1、2009年12月20日大学英语新四级(CET-4)全真试题Part IWriting(30 minutes)注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。DirectionsFor this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of create a green campus. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below1.建设绿色校园十分重要2.绿色校园不仅指绿色环境3.为了建设绿色校园我们应该Part IIRe
2、ading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)DirectionsIn this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the s
3、entences with the information given in the passage.Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aidGood grades and high test scores still mattera lotto many colleges as they award financial aid.But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound popula
4、tion in coming years, some schools are re-examing whether that aid, typically known as “merit aid”, is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars.George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships
5、by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients (接受者), pouring the savings, about $2.5million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago.Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No cur
6、rent merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008.Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous
7、need-based packages, but many families who dont meet need eligibility (资格) have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school.For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition do
8、llars over and above scholarship amount to keep the institution running.But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profiles. “Theyre trying to buy students,” says Skidmore Colllege economist Sandy Baum
9、.Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it.“As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid,” says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarship
10、s for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Reports ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17.Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $1 milion a year, “served us well,” Inzer says, but “to be discountin
11、g the price for families that dont need financial aid doesnt feel right any more.”Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at
12、 the institutional level.Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the states public institutions.But in recent years, a growing chorus (异口同
13、声) of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be “a sign that people are starting to realize that theres this destructive competition going on.” says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of insti
14、tutional aid not based on need.David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors.“No one can take one-sided action,” says Laird, who is exploring
15、whether to seek an exemption (豁免) from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid. “This is a merry-go-round thats going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves.”A complicatin
16、g factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who dont qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs.That is one reason Allegheny College doesnt plan to drop merit aid enti
17、rely.“We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship,” says Scott Friedhoff, Alleghenys vice president for enrollment.Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment (捐赠), meanwhile, is taking another approach. This
18、 year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program.“Yeah, were playing the merit game,” acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong
19、points, too, he says, “The fact of the matter is, its not just about the lowest-income people. Its the average American middle-class family whos being priced out of the market.”A few words about merit-based aidMerit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is
20、generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships.Academic merit scholarships are based on students grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholar
21、ships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a tearcher as p
22、art of the qualification process.Athletic merit scholarships are meant for student that excel (突出) in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee (裁
23、判). Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance.Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usual
24、ly requires that students submit a portfolio （选辑） of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。1.With more and more low-income students pursuing higher education, a number of colleges are _.A) offering
25、students more merit-based aidB) revising their financial aid policiesC) increasing the amount of financial aidD) changing their admission processes2.What did Allegheny College in Meadville do three years agoA) It tried to implement a novel financial aid program.B) It added $2.5 million to its need-b
26、ased aid program.C) It phased out its merit-based scholarships altogether.D) It cuts its merit-based aid to help the needy students.3.The chief purpose of rankings-conscious colleges in offering merit aid is to _.A) improve teaching qualityB) boost their enrollmentsC) attract good studentsD) increas
27、e their revenues4.Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, believed _.A) it doesnt pay to spend $1 million a year to raise its rankingB) it gives students motivation to award academic achievementsC) its illogical to use so much money on only 4% of its studentsD) its not right t
28、o give aid to those who can afford the tuition5.In recent years, merit-based aid has increased much faster than need-based aid due to _.A) more government funding to collegesB) fierce competition among institutionsC) the increasing number of top studentsD) schools improved financial situations6.What
29、 is the attitude of many private colleges toward merit aid, according to David LairdA) They would like to see it reduced.B) They regard it as a necessary evil.C) They think it does more harm than good.D) They consider it unfair to middle-class families.7.Why doesnt Allegheny College plan to drop mer
30、it entirelyA) Rising tuitions have made college unaffordable for middle-class families.B) With rising incomes, fewer students are applying for need-based aid.C) Many students from middle-income families have come to rely on it.D) Rising incomes have disqualified many students for need-based aid.8.An
31、nual renewal of academic merit scholarships depends on whether the recipients remain _.9.Applicants for athletic merit scholarships need a recommendation from a coach or a referee who _ their exceptional athletic performance.10.Applicants for artistic merit scholarships must produce evidence to show
32、 their _ in a particular artistic field.Part IIIListening Comprehension(35 minutes)Section ADirectionsIn this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and
