大学英语四级考试题库

大学英语四级考试题库

PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayontheimportanceofdevelopingcriticalthinkingskills.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.---PartIIReadingComprehension(SectionA)(15minutes)Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Intoday'srapidlyevolvingworld,theabilitytothinkcriticallyismorecrucialthanever.Itisnotmerelyaboutaccumulatinginformationbutaboutanalyzing,evaluating,andsynthesizingittoformreasonedjudgments.Criticalthinkingenablesindividualstonavigatethevastseaofinformation,distinguishfactfromopinion,andidentifylogical____1____inarguments.Itisa____2____skillforacademicsuccess,asitempowersstudentstoengagedeeplywithcoursematerialratherthanmemorizeit____3____.Intheworkplace,employeeswhocanthinkcriticallyarebetteratproblem-solving,decision-making,andinnovation.Theycan____4____complexsituations,anticipatepotentialchallenges,andproposeeffectivesolutions.Despiteitsimportance,criticalthinkingisoftennotexplicitlytaught.Manyeducationalsystemsstill____5____onrotelearningandstandardizedtesting,whichmaynotadequatelyfosterthesehigher-ordercognitiveabilities.Tocultivatecriticalthinking,educatorsmustcreatelearningenvironmentsthatencouragequestioning,debate,and____6____exploration.Studentsshouldbepromptedtosupporttheirclaimswithevidence,consider____7____viewpoints,andreflectontheirownthoughtprocesses.Thisrequiresashiftfromateacher-centeredtoamorestudent-centered____8____.Developingthisskillisalifelongjourney.Itinvolvesintellectualhumility—therecognitionthatone'sknowledgeis____9____andthatonecanbewrong.Italsorequirescuriosityandthecouragetochallengeassumptions,includingone'sown.By____10____criticalthinking,weequipourselvesnotjustforspecifictasks,butforresponsiblecitizenshipandamoreadaptable,fulfillinglife.WordBank:A)approachB)arbitraryC)assessD)biasesE)contradictionsF)cultivateG)dependentH)emphasisI)essentialJ)fosterK)gapsL)independentM)limitationsN)passivelyO)superficial---PartIIIReadingComprehension(SectionB)(40minutes)Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.TheSurprisingBenefitsofBoredom[A]Inourhyper-connected,entertainment-saturatedage,boredomisoftenviewedasanenemytobeavoidedatallcosts.Wefilleverysparemomentwithsocialmedia,streamingvideos,orgames,fearingthediscomfortofhavingnothingtodo.However,agrowingbodyofpsychologicalresearchsuggeststhatboredom,whenembracedratherthanresisted,canbeacatalystforcreativity,self-reflection,andpersonalgrowth.[B]Boredomisessentiallyastateofdissatisfactionarisingfromalackofengagementwithone'senvironment.Itsignalsthatourcurrentactivityisnotsufficientlystimulatingormeaningful.Thissignal,thoughunpleasant,iscrucial.Itpushesustoseeknewgoals,ideas,orchallenges.Historically,manygreatinventionsandartisticbreakthroughsoccurredduringperiodsofrestormentalwandering,notconstantbusyness.[C]Onekeybenefitofboredomisitsroleinfosteringcreativity.Whenwearebored,ourmindsarenotfocusedonaspecificexternaltask.Thisallowsourbrainstoenteradefaultmodenetwork—astateofwakefulrest.Inthisstate,themindfreelyassociatesideas,makesnovelconnections,andengagesinspontaneousandself-generatedthought.Thisisoftenwhen"eureka"momentshappen.AstudypublishedintheJournalofExperimentalSocialPsychologyfoundthatparticipantswhoperformedaboringtask(likereadingaphonebook)subsequentlygeneratedmorecreativeideasinabrainstormingexercisethanthosewhodidamoreengagingtaskfirst.[D]Furthermore,boredomprovidesvaluablespaceforself-reflection.Intheconstantnoiseofmodernlife,werarelyhavequietmomentstosimplybewithourownthoughts.Boredomforcesapause.Itallowsustoprocessemotions,reconsiderourgoals,andgainclarityaboutwhattrulymatterstous.Thisintrospectiveprocessisessentialfordevelopingself-awarenessandacoherentsenseofidentity.Withoutthesemomentsofmentaldowntime,werisklivingreactively,drivenbyexternalstimuliratherthaninternalvalues.[E]Boredomalsomotivateslearningandskilldevelopment.Thefeelingofbeingboredwitharoutineoralackofchallengecanbeapowerfulimpetustoacquirenewknowledgeormasteranewskill.Itcanpushastudenttopickupamoredifficultbook,anemployeetoseekprofessionaldevelopment,oranindividualtofinallylearnalanguageorinstrumentthey'vealwaysconsidered.Inchildren,unstructuredtimefreefromscheduledactivitiesandscreensisvitalfordevelopingthecapacityforself-directedplayandintrinsicmotivation.[F]Despitethesebenefits,ourcultureoftenpathologizesboredom,especiallyinchildren.Parentsmayfeelcompelledtoscheduleeveryhouroftheirchild'sdaytoensureconstantenrichment.However,expertsarguethatthis"activityoverload"candeprivechildrenofthechancetolearnhowtomanagetheirowntimeandattention.Toleratingboredomisaskill.Itteachesresilience,patience,andtheabilitytogenerateone'sownamusement—afoundationforentrepreneurshipandinnovativethinkinglaterinlife.[G]Ofcourse,notallboredomisbeneficial.Chronic,pervasiveboredomlinkedtoasenseofmeaninglessnesscanbeasymptomofdepressionorotherissues.Theconstructiveboredomdiscussedhereistypicallysituationalandtemporary.Thekeyistorespondtoitconstructivelyratherthanreflexivelyseekingdigitaldistraction.[H]So,howcanweharnessthepowerofboredom?Itstartswithchangingourmindset.Insteadofviewingidletimeaswastedtime,wecanseeitasanopportunity.Deliberatelyschedulingperiodsof"doingnothing"—takingawalkwithoutheadphones,sittinginaqueuewithoutpullingoutyourphone,orsimplydaydreaming—canbeincrediblyproductiveforthemind.Thenexttimeyoufeelbored,resisttheimmediateurgetoreachforadevice.Sitwiththefeeling.Youmightbesurprisedatwhereyourmindgoes.Statements:1.Boredomcanactasadrivingforceforpeopletostartlearningsomethingneworimprovetheirabilities.2.Theconstructivetypeofboredomisusuallyshort-livedandrelatedtospecificsituations.3.Boredomisdefinedasafeelingofdiscontentcausedbyuninterestingsurroundingsoractivities.4.Parents'effortstofilltheirchildren'stimewithactivitiesmightpreventthedevelopmentofimportantlifeskills.5.Amentalstatecharacterizedbyfree-flowingthoughtsduringboredomcanleadtocreativebreakthroughs.6.Oursocietytendstoseeboredom,particularlyintheyoung,asanegativeconditionthatneedstreatment.7.Intentivelyallowingoneselftoexperienceidletimecanbebeneficialformentalprocesses.8.Thediscomfortofboredomisausefulsignalpromptingustofindmoreengagingpursuits.9.Momentsofboredomarenecessaryforpeopletothinkabouttheirfeelingsandlifepurposes.10.Researchindicatesthatexperiencingboredomrightbeforeataskcanenhancecreativeperformance.---PartIVReadingComprehension(SectionC)(40minutes)Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice.PassageOneQuestions1to5arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Theconceptof"netzero"emissionshasbecomeacentralgoalintheglobalfightagainstclimatechange.Itreferstothebalancebetweentheamountofgreenhousegasesproducedandtheamountremovedfromtheatmosphere.Achievingthisbalance—whereresidualemissionsareoffsetbyabsorptionthroughnaturalsystems(likeforestsandoceans)ortechnologicalmeans(likecarboncapture)—isconsideredessentialtostabilizeglobaltemperatures.However,thepathtonetzeroisfraughtwithcomplexitiesandcontroversies.Onemajorchallengeistherelianceoncarbonoffsetting.Companiesandcountriesmayclaimprogresstowardnetzerobyinvestinginprojectsthatreduceemissionselsewhere,suchasrenewableenergyinstallationsindevelopingnationsorlarge-scaletreeplanting.Criticsarguethatthiscanbeaformof"greenwashing,"allowingentitiestocontinuepollutingwhilepurchasingquestionableoffsetsthatmaynotdeliverpermanentoradditionalcarbonsavings.Forinstance,aforestplantedasacarbonsinkcouldlaterburndown,releasingthestoredcarbon.Anotherpointofcontentionisthetimeline.Manynationsandcorporationshavesetnet-zerotargetsfor2050.Whilethisseemsambitious,climatescientistswarnthatthecrucialdecadeforactionisnow.Deep,immediatecutsinemissionsarerequiredtohaveachanceoflimitingwarmingto1.5°Cabovepre-industriallevels,athresholdoutlinedintheParisAgreement.Targetsdecadesinthefutureriskdelayingurgentactionandlockingincarbon-intensiveinfrastructure.Furthermore,theequitydimensioncannotbeignored.Developednations,historicallyresponsibleforthebulkofemissions,oftenhavemorefinancialandtechnologicalresourcestotransitiontocleanenergy.Developingcountries,whichhavecontributedlesstotheproblembutaremorevulnerabletoclimateimpacts,faceasteeperclimb.Theyarguefortherighttodevelopandforfinancialsupportfromwealthiernationstoleapfrogfossilfueldependence.Ajusttransitiontonetzeromustaddressthesehistoricalresponsibilitiesandcapacitydifferences.Ultimately,netzeroisanecessarybutinsufficientmantra.Itmustbeunderpinnedbytransparent,accountable,andimmediateactiontoreduceemissionsattheirsource.Prioritizingrealcutsoveroffsets,front-loadingactioninthisdecade,andensuringafairglobaleffortarecriticaltomakingthenet-zerogoalameaningfulrealityratherthanaconvenientslogan.1.Whatisthecoreideaofachieving"netzero"emissions?A)Eliminatingallgreenhousegasemissionscompletely.B)Balancingproducedandremovedgreenhousegases.C)Relyingsolelyonnaturalsystemstoabsorbcarbon.D)Replacingallfossilfuelswithrenewableenergy.2.Whydoestheauthormention"aforestplantedasacarbonsinkcouldlaterburndown"inparagraph2?A)Toillustratethepermanenceofnature-basedsolutions.B)Tohighlightapotentialriskassociatedwithcarbonoffsetting.C)Toargueagainstanyformoftree-plantingprojects.D)Todemonstratetheeffectivenessoftechnologicalcarboncapture.3.Whatisthemainconcernregardingthe2050net-zerotargetssetbymanyentities?A)Theyaretooexpensivetoachieve.B)Theyarenotambitiousenoughscientifically.C)Theymayleadtoadelayintakingimmediatenecessaryaction.D)TheyhavebeenrejectedbytheParisAgreement.4.Whatdoestheterm"equitydimension"(Para.4)refertointhecontextofnetzero?A)Theequaldistributionofrenewableenergytechnologypatents.B)Thefairtreatmentofdifferentnationsconsideringtheirhistoricalemissionsandcapabilities.C)Theequalcarbonemissionquotasassignedtoeverycountry.D)Thesharedresponsibilityofallcorporationsregardlessofsize.5.Whichofthefollowingbestsummarizestheauthor'sviewonthenet-zeroconcept?A)Itisaperfectandeasilyachievablesolutiontoclimatechange.B)Itisausefulguidinggoalbutrequiresgenuineandfairimplementation.C)Itisfundamentallyflawedandshouldbeabandonedforbetterstrategies.D)Itisonlyachievablethroughtechnologicalinnovation,notpolicy.PassageTwoQuestions6to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Theriseofthe"gigeconomy,"characterizedbyshort-termcontractsandfreelanceworkasopposedtopermanentjobs,hasbeenoneofthemostsignificantlabormarketshiftsinrecentdecades.PlatformslikeUber,Deliveroo,andUpworkconnectworkersdirectlywithclientsforspecifictasks,offeringflexibilityandautonomythattraditionalemploymentoftenlacks.Proponentshailthismodelasthefutureofwork,empoweringindividualstobetheirownbossesandworkontheirownterms.However,thisshiftcomeswithsubstantialtrade-offs,particularlyregardingworkerprotectionsandbenefits.Gigworkersaretypicallyclassifiedasindependentcontractors,notemployees.Thislegaldistinctionmeanstheyareoftenexcludedfromfundamentalbenefitssuchasminimumwageguarantees,paidsickleave,healthinsurance,retirementplans,andprotectionagainstunfairdismissal.Theirincomecanbeunpredictableandsubjecttothewhimsofplatformalgorithmsandcustomerdemand.DuringeconomicdownturnsorhealthcrisesliketheCOVID-19pandemic,thelackofasafetynetbecomesstarklyapparent.Theissueofalgorithmicmanagementisanothercriticalconcern.Workers'assignments,payrates,andeventheircontinuedaccesstotheplatformcanbecontrolledbyopaquealgorithms.Thesesystemscandeactivateworkerswithlittleexplanationorhumanrecourse,apracticecriticscall"algorithmicfiring."Performanceisconstantlymonitoredthroughcustomerratings,whichcancreatehigh-pressureworkenvironmentsandmaybeinfluencedbybias.Inresponse,thereisagrowingpushforregulatorychangeandworkerorganization.Somejurisdictionshavebeguntoreclassifygigworkersasemployeesorcreateanew,intermediatecategoryofworkerthatgrantssomebasicprotections.Courtcasesandlegislativebattlesareongoingworldwide.Simultaneously,gigworkersareincreasinglyorganizingthroughunionsandadvocacygroupstodemandbetterpay,transparencyinalgorithmicdecisions,andbenefits.Thegigeconomyisunlikelytodisappear;itsflexibilitymeetsrealneedsforbothbusinessesandmanyworkers.Thecentralchallengeforpolicymakers,platforms,andsocietyistopreservethepositiveaspectsofflexibilityandinnovationwhiledevisingnewframeworksthatextendessentialsocialprotectionstothosewhoworkwithinit.Findingthisbalancewillbecrucialinshapinganequitablefutureofwork.6.Whatisamajoradvantageofthegigeconomyhighlightedbyitssupporters?A)Itprovidescomprehensivehealthinsuranceplans.B)Itguaranteesastableandpredictablemonthlyincome.C)Itoffersworkersgreaterflexibilityandautonomy.D)Itensuresstrongprotectionagainstunfairdismissal.7.Whatisadirectconsequenceofgigworkersbeingclassifiedasindependentcontractors?A)Theyhavemoreopportunitiesforcareerpromotion.B)Theyareusuallycoveredbyemployer-sponsoredbenefitprograms.C)Theyoftenlackbasicemploymentbenefitsandprotections.D)Theyaresubjecttostricterdirectsupervisionfrommanagers.8.Whatdoestheterm"algorithmicfiring"(Para.3)referto?A)Usingalgorithmstohelpworkersfindjobsfaster.B)Theprocessofplatformsterminatingworkers'accessbasedonalgorithmicdecisionswithoutclearhumanreview.C)Anautomatedsystemforcalculatingworkers'salariesandbonuses.D)Theuseofcustomerratingstoprovideconstructivefeedbacktoworkers.9.Howaresomeregionsaddressingtheproblemsfacedbygigworkers?A)Bybanningallgigeconomyplatforms.B)Byrequiringworkerstoformtheirowncompanies.C)Byconsideringlegalreclassificationtograntthemmoreprotections.D)Bymandatingthatplatformspayworkerssolelyonasalarybasis.10.Whatisthemainpointofthepassageregardingthefutureofthegigeconomy?A)Itwillinevitablybereplacedbytraditio