2020年12月英语四级真题第2套

PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions;Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteonthetopicChangesintheWayofTransportation.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartIListeningComprehension(25minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B~),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.1.A)Hewantedtobuyahome.C)Helostahugesumofmoney.B)Hesufferedfromashock.D)Hedidanunusualgooddeed.2.A)Invitethewaitertoafancydinner.C)Givesomemoneytothewaiter.B)TellherstorytotheDailyNews.D)Paythewaiter’sschooltuition,Questions3and4arebasedonthenewsreporyouhavejustheard.3.A)Whetherornottomovetothestate’!mainland.B)Howtokeepthevillagefromsinkingintothesea.C)Wheretogetthefundsforrebuildingtheirvillage.D)Whattodoabouttherisingleveloftheseawater.4.A)Ittakestoolongatime.C)Ithastowaitforthestate’sfinalapproval.B)Itcoststoomuchmoney.D)Itfacesstrongoppositionfrommanyvillagers.Questions5to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.5.A)Toinvestigatewhetherpeoplearegratefulforhelp.B)Toseewhetherpeopleholddoorsopenforstrangers.C)Toexplorewaysofinducinggratitudeinpeople.D)Tofindouthowpeopleexpressgratitude.6.A)Theyinducedstrangerstotalkwiththem.B)Theyhelped15to20peopleinabadmood.C)Theyhelddoorsopenforpeopleatvariousplaces.D)Theyinterviewedpeoplewhodidn’tsaythankyou.7.A)Peoplecanbeeducatedtobegrateful.C)Mostpeoplehavebaddaysnowandthen.B)Mostpeopleexpressgratitudeforhelp.D)Peopleareungratefulwheninabadmood.pg&2020*£12R24SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),OandD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.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.•IB)SpendingChristmaswithAustralians.D)Learningmoreaboutwinemaking.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.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.20201225Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A)Itgivesbirthtoseveralbabiesatatime.C)Itsbreedinggroundsarenowbetterpreserved.B)Itistheleastprotectedmammalspecies.D)Itspopulationisnowshowingsignsofincrease20.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)Theyhaveeatenfoodincompatiblewithmilk25.A)Itiseasierforsickpeopletodigest.C)Itishealthierthanotheranimalproducts.B)Itprovidessomenecessarynutrients.D)Itsuppliesthebodywithenoughcalories.PartH[ReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Whenmysoncompletesatask,Ican’thelpbutpraisehim.It’sonlynaturaltogivepraisewherepraiseisdue,right?Butistheresuchathingastoomuchpraise?AccordingtopsychologistKatherinePhillip,childrendon’tbenefitfrom26praiseasmuchaswe’dliketothink.“Parents’oftenpraise,believingtheyarebuildingtheirchild’sself-confidence.However,over-praisingcanhavea27effect,”saysPhillip.“Whenweusethesamepraise28___,itmaybecomeemptyandnolongervaluedbythechild.Itcanalsobecomeanexpectationthatanythingtheydomustbe29___withpraise.Thismayleadtothechildavoidingtakingrisksduetofearof30__theirparents.”Doesthismeanweshoulddoawaywithallthepraise?Phillipsaysno.“Thekeytohealthypraiseistofocusontheprocessratherthanthe31___.Itistherecognitionofachild’sattempt,ortheprocessinwhichtheyachievedsomething,thatisessential,”shesays.“Parentsshouldencouragetheirchildtotaketherisksneededtolearnandgrow.”Sohowdowebreakthe32___ofpraisewe’reallsoaccustomedto?Phillipsaysit’simportantto33between“personpraise”and“processpraise”.“Personpraiseis34___sayinghowgreatsomeoneis.It’saformofpersonalapproval.Processpraiseisacknowledgementoftheeffortstheperson0®2020^12^26hasjust35Childrenwhoreceivepersonpraisearemorelikelytofeelshameafterlosing,”saysPhillip.A)chooseF)experiencedK)repeatedlyB)constantG)negativeL)rewardedC)disappointingH)outcomeM)separatelyD)distinguishI)patternN)simplyE)exhaustingJ)pluralO)undertakenSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.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.It’sAnnaLandre,adisabledGeorgetownUniversitystudentfightingtokeephealthbenefitsthatallowherthefreedomtoliveherlife.It’sTiffanieStandard,acounselorforyoungwomenofcolorinPhiladelphiawhowanttobetechentrepreneurs—butwhomustworkmultiplejobstostayafloat.It’sKenOutlaw,awelderinruralNorthCarolinawhosedreamofgoingbacktoschoolatalocalcommunitycollegewasdashedbyHurricaneFlorence—justoneoftheextremeweathereventsthathavetippedthebalanceforstrugglingAmericansacrossthenation.D)Ifthesearethecentralcharactersofourstoryaboutpoverty,whatlayersofperceptions,myths,andrealitiesmustweunearthtofindmeaningfulsolutionsandsupport?Inpursuitofrevealingthiscomplicatedreality,MotheringJustice,ledbywomenofcolor,wentlastyeartothestatecapitalinLansing,Michigan,tolobbyonissuesthataffectworkingmothers.OneoftheMotheringJusticeorganizerswenttotheofficeofastaterepresentativetotalkaboutthelackofaffordablechildcare—thevestiges(.&0Dofasystemthatexpectedmotherstostayhomewiththeirchildrenwhiletheirhusbandsworked.Alegislativestafferdismissedtheactivist’sconcerns,tellingher“myhusbandtookcareofthat—Istayedhome.”E)Thatcomment,saysMotheringJusticedirectorDanielleAtkinson,“wasmeanttoshame”andreliedonthefamiliarnotionthatawomanofcolorconcernedaboutincomeinequalityandprogramsthatpromotemobilitymustbydefinitionbeasinglemom,probablywithmultiplekids.Inthiscase,theMotheringJusticeactivisthappenedtobemarried.AndinmostcasesintheAmericaof2019,theimagesthatcometomindwhenwehearthewordspovertyorincomeinequalityfailmiserablyin202012Jj27reflectingacomplicatedreality;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,asrealwageshavestagnatedforallbuttheverywealthyandtemporaryspellsoffinancialinstabilityarenotuncommon.I)Negativeimagesremainofwhoislivinginpovertyaswellaswhatisneededtomoveoutofit.ThebigAmericanmythisthatyoucanpullyourselfupbyyourowneffortsandchangeabadsituationintoagoodone.Therealityisthatfindingopportunitywithouthelpfromfamilies,friends,schools,andcommunityisvirtuallyimpossible.Andtheplayingfieldisnothingclosetolevel.J)TheFrameWorksInstitute,aresearchgroupthatfocusesonpublicframingofissues,hasstudiedwhatsustainsstereotypesandnarrativesofpovertyintheUnitedKingdom.“Peoplevieweconomicsuccessandwellbeinginlifeasaproductofchoice,willpower,anddrive,”saysNatKendall-Taylor,CEOofFrameWorks.“Whenweseepeoplewhoarestruggling,”hesays,thoseassumptions“leadustotheperceptionthatpeopleinpovertyarelazy,theydon’tcare,andtheyhaven’tmadetherightdecisions.”,K)Doesthissoundfamiliar?SimilarideassurroundpovertyintheU.S.Andtheseassumptionsgiveafalsepictureofreality.“Whenpeopleenterintothatpatternofthinking,”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,20201228orwhenhoursofalow-wagejobfluctuate.P)Somethingeachofuscandoistotreateachotherwiththedignityandsympathythatisdeservedandtounderstanddeeplythattheissueofpovertytouchesallofus.36.Onelegislativestafferassumedthatawomanofcolorwhoadvocatedaffordablechildcaremustbeasinglemother.37.Peoplefromdifferentraces,genders,andregionsallsufferfromalackoffinancialsecurity.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,trafficjams,andvending-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,participantsgavemoreandmoreinventiveanswerstoM202012ft29combatboredom.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,IW20201230governmentshaveprotectedandpromotedforestsfordiversereasons,rangingfromtheneedforwoodenwarshipstoadesiretopromotesuburbanhouse-building.Nowadaysforestsareincreasinglywelcomebecausetheysuckincarbonpollutionfromtheair.Thejustificationschange;thedesireformoretreesremainsconstant.ThegreeningoftheWestdoesnotdelighteveryone.Farmerscomplainthatlandisbeingtakenoutofusebygenerouslysubsidisedtreeplantations.PartsofSpainandPortugalsufferfromterribleforestfires.Otherssimplydisliketheappearanceofforestsplantedinneatrows.Theywillhavetogetusedtothetrees,however.ThegrowthofWesternforestsseemsalmostasunstoppableasdeforestationelsewhere.51.Whatiscatchingenvironmentalists’attentionnowadays?A)Richcountriesarestrippingpooronesoftheirresources.B)Forestsarefastshrinkinginmanydevelopingcountries.C)Forestsareeatingawaythefertilefarmlandworldwide.D)Richcountriesaredoinglittletoaddressdeforestation.52.Whichcountrieshavethefastestforestgrowth?A)Thosethathavenewlyachievedindependence.B)Thosethathavethegreatestdemandfortimber.C)Thosethatusedtohavethelowestforestcoverage.D)Thosethatprovideenormousgovernmentsubsidies.53.Whathasencouragedforestgrowthhistorically?A)Thegovernment’sadvocacy.B)Theuseofwoodforfuel.C)Thefavourableclimate.D)Thegreenmovement.54.Whataccountsforourincreasingdesireforforests?A)Theiruniquescenicbeauty.B)Theiruseasfruitplantations.C)Theircapabilityofimprovingairquality.D)Theirstablesupplyofbuildingmaterials.55.Whatdoestheauthorconcludeabouttheprospectsofforestation?A)Desertsinsub-SaharanAfricawilldiminishgradually.B)Itwillplayamoreandmoreimportantroleinpeople’slives.C)Forestdestructioninthedevelopingworldwillquicklyslowdown.D)Developedanddevelopingcountriesaremovinginoppositedirections.PartKTranslation(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.YoushouldwriteyouransweronAnswerSheet2.E&20201231