2009年12月英语四级考试试题

2009年12月大学英语四级考试试题PartⅠWriting(30minutes)注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayonthetopicofCreatingaGreenCampus.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow:1.建设绿色校园很重要2.绿色校园不仅指绿色的环境……3.为了建设绿色校园，我们应该……CreatingaGreenCampusPartⅡReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestion8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.Collegestakinganotherlookatvalueofmerit-basedaidGoodgradesandhightestsscoresstillmatter—alot—tomanycollegesastheyawardfinancialaid.Butwithlow-incomestudentsprojectedtomakeupanever-largershareofthecollege-boundpopulationincomingyears,someschoolsarere-examiningwhetherthataid,typicallyknownas“meritaid”,isthemosteffectiveuseofpreciousinstitutionaldollars.GeorgeWashingtonUniversityinWashington,D.C.,forexample,saidlastweekthatitwouldcutthevalueofitsaveragemeritscholarshipsbyaboutone-thirdandreducethenumberofrecipients(接受者),pouringthesavings,about$2.5million,intoneed-basedaid.AlleghenyCollegeinMeadville,Pa.,madeasimilardecisionthreeyearsago.Now,HamiltonCollegeinClinton,N.Y.,saysitwillphaseoutmeritscholarshipsaltogether.Nocurrentmerit-aidrecipientswilllosetheirscholarships,butneed-basedaidalonewillbeawardedbeginningwithstudentsenteringinfall2008.Notallcollegesoffermeritaid;generally,themoreselectiveaschool,thelesslikelyitistodoso.HarvardandPrinceton,forexample,offergenerousneed-basedpackages,butmanyfamilieswhodon’tmeetneedeligibility(资格)havebeenwillingtopaywhatevertheymustforabig-nameschool.Forsmallregionalcollegesthatstrugglejusttofillseats,meritaidcanbeanimportantrevenue-builderbecausemanyrecipientsstillpayenoughtuitiondollarsoverandabovethescholarshipamounttokeeptheinstitutionrunning.Butforrankings-consciousschoolsinbetween,meritaidhasservedprimarilyasatooltorecruittopstudentsandtoimprovetheiracademicprofits.“They’retryingtobuystudents,”saysSkidmoreCollegeeconomistSandyBaum.Studiesshowmeritaidalsotendstobenefitdisproportionatelys[此文转贴于贵,州.学,习.网]tudentswhocouldaffordtoenrollwithoutit.“Aswelooktothefuture,weseeamorepressingneedtoinvestinneed-basedaid,”saysMonicaInzer,deanofadmissionandfinancialaidatHamilton,whichhasofferedmeritscholarshipsfor10years.Duringthattime,itroseinUSNews&WorldReport’srankingofthebestliberalartscolleges,from25to17.Meritaid,whichbenefitedabout75studentsayear,orabout4%ofitsstudentbody,atacostofabout$1millionayear,“serveduswell,”Inzersays,but“tobediscountingthepriceforfamiliesthatdon’tneedfinancialaiddoesn’tfeelrightanymore.”Need-basedaidremainsbyfarthelargestshareofallstudentaid,whichincludesstate,federalandinstitutionalgrants.Butmeritaid,offeredprimarilybyschoolsandstates,isgrowingfaster,bothoverallandattheinstitutionallevel.Between1995-96and2003-04,institutionalmeritaidaloneincreased212%,comparedwith47%forneed-basedgrants.Atleast15statesalsooffermeritaid,typicallyinabidtoenrolltopstudentsinthestate’spublicinstitutions.Butinrecentyears,agrowingchorus(异口同声)ofcriticshasbegunpressuringschoolstodropthepractice.RecentdecisionsbyHamiltonandothersmaybe“asignthatpeoplearestartingtorealizethatthere’sthisdestructivecompetitiongoingon,”saysBaum,co-authorofarecentCollegeReportthatraisesconcernsabouttheroleofinstitutionalaidnotbasedonneed.DavidLaird,presidentoftheMinnesotaPrivateCollegeCouncil,saysmanyofhisschoolswouldliketoreducetheirmeritaidbutfearthatindoingso,theywouldlosetopstudentstotheircompetitors.“Noonecantakeone-sidedaction,”saysLaird,whoisexploringwhethertoseekanexemption(豁免)fromfederalanti-trustlawssomembercollegescandiscusshowtheycouldjointlyreducemeritaid,“Thisisamerry-go-roundthat’sgoingveryfast,andnoneoftheinstitutionsbelievetheycansustaintherisksoftryingtobreakawaybythemselves.”Acomplicatingfactoristhatmeritaidhasbecomesopopularwithmiddle-incomefamilies,whodon’tqualifyforneed-basedaid,thatmanyhavecometodependonit.And,astuitionscontinuetoincrease,thelinebetweenmeritandneedblurs.That’sonereasonAlleghenyCollegedoesn’tplantodropmeritaidentirely.“Westillbelieveinrewardingsuperiorachievementsandknowthatthesetopstudentstrulyvaluethescholarship,”saysScottFriedhoff,Allegheny’svicepresidentforenrollment.EmoryUniversityinAtlanta,whichboastsa$4.7billionendowment(捐赠),meanwhile,istakinganotherapproach.Thisyear,itannounceditwouldeliminateloansforneedystudentsandcapthemformiddle-incomefamilies.Atthesametime,itwouldexpandits28-year-oldmeritprogram.“Yeah,we’replayingthemeritgame,”acknowledgesTomLancaster,associatedeanforundergraduateeducation.Butithasitsstrongpoint,too,hesays.“Thefactofthematteris,it’snotjustaboutthelowest-incomepeople.It’stheaverageAmericanmiddle-classfamilywho’sbeingpricedoutofthemarket.”*Afewwordsaboutmerit-basedaid:Merit-basedaidisaidofferedtostudentswhoachieveexcellenceinagivenarea,andisgenerallyknownasacademic,athleticandartisticmeritscholarships.Academicmeritscholarshipsarebasedonstudents’gra