2020年9月大学英语四级考试阅读真题及答案

2020年9月19日大学英语四级选词填空真题
Opinion
The three types of financial stress
By Paul Benson
November 7, 2018 - 12.00am
There are three main types of financial stress that I come across on a regular basis. The first is inherited, the second is debt, and the third is longevity.
Inherited financial stress is the most common and debilitating. It is experienced by those who have grown up in households where their parents regularly argued and fought about money. Money therefore becomes a stressful topic, and so the thought of sitting down and planning is about as attractive as volunteering to have a root canal done by a trainee dentist.
Financial stress can make you broke, like a vicious circle.Credit:Shutterstock
Those suffering inherited financial stress tend to follow one of two patterns. Either they put their head in the sand - they don't open their superannuation statements, don't budget, and certainly don't discuss financial matters with their loved ones.
Alternatively they go to the other extreme, and micro-analyse everything, to the point of complete paralysis. They're convinced that whatever decision they make, it will be the wrong one.
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The next common type of financial stress is that caused by debt. In 99 out of 100 cases of debt-induced financial stress, credit cards will be a central element. And yes, that is intentionally plural - there's never just one. Often there'll be a car loan and perhaps a mortgage, but credit cards certainly seem to be the gateway drug to debt-related financial stress.
The final form of financial stress, that I see, I've somewhat imperfectly termed longevity. This manifests itself in being stressed about the normal ups and downs of investment markets - actually not so much the ups, but definitely the downs.
So what can you do to prevent financial stress from holding you back?
The first thing to do is have a separate bank account for your bills and regular expenses, and have an automatic transfer from your everyday account every time you get paid, to top it up.
With this system up and running, you will know that whenever a bill comes in, you have the money sitting there waiting to pay it. This means, a) no more stress, and b) no need to hit the credit card.
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The next thing is to clear your unproductive debts. Determine which debt is the most expensive and focus all your attention on getting rid of it. Again, use automatic transfers as much as possible to avoid the risk of weakened willpower.
Another useful way to alleviate financial stress is to have some projections done, so you have a good sense what the long-term outlook is. You'll find your super fund website will have a projection tool so you can get an estimate of where your retirement savings will end, and sites like the government's Money Smart has some good calculators for this purpose too.
Worst-case planning is another great way to reduce worry. This is where you list out the biggest worries you have, and then determine what action you'd take if those things occurred. The actions may not always be pleasant, but just knowing you have a plan can remove that dark cloud floating around in the back of your brain.
Finally, don't be afraid to talk about your finances with your partner or other loved ones. Especially for couples; you're a team, and chances are if you're worried about your finances but are too afraid to discuss it, so is your partner. Don't pass your inherited financial stress down to your kids.
26: l normal
27:E definitely
28: D considerable
29: Jpossibly
30：B argued
31: K proposition
32:N tend
33: C avoid
34: F extreme
35:G inaction
2020年9月19日大学英语四级长篇阅读真题
Doctor's orders:
Let children just play
Whether it's rough-and-tumble physical play, outdoor play, or social or pretend play, kids derive important lessons from the chance to make things up as they go, a pediatrician said.
Imagine a drug that could enhance a child's creativity, critical thinking and resilience. Imagine that this drug were simple to make, safe to take and could be had for free.
The nation's leading pediatricians say this miracle compound exists. In a new clinical report, they are urging doctors to prescribe it liberally to the children in their care.
What is this wonder drug? Play.
"This may seem old-fashioned, but there are skills to be learned when kids aren't told what to do," said Dr. Michael Yogman, a Harvard Medical School pediatrician who led the drafting of the call to arms. Whether it's rough-and-tumble physical play, outdoor play, or social or pretend play, kids derive important lessons from the chance to make things up as they go, he said.
The advice, issued in August by the American Academy of Pediatrics, may come as a shock to some parents. After spending years fretting over which toys to buy, which apps to download and which skill-building programs to send their kids to after school, letting them simply play - or better yet, playing with them - could seem like a step backward.
The pediatricians insist that it's not. The academy's guidance does not include specific recommendations for the dosing of play. Instead, it asks doctors to advise parents before their babies turn 2 that play is essential to healthy development. It also advocates for the restoration of play in schools.
"Play is not frivolous," the academy's report declares. It nurtures children's ingenuity, cooperation and problem-solving skills - all of which are critical for a 21st-century workforce. It lays the neural groundwork that helps us "pursue goals and ignore distractions."
When parents engage in play with their children, it deepens relationships and builds a bulwark against the toxic effects of all kinds of stress, including poverty, the academy says.
In the pediatricians' view, essentially every life skill valued in adults can be built up with play.
"Collaboration, negotiation, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, decision-making, a sense of agency, creativity, leadership, and increased physical activity are just some of the skills and benefits children gain through play," they wrote.
The pediatricians' appeal comes as American kids are being squeezed by escalating academic demands at school, the relentless encroachment of digital media and parents who either load up their schedules with organized activities or who are themselves too busy or stressed to play.
The trends have been a long time coming. Between 1981 and 1997, detailed time-use studies showed that the time children spent at play declined by 25 percent. Since the adoption of sweeping education reforms in 2001, public schools have steadily increased the amount of time devoted to preparing for standardized tests.
The focus on academic "skills and drills" has cut deeply into recess and other time for free play.
By 2009, a study of Los Angeles kindergarten classrooms found that 5-year-olds were so burdened with academic requirements that they were down to an average of just 19 minutes per day of "choice time," when they were permitted to play freely with blocks, toys or other children. One in 4 Los Angeles teachers reported there was no time at all for "free play."
Increased academic pressures have left 30 percent of U.S. kindergarten classes without any recess. Such findings prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to issue a policy statement in 2013 on the "crucial role of recess in school."
Pediatricians aren't the only ones who have noticed.
In a report titled "Crisis in the Kindergarten," a consortium of educators, health professionals and child advocates called the loss of play in early childhood "a tragedy, both for the children themselves and for our nation and world." Kids in play-based kindergartens "end up equally good or better at reading and other intellectual skills, and they are more likely
to become well-adjusted healthy people," the Alliance for Childhood said in 2009.
Indeed, new research demonstrates why playing with blocks might have been time better spent, Yogman said. The trial assessed the effectiveness of an early mathematics intervention aimed at preschoolers. The results showed almost no gains in math achievement.
Another playtime thief: the proportion of kids' time spent in front of screens and digital devices, even among preschoolers.
Last year, Common Sense Media reported that children up through age 8 spent an average of two hours and 19 minutes in front of screens each day, including an average of 42 minutes a day for those under 2.
This escalation of digital use comes with rising risks of obesity, sleep deprivation and cognitive, language and social-emotional delays, the American Academy of Pediatrics warned in 2016.
Yogman acknowledged that many screen-based activities can nurture some of the same areas that kids get through free play: problem-solving, spatial skills and persistence.
But in young kids, especially, they are often crowding out games of make-believe, not to mention face-to-face time with peers and parents, Yogman said.
"I respect that parents have busy lives and it's easy to hand a child an iPhone," he said. "But there's a cost to that. For young children, it's much too passive. And kids really learn better when they're actively engaged and have to really discover things."
The decline of play is a special hazard for the roughly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. who live in poverty. These 14 million children most urgently need to develop the resilience that is nurtured with play. Instead, Yogman said, they are disproportionately affected by some of the trends that are making play scarce: academic pressures at schools that need to improve test scores, outside play areas that are limited or unsafe, and parents who lack the time or energy to share in playtime.
"We're not the only species that plays," said Temple University psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. "Dogs, cats, monkeys, whales and even octopuses play, and when you have something that prevalent in the animal kingdom, it probably has a purpose."
Yogman also worries about the pressures that squeeze playtime for more affluent kids. "The notion that as parents we need to schedule every minute of their time is not doing them a great service," he said. Even well-meaning parents may be "robbing them of the opportunity to have that joy of discovery and curiosity."
Section B
36. [H] Another playtime thief: the growing proportion of kids’ time spent in front of screens and digital devices.
37. [E] The focus on academic “skills and drills” has cut deeply into recess and other time for free play.
38. [] 缺失原文和选项
39. [G] a consortium of educators, health professionals and child advocates called the loss of play in early childhood “a tragedy, both for the children themselves and for our nation and world.”
40. [D] When parents engage in play with their children, it deepens relationships and builds a bulwark against the toxic effects of all kinds of stress.
41. [I] And kids really learn better when they’re actively engaged and have to really discover things.
42. [C] letting them simply play — or better yet, playing with them — could seem like a step backward.
43. [K] Yogman also worries about the pressures that squeeze playtime for more affluent kids.
44. [F] By 2009, a study of Los Angeles kindergarten classrooms found that 5-year-olds were so burdened with academic requirements that they were down to an average of just 19 minutes per day of “choice time,” when they were permitted to play freely with blocks, toys or other children.
45. [B] This may seem old-fashioned，but there are skills to be leaned when kids aren’t told what to do.
解析：
36题的选项中出现了steals away, 可以根据H段的首句playtime thief以及digital devices定位得出。

39题干中剥夺小孩的玩耍时间will do harm to not only…与G段中一些专家们认为玩耍时间的缺失是一种tragedy悲剧，both for children themselves and for our nation and world. 正好吻合，做一个同义替换，把country换成了nation.
40题干中说from being harmed by stress与D段中builds a bulwark against the toxic effects of all kinds of stress匹配，bulwark即便不认识，可以通过against判断要反对的是不好的事物，toxic effects就是不好消极的结果和影响。

41题干中的关键词active discovery，主动探索能力会因为过度使用电子设备而被抑制和减损，对应I段让家长们让孩子们玩手机固然一劳永逸，但是有代价的，kids really learn better when…，玩耍的时间才能让孩子们更主动积极地去思考和探索。

Section C
Passage One
46. [D] Attempting to meet society’s expectation of appearance.
47. [B] They have to do with people’s body weight and shape.
48. [C] It did not work out as well as was expected.
49. [B] Adjusting the physical composition of their products.
50. [A] A Banning discrimination on the basis of employee' body image.
解析：
46题A选项跟第一段中的美国人想要change their weight的信息混淆了，张冠李戴;要忠实于原文;C项偷换概念了;B中提到的life style在文中也并未提及。

47题的C选项夸大了程度副词，文中是a less noticeable one而不是a much less one. A和D均为无中生有。

Passage Two
51. [D] The concept of work-life balance contributes little to a fulfilling life.
52. [A] It impacts how we think and behave.
53. [C] We do meaningful work that contributes to society.
54. [C] it is dynamic.
55. [D] Strive for a more fulfilling life.
解析：
51题的A和C选项过于绝对，B并不是The work-life balance is dead观点的论据。

54题对应第三段最后一句中的variations, evolving and changing判断出作者认为
人生就是充满变数和多样性的。

A和D选项比较容易排除，但是B选项在文中多次出现容易混淆视听，比如第二段最后一句，But when you think of work as part of a full life and a complete experience中出现的full life会有误导性，但此处还是在讲work作为人生的一个部分，和作者对于人生的观点无关。