英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試閱讀真題及

英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試閱讀真題及英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試閱讀真題及英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試閱讀真題及2021年12月英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試閱讀真題及答案2021年12月英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試閱讀真題及答案PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Fordecades,AmericanshavetakenforgrantedtheXXXXdevelopmentofnewtechnologies.Theinnovations(創(chuàng)新)XXXXopmentduringWorldWarIIandafterwardswere(36)_____totheprosperityofthenationinthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury.Thoseinnovations,uponwhichvirtuallyallaspectsof(37)_____societynowdepend,werepossiblebecausetheUnitedStatesthen(38)_____theworldinmathematicsandscienceeducation.Today,however,despiteincreasingdemandforworkerswithstrongskillsinmathematicsandscience,the(39)_____ofdegreesawardedinscience,math,andengineeringaredecreasing.ThedeelingindegreeproductioninwhatarecalledtheSTEMdisciplines(science,technology,engineering,andmath.)seemstobe(40)_____relatedtothecomparativelyweakperformancebyU.S.schoolchildrenoninternationalassessmentsofmathandscience.Manystudentsenteringcollegehaveweakskillsinmathematics.Accordingtothe2005reportoftheBusinessHigherEducationForum,22percentofcollegefreshmenmusttakeremediat(補(bǔ)習(xí))math(41)_____,andlessthanhalfofthestudentswhoplantomajorinscienceorengineering(42)_____completeamajorinthosefields.TheresulthasbeenadecreaseinthenumberofAmericancollegegraduateswhohavetheskills,(43)_____inmathematics,topoweraworkforcethatcankeepthecountryattheforefront(前言)ofinnovationandmaintainitsstandardofliving.Withthe(44)_____performanceofAmericanstudentsinmathandsciencehascomeincreasedcompetitionfromstudentsfromothercountriesthathavestronglysupportededucationintheseareas.Manymorestudentsearn(45)_____intheSTEMdisciplinesindevelopingcountriesthanintheUnitedStates.SectionBDirections：Inthissection，youaregoingtoreadaOnatrainlastThursday,Isatoppositeamanwhowassofathefilledmorethanoneseat.Hewaspaleanddisfiguredandlookedsicktodeath,whichheprobablywasobesity(肥胖的)leadstomanynastywaysofdying.Lookingaroundthecarriage,Isawquiteafewpeoplelikehim,includingacoupleoffattychildrenwithswollencheckspressingagainsttheireyes.Thesepeoplearepartofwhatiswithoutexaggerationanepidemic(流行病)ofobesity.

：[B]Butitisquiteunnecessary：thereisasimpleidea-farfromnew-thatcouldsparemillionsofsuchpeoplealifetimeofchronic(長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)的)illhealth,andatthesametimesavetheNationalHealthService(NHS)atleast￡14billionayearinEnglandandWales.Therewould,youmightthink,beconsiderablepublicinterestinit.Thissimpleideaisthatsugarisasgood-orasbad-aspoisonandshouldbeavoided.Itispure,whiteanddeadly,asProfessorJohnYudkindescribedit40yearsagoinarevolutionarybookofthatname.ThesubtitlewasHowSugarIsKillingUs.[C]Initscountlesshiddenforms,inreadymeals,junkfoodandsweetdrinks,sugarleadstoaddiction(癮),tohormonalupsetstotheappetite,tometabolic(新陳代謝)malfunctionsandobesityandfromtheretotype2diabetes(糖尿病)anditsmanyhorriblecomplication.Ifpeoplereallygraspedthat,theywouldtrytokickthehabit,particularlyasBritainisthe―fatmanofEurope‖.Theymightevenfeeldriventosupportgovernmentmeasurestopreventpeoplefromconsumingthisdeadlystuff.Yetsofarthisideahasmetlittlebutresistance.[D]Itisnotdifficulttoimaginethevestedinterests(既得利益企業(yè))linedupagainstanysugarcontrol-allthefoodanddrinkmanufacturers,processors,promotersandretailerswhomakesucheasypickingsoutofthemagicpowersofsugar.Thentherearetheliberals,withwhomIwouldnormallyside,whoprotestthatgovernmentregulationwouldbeyetanotherinstanceofinterferenceinourlives.[E]Thatistrue,butpeopleshouldrealizethatyoucannothaveawelfarestatewithoutanannystate(保姆國(guó)家tosomedegree.Ifwearealltoberesponsibleforoneanother’shealthinsurance,throughsocializedmedicine,thenweareallcloselyinvolvedinoneanother’shealth,

),includingeveryone’seatinganddrinking.Thathasalreadybeenadmitted,finally,withsmoking.Butithasyettobeadmittedwithovereating,eventhoughoneinfouradultsinthiscountryisobeseandthatnumberispredictedtodoublebytheyear2050.Quiteapartfromanythingelse,obesitywillcrippletheNHS.[F]Recently,though,therehavebeensignsthatthemedicalestablishmentistryingtosoundthealarm.LastmonththeAcademyofMedicalRoyalColleges(AMRC)publishedareportsayingthatobesityisthegreatestpublichealthissueaffectingtheUKandurginggovernmenttodosomething.[G]Thereportoffers10recommendations,ofwhichthefirstisimposingataxof20percentonsugarydrinksforatleastayear,ontopoftheexisting20percentvalue-addedtax.Thatatleastwouldbeanexcellentstart.Theamountsofsugarinsoftdrinksarehorrifying,andturnstraighttofat.AsProfessorTerenceStephenson,headoftheAMRC,hassaid,sugarysoftdrinksare―theultimatebadfood.Youarejustconsumingneatsugar.Yourbodydidn’tevolvetohanthiskindofthing.‖

dle[H]Precisely.Therisksofeatingtoomuchfatorsalt(whichareverydifferent)paleintoinsignificantcomparedwiththeharmdonebysugar.Anditiseverywhere.[I]Itisdifficulttobuyanythinginasupermarket,otherthanplain,unpreparedmeat,fishorvegetables,thatdoesn’thavealargeamountofsugarinit.Thishascomeaboutbecausetheprevailingscientificviewsofthe1960sand1970signoredtheevidenceaboutsugar,andinsteadsawfatasthereallyseriousrisk,bothtotheheartandotherorgans,aswellasthecauseofobesity.[J]Thefashionwastoavoidfat.Butfindingthatfoodwithmuchofitsfatremovedisnotveryappetizing,foodproducersturnedtosugarasamagicalternativeflavorenhancer,oftenintheformsofsyrups(糖漿)thathadrecentlybeendevelopedfromcorn,erfereswiththebody’smetabolism,possiblyviatheactivityofanappetite-controllinghormone.There’splentyofevidenceforthis,forthosewhowillacceptthetruth.[L]Theoretically,peopleoughttomake―healthychoices‖andavoidovereating.Butsugaradditivesarenoteasytoidentifyandarehardtoavoid.Sothesnacking,over-drinkingandovereatingthatmakespeoplefatisnotreallytheirownfault：obesityisinlargepartsomethingthatisbeingdonetothem.Itshouldbestopped,orratherthegovernmentshouldstopit.[M]Goingroundmylocalsupermarket,Iamconstantlyastonishedthatitisstilllegaltosellallthepoisonsstackedhighontheshelves.Theproblemisthattheyareworsethanuseless.Theyarepoisonous.Theyareknowntobeaddictive.Theyareknowntomakepeopleobese.Andgivingsmallchildrensweetdrinksorbottlesoffakejuicealldaylongisnothinglessthanchildabuse.[N]Clearly,thesaleofsuchstuffoughttobeillegal.Ihatetothinkofyetmoregovernmentregulation.Butabitoftaxonsweetsodaandalittlemorehealtheducation,abitofcookinginschoolsandbanningvendingmachines(機(jī))hereandthere—assuggestedtrytheAMRCreport

自動(dòng)售貨—isnotgoingtoachieveverymuch.Labellingisquiteinadequate.Whatisneededislegislationbanninghighlevelsofsugarysyrupsusedinfoodsanddrinks.[O]InJune2021,thethenministerforpublichealthsaidthegovernmentwasnotscaredofthefoodindustryandhadnotruledoutlegislation,becauseofthecostsofobesitytotheNHS.However,nothinghashappenedyet.WhynothaveanotherJammieDodgerbiscuitandforgetaboutit.46、Avoidingover-consumptionofsugarcanimprovepeople’shealthaswellassavemedicalexpenses.47、Lawsshouldbepassedtomakeitillegaltoproduceoverlysweetfoodsordrinks.48、Givingsmallchildrensweetjuicestodrinkallthetimeisequaltochildabuse.59、Lookingaround,theauthorfoundobesityquitewidespread.50、Thenumberofobesepeopleisexpectedtoincreasequicklyinthenextfewdecades.51、Ifpeoplereallyunderstoodthehorribleconsequencesofsugaryfoodsanddrinks,theywouldsupportgovernmentmeasuresagainstsugarconsumption.52、Itwouldbeaverygoodbeginningwoimproveanadditionaltaxonsugarydrinks.53、Thegovernmenthasnotyettakenanyactiontoregulatesugarconsumptionalthoughitindicateditsintentiontodososometimeago.54、Sugarisfarmoreharmfultohealththanfatandsalt.55、Consumersofsweetfoodsarenotreallytoblamebecausetheycannottellwhatfoodissugary.SectionCDirections：Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.TheriseoftheInternethasbeenoneofthemosttransformativedevelopmentsinhumanhistory,comparableinimpacttotheinventionoftheprintingpressandthetelegraph.Overtwobillionpeopleworldwidenowhaveaccesstovastlymoreinformationthaneverbefore,andcancommunicatewitheachotherinstantly,oftenusingWeb-connectedmobiledevicestheycarryeverywhere.ButtheInternet’stremendousimpactshasonlyjustbegun.―MassadoptionoftheInternetisdrivingoneofthemostexcitingsocial,cultural,andpoliticaltransformationsinhistory,andunlikeearlierperiodsofchange,thistimetheeffectsarefullyglobal,‖SchmidtandCohenwriteintheirnewbook.TheNewDigitalAge.PerhapsthemostprofoundchangeswillcomewhenthefivebillionpeopleworldwidewhocurrentlylackInternetaccessgetonline.TheauthorsdoanexcellentjobofexaminingtheimplicationsoftheInternetrevolutionforindividuals,governments,andinstitutionslikethenewsmedia.Butifthebookhasonemajorshortcoming,it’sthatauthorsdon’tspendenoughtimeapplyingacriticaleyetotheroleofInternetbusinessesintheseweepingchanges.Intheirbook,theauthorsprovidethemostauthoritativevolumetodatethatdescribes—andmoreimportantlypredicts—howtheInternetwillshapeourlivesinthecomingdecades.Theypaintapictureofaworldinwhichindividuals,companies,institutions,andgovernmentsmustdealwithtworealities,onephysical,andonevirtual.Atthecoreofthebookistheideathat―technologyisneutral,butpeoplearen’t.‖Byusingthisconceptasastartingpoint,theauthorsaimtomovebeyondthenowfamiliaroptimistvs.pessimistdichotomy(對(duì)峙看法)thathascharacterizedmanyrecentdebatesaboutwhethertheriseoftheInternetwillultimatelybegoodorbadforsociety.InaninterviewwithTIMEearlierthisweek,Cohensaidalthoughheandhisco-authorareoptimisticaboutmanyaspectsoftheInternet,they’realsorealisticabouttherisksanddangersthatlieaheadwhenthenextfivebillionpeoplecomeonline,particularlywithrespecttopersonalprivacyandstatesurveillance(監(jiān)察).56、InwhatwayistheriseoftheInternetsimilartotheinventionoftheprintingpressandthetelegraph?A.Ittransformshumanhistory.B.Itfacilitatesdailycommunication.C.Itisadoptedbyallhumanity.D.Itrevolutionizespeople'sthinking.57、HowdoSchmidtandCohendescribetheeffectsoftheInternet?A.Theyareimmeasurable.B.Theyareworldwide.C.Theyareunpredictable.D.Theyarecontaminating58、InwhatrespectisthebookTheNewDigitalAgeconsideredinadequate?A.ItfailstorecognizetheimpactoftheInternettechnology.B.ItfailstolookintothesocialimplicationsoftheInternet.C.ItlacksanobjectiveevaluationoftheroleofInternetbusinesses.D.ItdoesnotaddressthetechnicalaspectsofInternetcommunication.59、Whatwillthefuturebelikewheneverybodygetsonline?A.Peoplewillbelivingintwodifferentrealities.B.Peoplewillhaveequalaccesstoinformation.C.Peopledon’thavetotraveltoseetheworld.D.Peopledon’thavetocommunicatefacetoface.60、WhatdoesthepassagesayabouttheauthorsofTheNewDigitalAge?A.TheyleavemanyquestionsunansweredconcerningtheInternet.B.TheyareoptimisticaboutthefutureoftheInternetrevolution.C.Theyhaveexploredtheunknownterritoriesofthevirtualworld.D.Theydon’ttakesidesinanalyzingtheeffectsoftheInternet.In1950,ayoungmanwouldhavefounditmucheasierthanitistodaytogetandkeepajobintheautoindustry.Andinthatyeartheaverageautoworkercouldmeetmonthlymortgage(抵押貸款)paymentsonanaveragehomewithjust13.4percentofhistake-homepay.Todayasimilarmortgagewouldclaimmorethantwicethatshareofhismonthlyeamings.Othermembersoftheautoworker’sfamily,howevermightbelessinclinedtotriedthepresentforthepast.Hisretiredparentswouldcertainlyhavehadlesseconomicsecuritybackthen.Through-outmuchofthe1960s,morethanaquarterofmenandwomenandwomenage65andolderlivedbelowthepovertylevel,comparedtolessthan10percentin2021.Inmoststales,hiswifecouldnothavetakenoutaloanoracardinherownname.In42states,ahomemakerhadnolegalclaimontheearningsofherhusband.Andnowheredidawifehavelegalprotectionagainstfamilyviolence.Mostblackworkerswouldnotwanttoreturntoatimewhen,onaveragetheyearned40percentlessthantheirwhitecounterparts(職位相當(dāng)?shù)娜?,whiteraciallyrestrictiveagreementslargelypreventedthemfrombuyingintothesuburbanneighborhoodsbeingbuiltforwhiteworkingfamilies.

–classToday,newproblemshaveemergedintheprocessofresolvingoldones,butthesolutionisnottogobacktothepast.Somepeoplemaylongforanerawhendivorcewasstillhardtocomeby.Thespreadofno-faultdivorcehasreducedthebargainingpowerofwhicheverspouseismoreinterestedincontinuingtherelationship.Andthebreakupofsuchmarriageshascausedpainformanyfamilies.Thegrowingdi