2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

2024年3月9日发(作者：王啸坤)

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 witnesd 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 connsus. 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 tho who have friends or relatives in remote areas. Becau the change makes it

possible for them to have frequent chat. And, the way we contact with others is diver. 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 u 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。然而，人们对它的看法从来没有达成共识。在这方面，线上和线下的交流都有各自的优点。

一方面，没人否认网上交流带来的巨大便利性，特别是对那些在偏远地区有朋友或亲戚的人。因为这种变化使他们能频繁交流。而且，我们与他人联系的方式也是多种多样的。视频通话和语音信息都能满足现代人需求。另一方面，这种变化也使我们“掉线”。由于其实用性，人们逐渐不愿意与周围的人面对面交流，这正在把我们和我们爱的人隔离开来。

鉴于上述因素，我们不得不承认，交流的变化更像一把双刃剑。我们既不能抛弃它，也不能完全依赖它。相反，我们应该合理利用它，使它的效益最大化。

四级写作第二套

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the change of

transportation. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

As a result of technological advance and globalized division of labor, the transportation we u

has en a lot of improvements, bringing us both convenience and challenges.

There are veral major effects that come after the changes. First of all, the construction of

infrastructure such as railways, expressways and airports are in full play around the world, which

lays the foundation for modern vehicles to operate. Meanwhile, obsolete vehicles such as

carriages and bicycles no longer fit modern roads. Furthermore, both the safety and the capacity

of today’s cars, trains and airplanes have improved greatly compared to tho in operation

decades ago, let alone the comfort level for pasngers. The developments have not only

shortened people’s travel time, but also accelerated the pace of life and improved productivity.

Aside from the aformentioned advantages of changes in transportation, it is also undeniable that

some potential negative effects lie in the changes. Nevertheless, every coin has two sides, and

we must be convinced that the continual technological development can overcome the flaws of

1

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

modern vehicles.

科技的进步和国际范围的劳务分工给我们的交通方式带来了许多改进，这既为我们带来了方便，也给我们带来了挑战。

这些改变主要产生了几点影响。首先，铁路、高速公路、机场等基础设施的建设在全世界范围内都在如火如荼地开展，这为现代交通工具的运行奠定了基础。同时，马车、自行车这些过时的交通工具也不再适合现代道路了。除此之外，现在的汽车、火车、飞机无论是安全性还是载客量都比几十年前提高了很多，更不用说乘客的舒适度的提高了。这些发展不仅缩短了人们旅途中花费的时间，还加快了生活节奏、提高了生产力。

交通方式的改变除了有以上优点以外，也不可否认地具有一些潜在负面影响。然而，正如每一个硬币都有两面，我们还是应该坚信不断的科技发展可以克服现代交通工具的缺陷。

四级写作第三套

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the change of

education. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

Thanks to the development of modern technology, China has witnesd great changes in its way

of education recently. Many people are choosing to study online instead of studying in

classrooms. In my opinion, this change of education has brought various benefits both to the

learners and the educators.

Firstly, the convenience of online study has benefited many learners becau they can get access

to the rich learning materials on the Internet without the limit of time and space. Online learning

is especially effective when you need short-term training for exams on skills or techniques.

Secondly, the school faculty are using online cours to teach the students. In 2020, during the

outbreak of novel coronavirus, online teaching has ensured numerous students to attend class

through the Internet.

In summary, the change of from classroom education to online education provides more choices

to Chine learners and educators. The two ways of education can complement each other

efficiently if we know how to u them in a flexible way.

近来，由于现代科技的发展，中国的教育方式发生了巨大的变化。许多人选择在线学习而不是在教室里学习。在我看来，这种教育方面的改变给学习者和教育者都带来了各种各样的好处。

首先，网上学习的便利性使许多学习者受益匪浅，因为他们可以在网上不受时间和空间的限制而获得丰富的学习资料。当你需要短期的技能或技术考试培训时，在线学习尤其有效。

第二，学校教师正在使用在线课程来教学生。2020 年，在新型冠状病毒爆发期间，网络教学确保众多学生可以通过互联网上课。

综上所述，课堂教育向网络教育的转变为中国学习者和教育者提供了更多的选择。如果我们懂得如何灵活运用，这两种教育方式可以有效互补。

四级听力第一套

Questions 1 and 2 are bad 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 greenhou emissions.

B) It could disrupt the food chains there.

2

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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

D) It could badly pollute the surrounding waters.

Questions 3 and 4 are bad 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 clod to cars.

C) Bus 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 worning global warming.

C) The ever-growing cost of petrol.

D) The unbearable traffic noi.

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

5. A) Many of his posssions were stolen.

B) His hou was burnt down in a fire.

C) His fishing boat got wrecked on a rock.

D) His good luck charm sank into the a.

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 muum.

Questions 8 and 11 are bad 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 increa its exports.

D) Introducing innovative marketing strategies.

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

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

B) She is well informed about the design business.

3

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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

D) She is really impresd by the man’s hou.

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 hou decoration budget with him.

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

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

16. A) Providing routine care for small children

B) Paying hospital bills for emergency cas.

C) Doing rearch on ear, no and throat dias.

D) Removing objects from patients’ nos 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 impul.

B) They want to attract attentions.

C) They are unaware of the potential risks.

D) They are curious about the body parts.

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

19. A) It paid for her English lessons.

B) It gave her a ud 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 counling center.

D) It is a sports club.

Questions 22 to 25 are bad 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.

4

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

D) How animals deal with lack of gravity.

23. A) They were not ud 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 nsitive 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.

News report 1

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

Mediterranean, warn the scientist. The International Union for the Conrvation of Nature has

raid concerns after the poisonous fish was spotted in the waters around Turkey, Cyprus and the

eastern Mediterranean. Native to the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the potentially deadly fish

has poisonous barbs and an painful sting capable of killing people. Although fatalities are rare,

the stings can cau extreme pain, and stop people breathing. The 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 life. After being spotted in the Med, a marine scientist says: "The fish is

spreading, and that's a cau for concern.”

Q1: What is reported in the news?

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

此题考察视听一致+同义替换，且新闻开头出题，关键词“Mediterranean”，“fish”原词复现，“deadly”与原文“poisonous”，“spotted”与原文“invading”此语境下表达同一意思。

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

C. It could po a threat to other marine species.

此题考察视听一致+同义替换，“po a threat ”与原文“endanger ”，“ species”与原文“ life”此语境下表达同一意思；“marine”原词复现。

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 respon 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 clod 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?

5

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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

此题考察句意理解，原文“be accessible only by foot or bicycle ”表示只开放步行通道或自行车通道，也就是表示不允许汽车驶入。

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

A. The rising air pollution in Paris.

此题考察视听一致，关键词“rising”“air pollution”“Paris”原词复现

News Report 3

(5) A Philippine fisherman was feeling down on his luck when a hou fire forced him to clear

out his posssions 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 ll 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 hou 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

Muum, 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?

B. His hou was burnt down in a fire.

此题首句出题，hou 与 fire 原词复现，开头表示他的房间被火烧毁，选项符合文意

Question 6. What was the fisherman forced to do?

D. Sell the pearl he had kept for years.

此题考察句意理解，原文提到主人公偶然获得一个大珍珠，后来被迫卖掉，原文复现 pearl

和 kept

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

C. His monstrous pearl was extremely valuable.

此题考察句意理解，文章末尾提到主人公的珍珠是世界上最大的，很值钱，选项 B 符合文

意

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 rvices. (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 advi business 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

6

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 e. 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.

此题第一轮问答出题，考察同义替换，原文提到“ We are a global company with 75 years of

history”，表示公司历史较长，选项 A 符合文意，history 原词复现

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

C. It is a family business.

此题考察视听一致，family business 原词复现

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

D. Loss of competitive edge.

此题考察视听一致+同义替换，losing 和 competitive 原词复现，“edge”和“advantage”此语境下同义

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

A. Conducting a financial analysis for it.

此题考察视听一致，关键词全部复现

Conversation 2

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

M: Really? You think so?

W: Of cour, 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 mylf—with a little help from my brother Greg. He's actually in the

construction business, which was really helpful.

W: Well, honestly, I'm impresd. I knew I could probably repaint the walls in my hou 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 ll 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 hou—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?

7

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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

D. She is really impresd by the man’s hou.

此题开头出题，且通过“she”判断此题与说话人女相关，长对话开头说话人女提到 Wow,

Congratulations, Simon. The place looks absolutely amazing.表示她很喜欢说话人男的家，选项B与原文相符

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

B. From home design magazines.

此题考察视听一致，关键词全部复现

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

C. The cost was affordable.

此题出题点在第二轮问答，考察视听一致，关键词“affordable”原词复现 Question 15. Why

does the woman invite the man to her hou next week? B. She wants him to share his

renovation experience with her.

此题考察句意理解，材料最后说话人女提到 And we'd love to get some inspiration from your

experience.表示她想借鉴说话人男的意见，选项 D 符合文意

Passage 1

(16) Removing foreign objects from ears and nos costs England almost￡3 million a year, a

study suggests. Children were responsible for the vast majority of cas. 95% of objects removed

from nos, and 85% from ears. Every year, an average of 1,218 no ，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

no. 5 to 9 -year-olds come to the hospital with something in their ears the most. Jewelry items

accounted for up to 40% of cas in both the ears and nos of children. Paper and plastic toys

for the items removed next most from nos. 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 impul to explore their nos and ears. This results in the

accidental entry of foreign objects. Any ear, no and throat surgeon has many weird stories

about wonderful objects found in the nos and ears of children and adults. Batteries can po a

particular danger. In all cas, prevention is better than cure. This is why many toys contain

warnings about small parts. Recognizing problems early and eking medical attention is

important.

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

D. Removing objects from patients’ nos and ears.

此题开头出题，考察视听一致，所有关键词全部原文复现。

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

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

此题考察视听一致+同义替换，Five-to nine-year-olds，ears 原文复现，the most likely 与 the

most 此语境下同义

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

nos?

D. They are curious about the body parts.

此题考察句意理解，文章最后一段提到“the occurrence of foreign objects in children is

8

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

generally attributed to curiosity.”表示小孩容易在耳朵和眼睛放异物是因为他们的好奇心，选项 D 符合文意，curious 和 curiosity 同词根不同词性同义替换

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 hou? 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 cond-hand bicycle. Within weeks, her depression had begun to ea

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 tho 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 ud 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, plea 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?

B. It gave her a ud bicycle.

此题考察视听一致+同义替换，gave 和 bicycle 原词复现，ud 和 cond-hand 同义替换

Question 20. What is Re-bicycle doing to help tho in need? A. Expanding bike-riding lessons.

此题考察视听一致，关键词全部复现

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

B. It is a charity organization.

此题考察出题点在开头，charity 原词复现。

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 more. To 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 nt some mice and especially designed cage

to the international space station. The 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 em uncomfortable at the beginning of the

experiment. They 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 on. They adapt remarkably well to their new environment, and even u the

lack of gravity to their advantage as they push themlves 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 em to be enjoying it. Several of the mice are obrved running

around the cage walls. The scientists wanted to e whether the mice would continue doing the

9

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

same kinds of activities they were obrved doing on earth.

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

themlves and eating when hungry.

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

D. How animals deal with lack of gravity.

此题考察视听一致+同义替换，注意信号词 to that end 提示答案句，deal with， gravity 原词复现，animals 和 other species，lack 和 low 此语境下同义。

Question 23: What does the passage say about the mice at the beginning of the experiment? A.

They were not ud to the low-gravity environment.

此题考察句意理解，原文提到“the mice definitely em uncomfortable ”表示老鼠在低重力的环境里感觉不舒服，也就是表示他们不习惯这种环境，选项 C 符合文意

Question 24: What was obrved about the mice on the 11th day of the experiment? C. They

already felt at home in the new environment.

此题考察句意理解，注意信号词“but”, 原文提到“ the mice are not just dealing with the

gravity change, but actually em to be enjoying it”表示老鼠开始习惯这种环境，并开始享受，C 项符合文意

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

B. They behaved as if they were on Earth.

此题考察句意理解，文章最后提到 The study showed that the mice kept much of the routines

intact，老鼠的习惯完全没有变化，也就是跟在地球上是一样的，选项 C 符合文意。

四级听力第二套

(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 herlf.

(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-u plastic bags and straws on Bali island.

(19) D) Its population is now showing signs of increa.

10

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

(20) C) Commercial hunting.

(21) D) To ek breeding grounds.

(22) C) They consume less milk the 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.

四级选词填空第一套

When my son completes a task, I can't help but prai him. It's only natural to give prai where

prai is due, right? But is there such a thing as too much prai? According to psychologist

Katherine Phillip, children don’t benefit from 26 prai as much as we’d like to think. "Parents

often prai, believing they are building their child's lf-confidence. However, over-praising can

have a_27_effect,” says Phillip. "When we u the same prai 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 prai. 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 prai? Phillip says no. "The key to healthy prai

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 esntial, "she says. "Parents should encourage

their child to take the risks needed to learn and grow”

So how do we break the 32 of prai we're all so accustomed to? Phillip says it's important

to _33_ between "person prai" and "process rai". "Person prai is 34_ saying how great

someone is. It's a form personal approval. Process prai as acknowledgment of the efforts to

person has just 35 . Children who receive person prai are more likely to feel shame after

losing," says Phillip.

A) choo

B) constant

C) disappointing

D) distinguish

E) exhausting

F) experienced

G) negative

H) outcome

I) pattern

J) plural

K) repeatedly

L) rewarded

M) parately

N) simply

答案

26. B. constant

27. G. negative

28. K repeatedly

29. L rewarded

30. C disappointing

11

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 ri and fall. So, any disruption to the world's factories __26__.

And that disruption is surely coming. Factories are being digitized, filled with new nsors 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 computerid design. That vision is __29__ clor to reality. The 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 boss in many

developed countries are worried about a lack of skilled human workers-and e __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 e 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) promid

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 26 . An organization without trust will be full of backstabbing, fear

and paranoid 27 . If you work for a boss who doesn’t trust her people to do things right,

you’ll have a 28 time of it. She’ll be checking up on you all the time, correcting “mistakes”

12

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

and “oversights” and 29 reminding you to do this or that. Colleagues who don’t trust one

another will need to spend more time 30 their backs than doing any uful work. The office

politics would make Machiavelli blush.

All this extra work—plus the work we 33 onto ourlves becau we don’t trust people either.

The checking, following through, doing things ourlves becau we don’t believe others will do

them 34 — 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 35 would disappear?

答案

26-30 CMGAO 31-35 JKFIH

26. C) esntial

27. M) suspicion

28. G) mirable

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 ris to record levels in the United States, even in the midst of a record

economic expansion, tho 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 curity and health

care options for nior 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 who 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-bad advocacy organization, who have

heard the stereotypes and code words for way too long.

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

13

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 reprentative 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 dismisd 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 ca, Mothering Justice activist happened to be married. And in most cas in the America

of 2019, the images that come to mind when we hear the words poverty or income inequality fail

mirably 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 e 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 diver. 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 class, as real wages have stagnated for all but the very wealthy

and temporary spells of financial instability are not uncommon.

[I] LGBT niors like Penner, for example, may have worked steadily throughout their lives but

now faces hurdles in retirement becau of a lack of health care or inclusive nior 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 respons to the income inequality that

has defined American life in recent decades. Simply put, the narrative that Americans tell

themlves about poverty is badly flawed.

[J] The FrameWorks Institute, a rearch group that focus 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 e people who are

struggling,” he says, tho 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 the assumptions

wreak havoc on reality. “When people enter into that pattern of thinking,” says Kendall-Taylor,

“it’s cognitively comfortable to make n 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.”

14

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

[L] Tho external factors include the difficulties concomitant with low-wage work or structural

discrimination bad on race, gender, or ability. Assumptions get wor when people who are

poor u government benefits to help them survive. There is a great tension between “the poor”

and tho 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 rearch group that focus on public framing of issues, has

studied what sustains stereotypes and narratives of poverty in the United Kingdom

40.[D] If the 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] Tho external factors include the difficulties accompanying low-wage work or structural

discrimination bad on race, gender, or ability.

四级快速阅读第二套（题源文章）

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 posssions, a

proud statement to everyone in my kindergarten bubble: "I love Ariel." That clunky container

rved me well through first and cond 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.

15

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 schoolhous

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] becau 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 Muum 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-purpod 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-bad 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 the 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 Muum in Columbus, Ga. "It was a great marketing tool becau [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 muum, right

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

Green Hornet lunch box, becau he ud 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 cond theory—possibly an urban myth—is that concerned parents

in veral states propod 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

DiBia!) 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

16

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 en a renaissance. "I don't think the heyday has pasd,"

says D.J. Jayakara, 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," Jayakara 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," Jayakara 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 u 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 the 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-kisd flowers—then it’s evident in the many of stories of people who

grew up poor in the sleepy neighborhoods and ro to enormous success. People like Tri Tran,

who fled Vietnam on a boat in 1986, showed up in San Jo 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 focud, you can go pretty far,” he told me.

[B] Kids in San Jo who 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 Jo, for the purpos

of the study, was defined as the San Jo commuting zone, which includes the counties of Santa

Clara, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz.)

[C] San Jo 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 Jo performed so well might em obvious. Some of the world’s most

17

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

innovative companies are located here, providing opportunities such as the one ized by a

12-year-old Mountain View resident named Steve Jobs when he called William Hewlett

to ask for spare parts and subquently 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 Jo em, 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 Vietname mall where, on a recent weekday, Vietname 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 business owned by Vietname

immigrants, Mexican immigrants, Korean immigrants, and Filipino immigrants, to name a few.

[F] But rearchers aren’t sure exactly why poor kids in San Jo 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

Jo 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 rearchers measured, and it has high degrees of

racial and economic gregation. Its schools underperform bad on how much money there is in

the area, said Ben Scuderi, a predoctoral fellow at the Equality of Opportunity Project at Harvard,

which us 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 worned in the past 16 years.

[H] Some San Jo 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 caud housing prices to skyrocket

— median sale price reached $830,000 last year. By most measures, San Jo is no longer a place

where low-income, or even middle-income families, can afford to live. Rents in San Jo grew a

whopping 42.6 percent between 2006 and 2014, which was the largest increa 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 Jo 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 Jo are determined to make sure that San Jo 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 Jo Mayor

Sam Liccardo told me. But in today’s America—a land of rising inequality, increasing gregation,

18

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

and stagnating middle-class wages—can the San Jo region really once again become a place of

opportunity?

[K] The idea that tho at the bottom can ri to the top is central to America’s ideas about

itlf. That such mobility has become more difficult in San Jo rais 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 Jo, it has become much harder for the poor to get

ahead due to the incread inequality.

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

mobility has become much more difficult to achieve.

37. In American history, immigrants ud 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 Jo can’t be solved, one of America’s fundamental beliefs about

itlf can be shaken.

原文：[K] The idea that tho at the bottom can ri to the top is central to America’s ideas

about itlf. That rais questions about the endurance of that foundational belief.

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

原文：[B] Kids in San Jo who 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 Jo 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 Jo’s officials are resolved to give poor kids access to the resources necessary for

success in life.

原文：[I] Leaders in San Jo 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 Jo appears to manifest some of the best features of America.

原文：[E] Indeed, the streets of San Jo em , in some says, to embody the best of America.

43. As far as social mobility is concerned, San Jo beat many other progressive cities in America.

原文：[C] San Jo 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 increas in housing prices in San Jo, 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. Rearchers do not have a clear idea why poor children in San Jo achieved such great

success veral decades ago.

原文：[F] But rearchers aren’t sure exactly why poor kids in San Jo 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.

19

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 rious 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 ven 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

24

el’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 choo pain over boredom.

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

rather lf-administer electric shocks than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes.

Rearching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral

films, during which they could lf-administer electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked

themlves more and harder than the sad or neutral ones did.

But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging lf-reflection and daydreaming, it can spur activity. An

early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association

exercis. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more

inventive answers to combat boredom. A British study took the findings one step further,

asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative us for a

houhold item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight

to the creative task. Tho who 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.

I) 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

20

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

materials they are studying. C) When they experience something unpleasant.

D) When they engage in some routine activities.

J) What does the author say boredom can lead to?

27. Determination.

28. Mental deterioration.

29. Concentration.

30. Harmful conduct.

O) 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 choo to hurt

themlves 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.

P) Why does the author say boredom isn’t all bad?

33. It stimulates memorization.

34. It may promote creative thinking.

25

G) It allows time for relaxation.

H) It may facilitate independent learning.

8. 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 onelf for stimulation. D) Allow onelf some time to be bored.

答案

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

G) D Harmful conduct

H) B Many volunteers choo to hurt themlves rather than endure boredom.

I) B It may promote creative thinking.

J) D Allow onelf 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 e 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 n 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,

21

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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 cond is government policy and subsidy.

Throughout history, governments have protected and promoted forests for diver reasons,

ranging from the need for wooden warships to a desire to promote suburban hou-building.

Nowadays forests are increasingly welcome becau 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 u by generously subsidid 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 ud to the trees, however. The growth of Western forests ems almost as

unstoppable as deforestation elwhere.

F) 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.

26

35. Forests are eating away the fertile farmland worldwide.

36. Rich countries are doing little to address deforestation.

I) Which countries have the fastest forest growth? A) Tho that have newly achieved

independence. B) Tho that at have the greatest demand for timber. C) Tho that ud to have

the lowest forest coverage. D) Tho that provide enormous government subsidies.

J) What has encourage forest growth historically?

9. The government’s advocacy.

10. The u of wood for fuel.

11. The favorable climate.

12. The green movement.

K) What account for our increasing desire for forest? A) Their unique scenic beauty.

B) Their u as fruit plantation.

C) Their capability of improving air quality. D) Their stable supply of building materials.

L) What does the author conclude about the prospects of forestation? A) Derts 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

G) B. Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries.

H) C Tho that ud to have the lowest forest coverage

I) A The government’s advocacy

J) C Their capability of improving air quality

K) 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?

22

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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

6. What do we learn from the passage about community health rvices in Britain? A) They

have deteriorated due to budget cuts.

7. Where does the author suggest mental health rvices be placed?

B) At school.

27

49. What do we learn from the recent studies?

C) Students are more comfortable eking counling in school.

8. 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

F) Why does the author ask us to imagine buying food in the movie theater? A) To illustrate

people s peculiar shopping behavior.

G) Why is the medium soda priced the way it is?

E) To make customers believe they are getting a bargain. 53. What do we learn from Dan

Ariely’s experiment?

10. The Economist’s promotional strategy works.

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

11. To trap customers into buying the more pricey item.

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

E) By comparing it with other choices.

四级翻译第一套

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，因为烹饪方式各异，同类食物的味道可能会有所不同。

People who live in different parts of China have a variety of diets. Tho in the north mainly eat

food made with flour, while tho in the south mostly eat rice. In coastal areas, afood 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.

四级翻译第二套

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

23

2020年12月英语四级真题及参考答案-三套全

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。

It is a Chine 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

rved at the reunion dinner are rich and varied, some of which have special meanings. For

example, fish is an indispensable dish becau the Chine character for “fish” sounds the same

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

becau it symbolizes wealth and fortune.

四级翻译第三套

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美德。

Fish is an indispensable dish on the eve of the Spring Festival, becau the Chine 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 Chine Chine people have a tradition of saving,

believing that the more they save, the more cure they will feel. Today, despite the fact that

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

24