2020年大学英语四级改革模拟题：长篇阅读(3)
【大学英语四六级考试】2020年12月英语四级阅读3篇
2020年12月英语四级阅读3篇【本文概要】我们不需要考虑自己能够走多快，只要知道自己在不断努力向前就行。
停止自己的脚步其实就是自己在为别人让路，同行一条路会让路变得窄，但你的退出却为别人提供了前行的光明大道。
以下为“2020年12月英语四级阅读3篇”，！【篇一】2020年12月英语四级阅读3篇In New York City one day, a businesswoman got into a taxi. Because it was rush hour and she was hurrying for a train, she suggested a route. “I’ve been a cabby(车夫) for 15 years!” the driver yelled. “You think I don’t know the best way to go?”The woman tried to explain that she hadn’t meant to offend him, but the driver kept yelling. She finally realized he was too upset to be reasonable. So she did the unexpected. “You know, you’re right,” she told him. “It must seem dumb for me to assume you don’t know the bestway through the city. “Taken aback, the driver flashed his rider a confused look in the rear-view mirror, turned down the street she wanted and got her to the train on time. “He didn’t say another word the rest of the ride,” she said, “until I got out and paid him. Then he thanked me. “When you encounter people like th is cab driver, there’s an irresistible urge to dig in your heels. This can lead to prolonged arguments, soured friendships, lost career opportunities and broken marriages. As a clinical psychiatrist, I’ve discovered one simple but extremely unlikely principle that can prevent virtually any conflict or other difficult situation from becoming a recipe for disaster.The key is to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and look for the truth in what that person is saying. Find a way to agree. The result may surprise you.Sulkers Steve’s 14-year-old son, Adam, had been irritable for several days. When Steve asked why, Adam snapped, “Nothing’s wrong! Leave me alone!” and stalked off to his room.We all know people like this. When there’s problem, they may sulk(生闷气) or act angry and refuse to talk.So what’s the solution? First, Steve needs to ask himself why Adam won’t talk. Maybe the boy is worried about something that happened at school. Or he might be angry at his dad but afraid to bring it up because Steve gets defensive whenever he is criticized. Steve can pursue these possibilities the next time they talk by saying, “I noticed you’re upset, and I think it would help to get the problem out in the open. It may be hard because I haven’t always listened very • 58 •well. If so, I feel bad because I love you and don’t want to let you down. “If Adam still refuses to talk, Steve can take a different tack: “I’m concerned about what’s going on with you, but we can talk things over later, when you’re more in the mood. “This strategy allows both sides to win: Steve doesn’t have to compromise on the principle that ultimately the problem needs to betalked out and resolved. Adam saves face by being allowed to withdraw for a while.Noisy critics. Recently, I was counselling a businessman named Frank who lends to be overbearing(专横的) when he’s upset. Frank told me that I was too absent-minded with money and that he shouldn’t have to pay at each of our sessions. He wanted to be billed monthly.I felt annoyed because it seemed Frank always had to have things his way. I explained that I had tried monthly billing, but it hadn’t worked because some patients didn’t pay. Frank argued that he had impeccable (无可挑剔的) credit and knew much more about credit and billing than I did.Suddenly I realized I was missing Frank’s point. “You are right,” I said. “ I’m being defensive. We should focus on the problems in your life and not worry so much about money. “Frank immediately softened and began talking about what was really bothering him, which were some personal problems. The nexttime we met, he handed me a check for 20 sessions in advance!There are times, of course, when people are unreasonably abusive and you may need to just walk away from the situation. But if the problem is one that you want solved, it’s important to allow the other person to keep some self-esteem. There’s nearly always a grain of truth in the other person’s point of view. If you acknowledge this, he or she will be less defensive and more likely to listen to you.Complainers. Brad is a 32-year-old Detroit chiropractor (按摩师) who recently described his frustration with a patient of his: “I ask Mr. Barry, ‘How are you doing?’ and he dumps out his whole life story-his family problems and his financial difficulties. I give him advice, but he ignores everything I tell him. “Brad needs to recognize that habitual complainers usually don’t want advice. They just want someone to listen and understand. So Brad might simply say : “sounds like a rough week, It’s no fun to have unpaid bills, people nagging you, and this pain besides. “ The complainer will usually run out of gas and stop complaining. The secret is not to give advice. Just agreeing and validating a person’s point of view will makethat person feel better.Demanding friends. Difficult people aren’t always -, angry or just complaining. Sometimes they are difficult because of the demands they place upon us. Maybe a friend puts you on the spot with a request to run an errand for him while he’s out of town. If you have a crowded schedule, you may agree but end up angry and resentful. Or if you say no in the wrong way, your friend may feel hurt and unhappy. The problem is that, caught off guard, you do n’t know how to deal with the situation in a way that avoids bad feelings.One method I’ve found helpful is “punting”. You’re punting when you tell the person you need to think about the request and that you’ll get back about it. Say a colleague calls and pressures me to give a lecture at his university. I’ve learned to say, “I’m flattered that you thought of me. Let me check my schedule, and I’ll call you back. “This gives me time to deal with any feelings of guilt if I have to say no. Suppose I decide it is better to decline; punting allow me to plan what I will say when I call back, “I appreciate being asked,” I might indicate, “but I find I’m over-committed right now. However, I hope you’llthink of me in the future. “Responding to difficult people with patience and empathy can be tough, especially when you feel upset. But the moment you give up your need to control or be right, the other person will begin relaxing and start listening to you. The Greek philosopher Epictetus understood this when he said nearly 2, 000 years ago, “If someone criticizes you, agree at once. Mention that if only the other person knew you well, there would be more to criticize than that !”Real communication results from a spirit of respect for yourself and for the other person. The benefits can be amazing.【篇二】2020年12月英语四级阅读3篇Scotland is a unique and austere1 place, laden2 with history, where you can find aristocratic palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parade in national costumes. It has some of the most beautiful cities in Europe, a living testimony of a proud and splendid past.In order to see the true soul of Scotland today, what forgedthe character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampia Mountains.Beautiful and unspoiled, it was difficult to farm. The Scots subdued the environment with simple spades and strong arms.The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love affair with the hard land, is enclosed within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here .From coastal Aberdeen in towards the interior of the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses, which are witness of continual revolts against the dominion of neighboring England in Scottish history.Perhaps the most uplifting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient abbey of Arbroath, where, in 1320; the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up3 by the great popular hero William Wallace, to whom cinema has dedicated the wonderful fil m” Brave Heart”, the winner of five Oscars.Glamis Castle is often remembered for being the residence of King Macbeth and Queen ElizabethⅡin her childhood. Among the most assiduous guests here are the inevitable ghosts, created by ancient popular beliefs.The true flag of Scotland is tartan, its brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various clans. Over the last few decades this fabric has made a comeback and is part of the daily life of this country.【篇三】2020年12月英语四级阅读3篇With its primeval forests, mighty snowcapped peaks, gigantic fjords and grumbling volcanoes, it’s no wonder the makers of The Lord Of The Rings films decided to shoot the trilogy in New Zealand.Rugged ranger-types can relive The Fellowship Of The Ring by scaling forbidding mountain passes or crossing volcanic moonscapes towards the cracks of doom2. For more adrenaline3 highs there’s an unbeatable4 choice of good value activities, from white water rafting and jet boat rides to bungee-jumping5 and skydiving.For more homely Hobbit6 types, NZ has many other attractions to enjoy ― rambling countryside, a glorious coastline and plenty of sedate places to sit and enjoy the amazing views. And then there ‘s the terrific cuisine and wine.With two weeks or more, a good way to see the country is to start in Auckland on the North Island, then drive to Wellington, crossing by ferry to the South Island. Take in the breathtaking scenery around Queenstown before flying home from Christchurch.Th ere’s too much to see beyond Auckland and too much to justify spending too much time in the city. So head south to Waitomo. Hiding beneath the hilly area are the haunting Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Drift in silence in the dark on the subterranean lake and gaze up at the spectacular living lightshow.An ideal romantic destination is Fernside, a restored historic house about an hour north of Wellington with large colonial-era bedrooms offing luxury bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner.时间：2021年3月26日页码：第11页共11页About midway down the South Island stands Mount Cook, the highest peak in the country at 3, 764m, surrounded by giant glaciers.11。
2020年四级改革模拟题：长篇阅读(2)
2020年四级改革模拟题：长篇阅读(2) Hate Your Job? Here’s How to Reshape ItA) Once upon a time, if you hated your job, you either quit or bit your lip. These days, a group of researchers is trumpeting a third option： shape your job so ifs morefruitful than futile.B) "We often get trapped into thinking about our job as a list of things to do and a list of responsibilities," says Amy Wrzesniewski, an associate professor at the Yale School of Management. "But what if you set aside that mind-set?" If you could adjust what you do, she says, "who would you start talking to, what other tasks would you take on, and who would you work with?"C) To make livelihoods more lively, Wrzesniewski and her colleagues Jane Dutton and Justin Berg have developed a methodology they call job-crafting. They’re working with Fortune 500 companies, smaller firms and business schools to change the way Americans think about work. The idea is to make all jobs--even mundane (平凡的) ones---more meaningful by empowering employees to brainstorm and implement subtle but significant workplace adjustments.Step 1： Rethink Your Job--CreativelyD) "The default some people wake up to is dragging themselves to work and facing a list of things they have to do," says Wrzesniewski. So in the job-crafting process, the first step is to think about your job holistically. You first analyze how much time, energy and attention you devote toyour various tasks. Then you reflect on that allocation( 分配). See I0 perfect jobs for the recession--and after.E) Take, for example, a maintenance technician at Burt’s Bees, which makes personal-care products. He was interestedin process engineering, though that wasn’t part of his job description. To alter the scope of his day-to-day activities, the technician asked a supervisor if he could spend some time studying an idea he had for making the firm’s manufacturing procedures more energy-efficient. His ideas proved helpful, and now process engineering is part of the scope of his work.F) Barbara Fredrickson, author of Positivity and a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says it’s crucial for people to payattention to their workday emotions. "Doing so," she says, "will help you discover which aspects of your work are most life-giving-and most life-draining."G) Many of us get stuck in ruts (惯例 ). Berg, a Ph.D. student at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania who helped develop the job-crafting methodology, says we all benefit from periodically rethinking what we do. "Even in the most constraining jobs, people have a certain amount of wiggle room," he says. "Small changes can have a real impact on life at work."Step 2： Diagram Your DayH) To lay the groundwork for change, job-crafting participants assemble diagrams detailing their workday activities. The first objective is to develop new insights about what you actually do at work. Then you can dream upfresh ways to integrate what the job-crafting exercise calls your "strengths, motives and passions" into your daily routine. You convert task lists into flexible building blocks. The end result is an "after" diagram that can serve as a map for specific changes.I) lna Lockau-Vogel, a management consultant who participated in a recent job-crafting workshop, says the exercise helped her adjust her priorities. "Before, 1 would spend so much time reacting to requests and focusing onurgent tasks that I never had time to address the real important issues." As part of the job-crafting process, she decided on a strategy for delegating and outsourcing (外包) more of her administrative responsibilities.J) In contrast to business books that counsel, managersto influence workers through incentives, job-crafting focuses on what employees themselves can do to re-envision and adjust what they do every day. Given that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it now takes the average job seeker morethan six months to find a new position, it’s crucial to make the most of the job you’ve got.Step 3： Identify Job Loves and HatesK) By reorienting (使适合 ) how you think about your job, you free yourself up for new ideas about how to restructure your workday time and energy. Take an IT worker who hates dealing with technologically incompetent callers. He might enjoy teaching more than customer service. By spending more time instructing colleagues--and treating help-line callersas curious students of tech--the disgruntled IT person can make the most of his 9-to-5 position.。
大学英语四级(阅读)模拟试卷3(题后含答案及解析)
大学英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷3(题后含答案及解析) 题型有： 4. Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Section BDirections: 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 marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester. A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester. Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not in fact done as a regular practice. For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the record is available for the student to show to prospective employers. All this imposes a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs. Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm. The effective work of maintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities. Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court. With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career.1．Normally a student would attend at least______classes each week.A．36B．20C．12D．15正确答案：C解析：由文章第1段可知，每个学生每学期要上4到5门课，每门课每周有3节，由此可知学生每周要上12一15节课，因此一个学生每个星期至少要上12节课．故选C。
大学英语四级改革适用(阅读)模拟试卷330(题后含答案及解析)
大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷330(题后含答案及解析) 题型有： 3. Reading ComprehensionPart III Reading ComprehensionSection CIf you’re finding it tough to land a job, try expanding your job-hunting plan to include the following strategies: Set your target. While you should always keep your options open to compromise, you should also be sure to target exactly what you want in a job. A specific job hunt will be more efficient than a random one. Schedule abundant interviews. Use every possible method to get interviews—answering ads, using search firms, contacting companies directly, surfing the Web, and networking. Even if a job is not perfect for you, every interview can make you learn from it. Follow up. Even if someone does not hire you, write them a thank-you note for the interview. Then, some weeks later, send another brief letter to explain that you still have not found the perfect position and that you will be available to interview again if the original position you applied for—or any other position, for that matter—is open. Do this with every position you interview for, and you may just catch a break. Make it your full-time job. You can’t find a job by looking infrequently. You have to make time for it. If you’re unemployed and looking for a job, devote as much time as you would to a full-time job. If you have a job while you’re looking, figure out an organized schedule to maximize your searching time. Network vertically (纵向地). In the research phase of your job hunt, talk to people who are on a level above you in your desired industry. They’ll have some insights that people at your own level won’t have, and will be in a good position to hire you or recommend you to be hired. Keep your spirits up. Looking for a job is one of the toughest things you will ever have to do. Maintain your confidence, stay persistent, and think positively, and eventually you will get a job that suits you.1．According to the author, your job-hunting plan had better be as _____ as possible.A．randomB．clearC．fixedD．complex正确答案：B解析：事实细节题。
大学英语四级模拟试题三及答案
大学英语四级考试模拟试题三及答案本套试题包括三部分：阅读理解、完形填空和作文。
第一部分：阅读理解阅读下面的短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个正确答案。
Passage 1：In recent years, the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) has been on the rise. One of the main reasons people are opting for EVs is their potential to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, electric vehicles tend to have lower operating costs due to reduced fuel expenses and fewer maintenance requirements.A. What is one reason for the growing popularity of electric vehicles?1.They require more maintenance than traditional vehicles.2.They have a longer driving range than traditional vehicles.3.They can help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.4.They are less expensive to purchase than traditional vehicles.答案：3Passage 2：Podcasts have become a popular form of entertainment and education in recent years. They cover a wide range of topics, from news and politics to culture and personal stories. One of the advantages of podcasts is their accessibility, as they can be easily downloaded and listened to on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers.A. What is an advantage of podcasts mentioned in the passage?1.They are only available on specific devices.2.They cover a limited range of topics.3.They are accessible and can be listened to on various devices.4.They require a subscription to access content.答案：3第二部分：完形填空阅读下面的短文，从每个空格后的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。
2020年下半年大学英语四级长篇阅读3篇
2020年下半年大学英语四级长篇阅读3篇【导语】你想有拥有你没有过的能力，就要去做自己没有做过的努力。
以下为“2020年下半年大学英语四级长篇阅读3篇”，欢迎阅读参考！更多相关讯息请关注无忧考网！【篇一】2020年下半年大学英语四级长篇阅读Directions: 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. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.A University Degree No Longer Confers Financial Securitylions of school-leavers in the rich world are about to bid a tearful goodbye to their parents and start a new life at university. Some are inspired by a pure love of learning. But most also believe that spending three or four years at university--and accumulating huge debts in the process--will boost their chances of landing a well-paid and secure job.B.Their elders have always told them that education is the best way to equip themselves to thrive in a globalised world. Blue-collar workers will see their jobs outsourced and automated, the familiar argument goes. School dropouts will have to cope with a life of cash-strapped (资金紧张的) insecurity. But the graduate elite will have the world at its feet. There is some evidence to support this view. A recent study from Georgetown University's Centre on Education and the Workforce argues that"obtaining a post-secondary credential ( 证书) is almost always worth it." Educational qualifications are tightly correlated with earnings: an American with a professional degree can expect to pocket $3.6m over a lifetime; one with merely a high- school diploma can expect only $1.3m. The gap between more- and less-educated earners may be widening. A study in 2020 found that someone with a bachelor's degree could expect to earn 75% more over a lifetime than someone with only a high-school diploma. Today the disparity is even greater.C.But is the past a reliable guide to the future? Or are we at the beginning of a new phase inthe relationship between jobs and education? There are good reasons for thinking that old patterns are about to change--and that the current recession-driven downturn (衰退) in the demand for Western graduates will morph (改变) into something structural. The strong wind of creative destruction that has shaken so many blue-collar workers over the past few decades is beginning to shake the cognitive elite as well.D.The supply of university graduates is increasing rapidly. The Chronicle of Higher Education calculates that between 1990 and 2020 the number of students going to university increased by 22% in North America, 74% in Europe, 144% in Latin America and 203% in Asia. In 2020 150m people attended university around the world, including 70m in Asia. Emerging economies―specially China--are pouring resources into building universities that can compete with the elite of America and Europe. They are also producing professional- services firms snch as Tata Consulting Services and Infosys that take fresh graduates and turn them into world-class computer programmers and consultants. The best and the brightest of the rich world must increasingly compete with the best and the brightest from poorer countries who are willing to work harder for less money.E. At the same time, the demand for educated labor is being reconfigured (重新配置) by technology, in much the same way that the demand for agricultural labor was reconfigured in the 19th century and that for factory labor in the 20th. Computers can not only perform repetitive mental tasks much faster than human beings. They can also empower amateurs to do what professionals once did: why hire a flesh-and-blood accountant to complete your tax return when Turbotax (a software package ) will do the job at a fraction of the cost? And the variety of jobs that computers can do is multiplying as programmers teach them to deal with tone and linguistic ambiguity.F.Several economists, including Paul Krugman, have begun to argue that post-industrial societies will be characterized not by a relentless rise in demand for the educated but by a great "hollowing out", as mid-level jobs are destroyed by smart machines and high-level job growth slows. David Autor, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), points out that the main effect of automation in the computer era is not that it destroys blue-collar jobs but that it destroysany job that can be reduced to a routine. Alan Blinder of Princeton University, argues that the jobs graduates have traditionally performed are if anything more "offshorable" than low-wage ones. A plumber or lorry-driver's job cannot be outsourced to India. A computer programmer's can.G. A university education is still a prerequisite for entering some of the great industries, such as medicine, law and academia (学术界), that provide secure and well-paying jobs. Over the 20th century these industries did a wonderful job of raising barriers to entry--sometimes for good reasons (nobody wants to be operated on by a barber) and sometimes for self-interested ones. But these industries are beginning to bend the roles. Newspapers are fighting a losing battle with the blogosphere. Universities are replacing tenure-track professors with non-tenured staff. Law firms are contracting out routine work such as"discovery" (digging up documents relevantto a lawsuit) to computerized-search specialists such as Blackstone Discovery. Even doctors are threatened, as patients find advice online and treatment in Walmart's new health centers.H.Thomas Malone of MIT argues that these changes--automation, globalizafion and deregulation--may be part of a bigger change: the application of the division of labor tobrain-work. Adam Smith's factory managers broke the production of pins into 18 components. In the same way, companies are increasingly breaking the production of brain-work into ever tinier slices. TopCoder chops up IT projects into bite-sized chunks and then serves them up to a worldwide workforce of freelance coders.I.These changes will undoubtedly improve the productivity of brain-workers. They will allow consumers to sidestep (规避) the professional industries that have extracted high rents for their services. And they will empower many brain-workers to focus on what they are best at and contract out more tedious tasks to others. But the reconfiguration of brain-work will also make life far less cozy and predictable for the next generation of graduates.【篇二】2020年下半年大学英语四级长篇阅读Directions: 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. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.How Your Language Affects Your Wealth and HealthA. Does the language we speak determine how healthy and rich we will be? New research by Keith Chen of Yale Business School suggests so. The structure of languages affects our judgments and decisions about the future and this might have dramatic long-term consequences.B. There has been a lot of research into how we deal with the future. For example, the famous marshmallow ( 棉花糖)studies of Walter Mischel and colleagues showed that being able to resist temptation is predictive of future success. Four-year-old kids were given a marshmallow and were told that if they do not eat that marshmallow and wait for the experimenter to come back, they will get two marshmallows instead of one. Follow-up studies showed that the kids who were able to wait for the bigger future reward became more successful young adults.C. Resisting our impulses for immediate pleasure is often the only way to attain the outcomes that are important to us. We want to keep a slim figure but we also want that last slice of pizza. We want a comfortable retirement, but we also want to drive that dazzling car, go on that dream vacation, or get those gorgeous shoes.Some people are better at delaying gratification ( 满足) than others. Those people have a better chance of accumulating wealth and keeping a healthy life style. They are less likely to be impulse buyers or smokers, or to engage in unsafe sex.D. Chen's recent findings suggest that an unlikely factor, language, strongly affects our future-oriented behavior. Some languages strongly distinguish the present and the future. Other languages only weakly distinguish the present and the future. Chen's recent research suggests that people who speak languages that weakly distinguish the present and the future are better prepared for the future. They accumulate more wealth and they are better able to maintain their health. The way these people conceptualize the future is similar to the way they conceptualize the present. As a result, the future does not feel very distant and it is easier for them to act in accordance with their future interestS.E. Different languages have different ways of talking about the future. Some languages, such as English, Korean, and Russian, require their speakers to refer to the future explicitly ( 明确地). Every time English-speakers tall about the future, they have to use future markers such as "will" or "going to." In other languages, such as Mandarin, Japanese, and German, future markers are not obligatory (强制性的). The future is often talked about similar to the way present is talked about and the meaning is understood from the context. A Mandarin speaker who is going to go to a seminar might say "Wo qu ting jiangzuo," which translates to "I go listen seminar." Languages such as English constantly remind their speakers that future events are distant. For speakers of languages such as Mandarin future feels closer. As a consequence, resisting immediate impulses and investing for the future is easier for Mandarin speakers.F.Chert analyzed individual-level data from 76 developed and developing countries. This data includes people's economic decisions, such as whether they saved any money last year, the languages they speak at home, demographics (人口统计资料), and cultural factors such as "saving is an important cultural value for me."He also analyzed individual-level data on people's retirement assets, smoking and exercising habits, and general health in older age. Lastly, he analyzed national-level data that inchides national savings rates, country GDP and GDP growth rates, country demographics, and proportions of people speaking different languages.G. People's savings rates are affected by various factors such as their income, education level, age, religious connection, their countries' legal systems, and their cultural values. After those factors were accounted for, the effect of language on people's savings rates turned out to be big. Speaking a language that has obligatory future markers, such as English, makes people 30 percent less likely to save money for the future. This effect is as large as the effect of unemployment. Being unemployed decreases the likelihood of saving by about 30 percent as well.H. Similar analyses showed that speaking a language that does not have obligatory future markers, such as Mandarin, makes people accumulate more retirement assets, smoke less, exercise more, and generally be healthier in older age. Countries' national savings rates are alsoaffected by language. Having a larger proportion of people speaking languages that does not have obligatory future markers makes national savings rates higher.I.At a more practical level, researchers have been looking for ways to help people act in accordance with their long-term interests. Recent, findings suggest that making the future feel closer to the present might improve future-oriented behavior. For instance, researchers recently presented people with renderings of their future selves made using age-progression algorithms (算法) that forecast how physical appearances would change over time. One group of participants saw a digital representation of their current selves in a virtual mirror, and the other group saw an age-morphed version of their future selves. Those participants who saw the age- morphed version of their future selves allocated more money toward a hypothetical savings account. The intervention brought people's future to the present and as a result they saved more for the future.J.Chen's research shows that language structures our future-related thoughts. Language has been used before to alter time perception with surprising effects. Ellen Langer and colleagues famously improved older people's physical health by simple interventions including asking them to talk about the events of twenty years ago as if it they were happening now. Talking about the past as if it were the present changed people's mindsets and their mindsets affected their physical states. Chen's research points at the possibility that the way we talk about the future can shape our mindsets. Language can move the future back and forth in our mental space and this might have dramatic influences on our judgments and decisions.【篇三】2020年下半年大学英语四级长篇阅读Directions: 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. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.World Must Adapt to Unknown Climate FutureA.There is still great uncertainty about the impacts of climate change，according to the latestreport from the Intefgovernmental Panel on Climate Change，released today.So if we are to survive and prosper, rather than trying to fend off specific threats like cyclones，we must build flexible and resilient(有弹性的)societies.B.Today’s report is the second of three instalments(分期连载)of the IPCC’s fifth assessment of climate change.The first instalment，released last year,covered the physical science of climate change.It stated with increased certainty that climate change is happenin9，and that it is the result of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions.The new report focuses on the impacts of climate change and how to adapt to them.The third instalment，on how to cut greenhouse gas emissions，comes out in April.C.The latest report backs off from some of the predictions made in the previous IPCC report，in 2020.During the final editing process.the authors also retreated from many of the more confident projections from the final draft，leaked last year.The IPCC now says it often cannot predict which specific impacts of climate change―such as droughts，storms or floods――will hit particular places.D.Instead，the IPCC focuses on how people call adapt in the face of uncertainty,arguing that we must become resilient against diverse changes in the climate.“The natural human tendency is to want things to be clear and simple.”says the report’s co-chair Chris Field of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford，Califomia.“And one of the messages that doesn’t just come from the IPCC，it comes from history,is that the future doesn’t ever turn out the way you think it will be.”That means，Field adds，that‘'being prepared for a wide range of possible futures is iust always smart”.E.Here New Scientist breaks down what is new in the report，and what it means for humanity’s efforts to cope with a changing climate.A companion article，“How climate change will affect where you live”，highlights some of the key impacts that different regions are facing.What has changed in the new IPCC report?F.In essence，the predictions are intentionally vaguer.Much of the firlner language from the 2020 report about exactly what kind of weather to expect，and how changes witl affect people，has been replaced with more cautious statements.The scale and timing of many regionalimpacts，and even the form of some，now appear uncertain.G.For example，the 2020 report predicted that the intensity of cyclones over Asia would increase by 10to 20 per cent.The new report makes no such claim.Similarly,the last report estimated that climate change would force up to a quarter of a billion Africans into water shortage by the end of this decade.The new report avoids using such firm numbers.H.The report has even watered down many of the more confident predictions that appeared in the lcaked drafts.References to“hundreds of millions”of people being affected by rising sea levels have been removed from the summary,as have statements about the impact of warmer temperatures on cr ops.“I think it's gone back a bit，”says Jean Palutikof of Griffith University in Brisbane，Queensland，Australia，who worked on the 2020 report.“That may be a good thing.In the fourth [climate assessment]we tried to do things that weren’t really possible and the fifth has sort of rebalanced the whole thing.”So do we know less than we did before?I.Not really,says Andy Pitman of the University of New South Wales in Sydney,Australia.It is just more rigorous language.“Pointing to the sign of the change，rather than the precise magnitude of the change，is scientifically more defensible，”he says.J.We also know more about what we don’t know,says David Karoly at the University of Melbourne.“There is now a better understanding of uncertainties in regional c limate proj ections at decadal timescales(时标).”Are we less confident about all the impacts of climate change?K.Not quite.There are still plenty of confident predictions of impacts in the reponv―at least in the draft chapters that were lcaked last year,and which are expected to be roughly the same when they are released later this week.These include more rain in parts ofAfrica，more heatwaves in southem Europe，and more frequent droughts in Australia(see“How climate change will affect where you live”).It also remains clear that the seas are rising.How do we prepare in cases in which there is low confidence about the effects of climate change?L.That’s exactly what this report deals with.In many cases，the uncertainty is a matter of magnitude，so the choices are not hard.“It doesn’t really matter if the car hits the wall at 70 or 80kilometres an hour,”says Karoly.“You should still wear your seat belt.”So when it comes to sea.1evel rise or heatwaves，the uncertainty does not change what we need to do：build sea walls，use efficient cooling and so forth.M.But in some cases――such as African rainfall，which could go up or down――the models are not giving us great advice.so all we know is that things will change.“We are not certain about the precise nature of regional change，but we are absolutely certain there are going to be profound changes in many regions，”says Pitman.Even then，there are things we can do that will always help.A big one is getting people out of poverty.The report says poverty makes other impacts worse and many suggested adaptations are about alleviating it.The IPCC suggests giving disadvantaged groups more of a voice，helping them move when they need to and strengthening social safety nets.N.What’s more，all countries should diversify their economies，rather than relying on a few main sources of income that could flood or blow ovel Countries should also find ways to become less vulnerable to the current climate variability.That means improving the way they govem resources like water,the report says.O.In short，we must become more resilient.That would be wise even if the climate was stable.Our current infrastructure often cannot deal with the current climate，says Karoly,pointing to events like the recent UK floods.“We don’t have a resil ient system now,even in extremely well developed countries.”。
英语四级长篇阅读精选模拟练习及参考答案
英语四级长篇阅读精选模拟练习及参考答案导读：我根据大家的需要整理了一份关于《英语四级长篇阅读精选模拟练习及参考答案》的内容，具体内容：在英语学习过程中，阅读理解能力是学习者发展语言能力的基础和手段。
国内的各类英语考试中几乎都有阅读理解题型，大学英语四级考试也不例外。
大学英语四级阅读试题是试卷中分值最重的题型，为了提高大...在英语学习过程中，阅读理解能力是学习者发展语言能力的基础和手段。
国内的各类英语考试中几乎都有阅读理解题型，大学英语四级考试也不例外。
大学英语四级阅读试题是试卷中分值最重的题型，为了提高大家的阅读水平，下面是我为大家带来英语四级长篇阅读精选模拟练习，希望对大家的学习有所帮助!Deborah Kennys "Born to Rise" Tells Story of Harlem Village AcademiesA) Deborah Kenny, CEO of the Harlem Village Academies, is frustrated with the nations current education system. Unlike most, though, she decided to do something about it. Part declaration part record, her book Born to Rise writes down her journey toward creating and running her own system of progressive charter schools in Harlem in New York City.What is your educational philosophy?B) We want our students to receive the same high-quality educationas students who are privileged to attend the best private schools in the country. Personally, I believe a progressive education is superior as long as its delivered by really smart, talented teachers who know how to execute well. Its a sophisticated approach that really only works well in the hands of areally sophisticated educator. Were dealing with a little bit of a challenge because students enter this school from the regular public system. And when they enter in fifth grade, theyre not yet well-trained in the basics reading, writing, and math--which means that we have to catch them up on basic math skills, on the basics of writing. And many of them come in at a kindergarten, first, second-grade level in reading. So we have to accelerate their mastery of the basics, but we reject the idea that if you do that you cant teach that at a high level. We push ourselves constantly to think about how we can make sure that our students will catch up while we teach at the highest possible level. It means asking difficult, delicate questions, not accepting an answer that is not backed up by evidence, the kinds of things that you would expect to see in the best private schools. We aim for a high level in rich discussions where the students are asked to analyze a challenging text and where the teacher does not accept just any answer simply because the student is behaving. What makes the Harlem Village Academies different?C) First of all, I have to say what we have in common with other charter schools because we have learned so much from them: creating an expectation that all students will attend college, naming classrooms after colleges, the longer school day, the longer school year. I feel its important to give credit where credit is due because I learned from them. In those early years when I opened the school, most of these other schools bad been around for seven years, ten years, some of them even longer.D ) As far as what makes us different, Ill tell you what the teachers say: teachers tell us that the level of professionalism and passion for teaching at a high level and teaching above the test, not to the test, and working in an environment, where everybody is trusted to do their job and continually learning--theres this incredible culture of learning. Theres this incredible workplace culture where the adults are continually becoming better and learning more about how to become a better lead her. The teachers get to make all of the decisions about their own professional development rather than being enforced to at tend the training. They are treated like professional-grade doctors and lawyers at the. Highest level. They actually make the decisions not only about what books to use and what teaehing methed, but even about what their own professional development Ioukslike.Theres a very clear set ofstandards far what the students need to know and be "able to do at the end of each year and quarter, and we hold people accountable for that end goal. But we give them complete freedom to decide how theyre going to achieve it, which is how all professionals are treated. Unfortunately, its not how most teachers are treated inthis country. Most teachers are treated like factory workers, where theres a hig set ofrules on how they have to do everything.What does the curriculum look like at Harlem Village Academy schools?E) It looks like a classic liberal-arts curriculum, where math, reading, and writing are not the only subjects taught. Even if the state focuses its testing on those things, we do not let the state dictate our curriculum. We are interested in a rich curriculum that includes art and music and seience and social studies and a wide variety of electives, and character education is integrated throughout.How do you address the criticisms people have regarding charter schools?F) Id say that the .main criticisms are stemming from the fact that in a charter system the teachers are not unionized, and theyre treated as professionals instead of as manual laborers. The charter movement is challenging the current situation, its eoming along andsaying we used to completely change the underlying premiere ( 前提) of how we go about public education. Parents should be able to choose the scherzi. We should give power to all parents, regardless of socioeonomie level, to choose where they send their child, and that creates market competition: if you have an amazing school with caring teachers and great results, parents are going to ~ant to choose that school. The charter movement is putting the needs of children first anti is holding teachers accountable. It ehalleuges the notion of tenure (终身教职), where theres no accountability at all.Whats next for you and the Harlem Village Academies?G) We are going to triple (增至三倍) in size in the next twn years. We will have a full K -12 system. Were starting two new elementary schools, we will be serving 2,000 children, but we are not eager to grow super-big. We want to use the platform of what we re learned and the results that weve produced--that ant teachers have produced--to have an ational influence on policy and on teaching methods. The laws that govern how school srun constrain the ability of the printcipal to run the school well. Theyre not allowed to build a team. And building a team where teachers are trusted, happy and cooperative is really the foundation for an excellent school. So we want to find a way to get our message out nationally and continueto be part of the movement.1. In the Harlem Village Academies. teachers can decide themselves how they are going to achieve the teaching objectives.2. The charter movement challenges the tenure system in making childrens needs apriority and holding, teachers responsible.3. The Harlem Village Academies will be able to enroll 2,000 ehildren in the next twoyears4. Deborah Kenny admits that she learns a lot from other charter schools.5. The curriculum at Harlem Village Academies not only includes the subjects frequentlytested.6.The Harlem Village Academies are eager to exert a national influence on policy and teaching methods.7. Students entering the Harlem Village Academies are from the regular public system.8. Deborah Kenny decides to create and run the Harlem Village Academies because sheis disappointed about the current education system.9. Charter schools are mainly criticized for treating the teachers as professionals.10. One of the challenges facing the Harlern Village Academies is how to accelerate students mastery of the basics.参考答案：1.D).【题干译文】在哈勒姆村庄学校，老师们可以自己决定如何完成教学目标。
2020年大学英语四级仔细阅读习题及答案(3)
2020年大学英语四级仔细阅读习题及答案(3)What has thetelephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A feweffects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word ofillness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator tomake possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has madepossible for better or worse -- the modem city. By bringing about a great leapin the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it hasgreatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growthin industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancientart of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons withnormal social impulses (冲动) ; by so doing, it has played a role in one of thegreatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generationalhousehold. It has made the war chillingly more efficient thanformerly.Perhaps, though not provably, it has prevented wars that might have arisen outof intemational misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps―again not provably―by magnifying (扩大) and extendingirrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars.Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially (不偏不倚) disseminates (传播)the useful knowledge of scientists andthe nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice (恶意) of the malicious.1. What is the main idea of this passage?A) Thetelephone has helped to save people from illness and fire.B) Thetelephone has helped to prevent wars and conflicts.C) Thetelephone has made the modern city neither better nor worse.D) Thetelephone has had positive as well as negative effects on us.2. According to the passage, it is the telephonethat_______ .A) has madeletter writing an artB) hasprevented wars by avoiding written communicationC) has madethe world different from what it wasD) hascaused wars by magnifying and extending human conflicts3. The telephone hasintensified conflicts among people because ______ .A) itincreases the danger of warB) itprovides services to both the good and the maliciousC) it makesdistant communication easierD) it breaksup the multi-generational household4. The author describes thetelephone as impartial because it _______ .A) saveslives of people in remote placesB) enablespeople to live alone if they want toC) spreadsboth love and ill willD) replacesmuch written communication5. The writer's attitudetowards the use of the telephoneis _______A) affectionate B)disapprovingC) approving D)neutral1.D 本文主要讲了电话的发展对人类生活与活动所产生的正负两方面的影响。
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2020年大学英语四级改革模拟题：长篇阅读(3)Education Study Finds U. S. FallingBehindA Teachers in the United States earn less relative tonational income than their counterparts in many industrialized countries, yet they spend far more hours in front of the classroom, according to a major newinternational study.B The salary differentials are part of apattern of relatively low public investment in education in the United States compared with other member nationsof the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group in Paris that compiled thereport. Total government spending on educational institutions in the United Statesslipped to 4.8 percent of gross domestic product in 1998, falling under theinternational average — 5 percent — for the first time.C “The whole economy has grown faster thanthe education system,” Andreas Schleicher, one of the reports’authors,explained. “The economy has done very well, but teachers have not fullybenefit.” The report, due out today, is the sixth on education published since1991 by the organization of 30 nations, founded in 1960, and now covering muchof Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.D In addition to the teacher pay gap, thereport shows the other countries have begun to catch up with the United Statesin higher education： college enrollment has grown by 20 percent since 1995across the group, with one in four young people now earning degrees. For thefirst time, the UnitedStates’ college graduation rate, now at 33percent, is notthe world’s highest. Finland,the Netherlands, New Zealandand Britain have surpassed it.E The United States is also producingfewer mathematicsand science graduates than most of the other memberstates.And, the report says, a college degree produces a greater boost in income herewhile the lack of a high school diploma imposes a bigger income penalty. “The number of graduates is increasing, but that stimulates even more of a demand —there is no end in sight,” Mr. Schleicher said. “The demand for skill, clearly,is growing faster than the supply that is coming from schools and col leges.”F The report lists the salary for a highschool teacher in the United Stateswith 15 years experience as $36,219, abovethe international average of $31,887but behind seven other countries and less than 60 percent of Switzerland’s$62,052. Because teachers in the Unites States have a heavierclassroom load —teaching almost a third more hours thantheir counterparts abroad — theirsalary per hour of actual teaching is $35, less than the international averageof $41 (Denmark, Spain and Germany pay more than $50 per teaching hour, SouthKorea $77). In 1994, such a veteran teacher in the United States earned 1.2 times theaverage per capita income whereas in 1999 the salary was just under thenational average. Only the Czech Republic, Hungary,Iceland and Norway pay their teachers less relative tonational income; in South Korea, teachers theactual teaching salary earn 2.5 times the nationalaverage. Teacher pay accounts for 56 percent of what the United Statesspends on education, well below the 67percent average among the group ofcountries.G The new data come as the United Statesfaces a shortageof two million teachers over the next decade, with questions oftraining, professionalism and salaries being debated by politicians local andnational. Joost Yff, an international expert at the American Association ofColleges of Teacher Education, said training for teachers is comparable amongmost of the nations in the study, and that they are all dealingwith similarissues of raising standards and increasing professionalism.H Though the United States lags behind in scores on standardized tests in science and mathematics, students here get more instruction in those subjects, the report shows. The average 14-year-oldAmerican spent 295 hours in math and science classes in 1999, far more than the229 international average; only Austria(370 hours), Mexico (367)and NewZealand(320) have more instruction in those subjects. Middle-schoolers here spend less time thantheir international counterparts studying foreign languages and technology,butfar more hours working on physical education andvocational skills. High schoolstudents in the UnitedStatesare far more likely to have part-time jobs： 64 percent of Americans ages 15 to19 worked while in school, comparedwith an international average of 31 percent(only Canada andthe Netherlands, with 69 percent, and Denmark,with 75 percent, were higher).I One place the United States spends more money is on special services for the disabled and the poor. More than one infour children here are in programs based on income — only five other countriesserve even 1 in 10— and nearly 6 percent。