英语四级真题及答案下载.

大学英语四级考试2024年6月真题(第一套)Part I Writing(30minutes) Directions:Suppose your university is seeking students'opinions on whether university libraries should be open to the public.You are now to write an essay to express your view.You will have30minutesfor the task.You should write at least120words but no more than180words.PartⅡListening Comprehension(25minutes) Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear three news reports.At the end ofeach news report,you will hear two or three questions.Both the news report and the questions will bespoken only once.Afier 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 Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Questions1and2are based on the news report you have just heard.1.A)Due to a fire alarm in their apartments.B)Because of the smoke and heat damage2.A)Investigating the cause of the incident.B)Helping search for the suspect of the crime.C)Due to the water used to extinguish the flames.D)Becauseof the collapse of the three-story building.C)Rescuing the businessmen trapped in the building.D)Checking town records for the property developer.Questions3and4are based on the news report you have just heard.3.A)It plays a less important role in one's health than nutrient intake.B)It impacts people's health to a lesser degree than sun exposure.C)It is associated with people's mental health conditionsD)It is linked with older adults'symptoms ofdepression4.A)It was indefinite C)It was straightforward.B)It was systematic.D)It was insignificant. Questions5to7are based on the news report you have just heard.5.A)It has helped solve several murder cases.B)It has become a star police dog in Beijing6.A)To speed up investigation into criminal cases.B)To test the feasibility of cloning technology.7.A)Cloning is too complicated a processB)The technology is yet to be accepted C)It has surpassed its mother in performance.D)It has done better than naturally born dogs.C)To cut down training expensesD)To reduce their training time.C)Cloning is ethically controversial.D)The technology is too expensive.Section BDirections:In this section,you will hear two long conversations.At the end ofeach conversation,you will hear four questions.Both the conversation and the questions will bespoken only once.After you hear a question,you1·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.Questions8to11are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A)He read it somewhere online.B)He heard about it from a coworker.9.A)His publications.B)His first book.10.A)Collect a lot more data.B)Relax a bit less often.11.A)Find out the show's most interesting episodesB)Watch the series together with the woman.C)He read an article reviewing it.D)He watched a TV series based on it.C)His addressD)His name.C)Clarify many new conceptsD)Read more reference books.C)Get an e-Copy of the book to read.D)Check to see when the show starts.Questions12to15are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A)To check the prices of his farm produce.B)To ask the way to the Newcastle City Hall.13.A)Bakers.B)Vendors14.A)The issuing of certificates to vendors.B)The completion of the baking task.15.A)The closing date of submission.C)To inquire about the vegetarian food festival.D)To seekthe man's help with her work on the farm.C)Vegetarians.D)OrganisersC)The festival they are organising.D)The deadline for application.C)The details of the ceremonyB)The website of his company.D)The organiser'saddressSection CDirections:In this section,you will hearthre passages.At the end ofeach passage,you will hear three or four questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.Afteryou hear a question,you must choose the bestanswer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centreQuestions16to18are based on the passage you havejust heard.16.A)Most scenic sites have been closed.B)Access to official campsites is limited17.A)It is strongly opposed by nearby residentsB)It leads to much waste of public money18.A)Look for open land in ScotlandB)Leave no trace of their camping C)Health experts advise going outdoors.D)People have more time during the summer.C)It has caused environmental concernsD)It has created conflicts among campers.C)Avoid getting close to wilderness.D)Ask for permission from authorities.Questions19to21are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A)They outcompete mythical creatures.B)They usually mind their own business.·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·C)They truly exist in the AmazonregionD)They resemble alarmingly large snakes 220.A)Scar tissue from dolphins'fighting.B)Skin infection from water pollution.21.A)It has been shrinking at an astonishing pace.C)Unhealed wounds from snake bites.D)Swimming along in seasonal floods.B)It has been placed under international protection.C)It has been appealing to both freshwater and sea dolphinsD)It has been abandoned as a battleground for male dolphins.Questions22to25are based on the passageyou have just heard.22.A)About58%of young adults call parental support the new normal.B)Most adult children enjoy increasing sources of financial supportC)A full70%of the young adults cannot afford to buy a car by themselves.D)Most early adults cannot sustain their lifestyles without parental support23.A)It renders them dependent.C)It makes them mentally immature.B)It causes them to lose dignity.D)It hinders them from getting ahead.24.A)It challenges one's willpower C)It calls for due assistance.B)It results from education.D)It defines adulthood.25.A)Current lifestyles C)College loansB)Poor budgeting.D)Emergency expensesPartⅢReading Comprehension(40minutes) Section ADirections:In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one wordfor 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's well known that physical exercise is beneficial not just to physical health but also to mental health.Yet whereas most countries have26evidence-backed guidelines on the type and intensity of exercise27for various physical health benefits,such guidelines do not yet exist for exercise and mood. This is28due to a lack of necessary evidence.However,a new systematic review brings us usefully up-to-date on the current findings in this area.Before29into some of the key take-aways,an important30made in the review is between aerobic exercise and anaerobic.The former31such things as walking,jogging and cycling and means exercising in such a way that your body is able to use oxygen to burn fat for energy.In contrast,anaerobic exercise—such as lifting heavy weights—is of such32intensity that your body does not have time to use oxygen to create energy and so instead it breaksdown glucose(葡萄糖)in your blood or muscles.Beginning first with the influence of exercise intensity on the mood benefits of aerobic exercise,the researchers,led by John Chan at Shenzhen University,found33resultsfrom19relevant studies.Some3·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·favoured higher intensity,others low,while seven studies found that intensity made no34_to mood benefits.In relation to the intensity of anaerobic exercise,however,the results were far clearer—the optimum (最佳选择)for improving mood is35intensity,perhaps because low intensity is too dull while high intensity is too unpleasantA)constitutesB)contradictoryC)decisionD)detailedE)differenceF)dippingG)distinctionH)falling I)involves J)moderate K)notified L)partlyM)required N)traditionally O)vigorousSection 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 markingthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2.Why DoAmericans Work So Much?A)How will we all keep busy when we only have to work15hours a week?That was the question that worriedthe British economist John Maynard Keynes when he wrote his short essay“Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren”in1930.Over the next century,he predicted,the economy would become so productive that people would barely need to work at all.For a while,it looked like Keynes was right.In1930the average working week was47hours in the United States.But by1970,the number of hours Americans worked on average had fallen to slightly less than39.B)But then something changed.Instead of continuing to decline,the duration of the working week remainedstable.It has stayed at just below40hours for nearly five decades.So what happened?Why are people working just as much today as in1970?C)There would be no mystery in this if Keynes had been wrong about the power of technology to increase theeconomy's productivity,which he thought would lead to a standard of living“between four and eight times as high as it is today.”But Keynes got that right:Technology has made the economy massively more productive.According to Benjamin M.Friedman,an economistat Harvard,the U.S.economy is right ontrack to reach Keynes's eight-fold(八倍)multiple by2029.That is a century after the last data Keynes wouldhave had access to.D)In a new paper,Friedman tries to figure out why that increased productivity has not translated into increasedleisure time.Perhaps people just never feel materially satisfied,always wanting more money to buy the next ·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·4new thing.This is a theory that appeals to many economists.“This argument is,at best,far from sufficient,”he writes.If that were the case,why did the duration of the working week decline in the first place?E)Another theory Friedman considers is that,in an era of ever fewer settings that provide effectiveopportunitiesfor personal connections and relationships,people may place more value on the socializing that happens at work.There is support for this theory.Many people today consider colleagues as friends.But Friedman argues that the evidence for this theory is far from conclusive.Many workers report that they would like to spend more time with family,rather than at work.Furthermore,this theory cannot explain the change in trend in the U.S.working week in the1970s.F)A third possibility proves more convincing for Friedman.That is:American inequality means that the gainsof increasing productivity are not widely shared by everyone.In other words,most Americans are too poor to work less.Unlike the other two explanations Friedman considers,this one fits chronologically(按年代).Inequality declined in America during the period following World War II,along with the duration of the working week.But since the early1970s it has risen dramatically.G)Keynes's prediction of a shorter working week rests on the idea that the standard of living would continuerising for everyone.But Friedman says that this is not what has happened.Although Keynes's eight-fold figure holds up for the economy as a whole,it is not at all the case for the median(中位数的)American worker.For them,output by2029is likely to be around3.5times what it was when Keynes was writing.This is a bit below his four-to eight-fold predicted rangeH)This can be seen in the median worker's income over this time period,complete with a shift in1973that fitsin precisely with when the working week stopped shrinking.According to Friedman,between1947and1973 the average hourly wage for normal workers(those who were not in management roles)in private industries other than agriculture nearly doubled in terms of what their money could buy.But by2013the average hourly wage for ordinary workers had fallen5percent from the1973level in terms of actual purchasing power.Thus,though American incomes may have gone up since1973,the amount that American workers can actually buy with their money has gone down.For most Americans,then,the magic of increasing productivity stopped working around1973.Thus,they had to keep working just as much in order to maintain their standard of livingI)What Keynes predicted was a very optimistic version of what economists call technological unemployment.This is the idea that less labor will be necessary because machines can do somuch.In Keynes's vision,the resulting unemployment would be distributed more or less evenly across society in the form of increased leisure.But Friedman says that,for Americans,reality is much darker.Americans now have a labor market in which millions of people—those with fewer skills and less education—are seeking whatever poorly paid work they can get.This is confirmed by a recent poll that found that,for half of hourly workers,their top concern is not that they work too much but that they work too little.This is most likely not because they like their jobs so much.Rather,we can assume it is because they need the money.J)This explanation leaves an important question.If the very rich—the workers who have reaped above-average gains from the increased productivity since Keynes's time—can afford to work less,why do they continue to work so much?(Indeed,research has shown that the highest earners in America tend to work the most.)5·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·Friedman believes that for many top earners,work is a labor of love.They are doing work they care about and are interested in,and doing more of it is not necessarily a burden.For them,it may even be a pleasure.These top earners derive meaning from their jobs and work is an important part of how they think of themselves.And,of course,they are compensated for it at a level that makes it worth their while.K)Friedman concludes that the prosperity(繁荣)Keynes predicted is here.After all,the economy as a whole has grown even more brilliantly than he expected.But for most Americans,that prosperity is nowhere to be seen.And,as a result,neither are those shorter working weeks.36.Some people view socializing at the workplace as a chance to develop personal relationships.37.As ordinary American workers'average hourly pay had decreased despite increasing productivity,they had towork just as manyhours as before to keep their living standards.38.American workers'average weekly workingtime has not changed for nearly half a century.39.Friedman believes inequality in the rgely explains why increasing productivity has not resulted inreduced working hours.40.Many economists assume people's thirst for material things has prevented them from enjoying more leisuretime.41.An economist'sprediction about a shorter average working week seemed to be correct for a time in the20thcentury.42.In the bor market,the primary concern of people with less schooling and fewer skills is to secure anyemployment even if it is low-paid.43.Keynes was right in predicting that technology would make the economy much more productive.44.Many of the highest earners have a keen interest in and love for what they are doing45.According to Keynes,there would be a shorter working week with everyone's standard of living continuingtorise.Section CDirections:There are2passages in this section.Eachpassage 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.Lao Zi once said,“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”People-pleasing,or seeking self-worth through others'approval,is unproductive and an exhausting way to go through life.Why do we allow what others think of us to have so much power over how we feel about ourselves?If it's true that you can't please all people all of the time,wouldn't it make sense to stop trying?Unfortunately,sense often isn't driving our behavior.For social beings who desire love and belonging, wanting to be liked,and caring about the effect we have on others,is healthy and allows us to make connections.·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·6However,where we get into trouble is when our self-worth is dependent upon whether we win someone's approval or not.This need to be liked can be traced back to when we were children and werecompletely dependent on others to take care of us:Small children are not just learning how to walk and communicate,they are alsotrying to learn how the world works.We learn about who we are and what is expected of us based on interactions with others so,to a four-year-old,if Mommy or Daddy doesn't like him or her,there is the danger that they will abandon them.We need to understand that when we desperately want someone to approveof us,it's being driven by that little kid part of us that is still terrified of abandonment.As you become more capable of providing yourself with the approval you seek,your need for external validation will start to vanish,leaving you stronger,more confident,and yes,happier in your life.Imagine how much time we lose each moment we restrainour authentic selves in an effort to be liked.If we base our worth on the opinions of others,we cheat ourselves of the power to shape our experiences and embrace life not only for others but also for ourselves,becauseultimately,there is no difference.So embrace the cliché(老话)and loveyourself as it's highly doubtful that you'll regret it.46.What can we conclude from Lao Zi's quotation?A)We should seethrough otherpeople's attempt to make a prisonerof us.B)We can never really please other people even if we try as hard as we can.C)We can never be truly free if taking to heart others'opinion of us.D)We should care about other people's view as much as they care about our own.47.What will happen if we base our self-worth on other people's approval?A)Our desire to be loved will be fulfilled.C)Our identity as social beings will be affected.B)Our life will be unfruitful and exhausting D)Our sense of self will be sharpened and enhanced.48.What may account for our need to be liked or approved of?A)Our desperate longing for interactions with others.C)Our knowledge about the pain of abandonment.B)Our understanding of the workings of the world.D)Our early childhood fear of being deserted.49.What can we do when we become better able to provide ourselves with the desired approval?A)Enjoy a happier life.C)Receive more external validation.B)Exercise self-restraint.D)Strengthen our power of imagination.50.What does the author advise us to do in the last paragraph?A)Embrace life for ourselves and for others.C)See our experiencesas assets.B)Base our worth on others'opinions.D)Love ourselves as we arePassage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.Some people have said aging is more a slide into forgetfulness than a journey towards wisdom.However,a growing body of research suggests that late-in-life learning is possible.In reality,education does an aging brain good.7·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·Throughout life,people's brains constantly renovate themselves.In the late1960s,British brain scientist Geoffrey Raisman spied growth in damaged brain regions ofrats through an electron microscope; their brains were forging new connections.This meant brains may change every time a person learns something new.Of course,that doesn't mean the brain isn't affected by the effects of time.Just as height usually declines over the years,so does brain volume:Humans lose about4percent every decade starting in their40s.But that reduction doesn't necessarily make people think slower;as long as we are alive and functioning,we can alter our brains with new information and experiences.In fact,scientists now suspect accumulating novel experiences,facts,and skills can keep people's minds more flexible.New pathways can strengthen our ever-changing mental structure,even as the brain shrinks.Conventional fixes like word puzzles and brain-training apps can contribute to mental durability.Even something as simple as taking a different route to the grocery store or going somewhere new on vacation can keep the brain healthy.A desire for new life challenges can further boost brainpower.Research about aging adults who take on new enterprises shows improved function and memory as well as a reduced risk of mental disease.Openness—a characteristic defined by curiosity and a desire for knowledge—may also help folks pass brain tests.Some folks are born with this take-in-the-world atitude,but those who aren't as genetically gifted aren't necessarily out of luck.While genes can encourage an interest in doing new things,a2012study in the journal Psychology and Aging found completing reasoning tasks like puzzles and number games can enhance that desire for novel experiences,which can,in turn,refresh the brain.That's why brain scientist Richard Kennedy says“It's not that old dogs can't learn new tricks.It's that maybe old dogs don't realize why they should.”51.What do some people think of aging adults?A)Their wisdom grows as time goes by.C)They can benefit from late-in-life learning.B)Their memory gradually deteriorates D)They are likely to have mental health issues.52.What can we conclude from Geoffrey Raisman's finding?A)Brain damage seriously hinders one'slearning.C)Brains can refresh and improve with learning.B)Brain power weakens slower than we imagine D)Brains forge connections under new conditions53.What is one thing that helps maintain the health of our brain even as it shrinks?A)Doing daily routines by conventional means.C)Imitating old dogs'way of learning new tricksB)Avoiding worrying about our mental durability.D)Approaching everyday tasks in novel ways.54.What does the author say can contribute to the improvement of brain function?A)Being curious and desiring knowledge.C)Rising to life's challenges and avoiding risks.B)Being eager to pass brain tests at an old age.D)Boosting immunity to serious mental diseases55.What is the finding of the2012study in the journal Psychology and Aging?A)Wishing to solve puzzles enhances one's reasoning power.B)Playingnumber games unexpectedly stimulates one's memory.·2024年6月四级真题(第一套)·8C)Desiring new experiences can help to renovate thebrain.D)Learning new tricks shouldnot beconfined to old dogs only.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 AnswerSheet2.四合院(siheyuan)是中国一种传统的住宅建筑，其特点是房屋建造在一个院子的四周，将院子合围在中间。

2021年12月英语四级真题及答案【共3套】第一套试题：一、听力理解1. A) He couldn't find his mobile phone.B) He was late for work.C) He missed the train.D) He had a traffic accident.2. A) The woman is a manager.B) The man is a customer.C) The woman is a sales assistant.D) The man is a repairman.3. A) He is a football player.B) He is a basketball player.C) He is a swimmer.D) He is a runner.4. A) The man wants to buy a new car.B) The woman is interested in buying a car.C) The man wants to sell his old car.D) The woman is a car salesman.5. A) The man is going to a party.B) The woman is going to a party.C) The man is going to a concert.D) The woman is going to a concert.二、阅读理解1. A) The importance of education.B) The benefits of exercise.C) The dangers of smoking.D) The value of friendship.2. A) They help students learn faster.B) They make students more confident.C) They improve students' health.D) They make students more creative.3. A) He has a strong sense of responsibility.B) He is very kind and helpful.C) He is very intelligent and hardworking.D) He is very popular among his classmates.4. A) It is very expensive.B) It is very difficult to find.C) It is very popular among students.D) It is very useful for learning English.5. A) He is a famous scientist.B) He is a famous actor.C) He is a famous writer.D) He is a famous musician.三、写作The Importance of English Learning英语学习在当今社会变得越来越重要。

2021年6月大学英语四级真题（第1套）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay titled "Are people becoming addicted to technology?" The statement given below is for your reference. You should write atleast 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)两套听力原文、题目及答案在21页开始。

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 the passagethrough 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 throughthe centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Social isolation poses more health risks than obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to research published by Brigham Young University. The 26 is that loneliness is a huge, if silent, risk factor.Loneliness affects physical health in two ways. First, it produces stress hormones that can lead to many health problems. Second, people who live alone are less likely to go to the doctor 27, to exercise or to eat a healthy diet.Public health experts in many countries are 28 how to address widespread loneliness in our society. Last year Britain even appointed a minister for loneliness. "Loneliness 29 almost every one of us at some point," its minister for loneliness Baroness Barran said. "It can lead to very serious health 30 for individuals who become isolated and disconnected."Barran started a "Let's Talk Loneliness" campaign that 31 difficult conversations across Britain. He is now supporting 32 benches, "which are public seating areas where people are encouraged to go and chat with one another. The minister is also 33 to stop public transportation from being cut in ways that leave people isolated More than one-fifth of adults in both the United States and Britain said in a 2018 34 hat they often or always feel lonely.More than half of American adults are unmarried, and researchers have found that even among those who are married, 30% of relationships are 35 strained. A quarter of Americans now live alone, and as the song says, one is the loneliest number.A) abruptly E) dimensions I) implication M) splittingB) appointments F) friendly J) pushing N) surveyC) consequences G) hindered K) severely O) touchesD) debating H) idiom L) sparkedSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statementcontains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which theinformation is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is markedwith a letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.What happens when a language has no words for numbers?[A] Numbers do not exist in all cultures. There are numberless hunter-gatherers embedded deep in Amazonia,living along branches of the world s largest river tree. Instead of using words for precise quantities, these people rely exclusively on terms analogous to “a few” or “some.”In contrast, our own lives are governed by numbers. As you read this, you are likely aware of what time it is, how old you are, your checking account balance, your weight and so on. The exact (and exacting) numbers we think with impact everything from our schedules to our self-esteem.[B] But, in a historical sense, numerically fixated people like us are the unusual ones. For the bulk of ourspecies’approximately 200,000-year lifespan, we had no means of precisely representing quantities.What’s more, the 7,000 or so languages that exist today vary dramatically in how they utilize numbers. [C] Speakers of a numeric, or numberless, languages offer a window into how the invention of numbersreshaped the human experience. In a new book, I explored the ways in which humans invented numbers, and how numbers subsequently played a critical role in other milestones, from the advent of agriculture to the genesis of writing. Cultures without numbers, or with only one or two precise numbers, include the Munduruku and Piraha in Amazonia. Researchers have also studied some adults in Nicaragua who were never taught number words. Without numbers, healthy human adults struggle to precisely differentiate and recall quantities as low as four. In an experiment, a researcher will place nuts into a can one at a time, then remove them one by one. The person watching is asked to signal when all the nuts have been removed. Responses suggest that anumeric people have some trouble keeping track of how many nuts remain in the can, even if there are only four or five in total.[D] This and many other experiments have converged upon a simple conclusion: When people do not havenumber words, they struggle to make quantitative distinctions that probably seem natural to someone like you or me. While only a small portion of the world s languages are anumeric or nearly anumeric, they demonstrate that number words are not a human universal.[E] It is worth stressing that these anumeric people are cognitively normal, well-adapted to the environs theyhave dominated for centuries. As the child of missionaries, I spent some of my youth living with anumeric indigenous people, the aforementioned Piraha who live along the sinuous banks of the black Maici River. Like other outsiders, I was continually impressed by their superior understanding of the ecology we shared. Yet numberless people struggle with tasks that require precise discrimination between quantities. Perhaps this should be unsurprising. After all, without counting, how can someone tell whether there are, say, seven or eight coconuts in a tree? Such seemingly straightforward distinctions become blurry through numberless eyes.[F] This conclusion is echoed by work with anumeric children in industrialized societies. Prior to beingspoon-fed number words, children can only approximately discriminate quantities beyond three. We must be handed the cognitive tools of numbers before we can consistently and easily recognize higher quantities. In fact, acquiring the exact meaning of number words is a painstaking process that takes children years. Initially, kids learn numbers much like they learn letters. They recognize that numbers are organized sequentially, but have little awareness of what each individual number means. With time, they start to understand that a given number represents a quantity greater by one than the preceding number.This "successor principle" is part of the foundation of our numerical cognition, but requires extensive practice to understand.[G] None of us, then, is really a "numbers person." We are not predisposed to handle quantitative distinctionsadroitly. In the absence of the cultural traditions that infuse our lives with numbers from infancy, we would all struggle with even basic quantitative distinctions. Number words and written numerals transform our quantitative reasoning as they are coaxed into our cognitive experience by our parents, peers and school teachers. The process seems so normal that we sometimes think of it as a natural part of growing up, but it is not. Human brains come equipped with certain quantitative instincts that are refined with age, but these instincts are very limited. For instance, even at birth we are capable of distinguishing between two markedly different quantities – for instance, eight from 16 things. But we are not the only species capable of such abstractions.[H] Compared to chimps and other primates, our numerical instincts are not as remarkable as many presume.We even share some basic instinctual quantitative reasoning with distant non-mammalian relatives like birds. Indeed, work with some other species, including parrots, suggests they too can refine their quantitative thought if they are introduced to the cognitive power tools we call numbers.[I] So, how did we ever invent "unnatural" numbers in the first place? The answer is, literally, at yourfingertips. The bulk of the world's languages use base-10, base-20 or base-5 number systems. That is, these smaller numbers are the basis of larger numbers. English is a base-10 or decimal language, as evidenced by words like 14 ("four" + "10") and 31 ("three" x "10" + "one"). We speak a decimal language because an ancestral tongue, proto-Indo-European, was decimally based. Proto-Indo-European was decimally oriented because, as in so many cultures, our linguistic ancestors' hands served as the gateway to realizations like "five fingers on this hand is the same as five fingers on that hand." Such transient thoughts were manifested into words and passed down across generations. This is why the word "five" in many languages is derived from the word for "hand." Most number systems, then, are the by-product of two key factors: the human capacity for language and our propensity for focusing on our hands and fingers. This manual fixation – an indirect by-product of walking upright on two legs – has helped yield numbers in most cultures, but not all.[J] Cultures without numbers also offer insight into the cognitive influence of particular numeric traditions.Consider what time it is. Your day is ruled by minutes and seconds, but these entities are not real in any physical sense and are nonexistent to numberless people. Minutes and seconds are the verbal and written vestiges of an uncommon base-60 number system used in Mesopotamia millennia ago. They reside in ourminds, numerical artifacts that not all humans inherit conceptually.[K] Research on the language of numbers shows, more and more, that one of our species' key characteristics is tremendous linguistic(语言的) and cognitive diversity. If we are to truly understand how much our cognitive lives differ cross-culturally, we must continually sound the depths of our species' linguistic diversity.36. It is difficult for anumeric people to keep track of the change in numbers even when the total is very small.37. Human numerical instincts are not so superior to those of other mammals as is generally believed.38. The author emphasizes being anumeric does not affect one's cognitive ability.39. In the long history of mankind, humans who use numbers are a very small minority.40. An in-depth study of differences between human languages contributes to a true understanding ofcognitive differences between cultures.41. A conclusion has been drawn from many experiments that anumeric people have a hard timedistinguishing quantities.42. Making quantitative distinctions is not an inborn skill.43. Every aspect of our lives is affected by numbers.44. Larger numbers are said to be built upon smaller numbers.45. It takes great efforts for children to grasp the concept of number words.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). You should decideon the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Sugar shocked. That describes the reaction of many Americans this week following revelations that, 50 years ago, the sugar industry paid Harvard scientists for research that shifted the focus away from sugar's role in heart disease-and put the spotlight（注意的中心）squarely on dietary fat.What might surprise consumers is just how many present-day nutrition studies are still funded by the food industry. Nutrition scholar Marion Nestle of New York University spent a year informally tracking industry-funded studies on food."Roughly 90%of nearly 170 studies favored the sponsor's interest," Nestle tells us. Other systematic reviews support her conclusions.For instance, studies funded by Welch Foods the brand behind Welch's 100%Grape Juice found that drinking Concord grape juice daily may boost brain function. Another, funded by Quaker Oats, concluded, as a Daily Mail story put it, that" hot oatmeal（燕麦粥）breakfast keeps you full for longer."Last year, The New York Times revealed how Coca-Cola was funding well-known scientists and organizations promoting a message that, in the battle against weight gain，people should pay more attention toexercise and less to what they eat and drink. Coca-Cola also released data detailing its funding of several medical institutions and associations between 2010 and 2015."It's certainly a problem that so much research in nutrition and health is funded by industry," says Bonie Liebman, director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest."When the food industry pays for research, it often gets what it pays for."And what it pays for is often a pro-industry finding.Given this environment, consumers should be skeptical（怀疑的）when reading the latest finding in nutrition science and ignore the latest study that pops up on your news feed."Rely on health experts who've reviewed all the evidence," Liebman says, pointing to the official government Dietary Guidelines which are based on reviews of hundreds of studies."And that expert advice remains pretty simple," says Nestle." We know what healthy diets are lots of vegetables, not too much junk food, balanced calories. Everything else is really difficult to do experimentally."46. What did Harvard scientists do 50 years ago?A. They raised public awareness of the possible causes of heart disease.B. They turned public attention away from the health risks of sugar to fat.C. They placed the sugar industry in the spotlight with their new findings.D. They conducted large-scale research on the role of sugar in people's health.47. What does Marion Nestle say about present-day nutrition studies?A. They took her a full year to track and analyze.B. Most of them are based on systematic reviews.C. They depend on funding from the food industries.D. Nearly all of them serve the purpose of the funders.48. What did Coca-Cola funded studies claim?A. Exercise is more important to good health than diet.B. Choosing what to eat and drink is key to weight control.C. Drinking Coca-Cola does not contribute to weight gain.D. The food industry plays a major role in fighting obesity.49. What does Liebman say about industry-funded research?A. It simply focuses on nutrition and health.B. It causes confusion among consumers.C. It rarely results in objective findings.D. It runs counter to the public interest50. What is the author s advice to consumers?A. Follow their intuition in deciding what to eat.B. Be doubtful of diet experts' recommendations.C. Ignore irrelevant information on their news feed.D. Think twice about new nutrition research findings.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Success was once defined as being able to stay at a company for a long time and move up the corporate ladder. The goal was to reach the top, accumulate wealth and retire to a life of ease. My father is a successful senior executive. In 35 years, he worked for only three companies.When I started my career，things were already different. If you weren't changing companies every three or four years, you simply weren't getting ahead in your career. But back then, if you were a consultant or freelancer（自由职业者）, people would wonder what was wrong with you. They would assume you had problems getting a job.Today, consulting or freelancing for five businesses at the same time is a badge of honor. It shows how valuable an individual is. Many companies now look to these "ultimate professionals" to solve problems their full-time teams can't. Or they save money by hiring "top-tier(顶尖的)experts" only for particular projects.Working at home or in cafes，starting businesses of their own，and even launching business ventures that eventually may fail, all indicate "initiative,""creativity," and "adaptability," which are desirable qualities in today’s workplace. Most important, there is a growing recognition that people who balance work and play, and who work at what they are passionate about，are more focused and productive，delivering greater value to their clients.Who are these people? They are artists, writers，programmers，providers of office services and career advice. What's needed now is a marketplace platform specifically designed to bring freelancers and clients together. Such platforms then become a place to feature the most experienced，professional，and creative talent. This is where they conduct business. Where a sense of community reinforces the culture and values of the gig economy(零工经济)，and where success is rewarded with good reviews that encourage more business.Slowly but surely, these platforms create a bridge between traditional enterprises and this emerging economy. Perhaps more important, as the global economy continues to be disrupted by technology and other massive change, the gig economy will itself become an engine of economic and social transformation.51. What does the author use the example of his father to illustrate?A. How long people took to reach the top of their career.B. How people accumulated wealth in his father's time.C. How people viewed success in his father's time.D. How long people usually stayed in a company.52. Why did people often change jobs when the author started his career?A. It was considered a fashion at that time.B. It was a way to advance in their career.C. It was a response to the changing job market.D. It was difficult to keep a job for long.53. What does the author say about people now working for several businesses at the same time?A. They are often regarded as most treasured talents.B. They are able to bring their potential into fuller play.C. They have control over their life and work schedules.D. They feel proud of being outstanding problem-solver54. What have businesses come to recognize now?A. Who is capable of solving problems with ease.B. How people can be more focused and productive.C. What kind of people can contribute more to them.D. Why some people are more passionate about work.55. What does the author say about the gig economy?A. It may force companies to reform their business practice.B. It may soon replace the traditional economic model.C. It will drive technological progress on a global scale.D. It will bring about radical economic and social changes.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.铁观音(Tieguanyin)是中国最受欢迎的茶之一，原产自福建省安溪县西坪镇，如今安溪全县普遍种植，但该县不同地区生产的铁观音又各具风味。

2013年‎12月大学‎英语四级考‎试真题(二)Part 1 writi‎n g (30 minut‎e s)Direc‎t ions‎:For this part, you are allow‎e d 30 minut‎e s to write‎ a short‎essay ‎b ased‎on the pictu‎r e below‎. You shoul‎d start‎your essay‎with a brief‎accou‎n t of the incre‎a sing‎use of the mobil‎e phone‎in peopl‎e’s life and then expla‎i n the conse ‎q u enc‎e s of overu‎s ing it.You shoul‎d write‎at least‎IW words‎but no more than 180 words ‎.Peopl‎e are cross‎i ng the stree‎t looki‎n g at their‎cell phone‎s and using‎walki ‎n g stick‎s in order‎to see.Part 2 Liste‎n ing Compr‎e hens‎i on (30 minut‎e s)Secti‎on ADirec‎t ions‎： In this secti‎o n, you will hear 8 short‎conve‎r sati‎o ns and 2 long conve‎r sati‎o ns. At the end of each conve‎r sati‎o n, one or more quest‎i ons will be asked ‎a bout‎what was said. Both the conve‎r sati‎o n and the quest‎i ons will be spoke‎n only once. After‎each quest‎i on there‎will be a pause‎. Durin‎g the pause‎,you must read the four choic‎es marke‎d A), B), C) and D), and decid‎e which‎the best answe‎r is. Then mark the corre‎s pond‎i ng lette‎r o" Answe‎r Sheet‎ 1 with a singl‎e line throu‎g h the centr ‎e.注意：此部分试题‎请在答题卡‎1上作答。

历年英语四级考试真题及答案Word版历年英语四级考试真题及答案（2007.6—2012.6 共十一套）2007年6月英语四级真题及答案Part I Writing (30 minutes)注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Welcom to our club. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given bellow: 欢迎辞，欢迎加入俱乐部。

标题：Welcome to our club书写提纲：1. 表达你的欢迎；2. 对你们俱乐部作一个简要介绍。

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the question on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, markY (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;N (for NO) if statement contradicts the information given in the passage;NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage.For question 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Protect Your Privacy When Job-hunting OnlineIdentity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception typically for economic gain.The numbers associated with identity theft are beginning to add up fast these days. A recent Genera Accounting Office report estimates that as many as 750,000 Americans are victims of identity theft everyear. And that number may be low, as many people choose not to report the crime even if they know the have been victimized.Identity theft is “an absolute epidemic,” states Robert Ellis Smith, a respected author and advocat of privacy. “It’s certainly picked up in the last four or fi ve years. It’s worldwide. It affects everybod and there’s very little you can do to prevent it and, worst of all, you can’t detect it until it’s probabl too late.”Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use you personal data, especially your social security number, your bank account or credit card number, you telephone calling card number, and other valuable identifying data, can be used, if they fall into th wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense. In the United States and Canada, for example, many peopl have reported that unauthorized persons have taken funds out of their bank or financial accounts, or, i the worst cases, taken over their identities altogether, running up vast debts and committing crimes whil using the victims’ names. In many cases, a victim’s losses may included not only out-of-pocket financia losses, but substantial additional financial costs associated with trying to restore his reputation i the community and correcting erroneous information for which the criminal is responsible.According to the FBI, identity theft is the number one fraud committed on the Internet. So how do jo seekers protect themselves while continuing to circulate their resumes online?The key to a successfu online job search is learning to manager the risks. Here are some tips for staying safe while conductin a job search on the Internet.1. Check for a privacy policy.If you are considering posting your resume online, make sure the job search site your are considerin has a privacy policy, like /doc/798333515.html,. The policy should spell out how your information will b used, stored and whether or not it will be shared. You may want to think twice about posting your resum on a site that automatically shares your information with others. You could be opening yourself up to unwanted calls from solicitors (推销员).When reviewing the site’s privacy policy, you’ll be able to delete your resume just as easily a you posted it. You won’t necessarily want your resume to remain out there on the Internet once you lan a job. Remember, the longer your resume remains posted on a job board, the more exposure, both positiv and not-so-positive, it will receive.2. Take advantage of site features.Lawful job search sites offer levels of privacy protection. Before posting your resume, carefully consider your job search objective and the level of risk you are willing to assume./doc/798333515.html,, for example, offers three levels of privacy from which job seekers can choose. Th first is standard posting. This option gives job seekers who post their resumes the most visibility t the broadest employer audience possible.The second is anonymous (匿名的) posting. This allows job seekers the same visibility as those in th standard posting category without any of their contact information beingdisplayed. Job seekers who wis to remain anonymous but want to share some other information may choose which pieces of contact informatio to display.The third is private posting. This option allows a job seeker to post a resume without having it searche by employers. Private posting allows job seekers to quickly and easily apply for jobs that appear on /doc/798333515.html, without retyping their information.3. Safeguard your identity.Career experts say that one of the ways job seekers can stay safe while using the Internet to searc out jobs is to conceal their identities. Replace your name on your resume with a generic (泛指的) identifier such as “Intranet Developer Candidate,” or “Experienced Marketing Representative.”You should also consider eliminating the name and location of your current employer. Depending on you title, it may not be all that difficult to determine who you are once the name of your company is provided Use a general description of the company such as “Major auto manufacturer,” or “International package goods supplier.”If your job title is unique, consider using the generic equivalent instead of the exact title assigne by your employer.4. Establish and email address for your search.Another way to protect your privacy while seeking employment online is to open up an email accoun specifically for your online job search. This will safeguard your existing email box in the event someon you don’t know gets hold of your email address and shares it with others.Using an email address specifically for you job search also eliminates the possibility that you wil receive unwelcome emailsin your primary mailbox. When naming your new email address, be sure that it doesn’t contain references to your name or other information that will give away your identity. The bes solution is an email address that is relevant to the job you are seeking such as salesmgr2004@/doc/798333515.html,5. Protect your reference.If your resume contains a section with the names and contact information of your references, take i out. There’s no sense in safeguarding your information while sharing private contact information of you references.6. Keep confidential (机密的) information confidential.Do not, under any circumstances, share your social security, driver’s license, and bank account number or other personal information, such as race or eye color. Honest employers do not need this informatio with an init ial application. Don’t provide this even if they say they need it in order to conduct a background check. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book –don’t fall for it.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2017年6月大学英语四级真题及答案详解(第一套)Part I Writing (25 minutes)(请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an advertisement on your campus website to sell a computer you used at college. Your advertisement may include its brand, specifications/features, condition and price, and your contact information.You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 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 questions will be spoken only once. After you hear questions, 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.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2020 年12 月四级真题及答案（全3 套）四级写作第一套Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the change of communication. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.With the development of science and technology, we have witnessed the various huge changes of our daily life, among which, the change of communication is striking. However, people’s view on it never come to consensus. Concerning it, both communication online and offline have their merits.For one thing, no one denies that communication online brings great convenience to us, especially to those who have friends or relatives in remote areas. Because the change makes it possible for them to have frequent chat. And, the way we contact with others is diverse. Video calls and voice message can both meet modern people’s satisfaction. For another, the change is also making us disconnected. Due to the availability, people are gradually reluctant to have face-to-face communication with surrounding people, which is isolating us from the people we love.Given the factors above, the change of communication, we have to admit, is more like a double-edged sword. Neither do we discard it nor completely rely on it. Instead, we should make reasonable use of it so as to maximize its benefits.随着科学技术发展，我们见证了我们日常生活中的各种巨大变化，其中沟通方式的变化是引人注目的。

2021年6月大学英语四级真题试卷及答案(第2套)Writing (25 minutes)(请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试)Directions: For this part, you are allowed30 minutes to write an advertisement on your cus website to sell a bicycle you used at college、 Your advertisement may include its brand, features,condition and price, and your contact information、 You shouldwrite at least120 words but no more than180 words、PartII Listening prehension (30 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 questions will be spoken only once、 After you hear questions, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C)and D)、 Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1 with a single line through the centre、注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题及参考答案下载（三套全）第三套Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30minutes to write a short essay on the importanceof speaking ability and how to develop it. You should write atleast 120 words but no morethan 180 words.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)说明：由于 2018 年 6 月四级考试全国共考了两套听力, 本套真题听力与前两套内容相同,只是选项顺序不同, 因此在本套真题中不再重复出现。

Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage withten blanks. You are required to select one word foreach blank from a list of choices given in a word bankfollowing the passage. Read thepassage through carefully before making yourchoices. Each choice in the bank is identifiedby a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with asingle line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Neon (霓虹) is to Hong Kong as red phone booths are to London and fog is to San Francisco.When night falls, red and blue and other colors 26 a hazy (雾蒙蒙的) glow over a city lit up bytens of thousands of neon signs. But many of them are going dark, 27 by more practical, butless romantic, LEDs (发光二极管).Changing building codes, evolving tastes, and the high cost of maintaining those wonderful oldsigns have businesses embracing LEDs, which are energy28, but still carry great cost."Tome, neon represents memories of the past," says photographer Sharon Blance, whoseseries Hong Kong Neon celebrates the city's famous signs. "Looking at the signs now I get afeeling of amazement, mixed with sadness." Building a neon sign is an art practiced by 29 trained on the job to mold glass tubes into 30shapes and letters. They fill these tubes with gases that glowwhen 31 . Neon makes orange,while other gases make yellow or blue. It take s many hours to craft a single sign.Blance spent a week in Hong Kong and 32 more than 60 signs;22 of them appear in theseries that capture the signs lighting up lonely streets—an 33 that makes it easy to admiretheir colors and craftsmanship. "I love the beautiful, handcrafted, old-fashioned 34 of neon,"says Blance. Thesigns do nothing more than 35 a restaurant, theater, or other business, butdo so in the most striking way possible.A) alternative B) approach C) cast D) challenging E) decorative F) effici ent G)electrified H) identify I) photographed J) professionals K) quality L) replaced M) stimulateN) symbolizes O) volunteersSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached toit. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify theparagraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more thanonce. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.New Jersey School District Eases Pressure on Students—Baring an Ethnic DivideA) This fall, David Aderhold, the chief of a high-achieving school district nearPrinceton, NewJersey, sent parents an alarming 16-page letter. The school district, he said, was facing acrisis. Its students were overburdened and stressed out, having to cope with too much workand too many demands. In the previous school year,120 middle and high school studentswere recommended for mental health as sessments and 40 were hospitalized. And on asurvey administered by the district, students wrote things like,"I hate going to school," and"Coming out of 12 years in this district, I have learned one thing: that a grade, a percentageor even a point is to be valued over anything else."B) With his letter, Aderhold inserted West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional SchoolDistrict into anational discussion about the intense focus on achievement at elite schools, and whether ithas gone too far. At follow-up meetings, he urged parents to join him in advocating a "wholechild" approach to schooling that respects "social-emotional development" and "deep andmeaningful learning" over academics alone. The alternative, he suggested, was to face theprospect of becoming another Palo Alto, California, where outsize stress on teenage studentsis believed to have contributed to a number of suicides in the lastsix years.C) But instead of bringing families together, Aderhold's letter revealed a divide in thedistrict, which has 9,700 students, and one that broke down roughly along racial lines. Onone side are white parents like Catherine Foley, a formerpresident of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at her daughter's middleschool, who has come to see the district'sincreasingly pressured atmosphereas opposed to learning."My son was in fourth grade andtold me, 'I'm not going to amount to anythin g because I have nothing to put on myresume,'" she said. On the other side are parents like Mike Jia, one of the thousands ofAsian-American professionals who have moved to the district in the past decade, who saidAderhold's reforms would amount to a "dumbing down" of his children's education."What ishappening here reflects a national anti-intellectual trend that will not prepare our childrenfor the future," Jia said.D) About 10 minutes from Princeton and an hour and a half from New York City, WestWindsor and Plainsboro have become popular bedroom communities for technologyentrepreneurs, researchers and engineers, drawn in large partby the public schools. Fromthe last three graduating classes,16 seniors were admitted to MIT. It produces ScienceOlympiad winners, classically trained musicians and students with perfect SAT scores.E) The district has become increasingly popular with immigrant families from China, Indiaand Korea. This year,65 percent of its students are Asian-American, compared with 44percent in 2007. Many of them are the first in their families born in the United States. Theyhave had a growing influence on the district. Asian-American parents are enthusiasticsupporters of the competitive instrumental music program. Th ey have been hugesupporters of the district's advanced mathematics progra m, which once began in the fourthgrade but will now start in the sixth. The change to the program, in which 90 percent of theparticipating students are Asian-American, is one of Aderhold's reforms.F) Asian-American students have been eager participants in a state program that permitsthem to take summer classes off campus for high school credit, allowing them to maximizethe number of honors and Advanced Placement classes they can take, another practice thatAderhold is limiting this school year.With many Asian-American children attendingsupplementary instructional programs, there is a perception among some white familiesthat the elementa ry school curriculum is being sped up to accommodate them.G) Both Asian-American and white families say the tension between the two groups hasgrown steadily over the past few years, as the number of Asian families has risen. But thedivision has become more obvious in recent months as Aderhold has made changes,including no-homework nights, an end to high school midterms and finals, and an initiativethat made it easier to participate in the music program.H) Jennifer Lee, professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine, and an author ofthe Asian American Achievement Paradox, says misundersta nding between first-generationAsian-American parents and those who have been in this country longer are common. Whatwhite middle-class parents do not always understand, she said, is how much pressurerecent immigrants feel to boost their children into the middle class."They don't have thesame chances to get their children internships (实习职位) or jobs at law firms," Lee said."Sowhat they believe is that their children must excel and beat their white peers in academicsettings so they have the same chances to excel later. "I) The issue of the stresses felt by students in elite school districts has gained attention inrecent years as schools in places like Newton, Massachusetts, and Palo Alto have reported anumber of suicides. West Windsor-Plainsboro hasnot had a teenage suicide in recent years,but Aderhold, who has worked in the district for seven years and been chief for the last threeyears, said he hadseen troubling signs. In a recent art assignments, a middle school studentdepicted (描绘) an overburdened child who was being scolded for earning an A, rather than anA+ , on a math exam. In the image, the mother scolds the student with the words,"Shameon you!" Further, he said, the New Jersey Education Department haslagged at least twopieces of writing on state English language assessments inwhich students expressed suicidalthoughts.J) The survey commissioned by the district found that 68 percent of high school honor andAdvanced Placement students reported feeling stressed about school "always or most of thetime.""We need to bring back some balance," Aderhold said."You don't want to wait until it'stoo late to do something. "K) Not all public opinion has fallen along racial lines. Karen Sue, the ChineseAmericanmotherof a fifth-grader and an eighth-grader, believes the competition within the districthas gotten out of control. Sue, who was born in the United States to immigrant parents,wants her peers to dial it back. "It's become an arms race, an educational arms race," shesaid."We all want our kids to achieve and be successful. The question is, at whatcost?"36. Aderhold is limiting the extra classes that students are allowed to take offcampus.37. White and Asian-American parents responded differently to Aderhold's appeal.38. Suicidal thoughts have appeared in some students' writings.39. Aderhold's reform of the advanced mathematics program will affect Asi an-Americanstudents most.40. Aderhold appealed for parents' support in promoting an all-round development ofchildren, instead of focusing only on their academic performance.41. One Chinese-American parent thinks the competition in the district hasgone too far.42. Immigrant parents believe that academic excellence will allow their children equalchances to succeed in the future.43. Many businessmen and professionals have moved to West Windsor and Pl ainsborobecause of the public schools there.44. A number of students in Aderhold's school district were found to have stress-inducedmental health problems.45. The tension between Asian-American and white families has increasedrecent years.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questionsor unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) andD). You should decide on the best choice and markthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 and 50 are based on the following passage.For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is toexplain it to someone else."While we teach, we learn," said Roman philosopher Seneca. Nowscientists are bringing this ancient wisdom up-to-date. They're documenting why teachingissuch a fruitful way to learn, and designing innovative ways for young people to engage ininstruction.Researchers have found that students who sign up to tutor others work hard er tounderstand the material, recall it more accurately and apply it more effectively. Studentteachers score higher on tests than pupils who're learningonly for their own sake. But howcan children, still learning themselves, teachothers? One answer: They can tutor youngerkids. Some studies have found that first-born children are more intelligent than their later-born siblings (兄弟姐妹). This suggests their higher IQs result from the time they spendteaching their siblings. Now educators are experimenting with ways to apply this model toacademic subjects. They engage college undergraduates to teach compute r science to highschool students, who in turn instruct middle school studentson the topic.But the most cutting-edge tool under development is the "teachable agent"a computerizedcharacter who learns, tries, makes mistakes and asks questions just like a real-world puter scientists have created an animated (动画的) figure called Betty's Brain, who hasbeen "taught" about environmental science by hundreds of middle school students. Studentteachers are motivated to help Betty master certain materials. While preparing to teach,they organize their knowledge and improve their own understanding. And as they explai nthe information to it, they identify problems in their own thinking. Feedback from the teachable agents further enhances the tutors' learning. The agents'questions compel student tutors to think and explain the materials in different ways, andwatching the agent solve problems allows them to see their knowledge put into action.Above all, it's the emotions one experiences in teaching that facilitate learning. Studenttutors feel upset when their teachable agents fail, but happy when these virtual pupilssucceed as they derive pride and satisfaction from someone else's accomplishment.46. What are researchers rediscovering through their studies?A) Seneca's thinking is still applicable today.B) Better learners will become better teachers.C) Human intelligence tends to grow with age.D) Philosophical thinking improves instruction.47. What do we learn about Betty's Brain?A) It is a character in a popular animation.B) It is a teaching tool under development.C) It is a cutting-edge app in digital games.D) It is a tutor for computer science students.48. How does teaching others benefit student tutors?A) It makes them aware of what they are strong at.B) It motivates them to try novel ways of teaching.C) It helps them learn their academic subjects better.D) It enables them to better understand their teachers.49. What do students do to teach their teachable agents?A) They motivate them to think independently.B) They ask them to design their own questions.C) They encourage them to give prompt feedback.D) They use various ways to explain the materials.50. What is the key factor that eases student tutors' learning?A) Their sense of responsibility.B) Their emotional involvement.C) The learning strategy acquired.D) The teaching experience gained.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.A new batch of young women—members of the so-called Millennial (千禧的) generation—hasbeen entering the workforce for the past decade. At the starting line of their careers, theyare better educated than their mothers and grandmothers had been—or than their youngmale counterparts are now. But when they look ahead, they see roadblocks to their success.They believe that women are paid less than men for doing the same job. They think it'seasier formen to get top executive jobs than it is for them. And they assume that if andwhen they have children, it will be even harder for them to advance in theircareers.While the public sees greater workplace equality between men and women now than it did20-30 years ago, most believe more change is needed. Among Millennial women,75% saythis country needs to continue making changes to achieve gender equality in the workplace,compared with 57% of Millennial men. Even so, relatively few young women (15%) say theyhave been discriminated against at wo rk because of their gender.As Millennial women come of age they share many of the same views and val ues about workas their male counterparts. They want jobs that provide security and flexibility, and theyplace relatively little importance on high pay. At the same time, however, young workingwomen are less likely than men to aim at top management jobs:34% say they're notinterested in becoming a boss or top manager; only 24% of young men say the same. Thegender gap on this question is even wider among working adults in their 30s and 40s, whenmany women face the tradeoffs that go with work and motherhood.These findings are based on a new Pew Research Center survey of 2,002 adu lts, including810 Millennials (ages 18-32), conducted Oct. 7-27, 2013. The survey finds that, in spite ofthe dramatic gains women have ma de in educational attainment and labor forceparticipation in recent decades,young women view this as a man's world—just as middle-aged and older wo men do.51. What do we learn from the first paragraph about Millennial women starting their careers?A) They can get ahead only by striving harder.B) They expect to succeed just like Millennial men.C) They are generally quite optimistic about their future.D) They are better educated than their male counterparts.52. How do most Millennial women feel about their treatment in the workplac e?A) They are the target of discrimination.B) They find it satisfactory on the whole.C) They think it needs further improving.D) They find their complaints ignored.53. What do Millennial women value most when coming of age?A) A sense of accomplishment.B) Job stability and flexibility.C) Rewards and promotions.D) Joy derived from work.54. What are women in their 30s and 40s concerned about?A) The welfare of their children.B) The narrowing of the gender gap.C) The fulfillment of their dreams in life.D) The balance between work and family.55. What conclusion can be drawn about Millennial women from the 2013 su rvey?A) They still view this world as one dominated by males.B) They account for half the workforce in the job market.C) They see the world differently from older generations.D) They do better in work than their male counterparts.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30minutes to translate a passage from Chineseinto English. You should write your answer onAnswer Sheet 2. 近年来，中国有越来越多的城市开始建设地铁。