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2024 年 12 月英语四级真题第 1 套
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: Suppose the business school of your university is conducting a survey to collect students' opinions
on the express delivery service industry in China. You are to write a response about its recent development and
its impact on people's lives. You will have 30 minutes to write the essay. You should write at least 120 words
but no more than 180 words.
Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two
or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question,
you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding
letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
1. A) She is making a special effort to be recognized.
B) She has been living in Fayetteville for 25 years.
C) She has been driving a school bus ever since 2009.
D) She is the longest-serving bus driver in Fayetteville.
2. A) The importance of their service to the city. C) The new proclamation issued early this week.
B) The number of riders they serve in the city. D) The significance of the event to take place March 18.
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
3. A) Budgeted $56.7 million for the coming school year. C) Proposed a spending increase by 5.99 percent.
B) Requested to raise teachers' salaries by 3 percent. D) Kept raising funds for at least 8 budget cycles.
4. A) Decrease in salaries for school administrators. C) Firing of less qualified faculty members.
B) Reduction in federal and state funding. D) Closing down of some less competitive schools.
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
5. A) They often take place in the Scottish highlands. C) Their damage can be as serious as that of bombs.
B) They usually happen in the middle of the night. D) Their loud claps can be confused with explosions.
6. A) They sent out a message to calm them down. C) They told them the military exercise was over.
B) They promised to stop the construction work. D) They set off to inspect the site of the plane crash.
7. A) Keep warm. C) Avoid driving.
B) Take caution. D) Use rail service.
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear
four questions. Both the conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question,
you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第1页，共9页letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
8. A) Why the man is so anxious to buy a new phone. C) How the man got into the habit of being wasteful.
B) How the man could possibly afford a new phone. D) Why the man is so fond of using his credit card.
9. A) It is not in fashion any more. C) It is not as fancy as his colleagues'.
B) It goes out of order frequently. D) It lacks functions office work requires.
10. A) It enables him to buy a new phone at a more favorable price.
B) It is a special offer to recent college graduates working in offices.
C) It is available to office workers who have a good enough credit score.
D) It allows him to borrow money without paying interest for six months.
11. A) She borrowed money to pay her debt. C) She enjoys buying a lot of fancy things.
B) She developed a habit of overspending. D) She regrets ignoring the woman's advice.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. A) Blog writing and natural resources saving. C) Audience participation in The Morning Show.
B) Joint efforts to improve the local community. D) Home ownership and environmental protection.
13. A) Not a realistic size for families. C) Only fit for families of four or less.
B) Not welcomed by most Americans. D) Only suitable for renting to the poor.
14. A) It should be changed. C) It will come true sooner or later.
B) It isn't easy to realize. D) It doesn't appeal to average families.
15. A) They help to lower housing prices. C) They are a good choice for many people.
B) They help to save up for larger houses. D) They are vital to reducing waste worldwide.
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or
four questions. Both the passages and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you
must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding
letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. A) Play outdoors and enjoy themselves. C) Take care of their well-being.
B) Beat challenges and take risks. D) Grow up strong and healthy.
17.A) Enable them to develop their motor skills. C) Reduce their stress and depression.
B) Help them to conceal their frustration. D) Prevent them from feeling lonely.
18. A) It begins early. C) It calls for lifelong efforts.
B) It proves demanding. D) It lies in nature experiences.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19. A) When companies share their information online. C) When companies embrace greater diversity
B) When their job search criteria are met fully. D) When they find job postings visually attractive.
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第2页，共9页20. A) Emails in the normal format. C) All companies in the same sector.
B) Major companies in one location. D) Various aspects of a company's workforce.
21.A) Job security. C) Minimum base salary.
B) Potential pay raises. D) Information about diversity.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22. A) Positive. C) Important.
B) Original. D) Surprising.
23. A) Dogs match their behavior with kids as much as with adults.
B) Kids and adults alike find in dogs a source of attachment.
C) Kids' attitude to dogs is influenced by adults.
D) Dogs can help kids in many ways.
24. A) Dogs pay much attention to the kids they live with.
B) Dogs view both adults and kids as social companions.
C) Kids differ from adults in their behavior towards dogs.
D) Kids need to be aware of the risks in playing with dogs.
25. A) Understanding dogs. C) Taking care of dogs.
B) Training dogs. D) Associating with dogs.
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
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 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 Toni Morrison died in 2019, the world lost one of its most influential authors. But Morrison
was not an early success. Her first novel was not published until she was 39, and her last appeared when
she was84. And Morrison was not ___26___ in this regard. Numerous writers produce masterpieces well
into their 70s and beyond. Such ___27___ accomplishments highlight an important point. Our capacity to
speak, write and learn new vocabulary does not seem to ___28___ with age. Our eyesight may dim and
our recall may weaken, but, by comparison, our ability to produce and to ___29___ language is well
preserved into older adulthood.
Indeed, the latest research that has emerged on language and aging shows that language mastery is a
___30___ that we begin as infants and continue on for the rest of our lives. Some aspects of our language
abilities, such as our knowledge of word meanings, ___31___ improve during middle and late adulthood.
One study, for example, found that adults over sixty had an average vocabulary size of over 21,000 words.
The researchers also studied a ___32___ of college students and found that their average vocabulary
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第3页，共9页contained ___33___ 16,000 words. In another study, older adults, with an average age of 75, ___34___
better than participants in their youth or middle years on tasks that required them to determine the meaning
of words. Thus, language seems to be a skill that, contrary to what many might ___35___, does not
weaken with age.
A) actually I) literary
B) approximately J) performed
C) assume K) rarely
D) component L) sample
E) comprehend M) undermined
F) deteriorate N) unique
G) equivalent O) unit
H) journey
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 making the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Why it's wrong to look at work-life balance as an achievement
A) Few topics have been so endlessly analysed as work-life balance. The quest to attain this mysterious state
has dominated discussion around careers for years—especially for working parents. The concept is often
presented as something to achieve, or a goal to reach. And once you've reached it, congratulations: you've
made it; you're a successful human being of the 21st century.
B) But the problem is that we often tell ourselves: "I'm going to put in eight hours' worth of work, and then I'm
going to put in eight hours' worth of 'me time', which will include my family, my hobbies, my workout, my
everything," says Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University. "I
don't think it's such a simple formula."
C) And, according to new findings, it may not be. Some researchers are now encouraging us to stop thinking
about work-life balance as an achievement that you either hit or don't. Instead, they suggest it may be more
of a lifelong process—a continuous, never-ending exercise that requires self-awareness and timely
adjustments. Researchers Ioana Lupu and Mayra Ruiz-Castro argue that work-life balance is "a cycle, not
an achievement". In their 2020 study, the researchers interviewed nearly 80 employees at two
London-based firms-an equal number of men and women between the ages of 30 and 50, all with at least
one dependent child—who worked in middle or senior management roles.
D) Although it sounds like the respondents had a lot in common, here's what separated them: about 30% of the
men and 50% of the women reported resisting working long hours. The other respondents, meanwhile, all
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第4页，共9页worked long hours because they thought that's what successful professionals should do.
E) Lupu and Ruiz-Castro looked at those who rejected the long hours and they found that those workers
actually had strikingly similar strategies for maintaining their work-life balance. They had a tendency to
reflect and question assumptions in the name of self-awareness and regularly took steps to adjust the things
standing in their way to work-life balance.
F) Lupu and Ruiz-Castro identified five steps that the respondents in the study who had better work-life balance
used in their jobs. First, they paused and reconsidered beliefs such as "I'm a professional, so I should work,
work, work", and asked themselves questions like, "What's currently causing me stress?" Second, after
identifying the cause, they zeroed in on their resultant emotions. Did they feel angry, sad, energised? Third,
they reprioritised, asking "Is working long hours really worth cutting back on family time?", for example.
Fourth, they considered their alternatives: is there anything at work that could be changed to accommodate
these new priorities? And finally, they implemented changes, like asking their supervisor for greater
flexibility, or deciding not to take on every project that comes their way.
G) This five-step process is something anyone can adopt. Going through the steps, and constantly checking in
with yourself, can help you shift and adapt your professional life to something that will better harmonise
with your personal one. "Awareness of your emotional state is essential in order to determine the changes
you want to make in your work and in your life," says Lupu.
H) New York University's Lechner agrees that finding that balance is an ongoing pursuit. It's not simply about
dividing up the hours in your day between work, the gym, kids and chores. If the underlying emotional
sources of stress are still there, then the time you actually spend at home may not be enjoyable. "We come
home and even though physically we are there, mentally we still may be processing things that happened at
work. We're not present," she says. What we call "work-life balance" is actually just a substitute to having a
sense of fulfillment and contentment.
I) Of course, finding that balance probably shouldn't be something you have to do by yourself. Research by
Erin Kelly, professor of work and organisation studies at MIT, shows companies and managers can play a
key role in creating a better environment for workers. For her book Overload: How Good Jobs Went Bad
and What to Do about It, she and co-author Phyllis Moen split more than 1,000 employees at a Fortune 500
company into two groups, one that worked under a management redesign and one that continued working
within the existing management structure.
J) Under the management redesign, many steps were taken to ensure better work-life balance and prevent
burnout (精疲力竭). Managers were regularly reminded to explicitly support their employees. Workers
were allowed to make changes, like cancelling 9 am meetings. All of this was done in the name of
increasing job satisfaction and giving workers greater flexibility, and to assure workers that it was
something management was committed to. Unsurprisingly, Kelly and Moen found that employees in the
redesign group reported less stress and less burnout. They were less likely to quit their jobs; indeed, over
the next four years, they were 40% less likely to quit than those who kept working under the old policies.
K) "Work-life balance is understood to be an individual's response, so people think "it's up to me to manage the
craziness of my work life", says Kelly. But organisations need to examine the demands they're placing on
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第5页，共9页employees. "The root problem is not how the two pieces of work and life come together. It's that we have
unrealistic expectations of what we're asked to do on the work side." If your workplace isn't an environment
where work-life balance is possible in the first place, any effort you attempt to make toward it on a personal
level will be in vain.
L) That's a conversation that appears to-be gathering pace. The new prevalence of remote and flexible working
models will likely all play important roles in how we balance our professional and personal lives. And if it
seems like finding that perfect balance remains difficult to achieve, the experts say that keeping some
perspective can help. For millions of people, work is about being able to put food on the table. Talking
about work-life balance "is a very privileged conversation", says Lechner. "If we're reflecting, maybe we
should also reflect on that."
36. According to a management expert, work-life balance is not as simple as giving equal amounts of time to
work and personal life.
37. Research found that those who are given greater flexibility at work are less stressed and more likely to stay
in their jobs.
38. Workers who rejected working long hours tended to make regular adjustments in order to achieve work-life
balance.
39. Talking about work-life balance is said to be a privilege reserved for the better-off, not for those who barely
make a living.
40. Knowing one's emotional state is of utmost importance in deciding what changes to make for a better
work-life balance.
41. More female professionals reported being reluctant to work overtime than their male counterparts.
42. Without organisational support, any personal effort to maintain work-life balance will be unsuccessful.
43. The question of how to achieve work-life balance has long been the main subject of discussion among
workers.
44. You may not actually experience emotional wellbeing at home if you remain occupied with what happened
at work.
45. Some researchers suggest that work-life balance is not a goal to achieve, but a process for life to be adjusted
promptly.
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.
The weakening of the human connection to nature might be good for economic growth but is bad for
people. A tipping point was reached in 2020 when human-made materials-such as steel, concrete and
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第6页，共9页plastic-were found to weigh more than all life on Earth. Continuing to grow concrete forests rather than real
ones is shortsighted. Simply being in the nearest wood has such health benefits that the Woodland Trust
successfully lobbied for it to be prescribed by doctors.
Yet slipping from popular culture is the wonder and beauty of the natural world. For every three
nature-related words in hit songs of the 1950s, researchers found, there was only slightly more than one 50
years later. It is not a moment too soon that teenagers will be able to take a natural history test, given that for
decades children have been able to name more video game characters than wildlife species.
Part of remedying this social disease would be for parliament to pass a "right to grow" law, allowing
anyone to turn underused public spaces into vegetable and fruit gardens. The idea is for people to get back in
touch with the soil—while producing food sustainably.
Vegetable planting has a respectable tradition. In April 1649, locals responded to high prices and food
shortages by cultivating vegetables on common land in Southern England. The practice of throwing seed bombs
to turn vacant plots of land green took off in 1970s New York, and has been revived (使复活) by
green-thumbed (有园艺才能的) social media influencers who defy local US regulations in a war on ugly spots
in cities.
Apart from the urgent task of providing more healthy nutrients to those who increasingly can't afford
them, publicly accessible fruit and vegetable gardens connect what we eat to where it comes from-the means of
production, if you will. They can make unlovely spaces lovely, and marry use and beauty as well as help
promote a sense of community. Plants are also, of course, our first defence against species loss and climate
change. Such planting is a small step for humanity-in the right direction.
46. What does the author want to emphasise in the first paragraph?
A) The year 2020 was a big turning point in human history.
B) Economic growth benefits people little in the long run.
C) It is unwise to weaken the human connection to nature.
D) It is harmful to mankind to use human-made materials.
47. What did researchers find about popular culture?
A) It is increasingly detached from the natural world.
B) It is filled with all kinds of video game characters.
C) It is especially appealing to the taste of teenagers.
D) It is still impacted by the hit songs of the 1950s.
48. What does the author propose people do?
A) Take measures to ensure sustainable food development.
B) Reconnect with nature through the right to grow.
C) Stand by the parliament in fighting social diseases.
D) Cover public spaces with fruit trees and vegetable plants.
49. What do we learn from the passage about vegetable planting?
A) It all started in 1649 in Southern England.
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第7页，共9页B) It is protected by US government regulations.
C) It has long been used to increase food supply and improve urban landscape.
D) It has been popularised worldwide with the increasing influence of social media.
50. What can publicly accessible fruit and vegetable gardens do apart from their practical functions?
A) Raise people's environmental awareness. C) Act as the first defence against natural disasters.
B) Add to the great variety of plant species. D) Enhance people's community spirit.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Engineering in the U.S. has long been a male-dominated profession. Fifty years ago, it looked like that
might change.
In 1970, the percentage of women majoring in engineering was less than 1%. In 1979, that number was
9%.Many hoped women would continue to enter the field at the same rate. But that's not what happened.
Today, only 21% of engineering majors are women, a number largely unchanged since 2000.
I am a historian who, along with my colleagues, surveyed 251 women engineers who graduated from
college in the 1970s. These pioneers reflected on the challenges they faced—and had advice for women
entering the field today.
One survey taker explained, "The greatest challenge for me was continuing to believe in myself, when all
the messages I was getting were that I would never be taken seriously or promoted or given raises at the same
rate as men, who were clearly less qualified and not as smart as I was."
A chemical engineer who worked in manufacturing agreed, "You have to prove yourself just because you
are female. And you have to work twice as hard!"
A civil engineer said, "We are 'women engineers.' People don't refer to a man as a 'man engineer'—he's an
engineer. We are constantly reminded that we don't truly belong." Another civil engineer stated, "On many
levels, you're never quite one of the groups."
Women also talked about family caregiving responsibilities. A retired vice president from a major
chemical company stated, "Young women engineers are on an equal footing until they have children, then they
struggle to balance work and family—and compete with men who don't have the same household
responsibilities."
But over the years things have changed a lot. Young women engineers are more accepted mostly because
there are just more of them.
Many women engineers hailed the benefits of their chosen career. A program manager in manufacturing
stated that engineering is the best degree. A mechanical engineer said, "It will give you the flexibility to do
almost anything. It is also satisfying to see the effects of what you have done."
51. What does the passage say about the engineering profession in the United States?
A) It has seen a change in attitude towards women engineers since 1979.
B) It witnessed a significant increase in women engineers in the 1970s.
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第8页，共9页C) It has experienced the gradual weakening of male dominance.
D) It boasted the largest number of engineering majors in 2000.
52. What does one survey taker say was her greatest challenge?
A) Not to feel superior to less qualified male engineers.
B) Not to take seriously all the messages she was getting.
C) Not to think highly of her qualifications when promoted or given a pay raise.
D) Not to lose self-confidence though constantly discouraged or unfairly treated.
53. How do women engineers frequently feel according to the two civil engineers?
A) Disqualified on many levels. C) Overworked by their organizations.
B) Excluded from the group. D) Looked down upon by male colleagues.
54. What probably makes young women engineers more accepted nowadays?
A) Their success in gaining an equal footing. C) The change in their responsibilities.
B) Their ability to balance work and family. D) The increase in their number.
55. What can we conclude about many female engineers from the statement of a mechanical engineer?
A) They take great pride in their chosen career.
B) They have reaped the benefits of being flexible.
C) They enjoy doing engineering to the best degree.
D) They have proved capable of doing almost anything.
Part IV Translation (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You
should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
中国政府十分重视环境保护。近年来，中国在减少空气、水和土壤污染上取得了显著成效。为了不
断改善人们的生活环境，中国采取了一系列有效措施，包括大力发展清洁能源，改善公共交通，推广共
享单车，实施垃圾分类。通过这些措施，中国的城市和农村正在绿起来、美起来。中国还积极参与国际
合作，为全球环境保护做出了重要贡献。
2024年12月英语四级真题第1套 第9页，共9页
