大学英语四级考试真题24套及答案

目录

1.2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）1

2.2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）9

3.2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）17

4.2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）23

5.2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）31

6.2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）39

7.2017年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）45

8.2017年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）53

9.2017年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）61

10.2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）67

11.2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）75

12.2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）83

13.2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）89

14.2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）97

15.2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）105

16.2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）111

17.2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）119

18.2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）127

19.2019年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）133

20.2019年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）141

21.2019年6月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）149

22.2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第1套）155

23.2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第2套）164

24.2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题（第3套）173

2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）180

2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）185

2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）190

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）191

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）196

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）201

2017年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）202

2017年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）207

2017年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）212

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）213

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）218

2017年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）223

1

2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）224

2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）229

2018年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）234

2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）235

2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）240

2018年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）245

2019年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）246

2019年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）251

2019年6月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）256

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第1套）257

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第2套）262

2019年12月大学英语四级考试真题听力原文及参考答案（第3套）268

2

1.2016年6月大学英语四级考试真题(第1套)

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowritealettertoexpressyourthankstooneofyour

friendswhohelpedyoumostwhenyouwereindifficulty.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180

words.

PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwo

orthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,you

mustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA)fB),C)andD).Thenmarkthecorrespondingletter

onAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.

1.A)Howcollegestudentscanhandletheirpsychologicalproblems.

B)Whycollegestudentsaremorelikelytohavestressproblems.

C)Whysufficientsleepisimportantforcollegestudents.

D)Howcollegestudentscanimprovetheirsleephabits.

2.A)Itisnoteasytoimproveone'ssleephabits.

B)Itisnotgoodforstudentstoplayvideogames.

C)Makinglast-minutepreparationsfortestsmaybelesseffectivethansleeping.

D)Studentswhoarebetterpreparedgenerallygethigherscoresinexaminations.

Questions3and4arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.

3.A)Whetheradequateinvestmentisbeingmadetoimproveairportfacilities

B)WhethertheBritishAirportsAuthorityshouldselloffsomeofitsassets.

C)WhethertheSpanishcompanycouldofferbetterservice.

D)WhethermoreairportsshouldbebuiltaroundLondon.

4.A)Poorownershipstructure.C)Lackofinnovationandcompetition.

B)Inefficientmanagement.D)Lackofrunwayandterminalcapacity.

Questions5to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.

5.A)Studytheeffectsofnicotineonyoungsmokers.

B)Setalimittotheproductionoftheircigarettes.

C)Takestepstoreducenicotineintheirproducts.

D)Reportthenicotinecontentoftheircigarettes.

6.A)Thebiggestincreaseinnicotinecontenttendedtobeinbrandsyoungsmokerslike.

B)Brandswhichcontainhighernicotinecontentwerefoundtobemuchmorepopular.

C)Tobaccocompaniesrefusedtodiscussthedetailednicotinecontentoftheirproducts.

D)Bigtobaccocompanieswerefrankwiththeircustomersaboutthehazardsofsmoking.

7.A)Theywillpaymoreattentiontothequalityoftheirproducts.

B)Theywerenotpreparedtocommentonthecigarettestudy.

C)Theypromisedtoreducethenicotinecontentincigarettes.

D)Theyhavenotfullyrealizedtheharmfuleffectofnicotine.

1

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwill

hearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,

youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthecorresponding

letteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

8.A)Holland.B)Indonesia.

C)England.D)Sweden.

9.A)TalkingwithherboyfriendinDutch.B)Gettingacoachwhocanofferrealhelp.

C)Acquiringthenecessaryabilitytosocialize.D)Learningalanguagewhereitisnotspoken.

10.A)Practicingreadingaloudasoftenaspossible.B)Listeningtolanguageprogramsontheradio.

C)Tryingtospeakitasmuchasonecan.D)Makingfriendswithnativespeakers.

11.A)Itprovidesopportunitiesforlanguagepractice.B)Ittrainsyoungpeople'sleadershipabilities.

C)Itoffersvariouscourseswithcreditpoints.D)Itcreatesanenvironmentforsocializing.

Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Asenseoffreedomdrivinggives.C)Therolepolicemenplayintrafficsafety.

B)Rulesandregulationsfordriving.D)Theimpactofenginedesignonroadsafety.

13.A)Makecarswithautomaticcontrol.C)Makecarsthatarelesspowerful.

B)Makecarswithhigherstandards.D)Makecarsthathavebetterbrakes.

14.A)Theyfollowtrafficrulesclosely.C)Theyliketogoathighspeed.

B)Theykeepwithinspeedlimits.D)Theytendtodriveresponsibly.

15.A)Itisabadidea.C)Itisnotuseful.

B)Itisaseffectiveasspeedbumps.D)Itshouldbecombinedwitheducation.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfour

questions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoose

thebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer

Sheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Thecardgotdamaged.C)Thecardreaderbrokedownunexpectedly.

B)Thecardwasfoundinvalid.D)Thecardreaderfailedtodothescanning.

17.A)ByseekinghelpfromthecardreadermakerVerifone.

B)Bycoveringthecreditcardwithalayerofplastic.

C)Bycallingthecreditcardcompanyforconfirmation.

D)Bytypingthecreditcardnumberintothecashregister.

18.A)Producemanylow-techfixesforhigh-techfailures.

B)Givebirthtomanynewtechnologicalinventions.

C)ChangethelifestyleofmanyAmericans.

D)Affectthesalesofhigh-techappliances.

Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

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19.A)Theyvaryamongdifferentdepartments.C)Theyaredeterminedbytheadvisingboard.

B)Theyleavemuchroomforimprovement.D)Theyaresetbythedeanofthegraduateschool.

20.A)Byconsultingtheexaminingcommittee.C)Byvisitingtheuniversity'swebsite.

B)ByreadingtheBulletinofInformation.D)Bycontactingthedepartmentaloffice.

21.A)Theyarehardertomeetthanthoseforundergraduates.

B)Theyspecifythenumberofcreditsstudentsmustearn.

C)Theyhavetobeapprovedbytheexaminingcommittee.

D)Theyarethesameamongvariousdivisionsoftheuniversity.

Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

22.A)Ph.D.candidatesindieting.C)Studentsinhealthclasses.

B)Studentsmajoringinnutrition.D)Middleandhighschoolteachers.

23.A)Itsoveremphasisonthinness.C)Itsmistakenconceptionofnutrition.

B)Itschangingcriteriaforbeauty.D)Itsoverestimateoftheeffectofdieting.

24.A)Todemonstratethemagiceffectofdietingonwomen.

B)Toexplainhowcomputerimagescanbemisleading.

C)Toprovethattechnologyhasimpactedourculture.

D)Toillustrateherpointthatbeautyisbutskindeep.

25.A)Tohelpstudentsridthemselvesofbadlivinghabits.

B)Toestablishanemotionalconnectionwithstudents.

C)Topromoteherownconceptofbeauty.

D)Topersuadegirlstostopdieting.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeach

blankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybefore

makingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterfor

eachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebank

morethanonce.

Signsbarringcell-phoneuseareafamiliarsighttoanyonewhohaseversatinahospitalwaitingroom.But

the26popularityofelectronicmedicalrecordshasforcedhospital-baseddoctorstobecome27on

computersthroughouttheday,anddesktops-whichkeepdoctorsfrombedsides—are28givingwayto

wirelessdevices.

Asclericalloadsincreased,"somethinghadto29,andthatwasalwaysfacetimewithpatients,"saysDr.

BhaktiPatel,aformerchiefresidentintheUniversityofChicago'sinternal-medicineprogram.Infall2010,she

helped30apilotprojectinChicagotoseeiftheiPadcouldimproveworkingconditionsandpatientcare.The

experimentwasso31thatallinternal-medicineresidentsattheuniversitynowgetiPadswhentheybeginthe

program.JohnsHopkins'internal-medicineprogramadoptedthesame32in2011.MedicalschoolsatYaleand

Stanfordnowhavepaperless,iPad-basedcurriculums."YoullwantaniPadjustsoyoucanwearthis"istheslogan

foroneofthenewlabcoats33withlargepocketstoaccommodatetabletcomputers.

AstudyoftheUniversityofChicagoiPadprojectfoundthatpatientsgottestsand34fasteriftheywere

caredforbyiPad-equippedresidents.Manypatientsalso35abetterunderstandingoftheillnessesthatlanded

theminthehospitalinthefirstplace.

3

A)dependentF)giveK)rather

B)designedG)growingL)reliable

C)fastH)launchM)signal

D)flyingI)policyN)successful

E)gainedJ)prospectO)treatments

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatement

containsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.

Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsby

markingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

AncientGreekWisdomInspiresGuidelinestoGoodLife

A)Isitpossibletoenjoyapeacefullifeinaworldthatisincreasinglychallengedbythreatsanduncertainties

fromwars,terrorism,economiccrisesandawidespreadoutbreakofinfectiousdiseases?Theanswerisyes,

accordingtoanewbookThe10GoldenRulesAncientWisdomfromtheGreekPhilosophersonLivingaGoodLife.

Thebookisco-authoredbyLongIslandUniversity'sphilosophyprofessorMichaelSoupiosandeconomics

professorPanosMourdoukoutas.

B)ThewisdomoftheancientGreekphilosophersistimeless,saysSoupios.Thephilosophyprofessorsaysit

isasrelevanttodayaswhenitwasfirstwrittenmanycenturiesago,"Thereisnoexpiration(失效)dateon

wisdom,"hesays."Thereisnoshelflifeonintelligence.1thinkthatthingshavebecomeverygloomythesedays,

lotsofmisunderstanding,misleadingcues,alotofwhattheancientswouldhavecalledsophistry(诡辩).Thenice

thingaboutancientphilosophyasofferedbytheGreeksisthattheytendedtoseelifeclearandwhole,inawaythat

wetendnottoseelifetoday.'1

Examineyourlife

C)Soupios,alongwithhisco-authorPanosMourdoukoutas,developedtheir10goldenrulesbyturningtothe

menbehindthatphilosophy—Aristotle,Socrates,EpictetusandPythagoras,amongothers.Thefirstrule—

examineyourlife-isthecommonthreadthatrunsthroughtheentirebook.SoupiossaysthatitisbasedonPlato's

observationthattheunexaminedlifeisnotworthliving."TheGreeksarealwaysconcernedaboutboxing

themselvesin,intermsofconvictions(信念)Jhesays.uSotakeastepback,switchofftheautomaticpilotand

actuallystopandreflectaboutthingslikeourpriorities,ourvalues,andourrelationships."

Stopworryingaboutwhatyoucannotcontrol

D)Aswebegintoexamineourlife,Soupiossays,wecometoRuleNo.2:Worryonlyaboutthingsthatyou

cancontrol."TheindividualwhopromotedthisideawasaStoicphilosopher.HisnameisEpictetus/hesays.nAnd

whattheStoicssayingeneralissimplythis:Thereisalargerplaninlife.Youarenotreallygoingtobeableto

understandallofthedimensionsofthisplan.Youarenotgoingtobeabletocontrolthedimensionsofthisplan.'*

E)So,Soupiosexplains,itisnotworthittowasteourphysical,intellectualandspiritualenergyworrying

aboutthingsthatarebeyondourcontrol.HIcannotcontrolwhetherornotIwindupgettingthediseaseswineflu,

forexample,"hesays."Imean,therearesomecautiousstepsIcantake,butultimatelyIcannotguaranteemyself

that.SowhatEpictetuswouldsayissittingathomeworryingaboutthatwouldbewrongandwastefuland

irrational.Youshouldliveyourlifeattemptingtoidentifyandcontrolthosethingswhichyoucangenuinely

control.H

Seektruepleasure

F)Tohaveameaningful,happylifeweneedfriends.ButaccordingtoAristotle—astudentofPlatoand

teacherofAlexandertheGreat-mostrelationshipsdon'tqualifyastruefriendships."JustbecauseIhavea

4

businessrelationshipwithanindividualandIcanprofitfromthatrelationship,itdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthis

personismyfriend/'Soupiossays."Realfriendshipiswhentwoindividualssharethesamesoul.Itisabeautiful

anduncharacteristicallypoeticimagethatAristotleoffers/1

G)Inourpursuitofthegoodlife,hesays,itisimportanttoseekouttruepleasures—advicewhichwas

originallyofferedbyEpicurus.ButunlikethemoderndefinitionofEpicureanismasalifeofindulgence(放名从)and

luxury,fortheancientGreeks,itmeantfindingastateofcalm,peaceandmentalease.

H)"ThiswasthehighestandmostdesirableformofpleasureandhappinessfortheancientEpicureans,"

Soupiossays."Thisissomethingthatisverymuchwellworthconsideringhereinthemodemera.Idonotthink

thatwespendnearlyenoughtimetryingtoconcentrateonachievingasortofcalmness,asortofcontentmentina

mentalandspiritualway,whichwasidentifiedbythesepeopleasthehighestformofhappinessandpleasure.0

Dogoodtoothers

I)Othergoldenrulescounselustomasterourselves,toavoidexcessandnottobeaprosperous(发迹的)fool.

Therearealsorulesdealingwithinterpersonalrelationships:Bearesponsiblehumanbeinganddonotdoevil

thingstoothers.

J)"ThisisHesiod,ofcourse,ayoungercontemporarypoet,webelieve,withHomer,HSoupiossays."Hesiod

offersanidea—whichyouveryoftenfindinsomeoftheworld'sgreatreligions,intheJudeo-Christiantradition

andinIslamandothers--thatinsomesense,whenyouhurtanotherhumanbeing,youhurtyourself.That

damagingotherpeopleinyourcommunityandinyourlife,trashingrelationships,resultsinakindof

self-inflicted(自己招致的)spiritualwound.'1

K)Instead,Soupiossays,ancientwisdomurgesustodogood.GoldenRuleNo.10foragoodlifeisthat

kindnesstowardotherstendstoberewarded.

L)"ThisisAesop,the(寓言家)，themanofthesecharminglittletales,oftentoldintermsofanimals

andanimalrelationships,*'hesays."IthinkwhatAesopwassuggestingisthatwhenyouofferagoodturnto

anotherhumanbeing,onecanhopethatthatgooddeedwillcomebackandsortofpayaprofittoyou,thedoerof

thegooddeed.Evenifthereisnoconcretebenefitpaidinresponsetoyourgooddeed,attheveryleast,thedoerof

thegooddeedhastheopportunitytoenjoyakindofspirituallyenlightenedmoment."

M)Soupiossaysfollowingthe10GoldenRulesbasedonancientwisdomcanguideustothepathofthegood

lifewherewestoplivingasonlookersandbecomeengagedandhappierhumanbeings.Andthat,henotes,isalife

worthliving.

36.AccordingtoanancientGreekphilosopher,itisimpossibleforustounderstandeveryaspectofourlife.

37.Ancientphilosopherssawlifeinadifferentlightfrompeopleoftoday.

38.Notallyourbusinesspartnersareyoursoulmates.

39.Wecanliveapeacefullifedespitethevariouschallengesofthemodernworld.

40.Thedoerofagooddeedcanfeelspirituallyrewardedevenwhentheygainnoconcretebenefits.

41.Howtoachievementalcalmnessandcontentmentiswellworthourconsiderationtoday.

42.MichaelSoupiossuggeststhatweshouldstopandthinkcarefullyaboutourprioritiesinlife.

43.Ancientphilosophersstronglyadvisethatwedogood.

44.ThewiseteachingsofancientGreekthinkersaretimeless,andareapplicabletocontemporarylife.

45.Doharmtoothersandyoudoharmtoyourself.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinished

statements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice

5

andmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasingleUnethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Attitudestowardnewtechnologiesoftenfallalonggenerationallines.Thatis,generally,youngerpeopletend

tooutnumberolderpeopleonthefrontendofatechnologicalshift.

Itisnotalwaysthecase,though.Whenyoulookatattitudestowarddriverlesscars,theredoesn'tseemtobea

cleargenerationaldivide.Thepublicoverallissplitonwhetherthey'dliketouseadriverlesscar.Inastudylast

year,ofallpeoplesurveyed,48percentsaidtheywantedtorideinone,while50percentdidnot.

Thefactthatattitudestowardself-drivingcarsappeartobesosteadyacrossgenerationssuggestshow

transformativetheshifttodriverlesscarscouldbe.Noteveryonewantsadriverlesscarnow—andnoonecanget

oneyet—butamongthosewhoareopentothem,everyagegroupissimilarlyengaged.

Actually,thisisn'tsurprising.Whereasoldergenerationsaresometimesreluctanttoadoptnewtechnologies,

driverlesscarspromiserealvaluetotheseagegroupsinparticular.Olderadults,especiallythosewithlimited

mobilityordifficultydrivingontheirown,areoneoftheclassicuse-casesfordriverlesscars.

Thisisespeciallyinterestingwhenyouconsiderthatyoungerpeoplearegenerallymoreinterestedin

travel-relatedtechnologiesthanolderones.

Whenitcomestodriverlesscars,differencesinattitudesaremorepronouncedbasedonfactorsnotrelatedto

age.Collegegraduates,forexample,areparticularlyinterestedindriverlesscarscomparedwiththosewhohave

lesseducation:59percentofcollegegraduatessaidtheywouldliketouseadriverlesscarcomparedwith38

percentofthosewithahigh-schooldiplomaorless.

Whereapersonlivesmatters,too.Morepeoplewholivedincitiesandsuburbssaidtheywantedtotry

driverlesscarsthanthosewholivedinruralareas.

Whilethere'sreasontobelievethatinterestinself-drivingcarsisgoingupacrosstheboard,aperson'sagewill

havelittletodowithhowself-drivingcarscanbecomemainstream.Oncedriverlesscarsareactuallyavailablefor

sale,theearlyadopterswillbethepeoplewhocanaffordtobuythem.

46.Whathappenswhenanewtechnologyemerges?

A)Itfurtherwidensthegapbetweentheoldandtheyoung.

B)Itoftenleadstoinnovationsinotherrelatedfields.

C)Itcontributesgreatlytotheadvanceofsocietyasawhole.

D)Itusuallydrawsdifferentreactionsfromdifferentagegroups.

47.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutthedriverlesscar?

A)Itdoesnotseemtocreateagenerationaldivide.

B)Itwillnotnecessarilyreduceroadaccidents.

C)Itmaystartarevolutioninthecarindustry.

D)Ithasgivenrisetounrealisticexpectations.

48.Whydoesthedriverlesscarappealtosomeoldpeople?

A)Itsavestheirenergy.C)Itaddstothesafetyoftheirtravel.

B)Ithelpswiththeirmobility.D)Itstirsuptheirinterestinlife.

49.Whatislikelytoaffectone'sattitudetowardthedriverlesscar?

A)Thelocationoftheirresidence.C)Theamountoftrainingtheyreceived.

B)Thefieldoftheirspecialinterest.D)Thelengthoftheirdrivingexperience.

50.Whoarelikelytobethefirsttobuythedriverlesscar?

A)Theseniors.C)Thewealthy.

B)Theeducated.D)Thetechfans.

6

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Inagrarian(农业的)，pre-industrialEurope,"you'dwanttowakeupearly,startworkingwiththesunrise,

haveabreaktohavethelargestmeal,andthenyou'dgobacktowork,"saysKenAlbala,aprofessorofhistoryat

theUniversityofthePacific.nLater,at5or6,you'dhaveasmallersupper.1'

Thiscomfortablecycle,inwhichtherhythmsofthedayhelpedshapetherhythmsofthemeals,gaveriseto

thecustomofthelargemiddaymeal,eatenwiththeextendedfamily."Mealsarethefoundationofthefamily,"says

CaroleCounihan,aprofessoratMillersvilleUniversityinPennsylvania,usotherewasaveryimportant

interconnectionbetweeneatingtogether"andstrengtheningfamilyties.

Sinceindustrialization,maintainingsuchaslowculturalmetabolismhasbeenmuchharder,withthelong

middaymealshrinkingtowhatevercouldbestuffedintoalunchbucketorboughtatafoodstand.Certainly,there

werebenefits.Moderntechniquesforproducingandshippingfoodledtogreatervarietyandquantity,includinga

tremendousincreaseintheamountofanimalproteinanddairyproductsavailable,makingusmorevigorousthan

ourancestors.

Yetplentyhasbeenlosttoo,eveninculturesthatstilllivetoeat.TakeItaly.It'snosecretthatthe

Mediterraneandietishealthy,butitwasalsoajoytoprepareandeat.Italians,saysCounihan,traditionallybegan

thedaywithasmallmeal.Thebigmealcameataround1p.m.Inbetweenthemiddaymealandalate,smaller

dinnercameasmallsnack.Today,whentimezoneshavelessandlessmeaning,thereislittletoleranceforoffices*

closingforlunch,andworseningtrafficincitiesmeansworkerscan'tmakeithomeandbackfastenoughanyway.

Sotheformerlysmallsupperaftersundownbecomesthebigmealoftheday,theonlyoneatwhichthefamilyhasa

chancetogettogether."Theeveningmealcarriesthefullburdenthatusedtobespreadovertwomeals,nsays

Counihan.

51.Whatdowelearnfromthepassageaboutpeopleinpre-industrialEurope?

A)Theyhadtoworkfromearlymorningtilllateatnight.

B)Theyweresobusyworkingthattheyonlyatesimplemeals.

C)Theirdailyroutinefollowedtherhythmofthenaturalcycle.

D)Theirlifewasmuchmorecomfortablethanthatoftoday.

52.WhatdoesProfessorCaroleCounihansayaboutpre-industrialEuropeanfamilieseatingmealstogether?

A)Itwashelpfultomaintaininganation'stradition.

B)Itbroughtfamilymembersclosertoeachother.

C)Itwascharacteristicoftheagrarianculture.

D)Itenabledfamiliestosavealotofmoney.

53.Whatdoes,'culturalmetabolism^^(Line1,Para.3)referto?

A)Evolutionaryadap