2012年英语专业四级考试真题及答案解析

(1 ) Saying “thank you” is probably the first thing most of us learn to do in a foreign language ．After all, we’ re brought up to be polite, and it is important to make a good impression upon other people—especially across national divides . (2) So, what exactly are you supposed to say when “thank you” is only the 20th most popular way to express gratitude? According to a recent survey, 19 other ways of expressing appreciation finished ahead of “thank you” in a poll of 3,000 people. (3) Pollsters found almost half of those asked preferred the more informal “cheers”, while others liked to use such expressions as “ta”, “great” and “nice one” . (4) So, just what is the appropriate form of words to express your thanks? (5) Fortunately, the clue is in the language itself. “Cheers”, despite its popularity, is considered an informal way to say thank you—and this is a definite clue as to when you can best use it. (6) For instance, when going for a drink with friends, a smile and a “cheers” by way of thanks is not only appropriate to the situation, it is also culturally accurate. (7) “Ta”, originated from the Danish word “tak”, was the second-most popular expression of thanks, and is also commonly used in informal situations, along with phrases such as “nice one”, and “brilliant”. Interestingly, one word that didn’t make it into the top 20 was “thanks” . Thank you’s shorter, more informal cousin . (8) “Thanks” can be useful, as it is able to bridge the divide between the formality of “thank you” and the downright relaxed “cheers”. (9) Certain words can double as an expression of thanks as well as delight. Again, the words themselves offer the clue as to when best to use them. (10) For example, words like “awesome”, “brilliant" and “you star” featured highly in the new poll and they can hint at both your pleasure at someone’s action, as well as serving to express your thanks. If you are on the receiving end of a “new” thank you, you can respond with a simple “no problem” , or “sure” . (11) Of course, in certain circumstances, a simple wave, nod or smile may be appropriate. For instance, if a car driver slows down to let you cross the road, simply raising your hand in acknowledgement is enough to show that you appreciate the driver’s consideration . (12) Sometimes, formality is necessary, and “thank you” is still the best choice in such situations. But students should not worry about when exactly to use certain expressions. (13) Many people in Western countries are worried that good manners are in decline. People are tired of seeing their acts of kindness and service pass without comment. So don’t think that your “thank you” was clumsy or awkwardly formal. The chances are, if you said “thank you”, you made someone’s day. You star.

(1) From 2007 to 2010, American households lost $l1 trillion in real estate, savings, and stocks. More than half of all U. S. workers either lost their jobs or were forced to take cuts in hours or pay during the recession. The worst may be behind them now, but the shocking losses of the past few years have reshaped nearly every facet of their lives— how they live, work, and spend— even the way they think about the future. (2) For Cindy, the recession began when her husband was relocated to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. by his company, forcing the family to move in a hurry. The couple bought a new house but were unable to sell their two-bedroom home in Big Lake, Minnesota. With two mortgages(抵押借款) and two young children to care for, Cindy couldn’t imagine how to stretch her husband’s paycheck to keep her family fed . (3) Then she stumbled upon an online community called Blotanical, a forum for gardeners, many with an interest in sustainability. “The more I read and discussed these practices, the more I realized this would help not only our budget but also our health,” she says. (4) Cindy admits that before the recession, she was a city girl with no interest in growing her own dinner. “I grew flowers mostly—I didn’t think about plants that weren’t visually interesting.” But to stretch her budget, she began putting in vegetables and fruit—everything from strawberry beds to apple trees—and as her first seedlings grew, her spirits lifted. She no longer thinks of gardening and making her own jams as just a money saver; they’re a genuine pleasure. “It’s brought us closer together as a family, too,” she says. Her kids voluntarily pitch in with(主 动帮助)the garden work, and the family cooks together instead of eating out. The food tastes better —it’s fresher and organic — and the garden handily fulfills its original purpose: cost cutting. Now she spends about $2 0 0 to $3 0 0 a month on groceries. less than half of the $650 a month that she used to lay out. (5) After discovering how resourceful she can be in tough times, Cindy is no longer easily discouraged. “It makes me feel proud to be able to say I made it myself,” she says. “I feel accomplished, and I’m more confident about attempting things I’ve never done before.” Now she avoids convenience stores and has begun learning to knit, quilt, and make her own soap.” I don’t think I would have ever begun this journey if it weren’t for the recession,” she says. “I have a feeling that from now on, it will affect my family’s health and happiness for the better.”

(1) “I’m a little worried about my future,” said Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. He should be so lucky. All he had to worry about was whether to have an affair with Mrs Robinson. In the sixties, that was the sum total of post-graduation anxiety syndrome. (2) Hoffman’s modern counterparts are not so fortunate. The Mrs. Robinsons aren’t sitting around at home any more, seducing graduates. They are out in the workplace, doing the high-powered jobs the graduates want, but cannot get. For those fresh out of university, desperate for work but unable to get it, there is a big imbalance between supply and demand. And there is no narrowing of the gap in sight. (3 ) The latest unemployment figures show that 746 ,00 0 of 18- 2 4 year- olds are unemployed— a record rate of 18 per cent. Many of those will have graduated this summer. They are not panicking yet, but as the job rejections mount up, they are beginning to feel alarmed. (4) Of course, it is easy to blame the Government and, in particular, the target that Labour has long trumpeted— 50 per cent of school-leavers in higher education. That was not too smart. The Government has not only failed to meet its target—the actual figure is still closer to 40 per cent— but it has raised expectations to unrealistic levels . (5) Parents feel as badly let down as the young people themselves. Middle-class families see their graduate offspring on the dole(救济金)queue and wonder why they bothered paying school fees. Working-class families feel an even keener sense of disappointment. For many such families, getting a child into university was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. It represented upward social and financial mobility. It was proof that they were living in a dynamic, economically successful country. That dream does not seem so rosy now. (6) Graduate unemployment is not, ultimately, a political problem ready to be solved. Job-creation schemes for graduates are very low down in ministerial in-trays. If David Cameron’s Conservatives had a brilliant idea for guaranteeing every graduate a well-paid job, they would have unveiled it by now. It is a social problem, though a more deep-seated social problem than people perhaps realize.

(1) No matter how many times you have seen images of the golden mask of boy king Tutankhamen，come face to face with it in Egypt’s Cairo museum ，and you will suck in your breath . (2 ) It was on Nov 4 ， 19 2 3 ，that British archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled on a stone at the base of the tomb of another pharaoh( 法 老 ) in Luxor that eventually led to a sealed doorway . (3) Then ，on Nov 23 ，Carter found a second door and when he stuck his head through it，what he saw was to stun the world ．Inside lay the great stone coffin ，enclosing three chests of gilded wood . (4) A few months later, when a crane lifted its granite cover and one coffin after another was removed, Carter found a solid block of gold weighing 11 0 kg ． In it was the mummy( 木 乃伊 ) of the 19 - year- old Tutankhamen ， covered in gold with that splendid funeral mask ．And all this lay buried for more than 3,00 0 years . (5) Months after my trip to Egypt, I can relive the rush of emotion I felt and sense the hush that descended on the crammed Cairo museum’s Tutankhamen gallery . (6 ) Cairo ， a dusty city of 20 million people ， is a place where time seems to both stand still and rush into utter chaos ．It is a place where the ancient and contemporary happily go along on parallel tracks . (7) Take the Great Pyramids of Giza，sitting on the western edge of the city．Even as the setting sun silhouettes these gigantic structures against the great desert expanse ， a call for prayer floats over semi-finished apartment blocks filled with the activity of city life . (8) While careful planning for the afterlife may lie buried underground in Cairo ，it is noise and confusion on the streets．Donkey carts battle for space with pedestrians and the only operative road rule is “might is right ．” But it is a city that is full of life—from the small roadside restaurants to the coffee shops where men and women smoke the shisha(水烟壶) . (9) Donkey carts piled high with flat-breads magically find their way in and out the maddening traffic; young women in long skirts and headscarves hold hands with young men in open collar shirts ，while conversations dwell on Kuwait’s chances at the soccer World Cup .