2018年英语四级考试题

2018年英语四级考试题

PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayontheimportanceofreadingabilityandhowtodevelopit.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitem.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Theriseoftheinternethasfundamentallyalteredhowweaccessinformation.Whileitoffersunprecedentedconvenience,someexpertsexpressconcernaboutitsimpactonourreadinghabits.Theyarguethattheconstant__(26)__ofonlinecontent,characterizedbyshortparagraphs,hyperlinks,andmultimedia,istrainingourbrainsfordistracted,superficialreading.This"skimming"behaviormaybe__(27)__ourcapacityforthedeep,sustainedconcentrationrequiredtotacklecomplextextslikenovelsoracademicpapers.Thebrain'splasticitymeansitadaptstothetaskswegiveit;ifweprimarilyengageinquick,fragmentedreading,wemightbe__(28)__theneuralcircuitsneededfordeepreading.However,othersseeamore__(29)__picture.Theysuggestthatonlinereadingcultivatesdifferentbutequallyvaluableskills,suchasrapidly__(30)__informationfrommultiplesourcesandmakingconnectionsbetweendisparateideas.Thekey,theypropose,isnottolamentthechangebuttobecome"biliterate"—proficientinbothdigitalandtraditionalprintreading.Thisrequiresconsciouseffort.To__(31)__deepreadingskills,onecansetasidededicatedtimeforreadingprintedbooks,freefromdigitaldistractions.Practicingtechniqueslikenote-takingandsummarizingcanalso__(32)__comprehensionandretention.Ultimately,inanageofinformation__(33)__,theabilitytoreaddeeplyisnotobsolete;itbecomesacrucialtoolfor__(34)__wisdomfrommeredata,forcriticalthinking,andforcultivatingthepatienceandfocusthatare__(35)__inmanyaspectsoflife.A)acquiringB)assessingC)atrophyD)consumptionE)cultivatingF)decodingG)diminishH)enhanceI)floodingJ)gradualK)nuisancesL)overloadM)positiveN)siftingO)weakeningSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.TheHiddenBenefitsofBoredom[A]Inourmodern,hyper-connectedworld,boredomseemslikeanenemytobevanquished.Attheslightesthintoftedium,wereachforoursmartphones,divingintosocialmedia,games,ornewsfeeds.Thisconstantstimulationisoftenseenasavirtue,awaytooptimizeeverymoment.However,agrowingbodyofpsychologicalresearchsuggeststhatboredom,whenembracedratherthanavoided,canbeacatalystforcreativityandmentalwell-being.[B]Dr.SandiMann,apsychologistattheUniversityofCentralLancashire,hasconductedexperimentswhereparticipantswereaskedtocompletedulltasks,likecopyingnumbersfromatelephonedirectory.Afterwards,theyweregivenacreativethinkingtest.Surprisingly,thosewhoenduredtheboringtasksignificantlyoutperformedotherswhohaddoneaninterestingtaskfirst.Mannarguesthatboredomprovidesthementalspacefordaydreaming,whichallowsthemindtowander,makenovelconnections,andgeneratenewideas.[C]Thestateofboredomisessentiallyasignalfromourbrain.Itindicatesthatourcurrentactivityisnotsufficientlyengagingormeaningful.Thissignalpushesustoseeknewgoalsorstimuli.Inthepast,thismighthaveledtoexplorationorinvention.Today,weoftenshort-circuitthisprocesswithinstantdigitalentertainment.Bydoingso,wemaybedeprivingourselvesoftheopportunitytodiscoverdeeperinterestsorsolutionstolingeringproblems.[D]Furthermore,boredomcanfosterself-reflection.Inthequietmomentswithoutexternalinput,wearemorelikelytoturnourattentioninward.Thiscanleadtoabetterunderstandingofourownvalues,desires,andemotions.It'saformofmentaldigestion,processingtheexperiencesandinformationwe'veaccumulated.Constantbusynessleavesnoroomforthisessentialprocess,potentiallyleadingtostressandasenseofemptiness.[E]Boredomalsoplaysacrucialroleindevelopingmotivation.Whenchildrencomplainofbeingbored,itisaninvitationforthemtofindorcreatetheirownamusement.Ifparentsimmediatelyprovidestructuredactivitiesorscreentime,thechildmissesthechancetodevelopinternalresources,initiative,andtheabilitytotoleratemilddiscomfort.Learningtocopewithboredomisakeystepinbuildingresilienceandself-regulation.[F]Ofcourse,notallboredomisbeneficial.Chronic,pervasiveboredomlinkedtoalackofpurposeordepressionisaseriousissue.Thebeneficialboredomdiscussedhereistheoccasional,mildfeelingofhaving"nothingtodo."It'sthespacebetweenactivities.[G]Toharnessthebenefitsofboredom,weneedtochangeourhabits.Thismightinvolvescheduling"boredombreaks"—shortperiodswherewedeliberatelydisconnectfromdevicesandletourmindswander.Itcouldmeanengaginginmildlymonotonousactivitieslikewalkingwithoutapodcast,waitinginlinewithoutcheckingthephone,orsimplystaringoutofawindow.[H]Inessence,re-evaluatingboredomisaboutreclaimingourattention.Byallowingourselvestobeboredoccasionally,weresisttheconstantpullofexternalstimuliandgiveourbrainsthedowntimetheyneedtoconsolidatememories,makecreativeleaps,andreconnectwithourinnerthoughts.Inaculturethatprizesproductivityandconstantengagement,embracingboredommightbearadicalactofself-care.36.Boredomcanserveasapromptforpeopletolookfornewandmeaningfulpursuits.37.Thefeelingofboredomdiscussedinapositivelightistemporaryandnotsevere.38.Experimentshaveshownthatpeoplecanthinkmorecreativelyafterexperiencingboredom.39.Onesuggestedmethodtomakeuseofboredomistointentionallylistentonothingduringawalk.40.Constantengagementwithstimulatingactivitiesmaypreventpeoplefromfindingsolutionstoproblems.41.Boredomallowstimeforpeopletothinkabouttheirownfeelingsandlifeexperiences.42.Alwaysprovidingentertainmentforboredchildrenmighthinderthegrowthoftheirindependence.43.Thewidespreadavailabilityofdigitaldevicesmakesiteasyforpeopletoavoidboredom.44.Acceptingboredomcanbeseenasawaytoprotectone'smentalspaceinademandingsociety.45.Boredomisfundamentallyamessagefromourbrainaboutlackofengagement.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Intherealmofurbanplanning,theconceptofthe"15-minutecity"hasgainedsignificanttraction.Theideaissimpleyetrevolutionary:ensurethatallcityresidentscanmeetmostoftheirdailyneeds—work,shopping,education,healthcare,leisure—withina15-minutewalkorbikeridefromtheirhomes.Proponentsarguethatthismodelnotonlyenhancesqualityoflifebyreducingcommutetimesbutalsopromotessustainability,communitycohesion,andpublichealth.Theprimaryengineofthe15-minutecityismixed-useneighborhooddevelopment.Insteadofrigidzoningthatseparatesresidential,commercial,andindustrialareas,thisapproachencouragesablend.Asingleneighborhoodmightcontainapartments,schools,offices,grocerystores,clinics,andparksincloseproximity.Thisdensityreducesdependenceoncars,leadingtolowercarbonemissions,lesstrafficcongestion,andimprovedairquality.Thetimesavedfromlongcommutescanberedirectedtowardsfamily,hobbies,orcommunityengagement.However,criticsraiseconcernsaboutpotentialdownsides.Onefearisthatcreatingself-sufficientneighborhoodscouldinadvertentlyincreasesocioeconomicsegregation.Ifwealthyareasbecomefullyequippedwithhigh-qualityamenities,theincentiveforresidentstoleaveorinvestinotherpartsofthecitymightdiminish,exacerbatinginequality.Othersquestionthefeasibilityinexistingcar-centricmetropolises,whereretrofittingwouldbeenormouslyexpensiveandcomplex.Despitechallenges,theCOVID-19pandemicprovidedareal-timeexperimentforaspectsofthisconcept.Lockdownsforcedpeopletolocalizetheirlives,rediscoveringneighborhoodshopsandparks.Thisexperiencehasacceleratedinterestinhyper-localliving.Paris,underMayorAnneHidalgo,hasbeenaprominentadopter,implementingmeasureslikeconvertingstreetsforcyclistsandpedestrians,andgreeningurbanspaces.Ultimately,the15-minutecityislessarigidblueprintandmoreaphilosophicalshiftinprioritizinghuman-scaleurbandesignoverautomobile-centricplanning.Itunderscoresthevalueofproximity,notjustforenvironmentalreasons,butforbuildingstronger,moreresilient,andlivablecommunities.46.Whatisthecoreprincipleofthe"15-minutecity"?A)Buildingmoresubwaystoconnectdifferentdistricts.B)Concentratingallbusinessactivitiesinthecitycenter.C)Enablingaccesstodailynecessitieswithinashortwalkorbikeride.D)Encouragingpeopletoworkfromhometocutdownoncommuting.47.Whatisakeyfeatureoftheurbandevelopmentmodeladvocatedbythe15-minutecityconcept?A)Strictseparationofdifferentfunctionalzones.B)Large-scalelow-densityresidentialsuburbs.C)Mixed-usedevelopmentwithinneighborhoods.D)Extensivenetworksofhighwaysandparkinglots.48.Whatisapotentialnegativeconsequenceofthe15-minutecitymentionedbycritics?A)Itmaycauseadeclineintheuseofpublictransportation.B)Itcouldleadtogreatersocialdivisionbetweenrichandpoorareas.C)Itmightresultinovercrowdinginlocalparksandshops.D)Itwillrequireallresidentstochangetheirjobs.49.HowdidtheCOVID-19pandemicaffecttheperceptionofthe15-minutecityidea?A)Itprovedtheideatobecompletelyimpractical.B)Itreducedtheneedforlocalamenitiesduetoonlineservices.C)Itgeneratedmoreinterestbyforcingpeopletolivelocally.D)Itshowedthatpeoplestronglypreferlongcommutes.50.Whatdoestheauthorsuggestthe15-minutecityconceptprimarilyrepresents?A)Adetailedconstructionplanforallfuturecities.B)Atemporarysolutionforpandemic-relatedrestrictions.C)Achangeinmindsettowardspeople-friendlyurbandesign.D)Astrategytoincreasethespeedofurbantransportation.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Fordecades,thenarrativesurroundingautomationandjobshasbeenoneofstraightforwarddisplacement:robotsandalgorithmscomeforhumantasks,andunemploymentrises.However,recenteconomicanalysespresentamorecomplexandlessdystopianpicture.Whileautomationundoubtedlyeliminatessomespecifictasksandroles,itsneteffectonemploymentisnuanced,oftencreatingasmanyopportunitiesasitdestroys,albeitdifferentones.Thekeyistodistinguishbetween"tasks"and"jobs."Ajobistypicallyacollectionofmanytasks.Automationexcelsattakingoverroutine,predictable,andmanualtasks—likedataentry,assemblylinework,orprocessingstandardtransactions.Thiscanmakesomeoccupationsobsolete.Butrarelydoesiteraseeverytaskwithinajob.Morecommonly,ittransformsthejob,freeinguphumanworkerstofocusonthetasksthatmachinesstillstrugglewith:thoserequiringcreativity,socialintelligence,complexproblem-solving,andemotionaljudgment.Thistransformationdrivesthecreationofnewjobcategories.Forinstance,theriseofe-commerceplatformsdestroyedsometraditionalretailjobsbutcreatedasurgeindemandforroleslikedataanalysts,digitalmarketingspecialists,andlogisticscoordinators.Similarly,automationinmanufacturinghasreducedthenumberofassemblylineworkersbutincreasedtheneedfortechnicianswhocanmaintainandprogramtherobots.Thechallenge,therefore,isnotafuturewithoutwork,butafutureofworkthatrequiresdifferentskills.Thisplacesaheavyemphasisonadaptabilityandlifelonglearning.Educationalsystemsandworkforcetrainingprogramsneedtopivottowardsfosteringskillsthatcomplementmachines:criticalthinking,collaboration,andtechnologicalliteracy.Workersmayneedtoreskillseveraltimesthroughouttheircareers.Policymakersalsohavearoleinmanagingthistransitionsmoothly.Theycanencourageinvestmentinhumancapital,supportjobtransitionprograms,andstrengthensocialsafetynetstoassistthosedisplacedduringtheshift.Thegoalshouldbetoharnessautomationtoboostproductivityandeconomicgrowthwhileensuringthebenefitsarewidelysharedandthatworkersareequippedtothriveinthenewlandscape.Thenarrativeisshiftingfromjobreplacementtojobtransformation.51.Whatisthemainpointofrecenteconomicanalysesregardingautomation?A)Itwillsoonleadtomassunemploymentworldwide.B)Itsimpactonjobsismorecomplicatedthansimplereplacement.C)Itonlyaffectslow-skilledmanuallaborpositions.D)Ithasfailedtoincreaseproductivityinmostindustries.52.Accordingtothepassage,whatkindoftasksaremostlikelytobeautomated?A)Tasksinvolvingunpredictablesituations.B)Tasksrequiringemotionalcareandsupport.C)Tasksthatareroutineandrule-based.D)Tasksthatneedcreativedesignandinnovation.53.Whatisalikelyeffectofautomationonatypicaljob?A)Itwillcompletelyeliminatetheneedforthatjob.B)Itwillchangethenatureofthetasksperformedbyhumansinthatjob.C)Itwillimmediatelyincreasethesalaryforthatjob.D)Itwillmakethejobrequirelesseducation.54.Theexampleofe-commerceisusedtoillustratethatautomation______.A)isharmfultotheeconomyinthelongrunB)reducestheoverallnumberofjobsavailableC)canleadtotheemergenceofnewtypesofjobsD)primarilybenefitslargetechnologycompanies55.Whatdoestheauthorsuggestistheprimarychallengeintheageofautomation?A)Preventingthedevelopmentofadvancedartificialintelligence.B)Preparingworkerswiththeskillsneededfortransformedjobs.C)Reducingthecostofimplementingautomatedsystems.D)Convincingcompaniestostopusingautomationtechnology.PartIIITranslation(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.YoushouldwriteyouranswerontheAnswerSheet.中国书法（calligraphy）是一门独特的艺术，是世界上独一无二的艺术瑰宝。中国书法的发展与中国文字的产生与演进密不可分。历史上，书法不仅是记录信息的工具，更是文人（scholar）表达情感和展示个性的重要方式。练习书法需要集中精神和耐心，被认为是一种修身养性（cultivateone'schara