1、大学英语四级 152 及答案解析(总分：746.56，做题时间：130 分钟)一、Writing (30 minutes)(总题数：1，分数：30.00)1.For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition about What Would Happen if There Were no Power in three paragraphs. You are given the first sentence or part of the first sentence of each paragraph. Your p
2、art of the composition should be no less than 120 words, not including the words given. 1. Ever since early last century, electricity has become an essential part of our modem life. 2. If there were no electric power, 3. Therefore, （分数：30.00）_二、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：1，分数：71.00)Work and Life The p
3、ursuit of a better work-life balance is at the root of calls for flexible hours, affordable childcare and paid paternity (父亲身份) leave. More than ever before are we demanding choice in our working lives. Gemma Lavender of the TUC explores the pressures and challenges. The issue If youre not careful,
4、work can take over your life. People in Britain work longer hours than anywhere else in Europe. Too many workplaces are gripped by a long hours culture where everyone is expected to do hours of unpaid overtime every week. Astonishingly, people in Britain do 23 billion worth of unpaid overtime every
5、yearthat would be a 4,000 wages boost for the average long-hours worker. Hardly surprising, then, that theres an epidemic of workplace stress. Contrary to some expectations, according to a recent TUC poll, Brits do actually enjoy their jobs. 85 per cent told us that they found their work enjoyable a
6、nd fulfilling, yet slightly more than half said they also found it hard to cope with the pressure. Eight million people complain that pressure of work gives them headaches or migraines (偏头痛), 12 million say they get bad tempered and irritable (易怒的) at home, nearly three million need to take time off
7、 work and more than two-and-a-half million say they drink too much. That is why work-life balance is the slogan of the moment. Unions, good employers and the government are all concerned but much more needs to be done. The pressures The core agenda with work-life balance issues is still the family.
8、And despite all the improvements in equality between the sexes, this is still largely perceived as an issue for women rather than men. But times are changing. Mothers still take the greater responsibility for childcare but are also more likely to have paid jobs than ever before. Seven out of ten wom
9、en of working age now have jobs, and half of mothers with children aged under five are in work. Todays women are breadwinners. Men and women are both taking on multiple roles. Men are doing more of the care responsibilities (according to the Equal Opportunities Commission, a surprising 36% of couple
10、s say that the man is the main carer) and women are working more. Polls show that fathers feel they are missing out on time with their children. With people living longer, more workers are experiencing care demands on elderly relatives as well as children. The fact that women are now having children
11、 later in life means that they may end up facing caring responsibilities for both ends of the age spectrum. The attitude of female workers has also changed. Women are growing more ambitious as they become key players in the world of work, contributing to major company successes. Whether youre a Mart
12、ha Lane Fox or a Marjorie Scardino, the impact of the female boss is considerably more powerful than ever before. The pressure for women to achieve drives them to work harder and for longer, especially when wanting to prove themselves against their male counterparts (对等的人). Technology both helps and
13、 hinders. Email and the Internet give people the potential to work flexibly. Some now work for themselves or for their employer entirely from home. This doesnt suit everyone some find it far too isolating to be cut off from office networks, but working from home for part of the week can be a real he
14、lp. However, technology can also increase work pressure. The overflowing email inbox and the constantly ringing phone can really step up the stress levels. Progress on work-life balance is likely to give individual employees much more choice about how and when they work. Research shows that the more
15、 control you have over your own work, the less stress youre likely to get. But organisations, as a whole, need to tackle the issue it cant just be the sum of individual responses. And work-life balance issues are not just for carers. Everyone needs their personal space, and policies that only benefi
16、t parents or carers might cause antagonism (敌意) with other colleagues. The challenges Flexitime, working at home, and creches (托儿所) are available only to a minority, but they are on the increase. Falling unemployment in most parts of the country means that employers are having to put a bit more effo
17、rt into retaining staff and providing good conditions designed to attract particular staff with skills and experience. While flexitime and home-working options are not appropriate for every type of job, there is still room for imaginative approaches to choosing working hours. The main obstacle is em
18、ployer resistance. Too many think that progressive policies will cost them. Small companies, in particular, say it may be all right for big organisations but we dont have the same options to be flexible. But the independent Institute of Employment Studies shows that some small and medium-sized busin
19、esses have saved up to 250,000 on their budget simply by using family-friendly work policies. This is mainly because people take less time off sick when they have a better balance in their life. The benefits Businesses benefit if they make the best use of their most valuable resource: their staff. T
20、he main advantage of balancing personal and professional life is that the workers are happier. If they are happy, they work better; if they work better, the company profits. And if staff are happy they will stay. In a tight labour market, employers need to retain and recruit good, hard-working, loya
21、l staff, especially and increasingly women. Offering good working conditions cements (加强) the companys reputation as an employer of choice and will attract the best candidates for the job. Workers are also holding companies more and more accountable for bad working conditions and inflexible practice
22、s. The pressure is growing on employers. Society demands choice in the 21st century. The choice to take the kids to school and then go to work, the choice to leave early to attend a language course or visit granny, the choice to return to work on a basis you want, the choice to take unpaid leave to
23、travel somewhere new, to train, or to have more time to visit friends. （分数：71.00）(1).The main idea of the article is that work can never take over ones life if he finds it enjoyable. （分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(2).The Brits will have to find a solution to the work-life imbalance.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(3).As it
24、 is before, men are the family supporters and hence endure more pressure.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(4).Technology doesnt help solve any problem of work-life issue.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(5).The author suggests that the organizations should care children for parents to reduce their pressure.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(
25、6).Less and less people who work may have flexi-time or working at home.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(7).The employer will also benefit if some measures are taken to achieve a work-life balance.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(8).Basically, the pursuit of a better work-life balance means 1, 2and 3.（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_(9).The
26、central problem of the work-life balance issue is the problem of 1.（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_(10).The main obstacle to more flexible time and home-working options comes from the 1.（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_三、Listening Comprehens(总题数：1，分数：15.00)A.To the bank.B.To a book store.C.To a shoe store.D.To the grocers.A.By bus.
27、B.By bike.C.By taxi.D.On foot.A.He doesnt know much about acting.B.He didnt think they were actors.C.Acting is a very difficult profession.D.The acting seemed professional to him.A.Stay out of the garden.B.Protect himself from the sun.C.Buy another hat.D.Get some new gardening tools.A.A big travel a
28、gency.B.A job opportunity.C.An inexperienced salesman.D.A position as general manager.A.Its going to attract a lot of students.B.Its going to be a lot of fun.C.Its going to require a lot of reading.D.Its going to work out quite well.A.He is often late for meals.B.He is expecting a letter from abroad
29、.C.He wrote to his family last month.D.He is anxious to go back home.A.Georges brother.B.Georges wife.C.Georges father.D.Georges wifes father.四、Section B(总题数：2，分数：10.00)A.He didnt really enjoy it very much.B.He liked its story, but the music was awful.C.He enjoyed every minute of the movie.D.He was
30、excited with the development of the story.A.The usher.B.The people sitting next.C.The people sitting in front of him.D.The people standing in the back.A.The man was cutting jokes all the time.B.The woman was talking about her boss.C.The woman was making comments on the performance of the actress.D.T
31、he man was telling the woman the entire story of the movie.A.Two.B.Three.C.Five.D.Seventeen.A.A drivers license.B.A permission slip.C.A registration card.D.Nothing.A.Next quarter.B.Friday at nine oclock.C.Friday afternoon.D.Later the same day.A.That he is majoring in mathematics.B.That he has never
32、taken a chemistry course.C.That he is a freshman.D.That he does not like his advisor.A.Because it was too heavy.B.Because it did not bend easily.C.Because it did not shoot far.D.Because its string was short.A.It went out of use 300 years ago.B.It was invented after the short bow.C.It was discovered
33、before fire and the wheel.D.Its still in use today.A.They are accurate and easy to pull.B.Their shooting range is 40 yards.C.They are usually used indoors.D.They took 100 years to develop.A.A car outside the supermarket.B.A car at the bottom of the hill.C.Pauls car.D.The sports car.A.Inside the car.
34、B.At the foot of the hill.C.In the garage.D.In the supermarket.A.The driver of the sports car.B.The two girls inside the car.C.The man standing nearby.D.The salesman from London.A.Nobody.B.The two girls.C.The bus driver.D.Paul.A.Nine out of ten.B.One third.C.Eleven out of thirty.D.One fourth.A.The c
35、at can reach their terminal speed.B.The cat does not change its final speed.C.His legs spread out and muscles absorb more force of impact.D.He will slow down and reduce the damage.A.Cats can change their position while falling.B.The force of impact with the ground over four legs is spread.C.Cats can
36、 land on their feet after falling.D.Their muscles can absorb more of the force of impact.A.Nine out of ten cats have a better chance of survival.B.What is the significance of the seventh floor?C.Whats the cats terminal speed?D.Most cats can survive when falling.六、Section C(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Researchers
37、 in Troy, New York, have made the worlds smallest brushes, with bristles a thousand times thinner than a human hair. Theyre (36) 1to sweep clean the tiny world of nanotechnology. Brushes, brooms and hairy fly swats are probably among the first tools (37) 2 by humans. (38) 3, an ancient paintbrush us
38、ed by a prehistoric cave artist (39) 4 from 30,000 years ago. So its (40) 5 that miniature versions of these should adorn the burgeoning field of nanotechnology. The bristles of these new nanobrushes are made of tiny (41) 6 filaments thirty billionths of a meter across and a few (42) 7long. The brus
39、h handles theyre attached to are comparatively large (43) 8 than a human hair! The researchers have taken microscope pictures (44) 9particles that would escape any normal brush. The researchers also used their brushes to paint microstructures; and (45) 10. If the tiny tools prove robust enough, (46)
40、 11 or sweeping away unwanted crud. （分数：10.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_七、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：2，分数：355.00)Womens mind work differently from mens at least, that is what most men are convinced of. Psychologists view the subject either as a matter
41、 of frustration or a joke. Now the biologists have moved into this minefield, and some of them have found that there are real social differences between the brains of men and women. But being different, they point out hurriedly, is not the same as being better or worse. There is, however, a definite
42、 structural variation between the male and female brain. The difference is in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual processes the link between the two halves of the brain. The two halves are linked by a trunkline of between 200 and 300 million nerves, the corpus callosum(
43、胼胝质). Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres(纤维) than it in men. This is the first time that a structural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and it must have some significance. The questio
44、n is “what?“, and if this difference exists, are mere others? Research shows that present-day women think differently and behave differently from men. Are some of these differences biological and inborn, a result of evolution? We tend to think that is the influence of society that produces these dif
45、ferences. But could we be wrong? Research showed that these two halves of the brain had different functions, and that the corpus callosum enabled them to work together. For most people, the left half is used for word-handling, analytical and logical activities; the right half works on pictures, patt
46、erns and forms. We need both halves working together. And the better the connections, the more harmoniously the two halves work. And, according to research findings, women have the better connections. But it isnt all that easy to explain the actual differences between skills of men and women on this
47、 basis. In schools throughout the world girls tend to be better than boys at “language subjects“ and boys better at maths and physics. If these differences correspond with the differences in the hemispheric(半球的) trunkline, there is an unalterable distinction between the sexes. We shant know for a wh
48、ile, partly because we dont know of any precise relationship between abilities in school subjects and the functioning of the two halves of the brain, and we cannot understand how the two halves interact via the corpus callosum. But this striking difference must have some effect and, because the difference is in the parts of the brain involved in intellect, we should be looking for differences in intellectual processing. （分数：177.50）(1).Which of the following statements is
