2008年12月英语四级考试真题Part IWriting(30 minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Limiting theUse of Disposable Plastic Bag.You should write at least 150 words following the outline givenbelow.1.一次性塑料袋的使用2.使用一次性塑料袋带来的问题3.限制一次性塑料袋的意义Limiting the Use of Disposable Plastic BagPart II Reading Comprehension (Skimming andScanning)(15 minutes)Directions:In this part,you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer thequestions 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 sentences with the information given in the passageThat's enough,kidsIt was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her twochildren when a young boy,aged about four,approached her two-year-old son and pushed him tothe ground."I'd watched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child he'd shoved,"shesays."I went over to them,picked up my son,turned to the boy and said,firmly,'No,we don'tpush,"What happened next was unexpected."The boy's mother ran toward me from across the park,"Stella says,"I thought she wascoming over to apologize,but instead she started shouting at me for disciplining her child,All Idid was let him know his behavior was unacceptable.Was I supposed to sit back while her kid didwhatever he wanted,hurting other children in the process?"Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough.Dealing with other people'schildren has become a minefield.In my house,jumping on the sofa is not allowed.In my sister's house it's encouraged.For her,it's about kids being kids:"If you can't do it at three,when can you do it?"Each of these philosophies is valid and,it has to be said,my son loves visiting his aunt'shouse.But I find myself saying "no"a lot when her kids are over at mine.That's OK betweensisters but becomes dangerous territory when you're talking to the children of friends oracquaintances."Kids aren't all raised the same,"agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University."Butthere is still an idea that they're the property of the parent.We see our children as an extension ofourselves,so if you're saying that my child is behaving inappropriately,then that's somehow acriticism of me.”In those circumstances,it's difficult to know whether to approach the child directly or theparent first.There are two schools of thought."I'd go to the child first,"says Andrew Fuller,author of Tricky Kids.Usually a quietreminder that 'we don't do that here'is enough.Kids nave finely tuned antennae (for how tobehave in different settings."He points out bringing it up with the parent first may make them feel neglectful,which couldcause problems.Of course,approaching the child first can bring its own headaches,too.This is why White recommends that you approach the parents first.Raise your concerns withthe parents if they're there and ask them to deal with it,"she says.Asked how to approach a parent in this situation,psychologist Meredith Fuller answers:"Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of the friendship.Preface your remarkswith something like:'I know you'll think I'm silly but in my house I don't want..."When it comes to situations where you're caring for another child,white is straightforward:"common sense must prevail.If things don't go well,then have a chat."There're a couple of new grey areas.Physical punishment,once accepted from any adult,isno longer appropriate."A new set of considerations has come to the fore as part of the debateabout how we handle children."For Andrew Fuller,the child-centric nature of our society has affected everyone:"The rulesare different now from when today's parents were growing up,"he says,"Adults are scared ofsaying:'don't swear',or asking a child to stand up on a bus.They're worried that there will beconflict if they point these things out-either from older children,or their parents."He sees it as a loss of the sense of common public good and public courtesy ()and saysthat adults suffer form it as much as child.Meredith Fuller agrees:"A code of conduct is hard to create when you're living in a world inwhich everyone is exhausted from overwork and lack of sleep,and a world in which nice peopleare perceived to finish last.""It's about what I'm doing and what I need,"Andrew Fuller says."the days when a kid camehome from school and said,"I got into trouble".And dad said,'you probably deserved it'.Areover.Now the parents are charging up to the school to have a go at teachers."This jumping to our children's defense is part of what fuels the "walking on eggshells"feeling that surrounds our dealings with other people's children.You know that if youremonstrate()with the child,you're going to have to deal with the parent.It's admirable to beprotective of our kids,but is it good?"Children have to leam to negotiate the world on their own,within reasonable boundaries,"White says."I suspect that it's only certain sectors of the population doing the running to theschool-better-educated parents are probably more likely to be too involved."White believes our notions of a more child-centered,it'a way of talking about treating ourchildren like commodities().We're centered on them but in ways that reflect positively on us.We treat them as objects whose appearance and achievements are something we can be proud of,rather than serve the best interests of the children."One way over-worked,under-resourced parents show commitment to their children is to leapto their defence.Back at the park,Bianchi'intervention()on her son'behalf ended in anundignified exchange of insulting words with the other boy'mother.As Bianchi approached the park bench where she'd been sitting,other mums came up to herand congratulated her on taking a stand."Apparently the boy had a longstanding reputation forbad behaviour and his mum for even worse behaviour if he was challenged."Andrew Fuller doesn't believe that we should be afraid of dealing with other people's kids."look at kids that aren't your own as a potential minefield,"he says.He recommends that we don'tstay silent over inappropriate behaviour,particularly with regular visitors.1.What did Stella Bianchi expect the young boy's mother to do when she talked to him?A)make an apologyB)come over to interveneC)discipline her own boyD)take her own boy away2.What does the author say about dealing with other people's children?A)it's important not to hurt them in any wayB)it's no use trying to stop their wrongdoingC)it's advisable to treat them as one's own kidsD)it's possible for one to get into lots of trouble3.According to professor Naomi white of Monash university,when one's kids are criticized,theirparents will probably feelA)discouragedB)hurtC)puzzledD)overwhelmed4.What should one do when seeing other people's kids misbehave according to Andrew fuller?A)talk to them directly in a mild wayB)complain to their parents politelyC)simply leave them aloneD)punish them lightly5.Due to the child-centric nature of our society,A)parents are worried when their kids swear at themB)people think it improper to criticize kids in publicC)people are reluctant to point our kids'wrongdoingsD)many conflicts arise between parents and their kids6.In a world where everyone is exhausted from over work and lack ofsleep,.