2024年四级阅读真题

第一篇

CouldyoureproduceSiliconValleyelsewhere,oristheresomethinguniqueaboutit?

Itwouldn’tbesurprisingifitwerehardtoreproduceinothercountries,becauseyoucouldn’treproduceitinmostoftheUSeither.WhatdoesittaketomakeaSiliconValley?

It’stherightpeople.IfyoucouldgettherighttenthousandpeopletomovefromSiliconValleytoBuffalo,BuffalowouldbecomeSiliconValley.

Youonlyneedtwokindsofpeopletocreateatechnologyhub（中心）:richpeopleandnerds（痴迷科研的人）.

Observationbearsthisout.WithintheUS,townshavebecomestartuphubsifandonlyiftheyhavebothrichpeopleandnerds.FewstartupshappeninMiami,forexample,becausealthoughit’sfullofrichpeople,ithasfewnerds.It’snotthekindofplacenerdslike.

WhereasPittsburghastheoppositeproblem:plentyofnerds,butnorichpeople.ThetopUSComputerSciencedepartmentsaresaidtobeMIT,Stanford,Berkeley,andCarnegie-Mellon.MITyieldedRoute128.StanfordandBerkeleyyieldedSiliconValley.ButwhatdidCarnegie-MellonyieldinPittsburgh?AndwhathappenedinIthaca,homeofCornellUniversity,whichisalsohighonthelist.

IgrewupinPittsburghandwenttocollegeatCornell,soIcananswerforboth.Theweatheristerrible,particularlyinwinter,andthere’snointerestingoldcitytomakeupforit,asthereisinBoston.Richpeopledon’twanttoliveinPittsburghorIthaca.Sowhilethereareplentyofhackers（電脑迷）whocouldstartstartups,there’snoonetoinvestinthem.

Doyoureallyneedtherichpeople?Wouldn’titworktohavethegovernmentinvestthenerds?No,itwouldnot.Startupinvestorsareadistincttypeofrichpeople.Theytendtohavealotofexperiencethemselvesinthetechnologybusiness.Thishelpsthempicktherightstartups,andmeanstheycansupplyadviceandconnectionsaswellasmoney.Andthefactthattheyhaveapersonalstakeintheoutcomemakesthemreallypayattention.56.WhatdowelearnaboutSiliconValleyfromthepassage?

A)Itssuccessishardtocopyanywhereelse.

B)ItisthebiggesttechnologyhubintheUS.

C)Itsfameinhightechnologyisincomparable.

D)Itleadstheworldininformationtechnology.57.WhatmakesMiamiunfittoproduceaSiliconValley?

A)Lackofincentiveforinvestments.

B)Lackoftherightkindoftalents.

C)Lackofgovernmentsupport.

D)Lackoffamousuniversities.58.InthatwayisCarnegie-MellondifferentfromStanford,BerkeleyandMIT?

A)Itslocationisnotasattractivetorichpeople

B)Itssciencedepartmentarenotnearlyasgood

C)Itdoesnotproducecomputerhackersandnerds

D)Itdoesnotpaymuchattentiontobusinessstartups59.WhatdoestheauthorimplyaboutBoston?

A)Ithaspleasantweatherallyearround.

B)Itproduceswealthaswellashigh-tech

C)Itisnotlikelytoattractlotsofinvestorandnerds.

D)Itisanoldcitywithmanysitesofhistoricalinterest.60.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutstartupinvestors?

A)Theyareespeciallywiseinmakinginvestments.

B)Theyhavegoodconnectionsinthegovernment.

C)Theycandomorethanprovidingmoney.

D)Theyareenoughtoinvestinnerds.参照答案：

56.A

此題难度不大，根据題干中的“SiliconValley”可定位第一段，第一段尾句“istheresomethinguniqueaboutit?”直接把答案引向第二段。精讀第二段“itwouldn’tbesurprisingifitwerehardtoreproduceinothercountries”，可知该句与A选项“Itssuccessishardtocopyanywhereelse.”為同义替代关系，故选A，其他三项均為無中生有。57.B

此題难度不大，根据題干中“Miami”可定位至原文第五段，该段表明迈阿密只有有钱人，而缺乏“痴迷于技术的人”，因此無法成為科技中心，该含义對应B选项，為统一替代关系，选项中的“therightkindoftalents”替代了原文的“nerds”。58.A

此題难度不高，根据題干中的“Carnegie-Mellon”和“Stanford”，“Berkeley”，“MIT”轻易定位到原文第六段，第六段段位抛出問題，因此顺势往第七段找答案。第七段中详细描述了卡内基梅隆大學所在的匹兹堡的不一样之处：“Theweatheristerrible”，“richpeopledon’twanttoliveinPittsburghorIthaca”，這些信息都指向了A选项，為高度概括关系。59.D

该題难度较高，根据題干中的“Boston”可定位至原文的第七段。原文提到Boston的句子為“asthereisinBoston”，as在這裏表對比，意為“波士顿却有”，那么前文一定指出了匹兹堡没有某物，因此关键句在于详细是什么，故往前文查找，发現前文提到的是“andthere’snointerestingoldcitytomakeupforit”，意思是匹兹堡不仅天气惡劣，并且也没有有趣的老城区，不過波士顿却与之相反，固选择D，表达“波士顿有著诸多历史古迹”。60.C

本題难度不高，根据关键名詞概念“startupinvestors”可定位到原文最终一段，原文清晰地表述了，startupinvestors不仅可以提供资金协助，還能提供诸多提议，因此C选项“他們不仅能提供资金”是最佳的答案，和原文关系為高度概括。第二篇

It’snicetohavepeopleoflikemindaround.Agreeablepeopleboostyourconfidenceandallowyoutorelaxandfeelcomfortable.Unfortunately,thatcomfortcanhindertheverylearningthatcanexpandyourcompanyandyourcareer.It’snicetohavepeopleagree,butyouneedconflictingperspectivestodigoutthetruth.Ifeveryonearoundyouhassimilarviews,yourworkwillsufferfromconfirmationbias.(偏颇)Takealookatyourownnetwork.Doyoucontactsshareyourpointofviewonmostsubjects?Ityes,it’stimetoshakethingsup.Asaleader,itcanbechallengingtocreateanenvironmentinwhichpeoplewillfreelydisagreeandargue,butasthesayinggoes:Fromconfrontationcomesbrilliance.It’snoteasyformostpeopletoactivelyseekconflict.Manyspendtheirlivestryingtoavoidarguments.There’snoneedtogooutandfindpeopleyouhate,butyouneedtodosomeself-assessmenttodeterminewhereyouhavebecomestaleinyourthinking.Youmayneedtostartbyencouragingyourcurrentnetworktohelpyouidentifyyourblindspots.Passionate,energeticdebatedoesnotrequireangerandhardfeelingstobeeffective.Butitdoesrequiremoralstrength.Onceyouhaveworthingopponents,setsomegroundrulessoeveryoneunderstandsresponsibilitiesandboundaries.Theobjectiveofthisdebatinggameisnottowinbuttogettothetruththatwillallowyoutomovefaster,andbetter.Fiercedebatingcanhurtfeelings,particularlywhenstrongpersonalitiesareinvolved.Makesureyourcheckinwithyouropponentssothattheyarenotcarryingtheemotionofthebattlesbeyondthebattlefield.Breakthetensionwithsmilesandhumortoreinforcetheideathatthisisfriendlydiscourseandthatallareworkingtowardacommongoal.Rewordallthoseinvolvedinthedebatesufficientlywhenthegoalsarereached.Letyoursparringpartners(拳击陪练)knowhowmuchyouappreciatetheircontribution.Themoretheyfeelappreciated,themorethey’llbewillingtogetintotheringnexttime.61.Whathappenswhenyouhavelike-mindedpeoplearoundyouallthewhile?

A)Itwillhelpyourcompanyexpandmorerapidly.

B)Itwillbecreateaharmoniousworkingatmosphere.

C)Itmaypreventyourbusinessandcareerfromadvancing.

D)Itmaymakeyoufelluncertainaboutyourowndecision.62.Whatdoestheauthorsuggestleadersdo?

A)Avoidargumentswithbusinesspartners.

B)Encouragepeopletodisagreeandargue.

C)Buildawideandstrongbusinessnetwork.

D)Seekadvicefromtheirworthycompetitors.63.Whatisthepurposeofholdingadebate?

A)Tofindoutthetruthaboutanissue.

B)Tobuilduppeople’smoralstrength.

C)Toremovemisunderstandings.

D)Tolookforworthyopponents.64.Whatadvicedoestheauthorgivetopeopleengagedinafiercedebate?

A)Theylistencarefullytotheiropponents’views.

B)Theyslowduerespectforeachother’sbeliefs.

C)Theypresenttheirviewsclearlyandexplicitly.

D)Theytakecarenottohurteachother’sfeelings.

65.Howshouldwetreatourrivalsafterasuccessfuldebate?

A)Trytomakepeacewiththem.

B)Trytomakeupthedifferences.

C)Invitethemtotheringnexttime.

D)Acknowledgetheircontribution.参照答案：

61.C

该題难度不大，根据“like-mindedpeople”定位到首段，首段指出此类人可以給人信息并令人感到舒适，背面用“unfortunately”表转折，背面的表述“這种舒适會让你意识不到你可以扩大你的企业和事业”，對应C选项，同义替代。62.B

本題不难。根据关键名詞“leaders”定位到第三段，作者給leader的提议是“虽然建立一种自由言论的环境不轻易，不過俗话說灵感從争论中迸发”，意思是领导者需要建立這样能的环境，固选择B项，高度概括。63.A

本題难度不大。根据关键信息“purposeofholdingadebate”定位到原文倒数第三段，原文“objective”對应“purpose”，背面跟的即為答案：“isnottowinbuttogetthetruththatwillallowyoutomovefaster,farther,andbetter.”，對应A选项。64.D

该題难度较大。根据关键信息“fiercedebate”定位到原文倒数第二段，原文給出观點“用微笑和風趣表明這是一种友好的讨论，大家的目的都是同样的”，對应D选项，该題强干扰项為B，B选项中的“respect”轻易让同學們产生好感從而錯选B，而实际上B选项錯在“other’sbeliefs”上，原文并没有提到尊重他人的信念和观點，属于無中生有。65.D

根据題干“rival”對应到最终一段的“sparringpartners”，原文給出“让他們懂得對他們的付出你很感謝”，對应D选项“肯定他們的付出”，為同义替代关系。PassageOne

Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Thewalletisheadingforextinction.Asaday-to-dayessential,itwilldieoffwiththegenerationwhoreadprintnewspapers.Thekindofshopping－whereyouhandovernotesandcountoutchangeinreturn—nowhappensonlyinthemostminorofourretailencounters，likebuyingabarofchocolateorapintofmilkfromacomershop.Attheshopswhereyouspendanyrealmoney,thatmoneyisincreasinglyabstracted.Andthisismoreandmoretrue,thehigherupthescaleyougo.Atthemostcutting-edgeretailstores—VictoriaBeckhamonDoverStreet,forinstance—youdon’tgoandstandatanykindofcashregisterwhenyoudecidetopay.ThestaffareequippedwithiPadstotakeyourpaymentwhileyourelaxonasofa.

Whichisnothingmoreorlessthanexcellentservice,ifyouhavethemoney.Butacrosssociety,theabstractionoftheideaofcashmakesmeuneasy.MaybeI’mjustold-fashioned.Butearningmoneyisn’tquickoreasyformostofus.Isn’titabitweirdthatspendingitshouldhappeninhalfablink(眨眼)ofaneye?Doesn’tawallet—thattime-honouredFriday-nightfeelingofpleasing,promisingfatness—representsomethingthatmatters?

ButI’llleavetheeconomicstotheexperts.Whatbothersmeaboutthedeathofthewalletisthechangeitrepresentsinourphysicalenvironment.Everythingaboutthelookandfeelofawallet—thewaythefasteningsandmaterialswearandtearandloosenwithage,theplasticandpaperandgoldandsilver,andhandwrittenphonenumbersandprintedcinematickets—istheveryoppositeofwhatourworldisbecoming.TheoppositeofawalletisasmartphoneofaniPad.Theroundededges,coolglass,smoothandunknowableaspebble(鹅卵石).Insteadofdiggingthroughpiecesofpaperandpeeringintocorners,wemoveourfingersleftandright.Nomorecountingoutcoins.Showyourwallet,ifyoustillhaveone.Itmaynotbeheremuchlonger.56.Whatishappeningtothewallet?

A)Itisdisappearing.C)itisbecomingcostly.

B)Itisbeingfattened.D)Itischanginginstyle.

57.Howarebusinesstransactionsdoneinbigmodernstores?

A)Individually.C)Intheabstract.

B)Electronically.D)Viaacashregister.

58.Whatmakestheauthorfeeluncomfortablenowadays?

A)Savingmoneyisbecomingathingofthepast.

B)ThepleasingFriday-nightfeelingisfading.

C)Earningmoneyisgettingmoredifficult.

D)Spendingmoneyissofastandeasy.

59.Whydoestheauthorchoosetowriteaboutwhat’shappeningtothewallet?

A)Itrepresentsachangeinthemodernworld.

B)Ithassomethingtodowitheverybody’slife.

C)Itmarkstheendofatime-honouredtradition.

D)Itistheconcernofcontemporaryeconomists.

60.Whatcanweinferfromthepassageabouttheauthor?

A)Heisresistanttosocialchanges.

B)Heisagainsttechnologicalprogress.

C)Hefeelsreluctanttopartwiththetraditionalwallet.

D)Hefellsinsecureintheever-changingmodernworld.参照答案56.A——itisdisappearing

57.B——Electronically

58.D——Spendingmoneyissofastandeasy

59.A——Itrepresentsachangeinthemodernworld

60.D——Hefeelsinsecureinever-changingmodernworldPassageTwo

Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Everybodysleeps,butwhatpeoplestayuplatetocatch—orwakeupearlyinordernottomiss—variesbyculture.Fromdatacollected,itseemsthethingsthatcauseustolosethemostsleep,onaverage,aresportingevents,timechanges,andholidays.

Aroundtheworld,peoplechangedsleeppatternsthankstothestartorendofdaylightsavingstime.Russians,forexample,begantowakeupaboutahalf-hourlatereachdayafterPresidentVladimirPutinshiftedthecountrypermanentlyto“wintertime”startingonOctober26.

Russia’sotherlatenightsandearlymorningsgenerallycorrespondtopublicholidays.OnNewYear’sEve,Russianshavetheworld’slatestbedtime,hittingthehayataround3:30am.

RussiansalsogetupanhourlateronInternationalWomen’sDay,thedayfortreatingandcelebratingfemalerelatives.

Similarly,Americans’latenightslatemornings,andlongestsleepsfallonthree-dayweekends.

CanadagottheleastsleepoftheyearthenightitbeatSwedenintheOlympichockey(冰球）final.

TheWorldCupisalsochieflyresponsibleforsleepdeprivation(剥夺）,TheworstnightforsleepintheU.K.wasthenightoftheEngland-ItalymatchonJune14.Britsstayedupahalf-hourlatertowatchit,andthentheywokeupearlierthanusualthenextmorningthankstosummernights,thephenomenoninwhichthesunbarelysetsinnortherncountriesinthesummertime.Thatwasnothing,though,comparedtoGermans,Italians,andtheFrench,whostayeduparoundanhourandahalflateronvariousdaysthroughoutthesummertowatchtheCup.

Itshouldbemadeclearthatnoteveryonehasadevicetorecordtheirsleeppatterns,insomeofthesenations,it’slikelythatonlytherichestpeopledo.Andpeoplewhoelecttotracktheirsleepmaytrytogetmoresleepthantheaverageperson.Evenifthat’sthecase,though,theabovefindingsarestillstriking,Ifthemosthealth-consciousamongushavesuchdeepswingsinourshut-eyelevelsthroughouttheyear,howmuchsleeparetherestofuslosing?61.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutpeople’ssleepinghabits?

A)Theyareculture-relatedC)Theychangewiththeseasons.

B)Theyaffectpeople’shealth.D)Theyvaryfrompersontoperson.

62.WhatdowelearnabouttheRussiansregardingsleep?

A)Theydon’tfallasleepuntilverylate.

B)Theydon’tsleepmuchonweekends.

C)Theygetlesssleeponpublicholidays.

D)Theysleeplongerthanpeopleelsewhere.

63.WhatisthemajorcauseforEuropeans’lossofsleep?

A)Thedaylightsavingstime.

B)Thecolorfulnightlife.

C)TheWorldCup.

D)Thesummertime.

64.Whatisthemostprobablereasonforsomerichpeopletouseadevicetorecordtheirpatterns?

A)Theyhavetroublefallingasleep.

B)Theywanttogetsufficientsleep.

C)Theyareinvolvedinasleepresearch.

D)Theywanttogotobedonregularhours.

65.Whatdoestheauthorimplyinthelastparagraph?

A)Sleeplessnessdoesharmtopeople’shealth.

B)Fewpeoplereallyknowtheimportanceofsleep.

C)Itisimportanttostudyoursleeppatterns.

D)Averagepeopleprobablysleeplessthantherich.56、C

Itmighthaveanegativeeffectoncreativework.

57、ATheycombineclock－basedandtask－basedplanning

58、D

Theytendtobemoreproductive.

59、B

Itdoesnotattachenoughimportancetotask-basedpractice.

60、D

Ascientificstandardshouldbeadoptedinajobevaluation.61、AHerpastrecordmightstandinherwaytoanewlife.

62、BTheyaredeprivedofchancestoturnoveranewleaf

63、CTheyaremarginalizedinsociety

64、DAlotofthemhavenegativeeffectsonsociety

65、BToappealforchangesinAmerica’scriminaljusticesystem.

Passage

One

Questions

56

to

60

are

based

on

the

followingpassage.

Across

the

rich

world,

well-educated

peopleincreasingly

work

longer

than

the

less-skilled.

Some65%

of

American

men

aged

62-74

with

aprofessional

degree

are

in

the

workforce,

comparedwith

32%

of

men

with

only

a

high-school

certificate.This

gap

is

part

of

a

deepening

divide

between

thewell-educated

well-off

and

the

unskilled

poor.

Rapidtechnological

advance

has

raised

the

incomes

of

thehighly

skilled

while

squeezing

those

of

the

unskilled.

The

consequences,

for

individuals

andsociety,

are

profound.

The

world

is

facing

an

astonishing

rise

in

the

number

of

old

people.

And

they

will

live

longerthan

ever

before.

Over

the

next

20

years

the

global

population

of

those

aged

65

or

more

willalmost

double,

from

600

million

to

1.1

billion.

The

experience

of

the

20th

century,

when

greaterlongevity

(長寿)

translated

into

more

years

in

retirement

rather

than

more

years

at

work,

haspersuaded

many

observers

that

this

shift

will

lead

to

slower

economic

growth,

while

the

swellingranks

of

pensioners

will

create

government

budget

problems.

But

the

notion

of

a

sharp

division

between

the

working

young

and

the

idle

old

misses

a

newtrend,

the

growing

gap

between

the

skilled

and

the

unskilled.

Employment

rates

are

fallingamong

younger

unskilled

people,

whereas

older

skilled

folk

are

working

longer.

The

divide

ismost

extreme

in

America,

where

well-educated

baby-boomers(二战後生育高峰期出生的美国人)areputting

off

retirement

while

many

less-skilled

younger

people

have

dropped

out

of

theworkforce.

Policy

is

partly

responsible.

Many

European

governments

have

abandoned

policies

that

used

toencourage

people

to

retire

early.

Rising

life

expectancy(预期寿命),

combined

with

thereplacement

of

generous

defined-benefit

pension

plans

with

less

generous

defined-contribution

ones,

means

that

even

the

better-off

must

work

longer

to

have

a

comfortableretirement.

But

the

changing

nature

of

work

also

plays

a

big

role.

Pay

has

risen

sharply

for

thehighly

educated,

and

those

people

continue

to

reap

rich

rewards

into

old

age

because

thesedays

the

educated

elderly

are

more

productive

than

the

preceding

generation.

Technologicalchange

may

well

reinforce

that

shift:

the

skills

that

complement

computers,

frommanagement

knowhow

to

creativity,

do

not

necessarily

decline

with

age.注意：此部分试題請在答題卡2上作答。56.

What

is

happening

in

the

workforce

in

rich

countries?

A)

Younger

people

are

replacing

the

elderly.

B)

Well-educated

people

tend

to

work

longer.

C)

Unemployment

rates

are

rising

year

after

year.

D)

People

with

no

college

degree

do

not

easily

find

work.57.

What

has

helped

deepen

the

divide

between

the

well-off

and

the

poor?

A)

Longer

life

expectancies.

B)

A

rapid

technological

advance.

C)

Profound

changes

in

the

workforce.

D)

A

growing

number

of

the

well-educated.58.

What

do

many

observers

predict

in

view

of

the

experience

of

the

20th

century?A)

Economic

growth

will

slow

down.

B)

Government

budgets

will

increase.

C)

More

people

will

try

to

pursue

higher

education.

D)

There

will

be

more

competition

in

the

job

market.59.

What

is

the

result

of

policy

changes

in

European

countries?

A)

Unskilled

workers

may

choose

to

retire

early.

B)

More

people

have

to

receive

in-service

training.

C)

Even

wealthy

people

must

work

longer

to

live

comfortably

in

retirement.

D)

People

may

be

able

to

enjoy

generous

defined-benefits

from

pension

plans.60.

What

is

characteristic

of

work

in

the

21st

century?

A)

Computers

will

do

more

complicated

work.

B)

More

will

be

taken

by

the

educated

young.

C)

Most

jobs

to

be

done

will

be

creative

ones.

D)

Skills

are

highly

valued

regardless

of

age.考试采用“多題多卷”模式，试題次序不统一，請根据试題進行查對。

56.

B)

Well-educated

people

tend

to

work

longer.

57.

B)

A

rapid

technological

advance.

58.

A)

Economic

growth

will

slow

down.

59.

C)

Even

wealthy

people

must

work

longer

to

live

comfortably

in

retirement.

60.

D)

Skills

are

highly

valued

regardless

of

age.Passage

TwoQuestions

61

to

65

are

based

on

the

followingpassage.Some

of

the

world’s

most

significant

problems

neverhit

headlines.

One

example

comes

from

agriculture.Food

riots

and

hunger

make

news.

But

the

trendlying

behind

these

matters

is

rarely

talked

about.This

is

the

decline

in

the

growth

in

yields

of

some

ofthe

world’s

major

crops.

A

new

study

by

the

University

of

Minnesota

and

McGill

University

inMontreal

looks

at

where,

and

how

far,

this

decline

is

occurring.The

authors

take

a

vast

number

of

data

points

for

the

four

most

important

crops:

rice,

wheat,corn

and

soyabeans(大豆).

They

find

that

on

between

24%

and

39%

of

all

harvested

areas,

theimprovement

in

yields

that

took

place

before

the

1980s

slowed

down

in

the

1990s

and

s.There

are

two

worrying

features

of

the

slowdown.

One

is

that

it

has

been

particularly

sharp

inthe

world’s

most

populous(人口多的)countries,

India

and

China.

Their

ability

to

feed

themselveshas

been

an

important

source

of

relative

stability

both

within

the

countries

and

on

world

foodmarkets.

That

self-sufficiency

cannot

be

taken

for

granted

if

yields

continue

to

slow

down

orreverse.Second,

yield

growth

has

been

lower

in

wheat

and

rice

than

in

corn

and

soybeans.

This

isproblematic

because

wheat

and

rice

are

more

important

as

foods,

accounting

for

around

halfof

all

calories

consumed.

Corn

and

soyabeans

are

more

important

as

feed

grains.

The

authorsnote

that

“we

have

preferentially

focused

our

crop

improvement

efforts

on

feeding

animals

andcars

rather

than

on

crops

that

feed

people

and

are

the

basis

of

food

security

in

much

of

theworld.”The

report

qualifies

the

more

optimistic

findings

of

another

new

paper

which

suggests

that

theworld

will

not

have

to

dig

up

a

lot

more

land

for

farmin