2011年12月大学英语四级真题试卷

Why Integrity Matters

What Is Integrity?

The key to integrity is consistency — not only setting high personal standards for oneself (honesty, responsibility, respect for others, fairness) but also living up to those standards each and every day. One who has integrity is bound by and follows moral and ethical (道德上的) standards even when making life’s hard choices, choices which may be clouded by stress, pressure to succeed, or temptation.

What happens if we lie, cheat, steal, or violate other ethical standards? We feel disappointed in ourselves and ashamed. But a lapse (缺失) of integrity also affects our relationships with others. Trust is essential in any important relationship, whether personal or professional. Who can trust someone who is dishonest or unfair? Thus, integrity must be one of our most important goals. Risky Business

We are each responsible for our own decisions, even if the decision-making process has been undermined by stress or peer pressure. The real test of character is whether we can learn from our mistake, by understanding why we acted as we did and then exploring ways to avoid similar problems in the future.

Making ethical decisions is a critical part of avoiding future problems. We must learn to recognize risks, because if we can’t see the risks we’re taking, we can’t make responsible choices. To identify risks, we need to know the rules and be aware of the facts. For example, one who doesn’t know the rules about plagiarism (剽窃) may accidentally use words or ideas without giving proper credit, or one who fails to keep careful research notes may unintentionally fail to quote and cite sources as required. But the fact that such a violation is “unintentional” does not excuse the misconduct. Ignorance is not a defense.

“But Everybody Does It”

Most people who get in trouble do know the rules and facts but manage to fool themselves about the risks they’re taking by using excuses: “Everyone else does it,” “I’m not hurting anyone,” or “I really need this grade.” Excuses can get very elaborate: “I know I’m looking at another’s exam, but that’s not cheating because I’m just checking my answers, not copying.” We must be honest about our actions and avoid excuses. If we fool ourselves into believing we’re not doing anything wrong, we can’t see the real choice we’re making — and that leads to bad decisions.

To avoid fooling yourself, watch out for excuses and try this test: Ask how you would feel if your actions were public and anyone could be watching over your shoulder. If you’d rather hide your actions, that’s an indication that you’re taking a risk and rationalizing it to yourself.

Evaluating Risks

To decide whether a risk is worth taking, you must examine the consequences, in the future as well as right now, negative as well as positive, and to others as well as to yourself. Those who take risks they later regret usually focus on immediate benefits and simply haven’t considered what might go wrong. The consequences of getting caught are serious and may include a “0” on a test or assignment, an “F” in the class, suspension ( 暂令停学) or dismissal from school and a ruined reputation. In fact, when you break a rule or law, you lose control over your life and give others the power to impose punishment that you have no control over. This is an extremely vulnerable (脆弱 的) position. There may be some matters of life and death or highest principle, which might justify such a risk, but there aren’t many things that fall in this category.

Getting Away With It — Or Not

Those who don’t get caught pay an even higher price. A cheater doesn’t learn from the test, which deprives (剥夺) him/her of an education. Cheating undermines confidence and independence: the cheater is a fraud, and knows that without dishonesty, he/she would have failed. Cheating destroys self-respect and integrity, leaving the cheater ashamed, guilty, and afraid of getting caught. Worst of all, a cheater who doesn’t get caught the first time usually cheats again, not only because he/she is farther behind, but also because it seems “easier.” This slippery slope of eroding ethics and bigger risks leads only to disaster. Eventually, the cheater gets caught, and the later he/ she gets caught, the worse the consequences.

Cheating Hurts Others, Too

Cheaters often feel invisible, as if their actions “don’t count” and don’t really hurt anyone. But individual choices have an intense cumulative (累积的) effect. Cheating can spread like a disease. Recent statistics suggest 30% or more of college students cheat. If a class is graded on a curve, cheating hurts others’ grades. Even if there is no curve, cheating “poisons” the classroom, and others may feel pressured to join in. (“If I don’t cheat, I can’t compete with those who do.”) Cheating also has a destructive impact on teachers. The real reward of good teaching is seeing students learn, but a cheater says, “I’m not interested in what you’re trying to teach; all I care about is stealing a grade, regardless of the effect on others.” The end result is a destructive attack on the quality of your education. Finally, cheating can hurt the reputation of the university and harm those who worked hard for their degree.

Why Integrity Matters

If cheating becomes the norm, then we are in big trouble. We must rely on the honesty and good faith of others. If not, we couldn’t put money in the bank, buy food, clothing, or medicine from others, drive across a bridge, get on a plane — the list is endless. There are many examples of the vast harm caused when individuals forget or ignore the effect their dishonesty can have. The Watergate scandal, for example, has undermined the faith of many Americans in the integrity of political and economic leaders and society as a whole.

In sum, we all have a common stake in our school, our community, and our society. Our actions do matter. It is essential that we act with integrity in order to build the kind of world in which we want to live.

Our lives are woven together. As much as I enjoy my own【B1】___, I no longer imagine I can get through a【B2】day, much less all my life, 【B3】on my own. Even if I am on【B4】in the mountains, I am eating food someone else has grown, living in a house someone else has built, wearing clothes someone else has【B5】from cloth woven by others, using【B6】someone else is distributing to my house. 【B7】of interdependence is everywhere. We are on this【B8】___together.

As I was growing up, 【B9】___. “Make your own way”, “Stand on your own two feet”, or my mother’s favorite remark when I was face-to-face with consequences of some action: “Now that you’ve made your bed, lie on it!” Total independence is a dominant theme in our culture. I imagine that 【B10】___. But the teaching was shaped by our cultural images, and instead I grew up believing that I was supposed to be totally “independent” and consequently became very reluctant to ask for help.

【B11】______

With the world’s population estimated to grow from six to nine billion by 2050, researchers, businesses and governments are already dealing with the impact this increase have on everything from food and water to infrastructure (基础设施) and jobs. Underlying all this【S1】______will be the demand for energy, which is expected to double over the next 40 years.

Finding the resources to meet this demand in a【S2】___. sustainable way is the cornerstone (基石) of our nation’s energy security, and will be one of the major【S3】of the 21st century. Alternative forms of energy — bio-fuels, wind and solar, to name a few — are【S4】being funded and developed, and will play a growing【S5】in the world’s energy supply. But experts say that, even when【S6】___, alternative energy sources will likely meet only about 30% of the world’s energy needs by 2050.

For example, even with【S7】___investments, such as the $93 million for wind energy development【S8】in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, important alternative energy sources such as wind and bio-fuels【S9】___only about 1% of the market today.

Energy and sustainability experts say the answer to our future energy needs will likely come from a lot of 【S10】______— both traditional and alternative.

[A] stable [F] marvelous [K] comprise

[B] solutions [G] included [L] competitions

[C] significant [H] growth [M] combined

[D] role [I] exactly [N] challenges

[E] progress [J] consist [O] certainly

Boys’ schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music.

Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity (阳刚), the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to conform to a stereotype, a US study says.

Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to conform to the “boy code” of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.

The findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.

Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticised teachers for failing to recognise that boys are actually more emotional than girls.

The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills.

But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys’ learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study’s author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia.

Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around. “Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer the modern genre (类型) in which violence and sexism are major themes,” James wrote.

Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to conform to a stereotype that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships. “In mixed schools, boys feel compelled to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means,” the study reported.

It’s an annual argument. Do we or do we not go on holiday? My partner says no because the boiler could go, or the roof fall off, and we have no savings to save us. I say you only live once and we work hard and what’s the point if you can’t go on holiday. The joy of a recession means no argument next year — we just won’t go.

Since money is known to be one of the things most likely to bring a relationship to its knees, we should be grateful. For many families the recession means more than not booking a holiday. A YouGov poll of 2,000 people found 22% said they were arguing more with their partners because of concerns about money. What’s less clear is whether divorce and separation rates rise in a recession — financial pressures mean couples argue more but make splitting up less affordable. A recent research shows arguments about money were especially damaging to couples. Disputes were characterised by intense verbal ( 言语上的) aggression, tended to be repeated and not resolved, and made men, more than women, extremely angry.

Kim Stephenson, an occupational psychologist, believes money is such a big deal because of what it symbolises, which may be different things to men and women. “People can say the same things about money but have different ideas of what it’s for,” he explains. “They’ll say it’s to save, to spend, for security, for freedom, to show someone you love them.” He says men are more likely to see money as a way of buying status and of showing their parents that they’ve achieved something.

“The biggest problem is that couples assume each other knows what’s going on with their finances, but they don’t. There seems to be more of a taboo (禁忌) about talking about money than about death. But you both need to know what you’re doing, who’s paying what into the joint account and how much you keep separately. In a healthy relationship, you don’t have to agree about money, but you have to talk about it.”

Employers fear they will be unable to recruit students with the skills they need as the economic recovery kicks in, a new survey【C1】______.

Nearly half of the organisations told researchers they were already struggling to find【C2】___with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), 【C3】even more companies expect to experience【C4】___of employees with STEM skills in the next three years.

The Confederation of British Industry【C5】___694 businesses and organisations across the public and【C6】___sectors, which together employ 2.4 million people.

Half are【C7】___they will not be able to fill graduate posts in the coming years, while a third said they would not be able to【C8】___enough employees with the right A-level skills.

“【C9】___we move further into recovery and businesses plan【C10】growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will【C11】.” said Richard Lambert, Director General, CBI. “Firms say it is already hard to find people with the right【C12】or engineering skills. The new government must make it a top【C13】to encourage more young people to study science-related【C14】___.”

The survey found that young people would improve their job prospects【C15】___they studied business, maths, English and physics or chemistry at A-level. The A-levels that employers 【C16】least are psychology and sociology. And while many employers don’t insist on a【C17】___degree subject, a third prefer to hire those with a STEM-related subject.

The research【C18】___worries about the lack of progress in improving basic skills in the UK【C19】. Half of the employers expressed worries about employees’ basic literacy and numeracy (计算) skills, while the biggest problem is with IT skills, 【C20】___two-thirds reported concerns.