2015年12月大学英语四级真题（第2套）及答案解析

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote a letter to his baby girl, Max, on Tuesday. He wants her "to grow up in a world better than ours today." Zuckerberg wrote that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, would donate 99% of his Facebook stock shares, worth about $45 billion, to do just that. Even with the large donation, Zuckerberg will remain extremely rich. After the news came out, Zuckerberg was one of the most searched names on Google. His Facebook post received more than one million likes. Well-known people like Shakira and Arnold Schwarzenegger also gave the thumbs-up. Financial analysts say it is a good move to prevent the shares from being taxed when they are sold. The shares will be donated to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative over Zuckerberg's lifetime. Zuckerberg and his wife, Chan, head the organization, of course. stock shares, worth about $45 billion, to do just that.

Delegates from almost 200 nations at the UN climate change summit in Paris have reached a draft agreement on how to move forward on the issue. The text, which runs to 42 pages, was approved on Saturday after four years' work that started in Durban in 2011. It presents options for dealing with everything from the long-term goals of combating climate change, to financial assistance for developing nations that will need help to move away from fossil fuels. There's a broad political will to come to a global agreement here in Paris and that is good news. What is still missing in the text is a clear vision to go 100 percent renewable energy by mid- century, which gives us a chance to help those people who suffer from catastrophic climate change. To draw attention to what they see as the time pressure on the issue, campaigners led by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, have installed 12 mini-icebergs in the shape of a clock in the Place le Pantheon. The ice was brought all the way from Greenland in temperature-controlled containers. in Durban in 2011.

On Sunday, Argentinians voted for their country's next president. Many opinion surveys showed that the ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli would be the clear winner. Mr. Scioli is governor of Buenos Aires province and the chosen successor of Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. But the surveys were wrong. Mr. Scioli won 35.9 percent, but not enough to win the presidency. Mauricio Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, finished in second place with 35.2 percent of the vote. This means Argentina will hold its first-ever runoff election next month. Voters will choose between the two men on November 22. Mr. Macri says he wants to lift some financial controls and trade restrictions in an effort to help the country's economy. Mr. Scioli has promised to defend the central ideas of what observers are calling "kirchnerism." These are populist beliefs built around trade protectionism, social welfare programs and defense of the working class. Mr. Scioli adds that he will seek a more measured approach to economic reform. Under Argentine law, a candidate must have more than 45 percent of the vote to be declared the winner. A candidate can also win with at least 40 percent of the vote and a margin of 10 points over the next candidate. the vote. The ruling party candidate.

W: Hi, Leo. Why do you say English will become the world language? M: Well. For one thing, it's so commonly used—the only language that is used by more people is Chinese. W: Why do so many people speak English? M: It's spoken in many countries of the world because of the British Empire, and now of course, that's the influence of America as well. W: Many students find English a difficult language to learn. M: Oh, all languages are difficult to learn. But English does have two great advantages. W: What are they? M: Well, first of all, it has a very international vocabulary. It has many German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian words in it. So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English. In fact, English has words for many other languages as well. W: Why is that? M: Well, partly because English speakers have travelled a lot. They bring back words with them. So English really does have an international vocabulary. W: And what's the other advantage of English? M: It's that English grammar is really quite easy. For example, it doesn't have dozens of different endings for its nouns, adjectives and verbs, not like Latin, Russian and German for example.

M: Hello. Yes? W: Hello. Is that the sales department? M: Yes, it is. W: Oh, well. My name is Jane Kingsbury of GPF Ltd. Um, we need some supplies for our designer office. M: Oh, what sort? W: Well, first of all, we need one complete new drawing board. M: Er, DO44 or DO45?

No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they've been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well-known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk was used a lot at that time. Early kites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they were used to carry ropes to cross rivers. Once across, the ropes were tied down and wooden bridges were hung from them. Legend tells of one General who flew musical kites over the enemy's camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the warning voices of angels. By the 15th century, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great names and events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightning is electricity. He flew the kite in the storm. He did this in order to draw lightning from the clouds. He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbon would stop the lightning from passing through his body. Benjamin's idea was first laughed at. But later on, it led to the invention of the lightning rod. With such a grand history, kite flying is sure to remain an entertaining and popular sport. just how old kites are.

I have learned many languages, but I've not mastered them the way the professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have opened doors for me. They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while, I simply got crazy about it. I can't imagine living my professional or social life without international interactions. Since 1977, I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new places, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it's easier to get to know the country and its people. If I had the time and money, I would live for a year in as many countries as possible. Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities. Once, just after I returned from my year in Vienna, I was asked to translate for a German judge at an Olympic level horse event and learned a lot about the sport. In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked, "Was it as good as American beef?" It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV, speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was. interpreter or translator has.

Dr. Ben Carsen grew up in a poor single-parent household in Detroit. His mother, who had only a 3rd grade education, worked two jobs cleaning bathrooms. To his classmates and even to his teachers, he was thought of as the dumbest kid in the class, according to his own not-so-fond memories. He had a terrible temper, and once threatened to kill another child. Dr. Carsen was headed down a path of self-destruction until a critical moment in his youth. His mother, convinced that she had to do something dramatic to prevent him from leading a life of failure, laid down some rules. He could not watch television except for two programs a week, could not play with his friends after school until he finished his homework, and had to read two books a week and write book reports about them. His mother's strategy worked. "Of course, I didn't know she couldn't read. So there I was submitting these reports." he said. "She would put check marks on them like she had been reading them. As I began to read about scientists, economists and philosophers, I started imagining myself in their shoes." As he got into the habit of hard work, his grades began to soar. Ultimately he received a scholarship to attend the Yale University, and later he was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical School.