2024年1月19日发(作者：)

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案完整版

听力

News report 1

( 1 ) A poisonous fish which has a sting strong enough to kill a human is invading

the Mediterranean, warn the International Union for the Conservation

of Nature has raised concerns after the poisonous fish was spotted in the waters

around Turkey, Cyprus and the eastern to the South Pacific and

Indian Ocean, the potentially deadly fish has poisonous barbs and an painful sting

capable of killing gh fatalities are rare, the stings can cause extreme

pain, and stop people fish, also known as the Devil Firefish, is a

highly invasive a species, ( 2 ) and environmentalists fear its arrival could

endanger other types of marine being spotted in the Med, a marine

scientist says: "The fish is spreading, and that's a cause for concern.”

Q1: What is reported in the news?

D. A deadly fish has been spotted in the Mediterranean waters.

Q2: What is the environmentalist concern about the spread of devil fire fish in

the Mediterranean?

B. It could pose a threat to other marine species.

News Report 2

( 3 )Almost half the center of Paris will be accessible only by foot or bicycle

this Sunday to mark World-Car-Free Day. ( 4 ) This is in response to rising air

pollution that made Paris the most polluted city in the world for a brief time. Mayor

Ann Ethogo promoted the first World-Car-Free Day last year. Ethogo also has supported

a Pairs-briefs-Day on the first Sunday of every month. Paris clears traffic from

eight lanes of the main road. About 400 miles of streets will be closed to cars.

It is expected to bring significant reduction in pollution levels. ( 4 ) Last year's

Car-Free Day showed a 40% drop in pollution levels in some parts of the city.

According to an independent air pollution monitor, reports the guardian and sound

levels dropped by 50% in the city center.

Q3: What will happen on World-Car-Free-Day in Paris?

C. About half of its city center will be closed to cars.

Q4: What motivated the mayor of Paris to promote the first World-Car-Free Day in

her city?

D. The rising air pollution in Paris.

News Report 3

( 5 ) A Philippine fisherman was feeling down on his luck when a house fire forced

him to clear out his possessions and change locations. Then, a good luck charm that

he kept under his bed changed his life. The unidentified man fished out a giant pearl

from the ocean when his anchor got stuck on the rock while sailing off a coastal

island in the Philippines 10 years ago. ( 6 ) When he was forced to sell it, ( 7 )

the shocked tourist agent at Puerto Francesca told him that the £77 giant pearl that

he had kept hidden in his run-down wooden house was the biggest pile in the world,

which was valued at £76 million. The pearl of Allah, which is currently on display

in a New York Museum, only weighs 14 pounds. That is 5 times smaller than the pearl

that the fisherman just handed in. The monstrous pearl, measured at 1 foot wide and

2.2 feet long, is going to be verified by local experts and international authorities

before hopefully going on display to attract more tourists in the little town.

Question 5. What happened to the Philippine fisherman one day?

A. His house was burnt down in a fire.

Question 6. What was the fisherman forced to do?

C. Sell the pearl he had kept for years.

Question 7. What did the fisherman learn from the tourist agent?

B. His monstrous pearl was extremely valuable.

Conversation 1

W: Mr. Smith, it's a pleasure meeting you.

M: Nice to meet you,too. What can I do for you?

W: Well, I'm here to show you what our firm can do for you. Astro Consultant has

branches in over 50 countries, offering different business services. ( 8 ) We

are a global company with 75 years of history and our clients include some of

the world's largest companies.

M: Thank you, Mrs. Houston. I know Astro Consultant is a famous company, but you

said you would show me what you could do for me. Well, what exactly can your firm

do for my company?

W: We advise businesses on all matters—from market analysis to legal issues.

Anything of business like yours could need, our firm offers expert advice. Could

I ask you, Mr. Smith, to tell me a little about your company and the challenges

you face? That way, I could better respond as to how we can help you.

M: OK, sure. ( 9 ) This is a family business started by my grandfather in 1950.

We employed just over 100 people. We manufacture an export stone for buildings

and other constructions. Our clients usually want a special kind of stone cut

in a special design. That's what we do in our factory. ( 10 ) Our main challenge

is that our national currency is rising and we're losing competitive advantage

to stone producers in India.

W: I see. that's very interesting. ( 11 ) I would suggest that you let us first

conduct a financial analysis of your company, together with an analysis of your

competitors in India. That way we could offer the best advice on different ways

forward for you.

Q8. What do we learn about the woman's company?

A. It boasts a fairly long history.

Q9. What does the man say about his own company?

D. It is a family business.

Q10. What is the main problem with the man's company?

B. Losing the competitive edge.

Q11. What does the woman suggest doing to help the man’s company?

D. Conducting a financial analysis for it.

Conversation 2

W: ( 12 ) Wow, Congratulations, Simon. The place looks absolutely amazing.

M: Really? You think so?

W: Of course, I love it! It looks like you had a professional interior designer.

But you didn't, did you?

M: No. I did it all by myself—with a little help from my brother Greg. He's actually

in the construction business, which was really helpful.

W: Well, honestly, I'm impressed. I knew I could probably repaint the walls in my

house over a weekend or something, but not a full renovation. Where did you get

your ideas? I wouldn't know where to start.

M: ( 13 ) Well, for a while now, I've been regularly buying home design magazines

every now and then, and say the picture I liked. Believe it or not, I had a full

notebook of magazine pages. Since my overall style was quite minimal, I thought

and hoped the whole renovation wouldn't be too difficult. And sure enough, with

Greg's help,it was very achievable.

W: Was it very expensive? I imagine a project like this could be.

M: ( 14 ) Actually, it was surprisingly affordable. I managed to sell a lot of my

old furniture, and put that extra money towards the new material. Greg was also

able to get some discount of materials from a recent project he was working on

as well.

W: Great. If you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain a bit more. Jonathan and

I are thinking of renovating our sitting room, not the whole house—not yet anyway.

( 15 ) And we'd love to get some inspiration from your experience. Are you free

to come over for a coffee early next week?

Question 12. What do we learn about the woman from the conversation?

B. She is really impressed by the man’s house.

Question 13. Where did the man get his ideas for the project?

C. From home design magazines.

Question 14. What did the man say about the project he recently completed?

A. The cost was affordable.

Question 15. Why does the woman invite the man to her house next week?

D. She wants him to share his renovation experience with her.

Passage 1

( 16 ) Removing foreign objects from ears and noses costs England almost￡3

million a year, a study suggests. Children were responsible for the vast majority

of cases. 95% of objects removed from noses, and 85% from ears. Every year, an average

of 1,218 nose，and 2,479 ear removals took place between 2010 and 2016. ( 17 )

According to England's hospital episodes statistics, children aged 1 to 4 were the

most likely to need help from doctors for a foreign object in their nose. 5 to 9

-year-olds come to the hospital with something in their ears the y items

accounted for up to 40% of cases in both the ears and noses of children. Paper and

plastic toys for the items removed next most from noses. Cotton buds, and pencils

were also found in years.

( 18 ) According to the study, the occurrence of foreign objects in children

is generally attributed to curiosity. Children have an impulse to explore their noses

and ears. This results in the accidental entry of foreign objects. Any ear, nose

and throat surgeon has many weird stories about wonderful objects found in the noses

and ears of children and adults. Batteries can pose a particular danger. In all cases,

prevention is better than cure. This is why many toys contain warnings about small

parts. Recognizing problems early and seeking medical attention is important.

Question16 What does England spend an annual￡3 million on?

C. Removing objects from patients’ noses and ears.

Question17 What do we learn from England's hospital episodes statistics?

B. Five-to nine-year-olds are the most likely to put things in their ears.

Question18 What is generally believed to account for children putting things in their

ears or noses?

D. They are curious about these body parts.

Passage 2

( 21 ) Good morning. Today, I would like to talk to you about my charity

Re-bicycle.

But before that, let me introduce someone. This is Layla Rahimi. She was so scared

when she first moved to new Zealand. Does she struggled to leave the house? I would

spend days working up the courage to walk to the supermarket for basic supplies.

( 19 ) After a few months of being quite down and unhappy, she was invited to join

a local bike club. At this time, Re-bicycle got involved and gave Layla a second-hand

bicycle. Within weeks, her depression had begun to ease as she cycled. The bicycle

totally changed her life, giving her hope and a true feeling of freedom. ( 20 ) To

date, Re-bicycle has donated more than 200 bikes to those in need and is now expanding

bike-riding lessons as a demand source. With a bike, new comers here can travel

farther but for almost no cost. The 3 hours a day they used to spend walking to and

from English language lessons has been reduced to just 1hour.

( 21 ) Our bike riding lessons are so successful that we are urgently looking

for more volunteers, learning to ride a bike is almost always more difficult for

an adult. And this can take days and weeks rather than hours. So if any of you have

some free time during the weekend, please come join us at Re-bicycle and make a

difference in someone’s life.

Question 19. What did Re-bicycle do to help Layla Rahimi?

A. It gave her a used bicycle.

Question 20. What is Re-bicycle doing to help those in need?

A. Expanding bike-riding lessons.

Question 21. What do we learn from the passage about Re-bicycle?

D. It is a charity organization.

Passage 3

Thanks to the international space station, ( 22 ) we know quite a bit about the

effects of low gravity on the human body, but NASA scientists want to learn

that end, they have been studying how other species deal with low gravity,

specifically focusing on mice. The results are both interesting and humorous. The

scientists first sent some mice and especially designed cage to the international

space cage allowed them to study the behavior of the mice remotely from

earth, via video.

As you’ll notice in the video, ( 23 ) the mice definitely seem uncomfortable

at the beginning of the move around clumsily, drifting within the

small confines of the cage and do their best to figure out which way is up, but without

success. However, it’s not long before the mice begin to catch adapt

remarkably well to their new environment, and even use the lack of gravity to their

advantage as they push themselves around the cage. That’s when things really get

wild. ( 24 ) The 11th day of the experiment shows the mice are not just dealing with

the gravity change, but actually seem to be enjoying it. Several of the mice are

observed running around the cage walls. The scientists wanted to see whether the

mice would continue doing the same kinds of activities they were observed doing on

earth.

( 25 ) The study showed that the mice kept much of the routines intact, including

cleaning themselves and eating when hungry.

Question 22 : What do NASA scientists want to learn about?

A. How animals deal with lack of gravity.

Question 23: What does the passage say about the mice at the beginning of the

experiment?

C. They were not used to the low-gravity environment.

Question 24: What was observed about the mice on the 11th day of the experiment?

B. They already felt at home in the new environment.

Question 25: What did the scientists find about the mice from the experiment?

B. They behaved as if they were on Earth.

Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.

1. A ) A deadly fish has been spotted in the Mediterranean waters.

B ) Invasive species are driving away certain native species.

C ) The Mediterranean is a natural habitat of Devil Firefish.

D ) Many people have been attacked by Devil Firefish.

2. A ) It could add to greenhouse emissions.

B ) It could disrupt the food chains there.

C ) It could pose a threat to other marine species.

D ) It could badly pollute the surrounding waters.

Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.

3. A ) Cars will not be allowed to enter the city.

B ) About half of its city center will be closed to cars.

C ) Buses will be the only vehicles allowed on its streets.

D ) Pedestrians will have free access to the city.

4. A ) The rising air pollution in Paris.

B ) The worsening global warming.

C ) The ever-growing cost of petrol.

D ) The unbearable traffic noise.

Questions 5 and 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.

5. A ) Many of his possessions were stolen.

B ) His house was burnt down in a fire.

C ) His fishing boat got wrecked on a rock.

D ) His good luck charm sank into the sea.

6. A ) Change his fishing locations.

B ) Find a job in a travel agency.

C ) Spend a few nights on a small island.

D ) Sell the pearl he had kept for years.

7. A ) A New

B ) The largest pearl in

C ) His monstrous pearl was extremely valuable.

D ) His pearl could be displayed in a museum.

Questions 8 and 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

8. A ) It boast a fairly long history.

B ) It produces construction materials.

C ) It has 75 offices around the world.

D ) It has over 50 business partners.

9. A ) It has about 50 employees.

B ) It was started by his father.

C ) It has a family business.

D ) It is over 100 years old.

10. A ) Shortage of raw material supply.

B ) Legal disputes in many countries.

C ) Outdated product design.

D ) Loss of competitive edge.

11. A ) Conducting a financial analysis for it.

B ) Providing training for its staff members.

C ) Seeking new ways to increase its exports.

D ) Introducing innovative marketing strategies.

Questions 12 and 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12. A ) She is a real expert at house decorations.

B ) She is well informed about the design business.

C ) She is attracted by the color of the sitting room.

D ) She is really impressed by the man’s house.

13. A ) From his younger brother Greg.

B ) From home design magazines.

C ) From a construction businessman.

D ) From a professional interior designer.

14. A ) The effort was worthwhile.

B ) The style was fashionable.

C ) The cost was affordable.

D ) The effect was unexpected.

15. A ) She’d like him to talk with Jonathan about a new project.

B ) She wants him to share his renovation experience with her.

C ) She wants to discuss the house decoration budget with him.

D ) She’d like to show him around her newly-renovated house.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16. A ) Providing routine care for small children

B ) Paying hospital bills for emergency cases.

C ) Doing research on ear, nose and throat diseases.

D ) Removing objects from patients’ noses and ears.

17. A ) Many children like to smell things they find or play with.

B ) Many children like to put foreign objects in their mouth.

C ) Five-to nine-year-olds are the most likely to put things in their ears.

D ) Children aged one to four are often more curious than older children.

18. A ) They tend to act out of impulse.

B ) They want to attract attentions.

C ) They are unaware of the potential risks.

D ) They are curious about these body parts.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

19. A ) It paid for her English lessons.

B ) It gave her a used bicycle.

C ) It delivered her daily necessities.

D ) It provided her with physical therapy.

20. A ) Expanding bike-riding lessons.

B ) Asking local people for donations.

C ) Providing free public transport.

D ) Offering walking tours to visitors.

21. A ) It is a language school.

B ) It is a charity organization.

C ) It is a counseling center.

D ) It is a sports club.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

22. A ) How mice imitate human behavior in space.

B ) How low gravity affects the human body.

C ) How mice interact in a new environment.

D ) How animals deal with lack of gravity.

23. A ) They were not used to the low-gravity environment.

B ) They found it difficult to figure out where they were.

C )They found the space in the cage too small to stay in.

D ) They were not sensitive to the changed environment.

24.A ) They tried everything possible to escape from the cage.

B ) They continued to behave as they did in the beginning.

C ) They already felt at home in the new environment.

D ) They had found a lot more activities to engage in.

25.A ) They repeated their activities every day.

B ) They behaved as if they were on Earth.

C ) They begin to eat less after some time.

D ) They changed their routines in space.

听力第一套

1. D. A deadly fish has been spotted in the Mediterranean waters.

2. B. It could pose a threat to other marine species.

3. C. About half of its city center will be closed to cars.

4. D. The rising air pollution in Paris.

5. A. His house was burnt down in a fire.

6. C. Sell the pearl he had kept for years.

7. B. His monstrous pearl was extremely valuable.

8. A. It boasts a fairly long history.

9. D. It is a family business.

10. B. Loss the competitive edge.

11. D. Conducting a financial analysis for it.

12. B. She is really impressed by the man’s house.

13. C. From home design magazines.

14. A. The cost was affordable.

15. D. She wants him to share his renovation experience with her.

16. C. Removing objects from patients’ noses and ears.

17. B. Five-to nine-year-olds are the most likely to put things in their ears.

18. D. They are curious about these body parts.

19. A. It gave her a used bicycle.

20. A. Expanding bike-riding lessons.

21. D. It is a charity organization.

22. A. How animals deal with lack of gravity.

23. C. They were not used to the low-gravity environment.

24. B. They already felt at home in the new environment.

25. C. They behaved as if they were on Earth.

听力第二套

1. D ) He did an unusual good deed.

2. C ) Give some money to the waiter.

3. A ) Whether or not to move to the state’s mainland.

4. B ) It costs too much money.

5. A ) To investigate whether people are grateful for help.

6. C ) They held doors open for people at various places.

7. B ) Most people express gratitude for help.

8. C ) To enquire about solar panel installations.

9. D ) He has a large family.

10. B ) The cost of a solar panel installation.

11. D ) About five year.

12. A ) At a travel agency.

13. D ) She wanted to spend more time with her family.

14. D ) Two weeks.

15. A ) Choosing some activities herself.

16. D ) Pay a green tax upon arrival.

17. A ) It has not been doing a good job in recycling.

18. B ) To ban single-use plastic bags and straws on Bali island.

19. D ) Its population is now showing signs of increase.

20. C ) Commercial hunting.

21. D ) To seek breeding grounds.

22. C ) They consume less milk these days.

23. A ) It is not as healthy as once thought.

24. C ) They lack the necessary proteins to digest it.

25. B ) It provides some necessary nutrients.

翻译

【翻译第一套】

鱼是春节前夕餐桌上不可或缺的一道菜，因为汉语中“鱼”字的发音与“余”字的发音相同。正由于这个象征性的意义，春节期间鱼也作为礼物送给亲戚朋友。鱼的象征意义据说源于中国传统文化。中国人有节省的传统，他们认为节省得愈多，就感到愈为安全。今天，尽管人们愈来愈富裕了，但他们仍然认为节省是一种值得弘扬的美德。

【参考译文】

Fish is an indispensable dish on the eve of the Spring Festival, because the Chinese

character for fish sounds the same as the character for “abundant”. Due to this

symbolic meaning, fish is also given as a gift to relatives and friends during the

Spring symbolic meaning of fish is said to be rooted in traditional

Chinese Chinese people have a tradition of saving, believing that the

more they save, the more secure they will feel. Today, despite the fact that people

are getting richer and richer, they still regard saving as a virtue worth carrying

forward.

【翻译第二套】

春节前夕吃团圆饭是中国人的传统。团圆饭是一年中最重要的晚餐，也是家庭团聚的最佳时间，家人生活在不同地方的家庭尤其如此。团圆饭上的菜肴丰富多样，其中有些菜肴有特殊含义。例如，鱼是不可缺少的一道菜，因为汉语中的“鱼”字和“余”字听上去一样。在中国的许多地方，饺子也是一道重要的佳肴，因为饺子象征着财富和好运。

【参考译文】

It is a Chinese tradition to have a family reunion dinner on the eve of the Spring

Festival. The reunion dinner is not only the most important dinner of the year, but

also the best opportunity for family reunion, especially for the family with its

members living in different places. The dishes served at the reunion dinner are rich

and varied, some of which have special meanings. For example, fish is an

indispensable dish because the Chinese character for “fish” sounds the same as

the character for “abundant”. In many areas of China, dumpling is also an important

delicacy because it symbolizes wealth and fortune.

【翻译第三套】

生活在中国不同地区的人们饮食多种多样。北方人主要吃面食，南方人大多吃米饭。在沿海地区，海鲜和淡水水产品在人们饮食中占有相当大的比例，而在其他地区人们的饮食中，肉类和奶制品更为常见。四川、湖南等省份的居民普遍爱吃辛辣食物，而江苏和浙江人更喜欢甜食。然而，因为烹任方式各异，同类食物的味道可能会有所不同。

【参考译文】

People who live in different parts of China have a variety of diets. Those in the

north mainly eat food made with flour, while those in the south mostly eat rice.

In coastal areas, seafood and freshwater products account for a considerable

proportion in people’s diets, whereas in other areas, meat and dairy products are

more common. Residents in Sichuan, Hunan and other provinces generally like spicy

food, while people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces prefer sweet food. However,

the taste of similar foods may be different due to various cooking methods.

作文

第一套 Writing

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write on the topic

Changes in the Way of Education. You should write at least 120 words but no more

than 180 words.

范文:

Changes in the way of education

As the internet is developing so rapidly, the way of education keeps changing

and new forms of education emerge surprisingly. Especially during the pandemic of

corona virus,online education has become one of the most important ways of education

throughout the world.

The changes in the way of education can be listed as of all,

compared with traditional offline teaching activities, online education gives

students the opportunity to study wherever they want, at home or in the er,

the cost of attending online courses is normally lower than that of offline ones.

Besides, students can choose the perfect time when they are available to attend

classes,instead of stubbornly fixing the time required without the possibility of

doing any other important thing.

From my perspective, the changes in the way of education mainly lie in the good

respects. As one of the fortunate students who live in the age of internet and can

get access to online courses, I can’t help exclaiming: it is the best of times.

第二套 Writing

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write on the topic

Changes in the Way of Transportation. You should write at least 120 words but no

more than 180 words.

范文:

Changes in the way of transportation

As the intemnet is developing so rapidly, the way of transportation keeps

changing surprisingly. New applications on transportation emerge abundantly,

contributing to the fact that people' s lifestyle has been changed as well.

The changes in the way of transportation can be listed as follows. First of all,

with the development of technology, the price of transportation is much cheaper than

before. Moreover,compared with traditional ways of buying tickets, transportation

applications and websites give passengers the opportunity to book tickets online

without going outside to particular ticket offices. Besides, highspeed railways

gradually replace the old-fashioned green trains, which can tremendously improve

travelers comfort during the journey and shorten the time spent on the way.

From my perspective, the changes in the way of transportation mainly lie in the

good respects. As one of the fortunate passengers who live in the age of internet

and can get access to online service of transportation, I can’t help exclaiming:

it is the best of times.

第三套 Writing

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write on the topic

Changes in the Way of should write at least 120 words but no more

than 180 words.

范文:

Changes in the way of communication

As the intermet is developing so rapidly, the way of communication keeps changing

surprisingly. New applications on communication and new social skils emerge

abundantly, contributing to the fact that people’s lifestyle has been changed

subtantially as well.

The changes in the way of communication can be listed as of all,

people used to prefer talking to each other face to r, with social

networking applications becoming increasingly popular, people are gradually used

to communicating with others online. Moreover, making telephone calls, though

expensive and inconvenient, was one of the most important ways to keep in touch with

those far away. At present, with the popularization of social networking apps, the

cost of texting or calling friends and relatives is much cheaper than before. Besides,

intermet slang is more commonly used in people’s daily life.

From my perspective, we should not easily judge people’s ways of communication,

whether they prefer face to-face communication or they would like to contact people

via virtual world, if only the efficiency of communication would not be affected

adversely.

阅读

四级选词填空第一套

When my son completes a task, I can't help but praise him. It's only natural

to give praise where praise is due, right? But is there such a thing as too much

praise? According to psychologist Katherine Phillip, children don’t benefit from

26 praise as much as we’d like to think."Parents often praise, believing they are

building their child's self-confidence. However,over-praising can have

a_27_effect,” says Phillip."When we use the same praise 28 , it may become empty

and no longer valued by the child. It can also become an expectation that anything

they do must be 29 with praise. This may lead to the child avoiding taking risks

due to fear of 30 their parents.”

Does this mean we should do away with all the praise? Phillip says no."The key

to healthy praise is to focus on the process rather than the 31 . it is the

recognition of a child's attempt, or the process in which they achieved something,

that is essential,"she says."Parents should encourage their child to take the risks

needed to learn and grow”

So how do we break the 32 of praise we're all so accustomed to? Phillip says

it's important to _33_ between "person praise" and "process raise". "Person praise

is 34_ saying how great someone is. It's a form personal approval. Process praise

as acknowledgment of the efforts to person has just 35 . Children who receive person

praise are more likely to feel shame after losing," says Phillip.

A ) choose

B ) constant

C ) disappointing

D ) distinguish

E ) exhausting

F ) experienced

G ) negative

H ) outcome

I ) pattern

J ) plural

K ) repeatedly

L ) rewarded

M ) separately

N ) simply

答案

26. B. constant

27. G. negative

28. K repeatedly

29. L rewarded

30. C disappointing

31. H. outcome

32. I .pattern

33. D .distinguish

34. N. simply

35 O. undertaken

四级选词填空第二套

The things people make, and the way they make them, determine how cities grow

and decline, and influence how empires rise and fall. So, any disruption to the

world's factories __26__.

And that disruption is surely coming. Factories are being digitized, filled with

new sensors and new computers to make them quicker, more __27__, and more efficient.

Robots are breaking free from the cages that surround them, learning new skills,

and new ways of working. And 3D printers have long __28__a world where you can make

anything, any- where, from a computerised design. That vision is __29__ closer to

reality. These forces will lead to cleaner factories, producing better goods at lower

prices, personalized to our individual needs and desires. Humans will be __30__many

of the dirty, repetitive, and dangerous jobs that have long been a __31__of factory

life.

Greater efficiency __32__ means fewer people can do the same work. Yet factory

bosses in many developed countries are worried about a lack of skilled human

workers-and see __33__ and robots as a solution.

But economist Helena Leurent says this period of rapid change in manufacturing

is a __34__ opportunity to make the world a better place. "Manufacturing is the one

system where you have got the biggest source of innovation, the biggest source of

economic growth, and the biggest source of great jobs in the past. "You can see it

changing. That's an opportunity to __35__ that system differently, and if we can,

it will have enormous significance."

答案

26. K ) matters

27. G ) flexible

28. M ) promised

29. L ) moving

30. O ) spared

31. F ) feature

32. H ) inevitably

33. A ) automation

34. D ) fantastic

35. N ) shape

四级选词填空第三套

Trust is fundamental to life. If you cannot trust in anything, life becomes

intolerable—a constant battle against paranoia and looming disaster. You can’t

have relationships without trust, let alone good ones. Intimacy depends on it. I

suspect more marriages are wrecked by lack of trust than by actual infidelity. The

partner who can’t trust the other not to betray him or her will either drive them

away or force them into some real or assumed act of faithlessness.

In the workplace too, trust is essential. An organization without trust will

be full of backstabbing, fear and paranoid suspicion. If you work for a boss who

doesn’t trust her people to do things right, you’ll have a miserable time of it.

She’ll be checking up on you all the time, correcting “mistakes” and “oversights”

and constantly reminding you to do this or that. Colleagues who don’t trust one

another will need to spend more time watching their backs than doing any useful work.

The office politics would make Machiavelli blush.

All this extra work—plus the work we load onto ourselves because we don’t trust

people either. The checking, following through, doing things ourselves because we

don’t believe others will do them properly— or at all. If you took all that way,

how much extra time would you suddenly find in your day? How much of your work pressure

would disappear?

答案

26-30 CMGAO 31-35 JKFIH

26. C ) essential

27.M ) suspicion

28. G ) miserable

29. A ) constantly

30. O ) watching

31. J ) records

32. K ) removed

33. F ) load

34. I ) properly

35. H ) pressure

四级快速阅读第一套

Poverty is a story about us, not them

Too often still, we think we know what poverty looks like.

It’s the way we’ve been taught, the images we’ve been force-fed for decades.

The chronically homeless.

The undocumented immigrant.

The urban poor, usually personified as a woman of color, the “welfare queen”

politicians still too often reference.

But as income inequality rises to record levels in the United States, even in the

midst of a record economic expansion, those familiar images are outdated, hurtful,

and counterproductive to focusing attention on solutions and building ladders of

opportunity.

Today’s faces of income inequality and lack of opportunity look like, well… all

of us.

It’s Anna Landre, a disabled Georgetown University student fighting to keep health

benefits that allow her the freedom to live her life.

It’s Tiffanie Standard, a mentor for young women of color in Philadelphia who want

to be tech entrepreneurs — but who must work multiple jobs to stay afloat.

It’s Sharon Penner, an artisan in rural Georgia, who worries about retirement

security and health care options for senior gay women.

It’s Charles Oldstein, a U.S. Air Force veteran in New Orleans who would still be

on the street if the city hadn’t landed a zero tolerance policy for homelessness

among veterans.

It’s Ken Outlaw, a welder in rural North Carolina whose dream of going back to school

at a local community college was dashed by Hurricane Florence — just one of the

extreme weather events that have tipped the balance for struggling Americans across

the nation.

It’s activists involved with Mothering Justice, a Michigan-based advocacy

organization, who have heard the stereotypes and code words for way too long.

[D] If these are the central characters of our story about poverty, what layers of

perceptions, myths, and realities must we unearth to find meaningful solutions

and support? In pursuit of revealing this complicated reality, Mothering Justice,

led by women of color, went last year to the state capital in Lansing, Michigan,

to lobby on issues that affect working mothers. One of the Mothering Justice

organizers went to the office of a state representative to talk about the lack

of affordable childcare — the vestiges of a system that expected mothers to

stay home with their children while their husbands worked. A legislative staffer

dismissed the activist’s concerns, telling her “my husband took care of that

— I stayed home.”

[E] That comment, says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson, “was meant

to shame” and relied on the familiar trope that a woman of color concerned about

income inequality and programs that promote mobility must by definition be a

single mom, probably with multiple kids. In this case, Mothering Justice

activist happened to be married. And in most cases in the America of 2019, the

images that come to mind when we hear the words poverty or income inequality

fail miserably in reflecting a complicated reality: poverty touches virtually

all of us. The face of income inequality, for all but a very few of us, is the

one we each see in the mirror.

[F] How many of us are poor in the U.S.? According to the Census Bureau, 38 million

people in the U.S. are living below the official poverty thresholds ( currently

$20,231 for a family of three with two children ). Taking into account economic

need beyond that absolute measure, the Institute for Policy Studies found that

140 million people are poor or low-income, living below 200 percent of the

Census’s supplemental measure of poverty. That’s almost half the U.S.

population.

[G] How many of us are poor in the U.S.?No matter the measure, within that massive

group, poverty is extremely diverse. We know that some people are more affected

than others, like children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people

of color.

[H] But the fact that 4 in 10 Americans can’t come up with $400 in an emergency

is a commonly cited statistic for good reason: economic instability stretches

across race, gender, and geography. It even reaches into the middle classes,

as real wages have stagnated for all but the very wealthy and temporary spells

of financial instability are not uncommon.

[I] LGBT seniors like Penner, for example, may have worked steadily throughout their

lives but now faces hurdles in retirement because of a lack of health care or

inclusive senior care facilities. Yet too many of us still cling to demeaning

stereotypes about who poverty impacts, which affects how we live with each other

and how we develop policy responses to the income inequality that has defined

American life in recent put, the narrative that Americans tell

themselves about poverty is badly flawed.

[J] The FrameWorks Institute, a research group that focuses on public framing of

issues, has studied what props up stereotypes and narratives of poverty in the

United Kingdom. “People view economic success and wellbeing in life as … a

product of choice, willpower, drive, grit, and gumption,” says Nat

Kendall-Taylor, CEO of FrameWorks. “When we see people who are struggling,”

he says, those assumptions “lead us to the perception that people in poverty

are lazy, they don’t care, and they haven’t made the right decisions.”

[K] Does this sound familiar? Similar ideas surround poverty in the U.S. And these

assumptions wreak havoc on reality. “When people enter into that pattern of

thinking,” says Kendall-Taylor, “it’s cognitively comfortable to make sense

of issues of poverty in that way. [It] creates a kind of cognitive blindness

— all of the factors external to a person’s drive [and] choices that they’ve

made become invisible and fade from view.”

[L] Those external factors include the difficulties concomitant with low-wage work

or structural discrimination based on race, gender, or ability. Assumptions get

worse when people who are poor use government benefits to help them survive.

There is a great tension between “the poor” and those who are receiving what

has become a dirty word: “welfare.”

[M] According to the General Social Survey, 71 percent of respondents believe the

country is spending too little on “assistance to the poor.” On the other hand,

22 percent think we are spending too little on “welfare”: 37 percent believe

we are spending too much.

[N] “Poverty has been interchangeable with people of color — but [specifically]

black women and black mothers,” says Atkinson of Mothering Justice. It’s true

that black mothers are more affected by poverty than many other groups, yet they

are disproportionately the face of poverty. For example, Americans routinely

overestimate the share of black recipients of public assistance programs.

36.[E] That comment,says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson,"was meant

to shame"

37.[H] But the fact that 4 in 10 Americans can't come up with$400 in an emergency

is a commonly cited statistic for good reason: economic instability stretches

across race,gender,and geography.

38.[M]According to the General Social Survey,71 percent of respondents believe the

country is spending too little on"assistance to the poor."

39.[J] The Frame Works Institute,a research group that focuses on public framing

of issues,has studied what sustains stereotypes and narratives of poverty in the

United Kingdom

40.[D] If these are the central characters of our story about poverty,what layers

of perceptions,myths,and realities must we unearth to find meaningful solutions and

support?

41.[F] How many of us are poor in the U.S.?

42.[N]"Poverty has been interchangeable with people of color-specifically black

women and"black mothers,"says Atkinson of Mothering Justice.

43.[I]Negative images remain of who is living in poverty as well as what is needed

to move out of it.

44.[E]That comment,says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson,"was meant to

shame"

45.[L] Those external factors include the difficulties accompanying low-wage work

or structural discrimination based on race,gender,or ability.

四级快速阅读第二套

The History of the Lunch Box

[A] It was made of shiny, bright pink plastic with a Little Mermaid sticker on the

front, and I carried it with me nearly every single day. My lunch box was one

of my first prized possessions, a proud statement to everyone in my kindergarten

bubble: "I love Ariel." That clunky container served me well through first and

second grade, until the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians hit theaters, and

I needed—needed—the newest red plastic box with Pongo and Perdita on the front.

I know I'm not alone here—I bet you loved your first lunch box, too.

[C] Lunch boxes have been connecting kids to cartoons and TV shows and superheroes

for decades. But it wasn't always that way. Once upon a time, they weren't even

boxes. As schools have changed in the past century, the midday meal container

has evolved right along with them.

[D] Let's start back at the beginning of the 20th century—the beginning of the lunch

box story, really. While there were neighborhood schools in cities and suburbs,

one-room schoolhouses were common in rural areas. As grandparents have been

saying for generations, kids would travel miles to school in the countryside

( often on foot ). "You had kids in rural areas who couldn't go home from school

[for lunch] because it's just too hard to get back and forth, so bringing your

lunch wrapped in a cloth, wrapped in oiled paper, in a little wooden box or

something like that was a very long-standing rural tradition," says Paula Johnson,

food history curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in

Washington, D.C.

[F] City kids, on the other hand, went home for lunch and came back. Since they rarely

carried a meal, the few metal lunch pails on the market were mainly for tradesmen

and factory workers. After World War II, a bunch of changes reshaped schools—and

lunches. More women joined the workforce. Small schools consolidated into larger

ones, meaning more students were farther from home. And the National School Lunch

Act in 1946 made cafeterias much more common. Still, there wasn't much of a market

for lunch containers—yet. Students who carried their lunch often did so in a

re-purposed pail or tin of some kind.

[H] And then everything changed. The year: 1950. You might as well call it the Year

of the Lunch Box, thanks in large part to a genius move by a Nashville-based

manufacturer, Aladdin Industries. The company already made square metal meal

containers, the kind workers carried, and some had started to show up in the hands

of school kids ( lunch pail, meet lunch box ).

[I] But these containers were really durable, lasting years on end. That was great

for the consumer, not so much for the manufacturer. So executives at Aladdin hit

on an idea that would harness the newfound popularity of television. They

lacquered lunch boxes with striking red paint and added a picture of TV and radio

cowboy Hopalong Cassidy on the front.

[J] The company sold 600,000 units the first year. It was a major "Ah-ha!" moment,

and a wave of other manufacturers jumped on board to capitalize on new TV shows

and movies. "The Partridge Family, the Addams Family, the Six Million Dollar Man,

the Bionic Woman—everything that was on television ended up on a lunch box,"

says Allen Woodall. He's the founder and curator of the Lunch Box Museum in

Columbus, Ga. "It was a great marketing tool because [kids] were taking that TV

show to school with them, and then when they got home they had them captured back

on TV," he says. And yes, you read that right: There is a lunch box museum, right

near the Chattahoochee River. Woodall has more than 2,000 items on display. His

favorite? The Green Hornet lunch box, because he used to listen to the radio show

back in the 1940s.

[L] The new trend was also a great example of planned obsolescence, Woodall adds.

Kids would beg for a new lunch box every year to keep up with the newest characters,

even if their old lunch box ( So long, Ariel! ) was perfectly usable.

[M] The metal lunch box craze lasted until the mid-1980s, when plastic ( and for

a short time, vinyl ) took over. Two theories exist as to why. The first—and

most likely—is that plastic had simply become cheaper. The second

theory—possibly an urban myth—is that concerned parents in several states

proposed bans on metal lunch boxes, claiming kids were using them as "weapons"

to hit one another. There's a lot on the internet about a state-wide ban in Florida,

but a few days worth of digging by a historian at the Florida State Historical

Society ( thanks, Ben DiBiase! ) found no such legislation. Either way, the metal

lunch box was out. ( Want to know more about that Golden Age of metal lunch boxes?

Check out this episode of the Mystery Show podcast, that goes deep, deep down

a lunch box-inspired rabbit hole. ) A Whole New World The last few decades have

brought a new lunch box revolution, of sorts. Plastic boxes begat insulated cloth

sacks, and eventually, globalism brought tiffin containers from India and bento

boxes from Japan. Even the old metal standby has seen a renaissance. "I don't

think the heyday has passed," says D.J. Jayasekara, owner and founder of

, a retailer in Pasadena, Calif. "I think it has evolved. The days

of the ready-made, 'you stick it in a lunch box and carry it to school' are kinda

done."

[O] The advent of backpacks threw the lunch box scene for a bit of a loop, he adds.

Once kids started carrying book bags, that clunky traditional lunch box was hard

to fit inside. "But you can't just throw a sandwich in a backpack," Jayasekara

says. "It still has to go into a container." That's, in part, why smaller and

softer containers have taken off—they fit into backpacks. And don't

worry—whether it's a plastic bento box or a cloth bag, lunch containers can still

easily be plastered with popular culture. "We sync with the movie industries so

we can predict which characters are going to be popular for the coming months,"

Jayasekara says. "You know, kids are kids."

36.[F] City kids,on the other hand,went home for lunch and came back.

37.[J] The company sold 600, 000 units the first year.

38.[O] The introduction of backpacks changed the lunch box scene a bit,he adds.

39.[C] Lunch boxes have been connecting kids to cartoons and TV shows and

super-heroes for decades.

40.[H] And then everything changed in the year of 1950.

41.[L] The new trend was also a great example of planned obsolescence,that is,to

design a product so that it will soon become unfashionable or impossible to use and

will need replacing.

42.[D] Let's start back at the beginning of the 20th century-the beginning of the

lunch box story,really.

43.[A] It was made of shiny,bright pink plastic with a Little Mermaid sticker on

the front,and I carried it with me nearly every single day.

44.[M] The metal lunch box craze lasted until the mid-1980s,when plastic took over.

45.[l] But these containers were really durable,lasting years on end.

四级快速阅读第三套

The Place Where the Poor Once Thrived

[A] This is the land of opportunity. If that weren’t already implied by the

landscape—rolling green hills, palm trees, sun-kissed flowers—then it’s

evident in the many of stories of people who grew up poor in these sleepy

neighborhoods and rose to enormous success. People like Tri Tran, who fled

Vietnam on a boat in 1986, showed up in San Jose with nothing, made it to MIT,

and then founded the food-delivery start-up Munchery, which is valued at $300

million. “I think that in this land, if you are really determined and focused,

you can go pretty far,” he told me.

[B] Kids in San Jose whose families fell in the bottom quintile of income nationally

had the best shot in the country at reaching the top contrast, just

4.4 percent of poor kids in Charlotte moved up to the top; in Detroit the figure

was 5.5 percent. ( San Jose, for the purposes of the study, was defined as the

San Jose commuting zone, which includes the counties of Santa Clara, Monterey,

San Benito, and Santa Cruz. )

[C] San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark’s and Canada’s, and bested

other progressive cities such as Boston ( 10.5 percent chance ) and Minneapolis

( 8.5 percent chance ). The reasons kids in San Jose performed so well might

seem obvious. Some of the world’s most innovative companies are located here,

providing opportunities such as the one seized by a 12-year-old Mountain View

resident named Steve Jobs when he called William Hewlett to ask for spare parts

and subsequently received a summer job.

[D] This is a city of immigrants—38 percent of the city’s population today is

foreign-born—and immigrants and their children have historically experienced

significant upward mobility in America. The city has long had a large

foreign-born population ( 26.5 percent in 1990 ), leading to broader diversity,

which, the Harvard and Berkeley economists say, is a good predictor of mobility.

[E] Indeed, the streets of San Jose seem, in some ways, to embody the best of America.

It’s possible to drive in a matter of minutes from sleek office towers near

the airport where people pitch investors on ideas to cul-de-sacs of

single-family homes with orange trees in their yards, or to a Vietnamese mall

where, on a recent weekday, Vietnamese immigrants clustered in the parking lot

celebrating the Lunar New Year by playing dice games. The libraries here offer

programs in 17 languages, and there are enclaves of small businesses owned by

Vietnamese immigrants, Mexican immigrants, Korean immigrants, and Filipino

immigrants, to name a few.

[F] But researchers aren’t sure exactly why poor kids in San Jose did so well. The

city has a low prevalence of children growing up in single-parent families, and

a low level of concentrated poverty, both factors that usually mean a city allows

for good intergenerational mobility. But San Jose also performs poorly on some

of the measures correlated with good mobility. It is one of the most unequal

places out of the 741 that the researchers measured, and it has high degrees

of racial and economic segregation. Its schools underperform based on how much

money there is in the area, said Ben Scuderi, a predoctoral fellow at the Equality

of Opportunity Project at Harvard, which uses big data to study how to improve

economic opportunities for low-income children.

[G] Whether the city still allows for upward mobility of poor kids today, though,

is up for debate. Some of the indicators such as income inequality, measured

by the Equality of Opportunity Project for the year 2000, have only worsened

in the past 16 years.

[H] Some San Jose residents say that as inequality has grown in recent years, upward

mobility has become much more difficult to achieve. As Silicon Valley has become

home to more successful companies, the flood of people to the area has caused

housing prices to skyrocket—median sale price reached $830,000 last year. By

most measures, San Jose is no longer a place where low-income, or even

middle-income families, can afford to live. Rents in San Jose grew a whopping

42.6 percent between 2006 and 2014, which was the largest increase in the country

during that time period. The city has a growing homelessness problem, which it

tried to address by shutting down “The Jungle,” one of the largest homeless

encampments in the nation, in 2014. Inequality is extreme: The Human

Development Index—a measure of life expectancy, education and per capital

income—gives East San Jose a score of 4.85 out of 10, while nearby Cupertino,

where Apple’s headquarters sit, receives a 9.26. Given this, the future for

the region’s poor doesn’t look nearly as bright as it once did.

[I] Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure that San Jose regains its status

as a place where even poor kids can access the resources to succeed. With Silicon

Valley in its backyard, it certainly has the chance to do so.

[J] “I think there is a broad consciousness in the Valley that we can do better

than to leave thousands of our neighbors behind through a period of extraordinary

success,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo told me. But in today’s America—a land

of rising inequality, increasing segregation, and stagnating middle-class

wages—can the San Jose region really once again become a place of opportunity?

[K] The idea that those at the bottom can rise to the top is central to America’s

ideas about itself. That such mobility has become more difficult in San Jose

raises questions about the endurance of that foundational belief. After all,

if the one-time land of opportunity can’t be fixed, what does that say for the

rest of America?

36. According to some people living in San Jose, it has become much harder for the

poor to get ahead due to the increased inequality.

原文：[H] Some San Jose residents say that as inequality has grown in recent years,

upward mobility has become much more difficult to achieve.

37. In American history, immigrants used to have a good chance to move upward in

society.

原文：[D]This is a city of immigrants—38 percent of the city’s population today

is foreign-born—and immigrants and their children have historically experienced

significant upward mobility in America.

38. If the problems of San Jose can’t be solved, one of America’s fundamental

beliefs about itself can be shaken.

原文：[K] The idea that those at the bottom can rise to the top is central to America’s

ideas about itself. That raises questions about the endurance of that foundational

belief.

39. San Jose was among the best cities in America for popor kids to move up the social

ladder.

原文：[B] Kids in San Jose whose families fell in the bottom quintile of income

nationally had the best shot in the country at reaching the top quintile.

40. Whether poor kids in San Jose today still have the chance to move upward is

questionable.

原文：[G] Whether the city allows for upward mobility of poor kids today, though,

is up for debate.

41. San Jose’s officials are resolved to give poor kids access to the resources

necessary for success in life.

原文：[I] Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure that the city regains its

status as a place where even poor kids can access the resources to succeed.

42. San Jose appears to manifest some of the best features of America.

原文：[E] Indeed, the streets of San Jose seem , in some says, to embody the best

of America.

43. As far as social mobility is concerned, San Jose beat many other progressive

cities in America.

原文：[C] San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark’s and Canada’s and

higher than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis.

44. Due to some changes like increases in housing prices in San Jose, the prospects

for its poor people have dimmed.

原文：[H] Given this, the future for the region’s poor doesn’t look nearly as bright

as it once did.

45. Researchers do not have a clear idea why poor children in San Jose achieved such

great success several decades ago.

原文：[F] But researchers aren’t sure exactly why poor kids in San Jose did so well.

四级仔细阅读第一套

Passage one

46. C They did not become popular until the emergence of improved batteries.

47. B The falling prices of ebike batteries.

48. D It will profit from ebike sharing.

49. A Retailers’ refusal to deal in ebikes.

50. D The younger generation’s pursuit of comfortable riding.

Passage Two

51. A To sway public opinion of the impact of human activities on Earth.

52. C It covers more phenomena.

53. D Deliberate choice of words.

54. B For greater precision

55. C Human activities have serious effects on Earth.

四级仔细阅读第二套

Passage 1

Boredom has, paradoxically, become quite interesting to academics lately. In

early May, London’s Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in

dullness. At this event, people flocked to talks about weather, traffic jams, and

vending-machine sounds, among other sleep-inducing topics.

What, exactly, is everybody studying? One widely accepted psychological

definition of boredom is “the distasteful experience of wanting, but being unable,

to engage in satisfying activity.” But How can you quantify a person’s boredom

level and compare it with someone else’s?

In 1986, psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale, designed to

individual’s overall tendency to fell bored. By contrast, the Multidimensional

State Boredom Scale, developed in 2008, measures a person’s feelings of boredom

in a given situation.

Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving,

mindless snacking, excessive drinking, and addictive gambling. In fact, many of us

would choose pain over boredom.

One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of

women would rather self-administer electric shocks than sit alone with their

thoughts for 15 minutes. Researching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers

to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could self-administer

electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the

sad or neutral ones did.

But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming, it

can spur activity. An early study gave participants abundant time to complete

problem-solving and word-association exercises. Once all the obvious answers were

exhausted, participants gave more and more inventive answers to combat boredom. A

British study took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a

creative challenge ( coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item ).

One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight

to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been primed were more productive.

In our always-connected world, boredom may be a hard-to-define state, but it

is a fertile one. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone

for a while, and you might unlock your next big idea.

46. When are people likely to experience boredom, according to an accepted

psychological definition?

A ) When they don’t have the chance to do what they want.

B ) When they don’t enjoy the materials they are studying.

C ) When they experience something unpleasant.

D ) When they engage in some routine activities.

47. What does the author say boredom can lead to?

A ) Determination.

B ) Mental deterioration.

C ) Concentration.

D ) Harmful conduct.

48. What is the findings of one team of psychologists in their experiment?

A ) Volunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting along deliberating.

B ) Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.

C ) Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females,

D ) Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minuets.

49. Why does the author say boredom isn’t all bad?

A ) It stimulates memorization.

B ) It may promote creative thinking.

C ) It allows time for relaxation.

D ) It may facilitate independent learning.

50. What does the author suggests one do when faced with a challenging problem?

A ) Stop idling and think big.

B ) Unlock one’s smartphone.

C ) Look around oneself for stimulation.

D ) Allow oneself some time to be bored.

答案

46. A When they don’t have the chance to do what they want

47. D Harmful conduct

48. B Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.

49. B It may promote creative thinking.

50. D Allow oneself some time to be bored.

Passage 2

Forests in countries like Brazil and the Congo get a lot of attention from

environmentalists, and it is easy to see why. South America and sub-Saharan Africa

are experiencing deforestation on an enormous scale: every year almost 5 million

hectares are lost. But forests are also changing in rich Western countries. They

are growing larger, both in the sense that they occupy more and that the trees in

them are bigger. What is going on?

Forests are spreading in almost all Western countries, with fastest growth in

places that historically had rather few tress. In 1990 28% of Spain was forested;

now the proportion is 37%. In both Greece and Italy, the growth was from 26% to

32% over the same period. Forests are gradually taking more land in America and

Australia. Perhaps most astonishing is the trend in Ireland. Roughly 1% of that

country was forested when it became independent in 1922. Forests cover 11% of the

land, and the government wants to push the proportion to 18% by the 2040s.

Two things are fertilising this growth. The first is the abandonment of farmland,

especially in high, dry places where nothing grows terribly well. When farmers give

up trying to earn a living from farming or herding, trees simply move in. The

second is government policy and subsidy. Throughout history, governments have

protected and promoted forests for diverse reasons, ranging from the need for

wooden warships to a desire to promote suburban house-building. Nowadays forests

are increasingly welcome because they suck in carbon pollution from the air.

The justifications change; the desire for more trees remains constant.

The greening of the West does not delight everyone. Farmers complain that land

is being taken out of use by generously subsidised tree plantations. Parts of Spain

and Portugal suffer from terrible forest fires. Others simply dislike the

appearance of forests planted in neat rows. They will have to get used to the trees,

however. The growth of Western forests seems almost as unstoppable as deforestation

elsewhere.

51. What is catching environmentalists’ attention nowadays?

A ) Rich countries are stripping poor ones of their resources.

B ) Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries.

C ) Forests are eating away the fertile farmland worldwide.

D ) Rich countries are doing little to address deforestation.

52. Which countries have the fastest forest growth?

A ) Those that have newly achieved independence.

B ) Those that at have the greatest demand for timber.

C ) Those that used to have the lowest forest coverage.

D ) Those that provide enormous government subsidies.

53. What has encourage forest growth historically?

A ) The government’s advocacy.

B ) The use of wood for fuel.

C ) The favorable climate.

D ) The green movement.

54. What account for our increasing desire for forest?

A ) Their unique scenic beauty.

B ) Their use as fruit plantation.

C ) Their capability of improving air quality.

D ) Their stable supply of building materials.

55. What does the author conclude about the prospects of forestation?

A ) Deserts in sub-Saharan Africa will diminish gradually.

B ) It will play a more and more important role in people’s lives.

C ) Forest destruction in the developing world will quickly slow down.

D ) Developed and developing countries are moving in opposite direction.

答案

51. B. Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries.

52. C Those that used to have the lowest forest coverage

53. A The government’s advocacy

54. C Their capability of improving air quality

55. D Developed and developing countries are moving in opposite direction.

四级仔细阅读第三套

Passage One

开头: Three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health

conditions.

46-50 DABCD

46. What are teachers complaining about?

D ) They lack the necessary resources to address pupils’ mental problems.

47. What do we learn from the passage about community health services in Britain?

A ) They have deteriorated due to budget cuts.

48. Where does the author suggest mental health services be placed?

B ) At school.

49. What do we learn from the recent studies?

C ) Students are more comfortable seeking counseling in school.

50. What does the author mean by a cultural shift ( Line 2-3, Para.6 )?

D ) A change in the conception of what schools are?

Passage Two

开头: Picture this: You’re at a movie theater

51-55 ADBCB

51. Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater?

A ) To illustrate people s peculiar shopping behavior.

52. Why is the medium soda priced the way it is?

D ) To make customers believe they are getting a bargain.

53. What do we learn from Dan Ariely’s experiment?

B ) The Economist’s promotional strategy works.

54. For what purpose is “the bad option”( Line 7, Para.3 ) added?

C ) To trap customers into buying the more pricey item.

55. How do we assess the value of a commodity, according to the passage?

B ) By comparing it with other choices.

【星火英语版】

听力（2套）

第一套

1. D ) A deadly fish has been spotted in the Mediterranean waters.

2. B ) It could pose a threat to other marine species.

3. C ) About half of its city center will be closed to cars .

4. D ) The rising air pollution in Paris .

5. A）His house was burnt down in a fire.

6. C ) Sell the pearl he had kept for years.

7. B ) His monstrous pearl was extremely valuable.

8. A ) It boasts a fairly long history.

9. D ) It is a family business.

10. B ) Loss the competitive edge.

11. D ) Conducting a financial analysis for it.

12. B ) She is really impressed by the man’s house.

13. C ) From home design magazines.

14. A )The cost was affordable.

15. D ) She wants him to share his renovation experience with her.

16. C ) Removing objects from patients' noses and ears.

17. B ) Five- to nine-year-olds are the most likely to put things in their ears.

18. D ) They are curious about these body parts.

19. A ) It gave her a used bicycle.

20. A ) Expanding bike-riding lessons.

21. D ) It is a charity organization.

22. A ) How animals deal with lack of gravity.

23. C ) They were not used to the low-gravity environment.

24. B ) They already felt at home in the new environment.

25. C ) They behaved as if they were on Earth.

第二套

1. D ) He did an unusual good deed.

2. C ) Give some money to the waiter.

3. A ) Whether or not to move to the state's mainland.

4. B ) It costs too much money.

5. A ) To investigate whether people are grateful for help.

6. C ) They held doors open for people at various places.

7. B ) Most people express gratitude for help.

8. C ) To enquire about solar panel installations.

9. D ) He has a large family.

10. B ) The cost of a solar panel installation.

11. D ) About five years.

12. A )At a travel agency.

13. D )She wanted to spend more time with her family .

14. D ) Two weeks .

15. A ) Choosing some activties herself

16. D ) Pay a green tax upon arrival.

17. A ) It has not been doing a good job in recycling.

18.B ) To ban single-use plsastic bags and straws on bali island.

19. D ) Its population is now showing signs of increase.

20. C ) Commercial hunting.

21. D ) To seek breeding grounds.

22. C ) They consume less milk these days.

23. A ) It is not as healthy as once thought.

24. C ) They lack the necessary proteins to digest it.

25. B ) It provides some necessary nutrients.

写作（3套）

1. changes in education

参考范文：

Recently, the topic of the change in the way of education has been brought into focus.

According to a recent survey conducted by China Daily, a high proportion of 56.6

percent of students admitted that they had attended online courses before.

There is no denying that E-learning enjoys many merits. For instance, it has made

it possible for students to study whenever and wherever they want. For example, an

undergraduate can even listen to lectures in his pajamas in the dormitory. However,

wonderful as it is, it also brings some problems. Without a teacher’s supervision,

a young student can easily be distracted. He may constantly remove his eyes from

the course and focus on the tempting websites instead.

In brief, taking into account all of these factors, we may reach the conclusion that

the changes in education brought great convenience to us. Only by making reasonable

use of them can we benefit considerably.

2. changes in transportation

参考范文：

Recently, the topic of the changes in the way of transportation has been brought

into focus. According to a recent survey conducted by China Daily, a high proportion

of 56.6 percent of students admitted that .

There is no denying that new kind of transportation enjoys many advantages. For

example, transportation apps like Didi have brought consumers great convenience in

travelling, because they have made it possible for people to go around without the

trouble of waiting in a line for a bus or a taxi. However, they also bring their

own problems. For instance, they pose a threat to the passengers ‘safety.

Many ways can contribute to improving the safety of the new transportation. For one

thing, what the consumers need to do is to equip themselves with higher awareness

of security. This method enables them to avoid any potential dangers. For another,

the government should impose more rigid safety standards on new way of transportation

to add to the safety of people.

3. changes in communication

参考范文:

Recently, the topic of the changes in the way of communication has been brought into

focus. According to a recent survey conducted by CCTV, a high proportion of 84.7

percent of people admit that they frequently use social networking websites such

as Wechat and Weibo to communicate.

There is no denying that those new kinds of communication enjoy many advantages.

For example, they enable users to contact with old friends as well as make new friends.

However, they also bring their own problems. For one thing, using them increases

the risk of leaking personal information. For another, some young people who are

addicted to social networking websites isolate themselves in their virtual world

and even have difficulty in communicating with people in the real world.

In brief, taking into account all of these factors, we may reach the conclusion that

the changes in communication pose both opportunities and challenges to our modern

life. Only by making reasonable use of them can we benefit considerably.

阅读（3套）

第一套（看选项内容核对答案，abcd顺序可能不一样）

选词填空 Trust is fundamental

26-30 CMGAO 31-35 JKFIH

26. C ) essential

27. M ) suspicion

28. G ) miserable

29. A ) constantly

30. O ) watching

31. J ) records

32. K ) removed

33. F ) load

34. I ) properly

35. H ) pressure

长篇阅读

The Place Where the Poor Once Thrived

36-40 HDKEG 41-45 IECHF

36. According to some people living in San Jose, it has become much harder for the

poor to get ahead due to the increased inequality.

H

定位句：Some San Jose residents gay that as inequality has grown in recent years,

upward mobility has become much more difficult to achieve.

37. In American history, immigrants used to have a good chance to move upward in

society.

D

定位句：This is a city of immigrants——38 percent of the city's population today

is foreign-born——and immigrants and their children have historically experienced

significant upward mobility in America.

38. If the problems of San Jose can't be solved, one of America's fundamental beliefs

about itself can be shaken.

K

定位句：The idea that those at the bottom can rise to the top is central to America's

ideas about itself. That such mobility has become more difficult in San Jose raises

questions about the endurance of that foundational belief.

39. San Jose was among the best cities in America for poor kids to move up the social

ladder.

E

定位句：San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark's and Canada's and higher

than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis.

40. Whether poor kids in San Jose today still have the chance to move upward is

questionable.

G

定位句：Whether the city still allows for upward mobility of poor kids today, though,

is up for debate.

41. San Jose's officials are resolved to give poor kids access to the resources

necessary for success in life.

I

定位句：Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure that the city regains its

status as a place where even poor kids can access the resources to succeed.

42. San Jose appears to manifest some of the best features of America.

E

定位句：Indeed, the streets of San Jose seem, in some ways, to embody the best of

America.

43. As far as social mobility is concerned, San Jose beat many other progressive

cities in America.

C

定位句：San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark's and Canada's and higher

than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis.

44. Due to some changes like increases in housing prices in San Jose, the prospects

for its poor people have dimmed.

H

定位句：Given this, the future for the region's poor doesn't look nearly as bright

as it once did.