CET-4 Practice Tests

Part I Writing

Section A — News Report One (Questions 1-2)

In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 1 (heard only): (A) By scanning a microchip under her skin. (B) By reading the posters put up by the family. (C) By calling the number on her collar. (D) By asking the truck driver where she came from.
2. Question 2 (heard only): (A) She was carried away by a truck on the highway. (B) She probably followed a river valley. (C) She was fed by the truck driver for weeks. (D) She was frightened by a storm near Carlton.

Section A — News Report Two (Questions 3-4)

In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 3 (heard only): (A) Landscaping companies asked for newer equipment. (B) Gardeners complained about working long hours. (C) Gas blowers caused more pollution than motorcycles. (D) Residents working from home were troubled by the noise.
2. Question 4 (heard only): (A) Help them buy electric equipment more cheaply. (B) Supply them with free batteries for electric blowers. (C) Allow them to charge customers higher prices. (D) Pay the fines they receive in the first year.

Section A — News Report Three (Questions 5-7)

In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 5 (heard only): (A) They were used to buy new books for children. (B) They took staff a lot of time to collect. (C) They were higher than in most other libraries. (D) They were paid mostly by low-income families.
2. Question 6 (heard only): (A) Some cardholders stayed away because of unpaid fines. (B) Most cardholders came from low-income families. (C) One in five borrowed books was returned late. (D) Children borrowed more books than adults did.
3. Question 7 (heard only): (A) The borrower's library card will be canceled. (B) The borrower must pay for it before borrowing again. (C) A staff member will visit the borrower's home. (D) The borrower will be charged 25 cents a day.

Section B — Conversation One (Questions 8-11)

In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 8 (heard only): (A) A visit to the woman's cousin Tom. (B) The weather forecast for Sunday afternoon. (C) Ways of getting their car repaired. (D) Arrangements for a hike this weekend.
2. Question 9 (heard only): (A) It would be too hard for an inexperienced friend. (B) No bus goes to the start of the trail. (C) Heavy rain is expected there on Saturday. (D) It is too crowded after ten in the morning.
3. Question 10 (heard only): (A) She once got blisters from wearing new shoes. (B) She cannot get a phone signal at home. (C) She has walked the Pine Lake trail before. (D) She will bring a first aid kit on the trip.
4. Question 11 (heard only): (A) Choose a shorter trail near the lake. (B) Go hiking on Sunday afternoon instead. (C) Call the woman and put off the trip. (D) Ask Tom to join them next weekend.

Section B — Conversation Two (Questions 12-15)

In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 12 (heard only): (A) To ask him to recommend her for a program. (B) To find out about a program he is running. (C) To get his comments on her final project. (D) To apply for a volunteer job at an aquarium.
2. Question 13 (heard only): (A) A letter from her lab instructor. (B) Her report on the wetland project. (C) Her grades in the ecology course. (D) Her résumé and personal statement.
3. Question 14 (heard only): (A) Describing too many research projects in one statement. (B) Writing more about their interest than their experience. (C) Sending their applications too close to the deadline. (D) Asking teachers who hardly know them to write letters.
4. Question 15 (heard only): (A) She knows the marine science institute in Portland. (B) She has read many personal statements over the years. (C) Her letter can cover a different side of the woman. (D) She taught the woman in the ecology course last spring.

Section C — Passage One (Questions 16-18)

In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 16 (heard only): (A) The way our body clock controls our appetite. (B) The effects of coffee on memory and attention. (C) The benefits of short naps and how to take them. (D) The reasons why many people sleep badly at night.
2. Question 17 (heard only): (A) They drank coffee just before they lay down. (B) They took their nap too late in the afternoon. (C) They woke from deep sleep feeling heavy and confused. (D) They had not slept enough the night before.
3. Question 18 (heard only): (A) It prevents them from entering deep sleep. (B) Its effect begins around the time the nap ends. (C) It helps people fall asleep more quickly. (D) It makes up for a lack of sleep at night.

Section C — Passage Two (Questions 19-21)

In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 19 (heard only): (A) Because he wanted to share his food with other players. (B) So that he could go on playing cards while eating. (C) So that his servant could save time in the kitchen. (D) Because he often worked at his desk late at night.
2. Question 20 (heard only): (A) It was first told by farm workers in other parts of Europe. (B) It does not agree with letters written by the Earl himself. (C) It was invented by the Earl's servant many years later. (D) It seems to rest on a single source that may be unreliable.
3. Question 21 (heard only): (A) Farm workers in Europe invented the modern sandwich. (B) The Earl only gave his name to an old way of eating. (C) Bread was too valuable to be used as plates in the past. (D) The sandwich became popular abroad before it did in England.

Section C — Passage Three (Questions 22-25)

In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices.

1. Question 22 (heard only): (A) He replaced the old lifts with faster ones. (B) He offered guests something to read while waiting. (C) He showed guests how long they had to wait. (D) He put mirrors next to the lift doors.
2. Question 23 (heard only): (A) So that visitors will spend more money while waiting. (B) So that fewer visitors will join the longest lines. (C) So that staff receive fewer complaints about unfairness. (D) So that visitors feel pleased when they reach the front early.
3. Question 24 (heard only): (A) A short separate line at every checkout. (B) Checkouts that show the expected waiting time. (C) Checkouts where friends can wait together. (D) A single line leading to several checkouts.
4. Question 25 (heard only): (A) Changing how a wait feels can be cheaper than shortening it. (B) Businesses should spend more money on cutting waiting time. (C) Waiting with friends is the best way to avoid complaints. (D) Customers care most about the actual length of a wait.

Part III Section A — Banked cloze (Questions 26-35)

In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Part III Section B — Long reading (Questions 36-45)

In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter.

1. The author's doctor believed that exercise which forms part of everyday routines is easier to stick with.
2. When the author worked out all the expenses of keeping a car, the result came as a surprise.
3. The author admits that some groups of people would find it much harder to give up driving.
4. Bad weather forced the author to stop cycling for much of one season.
5. Getting around more slowly helped the author feel closer to the people nearby.
6. The author's decision to get rid of the car was based on practical rather than political reasons.
7. A change in how the author bought food resulted in less waste.
8. Buses in the author's city did not come often enough to be really convenient.
9. The author believes better public services could allow many more people to live without a car.
10. For trips the bicycle could not manage, the author sometimes paid to use a car that other people also used.

Part III Section C — Passage One (Questions 46-50)

There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices. You should decide on the best choice.

1. What do we learn about the students who took notes on laptops? (A) They forgot most of the lecture within a week. (B) They wished they had taken notes by hand. (C) They recorded more but understood less. (D) They were better at applying ideas to new problems.
2. Why does handwriting help students learn, according to the passage? (A) It makes them process information while taking notes. (B) It allows them to record lectures more completely. (C) It trains them to write almost as fast as people speak. (D) It produces notes that are neater and easier to review.
3. What does the author mean by saying the information "passes from ear to fingers without stopping in the mind" (Para 3)? (A) Typists find it hard to hear what the lecturer says. (B) Typists listen to lectures more carefully than others. (C) Typing is more tiring for the hands than writing. (D) Typists may take down words without thinking about them.
4. What do brain scans suggest about young children? (A) They recognize letters on screens more quickly. (B) Pressing keys makes their reading areas most active. (C) Writing letters by hand may help them learn to read. (D) Tracing printed letters works as well as writing them.
5. What can we infer from the last paragraph? (A) Computers should gradually be removed from classrooms. (B) Pens and keyboards each suit different learning tasks. (C) Digital tools are mainly useful for young children. (D) The way we record information hardly affects thinking.

Part III Section C — Passage Two (Questions 51-55)

There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices. You should decide on the best choice.

1. Why is choosing a new nest site so important for a swarm? (A) Enemies often attack a swarm while it is waiting. (B) The old queen will not lay eggs in a damp place. (C) A poor choice could put the colony's survival at risk. (D) The swarm cannot hang on a branch for more than a day.
2. What do we learn about the scouts? (A) The way they dance shows how highly they rate a site. (B) They are the youngest and strongest bees in the swarm. (C) They are guided by the queen to suitable sites. (D) They examine only the sites nearest to the swarm.
3. What happens to support for poor sites? (A) It moves to sites that are farther from the swarm. (B) It is ended when the queen rejects those sites. (C) It dies out as scouts dance less and fewer join in. (D) It grows slowly as more scouts go to inspect them.
4. What does the word "quorum" (Para 4) most probably refer to? (A) A signal telling bees to warm up their muscles. (B) A dance performed by every bee in the swarm. (C) The number of members needed to make a decision. (D) The place where the scouts rest after dancing.
5. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph? (A) Groups work best when a single strong leader has the final word. (B) Human groups could decide better by following the bees' approach. (C) Biologists have designed new rules for committees to follow. (D) Bees make decisions much faster than any human committee.

Part IV Translation (English-only adaptation: guided paragraph writing)

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes. Read the notes below and write ONE well-organized English paragraph of 130-170 words that includes all the information in the notes. Link the ideas logically; do not simply list them.

Task 1 — Self-introduction

Introduce yourself in about 20 seconds.

1. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the CET Spoken English Test. First, each of you will introduce yourself. Candidate A, please introduce yourself. You have 20 seconds. Example: Good morning. My name is Li Ming, and I'm a second-year student majoring in civil engineering. I come from Changsha, a city famous for its spicy food. In my free time I enjoy playing basketball and reading detective novels. I'm glad to have this chance to practice my spoken English.

Task 2 — Reading aloud

You have 45 seconds to prepare. Then read the passage aloud. You have 1 minute.

1. Now, you have 45 seconds to look over the passage. Then please read it aloud. You have one minute. Example: (Read the passage.) Tips: Pause after 'in seconds' and link 'more than a' smoothly. Stress the contrast in 'cheap to SEND and needed NO envelope'. Read the list 'buildings, beaches and mountains' with a rising tone on the first two items and a falling tone on the last. Say 'nineteenth' with the stress on the second syllable and 'souvenirs' as /ˌsuːvəˈnɪrz/. Slow down for the final sentence and stress 'PERsonal' and 'RAREly' to make the contrast clear.

Task 3 — Question and answer

Answer the questions about the passage. You have about 20 seconds for each question.

1. Candidate A, according to the passage, why did postcards become popular when they first appeared? Example: According to the passage, postcards were cheap to send and didn't need an envelope, so people could send a quick greeting without writing a long letter. Later, picture postcards also became fashionable souvenirs for travelers.
2. Candidate B, would you rather send a postcard or a message on your phone to a friend when you travel? Why? Example: For everyday news I'd send a message, because it's fast and I can include photos. But for a close friend I'd choose a postcard. It takes effort to choose, write and post, so it shows that I really care, and my friend can keep it for years.

Task 4 — Individual presentation

Topic card: A skill you want to learn this year. You may talk about: what the skill is; why you want to learn it; how you plan to learn it and what difficulties you might meet. You have 45 seconds to prepare and 1 minute to speak.

1. Now, let's move on to individual presentations. Candidate A, please look at your topic card: a skill you want to learn this year. You have 45 seconds to prepare. Then you will speak for one minute. Example: The skill I really want to learn this year is swimming. I grew up in a small town with no pool nearby, so I never had the chance. I have two reasons. First, it's a great way to keep fit, and I spend far too long sitting at my desk. Second, it's about safety. I'd like to feel relaxed near water instead of nervous. Our university has an indoor pool that offers beginner classes twice a week, so I've already signed up. Breathing properly will probably be hard at first, but I'm determined to be able to swim fifty meters by the end of the year.

Task 5 — Pair discussion

Scenario card: Your class is holding a farewell party at the end of the term, but the class fund has only 600 yuan for about 30 students. Discuss with your partner and agree on where to hold the party, what food and drinks to provide, and what activities to include. You have 1 minute to prepare and 3 minutes to discuss.

1. Your partner says: I think we should book a private room in a restaurant near campus. It would feel like a real celebration. Example: That would be nice, but I'm afraid it's not realistic. A private room for thirty people would cost more than our whole budget, even before we order any food. What about asking the department if we could use one of the big classrooms or the student activity room? It's free, it's close to the dorms, and we could decorate it ourselves with balloons and photos of the year.
2. Your partner says: OK, the activity room sounds fine. But what about food? Thirty people can eat a lot. Example: True. I suggest we skip a proper meal and have snacks and fruit instead, since the party will be in the evening after dinner. If we buy things in bulk from the supermarket, fruit, chips and drinks for everyone should come to about three hundred yuan. We could also order two large cakes, which would be about two hundred. That leaves a hundred yuan for decorations and small prizes.
3. Your partner says: Sounds good. And what should we do at the party, apart from eating? Example: I think the best activities are ones that don't cost anything. We could make a short slide show of photos from the whole year, and each dorm could prepare a song or a short sketch. Then we could play a game like 'Who said it?', where we guess which classmate made a famous comment in class. It would bring back a lot of memories.
4. Your partner says: I like that. Let's summarize our plan for the class. Example: Sure. So we'll hold the party in the student activity room, which is free. We'll spend about three hundred yuan on snacks, fruit and drinks and two hundred on cakes, and keep the last hundred for decorations and prizes. The program will be a photo slide show, performances from each dorm and a memory game. I think it'll be cheap, but it'll still be a party everyone remembers.