2023年12月大學(xué)英語(yǔ)四級(jí)閱讀真題以及答案（一）

英語(yǔ)四級(jí)閱讀，作為大學(xué)英語(yǔ)能力的重要評(píng)估指標(biāo)，不僅檢驗(yàn)了學(xué)生對(duì)詞匯、語(yǔ)法的掌握，更考察了其閱讀理解和信息篩選的能力。在全球化背景下，提升這一能力對(duì)于拓寬視野、增進(jìn)跨文化交流至關(guān)重要。今天，小編將分享2023年12月大學(xué)英語(yǔ)四級(jí)閱讀真題以及答案（卷一），希望能為大家提供幫助！

Section A

Directions:In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are requiredto select one word foreach blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read the passage through carefully before making yourchoices.Each choice inthebank is identified by a letter.Please mark the correspondingletter for eachitem on Answer Sheet 2 witha single line through the centre.Youmay not use any ofthewordsin the bank  more than once.

Exercising for just 10 minutes a week is linked to a longer life,according to a newstudy published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Several recent studies have found that even low-intensity exercise,done for a short amount of time,can have a meaningful  26  on health.Still,the idea that exercising for just 10 minutes a week may be enough to increase your lifespan is novel.It's also somewhat  27  ,since the federal physical activity guidelines recommend getting at least 75 minutes of vigorousexercise or 150 minutes of  28  exercise each week.

The study was based on data from more than 88,000 U.S.adults who  29  in the National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2008.

Contrary to some research that has found an  30  limit to the amount of exercise that is healthy,the researchers found that there was  31  no limit to the longevity(長(zhǎng)壽)benefits of exercise.Even the small group ofpeople who got 10 times the amount of exercise recommended by thefederal governmenthad a 46% lower  32  of death than the least active group.

Still,observational studies like this one cannot prove cause and effect;they can only find  33  .The researchers also were not able to  34  for certain lifestyle factors that could affect lifespan,including dietary habits and changes in physical activity over time.Despite these  35  ,the study's results are yet another indication of the power of physical activity,even in small amounts.

A)adjust

B)alter

C)approximately 

D)controversial 

E)coordinates

F)impact

G)limitations 

H)moderate

I)participated

J)pattems

K)populated L)risk

M)seemingly N)type

O)upper

Section B

Directions: In this section,you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questionsby marking the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2.

How Climate Change Will Affect What You Eat

A)Earlier this year,scientists warned that one in six animal species could go extinct(滅絕的)due to climate change.Could the same thing happen to our crops and other foodstuffs too?

B)It's clear that farmers in many parts of the world are going to find things harder in the coming decades. Last week,BBC Future explored one scientist's efforts to help crops cope with the increased probability of droughts.By usingthe genes from resurection(復(fù)活)plants,Jill Farrant of the University of CapeTownis exploring whether she can design crops to survive for much longer periods without water

C)But if we can't find ways to protect other foods,will they survive climate change?Fortunately,there is some good news on this front.Despite alarmist headlinesabout “foods that are going extinct,”there is noevidence that major food types like beans,chocolate,wine,corn orwheatwill cease to exist.

D)But that doesn't mean it's all good news for future food.We will probably have to changewhere we grow  certain crops,as some regions get too hot.The disadvantage,obviously,is that local farmers will suffer under this situation.And some people may struggle to get the same access to certain foods.“Even if overall food production may be unaffected,food security can still be impacted,”says Margaret Walsh,a scientist at theUS Department of Agriculture's Climate Change Program Office.In other words,even if a cerlain food is still grown on some corner of the Earth,it doesn't mean that everyone will continue to have the same degreeof access as today.

E)Overall the yields of many foods,from staples to life-enhancing extras such as coffee and chocolate,wll  likely be impacted by climate change too.How those decreases will be felt will depend on the degreeof .warming  and the crop inquestion,but ingeneral,“anything over about 30℃ is very bad for crops,”says Wolfram  Schlenker,an associate professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University.For example,statistical studies that he anda colleague built of corm and soybean(大豆)productionin the US showa steep decline after crossing the 30℃temperature threshold(臨界點(diǎn)).

F)In the US—the world's largest producer of corn and soybeans—farms can move north to some degree, Schlenker says.But eventually,yields will ikely suffer because the soil north of lowa declines in quality-a legacy of glacial(冰川的)expansion.Other studies,including studies of wheat in India and corn in Africa, also found that there is a threshold above which yields sharply decline:crops can adapt and move,butonly to a point.“What's common to all studies isthefinding that extreme heatis damaging tocropgrowth,although exact cutoffs vary by crop,"Schlenker says.“If predictions for the end of the century aretrue,though,I think a lot of agricultural areas in the US will see significant hits.”

G)Under current conditions,about 4%of the world's croplands experience drought in any given year,but by the end of the century those conditionsare forecastedto jump to about 18%per year.Some studies indicate that  horticulture crops—generally,everything besides staples—may be impactedmost severely,largely because they tendto be confined to a smaller geographic area.Researcher Andrew Jarvis andhis colleagues found tha 80% of coffe-growing zones in CentralAmerica and Brazil could become unsuitable by 2050,for example, while climate changewill ikely have “great impacts"on cocoa(可可粉)production in WestAfrica.“High qualitychocolate will be less available in the future,and if you want it,you'l have to pay a lot more for it," Jarvis says.

H)This meansthat,for those who can afford it,some foods will simply cost them more in the future.But for poorerpeople,those same price jumps willikely causecertain foods to go extinct from their diets.“The more you reduce,the shorter the supply,and the higher the price willjump,"Schlenker says.

I)Another potential climate change-induced problem is our dependence on commodity crops—wheat, soybeans,corn and rice—which currently provide humanity with 75%of its calories,either directly or indirectly through the animals we raise on those crops.Jarvisand his colleaguesalso found that,over thepast five decades,the world has seen an inereasing standardisation of diets;the foods we eat globally today arc 36% more similar than they were in 1961.While this can be good news for the world's poorest people who now consume more calories,protein and fat than in the past,homogeneity(同一性)and over-dependence ona handful of staples leavesus vulnerable to threats such as drought,disease and pests—all of which are  predicted to worsen inmany parts of the world as a result of climate change.

J)There are ways we could soften the coming blow to the global food supply,however.Like Farrant's work with resurrection crops,a number of companies,organisations and researchersareaiming tocreate drought and temperature-resistant cropsthrough genetic enginering and conventional breeding.For now,the jury is still out asto how successful those endeavours will be.“The people at Monsanto who I'vetalked to are much more optimistic that they'll be able to engineer heat-tolerant crops,”Schlenker says.“On the other hand, scientists at the USDA whoI've spoken with are much more cautious."

K)Until genetic engineering comes to fruition,other strategies might also help in some places,including applyingmore fertiliser,implementing better irigation,using machinery that gets crops out of the field faster or installing storage facilities to delayspoilage.“Manyplaces could benefit a great deal just by using  technologies that already exist,”Walsh says.“General farm management can go a long way toward easing  changes.”

L)Finally,diversifying our diet away from heat-sensitive wheat,corn,rice and other crops could also help. “We've seen profoundchanges in the last decades in what we eat largelyas a result of international trade,and  Ithink thattrend toward more diversification willcontinue,"Jarvis says."Depending on agreater number of plant species creates a more vigorous and less risky food system—andone that provides a broader range of nutritional requirements.

36.0ne consequence of climate change is that some people may not haveadequate access to certain foods. 

37.People around the world are eating foods more similar than what they used to eat

38.A recent news report talked about scientific efforts to help crops survive droughts through genetic engineering.

39.It is predicted tha climate change willaffect the availability and price of quality chocolate.

40.People wonder if certain crops and foodstuffs could disappear like some animal species due to climate change

41.Although farms in the US can move a bit northward,crop yieldsmay decrease. 

42.One possible solutionto the food security problem is diversification of diet.

43.It remains unsettled whether the global food supply problem can be solved by creating heat-tolerant crops through genetic engineering.

44.Poorpeoplemay have to give up eating certain foods because of their high prices.

45.A numberof existing farming technologies could be used to reduce the negative effect of climate change on food production

Section C

Directions: There are 2 passages inthis section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For eachof them there are four choices markedA),B),C)and D).You should decideon the best choiceand mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 withasingle line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

One of my bad habits is saying "busy"when people ask me how I'm doing.Sometimes it's because I actually am busy,bu other times it's because that's what I think I'm supposed to say.That's what important people say.That's what people who get promoted say.But working long hours doesn't drive better results. Never taking a vacaion won't leadto a promotion.So why are we soproud to talkabout how busyweare all the time?

In 2016,researchers from Columbia,Harvard,and Georgetown conducted a study to figure it out.They found busy people are perceived to beof high status,and interestingly,these status attributions are heavily influencedby  ourown beliefs about social mobility.In other words,the more we believe that one has the opportunity for sucess based onhard work,the more we tend to think that people who skip leisure and work all the time are of higher standing.

That's why we feel like we have to appear busy,and there's a real perception that if someone is knee-deep in meetings,emails,and stress,then they're probably a big deal.This culture of busyness is making it hard for  employees to find work-life balance.According to a recent study,one in five highly engagedemployesis at risk of burnout(精疲力竭).

Personally,I'm goingto stop saying"busy"when people ask me how I am.It sounds selfrighteous(自以為是的)andsets the wrong tone.Phrases like“I have limited access to email"and“Ill respondas soon as I get back"sound like you're being held against your will fromworking as opposed to making the most of your time off.

That's why we recently launched the Outof Office Email Generator,a free tool you can use before your next long weekend or trip.You can share loud and proud that you won't be checking email until you're back. Managers need to think twice about emailing their teams on the weekend and talkingabout how busy they are Leaders should take timeoff themselves and encourageemployeesto do the same.

46.What is a reason for the authorto be in the habit of saying “"busy"when asked howhe is doing?

A)He just follows successfulpeople's example.

B)Heis actually proud to be fully occupied.

C)He thinks everyone should be devotedto work. 

D)He believes busyness ensures accomplishments. 

47.Why do we tend to think thatbusy people are of high status?

A)Our status can be attributed to oursocial mobility

B)We hold the belief that hard work leads to success.

C)Our own opportunity for success nevercomes easily.

D)We find few people of high status have time for leisure.

48.What do we learnabout the culture of busyness from a recen study? 

A)It places employes in endless meetings,emailsandstress.

B)It compels some 20%of employees to appear always busy

C)Itdistorts many employees'belief of what a satisfying life is. 

D)It does much harm to many busy employees'well-being.

49.What do such utterancesas "Ihave limitedaccess to email"sound like accordingtothe author?

A)One is toobusy tocheck all emails in time.

B)One is opposed to the prevailing work culture. 

C)One is forced by circumstances to stop working.

D)One is simply enjoying their timeoff work. 

50.Why did the author and his colleagues launch the Out of Office Email Generator?

A)Toenable busy employees to spend less time checking emails.

B)Toensure employees as wellasemployers truly have time off

C)To stop managers from talking about how busytheirteams usually are.

D)Toencourage both employers andemployees toanswer emails promptly.

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

Female employees consistently pay lower airfares than men do for the same flights because they tend to book earlier.

We compared the airfare paid by employees in the same positionwithin a company for the same clas of travel and used a common statistical technique toaccount for other factors that might affect differences n airfares.We found that women paid on average S18 less per ticket than their male colleagues.Further investigation allowed us to conclude that this gap is largely explained by the fact that women tended to book earlierthan men,1.8 days on average

We wanted to determine what was causingthese gender differences in booking businesstrips so we tested a varietyof posible explanations,such as women choosing to plan ahead or male frequent travelers being inclined  to book late.None of these explained away the gender gap,so we applied data collected from surveys that  express consumerpreferences that play a central role in economic decisions,such aspatience and risk avoidance.

We found that only theconcept of "negative reciprocity"in which an employee who feels unfairly treated engages in negativebehaviors,such as spending their company's money lesscarefully—explains these differences.The surveys showedmen tend to exhibit more of these negative behaviors than women.This isn't to say that all men engage in these behaviors—or that booking relativelylate is a sign of abnormal behavior.It only means that the gender gap disappears when we plug in the negative reciprocity variable.

Prior research on negative reciprocity among workers found thatit can result inlower employeemotivation, business performance andworkplace morale(士氣)and culture.

Our results show another way these negative behaviors can manifest themselves,like in airline bookings and add toevidence that women are less likely to engageinthem.

Companies spend significant sums of money on business travel.While that S18 diference per ticket may seem small,it adds up.Our analysis suggests early booking by women can translateinto savings of $1 million a  year for a large multinational company with 20,000 regular travelers.

51.What did the author's team concludeaboutthe gender difference in airfares from their further investigation?

A)It is largely attributedto womenbooking earlier thanmen.

B)It is largely explainedby women's choosingcheaperflights.

C)It is mainly accounted for by male employees'readiness to pay more.

D)It is due to the fact that women care more abouttheir company's money.

52.What did the researchers want to determine by testinga varietyof possible explanations?

A)What made male frequent travelers book airtickets late.

B)Whatcaused women to planahead in bookingbusiness trips. 

C)What motivated women to book cheaper flights.

D)What acounted for thegender gap in airfares.

53.What happened when the negative reciprocity variable was taken into account? 

A)Both menand women werefoundtoengage in negative behaviors.

B)Neither men norwomen viewed booking late as a bad behavior.

C)Thegender differencc in airfare expenses no longer existed.

D)Thegender gap tended to narrow to asignificantdegree.

54.Whatdid prior research on negative reciprocity amongworkers find?

A)It can do more harmto the workplace than to employees. 

B)It contributes to the male-female divide in the workplace.  

C)It proves to becounterproductive in a number of ways.

D)It can resultin increasing labor-managementconflicts.

55.What does theauthor emphasize about their analysis inthe last paragraph?

A)It canhelp companies increase their savings significantly.

B)It can duly contribute tocompanies'businessperformance.

C)It can translate women's bookingpractice intomen's behavior.   

D)It can enhance large multinational companies'competitiveness.