2014年12月英语四级考试真题试卷附答案 第3套(3)

　　Passage One

　　Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

　　Children are a delight. They are our future. But sadly, hiring someone to take care of themwhile you go to work is getting more expensive by the year.

　　Earlier this month, it was reported that the cost of enrolling an infant or small kid at a childcarecenter rose 3% in 2012, faster than the overall cost of living. There are now large strips of thecountry where daycare for an infant costs more than a tenth of the average married couple'sincome.

　　This is not necessarily a new trend, but it is a somewhat puzzling one. The price ofprofessional childcare has been rising since the 1980s. Yet during that time, pay forprofessional childcare workers has stood still. Actually caregivers make less today, in realterms, than they did in 1990. Considering that labor costs are responsible for up to 80% of adaycare center's expenses, one would expect flat wages to have meant flat prices.

　　So who's to blame for higher childcare costs?

　　Childcare is a carefully regulated industry. States lay down rules about how many children eachemployee is allowed to watch over, the space care centers need per child, and other minutedetails. And the stricter the regulations, the higher the costs. If it has to hire a caregiver forevery two children, it can't really achieve any economies of scale on labor to save money whenother expenses go up. In Massachusetts, where childcare centers must hire one teacher forevery three infants, the price of care averaged more than $16,000 per year. In Mississippi,where centers must hire one teacher for every five infants, the price of care averaged less than$5,000.

　　Unfortunately, I don't have all the daycare-center regulations handy. But I wouldn't besurprised if as the rules have become more elaborate, prices have risen. The tradeoff (交换)might be worth it in some cases; after all, the health and safety of children should probablycome before cheap service. But certainly, it doesn't seem to be an accident that some of thecheapest daycare available is in the least cet4v.com.

　　56. What problem do parents of small kids have to face?

　　A) The ever-rising childcare prices.

　　B) The budgeting of family expenses.

　　C) The balance between work and family.

　　D) The selection of a good daycare center.

　　57. What does the author feel puzzled about?

　　A) Why the prices of childcare vary greatly from state to state.

　　B) Why increased childcare prices have not led to better service.

　　C) Why childcare workers' pay has not increased with the rising childcare costs.

　　D) Why there is a severe shortage of childcare professional in a number of states.

　　58. What prevent childcare centers from saving money?

　　A) Steady increase in labor costs.

　　B) Strict government regulations.

　　C) Lack of support from the state.

　　D) High administrative expenses.

　　59. Why is the average cost of childcare in Mississippi much lower than in Massachusetts?

　　A) The overall quality of service is not as good.

　　B) Payments for caregivers there are not as high.

　　C) Living expenses there are comparatively low.

　　D) Each teacher is allowed to care for more kids.

　　60. What is the author's view on daycare service?

　　A) Caregivers should receive regular professional training.

　　B) Less elaborate rules about childcare might lower costs.

　　C) It is crucial to strike a balance between quality and costs.

　　D) It is better for different states to learn from each other.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

　　Alex Pang's amusing new book The Distraction Addiction addresses those of us who feel panicwithout a cellphone or computer. And that, he claims, is pretty much all of us. When we're notonline, where we spend four months annually, we're engaged in the stressful work of trying toget online.

　　The Distraction Addiction is not framed as a self-help book. It's a thoughtful examination ofthe danger of our computing overdose and a historical overview of how technological advanceschange consciousness. A "professional futurist", Pang urges an approach which he calls"contemplative (沉思的) computing." He asks that you pay full attention to "how your mind andbody interact with computers and how your attention and creativity are influenced bytechnology."

　　Pang's first job is to free you from common misconception that doing two things at onceallows you to get more done. What is commonly called multitasking is, in fact, switch-tasking,and its harmful effects on productivity are well documented. Pang doesn't advocatereturning to a preinternet world. Instead, he asks you to "take a more ecological (生态的) viewof your relationships with technologies and look for ways devices or media may be makingspecific tasks easier or faster but at the same time making your work and life harder."

　　The Distraction Addiction is particularly fascinating on how technologies have changed certainfield of labor—often for the worse. For architects, computer-aided design has become essentialbut in some ways has cheapened the design process. As one architect puts it, "Architecture isfirst and foremost about thinking... and drawing is a more productive way of thinking" thancomputer-aided design. Somewhat less amusing are Pang's solutions for kicking the Internethabit. He recommends the usual behavior-modification approaches, familiar to anyone who hascompleted a quit-smoking program. Keep logs to study your online profile and decide what youcan knock out, download a program like Freedom that locks you out of your browser, or take a"digital Sabbath (安息日)" ; "Unless you're a reporter or emergency-department doctor, you'lldiscover that your world doesn't fall apart when you go offline."

　　61. Alex Pang's new book is aimed for readers who ________.

　　A) find their work online too stressful

　　B) go online mainly for entertainment

　　C) are fearful about using the cellphone or computer

　　D) can hardly tear themselves away from the Internet

　　62. What does Alex Pang try to do in his new book?

　　A) Offer advice on how to use the Internet effectively.

　　B) Warn people of the possible dangers of Internet use.

　　C) Predict the trend of future technological development.

　　D) Examine the influence of technology on the human mind.

　　63. What is the common view on multitasking?

　　A) It enables people to work more efficiently.

　　B) It is in a way quite similar to switch-tasking.

　　C) It makes people's work and life even harder.

　　D) It distracts people's attention from useful work.

　　64. What does the author think of computer-aided design?

　　A) It considerably cuts down the cost of building design.

　　B) It somewhat restrains architects' productive thinking.

　　C) It is indispensable in architects' work process.

　　D) It can free architects from laborious drawing.

　　65. What is Ales Pang's recommendation for Internet users?

　　A) They use the Internet as little as possible.

　　B) They keep a record of their computer time.

　　C) They exercise self-control over their time online.

　　D) They entertain themselves online on off-days only.

　　Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes)

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

　　中国的互联网社区是全世界发展最快的，2010年，中国约有4.2亿网民，而且人数还在迅速增长。互联网的日渐流行带来了重大的社会变化。中国网民往往不同于美国网民。美国网民更多的是受实际需要的驱使，用互联网为工具发电子邮件、买卖商品、做研究、规划旅程或付款。中国网民更多是出于社交原因使用互联网，因而更广泛的使用;论坛、博客、聊天室等等。

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。