2023年12月英语四级阅读真题

年月高校英语四级阅读真题202312选词填空Part IIIReading Comprehension40minutesSection ADirections:In this section,there isa passage with tenblanks.You arerequired toselect oneword for each blankfrom alistof choicesgiven ina wordbank followingthe passage.Read thepassagethrough carefullybefore makingyour choices.Each choicein the bankis identifiedby aletter.Please markthe correspondingletterforeachitem onAnswer Sheet2with asingle linethrough thecentre.You may not useany of the wordsin thebank morethanonce.Questions26to35are basedon thefollowing passage.Millions dieearly fromair pollutioneach year.Air pollutioncoststhe globaleconomy morethan$5trillion annuallyin welfarecosts,with themost serious26occurring in the developing world.Thefigures includea numberof costs27with air pollution.Lost incomealoneamounts to$225billion ayear.The reportincludes bothindoorand outdoor air pollution.Indoor pollution,which includes28like home heating and cooking,has remained29over thepastseveral decadesdespite

42.Scott is not keenon cookingfood herself,thinking itwouldsimply be a wasteof time.

43.Diabetes patientsare advisedto eatmore plant-based food.

44.Using foodas medicineisnonovel idea,but themovement ismakingheadway thesedays.

45.Americans highrates ofvarious illnessesresult from the waytheyeat.Section CDirections:There are2passages inthissection.Each passageisfollowed bysome questionsor unfinishedstatements.For eachofthem thereare fourchoices markedA,B,C andD.You shoulddecideon thebest choiceand markthe correspondingletter onAnswer Sheet2with asingle linethrough thecentre.Passage OneQuestions46to50are basedon thefollowing passage.California has been facinga droughtfor manyyears now,withcertain areaseven havingto pumpfreshwater hundredsof milestotheir distributionsystem.The problemis growingas thepopulationof thestate continuesto expand.New researchhas founddeep water reservesunder thestate whichcould helpsolve theirdroughtcrisis.Previous drillingof wellscould onlyreach depths of1,000feet,but due to newpumping practices,water deeperthan this（抽取）.can nowbe extractedThe teamat Stanfordinvestigated the（地下蓄水层）aquifers belowthis depthand foundthat reservesmaybe triplewhat waspreviously thought.It isprofitable todrill todepths morethan1,000feet foroil andgasextraction,but onlyrecently inCalifornia hasit becomeprofitable topumpwater from this depth.The aquifersrange from1,000to3,000feet belowthe ground,which meansthat pumpingwill beexpensiveand thereare otherconcerns.The biggestconcern ofpumping outwater fromthisdeep in the gradualsettling downof theland surface.As the water ispumped out,the vacantspace leftis compactedbythe weightof the earth above.Even thoughpumping fromthese depthsis expensive,it isstill（脱盐）cheaper thandesalinating theocean waterin thelargelycoastal state.Some desalinationplants existwhere feasible,but theyarecostly torun andcan needconstant repairs.Wells aremuch morereliablesources of freshwater,and Californiais hopingthat thesedeepwells may be theanswer to their severewater shortage.One problemwith thesesources isthat thedeepwateralso has ahigher levelof saltthan shalloweraquifers.This meansthat somewellsmay evenneed toundergo desalinationafter extraction,thusincreasing thecost.Research fromthe exhaustivestudy ofgroundwater from over950drilling logshas justbeen published.New estimatesof thewater reservesnow go up to2,700billioncubic metersof freshwater.

46.How couldCalifornias droughtcrisis besolved accordingtosome researchersABy buildingmore reservesof groundwater.B By drawing waterfromthe depthsof theearth.C Bydeveloping moreadvanced drillingdevices.D Byupgrading itswater distributionsystem.

47.What can be inferredabout extractingwaterfromdeep aquifersAIt wasdeemed vitalto solvingthewaterproblem.B It was not considered worth the expense.C Itmaynotprovide qualityfreshwater.D It is boundto gainsupport fromthe localpeople.

48.What ismentioned asa consequenceof extractingwater fromdeepundergroundA Thesinking ofland surface.C Thedamage to aquifers.B Theharm to the ecosystem.D Thechange of the climate.

49.What doesthe authorsay aboutdeep wellsA They runwithout anyneed forrepairs.B They are entirelyfree frompollutants.C Theyare theultimate solutionto droughts.D Theyprovide asteady supplyof freshwater.

50.What mayhappen whendeep aquifersare usedas watersourcesAPeoples healthmay improvewith cleanerwater.B Peopleswater billsmay belowered considerably.C Thecost maygo updue todesalination.D Theymaybeexhausted sooneror later.答案

1.8Bydrawingwaterfromthedepthsof theearth.

1.9Itwasnotconsideredworththeexpense.

48.AThesinking ofland surface.

49.D Theyprovide asteady supplyoffreshwater.

50.C Thecost maygoupduetodesalination.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are basedon thefollowing passage.The AlphaGoprograms victoryis anexample of how smartcomputershave become.But canartificial intelligenceAI machines act ethically,meaningcan theybe honestand fairOneexample ofAI isdriverless cars.Theyarealready onCaliforniaroads,so itis not too soonto askwhether wecan programa machinetoact ethically.As driverlesscars improve,they willsave lives.They willmake fewermistakes thanhuman driversdo.Sometimes,however,they willface achoice betweenlives.Should thecars beprogrammedto avoidhitting achild runningacross theroad,even ifthatwill puttheir passengersat riskWhat aboutmaking asuddenturn toavoid adog Whatif theonly riskis damageto thecar itself,nottothe passengersPerhapsthere will be lessonsto learn from driverlesscars,but theyarenot super-intelligent beings.Teaching ethicstoamachine evenmoreintelligent thanwe arewill be the bigger challenge.About thesame timeas AlphaGostriumph,Microsofts chatbottooka badturn.The software,named Taylor,was designedtoanswer messagesfrom peopleaged18-

24.Taylor wassupposed tobeable tolearnfromthe messagesshe received.She wasdesignedto slowlyimprove herability to handle conversations,but somepeoplewere teachingTaylor racistideas.When shestarted sayingnice things about Hitler,Microsoft turnedher offand deletedher ugliestmessages.AlphaGo5s victoryand Taylorsdefeat happenedat about the sametime.This shouldbeawarning tous.It isone thingto useAI withinagame withclear rulesand cleargoals.Itissomething verydifferentto useAI in the realworld.The unpredictabilityoftherealworld maybring tothe surfacea troublingsoftware problem.EricSchmidt isone ofthe bossesof Google,which ownAlphoGo.Hethinks AI will bepositive forhumans.He saidpeople willbe thewinner,whatever the outcome.Advances inAIwillmake humanbeingssmarter,more ableand“just betterhuman beings.”

51.What doesthe authorwant toshow withthe exampleofAlphaGos victoryAComputerswill prevailover human beings.BComputers haveunmatched potential.CComputers aremans potentialrivals.DComputers canbecome highlyintelligent.

52.What doesthe authormean byAI machines acting ethicallyATheyare capableof predictingpossible risks.BThey weighthe gainsand lossesbefore reachinga decision.CThey makesensible decisionswhen facingmoral dilemmas.DThey sacrificeeverything tosave humanlives.

53.What issaid to bethebiggerchallengefacing humansintheAIageAHow to make super-intelligent AI machines sharehumanfeelings.BHow toensure thatsuper-intelligent AImachinesactethically.CHow toprevent AImachines doingharm to humans.DHow toavoid beingover-dependent onAImachines.

54.What dowe learn about Microsoftschatbot TaylorAShe could not distinguish good from bad.BShe couldturn herselfoff whennecessary.CShe wasnot madetohandlenovel situations.DShe wasgood atperforming routinetasks.

55.What doesEric Schmidtthink ofartificial intelligenceAIt willbe farsuperior to humanbeings.B Itwill keepimproving astime goesby.C Itwill proveto bean assettohumanbeings.D Itwillbehere tostay whatevertheoutcome.答案51DComputers canbecome highlyintelligent52BThey weighthe gainsand lossesbefore reachinga decision.53BHow toensure thatsuper-intelligent AImachinesactethically.54AShecouldnotdistinguishgoodfrombad.55C Itwill provetobean assettohumanbeings.advances inthearea.Levels ofoutdoor pollutionhave grownrapidly along withrapid growthin industryand transportation.Director ofInstitute forHealthMetrics andEvaluation ChrisMurray30it asan urgentcallto action.”One ofthe riskfactors forpremature deathsis theair we「breathe,over whichindividuals havelittle31he said.The effectsofair pollutionare worstinthedeveloping world,where insomeplaces lost-labor income32nearly1%of GDP.Around9in10people inlow-and middle-income countrieslive inplaces wherethey33experience dangerouslevels ofoutdoorairpollution.But theproblemis notlimited34tothedevelopingworld.Thousands dieprematurely inthe U.S.asaresult ofrelated illnesses.柴油In manyEuropean countries,where diesel35have becomemorecommon inrecent years,that numberreaches tensofthousands.Aability BassociatedCconsciously DconstantEcontrolFdamage GdescribedHequals IexclusivelyJinnovatedKregularlyLrelates MsourcesN undermineOvehicles答案损害与有联系

26.F damage

27.B associated来源不断的，常存在的

28.M sources

29.D constant（描述）（限制）（等

30.G described

31.E control

32.H equals同于）（常常地）（仅仅，唯一

33.K regularly

34.1exclusively地）（车辆）解析

35.0vehicles空格所在句子的含义为空气污染每年在福利费

26.F damage用方面给全球经济造成万多亿损失，最大的……发生在发展5中国家依据上下文可知这里应当填入一个跟损失有关联的词汇，另外在语法上这里应当填入一个名词“具有破devastating,坏力的”修饰，所以我们应当可以确定答案为“损害damage,n.空格所在句子的含义为这个福利数字包含很

27.B associated多与空气污染……的福利费用，比如健康与消费依据语法上推断，这里应当填入一个过去分词做的后置定语，另外costs从语义上推断，做的后置定语，associated with airpollutioncost表示与空气污染相关的费用，语义上也符合上下文语境空格所在的句子的含义为室内污染，包括像暖

28.M sources气和做饭一样的……从语法上推断这里应当填入名词,并且这个名词是一个大范围的词可以包括暖气和做饭，另外从语义上推断表示像暖气和做sources likehomeheatingandcooking饭一样的来源也符合上下文语境Part IIIReading Comprehension40minutesSection BDirections:In thissection,you aregoing toread apassagewithtenstatements attachedto eachstatement containsinformation giveninone ofthe paragraphs.Identify theparagraph fromwhich theinformationis derived.You maychoose aparagraph morethan once.Each paragraphis markedwithaletter.Answer thequestions bymarkingthe correspondingletter onAnswerSheet

2.Food-as-Medicine MovementIs WitnessingProgress[A]Several timesa month,you canfind adoctor inthe aislesofRalphs marketin HuntingtonBeach,California,wearing awhitecoat andhelping peoplelearnaboutfood.On onerecent day,thisdoctor wasDaniel Nadeau,wandering thecereal aislewith AllisonScott,giving hersome ideaon how to feedkids whopersistentlyavoid anythingthat ishealthy.Have youthought abouttrying freshjuicesinthemorning heasks her.“The frozenoranges and applesare alittle cheaper,and fruitsarereally goodfor thebrain.Juices arequick andeasy toprepare,you can take thefrozen fruitoutthenight beforeand haveit readythenext morning.”[B]Scott isdelighted toget foodadvice froma physicianwho isprogramdirector ofthe nearbyMary andDick AllenDiabetesCenter,part ofthe St.Joseph HoagHealth alliance.The centersShop with YourDoc programsends doctorstothegrocery storetomeet withany patientswho signup forthe service,plus anyothershoppers whohappen tobe aroundwith questions.（通心粉）[C]Nadeau noticesthe pre-made macaroni-and-cheeseboxes inScotts shoppingcart andsuggests sheswitch towholegrain macaroniand realcheese.So Idhave to make itshe asks,her enthusiasmfading atthe thoughtof howlong thatmight take,just tohave herkids rejectit.Im notsure theydeat it.They justwonteat it”[D]Nadeau sayssugar andprocessed foods are bigcontributors totherising diabetesrates amongchildren.In America,over50percent ofour foodis processedfood/5Nadeau tellsher.And only5percent ofour foodis plant-based food.I thinkwe shouldtry toreversethat.Scott agreesto trymore fruitjuices forthekids andtomakereal macaroniand cheese.Score onepoint forthedoctor,zero fordiabetes.[E]Nadeau ispart ofa smallrevolution developingacrossCalifornia.The food-as-medicine movementhasbeenaround fordecades,but itsmaking progressas physiciansand medicalinstitutionsmake fooda formalpart oftreatment,rather thanrelying（药物）solely onmedications.By prescribingnutritional changesorlaunching programssuch asShopwithyour Doc\they aretryingto prevent,limit oreven reversedisease by changing whatpatientseat.Theres noquestion peoplecantakethingsalong waytowardreversing diabetes,reversing high blood pressure,even preventingcancerby foodchoices,”Nadeau says.[F]In thebig picture,says Dr.Richard Afable,CEO andpresidentof ST.Joseph HoagHealth,medical institutionsacross thestate arestartingtomakea philosophicalswitch tobecoming a healthorganization,not justahealthcare organization.That feelingechoesthe beliefsoftheTherapeutic FoodPantry program at ZuckerbergSanFrancisco GeneralHospital,which completedits pilotphaseand isabout toexpand onan ongoingbasis tofive clinicsitesthroughout thecity.The programwilloffer patientsseveral bagsof foodprescribed fortheir condition,alongwithintensive trainingin how to cook it.We reallywant tolinkfood andmedicine,and notjust giveaway food/5says Dr.RitaNguyen,the hospitalsmedical directorof HealthyFood Initiatives.We wantpeople tounderstand whattheyre eating,how toprepareit,the rolefood playsin theirlives.”[G]In SouthernCalifornia,Loma LindaUniversity SchoolofMedicine isoffering specializedtraining forits residentphysiciansin LifestyleMedicine-that isa formalspecialty inusing foodtotreat disease.Research findingsincreasingly showthe powerof foodto treat orreverse diseases,but thatdoes notmean thatdiet aloneisalways thesolution,or thatevery illnesscan benefitsubstantiallyfrom dietarychanges.Nonetheless,physicians saythat theylook atthecollective dataandaclear pictureemerges:that thesalt,sugar,fat andprocessed foodsintheAmerican dietcontribute tothenations highrates ofobesity,diabetes andheart disease.Accordingto theWorld HealthOrganization,80percent ofdeaths fromheartdisease andstroke arecaused byhighbloodpressure,tobacco use,elevated cholesteroland lowconsumption offruits andvegetables.（范式）[H]Its adifferent paradigmofhow totreatdisease J saysDr.Brenda Rea,who helpsrun thefamily andpreventive medicineresidencyprogramatLoma LindaUniversity Schoolof Medicine.The lifestylemedicine specialtyis designedto traindoctors inhowto preventand treatdisease,in part,bychangingpatients5nutritionalhabits.The medicalcenter andschool atLoma Lindaalso hasa foodcupboardand kitchenfor patients.This way,patients not only learnaboutwhich foodsto buy,but alsohow toprepare themat home.[I]Many peopledont knowhowtocook,Rea says,and theyonlyknow howto heatthings up.That meansdepending onpackagedfood withhigh saltand sugarcontent.So teachingpeople aboutwhichfoodsarehealthy andhowtoprepare them,she says,canactually transforma patientslife.And beyondthat,it mighttransformthe healthand livesof thatpatients family.“What peopleeatcanbemedicine orpoison JRea says.“As aphysician,nutritionis oneofthemost powerfulthings youcan changeto reversetheeffects oflong-term disease.”[J]Studies haveexplored evidencethat dietarychanges canslow（炎症）inflammation,for example,or makethe bodyinhospitableto cancercells.In general,many lifestylemedicine physiciansrecommenda plant-based diet-particularly forpeople withdiabetesor otherinflammatory conditions.[K]As whathappened withtobacco,this willrequire aculturalshift,but thatcan happenJsaysNguyen.In thesame wayphysiciansused tosmoke,and thenstopped smokingand wereableto talkto patientsabout it,I thinkphysicians canhave abigger voiceinit.”

36.More thanhalf ofthe foodAmericans eatis factory-produced.

37.There isa specialprogram thatassigns doctorsto giveadvice toshoppersin foodstores.

38.There isgrowing evidencefrom researchthat foodhelpspatients recoverfrom variousillnesses.

39.A healthybreakfast canbe preparedquickly andeasily.

40.Training apatient toprepare healthyfood canchange theirlife.

41.One food-as-medicine programnotonlyprescribes foodfortreatment butteaches patientshowtocookit.。