英语四级阅读，作为大学英语能力的重要评估指标，不仅检验了学生对词汇、语法的掌握，更考察了其阅读理解和信息筛选的能力。在全球化背景下，提升这一能力对于拓宽视野、增进跨文化交流至关重要。今天，小编将分享2020年12月大学英语四级阅读真题以及答案（卷二），希望能为大家提供帮助！
Section A
Directions: In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a wond bank following the pasage.Read the passage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
When my son completes a task, I can't help but praise him. It's only natural to give praise where praise is due, right? But is there such a thing as too much praise?
According to psychologist Katherine Phillip, children don't benefit from 26 praise as much as we'd like to think. "Parents often praise, believing they are building their child's self-confidence. However, over-praising can have a 27 effect," says Phillip. "When we use the same praise 28, it may become empty and no longer valued by the child. It can also become an expectation that anything they do must be 29 with praise. This may lead to the child avoiding taking risks due to fear of 30 their parents."
Does this mean we should do away with all the praise? Phillip says no. "The key to healthy praise is to focus on the process rather than the 31. It is the recognition of a child's attempt, or the process in which they achieved something, that is essential," she says. "Parents should encourage their child to take the risks needed to learn and grow."
So how do we break the 32 of praise we're all so accustomed to? Phillip says it's important to 33 between “person praise” and "process praise". “Person praise is 34 saying how great someone is. It's a form of personal approval. Process praise is acknowledgement of the efforts the person has just 35. Children who receive person praise are more likely to feel shame after losing,” says Phillip.
A)choose F)experienced K)repeatedly
B)constan G)negative L)rewarded
C)disappointing H)outcome M)separately
D)distinguish I)pattern N)simpl
E)exhausting J)plural O)undertaken
答案解析
26. 答案 B
空格前为介词from, 空格后为名词 praise, 因此应填入形容词。空格所在句意为，孩子从表扬中得到的好处并不像我们想象的那么多。该段是用心理学家的话来说明的确是存在过度 表扬的。因此，应填入含有“过多的，大量的”意思的形容词，故选B)constant “持续不断的”。
27. 答案 G
空格前为不定冠词a,空格后为名词 effeet,因此应填入形容词。空格前的However说明该句与前一句构成转折关系，上一句提到，父母认为表扬孩子可以培养孩子的自信心，因此本 句是说过度表扬会有“害处”。故选G)negative “负面的，消极的”。
28. 答案 K
空格所在从句基本成分完整，且空格处位于从句句尾，因此应填入副词。此处仍是心理学家的观点，因此应承接上一句的内容，说明过度表扬的害处。空格所在句意为，当我们使用同样的表扬时，它可能会变得空洞，不再被孩子重视，故选K)repeatedly“反复地，多次”。
29. 答案 L
空格前为be,空格后为介词短语，因此应填入动词的分词形式或形容词。空格所在句意为，表扬也可能会成为一种期望，即他们所做的任何事情都必须表扬。因此，应填入含有“给予”意思的词。be rewarded with sth. 表示“获得某事物的奖励”,符合语境。故选 L)rewarded“奖赏，给予”。
30. 答案 C
空格前为介词of, 空格后为名词词组 their parents,因此应填入动词的-ing 形式。由上文可知，孩子期待做什么事都能得到父母的表扬。如果他们失败了，父母可能会失望，他们可能 得不到表扬。所以此处是指，孩子可能会因害怕让父母“失望”而避免冒险。故选 C)disappointing “使失望”。
31. 答案 H
空格前为冠词 the, 因此应填入名词。空格所在句意为，合理表扬的关键是关注过程而不是____。应填入一个与 process“过程”意思相反的词，故选H)outcome “结果，后果”。
32.答案 I
空格前为冠词the, 空格后为介词of, 因此应填入名词。该段列举了两种表扬方式，并说明 “对过程的表扬”是合理的。此处是在用反问的语气引发读者思考，即应该如何打破惯有的 表扬方式?因此应填入含有“方式，模式”意思的名词，故选I)pattern“模式；图案”。
33. 答案 D
空格前为不定式符号to, 空格后为介词短语，因此应填入动词原形。根据后面提到的“对人 的表扬”和“对过程的表扬”可知，此处是在说明这两种表扬方式的“不同”,故选 D) distinguish“区别，辨别”。
34. 答案 N
本句基本成分完整，空格位于is和saying之间，因此应填入副词。此处是对“对人的表扬” 和“对过程的表扬”进行对比，而上一段提到，合理表扬的关键是关注过程而不是结果，说明作者更认可“对过程的表扬”,故选N)simply “仅仅”。
35. 答案 O
空格前为助动词has, 因此应填入动词的-ed 形式。空格所在句意为，对过程的表扬是对某人 刚刚努力的肯定。而努力是人所“做出的”,故选 O)undertaken “着手做，承担”。
Section B
Directions: In this section,you are going to read a pasage with ten statements aitached to it.Each statement comtains information given in one of the parngraphs.Identify the parngraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Poverty is a story about us,not them
A)Too often still,we think we know what poverty looks like.It's the way weve been taught,the images we've been force-fed for decades.The chronically homeless.The undocumented immigrant.The urban poor,usually personified as a woman of color,the“welfare quecn”politicians still too often reference.
B)But as income inequality rises to record levels in the United States,even in the midst of a record economic expansion,those familiar images are outdated,hurttul,and counterproductive to focusing attention on solutions and building ladders of opportunity.
C)Today's faces of income inequality and lack of opportunity look like all of us.It's Anna Landre,a disabled Georgetown University student fighting to keep health benefits that allow her the freedom to live her life.It's Tiffanie Standard,a counselor for young women of color in Philadelphia who want to be tech entrepreneurs-but who must work multiple jobs to stay afloat.It's Ken Outlaw,a welder in rural North Carolina whose dream of going back to school at a local community college was dashed by Hurricane Florence-just one of the extreme weather events that have tipped the balance for struggling Americans across the nation.
D)If these are the central characters of our story about poverty,what layers of perceptions,myths,and realities must we unearth to find meaningful solutions and support?In pursuit of revealing this complicated reality,Mothering Justice,led by women of color,went last year to the state capital in Lansing,Michigan,to lobby on issues that affect working mothers.One of the Mothering Justice organizers went to the office of a state representative to talk about the lack of affordable childcare-the vestiges (痕迹)of a system that expected mothers to stay home with their children while their husbands worked.A legislative staffer dismissed the activist's concerns,telling her “my husband took care of that—I stayed home.”
E)That comment,says Mothering Justice director Danielle Atkinson,“was meant to shame”and relied on the familiar notion that a woman of color concerned about income inequality and programs that promote mobility must by definition be a single mom,probably with multiple kids.In this case,the Mothering Justice activist happened to be maried.And in most cases in the America of 2019,the images that come to mind when we hear the words poverty or income inequality fail miserably in reflecting a complicated reality:poverty touches virtually all of us.The face of income inequality,for all but a very few of us,is the one we each see in the mirror.
F)How many of us are poor in the U.S.?It depends on who you ask.According to the Census Bureau, 38 million people in the U.S.are living below the official poverty thresholds.Taking into account economic need beyond that absolute measure,the Institute for Policy Studies found that 140 million people are poor or low-income.That's almost half the U.S.population.
G)Whatever the measure,within that massive group,poverty is extremely diverse.We know that some people are more affected than others,like children,the elderly,people with disabilities,and people of color.
H）But the fact that 4 in 10 Americans can't come up with S 400 in an emergency is a commonly cited statistic for good reason:economic instability stretches across race,gender,and geography.It even reaches into the middle classes,as real wages have stagnated (不增长)for all but the very wealthy and temporary spells of financial instability are not uncommon.
I)Negative images remain of who is living in poverty as well as what is needed to move out of it.The big American myth is that you can pull yourself up by your own efforts and change a bad situation into a good one.The reality is that finding opportunity without help from families,friends,schools,and community is virtually impossible.And the playing field is nothing close to level.
J)The Frame Works Institute,a research group that focuses on public framing of issues,has studied what sustains stereotypes and narratives of poverty in the United Kingdom.“People view economic success and wellbeing in life as a product of choice,willpower,and drive,"says Nat Kendall-Taylor,CEO of FrameWorks.“When we see people who are struggling,"he says,those assumptions "Iead us to the perception that people in poverty are lazy,they don't care,and they haven't made the right decisions.”
K)Does this sound familiar?Similar ideas surround poverty in the U.S.And these assumptions give a false picture of reality.“When people enter into that pattern of thinking,”says Kendall-Taylor,“it's cognitively comfortable to make sense of issues of poverty in that way.It creates a kind of cognitive blindness—all of the factors external to a person's drive and choices that they've made become invisible and fade from view.”
L)Those external factors include the difficulties accompanying low-wage work or structural discrimination based on race,gender,or ability.Assumptions get worse when people who are poor use government benefits to help them survive.There is a great tension between“the poor”and those who are receiving what has become a dirty word:“welfare.”
M)According to the General Social Survey,71 percent of respondents believe the country is spending too little on “assistance to the poor.”On the other hand,22 percent think we are spending too little on “welfare”:37 percent believe we are spending too much.
N)“Poverty has been interchangeable with people of color-specifically black women and black mothers,"says Atkinson of Mothering Justice.It's true that black mothers are more affected by poverty than many other groups,yet they are disproportionately the face of poverty.For example, Americans routinely overestimate the share of black recipients of public assistance programs.
O)In reality,most people will experience some form of financial hardship at some point in their lives.
Indeed,people tend to dip in and out of poverty,perhaps due to unexpected obstacles like losing a job,or when hours of a low-wage job fluctuate.
P)Something each of us can do is to treat each other with the dignity and sympathy that is deserved and to understand deeply that the issue of poverty touches all of us.
36.Ome legislative staffer assumed that a woman of color who advocated affordable childcare must be a single mother.
37.People from different raccs,genders,and regions all suffer from a lack of financial security.
38.According to a survey,while the majority believe too little assistance is given to the poor,more than a third believe too much is spent on welfare.
39.A research group has found that Americans who are struggling are thought to be lazy and to have made the wrong decisions.
40.Under the old system in America,a mother was supposed to stay home and take care of her children. 41.It was found that nearly 50%of Americans are poor or receive low pay.
42.Americans usually overestimate the number of blacks receiving welfare benefits.
43.It is impossible for Americans to lift themselves out of poverty entirely on their own.
44.Nowadays,it seems none of us can get away from income inequality.
45.Assumptions about poor people become even more negative when they live on welfare.
答案解析
36.答案 E
解析：一位立法人员认为， 一位有色人种女性如果提倡负担得起的儿童保育服务，她一定是一位 单身母亲。由题干中的关键词a woman of color,affordable childeare 和 a single mother定位至E)段首句。该句提到，“母性正义”的领导者丹尼尔·阿特金森说，这一言论“是可耻的”,它依赖于大家熟知的概念，即关注收入不平等问题和能够提高流动性计划的有色人种女性肯定是一位单亲妈妈，她可能抚养很多孩子。可知，这位立法工作人员认为，倡导价格合理的儿童保育服务的女性有色人种肯定是单亲妈妈。故答案选E)。
37.答案 H
解析：由题干中的关键词 races,genders 和 regions定位至 H) 段首句。该句提到，每十个美国人中 就有四人在紧急情况下无法拿出400美元，这成为一个经常被引用的数据，理由很充分：经济 不稳定存在于不同种族、性别和地域之间。题干为此处内容的同义转述，故答案选 H)。
38.答案 M
解析：由题干中的关键词survey,assistance 和 a third 定位至M) 段。该段指出，综合社会调 查显示，71%的受访者认为国家“给予贫困人民的帮助”太少了。另一方面，22%的受访 者认为我们在“福利”上的花费太少了，37%的受访者认为我们花费的太多了。题干为 该段内容的同义转述，故答案选 M)。
39. 答案 J
解析：由题干中的关键词A research group,lazy 和the wrong decisions 定位至J)段末句。该 句提到，框架研究所的首席执行官指出，当我们看到了那些正在挣扎的人们，那些假设让我们认为，处于贫困中的人是懒惰的，他们并不在乎，也没有做出正确的决定。题干 中的have made the wrong decisions与原文中的 haven't made the right decisions 相对应，故答案选J).
40.答案 D
解析：由题干中的关键词 the old system,a mother 和 stay home and take care of her children定位至 D)段倒数第二句。该句提到，“母性正义”的组织者之一来到州代表的办公室， 谈论当地缺乏可负担得起的儿童保育服务的问题——这是希望母亲在家照顾孩子而父亲在外工作的体制的残留问题。题干中的 the old system与原文中的 the vestiges of a system 相对应；a mother was supposed to stay home and take care of her children与mothers to stay home with their children 相对应，故答案选 D)。
41.答案 F
解析：由题干中的关键词 nearly 50%of Americans 和poor or receive low pay 定位至 F)段最 后两句。此处指出，若将绝对标准以上的经济需求考虑进去，政策研究机构发现1.4亿 美国人属于贫困或是低收入人群。这几乎占据美国人口的一半。题干中的 nearly 50% of Americans与原文中的 half the U.S.population 相对应；poor or receive low pay 与 poor or low-income 相对应，故答案选 F)。
42.答案 N
解析：由题干中的关键词 overestimate,blacks 和 receiving welfare benefits 定位至 N) 段末 句。该句提到，美国人经常高估公共救助计划中黑人接受者的比例。题干是对此处内 容的同义转述，故答案选 N)。
43.答案 I
解析：由题干中的关键词impossible,lift themselves out of poverty 和on their own 定位至I段。该段中提到，美国最大的谬论是，你能够凭借一己之力振作起来，将坏的形势扭转为好的形势。现实是，在没有家人、朋友、学校和社区帮助的情况下，找到机会的可能性 几乎为零。题干中的 lift themselves out of poverty与原文中的 pull yourself up相对应，故答案选1),
44.答案 C
解析：由题干中的关键词 Assumptions,more negative 和 live on welfare 定位至 L) 段第二 句。该句提到，当穷人利用政府救济来帮助他们生存时，这些假设变得更加糟糕。题干 中的 more negative 与原文中的 worse 相对应；live on welfare 与 use government benefits to help them survive 相对应，故答案选 L)。
45.答案 L
解析：由题干中的关键词Assumptions,more negative和live on welfare定位至 L)段第二句。该句提到，当穷人利用政府救济来帮助他们生存时，这些假设变得更加糟糕。题干中的 more negative 与原文中的worse相对应；live on welfare与use government benefits to help them survive相对应，故答案选L)。
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are basel on the following passage.
Boredom has,paradoxically,become quite interesting to academics lately.In early May,London's Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in dullness.At this event,people flocked to talks about weather,traffic jams,and vending-machine sounds,among other sleep-inducing topics.
What,exactly,is everybody studying?One widely accepted psychological definition of boredom is “the distasteful experience of wanting,but being unable,to engage in satisfying activity.”But how can you quantify a person's boredom level and compare it with someone else's?In 1986,psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale,designed to measure an individual's overall tendency to feel bored.By contrast,the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale,developed in 2008,measures a person's feelings of boredom in a given situation.
Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving,mindless snacking,excessive drinking,and addictive gambling.In fact,many of us would choose pain over boredom.One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather self-administer electrie shocks than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes.Researching this phenomenon,another team asked volunteers to watch boring,sad,or neutral films,during which they could self-administer electric shocks.The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral ones did.
But boredom isn't all bad.By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming,it can spur creativity.An early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises.Once all the obvious answers were exhausted,participants gave more and more inventive answers to combat boredom.A British study took these findings one step further,asking subjects to complete a creative challenge(coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item).One group of subjects did a boring activity first,while the others went straight to the creative task.Those whose boredom pumps had been primed were more productive.
In our always-connected world,boredom may be a hard-to-define state,but it is a fertile one.Watch paint dry or water boil,or at least put away your smartphone for a while,and you might unlock your next big idea.
46.When are people likely to experience boredom,according to an accepted psychological definition?
A)When they don't have the chance to do what they want.
B)When they don't enjoy the materials they are studying.
C)When they experience something unpleasant.
D)When they engage in some routine activities.
47.What does the author say boredom can lead to?
A)Determination.
B)Concentration.
C)Mental deterioration.
D)Harmful conduct.
48.What is the finding of one team of psychologists in their experiment?
A)Volunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting alone deliberating.
B)Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.
C)Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females.
D)Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minutes.
49.Why does the author say boredom isn't all bad?
A)It stimulates memorization.
B)It allows time for relaxation.
C)It may promote creative thinking.
D)It may facilitate independent learning.
50.What does the author suggest one do when faced with a challenging problem?
A)Stop idling and think big.
B)Unlock one's smartphone.
C)Look around oneself for stimulation.
D)Allow oneself some time to be bored.
答案解析
46.答案 A
解析：根据题干关键词 accepted psychological definition 定位至第二段第二句。该句提到， 一个被广泛接受的关于无聊的心理学定义是“渴望但又无法参加令人满意的活动而产生 的令人不快的经历”。故答案选 A)项。
47.答案 D
解析：题目就提问。根据题干关键词 boredom can lead to 定位至第三段首句。该句提到，无聊与一些行为问题有关，包括分心驾驶、漫不经心地吃零食、过度饮酒和赌博成瘾。这些行为都是不好的行为习惯，故答案选D) 项。
48.答案 B
解析：根据题干关键词finding of one team of psychologists 定位至第三段第三句。该句提到， 一个心理学家小组发现，三分之二的男性和四分之一的女性宁愿自我电击，也不愿独坐思考15分钟。可知，“许多志愿者宁愿自我伤害也不愿忍受无聊”,故答案选B) 项。
49.答案 C
解析：根据题干关键词 boredom isn't all bad 定位至第四段首句。该句提到，但无聊并不都是 坏事。通过鼓励自我反省和幻想，它可以激发创造力。故答案选 C) 项。其他三项在文 中均未提及，故排除。
50.答案 D
解析：根据题干关键词 author suggest 定位至末段。该段第二句提到，看着油漆变干或者水沸腾，或者至少把你的智能手机暂时收起来一会儿，你可能会解锁你的又一个了不起的创 意。说明，当你做一些无聊的事情时，让头脑放松，可能会想出了不起的创意；那么在面 对具有挑战性的问题时，也可以这么做。故答案选 D)项。
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Forests in countries like Brazil and the Congo get a lot of attention from environmentalists,and it is easy to see why.South America and sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing deforestation on an enormous scale:every year almost 5 million hectares are lost.But forests are also changing in rich Western countries.They are growing larger,both in the sense that they occupy more land and that the trees in them are bigger.What is going on?
Forests are spreading in almost all Western countrics,with the fastest growth in places that historically had rather few trees.In 1990 28% of Spain was forested;now the proportion is 37%.In both Greece and Italy,the growth was from 26% to 32% over the same period.Forests are gradually taking more land in America and Australia.Perhaps most astonishing is the trend in Ireland.Roughly 1% of that country was forested when it became independent in 1922.Now forests cover 11% of the land,and the government wants to push the proportion to 18% by the 2040s.
Two things are fertilising this growth.The first is the abandonment of farmland,especially in high, dry places where nothing grows terribly well.When farmers give up trying to earn a living from farming or herding,trees simply move in.The second is government policy and subsidy.Throughout history,governments have protected and promoted forests for diverse reasons,ranging from the need for wooden warships to a desire to promote suburban house-building.Nowadays forests are increasingly welcome because they suck in carbon pollution from the air.The justifications change;the desire for more trees remains constant.
The greening of the West does not delight everyone.Farmers complain that land is being taken out of use by generously subsidised tree plantations.Parts of Spain and Portugal suffer from terrible forest fires. Others simply dislike the appearance of forests planted in neat rows.They will have to get used to the trees,however.The growth of Western forests seems almost as unstoppable as deforestation elsewhere.
51.What is catching environmentalists'attention nowadays?
A)Rich countries are stripping poor ones of their resources.
B)Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries.
C)Forests are eating away the fertile farmland worldwide.
D)Rich countries are doing little to address deforestation.
52.Which countries have the fastest forest growth?
A)Those that have newly achieved independence.
B)Those that have the greatest demand for timber.
C)Those that used to have the lowest forest coverage.
D)Those that provide enormous government subsidies.
53.What has encouraged forest growth historically?
A)The government's advocacy.
B)The use of wood for fuel.
C)The favourable climate.
D)The green movement.
54.What accounts for our increasing desire for forests?
A)Their unique scenic beauty.
B)Their use as fruit plantations.
C)Their capability of improving air quality.
D)Their stable supply of building materials.
55.What does the author conclude about the prospects of forestation?
A)Deserts in sub-Saharan Africa will diminish gradually.
B)It will play a more and more important role in people's lives.
C)Forest destruction in the developing world will quickly slow down.
D)Developed and developing countries are moving in opposite directions.
答案解析
51.答案 B
解析：根据题干关键词 environmentalists'attention 定位至文章首句。该句提到，巴西和刚果 等国的森林受到了环保主义者的广泛关注，原因很容易理解。随后进一步指出原因是南美洲和撒哈拉以南的非洲正经历着大规模的森林砍伐。可知，“许多发展中国家的森 林面积在迅速减少”引起了环保主义者们的注意，故答案选 B) 项 。
52.答案 C
解析：根据题干关键词 fastest forest growth 定位至第二段首句。该句提到，几乎所有的西方国家的森林都在扩张，在历史上树木稀少的地方增长得最快。故答案选 C) 项。
53.答案 A
解析：根据题干关键词 encouraged forest growth 定位至第三段首句。该句提到，有两个因素 在促进这种增长。即放弃农田和政府的政策及补贴；第五句中还提到，纵观历史，各国 政府都出于各种原因保护和推广森林的发展。可知，“政府的倡导”促进了历史上森林 面积的增加，故答案选 A) 项。
54.答案 C
解析：根据题干关键词our increasing desire for forests 定位至第三段倒数第二句。该句提 到，森林越来越受欢迎，因为它们吸收空气中的碳污染。可知，森林可以改善空气质量， 故答案选C)项。
55.答案 D
解析：根据题干关键词 conclude 和prospects of forestation 定位至文章末句。该句提到，西方 国家森林的增长似乎和其他地方的森林砍伐一样几乎势不可挡。该句呼应开头提到的西方富裕国家森林增多，有些发展中国家森林减少。说明，作者认为“发达国家和发展 中国家正在朝相反的方向发展”,故答案选 D)项。
