英語考級-2020年12月四級真題第2套

2020年12月英語四級第2套PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayonthetopicChangesinthewayofTransportation.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecenter.Questions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.1. A)Hewantedtobuyahome. C)Helostahugesumofmoney. B)Hesufferedfromashock. D)Hedidanunusualgooddeed.2. A)Invitethewaitertoafancydinner. C)Givesomemoneytothewaiter. B)TellherstorytotheDailyNews. D)Paythewaiter’sschooltuition.Questions3and4arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.3. A)Whetherornottomovetothestate’smainland. B)Howtokeepthevillagefromsinkingintothesea. C)Wheretogetthefundsforrebuildingtheirvillage. D)Whattodoabouttherisingleveloftheseawater.4. A)Ittakestoolongatime. C)Ithastowaitforthestate’sfinalapproval. B)Itcoststoomuchmoney. D)Itfacesstrongoppositionfrommanyvillagers.Questions5to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.5. A)Toinvestigatewhetherpeoplearegratefulforhelp.Toseewhetherpeopleholddoorsopenforstrangers. C)Toexplorewaysofinducinggratitudeinpeople.D)Tofindouthowpeopleexpressgratitude.6. A)Theyinducedstrangerstotalkwiththem. B)Theyhelped15to20peopleinabadmood. C)Theyhelddoorsopenforpeopleatvariousplaces. D)Theyinterviewedpeoplewhodidn’tsaythankyou.7. A)Peoplecanbeeducatedtobegrateful. C)Mostpeoplehavebaddaysnowandthen. B)Mostpeopleexpressgratitudeforhelp. D)Peopleareungratefulwheninabadmood.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationsandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecenter.Questions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.8. A)Toorderasolarpanelinstallation. C)Toenquireaboutsolarpanelinstallations. B)Toreportaseriousleakinhisroof. D)Tocomplainaboutthefaultysolarpanels.9. A)Heplanstoinstallsolarpanels. C）Hesaves$300ayear. B))Heownsafour-bedroomhouse.D)Hehasalargefamily.10. A)Theserviceofthesolarpanelcompany. C)Themaintenanceofthesolarpanels. B)Thecostofasolarpanelinstallation. D)Thequalityofthesolarpanels.11. A)Oneyearandahalf. C)Roughlysixyears. B)Lessthanfouryears. D)Aboutfiveyears.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12. A)Atatravelagency. C)Atanairlinetransferservice. B)AtanAustralianairport. D)Atalocaltransportationauthority.13. A)Shewouldbeabletovisitmorescenicspots. B)Shewantedtosaveasmuchmoneyaspossible. C)Shewouldliketohaveeverythingtakencareof. D)Shewantedtospendmoretimewithherfamily.14. A)Fourdays. C)Oneweek. B)Fivedays. D)Twoweeks.15. A)Choosingsomeactivitiesherself. C)DrivingalongtheGreatOceanRoad. B)SpendingChristmaswithAustralians. D)Learningmoreaboutwinemaking.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassagesandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecenter.Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16. A)Bringtheirownbagswhenshopping. C)Disposeoftheirtrashproperly. B)Usepublictransportwhentraveling. D)Payagreentaxuponarrival.17. A)Ithasnotbeendoingagoodjobinrecycling. B)Ithaswitnessedariseinaccidentaldrowning. C)Ithasnotattractedmanytouristsinrecentyears. D)Ithasexperiencedanoveralldeclineinairquality.18. A)Tochargeasmallfeeonplasticproductsinsupermarkets. B)Tobansingle-useplasticbagsandstrawsonBaliIsland. C)Topromotetheuseofpaperbagsforshopping. D)Toimposeapenaltyonanyonecaughtlittering.Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19. A)Itgivesbirthtoseveralbabiesatatime. B)Itistheleastprotectedmammalspecies. C)Itsbreedinggroundsarenowbetterpreserved. D)Itspopulationisnowshowingsignsofincrease.20. A)Globalwarming. C)Commercialhunting. B)Pollutedseawaters. D)Decreasingbirthrates.21. A)Tomate. C)Toescapehunters. B)Tolookforfood. D)Toseekbreedinggrounds.Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.22. A)Theyprefertodrinklow-fatmilk. C)Theyconsumelessmilkthesedays. B)Theythinkmilkisgoodforhealth. D)TheybuymoremilkthantheBritish.23.A)Itisnotashealthyasoncethought. C)Itbenefitstheelderlymore. B)Itisnoteasytostayfreshforlong. D)Ittendstomakepeoplefat.24. A)Theydrinktoomanypintseveryday. C)Theylackthenecessaryproteinstodigestit. B)Theyaresensitivetocertainminerals. D)Theyhaveeatenfoodincompatiblewithmilk.A)Itiseasierforsickpeopletodigest. C)Itishealthierthanotheranimalproducts. B)Itprovidessomenecessarynutrients. D)Itsuppliesthebodywithenoughcalories.PartⅢReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Whenmysoncompletesatask,Ican’thelpbutpraisehim.It’sonlynaturaltogivepraisewherepraiseisdue,right?Butistheresuchathingastoomuchpraise?AccordingtopsychologistKatherinePhillip,childrendon’tbenefitfrom26praiseasmuchaswe’dliketothink.“Parentsoftenpraise,believingtheyarebuildingtheirchild’sself-confidence.However,over-praisingcanhavea27effect,”saysPhillip.“Whenweusethesamepraise28,itmaybecomeemptyandnolongervaluedbythechild.Itcanalsobecomeanexpectationthatanythingtheydomustbe29withpraise.Thismayleadtothechildavoidingtakingrisksduetofearof30theirparents.”Doesthismeanweshoulddoawaywithallthepraise?Phillipsaysno.“Thekeytohealthypraiseistofocusontheprocessratherthanthe31.Itistherecognitionofachild’sattempt,ortheprocessinwhichtheyachievedsomething,thatisessential,”shesays.“Parentsshouldencouragetheirchildtotaketherisksneededtolearnandgrow.”Sohowdowebreakthe32ofpraisewe’reallsoaccustomedto?Phillipsaysit’simportantto33between“personpraise”and“processpraise”.“Personpraiseis34sayinghowgreatsomeoneis.Itsaformofpersonalapproval.Processpraiseisacknowledgementoftheeffortsthepersonhasjust35.Childrenwhoreceivepersonpraisearemorelikelytofeelshameafterlosing,”saysPhillip.A)chooseI)patternB)constantJ)pluralC)disappointingK)repeatedlyD)distinguishL)rewardedE)exhaustingM)separatelyF)experiencedN)simplyG)negativeO)undertakenH)outcomeSectionBDirections：Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymakingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.PovertyIsaStoryAboutUs,NotThemA)Toooftenstill,wethinkweknowwhatpovertylookslike.It’sthewaywe’vebeentaught,theimageswe’vebeenforce-fedfordecades.Thechronicallyhomeless.Theundocumentedimmigrant.Theurbanpoor,usuallypersonifiedasawomanofcolor,the“welfarequeen”politiciansstilltoooftenreference.B)ButasincomeinequalityrisestorecordlevelsintheUnitedStates,eveninthemidstofarecordeconomicexpansion,thosefamiliarimagesareoutdated,hurtful,andcounterproductivetofocusingattentiononsolutionsandbuildingladdersofopportunity.C)Today’sfacesofincomeinequalityandlackofopportunitylooklikeallofus.ItsAnnaLandre,adisabledGeorgetownUniversitystudentfightingtokeephealthbenefitsthatallowherthefreedomtoliveherlife.It’sTiffanieStandard,acounselorforyoungwomenofcolorinPhiladelphiawhowanttobetechentrepreneurs—butwhomustworkmultiplejobstostayafloat.It’sKenOutlaw,awelderinruralNorthCarolinawhosedreamofgoingbacktoschoolatalocalcommunitycollegewasdashedbyHurricaneFlorence—justoneoftheextremeweathereventsthathavetippedthebalanceforstrugglingAmericansacrossthenation.D)Ifthesearethecentralcharactersofourstoryaboutpoverty,whatlayersofperceptions,myths,andrealitiesmustweunearthtofindmeaningfulsolutionsandsupport?Inpursuitofrevealingthiscomplicatedreality,MotheringJustice,ledbywomenofcolor,wentlastyeartothestatecapitalinLansing,Michigan,tolobbyonissuesthataffectworkingmothers.OneoftheMotheringJusticeorganizerswenttotheofficeofastaterepresentativetotalkaboutthelackofaffordablechildcare—thevestiges(痕跡)ofasystemthatexpectedmotherstostayhomewiththeirchildrenwhiletheirhusbandsworked.Alegislativestafferdismissedtheactivistsconcerns,tellingher“myhusbandtookcareofthat—lstayedhome.”E)Thatcomment,saysMotheringJusticedirectorDanielleAtkinson,“wasmeanttoshame”andreliedonthefamiliarnotionthatawomanofcolorconcernedaboutincomeinequalityandprogramsthatpromotemobilitymustbydefinitionbeasinglemom,probablywithmultiplekids.Inthiscase,theMotheringJusticeactivisthappenedtobemarried.AndinmostcasesintheAmericaof2019,theimagesthatcometomindwhenwehearthewordspovertyorincomeinequalityfailmiserablyinreflectingacomplicatedreality:povertytouchesvirtuallyallofus.Thefaceofincomeinequality,forallbutaveryfewofus,istheoneweeachseeinthemirror.F)HowmanyofusarepoorintheU.S.?Itdependsonwhoyouask.AccordingtotheCensusBureau,38millionpeopleintheU.S.arelivingbelowtheofficialpovertythresholds.Takingintoaccounteconomicneedbeyondthatabsolutemeasure,theInstituteforPolicyStudiesfoundthat140millionpeoplearepoororlow-income.That’salmosthalftheU.S.population.G)Whateverthemeasure,withinthatmassivegroup,povertyisextremelydiverse.Weknowthatsomepeoplearemoreaffectedthanothers,likechildren,theelderly,peoplewithdisabilities,andpeopleofcolor.H)Butthefactthat4in10Americanscan’tcomeupwith$400inanemergencyisacommonlycitedstatisticforgoodreason:economicinstabilitystretchesacrossrace,gender,andgeography.Itevenreachesintothemiddleclasses,asrealwageshavestagnated(不增長)forallbuttheverywealthyandtemporaryspellsoffinancialinstabilityarenotuncommon.I)Negativeimagesremainofwhoislivinginpovertyaswellaswhatisneededtomoveoutofit.ThebigAmericanmythisthatyoucanpullyourselfupbyyourowneffortsandchangeabadsituationintoagoodone.Therealityisthatfindingopportunitywithouthelpfromfamilies,friends,schools,andcommunityisvirtuallyimpossible.Andtheplayingfieldisnothingclosetolevel.J)TheFrameWorksInstitute,aresearchgroupthatfocusesonpublicframingofissues,hasstudiedwhatsustainsstereotypesandnarrativesofpovertyintheUnitedKingdom.“Peoplevieweconomicsuccessandwellbeinginlifeasaproductofchoice,willpower，anddrive,”saysNatKendall-Taylor,CEOofFrameWorks.“Whenweseepeoplewhoarestruggling,”hesays,thoseassumptions“l(fā)eadustotheperceptionthatpeopleinpovertyarelazy,theydon’tcare,andtheyhaven’tmadetherightdecisions.”K)Doesthissoundfamiliar?SimilarideassurroundpovertyintheU.S.Andtheseassumptionsgiveafalsepictureofreality.“Whenpeopleenterintothatpattfernofthinking,”saysKendall-Taylor,“it’scognitivelycomfortabletomakesenseofissuesofpovertyinthatway.Itcreatesakindofcognitiveblindness—allofthefactorsexternaltoaperson’sdriveandchoicesthatthey’vemadebecomeinvisibleandfadefromview.”L)Thoseexternalfactorsincludethedifficultiesaccompanyinglow-wageworkorstructuraldiscriminationbasedonrace,gender,orability.Assumptionsgetworsewhenpeoplewhoarepoorusegovernmentbenefitstohelpthemsurvive.Thereisagreattensionbetween“thepoor”andthosewhoarereceivingwhathasbecomeadirtyword:“welfare.”M)AccordingtotheGeneralSocialSurvey,71percentofrespondentsbelievethecountryisspendingtoolittleon“assistancetothepoor”.Ontheotherhand,22percentthinkwearespendingtoolittleon“welfare”:37percentbelievewearespendingtoomuch.N)“Povertyhasbeeninterchangeablewithpeopleofcolor—specificallyblackwomenandblackmothers,”saysAtkinsonofMotheringJustice.It’struethatblackmothersaremoreaffectedbypovertythanmanyothergroups,yettheyaredisproportionatelythefaceofpoverty.Forexample,Americansroutinelyoverestimatetheshareofblackrecipientsofpublicassistanceprograms.O)Inreality,mostpeoplewillexperiencesomeformoffinancialhardshipatsomepointintheirlives.Indeed,peopletendtodipinandoutofpoverty,perhapsduetounexpectedobstacleslikelosingajob,orwhenhoursofalow-wagejobfluctuate.P)Somethingeachofuscandoistotreateachotherwiththedignityandsympathythatisdeservedandtounderstanddeeplythattheissueofpovertytouchesallofus.36.Onelegislativestafferassumedthatawomanofcolorwhoadvocatedaffordablechildcaremustbeasinglemother.37.Peoplefromdifferentraces,gendersandregionsallsufferfromalackoffinancialsecurity.38.Accordingtoasurvey,whilethemajoritybelievetoolittleassistanceisgiventothepoor,morethanathirdbelievetoomuchisspentonwelfare.,39.AresearchgrouphasfoundthatAmericanswhoarestrugglingarethoughttobelazyandtohavemadethewrongdecisions.40.UndertheoldsysteminAmerica,amotherwassupposedtostayhomeandtakecareofherchildren.41.Itwasfoundthatnearly50%ofAmericansarepoororreceivelowpay.42.Americansusuallyoverestimatethenumberofblacksreceivingwelfarebenefits.43.ItisimpossibleforAmericanstoliftthemselvesoutofpovertyentirelyontheirown.44.Nowadays,itseemsnoneofuscangetawayfromincomeinequality.45.Assumptionsaboutpoorpeoplebecomeevenmorenegativewhentheyliveonwelfare.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Boredomhas,paradoxically,becomequiteinterestingtoacademicslately.InearlyMay,London’sBoringConferencecelebratedsevenyearsofdelightingindullness.Atthisevent,peopleflockedtotalksaboutweather,trafficjamsandvending-machinesounds,amongothersleep-inducingtopics.What,exactly,iseverybodystudying?Onewidelyacceptedpsychologicaldefinitionofboredomis“thedistastefulexperienceofwanting,butbeingunable,toengageinsatisfyingactivity.”Buthowcanyouquantifyaperson’sboredomlevelandcompareitwithsomeoneelse’s?In1986,psychologistsintroducedtheBoredomPronenessScale,designedtomeasureanindividual’soveralltendencytofeelbored.Bycontrast,theMultidimensionalStateBoredomScale,developedin2008,measuresaperson’sfeelingsofboredominagivensituation.Boredomhasbeenlinkedtobehaviorissuesincludinginattentivedriving,mindlesssnacking,excessivedrinking,andaddictivegambling.Infact,manyofuswouldchoosepainoverboredom.Oneteamofpsychologistsdiscoveredthattwo-thirdsofmenandaquarterofwomenwouldratherself-administerelectricshocksthansitalonewiththeirthoughtsfor15minutes.Researchingthisphenomenon,anotherteamaskedvolunteerstowatchboring,sad,orneutralfilms,duringwhichtheycouldself-administerelectricshocks.Theboredvolunteersshockedthemselvesmoreandharderthanthesadorneutralonesdid.Butboredomisn’tallbad.Byencouragingself-reflectionanddaydreaming,itcanspurcreativity.Anearlystudygaveparticipantsabundanttimetocompleteproblem-solvingandword-associationexercises.Oncealltheobviousanswerswereexhausted,participantsgavemoreandmoreinventiveanswerstocombatboredom.ABritishstudytookthesefindingsonestepfurther,askingsubjectstocompleteacreativechallenge(comingupwithalistofalternativeusesforahouseholditem).Onegroupofsubjectsdidaboringactivityfirst,whiletheotherswentstraighttothecreativetask.Thosewhoseboredompumpshadbeenprimedweremoreproductive.Inouralways-connectedworld,boredommaybeahard-to-definestate,butitisafertileone.Watchpaintdryorwaterboil,oratleastputawayyoursmartphoneforawhile,andyoumightunlockyournextbigidea.46.Whenarepeoplelikelytoexperienceboredom,accordingtoanacceptedpsychologicaldefinition?A)Whentheydon’thavethechancetodowhattheywant.B)Whentheydon’tenjoythematerialstheyarestudying.C)Whentheyexperiencesomethingunpleasant.D)Whentheyengageinsomeroutineactivities.47.Whatdoestheauthorsayboredomcanleadto?A)Determination.C)Mentaldeterioration.B)Concentration.D)Harmfulconduct.48.Whatisthefindingofoneteamofpsychologistsintheirexperiment?A)Volunteerspreferwatchingaboringmovietosittingalonedeliberating.B)Manyvolunteerschoosetohurtthemselvesratherthanendureboredom.C)Malevolunteersaremoreimmunetotheeffectsofboredomthanfemales.D)Manyvolunteersareunabletoresistboredomlongerthanfifteenminutes.49.Whydoestheauthorsayboredomisn’tallbad?A)Itstimulatesmemorization.C)Itmaypromotecreativethinking.B)Itallowstimeforrelaxation.D)Itmayfacilitateindependentlearning.50.Whatdoestheauthorsuggestonedowhenfacedwithachallengingproblem?A)Stopidlingandthinkbig.C)Lookaroundoneselfforstimulation.B)Unlockone’ssmartphone.D)Allowoneselfsometimetobebored.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.ForestsincountrieslikeBrazilandtheCongogetalotofattentionfromenvironmentalists,anditiseasytoseewhy.SouthAmericaandsub-SaharanAfricaareexperiencingdeforestationonanenormousscale:everyyearalmost5millionhectaresarelost.ButforestsarealsochanginginrichWesterncountries.Theyaregrowinglarger,bothinthesensethattheyoccupymorelandandthatthetreesinthemarebigger.Whatisgoingon?ForestsarespreadinginalmostallWesterncountries,withthefastestgrowthinplacesthathistoricallyhadratherfewtrees.In199028%ofSpainwasforested;nowtheproportionis37%.InbothGreeceandItaly,thegrowthwasfrom26%to32%overthesameperiod.ForestsaregraduallytakingmorelandinAmericaandAustralia.PerhapsmostastonishingisthetrendinIreland.Roughly1%ofthatcountrywasforestedwhenitbecameindependentin1922.Nowforestscover11%oftheland,andthegovernmentwantstopushtheproportionto18%bythe2040s.Twothingsarefertilisingthisgrowth.Thefirstistheabandonmentoffarmland,especiallyinhigh,dryplaceswherenothinggrowsterriblywell.Whenfarmersgiveuptryingtoearnalivingfromfarmingorherding,treessimplymovein.Thesecondisgovernmentpolicyandsubsidy.Throughouthistory,governmentshavepro