四六级

　　2012年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案解析

　　Part I Writing

　　标准版：

　　The above bar chart clearly shows us education pays in 2010. We see that one with higher education background earns more money weekly than those with lower ones. For instance, the college students with no degree get paid$712 per week whereas those with a Bachelor’s degree can earn $1038.

　　Several reasons, in my opinion, can be identified to account for this phenomenon. To begin with, compared with those with comparatively lower education degree, people who have received higher education possess considerably wider knowledge, more remarkable learning and research ability, greater innovation and most of all, resourceful social network, all of which are essential to a high-income work. Also, the higher one’s education degree is, the bigger platform he will have to show his ability. For example, his college, university, or research institute will organize various job fairs for them to communicate face to face with employers.

　　This phenomenon tells us that education is a worthy investment. Therefore, substantial education investment should be strengthened while we, as college students, should study harder to build our country and strive for a better life for ourselves.

　　高分版：

　　Education Pays

　　Judging from the table, we can see that people’s income increases along with their education levels. Above all，the average college graduates earn much more than the typical high-school graduates.

　　The fact revealed by these data is obvious: a degree does bring distinctive financial benefits to its holders. But is it true that a degree alone can ensure a bright future? I don’t think so because, on the one hand, the financial value of high education depends heavily on what skills graduates can gain from it instead of the degree itself. After all, an employer only pays for your ability and performance, not for your certificate. On the other hand, the most valuable bless high education brings to graduates is the ability to learn quickly and efficiently. People received more education tend to keep lifelong learning habits after their graduation, which would help them gain more opportunities in their career path.

　　In conclusion, what accounts for education pays is not the degree alone, but the graduate’s ability and leaning habit.

　　作文B：

　　标准版：

　　Education Pays

　　The above bar chart clearly shows us education pays in 2010. We see that unemployment rate of those with higher education background is much lower than those with lower education degree. For instance, the unemployment rate of college students with no degree is as high as 14.9% while that of those with doctoral degree is only 1.9%.

　　The followingreason, in my opinion, is the most important one to account for this phenomenon. Compared with those with comparatively lower education degree, people who have received higher education possess considerably wider knowledge, more remarkable learning and research ability, greater innovation and most of all, resourceful social network, all of which make them more qualified and competent for their task. Thus, they are less likely to lose their jobs.

　　This phenomenon tells us that education is a worthy investment. Therefore, education investment should be strengthened while we, as college students, should study harder to avoid unemployment.

　　高分版：

　　Education Pays

　　As is shown in the table, the unemployment rate decreases steadily as the education level increases. The fact revealed by the statistics is obvious: graduates with a degree are less likely to be unemployed.

　　What has brought about this effect? I believe there are three main reasons. To begin with, the education level is still the top factor that employers would take into account when selecting job candidates. It is believed that people with a college degree tend to be more intelligent and qualified. In addition, as a result of good learning habit formed during college, job hunters with high education background are also more efficient in acquiring and processing job hunting information. Finally, college education equips graduates with specialized skills, leading to greater attachment to the company they are employed and higher possibility to be reemployed even if they leave their previous company.

　　In conclusion, it is the qualifications, learning habit and specialized skills that high education equip a graduate that make one distinctive in labor market.

　　【标准版点评】

　　这次四级作文出了图表题，可能让大家有些意外，但是四六级考察图表作文已经并不是第一次，早在2002年的时候就已经出现过，是图表+提纲的形式，图表反应的是大学生使用计算机的情况。由于备考时大家只是关注近几年的题型，可能没有关注到以往考察过图表作文。

　　我们在备考作文的时候，一般会从以下几个方面着手准备，如何描述现象、如何分析原因、如何分析影响、如何给出解决措施、如何进行观点论战等。其实，图表作文也是从这几个方面展开，只是将第一段的描述现象改为描述图表即可。可见，无论是考察哪种作文题，我们都可以将它转化为我们熟悉的提纲式。

　　这次作文题目有两个版本。题目都是Educational Pays(教育回报)，一个版本的图表显示的是教育水平越高，收入越高，另一个版本的图表显示的是教育水平越高，失业率越低。

　　虽然图表描述的具体内容不同，但主题是一致的：教育是值得投资的。写作思路也是一致的。

　　两篇范文都是采取三段式的描述方法。

　　第一段：描述图表。先一句话引出图表总体内容The above bar chart clearly shows us … 然后具体描述现象We see that…。最后用for instance引出一些具体数据来例证现象。

　　第二段：分析原因。先写一个引出原因的句子，然后具体列举一到两个原因即可。由于字数限制，原因不必列太多。

　　第三段：给出建议。先是总结这个现象This phenomenon tells us that education is a worthy investment.(教育值得投资)。然后是建议国家增大教育投资，以及个人要努力学习。

　　这种三段式的写作模式容易掌握，在考场中比较实用，建议大家仿写。

　　【高分版点评】

　　本次四级作文围绕着同一个话题，education pay(教育回报)，出现了两个版本，一个是教育和失业率的关系，另一个是教育和收入的关系。就话题而言，难度并不高，选用的是贴近考生实际生活的熟悉话题。形式上则采取图表作文的形式，图表作文在四级考试中较少出现，很多考生可能刚拿到题目会束手无策，但是只要考生仔细阅读题目，就不难发现，除了需要简单描述图表之外，其写作思路和话题作文非常类似。

　　写好这篇作文，主要抓住三点：

　　首先，描述图表内容。对于柱状图，抓住横抽和纵轴之间的关系，对数字的变化趋势进行总体描述即可。用词不宜超过总字数的1/3。

　　其次，要一句话揭示图表背后的隐含意思，引入文章的立意。

　　最后，文章的立意可以采取两种思路，保守的写法是直接阐释产生现象的原因，如写失业率那篇范文;另一个则是，根据图表上的结果，借题发挥，发表自己的观点，如写收入的那篇范文。

　　Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

　　1. B showmanship

　　细节题。这道题的答案对应原文第一句话，从putting on a show 可以推出showmanship。

　　when it came to putting on a show, nobody else in the computer industry, or any other industry for that matter, could match Steve Jobs.题干与原文的匹配度比较高，仔细阅读不难得出选择是B

　　2. A He invented lots of functional gadgets.

　　细节题。原文第2段第2句话提到了乔布斯突出的三个方面，第三句话明确指出最后一个方面，也就是他在functional gadgets 上的贡献对人们的生活影响最大，对比第二题的选项，应选A

　　He stood out in three ways—as a technologist, as a corporate leader and as somebody who was able to make people love what had previously been impersonal, functional gadgets. Strangely, it is this last quality that may have the deepest effect on the way people live.

　　3. B His keen interest in designing elegant and user-friendly gadgets.

　　细节题。答案在第三段第二句，“obsessed with product design and aesthetics, and with making advanced technology simple to use”。讲到乔布斯痴迷于产品的设计和美学上，以及使高科技简单易用。所以选B

　　As a technologist, Mr Jobs was different because he was not an engineer—and that was his great strength. Instead he was obsessed with product design and aesthetics, and with making advanced technology simple to use.

　　4. A One of the greatest chief executives of his time.

　　细节题。答案在第4段第一句话的后半句“many of those corporate giants as one of the greatest chief executives of his time.”所以选A，其他的选项均不正确。

　　Within the wider business world, a man who liked to see himself as a hippy, permanently in revolt against big companies, ended up being hailed by many of those corporate giants as one of the greatest chief executives of his time.

　　5. D an inspiration

　　细节题。答案在第四段第三句话。“is an inspiration to any businessperson”。所以选D

　　His fall from grace in the 1980s, followed by his return to Apple in 1996 after a period in the wilderness, is an inspiration to any businessperson whose career has taken a turn for the worse.‘

6. C He