2014年6月大学英语四级预测真题及答案
大学英语四六级从去年年底开始，对题型等方面进行了一些调整，这份预测真题就是针对新题型而设的。
Part I Writing
(30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic “To Live on Campus or Not?” You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:
1. 有的人赞同大学生在校外租房住;
2. 有的人认为大学生应该在校内住集体宿舍;
3. 作为大学生，请谈谈你的观点。
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)
(15 minutes)
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
How the Young Scientist Challenge Works
Introduction to the Young Scientist Challenge
All of us have taken a science class at one time or another. Some recall science with feelings of excitement, wonder and awe. Some continue their studies in science throughout the rest of their education. And some even take their love of science and make a career out of it. But for most, science is not a happy subject. Do you think back to studying science and get a feeling of dread, anxiety or fear? When did you lose interest in science — sometime around middle school? Well, you’re not alone.
Studies have shown that an interest in science is either piqued or lost in middle school. Think back to that time in your life. It probably wasn’t the best time, was it? That time is full of awkwardness, pain and peer pressure. At that age, children begin to really grow and mature. And in doing that, they begin to find out what they’re really interested in. But children are also extremely impressionable, and their friends may not like the interests they’re developing. Let’s face it — science and math aren’t the most glamorous subjects around, and kids don’t want to seem uncool. So they give up science and move on to study other things.
But those kids who give up science and math miss so much that it’s nearly impossible for them to catch up with their peers. So educators are taking a proactive stance and doing everything they can to keep interests high — they want science and math to be cool again. But it’s not just teachers that are noticing the danger of losing students. Corporations are, too. After all, if no one is studying science, who’s going to come to work for them one day? Two companies are even partnering to promote science nationally. Discovery Education and 3M have come together to present a national science competition, Young Scientist Challenge. How does this challenge work? Who can participate, and how do students get started? Read on to find out how you can become a young scientist.
The Young Scientist Challenge from the Beginning
The challenge began in 1999 after Discovery Communications noticed the waning interest in science. After reading the studies about middle school children, it wanted to do something to make it exciting, so the company created a contest in the hope of making science fun. Since the competition began, countless students have competed for a nomination to participate in the challenge, with just 51 of those winning that nomination each year (one from each state and the District of Columbia). From there, only 10 students secure a place in the finals and win an all-expense paid trip to the competition.
If you want to be the 10th the Young Scientist, crack open your computer and bust out your video camera. If you’re in the fifth through the eighth grades, you can register at Discovery Education. Once registration has been completed and accepted, it’s time to get creative.
Each year the judges choose a theme for the challenge. They can be huge topics, but don’t let that scare you. Along with the theme, the judges also release topics for students to focus on. This helps to keep everything fair — and not overwhelming.
Once you pick your topic, it’s time to start writing, but you’ll need to write a script instead of an essay. Students are required to submit a video showing off their knowledge of their topic of choice. But think twice before you hire actors or a director. Videos will be accepted only if the student is the only one in the video and if the video is obviously done by the student. “Producing” isn’t allowed.
You’d better keep it short and sweet, too. Video submissions have to be longer than 60 seconds but can’t exceed 120 seconds. In those two minutes, the judges will be looking for creativity, relevance, persuasiveness, classroom suitability and overall presentation. Once your video is ready to go, upload it to the Web site and sit tight. Discovery will alert you of the winners sometime over the summer. But you’re not in the clear yet. Of the 51 winners (one from each state and the District of Columbia), only 10 will be officially invited to attend the challenge.
The Finals of the Young Scientist Challenge
Steven Jacobs is an accomplished scientist, teacher and author with more than two decades of experience and three advanced degrees. He’s also the head judge for the Discovery Education and 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Judge Jake, as the contestants refer to him, is accompanied on the judge’s panel by a mixture of historians, producers, physicians, marine biologists and other scientists. As we mentioned in the previous section, the judges determine the theme and the topics, as well as watch all of the video submissions and narrow the contestants down to 10.
Over the course of the final competition, the contestants will face a series of challenges laid out by the judges. What kind of challenges, you ask? No one will know until the competition begins. It’s top secret. Some past challenges have included building greenhouses to seal off CO2 and investigating serious health concerns. The only hint the contestants get is that all of the challenges will revolve around the theme.
The challenges are designed to highlight a student’s leadership, teamwork, problem-solving skills and communication. At the end of the competition one student will stand out amongst the finalists, and he or she will be named America’s Top Young Scientist of the Year. And while the title’s nice, let’s get to the prizes.
The winner is not the only one who gets awards. Each of the 51 semifinalists will get $250, along with a certificate and T-shirt. The 10 finalists will get these things, as well as a paid trip to the competition, $1,000 and a medal. But this is nothing compared to what the grand prize winner gets: all of the above items, plus $50,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds, a trophy and bragging rights for being the smartest kid on the block.
1. What do most students think of science?
A) They can learn science throughout their whole education.
B) They can make a career out of science.
C) Science can bring them happy feelings.
D) Science can bring them feelings of anxiety and fear.
2. Why do children lose their interest in science in middle school?
A) They begin to grow and mature.
B) They find middle school life painful.
C) They want to be cool but science is not a cool subject.
D) They want to be different from their friends.
3. The Young Scientist Challenge is ____________.
A) an international science competition
B) presented by the U.S. government
C) designed to encourage children to study science
D) an entertaining activity that began in 1999
4. After you pick your topic, you need to __________.
A) hire actors and directors
B) visit some Web sites and sit tight
C) present your essay in a video
D) write a script and produce a short video
5. What does the underlined sentence mean in the seventh paragraph?
A) Students should not produce the videos by themselves.
B) Students should ask for permission before producing videos.
C) Students should design the videos by themselves and can’t copy others’.
D) Students should produce what they know but not what they don’t know.
6. The challenges in the final competition that the contestants will face ___________________.
A) are about environmental problems
B) are closely related to the theme
C) have something to do with people’s health
D) are known at the beginning of the competition
7. What is unimportant for a student to face the challenges?
A) Communication skills.
B) The spirit of teamwork.
C) The art of leadership.
D) The feeling of competition.
8. Each year, only 10 students ___________________ and win an all-expense paid trip to the competition.
9. Along with the theme for the challenge, the judges also _________________________.
10. The judges determine the theme and the topics, as well as watch all of the video submissions and ___________.
