1、大学英语四级卷三部分真题 2016 年 6 月(暂缺听力)及答案解析(总分：461.50，做题时间：130 分钟)一、Part I Writing (30 m(总题数：1，分数：106.50)1.Direction: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to express your thanks to your parents or any other family member upon making a memorable achievement. You should write at least 12
2、0 words but no more than 180 words.（分数：106.50）_二、Part II Listening Co(总题数：1，分数：0.00)四、Section B(总题数：3，分数：0.00)五、Section C(总题数：1，分数：0.00)六、Part III Reading Com(总题数：1，分数：35.50)Signs barring cell-phone use are a familiar sight to anyone who has ever sat in a hospital waiting room. But the_(27)popularit
3、y of electronic medical records has forced hospital-based doctors to become_(28)on computers throughout the day, and desktops-which keep doctors from besides-are_(29)giving way to wireless devices. As clerical loads increased, “something had to_(30), and that was always face time with patients,“ say
4、s Dr.Bhakti Patel, a former chief resident in the University of Chicagos internal-medicine program. In fall 2010, she helped_(31)a pilot project in Chicago to see if the iPad could improve working conditions and patient care. The experiment was so_(32)that all internal-medicine program adopted the s
5、ame_(33)in 2011. Medical schools at Yale and Stanford now have paperless, iPad-based curriculums. “Youll want an iPad just so you can wear this“ is the slogan for one of the new lab coats_(34)with large pockets to accommodate tablet computers. A study of the University of Chicago iPad project found
6、that patients got tests and_(35)a better understanding of the illnesses that landed them in the hospital in the first place. A.dependent B.designed C.fast D.flying E.gained F.give G.growing H.launch I.policy J.prospect K.rather L.reliable M.signal N.successful O.treatments（分数：35.50）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I
7、.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.七、Section B(总题数：1
8、，分数：71.00)Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization? A For many years I have studied global agricultural, population, environmental and economic trends and their interactions. The combined effects of those trends and the political tensions they generate point to the breakdown of governments and s
9、ocieties. Yet I, too, have resisted the idea that food shortages could bring down not only individual governments but also our global civilization. B I can no longer ignore that risk. Our continuing failure to deal with the environmental declines that are undermining the world food economy forces me
10、 to conclude that such a collapse is possible. C As demand for food rises faster than supplies are growing, the resulting food-price inflation puts severe stress on the governments of many countries. Unable to buy grain or grow their own, hungry people take to the streets. Indeed, even before the st
11、eep climb in grain prices in 2008, the number of failing states was expanding. If the food situation continues to worsen, entire nations will break down at an ever increasing rate. In the 20th century the main threat to international security was superpower conflict; today it is failing states. D St
12、ates fail when national governments can no longer provide personal security, food security and basic social services such as education and health care. When governments lose their control on power, law and order begin to disintegrate. After a point, countries can become so dangerous that food relief
13、 workers are no longer safe and their programs are halted. Failing states are of international concern because they are a source of terrorists, drugs, weapons and refugees(难民), threatening political stability everywhere. E The surge in world grain prices in 2007 and 2008and the threat they pose to f
14、ood securityhas a different, more troubling quality than the increases of the past. During the second of the 20th century, grain prices rose dramatically several times. In 1972, for instance, the Soviets. I recognizing their poor harvest early, quietly cornered the world wheat market. As a result, w
15、heat prices elsewhere more than doubled, pulling rice and com prices up with them. But this and other price shocks were event-drivendrought in the Soviet Union, crop-shrinking heat in the U.S. Corn Belt. And the rises were short-lived: prices typically returned to normal with the next harvest. FIn c
16、ontrast, recent surge in world grain prices is trend-driven, making it unlikely to reverse without a reversal in the trends themselves. On the demand side, those trends include the ongoing addition of more than 70 million people a year, a growing number of people wanting to move up the food chain to
17、 consume highly grain-intensive meat products, and the massive diversion(转向)of U.S. grain to the production of bio-fuel. GAs incomes rise among low-income consumers, the potential for further grain consumption is huge. But that potential pales beside the never-ending demand for crop-based fuels. A f
18、ourth of this years U.S. grain harvest will go to fuel cars. HWhat about supply? The three environmental trendsthe shortage of fresh water, the loss of topsoil and the rising temperaturesare making it increasingly hard to expand the worlds grain supply fast enough to keep up with demand. Of all thos
19、e trends, however, the spread of water shortages poses the most immediate threat. The biggest challenge here is irrigation, which consumes 70% the worlds fresh water. Millions of irrigation wells in many countries are now pumping water out of underground sources faster than rainfall can refill them.
20、 The result is falling water tables(地下水位)in countries with half the worlds people, including the three big grain producersChina, India and the U.S. IAs water tables have fallen and irrigation wells have gone dry, Chinas wheat crop, the worlds largest, has declined by 8% since it peaked at 123 millio
21、n tons in 1997. But water shortages are even more worrying in India. Millions of irrigation wells have significantly lowered water tables in almost every state. JAs the worlds food security falls to pieces, individual countries acting in their own self-interest are actually worsening the troubles of
22、 many. The trend began in 2007, when leading wheat-exporting countries such as Russia and Argentina limited or banned their exports, in hopes of increasing local food supplies and thereby bringing down domestic food prices. Vietnam banned its exports for several months for the same reason. Such move
23、s may eliminate the fears of those living in the exporting countries, but they are creating panic in importing countries that must rely on what is then left for export. KIn response to those restrictions, grain-importing countries are trying to nail down long-term trade agreements that would lock up
24、 future grain supplies. Food-import anxiety is even leading to new efforts by food-importing countries to buy or lease farmland in other countries. In spite of such temporary measures, soaring food prices and spreading hunger in many other countries are beginning to break down the social order. LSin
25、ce the current world food shortage is trend-driven, the environmental trends that cause it must be reversed. We must cut carbon emissions by 80% from their 2006 levels by 2020, stabilize the worlds population at eight billion by 2040, completely remove poverty, and restore forests and soils. There i
26、s nothing new about the four objectives. Indeed, we have made substantial progress in some parts of the world on at least one of thesethe distribution of family-planning services and the associated shift to smaller families. MFor many in the development community, the four objectives were seen as po
27、sitive, promoting development as long as they did not cost too much. Others saw them as politically correct and morally appropriate. Now a third and far more significant motivation presents itself: meeting these goals may necessary to prevent the collapse of our civilization. Yet the cost we project
28、 for saving civilization would amount to less than $200 billion a year, 1/6 of current global military spending. In effect, our plan is the new security budget.（分数：71.00）(1).The more recent steep climb in grain prices partly results from the fact that more and more people want to consume meat produc
29、ts.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(2).Social order is breaking down in many countries because of food shortages. （分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(3).Rather than superpower conflict, countries unable to cope with food shortages now constitute the main threat to world security.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.
30、E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(4).Some parts of the world have seen successful implementation of family planning.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(5).The author has come to agree that food shortages could ultimately lead to the collapse of world civilization.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(6).Increasing w
31、ater shortages prove to be the biggest obstante to boosting the worlds grain production.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(7).The cost for saving our civilization would be considerably less than the worlds current military spending.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(8).To lower domestic food price
32、s, some countries limited or stopped their grain exports.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(9).Environmental problems must be solved to case the current global food shortage.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.(10).A quarter of this years American grain harvest will be used to produce bio-fuel for c
33、ars.（分数：7.10）A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.八、Section C(总题数：2，分数：142.00)Passage One Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage. Declining mental function is often seen as a problem of old age，but certain aspects of brain function actually begin their decline in young adulthood, a new study sug
34、gests. The study, which followed more than 2,000 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 60, found that certain mental functionsincluding measures of abstract reasoning, mental speed and puzzle-solvingstarted to dull as early as age 27. Dips in memory, meanwhile, generally became apparent around a
35、ge 37. On the other hand, indicators of a persons accumulated knowledgelike performance on tests of vocabulary and general knowledgekept improving with age, according to findings published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. The results do not mean that young adults need to start worrying about th
36、eir memories. Most peoples minds function at a high level even in their later years, according to researcher Timothy Salthouse. “These patterns suggest that some types of mental flexibility decrease relatively early in adulthood, but that the amount of knowledge one has, and the effectiveness of int
37、egrating it with ones abilities，may increase throughout all of adulthood if there are no dispases,“ Salthouse said in a news release. The study included healthy, educated adults who took standard tests of memory, reasoning and perception at the outset and at some point over the next seven years. The
38、 tests are designed to detect subtle (细微的)changes in mental function, and involve solving Puzzles, recalling words and details from stories, and identifying patterns in collections of letters and symbols. In general, Salthouse and his colleagues found, certain aspects of cognition (认知能力)generally st
39、arted to decline in the late 20s to 30s. The findings shed light on normal age-related changes in mental function, which could aid in understanding the process of dementia(痴呆),according to the researchers. “By following individuals over time,”Salthouse said, “we gain insight in cognition changes, an
40、d may possibly discover ways to slow the rate of decline.” The researchers are currently analyzing, the study participants health and lifestyle to see which factors might influence age-related cognitive changes.（分数：71.00）(1).What is the common view of mental function? （分数：14.20）A.It varies from pers
41、on to person.B.It gradually expands with age.C.It weakens in ones later years.D.It indicates ones health condition.(2).What does the new study find about mental functions? （分数：14.20）A.Some diseases inevitably lead to their decline.B.They reach a peak at the age of 20 for most people.C.They are close
42、ly related to physical and mental exercise.D.Some of them begin to decline when people are still young.(3).What does Timothy Salthouse say about peoples minds in most cases? （分数：14.20）A.They tend to decline in peoples later years.B.Their flexibility determines ones abilities.C.They function quite we
43、ll even in old age.D.Their functioning is still a puzzle to be solved.(4).Although peoples minds may function less flexibly as they age, they_. （分数：14.20）A.may be better at solving puzzlesB.can memorize things with more easeC.may have greater facility in abstract reasoningD.can put what they have le
44、arnt into more effective use(5).According to Salthouse, their study may help us_. （分数：14.20）A.find ways to slow down our mental declineB.find ways to boost our memoriesC.understand the complex process of mental functioningD.understand the relation between physical and mental healthPassage Two Questi
45、ons 51 to 55 are based on the following passage. The most important thing in the news last week was the rising discussion in Nashville about the educational needs of children. The shorthand(简写)educators use for this is “pre-K“meaning instruction before kindergartenand the big idea is to prepare 4-ye
46、ar-olds and even younger kids to be ready to succeed on their K-12 journey. But it gets complicated. The concept has multiple forms, and scholars and policymakers argue about the shape, scope and cost of the ideal program. The federal Head Start program, launched 50 years ago, has served more than 3
47、0 million children. It was based on concepts developed at Vanderbilt Universitys Peabody College by Susan Gray, the legendary pioneer in early childhood education research. A new Peabody study of the Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K program reports that pre-K works, but the gains are not sustained through
48、the third grade. It seems to me this highlights quality issues in elementary schools more than pre-K, and indicates longer-term success must connect pre-K with all the other issues, related to educating a child. Pre-K is controversial. Some critics say it is a luxury and shouldnt be free to families
49、 able to pay. Pre-K advocates insist it is proven and will succeed if integrated with the rest of the childs schooling. I lean toward the latter view. This is, in any case, the right conversation to be having now as Mayor Megan Barry takes office. She was the first candidate to speak out for strong pre-K programming. The important thing is for all of us to keep in mind the real goal and the l
