2020年9月英语四级真题及参考答案

2020年9月英语四级真题及参考答案【完整版】
四六级试卷采用多题多卷形式，大家核对答案时，请找具体选项内容，忽略套数。

【网络综合版】
听力：
Section A
News Report1
A NASA satellite orbiting over Portugal took photographs that reveal the effects of pollution from ships.One of the photos shows a thin film of clouds above the brilliant blue of the North Atlantic,cut by white lines of thicker clouds that look like scars.
NASA officials explained those thicker clouds are signs of ship traffic below.【Q1】When ships power their ways through the ocean,they pump exhaust into the atmosphere,just as cars do. And those massive amounts of particles can cause clouds to form.
Get enough of those particles in one place,as from the exhaust of a ship,and they can lead to the creation of new clouds easily
visible from space.“These clouds can be huge,some of them stretch hundreds of kilometers from end to end”,NSAS officials said.
【Q2】It’s likely that these sorts of clouds are having some effect on the global climate,according to NASA officials.But scientists aren’t yet sure what effect it has.
Q1:What has caused the thick clouds in the photos taken by a NASA satellite?
Q2:What do NASA officials think about the thick clouds?
Section A
New Report2
Staff at a suburban supermarket in Melbourne say they feel unsafe at work after security guards were removed.This came after a series of physical attacks and verbal abuse by customers. More than50workers at the store have signed a letter calling for a permanent security guard following a series of incidents,
including a customer threatening to attack a supervisor with a knife."A security worker had guarded the store each night from 7pm until12am,but that had stopped suddenly on Monday,”
employees said.One worker said an angry customer had thrown a chicken at his head after complaining about how long she had waited to be served.Another worker said the lack of protection at the store made her feel uncomfortable at work.However,the spokesman of the supermarket said the store had taken strong action in response to incidents,"We have found very few instances of bad customer behavior at our store in the past year. In the rare cases we have seen bad behavior,we have taken strong action in response,including banning a customer from the store."
Q3:For what purpose,did the staff at the supermarket in Melbourne sign a letter?
Q4:What did the spokesman of the supermarket say,regarding the employees'demand?
News report three
5.drivers on their way to the polish capital of Warsaw on Wednesday morning found the road blocked by an unusual obstacle.Tons of liquid chocolate that spilled onto the motorway,
6.a truck carrying the sweet load hit a road barrier and overturned,blocking two lanes.The cracked tank spilled a
pool of rapidly hardening chocolate,which quickly covered the width of the road,while the driver was taken to hospital with a broken arm,firefighters struggled to remove a reported12tons of solid chocolate from the road.7.A representative for the firefighters told the local TV that removing the chocolate was worse than dealing with snow.After contacting the chocolate manufacturer,the firefighters resorted to spraying hot, pressurized water to get rid of the sticky substance.The local TV also noted that the cleanup spanned more than a mile,because drivers simply drove through the chocolate after the crash, leaving a long chocolate trail.But despite the sticky situation, firefighters and police attending to the cleanup were reportedly cheerful about the long task ahead.After all,who could be mad about12tons of chocolate?
Q5What did drivers on the motorway to Warsaw find?
Q6What does the report say about the accident?
Q7What are the firefighters representative tell the local TV?
Section B
Conversation1
Man:Lisa,why did you pay for you meal with cash instead of the payment apps on your phone?
Woman:Well,I’ve gone back to cash.I’m only using payment apps if that’s the only option.【Q8】I’m trying to save money for a new phone,and I find that using cash rather than payment apps helps me to save.
Man:But how?Money is money,isn’t it?【Q11】I don’t think it matters whether you take it out to the bank and put it into wallet,or simply transfer from your bank account to the sellers’bank account using an app.
Woman:No,I believe it does matter.It’s a psychological phenomenon.【Q9】I believe we have less connection with a value of our money,when we just tap the approve buttons on our phones.
Man:You might have a point,since I stop carrying cash around, and start to using my phone apps to pay,I may have developed a tendency to buy【Q10】more small or non-essential items.
Woman:That’s highly possible,think about the amount of time we spend with our phones in our hands,and all the things we do
with our phones.It sometimes seems that our phone is buying the product for us,not ourselves.
Man:So,cash is the payment affects our ability to budget?
Woman:I believe so.If we spend a hundred Yuan in cash,we realize that we don’t have that hundred Yuan to spend on something else.But if we spend in electronically,we’re less likely to make that mental calculation.
Man:I stopped using my credit card because I’m fond of spending excessively.Perhaps I should take the same approach of paying using my phone.
Woman:It’s worth considering.
Q8:Why did the woman decide to go back to cash for payment?
Q9:what happens when people use apps for payment according to the woman?
Q10:what might the man tend to buy with payment apps?
Q11:what does the man think of electronic payment?
Section B
Conversation2售后服务退换货
W:Hello Mr.Brown.I was expecting your call.My secretary told me you were having some problems with the wooden table,is that right?
M:No,no,the table is fine.【Q12】The problem is the chairs.
W:Oh,the chairs,so,what exactly is the issue?
M:Well,put simply,【Q12】these are not the chairs my wife and I selected in your store last week.There must be some confusion with our order.
W:Oh,I see.I’m looking through my files now.And I see that the delivery was this morning.Is that correct?
M:Yes.
W:【Q13】Do you mind describing the chairs that were delivered to your apartment,Mr.Brown?
M:Sure.These have a flat back with a round top and are very heavy.They are light brown and look kind of cheap.The ones we ordered were dark brown to match the table.
W:Right.Of course.It says here you purchased the Arlington table and four Milano chairs.As you said.There must be some
confusion with the order.I’m terribly sorry.【Q14】We’ll send a van to collect those four and replace them with the Milano you purchased.Will tomorrow9a.m.be OK Mr.Brown?
M:Yes.That would be great.Thank you.
W:Good.Did everything else you ordered from us arrive OK?
M:Yes.I think so.Let me check.The mirror and two paintings are here.The two coffee tables are also here.And the sofa.Yes.We haven’t noticed anything else wrong or missing.But if we do, we’ll certainly let you know.
W:OK.Great.Once again.【Q15】I’m sorry for the confusion and trouble caused.
Q12:Why did the man call the woman?
Q13:What did the woman ask the man to do?
Q14:What did the woman promise to do for the man?
Q15:What did the woman do at the end of the conversation?–The woman apologized again.
Section B
Passage1
Do you have too much stuff?Are you dare we say it“untidy”? Say hello to a TV show called“Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”.A home improvement show based on her widely popular book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.In the show,Marie Kondo acts as a tiny garbage fairy for messy people,visiting their houses to share the wisdom of the"KonMari"method.This method is simple in theory but can be endlessly complex in practice.You divide all the stuff in your house–all of it–into several categories,and then examine each item--all of them–to see if it sparks joy.If it does,you keep it.If it doesn't,you thank it,and neatly discard it.
So,is the TV show inspiring people to tidy up?Firsthand accounts seem to indicate a small wave of people bringing piles of donation bags to used good stores.One store received thousands of bags of used possessions in one day.January is usually the store’s slow season for donations,because it's cold and people don't want to bother.But not this January.People seemed determined to clean up their homes.One used bookstore received a month's worth of books in donations in a week when a man gave over50boxes of books from his home.It seems Marie’s TV show is having a big impact after all.
Q16.What is Maire Kondo’s TV show about?
Q17.What things can be kept in one’s home,according to Maire Kondo?
Q18.What do we learn about one used bookstore this January?
Section C
Passage2
At just twelve years old,Mike Hannon is making a difference in his community—one lunch at a time.“Mike’s Lunches of Love”has fed more than2,000of the town’s most vulnerable residents.Mike delivers meals to the homeless.“It’s like a way to give people joy,maybe spark something in them that can change them,”Mike told WBZ-TV.The mayor of Mike’s town feels that Mike is a great community leader,especially in such times of so much negative news.While his father commented on how proud he was of his son,yet Mike isn’t looking for praise, but kindness in return.He hopes his active charity will influence others to spread positive actions in their own towns.Mike includes a handwritten message of joy on each bag.His message and star power has spread all over the country.To date,his online page to raise funds has brought in more than44,000
dollars and counting,raising more than17,000dollars in just one day,with the hope of many famous actors and others.People from all over the county are sending special handcraft bags to help the young man with his mission to help those in need.Many are hoping the simple active kindness spreads.Mike is seemed as the hope for the future of the town,the country and the world.
Q19:What does Mike Hannon do to help people in his town?
Q20:What does Mike hope others will do?
Q21:How are people all over the country responding to what Mike is doing?
Section C
Passage3
In a recent study carried out by psychologists on the disruptive effects of smart phones,two groups of college students were given word-search puzzles.The first group was told to complete the puzzles with its participants'smart phones in their line of sight.The second group,however,was told that the
phones would interfere with the equipment in the experiment and would need be moved away from the testing area.Midway through the second group's solving of the puzzles,the experiment called one of the phones and let it ring for a while before hanging up.Many of the students in that group were unable to focus from then on,becoming anxious and performing more poorly than the first group.
Use of electronics has also been known to lead to a decline in human interactions.Rather than having real-life conversations, many express emotions and engage in deep conversations through social media sites.Many students use their phones and computers during class for non-academic activities,which leads to poor grades.Perhaps the most dramatic impact is the reduction in amount of sleep,which lead to poor health and weight gain.
Technology is a great tool.However,it's important to recognize its ck of sleep,reduction of productivity,and weight gain are only a few.If we are not careful about all these mind problems right now,the effect on the future generation is going to be much bigger.
Q22What were the college students in both groups required to do in the study?
Q23What do we learn about many of the students in the second test group after the phone ring?
Q24According to the passage,what is the most dramatic impact of smart phone use?
Q25What does the speaker suggest people do?
参考答案第一套：
1.B
A)Warm currents in the ocean
B)Ship traffic in the Atlantic
C)Particles emitted by power plants
D)Exhaust from cars in Europe
2.C
A)They need to be taken seriously
B)They have a huge effect on fishery
C)They may be affecting the world’s climate
D)They might be causing trouble to air flights
Questions3to4are based on the new report you have just heard。

3.D
A)To appeal for higher wages
B)To demand better health care
C)To dismiss the bad-tempered supervisor
D)To call for a permanent security guard
4.C
A)It was seeking help from the police.
B)It would put customers’needs first
C)It had already taken strong action
D)It would take their appeal seriously
Questions5to7are based on the new report you have just heard.
5.A
A)The road was blocked
B)The road was flooded
C)The road was frozen with snow
D)The road was covered with spilled gas
6.A
A)A truck hit a barrier and overturned
B)The truck driver dozed off while driving
C)The heavy snow made driving very difficult
D)A truck plunged into a pool of liquid chocolate
7.B
A)It was fortunate that no passenger got injured
B)It was a hard task to remove the spilled substance
C)It was a long time before the cleanup was finished
D)It was difficult to contact the manufacturer.
Section B
Questions8to11are based on the conversation you have just heard.
8.C
A)She found it much safer to use cash
B)She could enjoy discounts with cash
C)She wanted to save for a new phone
D)She bad been cheated using phone
9.B
A)They derive greater pleasure from buying things.
B)They are less aware of the value of their money.
C)They find it less difficult to make purchases.
D)They can save a lot more time and trouble.
10.D
A)More valuable items.
B)Electronic devices.
C)Everyday necessities.
D)More non-essential things
11.A
A)It may lead to excessive spending.
B)It is altering the way of shopping.
C)It can improve shopping efficiency.
D)It appeals more to younger people.
Questions12to15are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12.B
A)He wanted the furniture store to give him a refund.
B)He had a problem with the furniture delivered.
C)He had to change the furniture delivery time.
D)He wanted to order some wooden furniture.
13.D
A)Send the furniture back to the store.
B)Buy another brand of furniture.
C)Collect the furniture he ordered.
D)Describe the furniture he received.
14.C
A)Improve their service
B)Apologize to his wife
C)Correct their mistake
D)Give the money back
15.D
A)She recommended a new style
B)She decided all the items with the man
C)She offered some gift to the man
D)She apologized to the man once more
Section C
Questions16to18are based on the passage you have just heard.
16.A
A)Tidying up one’s home
B)Reading books of wisdom
C)Donating to charity
D)Sharing with others
17.C
A)Things that occupy little space
B)Things that are becoming rare
C)Things that make one happy
D)Things that cost a lot of money
18.B
A)It did little business because of the unusual cold weather
B)It received an incredibly large number of donated books
C)It sold as many as fifty boxes of books
D)It joined the city’s clean-up campaign
Questions19to21are based on the passage you have just heard.
19.A
A)Give free meals to the homeless
B)Provide shelter for the homeless
C)Call for change in the local government
D)Help the vulnerable to cook lunches
20.C
A)Promote understanding
B)Strengthen co-operation
C)Follow his example
D)Win national support
21.B
A)Spreading news of his deeds
B)Sending him hand-made bags
C)Following the example he sets
D)Writing him thank-you notes
Questions22to25are based on the passage you have just heard.
22.D
A)To install some audio equipment in a lab
B)To test their eyesight using a phone app
C)To send smartphone messages
D)To solve word search puzzles
23.A
A)They could no longer concentrate on their task
B)They could not go on until the ringing stopped
C)They grabbed the phone and called back right away
D)They asked their experimenter to hung up the phone
24.D
A)A decline in sports activities
B)A rise in emotional problems
C)A decline in academic performance
D)A reduction in the amount of sleep
25.B
A)Ensure they have sufficient sleep every day
B)Realize the disruptive effects of technology
C)Take effective measures to raise productivity
D)Protect the eyesight of the younger generation
参考答案第二套：
1.A)Ship traffic in the Atlantic.
2.D)They may be affecting the world’s climate.
3.C)To call for a permanent security guard.
4.A)It had already taken strong action.
5.B)The road was blocked
6.D)A track hit a barrier and overturned
7.B)It was a hard task to removing the spilled substance.
8.A)She wanted to save for a new phone.
9.D)They are less aware of the value of their money.
10.B)More non-essential things.
11.C)It may lead to excessive spending.
12.C)He had a problem with the furniture delivered.
13.B)Describe the furniture he received.
14.A)Correct their mistake.
15.C)She apologized to the man once more.
16.B)Tidying up one’s home.
17.A)Things that make one happy.
18.C)It received an incredibly large number of donated books.
19.A)Give free meals to the homeless.
20.D)Follow his example.
21.C)Sending him had-made bags.
22.A)To solve word search puzzles.
23.B)They could no longer concentrate on their task.
24.C)A reduction in the amount of sleep.
25.C)Realize the disruptive effects of technology.
阅读
阅读试题选词填空源文
Opinion
The three types of financial stress
By Paul Benson
November7,2018-12.00am
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 parentsregularly 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.In99out of100cases 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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Household debt
The pressure of living under the weight of debt
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.
仔细阅读1源文
Does thinking you look fat affect how much money you earn? Two things people often think about are money and their appearance.Past research has shown that there is a correlation between the two:People subjectively considered attractive earn more.
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Patricia Smith and Jay L.Zagorsky
Two things people often think about are money and their appearance.Past research has shown that there is a correlation between the two:People subjectively considered attractive earn more.
And body weight plays a major role in attractiveness.A person's body mass index-which adjusts a person's weight for their height-and their success in the workplace are linked.Put simply,thin people,especially women,are rewarded more than
their larger colleagues.But those studies only considered how other people perceive you.
In new research,we looked at the flip side:Does our own perception of our bodies,even when incorrect,make a difference?In other words,does thinking you look fat or skinny affect your wages?
Knowing if a worker's own perception of his or her weight makes a difference-rather than only the employer's-could help determine the best way to mitigate the impact of weight discrimination on earnings.In addition,a better understanding of gender differences in weight perception might help explain the persistent gender wage gap.
Plus size model.
Pressure to'look good'
Americans spend billions of dollars each year on making minor changes to their appearance with makeup,hair dye and other cosmetics.We also spend billions trying to change our weight with diets,gym memberships and plastic surgery.
Trying to live up to the pervasive images of"perfect"models and movie heroes has a dark side:body-shaming,anxiety and depression,as well as unhealthy strategies for weight loss or muscle gain.For example,anorexia
nervosa involves the extreme over-perception of weight and claims the lives of roughly10percent of its victims.It also has a financial cost.Having an eating disorder boosts annual health care costs by nearly US$2,000per person.
Why is there both external and internal pressure to look "perfect"?One reason is that society rewards people who are thin and healthy looking.Researchers have shown that body mass index is related to wages and income.Especially for women, there is a clear penalty at work for being overweight or obese. Some studies have also found an impact for men,though a less noticeable one.
Americans spend millions of dollars to change their appearances with hair dye,make up and plastic surgery.
Does weight perception matter?
While the research literature is clear that labor market success is partly based on how employers and customers perceive your
body image,no one had explored the other side of question. Does a person's own perception of body image matter to earnings and other indicators of success in the workplace?
In simple terms,does it change your wages if you think of yourself as overweight when you are not?Or if you think of yourself as skinny,when in reality you are not,does this misperception affect your ability to find and keep a job?
We were interested in answering these questions because it is often easier to fix your own view of yourself than to fix the entire world's.
Our recently published study answered this question by tracking a large national random sample of the first wave of U.S. millennials,born in the early1980s.We followed about9,000of them starting in1997when they were teenagers and ending15 years later when the oldest was31.Our research followed these respondents over a critical time period when bodies change from teenage shape into adult form and when people build their identities.
The survey asked respondents to report their actual weight and height.It also asked each to classify themselves each year as
"very overweight,""overweight,""about the right weight," "slightly underweight"or"very underweight."This enabled us to compare each person's clinically defined BMI category,such as being underweight,with his or her perception.
As in other research,women in our sample tend to
over-perceive weight-they think they're heavier than they are-while men tend to under-perceive theirs.
Americans spend billions on gym memberships every year. What other people think matters more
While self-perceived weight,especially when incorrect,can influence self-esteem,mental health and health behaviors,we found no relationship between the average person's
self-perception of weight and labor market outcomes like wages,weeks worked and the number of jobs.
In other words,it's not what you think about your appearance that matters in the workplace,it's just what other people think.Worrying if eating anothercookie will make you look fat may harm your self-esteem,but thinking you're overweight likely will not affect your earnings.
Because we find that women earn lower wages than men do even when accounting for weight perception differences,it appears the well-known gender pay gap is not due to differences in self-perceived weight.
While the continued gender penalty in the labor market is frustrating,our finding that misperceived weight does not harm workers is more heartening.Weight misperception is common, but thinking you're heavier or lighter than you are doesn't dampen earnings.
At the same time,it's important to remember that although self-perceived weight doesn't appear to affect wages,it still takes a toll on mental and physical health.
Passing over heavier workers to hire or promote less productive but thinner workers is inefficient and unfair.Our results indicate that expanding efforts to reduce discrimination on the basis of body weight in the workplace is important.
Since employers'perception of weight is what matters in the labor market,policies to reduce the social stigmatization of body weight,such as curbing body-shaming,make sense.Changing discrimination laws to include body type as a category would
also help.For example,Michigan is the only state that prohibits discrimination on the basis of weight and height.
We believe expanding such protections would make the labour market more
efficient and fair.
仔细阅读2源文
Pocket worthyStories to fuel your mind.
We Need to Stop Striving for Work-Life Balance.Here's Why. Work-life balance makes us set our sights too low,according to this sociologist.
Fast Company"
Tracy Brower
Recently,I received a question from a contact on LinkedIn. She asked me whether I thought work-life balance was dead. My answer:I hope so!
To be clear,I'm not advocating that you should give up your quest to have a fulfilling career and a thriving personal life,and I am definitely not saying that you have to give up one to have。