大学英语四六级真题试卷

大学英语四六级真题试卷

在日复一日的学习、工作生活中，我们都要用到试卷，试卷可以

帮助学校或各主办方考察参试者某一方面的知识才能。大家知道什么

样的试卷才是好试卷吗？下面是我帮大家整理的大学英语四六级真

题试卷，仅供参考，大家一起来看看吧。

2024年6月英语四级真题（第一套）

2024年6月英语四级作文1

假设你的大学正在就大学图书馆是否应该向公众开放征求学生

的意见

Inthemodernera,thereisaheateddebateregardingwhether

theuniversityslibraryshouldbeopentothepublic.Somebelievethatit

willdousmoregoodthanharm,whileothersarguethatitwilposea

threattotheorderandoperationoftheuniversity.lnmyview^he

universityauthoritiesshouldbecautiousaboutofferingtheoutsidersan

accesstosuchanimportantvenue,

Aboveall,thelibrary,servingasacriticalacademicfacilityaswell

asanindispensableresearchsiteforbothstudentsand

teachers,issupposedtokeepthoselimitedvaluableresourcestoits

authorizedusers.lftheuniversitychoosestoopenthelibrarytothe

public,itishighlypossiblethatamassofpeoplewillrushintothis

placejeavingmanycollegestudentsandteachersunabletocomplete

theiraca-demicwork.Furthermore,whentoomanycitizenscrowdinto

thelibrary,therewillbeunnecessarytalkingjaughing,quarrelingoreven

chasing,incurringdisorderofonekindoranother.

Inconclusion,themeritsofsuchapracticeoutweighthe

demerits.Therefore,openingtheuniversityslibrarytothepublicmust

neverbeputontheuniversitysagenda.

四级翻译1

农历(thelunarcalendar)起源于数千年前的中国，根据太阳和月亮

的运行规律制定。长期以来农历在农业生产和人们日常生活中发挥着

重要作用。古人依据农历记录日期，安排农活，以便最有效地利用

自然资源和气候条件，提者农作物的产量和质量。中国的春节、中秋

节等传统节口的口期都基于农历。农历是中国传统文化的重要组成部

分，当今依然广为使用。

Thelunarcalendar;whichoriginatedfromChinathousandsofyears

ago,wassetbythemovinglawofthesunandthemoon.Foralongperiod

oftime,suchacalendahasplayedaveryimportantroleinagricultural

productionandpeoplesdailylife.AncientChinesearrangedtheirfarm

workbythedateofthelunarcalendartomakethebestuseofnatural

re-sourcesandclimateandimprovethequalityandyield

ofcrops.TraditionalChinesefestivalssuchastheSpringFesti-valandthe

Mid-autumnFestivalarebasedonthelunarcal-endar.ltisasignificant

partoftraditionalChineseculturewhichisstillwidelyusedtoday.

2024年6月英语四级试题阅读答案第一套

选词填空

文章开头Ateamofresearchersledby

Priyanka...

26-35OBCADMNIFE

26.0)ultimate

27.B)attaining

3O.D)difficultark

28.C)conclusion

29.A)approximately

3O.D)difficult

31.M)significantly

32.N)source

33.l)manipulated

34.F)fixed

35.E)emerges

文章标题Howtobetterworktowardslong-termgoals

答案速查36-40ICMFA

36.Ourbrainsaregeneticallydeterminedtosatisfyimmediate

desires.

定位：Ourbrainsarehard-wiredforinstantgratification.

37.Takeninapracticalway,savingforpost-workyearsislikegiving

moneyawaytoothers.

定位：Understandinthatway,savingforretirementistheequivalent

ofgivingmoneyawaytosomeoneelseentirely.

38.Researchfoundthat,asregardsachievementofonesgoalsjtis

importanttofocusmoreonenjoyingtheprocessthanthelong-term

benefits.

定位：Thesefindingssuggestthatwhedit话comestoachievingyour

goals,enjovingtheprocessitselfismoreimportantthanwanting

thelong-termbenefits.

39.Regardingourfutureselvesasstillbeingourselveswillhelpus

makebetterlong-termdecisions.

定位：Ifthecentralproblem..,itfollowsthattryingtoidentifymore

closelywithourfuture语selveswillencourageustomakebetter

long-termdecisions.

40.SavingsratesinAmericahavedroppedinrecentdecadeseven

thoughpeopleslifeexpectancyhasincreased.

定位：Acrosstheboard,peoplearelivinglonger...Andyet,savingrates

intheU.S.havegonedowninrecentdecade,notup.

义章标题Howtobetterworktowardslong-termgoals

答案速查41-45KELBG

41.Researchersfoundthatenjoymentratherthanimportance

enabledpeopletopersistintheirgoals.

定位：Wefoundthatenjoymentpredictedpeople'sgoalpersistence

twomonthsaftersettingthegoalfarmorethanhowimportant

theyratedtheirgoaltobe,Woolleysaid.

42.Whenmakingdecisions,wegiveprioritytoourcurrentframeof

mindwithoutthinkingmuchoftheconsequences.

定位：...butindaingso,weprioritizeourcurrentmoodoverthe

consequencesofour5k央inactionforthfutureslf.

43.Peopleatemoreofahealthyfoodwhentheyfocusedonitsgood

tasteinsteadofitslong-termbenefits.

定位:Forexample,peopleate50%moreofahealthyfoodwhen

directedtofocusonthegoodtasteratherthanthelong-termhealth

benefits.

44.Aswasexpected,whenpeoplethoughtof

theirpresentselves,theirbrainswereobservedtobecomemoreactive.

定位：Unsurprisingly,people'sbrainsweremostactivewhenthinking

abouttheircurrentselvesand...

45.Researchersfoundthatparticipantswhosawtheimagesoftheir

agedselveswouldsavemorefortheirlateryearsthanthosewhodidnt.

定位：Participantswhosawtheiragedselvessaidtheywouldsave

30%moreoftheirsalaryfordretirementthanthecontrolgroup.

PassageOne文章开头Peopleoftenwonderwhysome

entrepreneurs..

答案46-50BADCB

46.Whatdoestheauthorsayweneedtodotostrengthen

ourwillpower?

BjApplyitcontinuously.

47.HowarealmosthaIfofourdailyactionsperformedaccordingto

thepassage?

A)Outofhabit.

48.Whatwillhelppeoplesticktodoingsomethingconstructive

automatically?

D)Foreseeingthedesiredoutcomeitwillyield.

49.Howdoestheartofself-controlhelpussucceed?

C)Byenablingustotakepositiveactions.

5O.Whycanitbedifficultforustomaintainself-control?

B)Wemaynotgetimmediaterewardfromself-control.

PassageTow

文章开头Today,mostscientificresearchisfundedbygovernment

答案51-55DBACC

51.Whatdoesthepassagemainlydiscussregarding

scientificresearch?

D)ltsfunding.

52.Whatdowelearnfromthepassageaboutresearcherslike

birdwatchersandrockcollectors?

B)Theycandoresearchwithlimitedresources.

53.Whatwouldscientificstudieslooklikeinaperfectworldaccording

totheauthor?

A)Theywouldbetotallyunbiased.

54.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutcompaniesandspecialinterest

groups?

C)Theyprovidevaluableresourcesforscientificresearch.

55.Whatdoestheauthorthinkofresearchfundedbyindustryor

specialinterestgroup?

C)lt'svalidityshouldbecheckedwithadditionalcare.

2024年6月四级英语考试真题(第二套)

Directions:Letssayyouruniversityissoicitingopinionsfrom

studentsonwhetheruniversitydininghallsshouldbeopentothepublic.

Youwillhave30minutesforthetask.Youshouldwriteatleast120

wordsbutnomorethan180words.

Inthemodernera,thereisaheateddebateregardingwhetherthe

universityscanteensshouldbeopentothepublic.Somebelievethatit

willdousmoregoodthanharm,whileothersarguethatitwillposea

threattotheorderandoperationoftheuniversity.Inmyview,the

universityshouldrecognizethatthishasbothprosandcons.Letsstart

withtheadvantages.First,itallowsthepublictoenjoythediverseand

deliciousfoodofferedbyuniversitycanteens.Thiscanenhancethe

reputationoftheuniversityandfosterastrongerrelationshipbetween

theuniversityandthelocalcommunity.Second,itcanalsogenerate

additionalrevenuefortheuniversity,whichcanbeusedtoimprovethe

facilitiesandservicesprovidedtostudents.However;therearealso

potentialdrawbackstoconsider.Forin-stance,theincreasednumberof

peopleusingthecanteenmayleadtoovercrowdingandlongerwaiting

timesforstudentsduringpeakhours.Additionally,thepublicmayhave

differentpreferencesanddietaryrequirementscomparedtostudents,

whichcouldaffectthemenuoptionsavailableandpotentiallyincrease

costs.

Inconclusion,theuniversityshouldweighthemeritsanddemerits

sothatitcanprovidethebestpossibleexperienceforbothstudentsand

membersofthepublic.

在现代，关于大学食堂是否应该向公众开放存在着激烈的争论。

一些人认为这对我们利大于弊，而另一些人则认为这将对大学的秩序

和运作构成威胁。在我看来，大学应该认识到这有利也有弊。首先,

它可以让公众享受到大学食堂提供的多样化和美味的食物。这可以提

高大学的声誉，并促进大学与当地网站之间更牢固的关系。其次，它

还可以为大学带来额外的收入，这些收入可以用来改善为学生提供的

设施和服务。然而，也有潜在的缺点需要考虑。例如，使用食堂的人

数增加可能会导致拥挤，学生在高峰时间等待的时间更长。此外，与

学生相比，公众可能有不同的偏好和饮食要求，这可能会影响菜单的

选择，并可能增加成本。总之，大学应该权衡利弊，以便为学生和公

众提供最好的体验。

PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Atthe

endofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththe

newsreportandquestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhear

questions,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoices

markedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer

Sheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Part0ReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA26-35

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.You

arerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoices

giveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethrough

carefullybeforemakingyourchoices,Eachchoiceinthebankis

identifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitem

onAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuse

anyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

义章开头

AteamofresearchersledbyPriyankaJoshiexaminedthedegree

to...

答案速查

26-35DMLFGIOBEJ

26.D)detailed

27.M)required

28.L)partly

29.F)dipping

30.G)distinction

31.1)involves

32.0)vigorous

33.B)contradictory

34.E)difference

35J)moderate

SectionB36-45

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithten

statementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgivenin

oneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichthe

informationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.

Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbymarking

thecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

NewFormulaOneChiefHopestoGrabAmericansAttention

文章标题

WhyDoAmericansWorkSoMuch?

答案速查

36-40EHBFD41-45AICJG

SectionC46-55

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageis

followedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachofthem

therearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthe

bestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

文章开头

LaoZioncesaid...

答案

46-50CBDAD

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

文章开头

Somepeoplehavesaidagingismoreaslideintoforgetfulness

答案

51-55BCDAC

PartIVTranslation(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslatea

passagefromChineseintoEnglish.Youshouldwriteyouransweron

AnswerSheet2.

SiheyuanisatraditionalChineseresidentialconstructionwhichis

characterizedwithhousesbuiltaroundacourtyard.Siheyuanisusually

warminwinterandcoolinsummerwiththelivingenvironmentso

comfortablethatitisespeciallysuitableforalargefamilytolivein.There

aremanydifferenttypesofSiheyuanacrossChina,amongwhichthatof

Beijingisthemosttypical.Nowadays,withthedevelopmentofmodern

cities,traditionalSiheyuanbuildingsaredecreasinggradually,However,

withitsuniquearchitecturestyle,siheyuanstillplaysasignificantrolein

theinheritanceofChineseculturesandthestudyofChinesehistory.

四合院(siheyuan)是中国一种传统的住宅建筑，其特点是房屋建

造在一个院子的四周，将院子合围在中间。四合院通常冬暖夏凉，环

境舒适，尤其适合大家庭居住。四合院在中国各地有多种类型，其中

以北京的四合院最为典型“如今，随着现代城市的发展，传统的四合

院已逐渐减少，但因其独特的建筑风格，四合院对中国文化的传承和

中国历史的研究具有重要意义。

2024年6月英语六级试题及答案(第一套)

六级听力第一套一一

Conversationone.

ivejustboughtanewblender.

Whatsthatablender?

Amachinethatblendsfood.

theelectrickitchenappliance,exactly.

Thisoneisstateoftheart.Ivebeenmeaningtobuyoneforawhile.

Ididthoroughresearchonwhichspecificmodeltoget.Ireadthrough

maybehundredsofonlineuserreviews.Anyway.

itsamazingreallywhatcouldbesospecialaboutit.Iitsjusta

blender.

Basicallyitsjustaverygoodone.Itfeelsheavyandsturdyandwell

made.Italsohaslotsofpowerandcaneasilycutandcrushpractically

anything.Thisway.ThesoupsandjuicesImakecomeoutreallyfineand

smoothwithnolumpybits.

IseeIhaveneverthoughtofgettingonemyself.Itsoundslikethe

kindofthingthatformepersonallyIwouldrarelyuse.

IveneverhadonebeforenowthatIdo,Iuseitallthetime.Imakea

freshfruitjuiceinthemorning,maybenoteverymorningbut3or4

timesaweekanditfeelsfantastic.Itsareallyhealthyhabit.

Icanimaginethatmustfeelquitesatisfying.Icanpictureyou

gettingallcreativeinthekitchenandtryingoutamultitudeofdifferent

ingredients.Itsobviouslygoingtobehealthierthanbuyingpackaged

juicefromasupermarket.

Itssomuchhealthier.Itsnotevenclosedidyouknowthatstore

boughtjuiceislike10%sugar,right?

Thenyouboughtitforthehealthbenefits,mostlyyes.

Basically,itallowsmetohaveamorevarieddietwithafarwider

assortmentofnutrients,becauseitsnotonlyfruitinmymorningjuices.

Yousee.Icanalsothrowinvegetables,nuts,yogurt,cereals,anything

thattickledmyfancy.

Questions.1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

Question1,whatdoesthemansayhedidbeforebuyingthe

blender?

Question2,whatdoesthewomansayshehasneverthoughtof

doing?

Question3,whatdoesthemansayisareallyhealthyhabit?

Question4,whatdowelearnaboutstoreboughtjuicefromthe

conversationtwo?

Todaywehaveaveryinterestingguest,misterthomasbenjamin

grimm,themayorofburkingtonisheretotalkabouthisjoband

responsibilitiesoverseeingthischarmingvillage.Mr.Grimm,thankyou

forbeinghere.

Thankyouforhavingme.

Idliketostartbystatingtheobviousburketonhasbecomeoneof

themostpopulartouristdestinationsinthecountryandthishas

happenedunderyourwatch.Justhowdidyouachievethis?

Theachievementsbelongstoalltheresidentsofburton.Itwasa

sharedeffortwhereeverybodypitchedinforthecommunalgood.

Buthowdidthischangehappen?Inabout10years,burktonhas

gonefromarelativelyunheardofsleepyvillagetoamustseedestination.

Yes,thechangehastrulybeenremarkable.Burktonwasalways

fortunatetobeendowedwithsuchabeautifulnaturalallure.Theanbury

hillsabovethevillageremainuntouchedbyhumandevelopment.The

sonoravalleyjustbelowitisequallystunning.Thetransformation

commencedinatownhallmeetinginspring2008over10yearsago.

Nowwhenanoverwhelmingmajorityofneighborsvotedinfavorof

motion,836,thislegislativeproposalessentiallysetouttoharmonizethe

aestheticappearanceofallthehousesinberkton.Theideawasthatifall

thepropertieslookedacertainwaywithshareddesignfeatures,then

thevillageasawholewouldlookmorebeautiful.Itworked,itcertainly

did.

Imlookingnowatabeforeandafterphotoandthechangeistruly

remarkable.Itshardtobelieveitsthesameplace.Howdothe

neighboursfeelnow?Greatpride.

Iwouldsay.

Butwhataboutthemultitudesofvisitorsnowcrowdingthestreets?

Iseveryonehappyaboutthat?

Thetouristswereceiveareablessingastheyhavecompletely

revitalizedourlocaleconomy.Everyvisitoriswarmlywelcome.

Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

Question5,whatisthequestionthewomanaskedmistergrimm

aftertheintroduction?

Question6,whatdowelearnaboutburktonof10yearsago?

Question7,whatresultedfromthepassingofthelegislative

proposalmotion836.

Question8,whydoesthemansaythetouristsareablessingto

bergen?Passageone,

researchersintheushavecreatedaremotecontrolledrobotthatis

sosmall.Itcanwalkonthetopofauspennyinresearchpublishedinthe

journalscience,robotics.Ateamatnorthwesternuniversitysaidthecrab

likerobotis0.5millimeterswide.Researchersdescribeditasthe

smallesteverremotecontrolledwalkingrobot.Thetinyrobotcanbend,

twist,crawl,walk,turnandevenjumpwithouttheuseofcomplex

hardwareorspecialpower.Theengineerssaidthisisbecausetherobot

ispoweredbytheelasticpropertyofitsbody.Toconstructtherobot,the

researchersusedashapememoryalloymaterialthattransformstoits

rememberedshapewhenheatedusingalaser,theteamisabletoheat

therobotatspecificpartsofitsbody,causingittochangeshapeasthe

robotdeformsandgoesbacktoitsoriginalshape.Itcreatesmovement

fromoneplacetoanother,becausethesestructuresaresotiny,therate

ofcoolingisveryfast.Projectlee,professorjohnarogerssaid,infact,

reducingthesizesoftheserobotsallowsthemtorunfaster.Whilethe

researchisstillintheexploratoryphase,theteambelievesthat

technologycouldleadtomicrosizedrobotsthatcanperformpractical

tasks.Intightlyconfinedspaces,youmightimaginemicrorobotsas

agentstorepairorassemblesmallstructuresormachinesinindustryor

asurgicalassistancetoclearcloggedarteriestostopinternalbleedingor

toeliminatecanceroustumorsallinminimallyinvasiveprocedures.

Rogerssaid.

Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

Question9,whatdoesthepassagesayaboutateamofresearchers

atnorthwesternuniversity?

Question10,whatdidtheresearcherssayabouttherobotthey

created?

Question11,whatdotheresearchersexpecttheirrobotstodoin

thefuture?

Passagetwo,Idontwanttoboastoranything,butIhavealways

consideredmyselfsomethingofanelitesleepergiventheopportunity,I

willsleepformarathonstretchesandcondosethroughthemostextreme

situationsononeveryroughferrycrossingontheroutetotheislesof

silly.Forexample,mytravelingcompanionspenttheentire3hourride

throwingupinthebathroomwhileIdozedhappilyonaplasticchair.

Unfortunately,ithascometomyattentionthatIamnotanelitesleeper.

Afterall.ItseemsIamjustlazybecauseelitesleepersaredefinedasthe

approximately3%ofthepopulationwhoarebiologicallyprogrammedto

needlesssleepthantherestofus.Accordingtoastudythatcameoutin

march,elitesleepershaveraregeneticchanges,whichmeanstheycan

sleepfewerhoursthanmeremortalswithoutanyriskofcognitive

decline,itmaynotbepossibletochangeyourowngenes,butcanyou

trainyourselftoneedlesssleep?Isthereanonbiologicalwaytoreach

elitesleeperstatus?Ihavespentthepastyeartryingtoanswerthat

question,notforfun,Ishouldaddbecausehavingababyhasseverely

disruptedmysleepforwhichIstillhaveagreatpassionforawhile.I

assumedidbeforcedtobecomeoneofthosepeoplewhojumpoutof

bedatthecrackofdawn.Afterayearoftoughscientificstudy,however,

Ihavediscoveredbeingforcedtogetupearlyinthemorningisvery

differentfrombeinganearlybird.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

Question12.Whatdoesthespeakersayshedidonherridetothe

islesofsilly

Question13,Whatdowelearnfromthepassageaboutelite

sleepers?

Question14,whathasthespeakerbeentryingtofindoutoverthe

pastyear?

Question15,whathasthespeakerdiscoveredafterayearoftough

scientificstudy?

Recordingoneifyoureadanarticleaboutacontroversialissue,do

youthinkyoudrealizeifithadchangedyourbeliefs?Nooneknowsyour

ownmindlikeyoudo.Itseemsobviousthatyouwouldknowifyour

beliefshadshifted.Andyetanewpaperinthequarterlyjournalof

experimentalpsychologysuggeststhatweactuallyhaveverypoor

awarenessofourownbeliefchange,meaningthatwewilltendto

underestimatehowmuchwevebeenswayed.Byaconvincingarticle,the

researchersrecruitedover200undergraduatesacrosstwostudiesand

focusedontheirbeliefsaboutwhetherphysicalpunishmentofkidsisan

effectiveformofdiscipline.Thestudentsreportedtheirinitialbeliefs

aboutwhetherphysicalpunishmentisaneffectivewaytodisciplinea

childonascalefromonecompletelydisbelieftoninecompletelybelieve.

Severalweekslater,theyweregivenoneoftworesearchbasedtextto

read.Eachwasseveralpageslongandeitherpresentedthearguments

anddatainfavorofphysicalpunishmentsoragainstit.Afterthis,the

studentsansweredsomequestionstotesttheircomprehensionand

memoryofthetext.Thenthestudentsagainscoredtheirbeliefin

whetherphysicalpunishmentiseffectiveornot.Finally,theresearchers

askedthemtorecallwhattheirbeliefhadbeenatthestartofthestudy.

Thestudentsbeliefaboutphysicalpunishmentchangedwhentheyread

atextthatarguedagainsttheirowninitialposition.Crucially,the

memoryoftheirinitialbeliefwasshiftedinthedirectionoftheirnew

belief.Infact,theirmemorywasclosertotheircurrentbeliefthantheir

originalbelief.Themoretheirbeliefhadchanged,thelargerthis

memorybiastendedtobesuggestingthestudentswererelyingontheir

currentbelieftodeducetheirinitialbelief,thememorybiaswas

unrelatedtothemeasuresofhowwelltheydunderstoodorrecalledthe

text,suggestingthesefactorsdidntplayaroleinmemoryofinitialbelief

orawarenessofbeliefchange.Theresearchersconcedethatthis

researchwasaboutchangestomostlymoderatebeliefs.Itslikelythe

findingswouldbedifferentinthecontextofchangestoextremeor

deeplyheldbeliefs.However,ourbeliefsonmosttopicsareinthe

moderaterange.Andaswegoaboutourdailylivesreadinginformative

material,theseintriguingfindingssuggestwearemostlyignoranceof

whatwejustreadhasupdatedandalteredourownposition.Questions.

16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

Question16,Whatdoesanewpaperinthequarterlyjournalof

experimentalpsychologysuggest?

Question17,whathappenedwhenthestudentsreadatextthat

arguedagainsttheirowninitialposition?

Question18,whatdidtheresearchersconcedeconcerningtheir

findingsaccordingtoastheamericanpopulationgrows?

Sodoesthenumberofamericanmomsrecordingtoasthe

americanpopulationgrows?Sodoesthenumberofamericanmoms,but

morethanacenturyaftermothersdaybecameanofficialholiday.Even

asthatnumberincreases,theshareoftheamericanpopulationwhoare

mothersisatthelowestpointin1/4century.Itsfrequentlynotedthat

fertilityratesarefallingsharplyinrichercountries,butthelessobserved

consequenceofthistrendisthatadeclineinbirthscanalsomeana

declineinmotherhoodingeneral.Accordingtomyanalysisofdatafrom

thecensusbureau,thedeclineofamericanmotherhoodisrealoccurring

veryquicklyandmaycontinueforsometimeyet.Notonlyaremoms

makinguplessofthepopulation,buttheircharacteristicsarechanging

too.Andinawaythatmightbelinkedtotheirproportionaldecline,

momstodaytendtobeolderthaninthepast.Justlookingatrecent

years,thechangeinagespecificbirthrateshasbeendrastic.Injustthe

pastfewyears,thepeakchildbearingagerangeforamericanwomenhas

advancedfromthatof25to29thatTo34.Meanwhilechildbearing

amongwomenunder20hasfallenbyhalformore.Whilechildbearing

amongwomen35andolderisrising.Onepositiveconsequenceofthis

ageshiftisthatalargerproportionofnewmothersareeconomically

preparedtoraisechildrenlesspositively.However,manywomenfind

thatastheyage,theycanthaveasmanykidsastheywouldlike.Plus

havingchildrenlaterinlifecanincreasetheriskofhealthcomplications.

Thesefinerpointsaside,onemajorconsequenceoftheoldermoms

trendisthatfeweryearsofawomanslifearespentasamother.This

meansthatatanygiventime,alargershareofwomenandthusofthe

wholepopulationwillreportnothavingchildreningovernmentsurveys.

Inotherwords,latermotherhoodmeanslessmotherhood,evenas

motherhoodratesdecline,mothersdaywillendure.Infact,despitethe

demographicshift,retailspendingontheholidayappearstoberising.It

ishardtosayifmothersdayspendingisrisingmorethanonewould

expect,giventhattheamericanpopulationkeepsgrowing.Butone

factormightbethattheproportionofwomenwhoarethemothersof

adultchildrenisrising.Thoseadultchildrenmayspendmoregenerously

whenitcomestocelebratingthemoms.Theynolongerlivewith.

Questions,19to21arebasedontherecording.Youhavejustheard.

Question19.Whatdoesthespeakerconcludefromheranalysisof

thecensusbureausdata?

Question20.Whatdoesthespeakersayisapositiveconsequence

oftheageshiftinchildbearing?

Question21.Whatmightbeoneexplanationfortheriseinretail

spendingonmothersday?

Recordingthree.Sincenasapublishedapaperin1989,claiming

thathouseplantscansoakuppollutionandtoxicchemicals,businesses

andhomeownershaveincreasinglyinvestedingreenerytohelpclean

theirair.Butanewanalysissuggestsitcouldactuallytakemorethan

1,000plantspersquaremetertogainabenefitanygreaterthansimply

openingacoupleofwindows.TheproblemliesinthefactthatNASA

conductedtheirtestsinsealedcontainersthatdonotsimulatethe

conditionsinmostpeopleshomesoroffices.Thespaceagencywas

primarilyconcernedaboutkeepingtheairfreshforastronautscutoffin

biosphereorspacestationsandhelpingtocombatsickbuilding

syndrome,whichhadbecomeaproblemduetothesuperinsulatedand

energyefficientofficersofthelate1970s.Bytheearly1980s,workers

regularlycomplainedofskinrashes,sleepiness,headachesandallergies

astheybreathedintoxicchemicalsfrompaintsandplastics.Nasafound

thatcertainplantscouldremovechemicalsfromtheair.Andeventoday,

gardencentersrecommendtheplantsforaircleaningproperties.

However,anewevaluationofdozensofstudiesspanning30yearsfound

thathouseplantsinanormalenvironmenthavelittleimpact.Infact,

naturalventilationisfarbetteratcleaningtheair.Theresearchersalso

calculatedt