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大学英语四级考试2024年12月真题（第一套） 回 辑
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 centre.
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 fbr 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 fbr the coming school year. C) Proposed a spending increase by 5.99 percent.
B) Requested to raise teachers5 67salaries by 3 percent. D) Kept raising funds fbr at least 8 budget cycles.
5. A) They often take place in the Scottish highlands.
B) They usually happen in the middle of the night.
6. A) They sent out a message to calm them down.
B) They promised to stop the construction work. ；
4. A) Decrease in salaries fbr 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.
C) Their damage can be as serious as that of bombs.
D) Their loud claps can be confused with explosions.
C) They told them the military exercise was over.
* 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
1 • 2024年12月四级真题（第一套）・four questions. Both the conversation 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 centre.
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 fbnd of using his credit card.
9. A) It is not in fashion any more. C) It is not as fancy as his colleagues5.
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 fbr families of four or less.
B) Not welcomed by most Americans. D) Only suitable fbr 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 passage 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 centre.
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.
• 2024年12月四级真题（第一套）• 2Questions 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.
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 in 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 fallowing 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 was
84. 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
3 - 2024年 12月四级真题(第一套)・study, fbr 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 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 marking 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 fbr years- especially fbr 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. UI don't
think ifs 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 loana Lupu and Mayra Rujz-Castro argue that work-life balance is “a cycle, not
an achievemenf,. 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
• 2024年12月四级真题（第一套） 4men and 50% of the women reported resisting working long hours. The other respondents, meanwhile, all
worked long hours because they thought thafs 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 'Tm a professional, so I should work,
work, work”, and asked themselves questions like, "What's currently causing me stress?55 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 says Lupu.
H) New York University's Lechner agrees that finding that balance is an ongoing pursuit. Ifs 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,n 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 individuaFs response, so people think 'it's up to me to manage the
5 ♦ 2024年12月四级真题(第一套)・craziness of my work says Kelly. But organisations need to examine the demands they're placing on
employees. uThe root problem is not how the two pieces of work and life come together. Ifs 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) Thafs 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. t4If 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 fbr 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 fbr 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 plastic一
・2024年12月四级真题(第一套)・ 6were 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 fbr 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 fbr parliament to pass a “right to grow" law, allowing anyone
to turn underused public spaces into vegetable and fruit gardens. The idea is fbr 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.
B) It is protected by US government regulations.
7 • 2024年12月四级真题(第一套)・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 thafs 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, <4The 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, 4
