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 word bank following the passage.Read the pasage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank is identified bya 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.
Social isolation poses more health risks than obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day,according to research published by Brigham Young University.The 26 is that loneliness is a huge,if silent,risk factor.
Loneliness affects physical health in two ways.First,it produces stress hormones that can lead to many health problems.Second,people who live alone are less likely to go to the doctor 27 ,to exercise or to eat a healthy diet.
Public health experts in many countries are 28 how to address widespread loneliness in our society.Last year Britain even appointed a minister for loneliness.“Loneliness 29 almost every one of us at some point,"its minister for loneliness Baroness Barran said.“It can lead to very serious ealth 30 for individuals who become isolated and disconnected.”
Barran started a“Let's Talk Loneliness”campaign that 31 difficult conversations across Britain. He is now supporting“ 32 benches,"which are public seating areas where people are encouraged to go and chat with one another.The minister is also 33 to stop public transportation from being cut in ways that leave people isolated.
More than one-fifth of adults in both the United States and Britain said in a 2018 34 that they often or always feel lonely.More than half of American adults are unmarried,and researchers have found that even among those who are married,30% of relationships are 35 strained.A quarter of Americans now live alone,and as the song says,one is the loneliest number.
A)abruptly F)friendly K)severely
B)appointments G)hindered L)sparke
C)consequences H)idiom M)splitting
D)debating I)implication N)survey
E)dimensions J)pushing O)touches
答案解析
26.I）【语义判断】本句意为：______孤独是一个巨大的风险因素，尽管它是无声的。由上一句可知，与社会隔绝带来的健康风险比肥胖或每天吸15支烟更大，这说明孤独是一个巨大的风险因素，因此空格处应填入含有“说明，表明”意义的名词，故本 题答案为I）implication。在备选项中，H)idiom和N)survey 不符合语义，因此排除。
27.B) 【语义判断】本句意为；独居的人不太可能去医生_______。由句意可知，独居的人不太可能去看医生。the doctorappointments意为“就诊预约”, 而go tothedoctor appointments是固定表达，意为“去看医生”,故本题答案为B)appointments。
28.D )【语义判断】本句意为：许多国家的公共卫生专家正在______如何解决社会中普遍存在的孤独问题。由前两段可知，孤独带来很多危害，那么专家们需要研究如何解决这一问题，因此空格处应填入含有或接近“研究”意义的动词。备选词中只有D)debating“讨论”词义最接近，故为本题答案。
29.O) 【语义判断】备选词中只有O)touches 符合语法要求，将它代人句中，则句意为“几乎每个人在某 个时刻都会感到孤独”,符合文义，因此本题答案为O)touches。
30.C) 【语义判断】本句意为：对于变得孤立和与世隔绝的人来说，它会导致非常严重的健康______。由第一段可知，孤独带来很大的健康风险，那么自然会引起严重的健康后果，因此空格处应填入含有“结果，后果”意义的名词，故本题答案为C)consequences,
31.L)【语义判断】本句意为：巴伦发起了一个名为“让我们谈谈孤独”的活动，在全英国______艰难的对话。由句意可知，该活动让人们开始谈论孤独，也就是所谓的“艰难的对话”,因此空格处应填人含有“引起，激起”意义的词，故本题答案为L)sparked。
32.F) 【语义判断】分析句意可知，所谓的“ ______benches”就是人们可以互相聊天的公共座位区域，因此空格处应填入含有积极意义的形容词，以体现出 benches 的积极作用，故本题答案为 F)friendly 。备选项中只有一个形容词，也可以由此确定答案。
33.J）【语义判断】本句意为：这位部长还______阻止 公共交通中断，以免人们被孤立。本句中的The minister 指的就是英国负责孤独问题的部长，这是他为了减少孤独而采取的另外一项措施，因此空格处应填入含有或接近“试图，努力”意义的词，故 本题答案为J)pushing
34.N）【语义判断】本句意为：在2018年的一项______中，美国和英国超过五分之一的成年人表示，他们经常或总是感到孤独。由句意可知，空格处应填入含有“研究，调查”意义的名词，故本题答案为 N)survey。
35.K)【语义判断】本句意为：即使是那些已婚人士，也有 30%的人关系______紧张。由句意可知，空格处应填入表示程度的副词，故本题答案为K)severely。另外一个备选副词A)abruptly 不能表示程度，因此排除。
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.
What happens when a language has no words for numbers?
A)Numbers do not exist in all cultures.There are numberless hunter-gatherers in Amazonia,living along branches of the world's largest river tree.Instead of using words for precise quantities,these people rely exclusively on terms similar to“a few”or“some.”In contrast,our own lives are governed by numbers.As you read this,you are likely aware of what time it is,how old you are,your checking account balance,your weight and so on.The exact numbers we think with impact everything in our lives.
B)But,in a historical sense,number-conscious people like us are the unusual ones.For the bulk of our species'approximately 200,000-year lifespan,we had no means of precisely representing quantities. What's more,the 7,000 or so languages that exist today vary dramatically in how they utilize numbers.
C)Speakers of anumeric,or numberless,languages offer a window into how the invention of numbers reshaped the human experience.Cultures without numbers,or with only one or two precise numbers,include the Munduruku and Piraha in Amazonia.Rescarchers have also studicd some adults in Nicaragua who were never taught number words.Without numbers,healthy human adults struggle to precisely distinguish and recall quantities as low as four.In an experiment,a researcher will place nuts into a can one at a time and then remove them one by one.The person watching is asked to signal when all the nuts have been removed.Responses suggest that anumeric people have some trouble keeping track of how many nuts remain in the can,even if there are only four or five in total.
D) This and many other experiments have led to a simple conclusion;When people do not have number words,they struggle to make quantitative distinctions that probably seem natural to someone like you or me.While only a small portion of the world's languages are anumeric or nearly anumeric,they demonstrate that number words are not a human universal.
E)It is worth stressing that these anumeric people are cognitively(在认知方面) normal,well-adapted to the surroundings they have dominated for centuries.As a child,I spent some time living with anumeric people,the Piraha who live along the banks of the black Maici River.Like other outsiders,I was continually impressed by their superior understanding of the ecology we shared.Yet numberless people struggle with tasks that require precise discrimination between quantities.Perhaps this should be unsurprising.After all,without counting,how can someone tell whether there are,say,seven or eight cocoruts(椰子)in a tree?Such seemingly straightforward distinctions become blurry through mmberless eyes.
F)This conclusion is echoed by work with anumeric children in industrialized societies.Prior to being spoon-fed number words,children can only approximately discriminate quantities beyond three.We must be handed the cognitive tools of numbers before we can consistently and easily recognize higher quantities.In fact,acquiring the exact meaning of mumber words is a painstaking process that takes children years.Initially,kids learn numbers much like they learn letters.They recognize that numbers are organized sequentially,but have little awareness of what each individual number means.With time,they start to understand that a given number represents a quantity greater by one than the number coming before it.This “successor principle”is part of the foundation of our numerical(数字的)cognition,but requires extensive practice to understand.
G)None of us,then,is really a“numbers person.”We are not born to handle quantitative distinctions skillfully.In the absence of the cultural traditions that fill our lives with numbers from infancy,we would all struggle with even basic quantitative distinctions.Number words and their written forms transform our quantitative reasoning as they are introduced into our cognitive experience by our parents,peers and school teachers.The process seems so normal that we sometimes think of it as a natural part of growing up,but it is not.Human brains come equipped with certain quantitative instincts that are refined with age,but these instincts are very limited.
H） Compared with other mammals,our numerical instincts are not as remarkable as many assume.We even share some basic instinctual quantitative reasoning with distant non-mammalian relatives like birds.Indeed,work with some other species suggests they too can refine their quantitative thought if they are introduced to the cognitive power tools we call numbers.
I)So,how did we ever invent"unnatural"numbers in the first place?The answer is,literally,at your fingertips.The bulk of the world's languages use base-10,base-20 or base-5 number systems.That is, these smaller numbers are the basis of larger numbers.English is a base-10 or decimal (十进制的) language,as evidenced by words like 14(“four”+“10”)and 31("three”ד10”+“one”).We speak a decimal language because an ancestral tongue,proto-Indo-European,was decimally based.Proto-Indo- European was decimally oriented because,as in so many cultures,our ancestors'hands served as the gateway to the realization that“five fingers on one hand is the same as five fingers on the other.”Such momentary thoughts were represented in words and passed down across generations.This is why the word“five”in many languages is derived from the word for“hand.”Most number systems,then,are the by-product of two key factors:the human capacity for language and our inclination for focusing on our hands and fingers.This manual fixation—an indirect by-product of walking upright on two legs has helped yield numbers in most cultures,but not all.
J) Cultures without numbers also offer insight into the cognitive influence of particular numeric traditions.Consider what time it is.Your day is ruled by minutes and seconds,but these concepts are not real in any physical sense and are nonexistent to numberless people.Minutes and seconds are the verbal and written representations of an uncommon base-60 number system used in ancient Mesopotamia.They reside in our minds,numerical artifacts (人工制品) that not all humans inherit conceptually.
K) Research on the language of numbers shows,more and more,that one of our species'key characteristics is tremendous linguistic(语言的)and cognitive diversity.If we are to truly understand how much our cognitive lives differ cross-culturally,we must continually explore the depths of our species'linguistic diversity.
36.It is difficult for anumeric people to keep track of the change in numbers even when the total is very small. 37.Human numerical instincts are not so superior to those of other mammals as is generally believed.
38.The author emphasizes being anumeric does not affect one's cognitive ability.
39.In the long history of mankind,humans who use numbers are a very small minority.
40.An in-depth study of differences between human languages contributes to a true understanding of cognitive differences between cultures.
41.A conclusion has been drawn from many experiments that anumeric people have a hard time distinguishing quantities.
42.Making quantitative distinctions is not an inborn skill.
43.Every aspect of our lives is affected by numbers.
44.Larger numbers are said to be built upon smaller numbers.
45.It takes great efforts for children to grasp the concept of number words.
答案解析
36.【定位】由题干中的anumeric people和 keep track of 定位到文章C)段最后一句。
C)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，他们的反应表明，没有数字概念的人很难记住罐子中还有多少坚果，尽管总数只有四个或五个。题干中的 anumeric people和keep track of 和原文表达方式完全一致，且题干中的change in numbers对应原文中的 how many nuts remain in thecan,故答 案为C)。
37.【定位】由题干中的Human numerical instincts和 other mammals定位到文章 H)段第一句。
H)【精析】同义转述题。定位句指出，和其他哺乳动物相比，我们的数字本能并不像很多人想象的那样非凡。题干中的Human numerical instincts和other mammals和文中所述一致，且题干中的superior to对应原文中的remarkable, 题干中的as is generally believed对应原文中的as many assume,故答案为H)。
38.【定位】由题干中的anumeric和 cognitive ability 定位到文章E)段第一句。
E)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，值得强调的是这些不懂数字的人在认知方面是正常的，很好地适应了他们统治了几个世纪的环境。题干中的not affect one's cognitive ability对应原文中的cognitively normal,故答案为E)。
39.【定位】由题干中的In thelong history of mankind定位到文章 B) 段第一句。
B)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，从历史意义来看，像我们这样对数字有意识的人类是不寻常的题干中的In the long history of mankind 对应原文中的in a historical sense,题干中的a very small minority 对应原文中的the unusualones。 故答案为B)。
40.【定位】由题干中的differences between human languages 和 cognitive differences between cultures定位到文章K)段最后一句。
K)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，如果我们想真正理解我们的认知生活在不同文化中有多么不同，我们就必须持续地探索人类语言多样性的深度。题干中的 differences between human languages对应原文中的our species'linguistic diversity,题干中的cognitive differences between cultures对应原文中的how much our cognitive lives differ cross-culturally,故答案为K)。
41.【定位】由题干中的many experiments和a hard time distinguishing quantities定位到文章D)段第一句。
D)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，这个实验和许多其他的实验得出了一个简单的结论：当人们没有数字词汇时，他们很难进行数量上的区分，尽管这些对于你我这样的人而言是非常自然的事情。题干中的experiments和conclusion 均和原文一致。题干中的anumeric people对应原文中的people do not have number words,题干中的have a hard time distinguishing quantities 对应原文中的struggle to make quantitative distinctions,故答案为D)。
42.【定位】由题干中的 Making quantitative distinctions和not an inborn skill定位到文章 G)段第二句。
G)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，我们不是天生就能够熟练地进行定量区分。题干中的Making quantitative distinctions 对应原文中的 handle quantitative distinctions,题干中的notan inborn skill对应原文中的are not born to,故答案为G)。
43.【定位】由题干中的Everyaspect of our lives和numbers定位到文章A)段最后三句。
A)【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，我们的生活是被数字支配的。就在你读这篇文章的时候，你很可能知道现在是几点了，你多大了，你的支票账户余额，你的体重等等。我们思考所用的确切的数 字影响着我们生活中的一切。题干中的every aspect of our lives 对应原文中的everything in our lives,故答案为A)。
44.【定位】由题干中的Larger numbers和 smaller numbers 定位到文章D段第四句。
I）【精析】同义转述题。定位句提到，这些小一些的数字是大一些的数字的基础。题干中的Larger numbers和smaller numbers均和原文一致，题干中的to be built upon对应原文中的are the basis of, 故答案为I。
45. 【定位】由题干中的takes great efforts for children和grasp theconceptof number words定位到文章 F)段最后一句。
F) 【精析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，这种“顺序原理”是我们数字认知的基础之一，但是需要大量的 练习去理解。题干中的takes great efforts对应原文中的requires extensive practice,题干中的the concept of number words对应原文中的the foundation of our numerical cognition,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.
Sugar shocked.That describes the reaction of many Americans this week following revelations that, 50 years ago,the sugar industry paid Harvard scientists for research that shifted the focus away from sugar's role in heart disease and put the spotlight (注意的中心)squarely on dietary fat.
What might surprise consumers is just how many present-day nutrition studies are still funded by the food industry.Nutrition scholar Marion Nestle of New York University spent a year informally tracking industry-funded studies on food.“Roughly 90% of nearly 170 studies favored the sponsor's interest,” Nestle tells us.Other systematic reviews support her conclusions.
For instance,studies funded by Welch Foods-the brand behind Welch's 100% Grape Juice-found that drinking Concord grape juice daily may boost brain function.Another,funded by Quaker Oats,concluded,as a Daily Mail story put it,that“hot aatmeal(燕麦粥)breakfast keeps you full for longer.”
Last year,The New York Times revealed how Coca-Cola was funding well-lnown scientists and organizations promoting a message that,in the battle against weight gain,people should pay more attention to exercise and less to what they eat and drink.Coca-Cola also released data detailing its funding of several medical institutions and associations between 2010 and 2015.
“It's certainly a problem that so much research in nutrition and health is funded by industry,”says Bonnie Liebman,director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.“When the food industry pays for research,it often gets what it pays for.”And what it pays for is often a pro-industry finding
-Given thisenv ironment,consumers should be skeptical(怀疑的)whenreading the-latest finding-in nutrition science and ignore the latest study that pops up on your news feed.“Rely on health experts who've reviewed all the evidence,"Liebman says,pointing to the official government Dietary Guidelines,which are based on reviews of hundreds of studies.
“And that expert advice remains pretty simple,"says Nestle."We know what healthy diets are-lots of vegetables,not too much junk food,balanced calories.Everything else is really difficult to do experimentally.”
46.What did Harvard scientists do 50 years ago?
A)They raised public awareness of the possible causes of heart disease.
B)They turned public attention away from the health risks of sugar to fat.
C)They placed the sugar industry in the spotlight with their new findings.
D)They conducted large-scale research on the role of sugar in people's health.
47.What does Marion Nestle say about present-day nutrition studies?
A)They took her a full year to track and analyze.
B)Most of them are based on systematic reviews.
C)They depend on funding from the food industries.
D)Nearly all of them serve the purpose of the funders.
48.What did Coca-Cola-funded studies claim?
A)Exercise is more important to good health than diet.
B)Choosing what to eat and drink is key to weight control.
C)Drinking Coca-Cola does not contribute to weight gain.
D)The food industry plays a major role in fighting obesity.
49.What does Liebman say about industry-funded research?
A)It simply focuses on nutrition and health.
B)It causes confusion among consumers.
C)It rarely results in objective findings.
D)It runs counter to the public interest.
50.What is the author's advice to consumers?
A)Follow their intuition in deciding what to eat.
B)Be doubtful of diet experts'recommendations.
C)Ignore irrelevant information on their news feed.
D)Think twice about new nutrition research findings.
答案解析
46.【定位】由题干中的Harvard scientists和50 years ago定位到首段第二句。
B)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句指出，50年前，制糖业资助哈佛大学科学家将研究重心从糖在心脏病 中的影响，转移到了膳食脂肪。由此可见，他们把公众的注意力从糖的健康风险转移到脂肪上，故答案为B)。
47.【定位】由题干中的Marion Nestle和 present-day nutrition studies 定位到第二段。
D)【精析】推理判断题。定位段第二、三句提到，纽约大学的营养学家玛丽恩·内斯特尔花了一年的时 间非正式地跟踪了各种工业资助的食品研究。她指出，在将近170项研究中，大约有90%的研究都会偏祖赞助商的利益。其他系统的研究综述也支持她的结论。由此可知，几乎所有的营养研究都是为资助者服务的，D)中的Nearly all of them对应原文中的Roughly 90%ofnearly 170 studies, 故答案为D)。
48.【定位】由题干中的Coca-Cola-funded studies定位到第四段第一句。
A)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句指出，去年，《纽约时报》披露了可口可乐公司资助知名科学家以及组织来宜传一个信息，在对抗增重的斗争中，人们应该更加注意锻炼，少关注饮食。由此可见，由可口可乐公司资助的研究声称锻炼对于身体健康比饮食更重要，故答案为A)。
49.【定位】由题干中的Liebman 和industry-funded research定位到第五段。
C 【精析】推理判断题。第五段第二、三句提到，利伯曼认为“食品工业为研究提供资金时，通常会得到相应的回报。”他们所支付的往往是一个利于推动该行业的发展的发现。由此可见，由食品工业资助的研究，其结果并不客观，故答案为C)。
50.【定位】由题干中的 author's advice to consumers 定位到第六段第一句。
D)【精析】推理判断题。定位句指出，鉴于这种环境，消费者在阅读营养科学的最新发现时应持怀疑态度，并且忽略新闻推送上弹出的最新研究。由此可见，作者的建议是对新的营养研究成果三思而后行，D)中的Think twice对应原文中的skeptical,故答案为D)。
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Success was once defined as being able to stay at a company for a long time and move up the corporate ladder.The goal was to reach the top,accumulate wealth and retire to a life of ease.My father is a successful senior executive.In 35 years,he worked for only three companies.
When I started my career,things were already different.If you weren't changing companies every three or four years,you simply weren't getting ahead in your career.But back then,if you were a consultant or freelancer (自由职业者),people would wonder what was wrong with you.They would assume you had problems getting a job.
Today,consulting or freelancing for five businesses at the same time is a badge of honor.It shows how valuable an individual is.Many companies now look to these“ultimate professionals”to solve problems their full-time teams can't.Or they save money by hiring"top-tier (顶尖的)experts"only for particular projects.
Working at home or in cafes,starting businesses of their own,and even launching business ventures that eventually may fail,all indicate “initiative,”“creativity,”and “adaptability,”which are desirable qualities in today's workplace.Most important,there is a growing recognition that people who balance work and play,and who work at what they are passionate about,are more focused and productive,delivering greater value to their clients.
Who are these people?They are artists,writers,programmers,providers of office services and career advice.What's needed now is a marketplace platform specifically designed to bring freelancers and clients together.Such platforms then become a place to feature the most experienced,professional,and
creative talent.This is where they conduct business,where a sense of community reinforces the culture and values of the gig economy ( 零 工 经 济 ) ,and where success is rewarded with good revicws that encourage more business.
Slowly but surely,these platforms create a bridge between traditional enterprises and this emerging economy.Perhaps more important,as the global economy continues to be disrupted by technology and other massive change,the gig cconomy will itself become an engine of economic and social transformation.
51.What does the author use the example of his father to illustrate?
A)How long people took to reach the top of their career.
B)How people accumulated wealth in his father's time.
C)How people viewed success in his father's time.
D)How long people usually stayed in a company.
52.Why did people often change jobs when the author started his career?
A)It was considered a fashion at that time.
B)It was a way to advance in their career.
C)It was a response to the changing job market.
D)It was difficult to keep a job for long.
53.What does the author say about people now working for several businesses at the same time?
A)They are often regarded as most treasured talents.
B)They are able to bring their potential into fuller play.
C)They have control over their life and work schedules.
D)They feel proud of being outstanding problem solver.
54.What have businesses come to recognize now?
A)Who is capable of solving problems with ease.
B)How people can be more focused and productive.
C)What kind of people can contribute more to them.
D)Why some people are more passionate about work.
55.What does the author say about the gig economy?
A)It may force companies to reform their business practice.
B)It may soon replace the traditional economic model.
C)It will drive technological progress on a global scale.
D)It will bring about radical economic and social changes.
答案解析
51.【定位】由题干中的the example of his father定位到第一段。
C) 【精析】推理判断题。定位段指出，成功曾经被定义为能在一家公司任职很长时间并获得晋升。目的是到达高位，积累财富，退休后安度晚年。第三、四句提到了作者父亲的亲身经历，用以说明该段前两句的内容，即在其父辈的年代，人们对于成 功的定义是怎样的，故答案为C)。
52.【定位】由题干中的often change jobs和the author started his career定位到第二段第一、二句。
B) 【精析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，当作者开始他的职业生涯时，事情已经不同了。如果你不是每三四年就换一家公司，那么就说明你并未在职业生涯中前进。由此可知，人们频繁换工作是为了促进职业发展，故答案为B)。
53.【定位】由题干中的working for several businesses at the sametime定位到第三段第一句。
A)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句指出，现如今，能够同时为五家企业工作是荣耀的象征。接下来的一句指出这能说明一个人的价值所在。也就是说，能同时为多家企业工作的人通常是有价值的人才， 故答案为A)。
54.【定位】由题干中的businesses和recognize定位 到第四段第二句。
C)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，越来越多的人意识到那些能够平衡工作和娱乐的人，以及做自己喜爱的工作的人，会更加专注和高效，从而为他们的客户提供更大的价值，故答案为C)。
55.【定位】根据选项内容和题文同序原则定位到最后一段末句。
D)【精析】细节辨认题。定位句指出，或许更重要的是，随着全球经济持续受到科技和其他重大改变的干扰，零工经济本身将会成为经济和社会转型的引擎，故答案为D)。
