2015年12月大学英语四级真题（第3套）及答案解析

Commemorations are underway to mark two years since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. In Beijing, relatives of Chinese passengers on the missing flight have filed a lawsuit against Malaysia Airlines. Despite daily visits to the airline's office to understand what may have happened to their loved ones, they feel they are being ignored. "We're here to go after Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and anyone else who's responsible, because they didn't provide us with the support we were entitled to. They caused us harm and we will ask for compensation." Experts are now studying a piece of debris found last week on a beach in Mozambique. If it's confirmed to be a piece of the missing flight, it would be the second to be washed up on a shore last year, a section of the plane's wing was found off Reunion Island. Malaysia Airlines.

This is Lebanon. Nearly two million Syrian refugees have settled. As another harsh winter sets in, many people struggle to keep their tents warm enough for their young children. About 195,000 Syrian families are particularly at risk. The number of years that refugees have stayed here means that they are facing increasing vulnerabilities. All of their savings have been depleted. Many have moved into the settlements because they are cheaper than living in flats or apartments in town. They are not used to these conditions. It is practically impossible to find a job and therefore they have no income and are totally reliant on resources from humanitarian agencies. A snowstorm over the weekend worsened conditions for many families. Some stayed inside huddled around their stoves to keep warm. One refugee says, "It's important to keep my children alive. The cold is easier than death, barrel bombs and shelling." apartments in town.

Fast-food chain McDonald's is adding French fries with chocolate sauce to its menu in Japan. The new item is called McChoco Potato. A portion of the potatoes and chocolate costs 330 yen, which is around $3. The chocolate fries are McDonald's Japan's attempt to reverse poor sales. According to the Japan Times, McDonald's Japan reported an annual loss of over 34 billion yen, or nearly $300 million, last year. "Undoubtedly, 2015 was the most challenging year we have faced in our 45-year history," said McDonald's Japan's president Sarah Casanova. U.S.-based McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Tokyo in 1971. In the past few years, McDonald's Japan closed hundreds of the restaurants known for their golden arches. Because of the McChoco Potato, customer sales increased in January for the first time in a number of years. "The chocolate fries have been extremely popular with customers, and actually not just customers in Japan," said Casanova. The chocolate-covered French fries debuted January 26. They are available at Japan's McDonald's for a limited time.

W: Good evening, and welcome to this week's Business World, the program for and about business people. Tonight we have Mr. Steven Kane, who has just taken over an established bicycle shop. Tell us, Mr Kane, what made you want to run your own store? M: Well, I've always loved racing bikes and fixing them. When I was working full-time as a salesman for a big company, I seldom had time to enjoy my hobby. I knew then that as soon as I had enough money to get my own business going, I'd do it. I had my heart set on it and I didn't let anything stand in my way. When I went down to the bank and got a business loan, I knew I'd love being my own boss. Now my time is my own. I open the store when I want and leave when I want. W: You mean you don't keep regular hours? M: Well, the sign on my store says the hours are ten to six, but if business is slower than usual, I can just lock up and take off early. W: Have you hired any employees to work with you yet? M: Yeah, a couple of friends of mine who love biking as much as I do. They help me out a few days a week. It's great because we play cards or just sit around and talk when there are no customers. W: Thank you, Mr. Kane. We wish you success in your new business. business people.

W: Well, the main activities in the region were historically steel and paper processing, I think. M: Yes, but I'm not quite sure about the status of those industries now. Could you tell us something about that? W: Yes, of course. In fact, they are less significant, but steel-related manufacturing still accounts for 44% of industrial activity. So it's still very important. In fact, 80% of Spain's machine tools are from the Basque Country. As for paper processing, there's still a little. But it's no longer what it once was in the region. So, is that clear? M: Yes, thanks. W: Now, to get back to what I was saying, there's a lot of unemployment as well as geographical problems in the region. M: Sorry, Victoria. What do you mean by geographical problems? W: Well, what I mean is the area is very hilly, mountainous in parts. So there used to be transport problems, now though there are new train links and better roads, but it may be that some smaller towns inland remain not very well-connected. Is that OK? Does that make sense? When we talk about specific location suggestions for the factory, we'll see this in more detail, so we'll come back to this question, OK? M: OK, right. W: So, I was about to say something about the work force in the region and the level of training and education. In general, it's very good and improving. industrial activity.

I first met Joe Gumps when we were both 9 years old, which is probably the only reason he is one of my best friends. If I had first met Joe as a freshman in high school, we wouldn't even have had the chance to get to know each other. Joe is a day student, but I am a boarding student. We haven't been in the same classes, sports or extracurricular activities. Nonetheless, I spend nearly every weekend at his house, and we talk on the phone every night. This is not to say that we would not have been compatible if we had first met in our freshman year. Rather, we would not have been likely to spend enough time getting to know each other, due to the lack of immediately visible mutual interests. In fact, to be honest, I struggle even now to think of things we have in common, but maybe that's what makes us enjoy each other's company so much. When I look at my friendship with Joe, I wonder how many people I've known whom I never disliked but simply didn't take the time to get to know. Thanks to Joe, I have realized how little basis there is, for the social divisions that exist in every community. Since this realization, I have begun to make an even more determined effort to find friends in unexpected people and places. one of my best friends.

It was a bad night for Louis. His research in the neighboring town had taken longer than he expected. It was late and he was very tired when he drove home. He turned into his building's parking lot, but all the spaces were full. He drove back out onto the street looking for a parking space. The first block was full. The next block was almost empty. Louis didn't see a no-parking sign, but he suspected that if parking were allowed there, most of the spaces would be filled. Then he saw a small parking lot with two free spaces. He was so glad to see them that he didn't even think to read the sign by the entrance. He drove in, parked, and hurried home to go to bed. The next morning he went back to the lot to get his car. It was gone. He ran home and telephoned the city police to say that his car had been stolen. It took the police only a minute to tell him what had happened. His car had been on a private lot. It had been taken away by the police. Louis had to take a taxi to the city garage far from the center of town. He had to pay a fee of $40 to get his car back. In addition, he got a parking ticket-his first one ever in Greenville.

Well, to pick up where we left off last time. I believe we agreed that creativity is a mysterious idea. It's one of those things we all recognize when we see it. But we don't really understand what it is. We seem to feel that some people are naturally creative, but we don't know how they got that way. Is creativity a natural gift like good looks? Or is it something that can be acquired like knowledge? Perhaps if we analyze the creative process carefully, we might get some insight into what it is and how it might work in our lives. The creative process has always been accepted as the source of all important work in the arts. But we should not think that creativity plays a role only in the arts. Every major scientific discovery began with someone imagining the world to look differently from the way others saw it. And this is what creativity is all about: imagining the world in a new way. And despite what you may believe about the limits of your own creative imaginations, we all have the potential to imagine the world in an absolutely new way. In fact, you were born with it. It is your birth right as a human being. And what's more, you use it every day almost every moment of your life. Your creative imagination is what you use to make sense of your experiences. It's your creative mind that gets meaning from the chaos of your experiences and brings order to your world. recognize when we see it.