2023年英語四級考試真題試題

2023年6月大學英語四級考試真題（第1套）PartIWriting(30minutes)(請于正式開考后半小時內(nèi)完畢該部分，之后將進行聽力考試)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthepictureandcommentonthekid’sunderstandingofgoingtoschool.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartⅢReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionAQuestion36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.TheU.S.DepartmentofEducationismakingeffortstoensurethatallstudentshaveequalaccesstoaqualityeducation.Todayitis__36___thelaunchoftheExcellentEducatorsforAllInitiative.Theinitiativewillhelpstatesandschooldistrictssupportgreateducatorsforthestudentswhoneedthemmost.“Allchildrenare37toahigh-qualityeducationregardlessoftheirrace,zipcodeorfamilyincome.Itis38importantthatweprovideteachersandprincipalsthesupporttheyneedtohelpstudentsreachtheirfull39,”U.S.SecretaryofEducationArneDuncansaid.“Despitetheexcellentworkanddeep40ofournation'steachersandprincipals,studentsinhigh-poverty,high-minorityschoolsareunfairlytreatedacrossourcountry.Wehavetodobetter.Localleadersandeducatorswill41theirowncreativesolutions,butwemustworktogetherto42ourfocusonhowtobetterrecruit,supportand43effectiveteachersandprincipalsforallstudents,especiallythekidswhoneedthemmost.”Today’sannouncementisanotherimportantstepforwardinimprovingaccesstoqualityeducation,a44ofPresidentObama’syearofaction.Latertoday,SecretaryDuncanwillleadaroundtablediscussionwithprincipalsandschoolteachersfromacrossthecountryaboutthe45ofworkinginhigh-needschoolsandhowtoadaptpromisingpracticesforsupportinggreateducatorsintheseschools.A）announcingI）distributingB）beneficialJ）enhanceC）challengesK）entitledD）commitmentL）potentialE）componentM)properlyF）contestsN)qualifiedG）criticallyO)retainH）developSectionBTheChangesFacingFastFood[A]Fast-foodfirmshavetobeathick-skinnedbunch.Healthexpertsregularlycriticizethemseverelyforsellingfoodthatmakespeoplefat.CriticsevencomplainthatMcDonald's,whoselogosymbolizescalorieexcess,shouldnothavebeenallowedtosponsortheWorldCup.Thesearethingsfast-foodfirmshavelearnttocopewith.Butnotperhapsformuchlonger.Theburgerbusinessfacesmorepressurefromregulatorsatatimewhenitisalreadyadaptingstrategiesinresponsetoshiftsintheglobaleconomy.[B]Fatfoodwasoncethoughttoberecession-proof.Whenconsumersneedtocutspending,thelogicgoes,cheapmealslikeBigMacsandWhoppersbecomeevenmoreattractive.Such"tradingdown"provedtrueformuchofthelatestrecession,whenfast-foodcompaniespickedupcustomerswhocouldnolongeraffordtoeatatcasualrestaurants.TrafficwasboostedinAmerica,thehomeoffastfood,withdiscountsandpromotions,suchas$1menusandcheapcombinationmeals.[C]Asaresult,fast-foodchainshaveweatheredtherecessionbetterthantheirmoreexpensivecompetitors.In2023salesatfull-servicerestaurantsinAmericafellbymorethan6%,burtotalsalesremainedaboutthesameatfast-foodchains.Insomemarkets,suchasJapan,FranceandBritain,totalspendingonfastfoodincreased.Same-storesalesinAmericaatMcDonald's,theworld'slargestfast-foodcompany,didnotdeclinethroughoutthedownturn,PaneraBread,anAmericanfast-foodchainknownforitsfreshingredients,performedwell,too,becauseitoffershigher-qualityfoodatlowerpricesthanrestaurants.[D]Butnotallfast-foodcompanieshavebeenasfortunate.Many,suchasBurgerKing,haveseensalesfall.Inasevererecession,whilesomepeopletradedowntofastfood,manyotherseatathomemorefrequentlytosavemoney.DavidPalmer,ananalystatUBS,abank,sayssmallerfast-foodchainsinAmerica,suchasJackintheBoxandCarl'sJr.,havebeenhitparticularlyhardinthisdownturnbecausetheyarecompetingwiththeglobalgiantMcDonald's,whichincreasedspendingonadvertisingbymorethan7%lastyearasotherscutback.[E]Somefast-foodcompaniesalsosacrificedtheirownprofitsbytryingtogivecustomersbettervalue.Duringtherecessioncompaniessetpriceslow,hopingthatoncetheyhadtemptedcustomersthroughthedoortheywouldbepersuadedtoordermoreexpensiveitems.Butinmanycasesthatstrategydidnotwork.LastyearBurgerKingfranchisees(特許經(jīng)營人)sued(起訴)thecompanyoveritsdouble-cheeseburgerpromotion,claimingitwasunfairforthemtoberequiredtosellthesefor$1whentheycost$1.10tomake.InMayajudgeruledinfavourofBurgerKing.Nevertheless,thecompanymaystillbecursingitsdecisiontopromotecheapchoicesovermoreexpensiveonesbecauseitemsonits"valuemenu"mowaccountforaround20%ofallsales,upfrom12%lastOctober.[F]Analystsexpectthefast-foodindustrytogrowmodestlythisyear.Butthedownturnismakingcompaniesrethinktheirstrategies.Manyarenowintroducinghigher-priceditemstoentice(引誘)consumersawayfrom$1specials.KFC,adivisionofYum!Brands,whichalsoownsTacoBellandPizzaHut,haslaunchedachickensandwichthatcostsaround$5.AndinMayBurgerKingintroducedbarbecue(燒烤)porkribsat$7foreight.[G]Companiesarealsotryingtogetcustomerstobuynewandmoreitems,includingdrinks,McDonald'sstartedsellingbettercoffeeasachallengetoStarbucks.Its"McCafe"linenowaccountsforanestimated6%ofsalesinAmerica.StarbuckshassoldrightstoitsSeattle'sBestcoffeebrandtoBurgerKing,whichwillstartsellingitlaterthisyear.[H]Asfast-foodcompaniesshiftfrom"supersize"to"morebuys",theyneedtokeepcustomertraffichighthroughouttheday.Manyseebreakfastasabigopportunity,andjustforfattyfood.McDonald'swillstartsellingporridge(粥)inAmericanextyear.Breakfasthasthepotentialtobeveryprofitable,saysSaraSenatoreofBernstein,aresearchfirm,becausethemarginscanbehigh.Fast-foodcompaniesarealsoaddingmiddayandlate-nightsnacks,suchasblendeddrinksandwraps.Theideaisthatbyhavingagreaterrangeofthingsonthemenu."wecanselltoconsumersproductstheywantallday,"saysRickCarucci,thechieffinancialoffersofYun!Brands.[I]Butwhenaboutthosegrowingwaistlines?Sofar,fast-foodfirmshavecleverlyavoidedgovernmentregulation.Byprovidinghealthyoptions,likesaladsandlow-caloriesandwiches,theyhaveatleastgiventheimpressionofdoingsomethingabouthelpingtofightobesity(肥胖癥).Theseofferingsarenotnecessarilyloss-leaders,astheybroadentheappealofoutletstogroupsofdinersthatincludesomepeoplewhodon'twanttoeataburger.Butcustomerscannotbeforcedtoordersaladsinsteadoffries.[J]Inthefuture,simplyofferingahealthyoptionmaynotbegoodenough."Everypackaged-foodandrestaurantcompanyIknowisconcernedaboutregulationrightnow,"saysMr.PalmerofUBS.America'shealth-reformbill,whichCongresspassedthisyear,requiresrestaurantchainswith20ormoreoutletstoputthecalorie-contentofitemstheyservetothemenu.AstudybytheNationalBureauofEconomicResearch,whichtrackedtheeffectsonStarbucksofasimilarcalorie-postinglawinNewYorkCityin2023,foundthattheaveragecalorie-amountpertransactionfell6%andrevenueincreased3%atStarbucksstoreswhereaDunkinDonutsoutletwasnearby—asign,itissaid,thatmenu-labellingcouldfavourchainsthathavemorehealthyofferings.[K]InordertoavoidotherlegislationinAmericaandelsewhere,fast-foodcompanieswillhavetocontinueinnovating(創(chuàng)新),WaitRikerofMcDonald'sclaimsthechangeithasmadeinitsmenumeansitoffersmorehealthyitemsthanitdidafewyearsago,"Weprobablysellmorevegetables,moremilk,moresalads,someapplesthananyrestaurantbusinessintheworld,"hesays.ButtherecentproposalbyacountyinCaliforniatobanMcDonald'sfromincludingtoysinitshigh-calorie"HappyMeals",becauselegislatorsbelieveitattractschildrentounhealthyfood,suggestthereisalotmorelefttodo.47.SomepeopleproposelawsbemadetostopMcDonald'sfromattachingtoystoitsfooditsfoodspecialsforchildren.48.Fast-foodfirmsmaynotbeabletocopewithpressuresfromfoodregulationinthenearfuture.49.BurgerKingwillstarttosellSeattle'sBestcoffeetoincreasesales.50.Somefast-foodfirmprovidehealthyfoodtogivetheimpressiontheyarehelpingtotackletheobesityproblem.51.Duringtherecession,manycustomersturnedtofastfoodtosavemoney.52.Manypeopleeatoutlessoftentosavemoneyintimesofrecession.53.Duringtherecession,BurgerKing'spromotionalstrategyofofferinglow-priceditemsoftenprovedineffective.54.Fast-foodrestaurantscanmakealotofmoneybysellingbreakfast.55.Manyfast-foodcompaniesnowexpecttoincreasetheirrevenuebyintroducinghigher-priceditems.56.Anewly-passedlawasksbigfast-foodchainstospecifythecaloriecountofwhattheyserveonthemenu.SectionCPassageOneIfyouthinkahigh-factorsunscreen(防曬霜)keepsyousafefromharmfulrays,youmaybewrong.Researchinthisweek'sNatureshowsthatwhilefactor50reducesthenumberofmelanomas(黑瘤)anddelaystheiroccurrence,itcan'tpreventthem.Melanomasarethemostaggressiveskincancers.Youhaveahigherriskifyouhaveredorblondhair,fairskin,blueorgreeneyes,orsunburneasily,orifacloserelativehashadone.Melanomasaremorecommonifyouhaveperiodicintenseexposuretothesun.Otherskincancersareincreasinglylikelywithlong-termexposure.Thereiscontinuingdebateastohoweffectivesunscreenisinreducingmelanomas—theevidenceisweakerthanitisforpreventingothertypesofskincancer.A2023Australianstudyof1,621peoplefoundthatpeoplerandomlyselectedtoapplysunscreendailyhadhalftherateofmelanomasofpeoplewhousedcreamasneeded.Asecondstudy,comparing1,167peoplewithmelanomasto1,101whodidn'thavethecancer,foundthatusingsunscreenroutinely,alongsideotherprotectionsuchashats,longsleevesorstayingintheshade,didgivesomeprotection.Thisstudysaidotherformsofsunprotection—notsunscreen—seemedmostbeneficial.Thestudyreliedonpeoplerememberingwhattheyhaddoneovereachdecadeoftheirlives,soit'snotentirelyreliable.Butitseemsreasonabletothinksunscreengivespeopleafalsesenseofsecurityinthesun.Manypeoplealsodon'tusesunscreenproperly-applyinginsufficientamounts,failingtoreapplyafteracoupleofhoursandstayinginthesuntoolong.Itissunburnthatismostworrying-recentshowsfiveepisodesofsunburnintheteenageyearsincreasestheriskofallskincancers.Thegoodnewsisthatacombinationofsunscreenandcoveringupcanreducemelanomarates,asshownbyAustralianfiguresfromtheirslip-slop-slapcampaign.Soifthereisaheatwavethissummer,itwouldbebestforus,too,tosliponashirt,slopon(抹上)sunscreenandslaponahat.56.Whatispeople'scommonexpectationofahigh-factorsunscreen?A.Itwilldelaytheoccurrenceofskincancer.B.Itwillprotectthemfromsunburn.C.Itwillkeeptheirskinsmoothandfair.D.Itwillworkforpeopleofanyskincolor.57.WhatdoestheresearchinNaturesayaboutahigh-factorsunscreen?A.Itisineffectiveinpreventingmelanomas.B.Itisineffectiveincaseofintensesunlight.C.Itisineffectivewithlong-termexposure.D.Itisineffectiveforpeoplewithfairskin.58.Whatdowelearnfromthe2023Australianstudyof1,621people?A.Sunscreenshouldbeappliedalongsideotherprotectionmeasures.B.High-riskpeoplebenefitthemostfromtheapplicationofsunscreen.C.Irregularapplicationofsunscreendoeswomenmoreharmthangood.D.Dailyapplicationofsunscreenhelpsreducetheincidenceofmelanomas.59.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutthesecondAustralianstudy?A.Itmisleadspeopletorelyonsunscreenforprotection.B.Ithelpspeopletoselectthemosteffectivesunscreen.C.Itisnotbasedondirectobservationofthesubjects.D.ItconfirmstheresultsofthefirstAustralianstudy.60.Whatdoestheauthorsuggesttoreducemelanomarates?A.Usingbothcoveringupandsunscreen.B.Stayingintheshadewheneverpossible.C.Usingcoveringupinsteadofsunscreen.D.Applyingtherightamountofsunscreen.PassageTwoAcrosstherichworld,well-educatedpeopleincreasinglyworklongerthantheless-skilled.Some65%ofAmericanmenaged62-74withaprofessionaldegreeareintheworkforce,comparedwith32%ofmenwithonlyahigh-schoolcertificate.Thisgapispartofadeepeningdividebetweenthewell-educatedwell-offandtheunskilledpoor.Rapidtechnologicaladvancehasraisedtheincomesofthehighlyskilledwhilesqueezingthoseoftheunskilled.Theconsequences,forindividualsandsociety,areprofound.Theworldisfacinganastonishingriseinthenumberofoldpeople,andtheywilllivelongerthaneverbefore.Overthenext20yearstheglobalpopulationofthoseaged65ormorewillalmostdouble,from600millionto1.1billion.Theexperienceofthe20thcentury,whengreaterlongevity(長壽)translatedintomoreyearsinretirementratherthanmoreyearsatwork,haspersuadedmanyobserversthatthisshiftwillleadtoslowereconomicgrowth,whiletheswellingranksofpensionerswillcreategovernmentbudgetproblems.Butthenotionofasharpdivisionbetweentheworkingyoungandtheidleoldmissesanewtrend,thegrowinggapbetweentheskilledandtheunskilledpeople,whereasolderskilledfolkareworkinglonger.ThedivideismostextremeinAmerica,wherewell-educatedbaby-boomers(二戰(zhàn)后生育高峰期出生旳美國人)areputtingoffretirementwhilemanyless-skilledyoungerpeoplehavedroppedoutoftheworkforce.Policyispartlyresponsible.ManyEuropeangovernmentshaveabandonedpoliciesthatusedtoencouragepeopletoretireearly.Risinglifeexpectancy(預期壽命),combinedwiththereplacementofgenerousdefined-benefitpensionplanswithlessgenerousdefined-contributionones,meansthateventhebetter-offmustworklongertohaveacomfortableretirement.Butthechangingnatureofworkalsoplaysabigrole.Payhasrisensharplyforthehighlyeducated,andthosepeoplecontinuetoreaprichrewardsintooldagebecausethesedaystheeducatedelderlyaremoreproductivethantheprecedinggeneration.Technologicalchangemaywellreinforcethatshift:theskillsthatcompleme