the home. Nearly two-thirds of us grab fast food once a week, and we get almost 25% of our dally calories from snacks. So we're eating out or taking in, and we don't sit down——or we do, but we hurry.
D. Shouldn't preparing——and consuming——food be a source of comfort, pride, health, weli——being, relaxation, sociability? Something that connects us to other humans? Why would we want to outsource(外包. this basic task, especially when outsourcing it is so harmful?
E. When I talk about cooking, I'm not talking about creating elaborate dinner parties or three——day science projects. I'm talking about simple, easy, everyday meals. My mission is to encourage green hands and those lacking time or money to feed themselves. That means we need modest, realistic expectations, and we need to teach people to cook food that's good enough to share with family and friends.
F. Perhaps a return to real cooking needn't be far off. A recent Harris poll revealed that 79% of Americans say they enjoy cooking and 30% "love it" ; 14% admit to not enjoying kitchen work and just 7% won't go near the stove at all. But this doesn't necessarily translate to real cooking, and the result of this survey shouldn't surprise anyone: 52% of those 65 or older cook at home five or more times per week; only a third of young people do.
G. Back in the 1950s most of us grew up in households where Morn cooked virtually every night. The intention to put a home-cooked meal on the table was pretty much universal. Most people couldn't afford to do otherwise.
H. Although frozen dinners were invented in the '40s, their popularity didn't boom until televisions became popular a decade or so later. Since then, packaged, pre-prepared meals have been what's for dinner. The microwave and fast-food chains were the biggest catalysts ( 催化劑), but the big food companies--which want to sell anything except the raw ingredients that go into cooking——made the home cook an endangered species.
I. Still, I fmd it strange that only a third of young people report preparing meals at home regularly. Isn't this the same crowd that rails against processed junk and champions craft cooking? And isn't this the generation who say they're concerned about their health and the well——being of the planet? If these are truly the values of many young people, then their behavior doesn't match their beliefs.
J. There have been haft——hearted but well-publicized efforts by some food companies to reduce calories in their processed foods, but the Standard American Diet is still the polar opposite of the healthy,mostly plant——based diet that just about every expert says we should be eating. Considering that the government's standards are not nearly ambitious enough, the picture is clear: bynot cooking athome, we're not eating the right things, and the consequences are hard to overstate.
K. To help quantify (量化). the costs of a poor diet, I recently tried to estimate this impact in terms of a most famous food, the burger (漢堡包). I concluded that the profit from burgers is more than offset (抵消） by the damage they cause in health problems and environmental harm.
L. Cooldng real food is the best defense——not to mention that any meal you're likely to eat at home contains about 200 fewer calories than one you would eat in a restaurant.
M. To those Americans for whom money is a concern, my advice is simple: Buy what you can afford,and cook it yourself. The common prescription is to primarily shop the grocery store, since that's where fresh produce, meat and seafood, and dairy are. And to save money and still eat well you don't need local, organic ingredients; all you need is real food. I'm not saying local food isn't better; it is. But there is plenty of decent food in the grocery stores.
N. The other sections you should get to know are the frozen foods and the canned goods. Frozen produce is still produce; canned tomatoes are still tomatoes. Just make sure you're getting real food without tons of added salt or sugar. Ask yourself, would Grandma consider this food? Does it look like something that might occur in nature? It's pretty much common sense: you want to buy food,not unidentifiable foodlike objects.
O. You don't have to hit the grocery store daily, nor do you need an abundance of skill. Since fewer than haft of Americans say they cook at an intermediate level and only 20% describe their cooldng skills as advanced, the crisis is one of confidence. And the only remedy for that is practice. There's nothing mysterious about cooking the evening meal. You just have to do a little thinking ahead and redefine what qualifies as dinner. Like any skill, cooking gets easier as you do it more; every time you cook, you advance your level of skills. Someday you won't even need recipes. My advice is that you not pay attention to the number of steps and ingredients, because they can be deceiving.
P. Time, I realize, is the biggest obstacle to cooking for most people. You must adjust your priorities
to find time to cook. For instance, you can move a TV to the kitchen and watch your favorite shows while you're standing at the sink. No one is asking you to give up activities you like, but if you're watching food shows on TV, try cooking instead.
46. Cooking benefits people in many ways and enables them to connect with one another.
47. Abundant information about cooking is available either online or on TV.
48. Young people do less cooking at home than the elderly these days.
49. Cooking skills can be improved with practice.
50. In the mid-20th century, most families ate dinner at home instead of eating out.
51. Even those short of time or money should be encouraged to cook for themselves and their family.
52. Eating food not cooked by ourselves can cause serious consequences.
53. To eat well and still save money, people should buy fresh food and cook it themselves.
54. We get a fairly large portion of calories from fast food and snacks.
55. The popularity of TV led to the popularity of frozen food.
Section C
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
Passage One
The wallet is heading for extinction. As a day-to-day essential, it will die off with the generation who read print newspapers. The kind of shopping——where you hand over notes and count out change in return——now happens only in the most minor of our retail encounters, like buying a bar of chocolate or a pint of milk from a comer shop. At the shops where you spend any real money, that money is increasingly abstracted. And this is more and more true, the higher up the scale you go. At the most cutting-edge retail stores——Victoria Beckham on Dover Street, for instance——you don't go and stand at any kind of cash register when you decide to pay. The staff are equipped with iPads to take your payment while you relax on a sofa.
Which is nothing more or less than excellent service, if you have the money. But across society, the abstraction of the idea of cash makes me uneasy. Maybe I'm just old——fashioned. But earning money isn't quick or easy for most of us. Isn't it a bit weird that spending it should happen in haft a blink (眨眼). of an eye? Doesn't a wallet——that time——honoured Friday——night feeling of pleasing, promisingfatness——represent something that matters?
But I'll leave the economics to the experts. What bothers me about the death of the wallet is thechange it represents in our physical environment. Everything about the look and feel of a wallet——theway the fastenings and materials wear and tear and loosen with age, the plastic and paper and gold andsilver, and handwritten phone numbers and printed cinema tickets——is the very opposite of what ourworld is becoming. The opposite of a wallet is a smartphone or an iPad..The rounded edges, coolglass, smooth and unknowable as a pebble (鵝卵石). Instead of digging through pieces of paper andpeering into corners, we move our fingers left and right. No more counting out coins. Show yourwallet, if you still have one. It may not be here much longer.
56. What is happening to the wallet?
A. It is disappearing.
B. It is being fattened.
C. It is becoming costly.
D. It is changing in style.
57. How are business transactions done in big modern stores?
A. Individually.
B. Electronically.
C. In the abstract.
D. Via a cash register.
58. What makes the author feel uncomfortable nowadays?
A. Saving money is becoming a thing of the past.
B. The pleasing Friday——night feeling is fading.
C. Earning money is getting more difficult.
D. Spending money is so fast and easy.
59. Why does the author choose to write about what's happening to the wallet?
A. It represents a change in the modern world.
B. It has something to do with everybody's life.
C. It marks the end of a time——honoured tradition.
D. It is the concern of contemporary economists.
60. What can we infer from the passage about the author?
A. He is resistant to social changes.
B. He is against technological progress.
C. He feels reluctant to part with the traditional wallet.
D. He feels insecure in the ever——changing modern world.
Passage Two
Everybody sleeps, but what people stay up late to catch——or wake up early in order not to miss——varies by culture. From data collected, it seems the things that cause us to lose the most sleep, on average, are sporting events, time changes, and holidays.
Around the world, people changed sleep patterns thanks to the start or end of daylight savings time. Russians, for example, began to wake up about a half-hour later each day after President Vladimir Putin shifted the country permanently to "winter time" starting on October 26.Russia's other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays. On New Year's Eve, Russians have the world's latest bedtime, hitting the hay at around 3:30 am. Russians also get up an hour later on International Women's Day, the day for treating and celebrating female relatives. Similarly, Americans' late nights, late mornings, and longest sleeps fall on three——day weekends. Canada got the least sleep of the year the night it beat Sweden in the Olympic hockey (冰球. final.The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation (剝奪). The worst night for sleep in the U. K. was the night of the England-Italy match on June 14. Brits stayed up a half——hour later to watch it, and then they woke up earlier than usual the next morning thanks to summer nights, the phenomenon in which the sun barely sets in northern countries in the summertime. That was nothing, though, compared to Germans, Italians, and the French, who stayed up around an hour and a haft later on various days throughout the summer to watch the Cup.
It should be made clear that not everyone has a device to record their sleep patterns; in some of these nations, it's likely that only the richest people do. And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person. Even if that's the case, though, the above findings are still striking. If the most health-conscious among us have such deep swings in our shut-eye levels throughout the year, how much sleeg are the rest of us losing?
61. What does the author say about people's sleeping habits?
A. They are culture——related.
B. They affect people's health.
C. They change with the seasons.
D. They vary from person to person.
62, What do we learn about the Russians regarding sleep?
A)They don't fall asleep until very late.
B. They don't sleep much on weekends.
C. They get less sleep on public holidays.
D. They sleep longer than people elsewhere.
63. what is the major cause for Europeans' loss of sleep?
A. The daylight savings time.
B. The colorful night life.
C. The World Cup.
D. The summertime.
64. what is the most probable reason for some rich people to use a device to record their sleeppatterns?
A)They have trouble falling asleep.
B. They want to get sufficient sleep.
C. They are involved in a sleep research.
D. They want to go to bed on regular hours.
65. what does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A. Sleeplessness does harm to people's health.
B. Few people really know the importance of sleep.
C. It is important to study our sleep patterns.
D. Average people probably sleep less than the rich.
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
云南省的麗江古鎮是中國著名的旅游目的地之一。那里的生活節奏比大多數中國城市都要緩慢。麗江到處都是美麗的自然風光，眾多的少數民族同胞提供了各式各樣、豐富多彩的文化讓游客體驗。歷史上，麗江還以“愛之城”而聞名。當地人中流傳著許多關于因愛而生、為愛而死的故事。如今，在中外游客眼中，這個古鎮被視為愛情和浪漫的天堂。
參考答案解析
1．D. 未聽先知：四個選項均為描述事實狀況的短語，結合選項中多次出現的meeting一詞，以及details，next week和the man's visit等，可以推斷，對話內容與男士的出訪和會面有關，而且此次會面尚未達成。
詳解：女士詢問男士什么時候方便到她所在的公司參觀，男士說下個月幾乎任何時間都行，可能接近周末的時間最好。由此可知，兩人在談論男士參觀女士所在公司的時間，故答案為D.
2．C.未聽先知：四個選項均為表示場所的短語，可以推測本題考查地點，聽對話時注意捕捉提示對話發生場所的關鍵詞。詳解：女士請男士幫助她尋找一本關于南美洲的書，男士反問女士具體想要哪方面的書籍，因為他們
通過多種不同的方式對書籍進行歸類。由此可知，對話發生在圖書館，故答案為C.
3．B. 未聽先知：四個選項均以he cannot開頭，可以推斷對話中男士一定是遇到了某種問題，結合選項中出現的call，get through，phone number和public phone等詞，可以進一步確定男士遇到的問題與電話有關。
詳解：男士說他在嘗試打電話到紐約，但一直沒打通，詢問女士能否幫助他，女士很爽快地答應，并讓男士試試她的手機。由此可知，男士沒辦法打電話到紐約，故答案為B.
4．D. 未聽先知：四個選項均為表示行為的動詞短語，可以推斷本題考查的內容與行為動作有關。結合選項中出現的with the woman和his thesis等詞，可以進一步判定本題考查的是男士的行為動作，因此男士的話為聽音重點。
詳解：男士說他必須去哈德森教授的辦公室討論他的論文，如果時間允許的話，他希望回來后能和女士一起去看電影，而女士卻說她不一定能趕得及，因為她現在要和簡去購物。由此可知，男士首先要做的事情是與哈德森教授討論他的論文，故答案為D.
5．C. 未聽先知：四個選項的主語均為he，結合選項中多次出現的watch可以推斷本題考查內容與男士的手表相關，聽錄音時注意與手表相關的內容。
詳解：女士問男士為什么那么心煩和焦慮，男士說他整個上午一直在回憶，試圖回想起來他把金表放到哪兒了，但一直都是徒勞。由此可知，男士仍然不知道他把金表放在哪兒了，故答案為C.
6．A. 未聽先知：四個選項的主語均為he，結合選項中出現的forgot，slipped and hurt，sorry和sold等詞，可以初步推斷與男士相關的事實并不是特別好的事實，因此聽錄音時要注意捕捉與男士相關的信息。
詳解：女士說她記得男士說過上周會給她打電話，與她討論一下她要賣的那輛車，男士聽到女士的話后，馬上表示道歉，因為這件事completely slipped my mind，本題的關鍵在于理解短語slip one’s mind的含義，即“忘記”。也就是說，男士把這件事忘得一干二凈，故答案為A.
7．C. 未聽先知：四個選項均以she開頭，結合選項中出現的absent，class，excuses和being late等詞，可以推斷女士上課出勤情況不好，對話內容應該圍繞女士上課出勤情況展開。
詳解：女士說她努力趕汽車，但沒有趕上，所以上課才會遲到，男士卻說又一個借口，并問她是不是連明天要說什么都準備好了。由此可知，男士認為女士總是在為她的遲到找借口，故答案為C.
8．B. 未聽先知：四個選項均以he開頭，結合選項中出現的move out of，buildin9，real estate agent和stay with等詞，可以推斷對話內容與男士的住房情況有關。
詳解：男士說他住的那棟公寓樓月底前就要拆除了，他對此一籌莫展，女士告訴男士，她弟弟是房地產經紀人，應該能夠為男士提供幫助。由此可知，男士必須在短期內搬離現在的住所，故答案為B.
9．How did the woman get to know about the mall’s company?
B. 詳解：男士問女士是否曾通過他所在的機構找過工作，女士表示沒有，但這家職業介紹所曾幫助她的朋友們找到過工作，由此推斷，她是從朋友處得知這家職業介紹所的信息的，故答案為B.
10．What formal education did the woman receive?
C. 詳解：對話中男士問女士曾在哪所學校上學，女士說她在South Town上的中學，然后又說，她l8歲之后就沒有再接受過全日制教育，由此可知，女士所接受的最高程度的正規教育就是中學，故答案為C.
11．What do we learn about the woinan’s occupation?
A. 詳解：對話中男士詢問女士目前在哪里工作，女士回答說自己現在的工作是一名速記打字員，故答案為A.
12．What does the man say about his involvement with pubs?
C. 詳解，對話中女士問男士他成為酒吧老板有多長時間了，男士回答說已經四年了，不過他從事與酒吧相關的工作斷斷續續已經有十年，故答案為C.
13．What characterizes the old-fashioned pub．according to tlIe man?
D. 詳解:對話中男士說他現在的酒吧是那種人們普遍認為的傳統酒吧，這種酒吧的特點就是會有很多社交活動，故答案為D。
14．What does the man say is most important in making a good pub?
C. 詳解:當女士問男士怎樣才能成為好酒吧時，男士說，首先要有合適的顧客，售賣合適的啤酒，并且酒要好，最重要的是，即使感覺很疲憊，也依然要保持良好的態度，這樣才能讓酒吧更成功，故答案為C.
15．What does the woman think of running a country pub?
A. 詳解:對話結尾時，女士說，很多人都認為經營酒吧是一份很好的工作，每個人都說想在退休以后，開一家鄉村酒吧，但女士卻認為經營酒吧實際上是一份相當辛苦的工作。選項A)中的tough是原文中hard的同義轉述，故答案為A.
16．What does the speaker say about drug abuse?
D. 詳解:短文中提到，藥物濫用是指合法或非法地使用藥物，并對使用者本人或者與其親近的人造成傷害，故答案為D.
17．What does the speaker say about recreational drug users?
B. 詳解:短文中提到了不同類型的人使用藥物的目的。其中提到，Recreational users take drugs to get high．即娛樂性毒品使用者吸毒是為了讓自己興奮，故答案為B.
18．What does the speaker say about drug dependence?
C．詳解:短文最后一部分提到，雖然僅有很少幾種藥物會造成身體的依賴性，但若使用不當，幾乎所有藥物都會讓人一直覺得他需要該藥物，這時候已經晚了，因為他已經上癮了。也就是說，藥物依賴性很難根除，故答案為C.
19．What did Charles Harper think of while he was in hospital?
B. 詳解：短文中提到，當查爾斯·哈柏因為心臟病發作而躺在醫院康復時，他想象著一排健康美味的冷凍食品，故答案為B.
20．What does the passage say about the Healthy Choice product line before it went to market?
A. 詳解：短文中提到，在真正投放到市場面向大眾之前，Healthy Choice系列的食品經過了消費者的認真測試，故答案為A.
21．What is said to contribute to ConAgra’s business success?
B. 詳解：短文中提到，ConAgra公司負責市場營銷的副總裁認為，他們從低期待值中受益，產品比人們想象的更出色，故答案為B.
22．What does the speaker say about the naule Healthy Choice?
C. 詳解：短文中提到，選擇使用Healthy Choice這個商品名稱，是因為它能給消費者以正面暗示，故答案為C.
23．What does the speaker say about the death penalty in the United States?
A. 詳解：短文開頭明確指出，在美國，目前有36個州允許對嚴重罪行執行死刑，比如謀殺。也就是說，美國大部分地區有死刑的存在，故答案為A.
24．Whatisthe focus of tlle debate around the death penalty?
B. 詳解：短文提到，目前關于死刑存在一個重大問題：是否應該對被執行死刑的罪犯設置一個最低年齡限制，故答案為B.
25．What does the speaker say about James Terry Roach?
D. 詳解:短文最后提到，1977年，詹姆斯·特里·羅奇當時l7歲，與兩個朋友一起殘忍地殺害了三個人，因此被判死刑。雖然他的律師提起上訴，但該州州長拒絕撤銷死刑，最終他于l986年被執行死刑。由此可知，雖然羅奇在犯罪時仍是未成年人，但依然被執行了死刑。故答案為D.
26．transactions。詳解:本句主語they為復數，因此空格處應該填入名詞復數形式，作介詞as的賓語。空格所在句分號前提到，大筆借款通常不是問題，而空格所在部分后半句中說條款都已經被白紙黑字地記錄下來。由此可見，大筆借款被看作商業 交易。結合錄音填人transactions，意為“交易，業務”。
27．in silence。詳解:本句主干結構完整，此處應該填人副詞或副詞短語，充當狀語，修飾動詞suffer。由該句之后卡蘿爾對自己遭遇的描述可以看出，她的朋友金尼經常向她借錢，但從來沒有還過，雖然數目不大，而卡蘿爾也覺得不好意思，沒有要求她還錢，也就是說，她對朋友的行為是默默地忍受：結合錄音填入in silence，意為“默默地”。
28．short of。詳解:此處填入的詞或詞組應該能夠連接系動詞is和空格后的名詞cash，描述主語金尼與金錢之間的關系。空格所在句后一句中說，金尼經常向卡蘿爾借上一兩美元買飲料或者電影票，也就是說，金尼比較缺錢。結合錄音填入short of，意為“缺少，缺乏”。
29．resent。詳解:此處應該填入動詞，作句子的謂語。空格所在句及其前兩句都是在描述卡蘿爾的朋友向她借錢不還，說明卡蘿爾對朋友這樣的行為表示反感。結合錄音填人resent，意為“憤恨，怨恨，憎惡”。
30．embarrassed。詳解:此處位于副詞t00之后，應該填入形容詞。由于朋友只是借上一兩美元，如果要求還錢，讓人感覺有點小題大做。因此，卡蘿爾感覺不好意思讓朋友還錢。結合錄音填入embarrassed，意為“困窘的，尷尬的”。
31．spare。詳解:空格前是情態動詞的否定形式couldn't，因此，此處應該填入動詞原形，與couldn’t起作從句的謂語。由于朋友總是借錢不還，而卡蘿爾又不好意思向朋友要求還錢，時間長了，卡蘿爾決定不再借錢給朋友，再結合本句句首的the last time可以判斷，從這一次起，卡蘿爾拒絕借錢給朋友。因此，她告訴朋友她沒錢可借。結合錄音填入spare，意為“提供(時間、錢等)；勻出，分出”。
32．response。詳解:此處應該填入名詞單數形式，與不定冠詞a搭配，作句子的賓語。卡蘿爾拒絕再借錢給朋友的方式是說她沒錢可借，而另外一位女士的建議更為大膽，本句后面就給出了那位女士在朋友借錢時的反應。結合錄音填人response，意為“反應，回答”。
33．turn the tables。詳解:此處應該填入動詞或動詞短語，充當句子的謂語。這位女士的回答更為大膽，當有人借錢不還時，她不是被動忍受，而是扭轉局面，主動出擊，向朋友提出要求。結合錄音填入turn the tables，意為“扭轉局面，轉敗為勝”。
34．reization。詳解:空格位于不定冠詞a和形容詞sudden之后，因此應該填入單數名詞，作介詞by的賓語。當把錢拿到手后，這位女士才表現出突然想起來的樣子，說這和你上次借我的一樣多呢!結合錄音填人realization，意為“意識，領悟”。
35．convenient。詳解:此處應該填入形容詞或副詞，與how一起構成感嘆句。女士假裝剛剛反應過來，并告訴對方，她這次借的和對方欠她的一樣多，這樣省得對方再還錢了，還真是省事呢!結合錄音填入convenient，意為“方便的，便利的”。
36．N.saw。詳解：動詞辨析題。本空位于兩個名詞之間，而且late November and December作句子的主語，因此應填入動詞作謂語。此處意思是ll月底和12月已經有了初雪，應填入含有該層意思的動詞。備選動詞中，G.experiences和N.saw符合句意，但本段第一句用了一般過去時，此句承接第一句，因此也應該用一般過去時，故答案為N.saw。本題也可以先根據時態將選項范圍縮小至B)associated、C.bore、E.communicated和N.saw，再根據句意排除B.、C.和E.
37．F.decades。詳解：名詞辨析題。本空位于數詞之后，故應填入名詞。此處意為：二以來第一次有記錄的寒冷天數可能超過有記錄的溫暖天數。由句意可知本空應填人表示時間的名詞，故答案為F.decades“十年”。two后面應填人復數名詞，因此可將選項范圍縮小至D.chances、F.decades、G.experiences和K.populations，再根據句意排除D.、G.和K.
38．H.globally。詳解：副詞辨析題。本句屬于主系表結構，并不缺少主要成分，因此應填入副詞作狀語。本段第一、二句講的是美國2013年ll月底和12月比往年冷，第三句開始轉折，說美國是特例。本句進一步解釋說11月是最暖和的，應該是將美國和全球其他國家對比得出的，因此答案為H)globally。備選副詞I.logically不符合句意，因此排除。
39．D)chances。詳解：名詞辨析題。本空位于原因狀語從句的系動詞are之前，故應填入名詞作主語。本句是對2014年天氣的預測：2014年會更熱，也許是有記錄以來最熱的年份。由perhaps可知本空應填入有“可能”含義的名詞，故答案為D.chances。
40．J.occurs。詳解：動詞辨析題。分析句子結構可知，空格位于主語ElNifi0之后，應填入動詞作謂語。本句解釋什么是厄爾尼諾現象，句意為：當南太平洋表層海水溫度異常升高時，厄爾尼諾就會一。因此本空應填入有“出現；發生”含義的詞，故答案為J.occurs。本題也可以根據句子成分逐步分析，本句中，El Nifio是主語，Spanish for“the child”是其同位語，when引導時間狀語從句。同位語是對其前面名詞的進一步解釋說明，去掉并不影響句子的結構，在分析時可以省略，因此可判斷本句缺少謂語動詞。另外，本段在介紹厄爾尼諾現象時，用的都是現在時，可以將選擇范圍縮小至動詞G.experiences和J.Occurs，再根據句意排除G.
41．A.additional。詳解:形容詞辨析題。本空位于定冠詞the和名詞energy之間，因此應填入形容詞作修飾語。句意為：由于溫度升高帶來的能量足以引發全球一系列的天氣變化。溫度升高必然會帶來額外的能量，故答案為A.additional“額外的，附加的”。備選的形容詞只有A.additional、B.associated和0.specific，可根據句意排除B和0。
42．B.associated。詳解:動詞辨析題。本空位于系動詞are之后，應填入形容詞或可作表語的分詞、動詞被動語態。本題前一句提到厄爾尼諾現象足以引發全球一系列的天氣變化，本句對此舉例說明，指出厄爾尼諾與東南亞和澳大利亞的極端干旱天氣有關。因此應填入含有“相關的”含義的詞，故答案為B.associated。符合條件的備選詞中，A.additional、C.bore、E.communicated和O.specific均不能與with搭配，故排除。
43．G.experiences。詳解:動詞辨析題。本空位于兩個名詞(詞組)之間，應填入動詞作謂語。本句仍然在說明厄爾尼諾帶來的天氣變化，南北美洲部分地區極端降雨，即便是在非洲南部干旱的時候。由句意可知，本空應填入有“遭受”含義的動詞，故答案為G.experiences。另外，本段在介紹厄爾尼諾現象，用的都是現在時，可以將選擇范圍縮小至動詞G.experiences和J.occurs，而0ccurs已在上文用過，故排除。
44．M.reduce。詳解:動詞辨析題。本空位于情態動詞Can之后，應填入動詞原形。本句意為：厄爾尼諾會寒冷但營養豐富的海水的上升。根據本段第一句可知，厄爾尼諾發生意味著海水溫度升高，自然不利于寒冷海水的上升，故答案為M.reduce。備選動詞L.realize不符合句意，故排除。
45．K.populations。詳解:名詞辨析題。本空位于句末名詞之后，應填入名詞。that引導的定語從句的意思是：這些海水供養著大量的魚。由句意可知，此處意為“魚群”，故答案為K.populations。備選名詞中D.chances、F.decades和G.experiences均在上題中已選，而N)saw顯然與句意不符，因此均排除。
46-50CBFOG
51-55EJMC
56，A. 定位:由題干中的happening to the wallet定位至第一段第一句：The wallet is heading for extinction．
詳解:事實細節題。第一段第一句開篇便點明錢包正走向滅絕。因此A.“它正在消失”符合文意，故為答案。
點睛:B.“它正在變厚”、C.“它正變得昂貴”和D.“它的樣式正發生變化”在原文中均未提及，因此均排除。
57．B. 定位：由題干中的in big modern stores定位至第一段第六、七句：At the most cutting edge retail stores--Victoria Beckham Off Dover Street，for instance—_yoU don、go and stand at any kind of cash register when you decide to pay．the staff axe equipped with iPads to take your payment while you relax on a sofa．
詳解：事實細節題。第一段第六句舉例說明在最前沿的商店里人們如何付款。第七句提到，店員都配有平板電腦，顧客在沙發上休息時就可以付賬。由此可知，在大型現代商店里，商業交易是通過電子設備完成的，故答案為B.
點睛：A.“單獨地”在原文中并未提及，排除；C.“抽象地”，原文只是說貨幣的概念被抽象化，并沒有說交易抽象地完成，因此排除；D.“通過收銀臺”，與本段第六句提到的“不需要站在任何收銀臺前”矛盾，因此排除。
58．D. 定位：由題干中的makes the author feel uncomfortable定位至第二段第二至五句：But across society，the abstraction of the idea of cash makes me uneasy．Maybe I'm just old fashioned．But earning money isn’t quick or easy for most of us．Isn’t it a bit weird that spending it should happen in haft a blink(眨眼)ofan eye?
詳解：事實細節題。第二段介紹作者的看法。現金概念的抽象化使作者感到不安。究其原因是作者認為掙錢不容易，而花錢卻在轉瞬間，故答案為D.
點睛；A.“省錢成為了過去”和C.“掙錢變得更加困難”在原文中并未提及，因此排除；B)“周五晚上：人愉悅的感覺正在消退”，與原文不符，因此排除。
59．A. 定位：由題干中的why和what’s happening to the wallet定位至第三段第二句：What bothers me about the death of the wallet is the change it represents in our physical environment．
詳解：事實細節題。what’s happening to the wallet指的是錢包正走向滅絕。第三段繼續介紹作者對錢包即將滅絕的看法。第二旬提到，錢包的消失給我帶來的困擾是關于它所代表的實體環境的改變。因此A.“它代表現代世界的一個改變”符合文意，故為答案。
點睛： B.“它與每個人的生活有關”和C.“它標志著一個歷史悠久的傳統的結束”都是原文流露的事實，并不是作者寫作的原因，因此排除；D.“它是當代經濟學家所關心的事”是對第三段第一旬But I’II leave the economics to the expels．的曲解，因此排除。
60．D. 定位：由題干定位至第二段第二句：But across society，the abstraction of the idea of cash makes me uneasy．以及第三段第二句：What bothers me about the death of the wallet is the change it represents in our physical environment．
詳解：推理判斷題。由定位句可以看出，作者對錢包走向滅絕感到不安和困惑，而錢包滅絕正是代表著社會的變化，因此D.“他在不斷變化的現代世界中感到不安”符合文意，該選項中的insecure對應定位句中的uneasy和bother，故答案為D.
點睛：A.“他反對社會變革”和B.“他反對技術進步”在原文中均未提及，因此排除；C.“他不愿 意與傳統的錢包告別”是對原文第三段最后兩句Show your wallet，if you still have one．It may not be here much longer．的解釋．過于片面，并不是文章中作者表達的主要意圖，因此排除。
61．A. 定位：由題干中的sleeping habits定位到第一段：Everybody sleeps，but what people stay up late to Catch or wake up early in order not to miss--varies by culture．
詳解：事實細節題。文章首段后半句指出，人們為了趕上什么而熬夜或者為了不錯過什么而早起，卻因文化的不同而存在差異。由此可見，人們的睡眠習慣與文化有關，故答案為A.
點腈:文章第一段提到人們的睡眠與文化有關，第二段又提到影響人們睡眠的幾個主要因素：體育賽事、時間變更和假期，并未提到睡眠習慣與健康、季節以及個人之問的關系，故B)“它們影響人們的健康”、C.“它們隨著季節而改變”和D.“它們因人而異”三項均可以排除。
62．C. 定位:由題干中的the Russians regarding sleep定位到第四段第一句：Russia’s other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays．
詳解:推理判斷題。文章第四段第一句指出，俄羅斯其他熬夜或早起的日子基本上與公共假期相一致。故本題答案為C.
點睛:A.“他們直到很晚才睡覺”，文章第三段提到俄羅斯改為冬令時后，俄羅斯人起床時間比以前晚了，并且第四段提到他們會在假期里早起或晚睡，A)項說法太絕對，故可以排除；B)“他們周末睡得不多”，文章第六段提到美國人會在三日周末熬夜、晚起以及睡得最長，B)項屬于張冠李戴，故可以排除；D.“他們比其他地方的人睡的時間更長”，文章第三段提到俄羅斯改為冬令時后，俄羅斯人起床時間比以前晚了，但這推斷不出“他們比其他地方的人睡的時間更長”，故可以排除。
63．C. 定位:由題干中的Europeans’loss of sleep定位到第八段：The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation(剝奪)．The worst night for sleep in the U．K．was the night of the England Italy match．．．compared to Germans．Italians，and the French，who stayed up．．．to watch the Cup．
詳解:推理判斷題。文章第八段首句指出，世界杯也應承擔剝奪人們睡眠的主要責任。最后兩句用英國人、德國人、意大利人和法國人熬夜看世界杯的例子來論證。因此，歐洲人缺乏睡眠的主要原因是為了看世界杯，故本題答案為C.
點睛:文章第三段提到俄羅斯改為冬令時后，俄羅斯人起床時間比以前晚了，夏令時的結束對俄羅斯人的睡眠造成了影響，而非歐洲人，故可以排除A.“夏令時”；文章并未提到歐洲人的夜生活是否豐富，B.“豐富的夜生活”屬于無中生有，故可以排除；文章第八段第三句提到．夏天北方國家太陽幾乎不會落下，由此導致英國人比平時醒得早一些，但是第四句用though轉折指出這與德國人、意大利人和法國人為了看世界杯熬夜相比根本不算什么，即夏天并非導致歐洲人缺少睡眠的主要原因，故可以排除D.“夏天”。
64．B. 定位:由題于中的a device to record their sleep patterns定位到最后一段第一、二句．Not everyone has a device to record their sleep patterns…only the richest people d0．And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person．
詳解：事實細節題。文章最后一段前兩句指出，并不是每個人都有設備記錄自己的睡眠模式，在以上一些國家中，可能只有最富有的人才這樣做；那些選擇追蹤自己睡眠的人也許是想要獲得比普通人更多的睡眠。即富人記錄自己睡眠模式最可能的原因是他們想要充足的睡眠，故本題答案為B.
點睛：A.“他們難以入睡”和C.“他們參與了一項關于睡眠的研究”，文章并未提及，故可以排除；D.“他們想在固定的時間睡覺”，文章最后一段首句提到他們用設備記錄A己的睡眠時間，并未提到他們是想要在固定的時間睡覺，故可以排除。
65．B. 定位：由題干定位到最后一段．people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleepthan the average person．If the most health·conscious among us have such deep swings in Our shuteye levels throughout the year，how much sleep are the rest of us losing?
詳解：推理判斷題。文章最后一段最后一句提到，這一整年里，如果我們中最具健康意識的人的睡眠時間都有這么大的浮動，那我們其余的人又失去了多少睡眠呢?換句話說，人們對睡眠不夠重視，故本題答案為B. 點睛： A.“失眠對健康有害”，題干問的是作者在最后一段暗示了什么，A.并非作者暗示的內容，故可以排除；C.“研究我們的睡眠模式很重要”，文章并未提及這一點，故可以排除；D.“普通人可能比富人睡得少”，文章最后一段前兩句提到了富人用設備記錄自己的睡眠時間，可能是想要獲得比普通人更多的睡眠．并沒有提到普通人和富人之間誰睡眠時間更多的問題，故可以排除。
參考譯文：Lijiang, an ancient town in Yunnan Province, is one of the most famous tourist attractions in China. The life tempo there is slower than that of most Chinese cities. There is beautiful natural scenery everywhere in Lijiang, and many minorities provide tourists with various and colorful cultural experience. It has also been known as the "City of Love" in history. Numerous legends about people who were born for love and died for love circulate among the local folk. Nowadays, this ancient town is regarded as the paradise of love and romance in the eyes of both Chinese and foreign visitors.
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