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2021年6月大学英语四级阅读真题以及答案（卷一），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 word bank following the passage.Read the passrge 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.
Most animals seek shade when temperatures in the Sahara Desert soar to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.But for the Saharan silver ant, 26 from their underground nests into the sun's brutal rays to 27 for food,this is the perfect time to seek lunch.In 2015 these ants were joined in the desert by scientists from two Belgian universities,who spent a month in the 28 heat tracking the ants and digging out their nests.The goal was simple,to discover how the 29 adapted to the kind of heat that can 30 melt the bottom of shoes.
Back in Belgium,the scientists looked at the ants under an electronic microscope and found that their 31 ,triangular hair reflects light like a prism(棱镜),giving them a metallic reflection and protecting them from the sun's awful heat.When Ph.D.student Quentin Willot 32 the hair from an ant with a 33 knife and put it under a heat lamp,its temperature jumped.
The ants'method of staying cool is 34 among animals.Could this reflective type of hair protect people?Willot says companies are interested in 35 these ants'method of heat protection for human use,including everything from helping to protect the lives of firefighters to keeping homes cool in summer.
A)adapting F)hun K)species
B)consciously G)literally L)specimens
C)crawling H)moderate M)thick
D)crowded I)remote N)tiny
E)extreme J)removed O)unique
答案解析
26.C)空格所在部分意思是：从它们的地下巢穴________到酷热的阳光下。根据常识可知，蚂蚁是爬行动物，因此空格处应填入含有“爬行” 意义的动词，故本题答案为C)crawling。
27.F)空格所在部分意思是：但对于撒哈拉银蚁来说，从它们的地下巢穴爬到酷热的阳光下______食物，这是寻找午餐的完美时机。由后面的seek可知，空格处应填入含有“寻找，搜寻”意义的动词，故本题答案为F)hunt。
28.E)由句意可知，来自比利时的科学家在撒哈拉沙漠中研究撒哈拉银蚁，in the ________heat是说明撒哈拉沙漠的环境。众所周知，撒哈拉沙漠是极度炎热的，因此空格处应填入含有“非常的，极度的”意义的形容词，故本题答案为E)extreme.
29.K)【语义判断】空格所在部分意思是：目的很简单，就是发现这种______ 是如何适应高温的。由上文可知，此处the指的是撒哈拉银蚁，因此空格处应填入含有“动物，物种”意义的名词，故本题答案为K)species 。
30.G)空格所在句是一个定语从句，修饰前面的heat, 句意为“能够_______熔化鞋底的高温”。由上文可知，这里的heat指的是撒哈拉沙漠的高温，它的确能将鞋底熔化，因此空格处应填入含有“的确，确实”等强调意义的副词，故本题答案为G)literally。
31.M)空格所在部分的句意为：它们的________ 、三角形毛发像三棱镜一样反射光线，产生金属般的反射效果，保护它们免受太阳可怕的热量的伤害。由句意可知，这种蚂蚁的毛发可以 反射光线，而毛发越多，反射效果越好，才能达到 “金属般的反射效果”,因此空格处应填入含有“多的，浓密的”意义的形容词，故本题答案为 M)thick。
32.J)空格所在部分的句意为：当博士生昆汀·维洛特用一把刀从一只蚂蚁身上_______毛发。由句意可知，昆汀·维洛特把毛发从蚂蚁身上取下，然后把蚂蚊放到加热灯下，以验证毛发的隔热效果。因此空格处应填入含有“取下，移除”意义的动词，故本题答案为J)removed。
33.N)空格所在部分的句意为：当博士生昆汀·维洛特用一把______刀从一只蚂蚁身上清除毛发。因为蚂蚁身体很小，所以用的刀子应该也是很小的，因此空格处应填入含有“小的”意义 的形容词，故本题答案为 N)tiny。
34.O)空格所在部分的句意为：蚂蚁保持凉爽的这种方法在动物中是_______。本句说明了这种方法的特点，在备选项中，只有O)unique 是形容性质特点的，故为本题答案。
35.A)空格所在部分的句意为： 一些公司有兴趣将这些蚂蚁的防热方法_______人类。前一句提到，这种反光型的毛发能保护人们吗?所以本句是在说，将这种方法应用到人类身上，因此空格处应填入含有“应用于，使用于”意义的动词，故本题答案为A)adapting.
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 questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The start of high school doesn't have to be stressful
A)This month,more than 4 million students across the nation will begin high school.Many will do well. But many will not.Consider that nearly two-thirds of students will experience the“ninth-grade shock,”which refers to a dramatic drop in a student's academic performance.Some students cope with this shock by avoiding challenges.For instance,they may drop difficult coursework.Others may experience a hopelessness that results in failing their core classes,such as English,science and math.
B)This should matter a great deal to parents,teachers and policymakers.Ultimately it should matter to the students themselves and society at large,because students'experience of transitioning(过渡)to the ninth grade can have long-term consequences not only for the students themselves but for their home communities.We make these observations as research psychologists who have studied how schools and families can help young people thrive.
C)In the new global economy,students who fail to finish the ninth grade with passing grades in college preparatory coursework are very unlikely to graduate on time and go on to get jobs.One study has calculated that the lifetime benefit to the local economy for a single additional student who completes high school is half a million dollars or more.This is based on higher earnings and avoided costs in health care,crime,welfare dependence and other things.
D)The consequences of doing poorly in the ninth grade can impact more than students'ability to find a good job.It can also impact the extent to which they enjoy life.Students lose many of the friends they turned to for support when they move from the eighth to the ninth grade.One study of ninth-grade students found that 50 percent of friendships among ninth graders changed from one month to the next,signaling striking instability in friendships.
E)In addition,studies find the first year of high school typically shows one of the greatest increases in depression of any year over the lifespan.Researchers think that one explanation is that ties to friends are broken while academic demands are rising.Furthermore,most adult cases of clinical depression first emerge in adolescence(青春期).The World Health Organization reports that depression has the greatest burden of disease worldwide,in terms of the total cost of treatment and the loss of productivity.
F) Given all that's riding on having a successful ninth grade experience,it pays to explore what can be done to meet the academic,social and emotional challenges of the transition to high school.So far, our studies have yielded one main insight:Students'beliefs about change their beliefs about whether people are stuck one way forever,or whether people can change their personalities and abilities are related to their ability to cope,succeed academically and maintain good mental health.Past research has called these beliefs“mindsets(思维模式),”with a“fixed mindset”referring to the belief that people cannot change and a“growth mindset”referring to the belief that people can change.
G)In one recent study,we examined 360 adolescents'beliefs about the nature of"smartness”that is, their fixed mindsets about intelligence.We then assessed biological stress responses for students whose grades were dropping by examining their stress hormones (荷尔蒙) .Students who believed that intelligence is fixed that you are stuck being“not smart”if you struggle in school showed higher levels of stress hormones when their grades were declining at the beginning of the ninth grade.If students believed that intelligence could improve that is to say,when they held more of a growth mindset of intelligence they showed lower levels of stress hormones when their grades were declining.This was an exciting result because it showed that the body's stress responses are not determined solely by one's grades.Instead,declining grades only predicted worse stress hormones among students who believed that worsening grades were a permanent and hopeless state of affairs.
H)We also investigated the social side of the high school transition.In this study,instead of teaching students that their smartness can change,we taught them that their social standing that is,whether they are bullied or excluded or left out can changeover time.We then looked at high school students' stress responses to daily social difficulties.That is,we taught them a growth mindset about their social lives.In this study,students came into the laboratory and were asked to give a public speech in front of upper-year students.The topic of the speech was what makes one popular in high school.Following this,students had to complete a difficult mental math task in front of the same upper-year students.
I)Experiment results showed that students who were not taught that people can change showed poor stress responses.When these students gave the speech,their blood vessels contracted and their hearts pumped less blood through the body—both responses that the body shows when it is preparing for damage or defeat after a physical threat.Then they gave worse speeches and made more mistakes in math.But when students were taught that people can change,they had better responses to stress,in part because they felt like they had the resources to deal with the demanding situation.Students who got the growth mindset intervention (干预) showed less-contracted blood vessels and their hearts pumped more blood both of which contributed to more oxygen getting to the brain,and,ultimately, better performance on the speech and mental math tasks.
J)These findings lead to several possibilities that we are investigating further.First,we are working to replicate(复制)these findings in more diverse school communities.We want to know in which types of schools and for which kinds of students these growth mindset ideas help young people adapt to the challenges of high school.We also hope to learn how teachers,parents or school counselors can help students keep their ongoing academic or social difficulties in perspective.We wonder what would happen if schools helped to make beliefs about the potential for change and improvement a larger feature of the overall school culture,especially for students starting the ninth grade.
36.The number of people experiencing depression shows a sharp increase in the first year of high school.
37.According to one study,students'academic performance is not the only decisive factor of their stress responses.
38.Researchers would like to explore further how parents and schools can help ninth graders by changing their mindset.
39.According to one study,each high school graduate contributes at least 500,000 dollars to the local economy.
40.In one study,students were told their social position in school is not unchangeable. 41.It is reported that depression results in enormous economic losses worldwide.
42.One study showed that friendships among ninth graders were far from stable.
43.More than half of students will find their academic performance declining sharply when they enter the ninth grade.
44.Researchers found through experiments that students could be taught to respond to stress in a more positive way.
45.It is beneficial to explore ways to cope with the challenges facing students entering high school.
答案解析
36.【定位】由题干中的depression、increase和the first year of high school定位到文章E)段第一句。
E)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，研究发现，高中一年级通常是人一生中抑郁症增加最多的年份之一。题干中的The number of people expericncing depression shows a sharp increase 对应原文中的one of the greatest increases in depression of any year over the lifespan,故答案为E)。
37.【定位】由题干中的 the only decisive factor 和stress responses 定位到文章 G)段倒数第二句。
G)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句指出，这是一个令人激动的结果，因为它表明身体的应激反应并非仅仅取决于一个人的成绩。题干中的 not the only decisive factor 对应定位句中的 not determined solely,题干中的students'academic performance 指的就是定位句中的one's grades,故答案为G)。
38.【定位】由题干中的 parents and schools 和help 定位到文章J)段倒数第二句。
J）【精析】细节归纳题。定位句指出，我们还希望了解老师、家长或学校辅导员如何帮助学生正确看 待持续存在的学业或社交困难。题干中的Researchers和parents and schools分别对应定位句中的We和teachers,parents or school counselors, 题干中的can help ninth graders by changing their mindset 是对定位句中can help students keep their ongoing academic or social difficulties in perspective 的概括归纳，故答案为J)。
39.【定位】由 题 干中 的 one study 、high school graduate,500,000 dollars和the local economy 定位到文章C)段倒数第二句。
C) 【精析】同义转述题。定位句指出， 一项研究估测， 每多一名完成高中学业的学生，其对当地经济产生的终生收益为50万美元或更多。题干中的According to one study 和 each high school graduate 分别对应定位句中的One study has calculated that 和a single additional student who completes high school,题干中的contributes at least 500,000 dollars to the local economy是对定位句中the lifetime benefit to the local economy.…is half a milion dollars or more 的同义转述，故答案为C)。
40.【定位】由题干中的one study 、students 、their social position和not unchangeable定位到文章H)段第二句。
H)【精析】细节归纳题。定位句指出，在这项研究中， 研究人员没有教学生他们的聪明才智可以改变， 而是告诉他们，他们的社会地位可以随着时间的推移而改变。题干中的 students were told 和 their social position 分别对应定位句中的we taught them 和their social standing,题干中的is not unchangeable 是对定位句中can change over time的同义转述，故答案为H）。
41.【定位】由题干中的depression、losses 和worldwide定位到文章E)段最后一句。
E) 【精析】细节归纳题。定位句指出，世界卫生组织 报告称，从治疗总成本和生产力损失来看，抑郁症 是全世界负担最重的疾病。题干中的 It is reported that 对应定位句中的The World Health Organization reports that,题干中的depression results in enormous economic losses worldwide是对定位句中depression has the greatest burden of disease worldwide,in terms of the total cost of treatment and the loss of productivity 的概括归纳，故答案为E)。
42.【定位】由题干中的One study 、friendships among ninth graders 和far from stable定位到文章 D)段最后一句。
D)【精析】细节归纳题。定位句指出， 一项针对九年级学生的研究发现，九年级学生中有50%的友谊从一个月到下个月就发生了变化，这表明友谊存 在显著的不稳定性。题干中的 friendships among ninth graders 对应定位句中的friendships among ninth graders,题干中的far from stable 是对定位句中striking instability 的同义转述，故答案为 D)。
43.【定位】由题干中的academic performance declining sharply和 the ninth grade定位到文章A)段第四句。
A)【精析】同义转述题。定位句指出，近三分之二的学生会经历“九年级冲击”,这是指学生的学业成 绩急剧下降。题干中的 More than half of students 对应定位句中的nearly two-thirds of students, 题干中的their academic performance declining sharply 是对定位句中 a dramatic drop in a student's academic performance 的同义转述，故答案为A)。
44.【定位】由题干中的experiments 、respond to stress 和positive定位到文章D段最后两句。
I) 【精析】细节归纳题。定位句指出，当学生们被教 导人是可以改变的，他们就能更好地应对压力，部 分原因是他们觉得自己有能力来应对苛刻的状况。接受成长思维模式干预的学生血管收缩更少，他们的心脏输送的血液更多——这两者都有助于更多的氧气进入大脑，最终，在语言和心算任务上表现更好。题干中的 respond to stress in a more positive way 是对定位句中 when students were taught that people can change,they had better responses to stress 的概括归纳，故答案为I）。
45.【定位】由题干中的 beneficial、explore、the challenges 和 high school 定位到文章 F) 段第一句。
F) 【精析】同义转述题。定位句指出，考虑到所有这些都依赖于一个成功的九年级经历，探索能够做些什么来迎接过渡到高中所面临的学业、社交和 情感的挑战是值得的。题干中的 It is beneficial 和 explore ways to cope with the challenges对应 定位句中的 it pays 和 explore what can be done to meet the academic, social and emotional challenges。题干是对定位句的同义转述，故答案为F)。
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 based on the following passage.
Educators and business leaders have more in common than it may seem.Teachers want to prepare students for a successful future.Technology companies have an interest in developing a workforce with the STEM(science,technology,engineering and math)skills needed to grow the company and advance the industry.How can they work together to achieve these goals?Play may be the answer.
Focusing on STEM skills is important,but the reality is that STEM skills are enhanced and more relevant when combined with traditional,hands-on creative activities.This combination is proving to be the best way to prepare today's children to be the makers and builders of tomorrow.That is why technology companies are partnering with educators to bring back good,old-fashioned play.
In fact many experts argue that the most important 21st-century skills aren't related to specific technologies or subject matter,but to creativity;skills like imagination,problem-finding and problem-solving,teamwork,optimism,patience and the ability to experiment and take risks.These are skills acquired when kids tinker-(鼓捣小玩意):High-tech industries such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have found that their best overall problem solvers were master tinkerers in their youth.
There are cognitive (认知的 ) benefits of doing things the way we did as children building something,tearing it down,then building it up again.Research shows that given 15 minutes of free play, four-and five-year-olds will spend a third of this time engaged in spatial,mathematical,and architectural activities.This type of play especially with building blocks helps chidren discover and develop key principles in math and geometry.
If play and building are critical to 21st-century skill development,that's really good news for two reasons:Children are born builders,makers,and creators,so fostering(培养)21st-century skills may be as simple as giving kids room to play,tinker and try things out,even as they grow older.Secondly,it doesn't take 21st-century technology to foster 21st-century skills.This is especially important for under- resourced schools and communities.Taking whatever materials are handy and tinkering with them is a simple way to engage those important“maker”skills.And anyone,anywhere,can do it.
46.What does the author say about educators?
A)They seek advice from technology companies to achieve teaching goals.
B)They have been successful in preparing the workforce for companies.
C)They help students acquire the skills needed for their future success.
D)They partner with technology companies to enhance teaching efficiency.
47.How can educators better develop students'STEM skills,according to the author?
A)By blending them with traditional,stimulating activities.
B)By inviting business leaders to help design curriculums.
C)By enhancing students'ability to think in a critical way.
D)By showing students the best way to learn is through play.
48.How do children acquire the skills needed for the 21st century?
A)By engaging in activities involving specific technologies.
B)By playing with things to solve problems on their own.
C)By familiarizing themselves with high-tech gadgets.
D)By mastering basic principles through teamwork.
49.What can we do to help children learn the basics of math and geometry?
A)Stimulate their interest as early as possible.
B)Spend more time playing games with them.
C)Encourage them to make things with hands.
D)Allow them to tinker freely with calculators.
50.What does the author advise disadvantaged schools and communities to do?
A)Train students to be makers to meet future market demands.
B)Develop students'creative skills with the resources available.
C)Engage students with challenging tasks to foster their creativity.
D)Work together with companies to improve their teaching facilities.
答案解析
46.【定位】由题干中的educators 定位到首段前两句。
C)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句指出，教育工作者和商界领袖的共同点比看起来要多。教师希望为学生成功的未来做好准备。Teachers“教师”指的就 是educators“教育工作者”,由此可见，教育工作者帮助学生为成功的未来做好准备，即帮助学生获 得未来成功所需的技能，故答案为C)。
47.【定位】由题干中的 better develop students' STEM skills 定位到第二段第一、二句。
A)【精析】推理判断题。定位句提到，专注于STEM技能很重要，但当STEM技能与传统的动手创造性活动相结合时，这些技能会增强。事实证明，这种结合是让今天的孩子成为明天的创造者和建设者的最佳方式。换言之，通过将培养STEM技能与传统的、趣味盎然的活动相结合，能够更好地培养学生的 STEM 技能，故答案为A)。
48. 【定位】由题干中的 children acquire the skills needed for the 21st century 定位到第三段第一、 二句。
B) 【精析】推理判断题。定位句指出，许多专家认为21世纪最重要的技能与特定的技术或主题无关， 而是与创造力有关；如想象力、发现问题和解决问题的能力、团队合作、乐观、耐心以及做实验和冒险的能力。这些都是孩子们鼓捣小玩意时获得的 技能。由此可见，孩子们可以通过摆弄东西来自己解决问题，从而获得21世纪所需的技能，故答案为 B)。
49.【定位】由题干中的 basics of math and geometry 定位到第四段最后一句。
C)【精析】推理判断题。定位句提到，这种类型的游戏——特别是搭积木——帮助孩子们发现和掌握数学和几何学的关键原理。由此可见，鼓励孩子们动手做东西可以帮助孩子们学习数学和几何的基础知识，故答案为C)。
50.【定位】由题干中的 disadvantaged schools and communities 定位到文章最后一段最后三句。
B) 【精析】推理判断题。定位句指出，这一点对于资源不足的学校和社区尤其重要。利用手边的任何材料，让孩子们去鼓捣小玩意，这是运用那些重要的“制造者”技能的一个简单方法。任何人在任何地方都能做到。换言之，资源不足的学校和社区应尽可能地利用现有资源，故答案为B)。
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Being an information technology,or IT,worker is not a job I envy.They are the ones who,right in the middle of a critical meeting,are expected to instantly fix the projector that's no longer working.They have to tolerate the bad tempers of colleagues frustrated at the number of times they've had to call the help desk for the same issue.They are also the ones who know there are systems that are more powerful, reliable and faster,but their employer simply will not put up the funds to buy them.
According to a recent survey,employees who have a job reliant on IT support consider IT a major source of job dissatisfaction.Through no fault of their own,they can suddenly find their productivity deteriorating or quality control non-existent.And there's little they can do about it.
The experience of using IT penetrates almost the entire work field.It has become a crucial part of employees'overall work experience.When IT is operating as it should,employee self-confidence swells. Their job satisfaction,too,can surge when well-functioning machines relieve them of dull tasks or repetitive processes.But if there's one thing that triggers widespread employee frustration,it's an IT transformation project gone wrong,where swollen expectations have been popped and a long list of promised efficiencies have been reversed.This occurs when business leaders implement IT initiatives with little consideration of how those changes will impact the end user.
Which is why managers should appreciate just how influential the IT user experience is to their employees,and exert substantial effort in ensuring their IT team eliminates programming errors and application crashes.Adequate and timely IT support should also be available to enable users to cope with technological issues at work.More importantly,IT practitioners need to understand what employees experience mentally when they use IT.
Therefore,businesses need to set up their IT infrastructure so that it is designed to fit in with their employees'work,rather than adjust their work to fit in with the company's IT limitations.
51.What does the author say about working in IT?
A)It is envied by many.
B)It does not appeal to him.
C)It is financially rewarding.
D)It does not match his abilities.
52.What is the finding of a recent survey on employees who have a job reliant on IT support?
A)IT helps boost productivity.
B)IT helps improve quality control.
C)Many employees are deeply frustrated by IT.
D)Most employees rely heavily on IT in their work.
53.What is said to happen when IT is functioning properly?
A)There is a big boost in employees'work efficiency.
B)Employees become more dependent on machines.
C)There are no longer any boring or repetitive tasks.
D)Employees become more confident in their work.
54.What should business leaders do before implementing new IT initiatives?
A)Consider the various expectations of their customers.
B)Draw up a list of the efficiencies to be promised.
C)Assess the swollen cost of training the employees.
D)Think about the possible effects on their employees.
55.How can a business help improve its employees'experience in using IT?
A)By designing systems that suit their needs.
B)By ensuring that their mental health is sound.
C)By adjusting their work to suit the IT system.
D)By offering them regular in-service training.
答案解析
51.【定位】由题干中的 working in IT 定位到第一段第一句。
B)【精析】推理判断题。定位句提到，“我”并不羡慕 信息技术工作者，或者说IT工作者的工作。由此 可知，作者对这样的工作不感兴趣，故答案为B)。
52.【定位】由题干中的 a job reliant on IT support定位到第二段。
C) 【精析】细节辨认题。定位段提到，根据最近的一项调查，那些自身工作依赖信息技术支持的员工认为，信息技术是他们工作不满意的主要原因。他们自己毫无过错，却突然发现生产效率在下降， 或质量控制不起作用。他们对此几乎无能为力。 由此可知，答案为C)。
53.【定位】由题干中的 TT is functioning properly 定 位到第三段第三、四句。
D)【精析】推理判断题。定位句指出，当信息技术正常运作时，员工的自信心就会增加。当运转良好的机器将他们从枯燥的任务或重复性的流程中解放出来时，他们的工作满意度也会激增。换言之， 当信息技术正常运行时，员工对自己的工作更有信心，故答案为D)。
54.【定位】由题干中的implementing new IT initiatives 定位到第三段最后一句。
D)【精析】推理判断题。定位句指出，当业务领导在 实施信息技术计划时很少考虑这些更改将如何影响终端用户时，就会发生这种情况。结合本段倒数第二句可知，这种情况指的是一且信息技术改造项目出问题，会导致满满的期望破灭， 一长串承诺提高效率的方法被推翻。因此，业务领导在实施信息技术计划时，应考虑对员工可能产生的影响，故答案为 D)。
55.【定位】由题干中的business,improve its employees' experience in using IT定位到文章最后一段。
A) 【精析】细节辨认题。文章最后一段指出，企业需要建立自己的信息技术基础设施，使其设计能够适应员工的工作，而不是让员工调整自己的工作以适应公司的信息技术系统。即企业应设计适合员工工作需求的系统，故答案为A)。
