2020年12月英语四级考试听力真题(完整版).doc
2020年12月英语四级考试听力真题（完整版）20xx年月四级听力原文第一版Part 1 短对话Question 1- M： Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration we watched together last month?- W： Sure。
It’s actually the most impressive one I’ve seen on that topic。
Q：What do we learn about the speakers?Question 2- W： Are you looking for anything in particular?- M： Yes。
My son is graduating from high school， and I want to get him something special。
Q：Where does the conversation most probably take place?Question 3- M： Mike told me yesterday that he had been looking in vain for a job in the art gallery。
- W： Really? If I remember right， he had a chance to work there， but he turned it down。
Q：What does the woman say about Mike?- W： Would you like to come to Susan’s birthday party tomorrow evening?- M： I’m going to give a lecture tomorrow。
I wish I could be in two places at the same time。
Q：What does the man mean?Question 5- W： Aren’t you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making?- M： Yes。
I think I will give them a deadline and hold them to it。
Q：What is the man probably going to do?Question 6- W： Excuse me。
Could you tell me where thevisitors’ parking is? I left my car there。
- M： Sure。
It’s in Lot C。
Over that way。
Q：What does the woman want to know?Question 7- W： You look great! Now that you’ve taken those fitness classes。
- M： Thanks。
I’ve never felt better in my life。
Q：What does the man mean?- W： I really admire the efficiency of your secretaries。
- M： Our company selects only the best。
They have a heave workload and we give them a lot of responsibilities。
Q：What are the speakers talking about?Part 2 长对话Conversion 1W： Hi Leo， why do you say English would become the world language?M： Well。
For one thing， it’s so commonly used，the only language that is used by more people is Chinese。
W： Why is English spoken by so many people?M： It’s spoken in many countries of the world because of the British empire。
And now of course is the influence of America as well。
W： Many students find English a difficult language to learn。
M： Oh， all languages are difficult to learn。
But English does have two greatest advantages。
W： What are they?M： Well， first of all， it has a very international vocabulary。
It has many German， Dutch， French， Spanish andItalian words in it。
So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English。
In fact， English has words for many other languages as well。
W： Why is that?M： Well， partly because English speakers have travelled a lot， they bring back words with them。
So English really does have an international vocabulary。
W： And what is the other advantage of English?M： It that English grammar is really quite easy。
For example， it doesn’t have dozens of different endings for its nouns， adjectives and verbs， not like Latin， Russian and German for example。
W： Why is that?M： Well， it’s quite interesting actually，it’s because of the French。
When the French ruled England， French was the official language， and only the common people spoke English。
They tried to make their language as simple as possible。
So they made the grammar easier。
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversationyou’ve just heard。
Q9： What does the man say about Chinese?Q10： What made English a widely used language?Q11： What is said to be special about English vocabulary?Conversation 2Man： Hello。
Yes?Woman： Hello。
Is that the sales department?M： Yes， it is。
W：Oh， well。
My name is Jane Kingsbury of GPF limited。
We need some supplies for our design office。
M： Oh， what sort?W：Well， first of all， we need one complete new drawing board。
M： DO44 or DO45?W：Ah， I don’t know。
What’s the difference?M： Well， the 45 costs 15 pounds more。
W：So what’s the total price then?M：It’s 387 pounds。
W：Dose that include valued-added tax?M： Oh， I’m not sure。
Most of the prices do。
Yes，I think it does。
W：What are the boards actually made of?M： Oh， I don’t know。
I think it‘s a sort of plastic stuff these days。
It’s white anyway。
W：And how long does it take to deliver?M： Oh， I couldn’t really say。
It depends on how much work we’ve got and how many other orders there are to send out， you know。
W：Ok， now we also want some drawing pens， ink and rulers，and some drawing paper。
M： Oh dear。
2020年12月英语四级听力及答案解析
2020年12月英语四级听力及答案解析：短篇新闻1 A poisonous fish which has a sting strong enough to kill a human is invading the Mediterranean, warned scientists. (Q1) The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (UICN) has raised concerns after the poisonous fish was spotted in the water around Turkey, Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean. Native to the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the potentially deadly fish has poisonous hooks and a painful sting capable of killing people. Although fatalities are rare, the stings can cause extreme pain and stop people breathing. The fish, often known as Devil Firefish, is a highly invasive species. And environmentalists fear its arrival could endanger other types of marine life. (Q2) After being spotted in the Mediterranean, a marine scientist says, “The fish is spreading, and that’s a cause for concern.”
2020年12月大学英语四级真题及答案(第二套)
2020年12月大学英语四级真题及答案（第二套）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write on the topic Changes in the Way of Transportation. You should write at least 120 words but not more than 180 words.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection ADirections: 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 bespoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer fromthe four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.【听力原文】News Report One(1) A waiter has returned a check worth nearly $ 424,000 to the retired social worker who lost it. The waiter found a bank envelope while cleaning off a table last Saturday at a restaurant. He ran outside but the customer was gone. He opened the envelope and got a shock. After an unsuccessful search, the restaurant's owner called the Daily News for help. The "relieved" customer was reunited with her check on Wednesday. It contained money from her apartment sale, already planned for a down payment on a new home. The customer did not tip the waiter after her meal. (2) She tried to give him money later on, but he graciously declined. The waiter, who's working his way through school, did accept the customer's apology and gratitude and said he was happy to have helped her.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1.What does the news report say about the waiter?A. He wanted to buy a home.B. He suffered from a shock.C. He lost a huge sum of money.D. He did an unusual good deed.2. What did the customer try to do when she got her check back?A. Invite the waiter to a fancy dinner.B. Tell her story to the Daily News.C. Give some money to the waiter.D. Pay the waiter's school tuition.【听力原文】News Report Two(3) The village of Maref in Alaska voted on Tuesday to move to the state's mainland. The move is due to global warming and rising sea levels. Most of the village's 169 registered voters took part in the town hall meeting. They decided in a vote of 89 to 78 to move from their land on Sarichef Island, near the Arctic Circle. (4) Maref Council Secretary Donna Barr said the vote was largely symbolic. It will be costly financially to the community. "About 15 years ago, they estimated the cost at $ 180 million. I would figure it's much higher now," Barr said. "We don't seethe move happening in our lifetime because of the funding." The village's roughly 650 residents have seen warming temperatures melt sea ice and permanently frozen land. This has resulted in houses falling into the water. At least 31 villages in Alaska face "immediate threats" due to climate change, the Government Accountability Office reported in 2009.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. What is Maref's vote on Tuesday about?A. Whether or not to move to the state's mainland.B. How to keep the village from sinking into the sea.C. Where to get the funds for rebuilding their village.D. What to do about the rising level of the seawater.4. Why did Donna Barr say they wouldn't see the plan carried out any time soon?A. It takes too long a time.B. It costs too much money.C. It has to wait for the state's final approval.D. It faces strong opposition from many villagers.【听力原文】News Report Three(5) A man in Halifax, Canada, wanted to find out if people were thankful for someone holding the door open for them. (7) The social experiment showed that 99 out of 100 people expressed gratitude. "I didn't think we were going to get 99. I don't know why, but I was pleasantly surprised because it went beyond just 'thank you.' People got into conversations with us," said Steve Foran, CEO of Gratitude at Work. "What we know from research is that from grateful people come good things," he said. (6)"A simple way to induce gratitude in people is opening doors and so we went to six places and opened the doors for people."For the experiment, Foran's team went to a shopping center, a mall, two office buildings, and a coffee shop. The door was held for 15 to 20 people at a time at each location. "We did have one that didn't say thank you. We're not here to judge them because on any given day, that could be me or you. I suspect out of the 100 people, there were probably a bunch of them having a bad day, but grateful people make people grateful," said Foran.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. What is the purpose of the social experiment?A. To investigate whether people are grateful for help.B. To see whether people hold doors open for strangers.C. To explore ways of inducing gratitude in people.D. To find out how people express gratitude.6. What did Steve Foran and his teams do in the experiment?A. They induced strangers to talk with them.B. They helped 15 to 20 people in a bad mood.C. They held doors open for people at various places.D. They interviewed people who didn't say thank you.7. What do we learn from the news report?A. People can be educated to be grateful.B. Most people express gratitude for help.C. Most people have bad days now and then.D. People are ungrateful when in a bad mood.Section BDirections: 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 fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet I with a single line through the centre.【听力原文】Conversation OneW: Rays Solar. Lisa's speaking. How can I help?M: Hi, my name is Winston. (8) I wish to enquire about solar panel installations.W: Yes. What would you like to know?M: Well. My neighbor installed panels on his roof about a year ago in order to power his hot water. He tells me it has saved him over $ 500 thus far. Does that sound about right to you?W: Well. I'm not familiar with your neighbor or his particular setup, but that amount is definitely possible. I can tell you that the average four-bedroom house may typically have a roof with50 square meters of surface area. Four panels on one side of that roof could save a family offour around $ 300 a year.M: OK. That sounds about right then. My house is about the size you described, but my neighbor's is bigger. I'm not sure how many panels he has up there, (9) but he does have alarge family of six.W: Are you interested in installing some solar panels on your roof, sir?M: Yes, I'm considering it.W: If you wish to come into our office, we could show you the different solutions we offer.M: OK. I might do that. (10) But just quickly, if you don't mind, could you tell me approximately how much a typical installation costs, like, say, four panels?W: Prices do vary depending on different factors, but as a rough estimate, it's around $ 2,000.(11) But you know a typical household will make back that initial investment in about fiveyears.M: OK. I see. Thank you.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. What is the man's purpose for calling the woman?A. To order a solar panel installation.B. To report a serious leak in his roof.C. To enquire about solar panel installations.D. To complain about the faulty solar panels.9. What do we learn about the man's neighbor from the conversation?A. He plans to install solar panels.B. He owns a four-bedroom house.C. He saves $ 300 a year.D. He has a large family.10. What is one of the man's chief concerns?A. The service of the solar panel company.B. The cost of a solar panel installation.C. The maintenance of the solar panels.D. The quality of the solar panels.11. How long will it take typical household to make back the initial investment?A. One year and a half.B. Less than four years.C. Roughly six years.D. About five years.【听力原文】Conversation TwoW: M: Good afternoon. Sorry to have kept you waiting. How can I help you?W: Oh, no problem. (12) I'm interested in booking a holiday to Australia and wonder if you could tell me what deals you have.M: Sure. Are you only looking for flights or a package holiday with everything included?W: When you say "everything," what do you mean?M: Well, a package holiday would include your flights, hotels, meals, day trips to different places of interest and transport to and from the airport.W: Yeah, that sounds pretty good. (13) I'm going with my family, so it would be nice to have everything taken care of. So, what sort of deals do you have for package holidays then?M: All sorts, really. How long do you want to go for and what dates?W: (14) Two weeks around Christmas time would be great.M: Okay, let me check that for you. Here's one, 14 nights in southeastern Australia. Five nights in Sydney and five nights in Melbourne, and then for the other four nights you can choose from a list of trips to other places nearby. You could visit Canberra, for example, or the Blue Mountains, or you could go for a drive down the Great Ocean Road. Also, if you' re interested in wine, you could go on a tour of the places where they grow grapes and make wine.W: That sounds great. (15) It's good we can choose some activities ourselves.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. Where is the conversation taking place?A. At a travel agency.B. At an Australian airport.C. At an airline transfer service.D. At a local transportation authority.13. Why is the woman interested in package holidays?A. She would be able to visit more scenic spots.B. She wanted to save as much money as possible.C. She would like to have everything taken care of.D. She wanted to spend more time with her family.14. How long does the woman want to go for the holiday?A. Four days.B. Five days.C. One week.D. Two weeks.15. What does the woman say she likes about the holiday package?A. Choosing some activities herself.B. Spending Christmas with Australians.C. Driving along the Great Ocean Road.D. Learning more about wine making.Section CDirections: 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 choicesmarked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.【听力原文】Passage One(16) Tourists taking a holiday in the Indonesian island of Bali are facing a new $ 14-per-person tax when they arrive on the holiday island from next year. But this is a green tax, which Bali Governor Wayan Koster has been working on for months, and which is designed to help clean up the island's natural environment, and with good reason, too. Indonesia is drowning in plastics. (17) Recycling is not one of the country's strong points. It's not uncommon to be offered many more plastic bags than one could ever need when visiting supermarkets and shopping malls. But, slowly, things are starting to change for the better. Back in 2016, the medium-sized city of Banjarmasin banned-single-use plastic bags. The city of Bogor followed suit in 2018. (18) A few months ago, Koster announced a plan that would not . only ban single-use plastic bags from supermarkets and convenience stores, but plastic bags and straws across the island. The regulation will come into full effect next month. "We received a fast and quick response from the Balinese people. Not only positive responses from the Balinese, we received good responses from the central government, other local governments and even from overseas." Koster told the Sydney Morning Herald this week during an interview. The governor is a determined environmentalist and he has more laws planned to protect the island's waterways, in particular, and to support the introduction of electric vehicles too.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. What would tourists have to do when they visit Indonesia's Bali Island?A. Bring their own bags when shopping.B. Use public transport when traveling.C. Dispose of their trash properly.D. Pay a green tax upon arrival.17. What does the passage say about Indonesia?A. It has not been doing a good job in recycling.B. It has witnessed a rise in accidental drowning.C. It has not attracted many tourists in recent years.D. It has experienced an overall decline in air quality.18. What is the new plan Governor Koster recently announced?A. To charge a small fee on plastic products in supermarkets.B. To ban single-use plastic bags and straws on Bali Island.C. To promote the use of paper bags for shopping.D. To impose a penalty on anyone caught littering.【听力原文】Passage Two(19) An endangered species of whale is experiencing a small-baby boom off the coast of America. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest species of whale on the planet, numbering only about 411. But the Center for Coastal Studies said Friday that its aerial survey team spotted a mum with two babies in Cape Cod Bay a day earlier. That brings the number seen in nearby waters alone this year to three. That's big news because the whale population has been falling, and no baby whales were seen last year. In all, seven baby whales have been spotted so far this year. (20-1) The whale population has become endangered due to commercial whaling activities in recent years. This is because they are sometimes hunted for their meat or their skin. (20-2) Over-hunting could lead to the disappearance of the whale population, possibly causing major problems to the global food chain. (21) The whales give birth off the Southeast Coast of America in the winter and travel to feeding grounds off the Northeast Coast in the early spring. The Northeast Coast is a critically important source of food. The animals often feed close to shore. This provides watchers on land with "unbeatable views of one of the rarest of marine mammals. "It's illegal to get within 1,500 feet of the animals without a federal research permit, so whale watchers are discouraged from attempting to get close to the whales.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. What do we learn from the passage about the North Atlantic right whale?A. It gives birth to several babies at a time.B. It is the least protected mammal species.C. Its breeding grounds are now better preserved.D. Its population is now showing signs of increase.20. What has caused the decline of the whale population in recent years?A. Global warming.B. Polluted seawaters.C. Commercial hunting.D. Decreasing birthrates.21. Why do the whales travel to the Northeast Coast of America in the early spring?A. To mate.B. To look for food.C. To escape hunters.D. To seek breeding grounds.【听力原文】Passage ThreeAn average person consumes 144 pints of milk a year, but 40% of that is poured onto cereal.. And 60% of those people are children. But what was once advertised as nutritious is becoming unpopular. (22) Americans drink 37% less milk than they did in the 1970s. And in the UK, dairy consumption overall has fallen by a third in the past 20 years. (23) Milk is increasingly being described in a negative light. A recent blog suggested maybe people are drinking less milk because it is poisonous to many of us. Lactose is the sugar found in milk and dairy products. It needs a series of complex proteins to break it down. (24) Without enough of these proteins, the lactose is broken down by bacteria in the human body. This can cause physical pain and produce gas in the stomach. However, after we have finished breast or formula feeding, most of us don't continue producing the complex proteins in our body, which are necessary to break down the lactose. Despite the problems in digesting milk, it does provide many benefits. (25) Milk is nutritious. It contains vitamins A and D, as well as protein and isn't full of calories. You can test yourself by drinking a large glass of milk. If you get sick in your stomach within the next 24 hours, you are lacking in the proteins to digest milk.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. What does the passage say about Americans?A. They prefer to drink low-fat milk.B. They think milk is good for health.C. They consume less milk these days.D. They buy more milk than the British.23. How do Americans and British people think of milk nowadays?A. It is not as healthy as once thought.B. It is not easy to stay fresh for long.C. It benefits the elderly more.D. It tends to make people fat.24.Why does drinking milk cause pain in some people?A. They drink too many pints every day.B. They are sensitive to certain minerals.C. They lack the necessary proteins to digest it.D. They have eaten food incompatible with milk.25. What does the passage say is a a benefit of milk?A. It is easier for sick people to digest.B. It provides some necessary nutrients.C. It is healthier than other animal products.D. It supplies the body with enough calories.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 thepassage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter: Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passageWhen my son completes a task, I can't help but praise him. It's only natural to give praise where praise is due, right? But is there such a thing as too much praise?According to psychologist Katherine Phillip, children don't benefit from 26 praise as much as we'd like to think. "Parents often praise, believing they are building their child's self-confidence. However, over-praising can have a 27 effect," says Phillip, "When we use the same praise 28 it may become empty and no longer valued by the child. It can also become an expectation that anything they do must be 29 with praise. This may lead to the child avoiding taking risks due to fear of 30 their parents."Does this mean we should do away with all the praise? Phillip says no. "The key to healthy praise is to focus on the process rather than the 31 . It is the recognition of a child's attempt, or the process in which they achieved something, that is essential," she says. "Parents should encourage their child to take the risks needed to learn and grow."So how do we break the 32 of praise we're all so accustomed to? Phillip says it's important to 33 between "person praise" and "process praise". "Person praise is 34 saying how great someone is. It's a form of personal approval. Process praise is acknowledgement of the efforts the person has just 35 . Children who receive person praise are more likely to feel shame after losing," says Phillip.A. chooseB. constantC. disappointingD. distinguishE. exhaustingF. experiencedG. negativeH. outcomeI. patternJ. pluralK. repeatedly L. rewarded M. separately N. simply O. undertaken Section BDirections：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 theparagraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraphmore than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter：Answer the questions bymarking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Poverty is a story about us, not themA) Too often still, we think we know what poverty looks like. It's the way we've been taught, theimages we've been force-fed for decades. The chronically homeless. The undocumented immigrant. The urban poor, usually personified as a woman of color, the "welfare queen"politicians still too often reference.B) But as income inequality rises to record levels in the United States, even in the midst of arecord economic expansion, those familiar images are outdated, hurtful, and counterproductive to focusing attention on solutions and building ladders of opportunity.C) Today's faces of income inequality and lack of opportunity look like all of us. It's AnnaLandre, a disabled Georgetown University student fighting to keep health benefits that allowher the freedom to live her life. It's Tiffanie Standard, a counselor for young women of color in' Philadelphia who want to be tech entrepreneurs-but who must work multiple jobs to stay afloat. It's Ken Outlaw, a welder in rural North Carolina whose dream of going back to school at a local community college was dashed by Hurricane Florence-just one of the extreme weather events that have tipped the balance for struggling Americans across the nation.D) If these are the central characters of our story about poverty, what layers of perceptions,myths, and realities must we unearth to find meaningful solutions and support? In pursuit of revealing this complicated reality, Mothering Justice, led by women of color, went last year to the state capital in Lansing, Michigan, to lobby on issues that affect working mothers. One of the Mothering Justice organizers went to the office of a state representative to talk about the lack of affordable childcare-the vestiges (n) of a system that expected mothers to stay home with their children while their husbands worked. A legislative staffer dismissed the activist's concerns, telling her "my husband took care of that-I stayed home.E) That comment, says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson, "was meant to shame"andrelied on the familiar notion that a woman of color concerned about income inequality and programs that promote mobility must by definition be a single mom, probably with multiple kids. In this case, the Mothering Justice activist happened to be married. And in most cases in the America of 2019, the images that come to mind when we hear the words poverty or income inequality fail miserably in reflecting a complicated reality: poverty touches virtually all of us. The face of income inequality, for all but a very few of us, is the one we each see in the mirror.F) How many of us are poor in the U.S.? It depends on who you ask. According to the CensusBureau, 38 million people in the U. S. are living below the official poverty thresholds. Taking into account economic need beyond that absolute measure, the Institute for Policy Studies found that 140 million people are poor or low-income. That's almost half the U. S. population.G) Whatever the measure, within that massive group, poverty is extremely diverse. We know thatsome people are more affected than others, like children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people of color.H) But the fact that 4 in 10 Americans can't come up with S 400 in an emergency is a commonlycited statistic for good reason: economic instability stretches across race, gender, and geography-. It even reaches into the middle classes, as real wages have stagnated (T) for all but the very wealthy and temporary spells of financial instability are not uncommon.I) Negative images remain of who is living in poverty as well as what is needed to move out ofit. The big American myth is that you can pull yourself up by your own efforts and change a bad situation into a good one. The reality is that finding opportunity without help from families, friends, schools, and community is virtually impossible. And the playing field is nothing close to level.J) The Frame Works Institute, a research group that focuses on public framing of issues, has studied what sustains stereotypes and narratives of poverty in the United Kingdom. "People view economic success and wellbeing in life as a product of choice, willpower, and drive,"says Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of Frame Works. "When we see people who are struggling," hesays, those assumptions "lead us to the perception that people in poverty are lazy, they don't care, and they haven't made the right decisions.K) Does this sound familiar? Similar ideas surround poverty in the U.S. And these assumptions give a false picture of reality. "When people enter into that pattern of thinking," says Kendall-Taylor, "it's cognitively comfortable to make sense of issues of poverty in that way. It creates a kind of cognitive blindness all of the factors external to a person's drive and choices that they've made become invisible and fade from view. "L) Those external factors include the difficulties accompanying low-wage work or structural discrimination based on race, gender, or ability. Assumptions get worse when people who are poor use government benefits to help them survive. There is a great tension between "the poor" and those who are receiving what has become a dirty word: "welfare."M) According to the General Social Survey, 71 percent of respondents believe the country is spending too little an "assistance to the poor."On the other hand, 22 percent think we are spending too little on "welfare": 37 percent believe we are spending too much.N) "Poverty has been interchangeable with people of color-specifically black women and black mothers," says Atkinson of Mothering Justice. It's true that black mothers are more affected by poverty than many other groups, yet they are disproportionately the face of. poverty. For example, Americans routinely overestimate the share of black recipients of public assistance programs.O) In reality, most people will experience some form of financial hardship at some point in their lives. Indeed, people tend to dip in and out of poverty, perhaps due to unexpected obstacles like losing a job, or when hours of a low-wage job fluctuate.P) Something each of us can do is to treat each other with the dignity and sympathy that is deserved and to understand deeply that the issue of poverty touches all of us.36. One legislative staffer assumed that a woman of color who advocated affordable childcaremust be a single mother.37. People from different races, genders, and regions all suffer from a lack of financial security.38. According to a survey, while the majority believe too little assistance is given to the poor,more than a third believe too much is spent on welfare.39. A research group has found that Americans who are struggling are thought to be lazy and tohave made the wrong decisions.40. Under the old system in America, a mother was supposed to stay home and take care of herchildren.41. It was found that nearly 50% of Americans are poor or receive low pay.42. Americans usually overestimate the number of blacks receiving welfare benefits.43. It is impossible for Americans to lift themselves out of poverty entirely on their own.44. Nowadays, it seems none of us can get away from income inequality.45. Assumptions about poor people become even more negative when they live on welfare. Section CDirections: 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.。
2023年12月英语四级听力真题原文(第1套)
2023年12月英语四级听力真题原文(第1套)News Report 1Have you noticed how similar you are to your friends?It may be because your brains operate in harmony with each other.We know that friends are more likely to be the same age, gender and ethnic background as each other.Now it seems their brains are alike, too.Researchers at the University of California scanned the brains of 42 classmates while they watched videos intended to provoke varying responses.Some people might find a romantic scene touching, for instance, while others would feel it was embarrassing.The activity of friends' brains was more similar than that of people who didn't know each other, particularly in regions involved in attention, emotion and language.This similarity was strong enough that it could be used to predict whether two people were already friends or not.The relationship probably goes two ways.We are drawn to people who think like us; we then influence their thoughts over time, which may push their brain activity into more closely resembling our own.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.Question 1: What may be the reason that friends are similar to each other according to the recent research?Question 2: What does the news report say about the relationship between friends?News Report 2Two men who have been best friends for 60 years have just realized they are actually brothers.Ifs reported that Alan Robinson and Walter MacDonald met in the 6th grade at a school in Hawaii.They have been best friends ever since.Alan was given away for adoption soon after he was born, and Walter never knew his father.So recently, they made separate attempts on DNA matching websites to discover more about their ancestry.Walter was astonished to find that he matched with website user Robi 737.He knew immediately that this was his best friend Alan, whose friends call him Robi and flew 737 airplanes when he was a pilot.The pair were bom to the same mother 15 months apart.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.Question 3:What did both Alan Robinson and Walter MacDonald attempt to do on DNA matching websites?Question 4:What did the news report say about Alan Robinson and Walter MacDonald?News Report 3Amid all the election drama, air pollution problems and disease outbreaks, five tourists' good work is being spread online.Yesterday two male and three female tourists were spotted walking the kilometer-long beach, picking up trash.One of the male tourists from Australia commented that although there was a lot of trash, nobody was doing anything.The beach was not as nice or beautiful as it should be.He felt so sad to see such a gorgeous place littered with so much trash.Thus, he and his friends decided to grab a few trash bags and clean it all up.A man passing by decided to video their good deed and put it on the internet.It was unclear where the rest of the group was from, but they were most likely traveling together.One local woman commented on being embarrassed that tourists were cleaning up their beach.Another mentioned that it was actually the natives who brought food and drinks then left trash all along the island.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.Question 5: Why did one of the male tourists feel sad?Question 6: Who put the good deed video on the internet?Question 7: Why did one local woman say she was embarrass?Conversation 1Hello Benjamin, Dan and I will be going for a run along the canal Saturday morning. Would you like to join us?I'd love to, but I hurt my ankle last weekend playing football with work colleagues.Oh dear, is it serious?No, not at all. I landed badly during a fall and twisted it a little, but it's no big deal.It's just a little swollen and I should be fine for next Saturday if you still want to go for a jog then.I won't be here next Saturday. I'm going to the zoo.The zoo?Yeah. My little nephew turns six, and he loves the zoo, so the whole family is going.Oh, okay then. I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid.They are nowhere near as popular as they used to be when we were children.I personally feel sorry for the poor animals stuck in cages, but there's no denying they are fun and educational for children.Do you know if Dan will be around next Saturday?Yeah, I think he will. Just send him a text message. He's always keen on physical activities.That's true. Dan is extremely fit and healthy. He goes to the gym most days, plus tennis two or three times a week.So, what have you been doing to stay busy while you've had that swollen ankle?I've been catching up on some reading. I was given three books over Christmas, and I'm only now getting around to reading them.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 8: Why can't the man go for a run Saturday morning?Question 9: Why is the woman's whole family going to the zoo next Saturday?Question 10: What do we learn about Dan from the man's description?Question 11: What has the man been doing since last weekend?Conversation 2Our guest on today's Book Talk is John Black, the author of the new bestseller, Retire Early.Thanks for having me on the show, Lisa.John, your book is getting a lot of attention, partly because you write that most people can retire by 40. Is that realistic?Definitely. When researching this book, I interviewed hundreds of people who retired by 40.Okay, but how much money does a person need to retire? I've read articles recommending one million dollars as a good figure for retirement.While most financial planners do give numbers, I don't think that's useful, as people are living in different areas with different costs of living, and have different needs and wants, which is why I suggest that people aim for financial independence.What do you mean by financial independence?Having investment income that's greater than monthly expenses.That sounds risky to me. What if an accident happens or you get ill and need medical treatment? Shouldn't people have extra cash for emergencies?Too many people spend their lives working on jobs they hate because they're afraid, so I counsel people to take risks. Retirement doesn't have to be permanent, and if people need to, they can go back to work.But it's not always easy to get back into the workforce after an extended absence.True, but if you keep current with your skills, you will be attracted to employers.Maybe, but how can anyone save enough to retire by 40 when most people can't retire at 60?Simple, by cutting housing, food, and transport expenses, and investing half your monthly income.That sounds impossible.I admit it's difficult, but it has worked for thousands.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 12:What do we learn about the man's book published recently?Question 13: What do the articles the woman read recommend?Question 14: What does the man say about retirement?Question 15: How does the man say his proposal about retirement can be carried out?Passage 1New research from America studies the role that the presence of individuals from different social or racial groups has in influencing consumers' food choices.This research found college students were more likely to choose healthy food in the presence of an observer of a different race, as opposed to an observer from their own race.The same was true when they were with someone from a different university, compared to someone from their own.Researchers say this was because participants anticipated more negative judgment from an outsider group.In contrast, they felt less judged by members of their own group.In one experiment, participants were offered the choice between candy and fruit as a snack.When in the presence of an unknown student from their own university, only 12 per cent of students selected the healthier option.However, this number was 31 per cent when in the presence of ae unknown student from another university.Other experiments showed similar results based on racial group.What's the reason for this pattern? The study found that people feel judged to a larger extent by members of other groups.Because of this, they strategically use healthy food choices to make a positive impression.There have been many attempts to help consumers make healthier choices, but consumers often struggle to maintain a healthy diet.This research finds that one way to promote a healthy diet could be to advertise the social benefits of healthy choices.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 16: What was the finding of the new research from Americaabout consumers' food choices?Question 17:When did 31 per cent of students in the experiment select the healthier option?Question 18: How could a healthy diet be promoted according to the findings of the new research?Passage 2For college students under pressure, a dog may be the best stress fighter around, according to the finding of a recent study."It's a really powerful finding," said Patricia Pendry, who led the study."Universities are doing a lot of great work trying to help students succeed academically, especially those who may be at risk due to a history of mental health issues or academic and learning issues.This study shows that traditional stress management approaches aren’t as effective for this population compared with programs that focus on providing opportunities to interact with therapy dogs."The researchers measured executive functioning in the students involved in the study.Executive function is a term for the skills one needs to plan, organize, motivate, concentrate and memorize.These are skills students need to succeed in college.The researchers found that students who were most at risk had the most improvements in executive functioning after interacting with therapy dogs.These results remained when researchers followed up six weeks later.Many universities provide academic stress management programs and workshops.These are traditionally very similar to college classes.They often talk about ways to get more sleep, set goals, or manage stress or anxiety.Pendry acknowledges that these are really important topics and these workshops help typical students succeed.But they're less helpful for struggling students.Pendry believes those students may experience the programs as another lecture and feel even more stressed.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 19: What does the recent study led by Patricia Pendry aim to examine?Question 20: What did the new study measure in the participants?Question 21: What does Patricia Pendry think traditional stress management programs may do?Passage 3Taking risks in business does not mean going into business blindly and then expecting great results.On the contrary, taking risks in entrepreneurship involves careful planning and hard work.Nobody can really be sure if risks will be met with success, no matter how calculated they may be.But this should not stop you from taking risks, as risks are necessary if you want your business to succeed.Some risks may not work out, but an optimistic risk-taker will always look at failure as an opportunity to learn.The willingness to experiment with new ideas is key to business growth.As the old saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."Failure will teach you how to think and plan strategically.But just remember that not all risks are good ones, and when you fail, learn it and move forward.Since most people tend to avoid risk, businesses that are brave enough to take risks already have a competitive advantage.They are the ones setting the standard with new ideas, fresh offers and bold inventions.Risktakers are best at adapting in difficult times.Simply put, when most individuals stay away risk, it means less competition for risk-takers.We don't know if you'll achieve what these risk-takers have achieved.But for as long as you want to stay safe, and for as long as you are content with where your business is right now, you will never find out.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 22: What do entrepreneurs have to do when taking risks according to the passage?Question 23: What does the passage say is key to business growth?Question 24: What are we advised to do when we fail?Question 25: What does it mean to risk-taking businesses when most people tend to avoid risk?。
2020年12月英语四级听力真题及答案(有道版)
2020年12月英语四级听力真题及答案（有道版）2020年12月英语四级听力真题及答案（有道版）提示：考试采取"多题多卷"模式，试题顺序不统一，请依据试题实行核对。
2020年12月四级听力原文第一版Part 1 短对话Question 1- M： Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration we watched together last month？- W： Sure。
It’s actually the most impressive one I’ve seen on that topic。
Q：What do we learn about the speakers？Question 2- W： Are you looking for anything in particular？- M： Yes。
My son is graduating from high school， and I want to get him something special。
Q：Where does the conversation most probably take place？Question 3- M： Mike told me yesterday that he had been looking in vain for a job in the art gallery。
- W： Really？ If I remember right， he had a chance to work there， but he turned it down。
Q：What does the woman say about Mike？Question 4- W：Would you like to come to Susan’s birthday party tomorrow evening？- M：I’m going to give a lecture tomorrow。
2020年12月英语四级真题及答案(第一套)
Part I Writing
(30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the use of PowerPoint in class. You can start your essay with the sentence “The use of PowerPoint is becoming increasingly popular in class.” You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
1
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
5. A) The road was flooded. B) The road was blocked. C) The road was frozen with snow. D) The road was covered with spilled gas.
D) They may be affecting the world’s climate.
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
3. A) To appeal for higher wages. B) To demand better health care. C) To call for a permanent security guard. D) To dismiss the bad-tempered supervisor.
2020年12月英语四级听力原文
主题：2020年12月英语四级听力原文正文：1. Part ISection A1) Conversation 1A: Hi, have you finished the report for the marketing meeting tomorrow?B: Not yet. I'm still stuck on the data analysis part.A: Do you want me to help you with that?B: That would be great. Thanks.2) Conversation 2A: I heard you're going to study abroad next semester. Is that true?B: Yes, I've been accepted into a program in Australia.A: That's amazing. How do you feel about it?B: Excited and nervous at the same time. It's a big step for me.2. Section B1) Passage 1Man: Excuse me, could you tell me where the nearest busstop is?Woman: Sure. Walk str本人ght down this road and you'll see it on your left.Man: Thank you.2) Passage 2Woman: Can you believe that the new subway line is finally open?Man: I know, it's going to makemuting so much easier.Woman: Definitely. I can't w本人t to try it out.3. Part IISection A1) Conversation 1A: I'm thinking of going on a road trip this summer. Any rmendations?B: You should definitely check out the national parks out west. They're stunning.A: That sounds fantastic. I'll look into it.2) Conversation 2A: I'm struggling to find a good balance between work and personal life.B: It's tough, but have you tried setting boundaries and prioritizing self-care?A: I haven't, but I will give it a shot.4. Section B1) Passage 1Man: Attention passengers, we are currently experiencing a delay due to signal problems.Woman: Ugh, not ag本人n. I'll never understand public transportation.2) Passage 2Woman: Don't forget to bring reusable bags when you go grocery shopping.Man: Right. It's important to reduce our plastic waste.5. Part IIISection A1) Conversation 1A: I think I left my phone at the restaurant this afternoon.B: You should call them and see if anyone turned it in.A: Good idea. I'll do that right away.2) Conversation 2A: I'm looking for a new laptop. Any rmendations?B: I recently got a model that I'm really satisfied with. Let me show you.6. Section B1) Passage 1Man: The deadline for the scholarship application ising up. Have you submitted yours?Woman: Not yet. I'm still writing my personal statement.2) Passage 2Woman: I've been feeling really stressed lately.Man: Have you considered trying meditation? It can be very calming.结语：根据2020年12月英语四级听力原文内容，本文从A、B两部分分别介绍了听力考试中的对话和短文内容，涉及工作、学习、生活等方方面面的话题，顺序清晰，内容简洁明了。
2020年12月英语四级考试真题含答案
2020年12月英语四级考试真题含答案写作（3套）第一套：changes in educationRecently, the topic of the change in the way of education has been brought into focus. According to a recent survey conducted by China Daily, a high proportion of 56.6 percent of students admitted that they had attended online courses before.There is no denying that E-learning enjoys many merits. For instance, it has made it possible for students to study whenever and wherever they want. For example, an undergraduate can even listen to lectures in his pajamas in the dormitory. However, wonderful as it is, it also brings some problems. Without a teacher’s supervision, a young student can easily be distracted. He may constantly remove his eyes from the course and focus on the tempting websites instead.In brief, taking into account all of these factors, we may reach the conclusion that the changes in education brought great convenience to us. Only by making reasonable use of them can we benefit considerably.第二套：changes in transportationRecently, the topic of the changes in the way of transportation has been brought into focus. According to a recent survey conducted by China Daily, a high proportion of 56.6 percent of students admitted that .There is no denying that new kind of transportation enjoys many advantages. For example, transportation apps like Didi have brought consumers great convenience in travelling, because they have made it possible for people to go around without the trouble of waiting in a line for a bus or a taxi. However, they also bring their own problems. For instance, they pose a threat to the passengers ‘safety.Many ways can contribute to improving the safety of the new transportation. For one thing, what the consumers need to do is to equip themselves with higher awareness of security. This method enables them to avoid any potential dangers. For another, the government should impose more rigid safety standards on new way of transportation to add to the safety of people. 第三套：changes in communicationRecently, the topic of the changes in the way of communication has been brought into focus. According to a recent survey conducted by CCTV, a high proportion of 84.7 percent of people admit that they frequently use social networking websites such as Wechat and Weibo to communicate.There is no denying that those new kinds of communication enjoy many advantages. For example, they enable users to contact with old friends as well as make new friends. However, they also bring their own problems. For one thing, using them increases the risk of leaking personal information. For another, some young people who are addicted to social networking websites isolate themselves in their virtual world and even have difficulty in communicating with people in the real world.In brief, taking into account all of these factors, we may reach the conclusion that the changes in communication pose both opportunities and challenges to our modern life. Only bymaking reasonable use of them can we benefit considerably.听力（2套）第一套：1. D) A deadly fish has been spotted in the Mediterranean waters.2. B) It could pose a threat to other marine species.3. C) About half of its city center will be closed to cars .4. D) The rising air pollution in Paris .5. A) His house was burnt down in a fire.6. C) Sell the pearl he had kept for years.7. B) His monstrous pearl was extremely valuable.8. A) It boasts a fairly long history.9. D) It is a family business.10. B) Loss the competitive edge.11. D) Conducting a financial analysis for it.12. B) She is really impressed by the man’s house.13. C) From home design magazines.14. A)The cost was affordable.15. D) She wants him to share his renovation experience with her.16. C) Removing objects from patients' noses and ears.17. B) Five- to nine-year-olds are the most likely to put things in their ears.18. D) They are curious about these body parts.19. A) It gave her a used bicycle.20. A) Expanding bike-riding lessons.21. D) It is a charity organization.22. A) How animals deal with lack of gravity.23. C) They were not used to the low-gravity environment.24. B) They already felt at home in the new environment.25. C) They behaved as if they were on Earth.第二套：1. D) He did an unusual good deed.2. C) Give some money to the waiter.3. A) Whether or not to move to the state's mainland.4. B) It costs too much money.5. A) To investigate whether people are grateful for help.6. C) They held doors open for people at various places.7. B) Most people express gratitude for help.8. C) To enquire about solar panel installations.9. D) He has a large family.10. B) The cost of a solar panel installation.11. D) About five years.12. A)At a travel agency.13. D)She wanted to spend more time with her family .14. D) Two weeks .15. A) Choosing some activities herself16. D) Pay a green tax upon arrival.17. A) It has not been doing a good job in recycling.18.B) To ban single-use plastic bags and straws on bali island.19. D) Its population is now showing signs of increase.20. C) Commercial hunting.21. D) To seek breeding grounds.22. C) They consume less milk these days.23. A) It is not as healthy as once thought.24. C) They lack the necessary proteins to digest it.25. B) It provides some necessary nutrients.阅读（3套）第一套：选词填空Trust is fundamental to life...26-30 CMGAO 31-35 JKFIH26. C) essential27. M) suspicion28. G) miserable29. A) constantly30. O) watching31. J) records32. K) removed33. F) load34. I) properly35. H) pressure长篇阅读The Place Where the Poor Once Thrived36-40 HDKEG 41-45 IECHF36. According to some people living in San Jose, it has become much harder for the poor to get ahead due to the increased inequality.H定位句：Some San Jose residents gay that as inequality has grown in recent years, upward mobility has become much more difficult to achieve.37. In American history, immigrants used to have a good chance to move upward in society.D定位句：This is a city of immigrants——38 percent of the city's population today is foreign-born ——and immigrants and their children have historically experienced significant upward mobility in America.38. If the problems of San Jose can't be solved, one of America's fundamental beliefs about itself can be shaken.K定位句：The idea that those at the bottom can rise to the top is central to America's ideas about itself. That such mobility has become more difficult in San Jose raises questions about the endurance of that foundational belief.39. San Jose was among the best cities in America for poor kids to move up the social ladder.E定位句：San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark's and Canada's and higher than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis.40. Whether poor kids in San Jose today still have the chance to move upward is questionable.G定位句：Whether the city still allows for upward mobility of poor kids today, though, is up for debate.41. San Jose's officials are resolved to give poor kids access to the resources necessary for success in life.I定位句：Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure that the city regains its status as a place where even poor kids can access the resources to succeed.42. San Jose appears to manifest some of the best features of America.E定位句：Indeed, the streets of San Jose seem, in some ways, to embody the best of America. 43. As far as social mobility is concerned, San Jose beat many other progressive cities in America. C定位句：San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark's and Canada's and higher than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis.44. Due to some changes like increases in housing prices in San Jose, the prospects for its poor people have dimmed.H定位句：Given this, the future for the region's poor doesn't look nearly as bright as it once did. 45. Researchers do not have a clear idea why poor children in San Jose achieved such great success several decades ago.F定位句：But researchers aren't sure exactly why poor kids in San Jowe did so well.仔细阅读Passage One—Three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health conditions.46-50 DABCD46. What are teachers complaining about?D) They lack the necessary resources to address pupils’ mental problems.47. What do we learn from the passage about community health services in Britain?A) They have deteriorated due to budget cuts.48. Where does the author suggest mental health services be placed?B) At school.49. What do we learn from the recent studies?C) Students are more comfortable seeking counseling in school.50. What does the author mean by a cultural shift (Line 2-3, Para. 6)?D) A change in the conception of what schools are?Passage Two—Picture this: You’re at a movie theater food stand...51-55 ADBCB51. Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater?A) To illustrate people’s peculiar shopping behavior.52. Why is the medium soda priced the way it is?D) To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.53. What do we learn from Dan Ariely’s experiment?B) The Economist’s promotional strategy works.54. For what purpose is “the bad option” (Line 7, Para. 3) added?C) To trap customers into buying the more pricey item.55. How do we assess the value of a commodity, according to the passage?B) By comparing it with other choices.第二套：选词填空开头：When my son completes a task, I can't help but praise him...26-30 BGKLC 31-35 HIDNO26. B) constant27. G) negative28. K) repeatedly29. L) rewarded30. C) disappointing31. H) outcome32. I) pattern33. D) distinguish34. N) simply35. O) undertaken长篇阅读开头：Poverty is a story about us, not them36-40 EHMJD 41-45 FNICL36. One legislative staffer assumed that a woman of color who advocated affordable childcare must be a single mother.答案：E）That moment, says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson ...37. People from different races, genders, and regions all suffer...答案：H) But the fact that 4 in 10 Americans can’t come up38. According to a survey, while the majority believe...答案：M) According to the General Social Survey...39. A research group has found that Americans ...答案：J) The FrameWorks Institute, a research group...40. Under the old system in America, a mother was ...答案：D) If these are the central characters of our story41. It was found that nearly 50% of Americans are poor or receive low pay...答案：F) How many of us are poor in the U.S.?42. Americans usually overestimate the number of blacks receiving welfare benefit.答案：N) “Poverty has been interchangeable with people of color...43. It is impossible for Americans to lift themselves out of poverty entirely on their own.答案：I) Negative images remain of who is living in poverty ...44. Nowadays, it seems none of us can get away from income inequality.答案：C) Today’s faces of income inequality and lack of opportunity ...45. Assumptions about poor people become even more negative when they live on welfare.答案：L) Those external factors include the difficulties ...仔细阅读Passage One—Boredom has, paradoxically, become quite interesting to academics lately. 46-50 ADBCD46. A）When they don’t have the chance to do what they want.47. D) Harmful conduct.48. B) Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.49. C) It may promote creative thinking.50. D) Allow oneself some time to be bored.Passage Two—Forests in countries like Brazil and the Congo get a lot of attention51-55 BCACD51. B) Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries.52. C) Those that used to have the lowest forest coverage.53. A) The government’s advocacy.54. C) Their capability of improving air quality.55.D) Developed and developing countries are moving in opposite directions.第三套：选词填空开头：The things people make, and the way...26-30 KGMLO 31-35 FHADN26. K) matters27. G) flexible28. M) promised29. L) moving30. O) spared31. F) feature32. H) inevitably33. A) automation34. D) fantastic35. N) shape长篇阅读The history of the Lunch Box36-40 FJOCH41-45 LDAMI仔细阅读Passage One开头：A growing number of U.S. bike riders...46-50 CBDAD46. C) They did not become popular until the emergence of improved batteries.47. B) The falling prices of e-bike batteries.48. D) It will make a difference in people’s daily lives.49. A) Retailers’ refusal to deal in e-bikes.50. D) The younger generation’s pursuit of comfortable riding.Passage Two开头：The terms “global warming”and "climate change"...51-55 ACDBC51. A) To sway public opinion of the impact of human activities on Earth.52. C) it covers more phenomena53. D) Deliberate choice of words.54. B) For greater precision.55. C) Human activities have serious effects on Earth.翻译（3套）第一套:生活在中国不同地区的人们饮食多种多样。
2020年12月英语四级真题及答案(第二套)
2020年12月英语四级真题及答案(第二套)Part I Writing(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write an essay on the online library.You can start your essay with the sentence“The online library is becoming increasingly popular.”You should write at least120 words but no more than180words.Part II Listening Comprehension(25minutes)特别说明：由于2020年9月四级考试全国共考了1套听力，本套听力试题同第1套试题一致，因此在本套真题中不再重复出现。
PartⅢReading Comprehension(40minutes)Section ADirection s：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.Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.It can be seen from the cheapest budget airlines to the world's largest carriers：Airlines across the globe26 various shades of blue in their cabin seats,and it is no27.There does appear to be some psychology behind it. Blue is28with the positive qualities of trust,efficiency,quietness,coolness,reflection and calm.Nigel Goode is a leading aviation designer who works at a company which has been delivering aircraft interiors for airlines for30years.“Our job as designers is to reinforce the airline’s brand and make it more29,”he says.“But our primary concern is to deliver an interior that30comfort to create a pleasant environment.”“It’s all about making the traveling experience less31and blue is said to induce a feeling of calm.While some of the budget airlines might use brighter,bolder shades,most others go with softened tones.The32aim is to create a home-like relaxing feel,so airlines tend to use soft colors that feel domestic,33and earthy for thatreason.”It's also a trend that emerged decades ago and has34stuck.“Blue became the color of choice because it’s a conservative,agreeable,corporate shade that35being trustworthy and safe.That's why you see it used in all of the older airlines like British Airways,”Nigel Goode added.A)associated I)maximizesB)coincidence J)naturalC)determined K)principalD)drastically L)recognizableE)enormous M)simplyF)imitate N)stressfulG)indication O)symbolizesH)integrateSection BDirections：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 making the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2.Why Are Asian Americans Missing From Our Textbooks?[A]I still remember my fourth-grade social studies project.Our class was studying the Gold Rush,something all California fourth-graders learned.I was excited because I had asked to research Chinese immigrants during that era.Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area,I had always known that“San Francisco”translated to“Gold Mountain”in Chinese.The name had stuck ever since Chinese immigrants arrived on the shores of Northern California in the1850s,eager to try their luck in the gold mines.Now I’d have the chance to learn about them.[B]My excitement was short-lived.I remember heading to the library with my class and asking for help.I remember the librarian’s hesitation.She finally led me past row after row of books,to a corner of the library where she pulled an oversized book off the shelf.She checked the index and turned over to a page about early Chinese immigrants in California.That was all there was in my entire school library in San Francisco,home of thenation’s first Chinatown.That was it.[C]I finally had the opportunity to learn about Asian Americans like myself,and how we became part of the fabric of the United States when I took an introductory class on Asian-American history in college.The class was a revelation.I realized how much had been missing in my textbooks as I grew up.My identity had been shaped by years of never reading,seeing,hearing,or learning about people who had a similar background as me.Why,I wondered,weren’t the stories,histories,and contributions of Asian Americans taught in K-12schools,especially in the elementary schools?Why are they still not taught?[D]Our students—Asian,Latino,African American,Native American,and,yes,white—stand to gain from a multicultural curriculum.Students of color are more engaged and earn better grades when they see themselves in their studies.Research has also found that white students benefit by being challenged and exposed to new perspectives.[E]For decades, a ctivists have called for schools to offer anti-racism or multicultural curricula.Yet a traditional American K-12curriculum continues to be taught from a Eurocentric point of view.Being multicultural often falls back on weaving children of color into photographs,or creating a few supporting characters that happen to be ethnic—an improvement,but superficial nonetheless.Elementary school classrooms celebrate cultural holidays—Lunar New Year!Red envelopes!Lion dancers!—but they’re quick to gloss over(掩饰)the challenges and injustices that Asian Americans have faced.Most students don’t,for example,learn about the laws that for years excluded Asians from immigrating to the U.S.They don't hear the narratives of how and why Southeast Asian refugees(难民)had to rebuild their lives here.[F]Research into what students learn in school has found just how much is missing in their studies.In an analysis, Christine Sleeter,a professor in the College of Professional Studies at California State University,Monterey Bay, reviewed California’s history and social studies framework,the curriculum determined by state educators that influences what is taught in K-12classrooms.Of the nearly100Americans recommended to be studied,77%were white,18%were African American,4%were Native American,and1%were Latino.None were Asian American.[G]Worse,when Asian Americans do make an appearance in lesson books,it is often laced with problems.“Therehasn’t been much progress,”says Nicholas Hartlep,an assistant professor at Metropolitan State University.His 2016study of K-12social studies textbooks and teacher manuals found that Asian Americans were poorly represented at best,and subjected to racist caricatures（拙劣的模仿）at worst.The wide diversity of Asian Americans was overlooked;there was very little mention of South Asians or Pacific Islanders,for example.And chances were,in the images,Asian Americans appeared in stereotypical（模式化的）roles,such as engineers.[H]Teachers with a multicultural background or training could perhaps overcome such curriculum challenges,but they’re few and far between.In California,65%of K-12teachers are white,compared with a student population that is75%students of color.Nationwide,the gap is even greater.It isn’t a requirement that teachers share the same racial or ethnic background as their students,but the imbalance poses challenges,from the potential for unconscious bias to a lack of knowledge or comfort in discussing race and culture.[I]How race and ethnicity is taught is crucial,says Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales,an Asian-American studies professor at San Francisco State University.She added that it’s not so much about the teacher’s background,but about training.“You can have a great curriculum but if you don’t have teachers dedicated（专注于）to teaching it well,”she says,“it won’t work as well as you want it to.[J]Some teachers are finding ways to expose students to Asian-American issues — i f not during school hours,then outside of them.This summer,Wilson Wong will lead a class of rising fifth-graders at a day camp dedicated to Chinese culture and the Chinese-American community in Oakland,California.His students,for instance,will learn about how Chinese immigrants built the railroads in California,and even have a chance to“experience”it themselves:They will race each other to build a railroad model on the playground,with some students being forced to“work”longer and faster and at cheaper wages.Wong,a middle school teacher during the school year, hopes he’s exposing the students to how Chinese Americans contributed to the U.S.,something that he didn’t get as a student growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area.“I planted the seeds early,”he says.“That’s what I’m hoping for.[K]And,despite setbacks,the tide may finally be turning.California legislators passed a bill last year that will bring ethnic studies to all its public high schools.Some school districts,including San Francisco and Los Angeles, already offer ethnic studies at its high schools.High schools in Portland,Chicago,and elsewhere have eitherimplemented or will soon introduce ethnic studies classes.And,as more high schools begin teaching it,the door could crack open for middle schools,and,perhaps inevitably,elementary schools,to incorporate a truly more multicultural curriculum.Doing so will send an important message to the nation’s youngest citizens:Whatever your race or ethnicity,you matter.Your history matters.Your story matters.36.While cultural holidays are celebrated,the injustices experienced by Asian Americans are not exposed in elementary school classrooms.37.Little information can be found about Chinese immigrants in the author’s school library.38.A middle school teacher is making a great effort to help students learn about the contributions made by Chinese immigrants to America.39.No Asian Americans were included in the list of historical figures recommended for study in K-12classrooms.40.There is an obvious lack of teachers with a multicultural perspective to meet the curriculum challenges in America.41.Students of ethnic backgrounds learn better from a multicultural curriculum.42.Now more and more high schools in America are including ethnic studies in their curriculums.43.A study of some K-12textbooks and teacher manuals showed that Asian Americans were inadequately and improperly represented in them.44.When taking a class in college,the author realized that a lot of information about Asian Americans was left out of the textbooks he studied.45.An Asian-American studies professor placed greater emphasis on teacher training than on teachers’background.Section CDirections：There are2passages 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 and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions46to50are based on the following passage.When is cleaning was a crime?When you’re doing it to create art,obviously.A number of street artists around the world have started expressing themselves through a practice known as reverse graffiti(涂鸦).They find dirty surfaces and paint them with images or messages using cleaning brushes or pressure hoses(高压水管). Either way,it's the same principle:the image is made by cleaning away the dirt.Each artist has their own individual style but all artists share a common aim:to draw attention to the pollution in our cities.The UK’s Paul Curtis,better known as Moose,operates around Leeds and London and has been commissioned by a number of companies to make reverse graffiti advertisements.Brazilian artist,Alexandre Orion,turned one of Sao Paulo's transport tunnels into an amazing wall painting in 2006by getting rid of the dirt.Made up of a series of white skulls(颅骨),the painting reminds drivers of the effect their pollution is having on the planet.“Every motorists sits in the comfort of their car,but they don't give any consideration to the price their comfort has for the environment and consequently for themselves,”says Orion.The anti-pollution message of the reverse graffiti artists confuses city authorities since the main argument against graffiti is that it spoils the appearance of both types of property:public and private.This was what Leeds City Council said about Moose's work:“Leeds residents want to live in clean and attractive neighbourhoods.We view this kind of advertising as environmental damage and will take strong action against it.”Moose was ordered to“clean up his act.”How was he supposed to do this:by making all property he had cleaned dirty again?As for the Brazilian artist’s work,the authorities were annoyed but could find nothing to charge him with. They had no other option but to clean the tunnel—but only the parts Alexandre had already cleaned.The artist merely continued his campaign on the other side.The city officials then decided to take drastic action.They not only cleaned the whole tunnel but every tunnel in Sao Paulo.46.What do we learn from the passage about reverse graffiti?A)It uses paint to create anti-pollution images.B)It creates a lot of trouble for local residents.C)It causes lots of distraction to drivers.D)It turns dirty walls into artistic works.47.What do reverse graffiti artists try to do?A)Publicise their artistic pursuit.B)Beautify the city environment.C)Raise public awareness of environmental pollution.D)Express their dissatisfaction with local governments.48.What do we learn about Brazilian artist Alexandre Orion?A)He was good at painting white skulls.B)He chose tunnels to do his graffiti art.C)He suggested banning all polluting cars.D)He was fond of doing creative artworks.49.What does the author imply about Leeds City Council’s decision?A)It is simply absurd.B)It is well-informed.C)It is rather unexpected.D)It is quite sensible.50.How did Sao Paulo city officials handle Alexandre Orion’s reverse graffiti?A)They made him clean all the tunnels in Sao Paulo.B)They took drastic action to ban all reverse graffiti.C)They charged him with polluting tunnels in the city.D)They made it impossible for him to practice his art.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.The practice of paying children an allowance became popular in America about100years ago.Nowadays, American kids on average receive about$800per year in allowance.But the vast majority of American parents who pay allowance tie it to the completion of housework.Although many parents believe that paying an allowance for completing chores benefits their children,a range of experts expressed concern that tying allowance very closely to chores may not be ideal.In fact,the way chores work in many households worldwide points to another way.Suniya Luthar,a psychologist,is against paying kids for chores.Luthar is not opposed to giving allowances, but she thinks it’s important to establish that chores are done not because they will lead to payment,but because they keep the household running.Luthar’s suggested approach to allowance is compatible with that of writer Ron Lieber,who advises that allowances be used as a means of showing children how to save,give,and spend on things they care about.Kids should do chores,he writes,“for the same reason adults do,because the chores need to be done,and not with the expectation of compensation.”This argument has its critics,but considering the way chores are undertaken around the world may change people’s thinking.Professor David Lancy of Utah State University has studied how families around the world handle chores.At about18months of age,Lancy says,most children become eager to help their parents,and in many cultures,they begin helping with housework at that age.They begin with very simple tasks,but their responsibilities gradually increase.And they do these tasks without ncy contrasts this with what happens in America.“We deny our children’s bids to help until they are6or7years old,”Lancy says,“when many have lost the desire to help and then try to motivate them with payment.The solution to this problem is not to try to use money as an incentive to do housework,but to get children involved in housework much earlier, when they actually want to do it.”51.What do some experts think about paying children for doing chores?A)It may benefit children in more ways than one.B)It may help children learn the worth of labor.C)It may not turn out to be the best thing to do.D)It may not be accepted by low-income parents.52.According to Suniya Luthar,doing chores will help children learn to____.A)share family responsibilitiesB)appreciate the value of workC)cultivate the spirit of independenceD)manage domestic affairs themselves53.What does Ron Lieber think should be the goal of giving children allowances?A)To help to strengthen family ties.B)To teach them how to manage money.C)To motivate them to do more housework.D)To show parents’appreciation of their help.54.What does David Lancy say about18-month-olds?A)They have a natural instinct to help around the house.B)They are too young to request money for what they do.C)They should learn to understand family responsibilities.D)They need a little incentive to get involved in housework.55.What does David Lancy advise American parents to do?A)Set a good example for children in doing housework.B)Make children do housework without compensation.C)Teach children how to do housework.D)Accept children’s early bids to help.Part IV Translation(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet2.茅台（Moutai）是中国最有名的白酒，在新中国成立前夕，被选为国宴用酒。
2020年12月英语四级真题卷一：短对话听力
2020年12月英语四级真题卷一：短对话听力提示：考试采取"多题多卷"模式，试题顺序不统一，请依据试题实行核对。
根据网友回忆，2020年12月英语四级考试试卷一短对话听力题目为：Short conversations1.M： Do you remember the wonderful film on spaceexploration we watched together last month?W： Sure. It's actually the most impressive one I've seenon that topic.Q： What do we learn about the speakers?2.W： Are you looking for anything in particular?M： Yes. My son is graduating from high school and I wantto get him something special.Q： Where does the conversation most probably take place?3.M： Mike told me yesterday that he'd been looking in vainfor a job in the art gallery.W： Really? If I remember right, he had a chance to workthere but he turned it down.Q： What does the woman say about Mike?4.W： Would you like to come to Susan's birthday party tomorrow evening?M： I'm going to give a lecture tomorrow. I wish I could be in two places at the same time.Q： What does the man mean?5.W： Aren't you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making?M： Yes. I think I'll give them a deadline and hold them to it.Q： What is the man probably going to do?6.W： Excuse me, could you tell me where the visitor's parking is? I left my car there.M： Sure. It's in Lot C, over that way.Q： What does the woman want to know?7.W： You look great now that you've taken those fitness classes.M： Thanks. I've never thought better in my life.Q： What does the man mean?8.W： I really admire the efficiency of your secretaries.M： Our company selects only the best. They have a heavy workload and we give them a lot of responsibilities.Q： What are the speakers talking about?相关推荐：2020年12月英语四级真题及答案专题2020年12月英语六级真题及答案专题2020年12月英语四级成绩查询专题2020年12月英语六级成绩查询专题。
2020年12月英语四级真题第2套
Par t I Wri t ing ( 30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write on the topic Changes in the W ay of T ransportation. You should write at least 120 word s but no mor e than 180 words.Part I Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)Section ADirections: 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. Af ter you hear a question, you must choo se the best answer from the f our choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre .Questions 1 and 2 are based on th e news report you have just heard.1.A) He wanted to buy a home.C)He lost a huge sum of money.B)He suffered from a shock.D)He did an unusual good deed.2.A) Invite the waiter to a fancy dinner.C)Give some money to the waiter.B)Tell her story to the Daily News.D)Pay the waiter's school tuition.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A) Whether or not to move to the state's mainland.B)How to keep the village from sinking into the sea.C)Where to get the funds for rebuilding their village.D)What to do about the rising level of the seawater.4.A) It takes too long a time.C)It has to wait for the state's final approval.B)It costs too much money.D)It faces strong opposition from many villagers. Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have Just heard.5.A) To investigate whether people are grateful for help.B)To see whether people hold doors open for strangers.C)To explore ways of inducing gratitude in people.D)To find out how people express gratitude.6.A) They induced strangers to talk with them.B)They helped 15 to 20 people in a bad mood.C)They held doors open for people at various places.D)They interviewed people who didn't say thank you.7.A) People can be educated to be grateful.C)Most people have bad days now and then.B)Most people express gratitude for help.D)People are ungrateful when in a bad mood.llYfJ! 2020 • 12 J3 24Section BDirections: Jn this section, Jt'U will hear two long conversations. At the,end of each conversation, Jt'U 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 marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Que tions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A) To order a solar panel installation.C)To enquire about solar pai;iel installations.B)To report a serious leak in his roof.D)To complain about the faulty solar panels.' ' .9.A) He plans to install solar pl:lnels.C)He saves $ 300 a year. .B)He owns a four-bedroom house.D)He has a large family._10.A) The service of the solar panel company.C)The maintenance of the solar panels.B)The cost of a solar panel installation.D)The quality of the solar panels.11.A) One year and a half.C)Roughly six years.B)Less than four years.D)About five years.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard12.A) At a travel agency.C)At an airline transfer service.B)At an Australian airport.D)At a local transportation authority.13.A) She would be able to visit more scenic spots.B)She wanted to save as much money as possible.C)She would like to have everything taken care of.D)She wanted to spend more time with her family.14.A) Four days.C)One week.B)Five days.D)Two weeks.15.A) Choosing some activities herself.C)Driving along the Great Ocean Road.,·1 .•B)Spending Christmas with Australians.D)Leaming more about wine making. Section CDirections: Jn this section, Jt'U will hear three pzssages. 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 ycu hear a question , Jt'U must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ) , B),C)and D ) . Then mark the co"esponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre .Questions 16 to 18 are based on the p�e you have just heard.16.A) Bring their own bags when shopping.C)Dispose .o f their trash properly.' ' 'B)Use public transport when traveling.D)Pay a green tax upon arrival.17.A) It has not been doing a good job in recycling.B)It has witnessed a rise in accidental drowning.C)It has not attracted many tourists in recent years.D)It has experienced an overall decline in air quality.18.A) To charge a small fee on plastic products in supermarkets.B)To ban single-use plastic bags and straws on Bali Island.C) · To promote the use of paper bags for shopping.D)To impos e a penalty on anyone caught littering.-2020 � 12 � 25Questions 19 to 21 are based OD the passage you have just heard.19.A) It gives birth to several babies at a time.C)Its breeding grounds are now b tter preserved.B)It is the least protected mammal s pe cies.D)Its population is.now showing signs of increase.20.A) Global warming.C)Commercial hunting.B)Polluted seawaters.D)Decreasing birthrates.21.A) To mate.C)To escape hunters.B)To look for food.D)To seek breeding grounds.Questions 22 to 25· are based OD the passage you have just heard.22.A) They prefer to drink low-fat milk.C)They consume less milk these days.B)They think milk is good for health.' ;23.A) It is not as healthy as once thought.,B)It is not easy to stay fresh for long.24.A) They drink too many pints every day.B)They are sensitive to certain minerals.25.A) It is easier for sick people to digest.B)It provides,some necessary nutrients.Part][ Section A Reading ComprehensionD)They buy more milk than the British.C)It benefits the elderly more.D)It tends to make people fat.C)They lack the necessary proteins to digest it.D)They have eaten food inco�patible with milk.C)It is healthier than other animal products.D)It supplies the body with enough calories.( 40 minutes)Directions: 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 pas:sage through carefully bef ore making 30ur choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2· with a single line through the centre. You may not we any of the wor ds in the bank more than once.When my son completes a task, I can't help but praise him. It's only natural to give praise where praise is due, right? But is there ·s uch a thing as too much praise?According to psychologist Katherine Phillip, children don't-benefit from 26 'praise as much as w'd like to think. "Parents' often praise, believing they are building their child's self-confidence. However, over-praising can have a 27 effect," says Phillip. "When we use the same praise28 , it may become emp�y and no longer valued·by the child. �t can also become an ex pe ctation that anything they do must be 29 with praise. This may lead to the child avoiding taking risks due to fear of 30 their parents. "Does this mean we should do away with all the praise? Phillip says no. "The key to healthy praise is to focus on the process rather than the 31 . It is the recognition of a child's attempt, or the process in which they achieved something, that is essential," she says. "Parents should encourage their child to take the risks needed to learn and grow. "So how do we break the 32 of praise we're all so accustomed to? Phillip says it's important to33 between "pe rson praise" and "process praise". "Person praise is 34 saying how great someone is. It's a form of personal approval. Process praise is acknowledgement of the efforts the personlmU! 2020 � 12 � 26has just 35 . Children who receive person praise are more likely to feel shame after losing,"·says ----Phillip.A)chooseB)constantC)disappointingD)distinguishE)exhausting Section B F)experiencedG)negativeH)outcomeI)patternJ)pluralK)repeatedlyL)rewardedM)separatelyN)simply0)undertakenDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten·statements aitached to it. Each statement contains information given in one o f the paragraphs. I dentify the paragraph f rom which the inf ormation is derived. Y ru 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.Poverty i s a story about us , not themA)Too often still, we think we know what poverty looks like. It's the way we've been taught, the imageswe've been force-fed for decades. The chronically homeless. The undocumented immigrant. Theurban poor, usually personified as a woman of color, the "welfare queen" politicians stil too often reference.B)But as income inequality rises to record levels in the United States, even in the midst of a recordeconomic expansion, those familiar images are outdated, hurtful, and counterproductive to focusing attention on solutions and building ladders of opportunity.C)Today's faces of income inequality and lack of opportunity look like all of us. It's Anna Landre, adisabled Georgetown University student fighting to keep health benefits that allow her the freedom tolive her life. It's Tiffanie Standard, a counselor for young women of color in·i>hiladelphia'w ho want tobe tech entrepreneurs-but who must work multiple jobs to stay afloat. It's Ken Outlaw, a welder in rural North Carolina whose dream of going back to school at a local community-college was dashed by Hurricane Florence-just one of the extreme weather events that have tipped the balance for strugglingAmericans across the nation.D)If these are the central characters of our story about poverty, what layers of perceptions, myths, andrealities must we unearth to find meaningful solutions and support? In pursuit of revealing thiscomplicated reality, Mothering Justice, led by women of color, went last year to the·state capital in Lansing, Michigan, to lobby on issues that affect working mothers. One of the Mothering Justice ·organizers went to the office of a state representative to talk about the lack of affordable childcarethe vestiges (�:ii.) of a system that expected mothers to stay home with their children while their husbands worked. A legislative staffer dismissed the activist's concerns, telling her "my husband took care of that-I stayed home. "E)That comment, says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson, '"was meant to sham e" and reliedon the familiar notion that a woman of color concerned about income inequality and programs thatpromote mobility must by definition be a single·morn, probably with multiple kids. In this case, theMothering Justice activist happened to be married. And in most cases in the America of 2019, theimages that come to mind when we hear the words poverty or income'inequality fail miserably inlmf!t 2020 ¥ 12 � 27reflecting a complicated reality: poverty touches virtually all of us. The face of income inequality, for all but a very few of us, is the one we each see in the mirror.F)How many of us are poor in the U.S.? It depends on who you ask. According to the Census Bureau,' .38 million peo p le in the U.S. are living b low the official poverty thresholds. Taking into accounteconomic need beyond that absolute measure, the Institute for Policy Studies found that 140 million people are poor or low-income. That's almost half the U.S. population.G)Whatever the measure, within that massive group, poverty is extremely diverse. We know that somepeople are more affected than others, like children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people of color.H)But the fact that 4 in 10 ;Americans can't co�e up with $ .400 in an emergency is a commonly citedstatistic for good reason: economic ins�bility stre�ches across race, gender, and geography. It even reacbes into the middle classes, as real wages �ave stagnated (�JI-!(;.) for all but the very wealthy and temporary spells of financial instability are not uncommon.I)Negative images remain of who is living in poverty as well as what is needed to move out of it. The bigAmerican myth is that you can pull yourse l f up by your own efforts and change a bad situation into a good one. The reality is that finding opportunity without help from families, friends, schools, and community is virtually impossible. And the playing fiel4 is nothing close to level.J)The Frame W orks Institute, a research group that focuses on public framing of issues, has studied what sustains stereotypes an� narratives of poverty in the United Kingdom. "People view economic success and wellbeing in life as a pro�uct of choice, willpower, and drive," says Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of Frameworks. "When we see people who are struggling," he says, those assumptions '.'lead us to the perception that.peqple in poverty are lazy, they don't care, and they haven't made the right decisions. "K)Does this soun d familiar? Similar ideas surround poverty in the U ..S .. And these assumptions give a false picture of reality .. "When people enter into that pattern of thinking," says Kendall-Taylor, "it's cognitively comfortable to make sense of issues of poverty in that way. It creates a kind of cognitive blindness-all of the f�ctors external to a person's drive and choices that they've made become invisibleIand fade from view. "L)Those ex_ternal factors include the difficulties accompanying low-wage work or structural discrimination based on race, gender, or ability. Assumptions get worse when people who are poor use government benefits to help them surviye. There is a great tension between "the poor" and those who are receiving what has become a dirty word: "welfare. "M)According to the General Social Sqrvey, 71 percent of respondents believe the country is spending too ·little on "assistance to the. poor.�, On the other hand, 22 percent think we are spending too little on "welfare": 37 percent -believe we are spending too much.N)" Poverty has been interchangeable with people of color-specifi c ally black women and black mothers," says Atkinson of Mothering Justice. It's true that black mothers are more affected by poverty than many other groups, yet they are.disproportionately the face of poverty. For example, Americans routinely overestimate the share of black recipients·of public assistance programs.0)In reality, most people.will experience some form of financial hardship at some point in their lives.Indeed, people tend t o dip in and out of poverty, perhaps due to unexpected obstacles like losing a job,Im� 2020 • 12 _ij 28or when hours of a low-wage job fluctuate.P)Something each of us can do is to treat each other with the dignity and sympathy that is dese rv ed and to understand deeply that the issu e of poverty touches all of us.36.One legislative staffer assumed that a woman of color who advocated affordable childcare must be asingle mother.37.People from different races, genders, and regions all suffer from a lack of financial security.38.According to a survey, while the majority believe too little assistance is given to the poor, more thana third believe too much is spent on welfare.39.A research group has found that Americans who are struggling are ·t hought to be lazy and to have madethe wrong decisions.40.Under the old system in America, a mother was supposed to stay home and take care of her children.41. It was found that nearly 50% of Americans are poor or receive low pay.42.Americans usually overestimate the number of blacks receiving welfare be n efits.43.It is impossible for Americans to lift themselves out of poverty entirely on their own.44.Nowadays, it seems none of us can get away from income inequality.45.Assumptions about poor people become even more negative when-they live on welfare.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by 9Jme questions or unfinished sta tements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage OneQuestions 46 to SO are based on the following pasuge.Boredom has, paradoxically, become quite interesting to academics lately. In early May, London's Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in dullness. At this event, people flocked to talks about weather, traffic jams, and vending-machine sounds, among other sleeirinducing topics.What, exactly, is everybody studying? One widely accepted psychological definition of boredom is "the distasteful experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity." But how can you quantify a perso n's boredom level and compare it with someone else's? In 1986, psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale, designed to measure an individual's overall tendency to feel bored. By contra t, the Multidimensional State Boredom Sc le, developed in 2008, measures a person's feelings of boredom in a given situation.Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving, mindless sna�king, excessive drinking, and addictive gambling. In fact, many of us would choose pain over boredom. One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather self-administer electric shocks than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Researching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could self-administer electric shocks. Th e bored volunteers shocked ·themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral ones did.But boredom isn't all bad. By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming, it can spur creativity. An early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises. On c e all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more inventive answers ton 29IDI 1t2020 4 12combat boredom. A British stu d y took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been primed were more productive.In our always-connected world, boredom may be a hard-to-define state, but it is a fertile one. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while, and you might unlock your next big idea.46.When are people likely to experience boredom, according to an accepted psychological definition?A)When they don't have the chance to do what they want.B)When they don't enjoy the materials they are studying.C)When they experience something unpleasant ..D)When they engage in some routine activities.47.What does the author say boredom can lead to?A)Determination.C)Mental deterioration.B)Concentration.D)Harmful conduct.48.What is the finding of one team of psychologists in their experiment?A)Volunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting alone deliberating.B)Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.C)Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females.D)Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minutes.49.Why does the author say boredom isn't all bad?A)It stimulates memorization.C)It may promote creative thinking.B)It allows time for relaxation.D)It may facilitate independent learning.50.What does the author suggest one do when faced with a challenging problem?A)Stop idling and think big.C)Look around oneself for stimulation.B)Unlock one's smartphone.D)Allow oneself some time to be bored. Passage TwoQuestions 51 to SS are based on th e following passage.Forests in countries like Brazil and the Co n go get a lot of attention· from environmentalists, and it is easy to see why. South America and sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing deforestation on an enormous scale: every year almost 5 million hectares are lost. But forests are·also changing in rich Western countries. They are growing larger, both in the sense that they occupy more land and that the trees in them are bigger� What is going on?Forests are spreading in almost all Western countries, with the fastest growth in places that historically had rather few trees. In 1990 28% of Spain was forested; now the proportion is 37%. In b th Greece and Italy, the growth was from 26% to 32% over the same period. Forests are gradually taking more land in America and Australia. Perhaps mo t astonishing is the trend in Ireland. Roughly 1 % of that country was forested when it became independent in 1922. Now forests cover 11 %of the land, and the government wants to push the proportion to 18% by the 2040s.Two things are fertilising this growth. The first is the abandonment of farmland, especially in high, dry places where nothing grows terribly well. When farmers give up trying to earn a living from farming or herding, tre s simply move in; The second is government policy and subsidy. Throughout history,tmfl 2020 � 12 J.I 30governments have protected and promoted forests for diverse reasons, ranging from the need for wooden wars h ips to a desire to promote suburban house-building. Nowadays forests are increasingly welcome because they suck in carbon pollution from the air. The justifications change; the desire for more trees remains constant.The greenin� of the West does not delight everyone. Farmers complain that land is being taken out of use by generously subs i dised tree plantations. Parts of Spain and Portugal suffer from terrible forest fires. Others simply dislike the appearance of forests planted in neat rows. They will have to get used to the trees, however. The growth of Western forests seems almost as unstoppable as deforestation elsewhere.51. What is catching environ.mentalists' attention nowadays?A)Rich cou n tries are stripping poor ones of their resources.B)Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries.C)Forests are eating away the fertile farmland worldwide.D)Rich cou n tries are doing little to address deforestation.52.Which countries have the fastest forest growth?A)Those that have newly achieved independence.B)Those that have the greatest demand for timber.C)Those that used to have the lowest forest coverage.D)Those that provide enormous government subsidies.53. What has encouraged forest growth historically?A)The government's advocacy.B)The use of wood for fuel.C)The favourable climate.D)The green movement.54.What accounts for our increasing desire for forests?A)Their unique scenic beauty.B)Their use as fruit plantations.C)Their capability of improving air quality.·D) Their stable supply of building materials.55. What does the author conclude about the prospects of forestation?A)Deserts in sub-Saharan Africa will diminish gradually.B)It will play a more and more important role in people's lives.C)Forest destruction in the developing world will quickly slow down.D)Developed and developing countries are moving in oppos i te directions.Part N Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part , )OU are allowed 80 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into Fnglish . 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