2021年6月大学英语四级考试真题 (第1套)

2021年6月大学英语四级考试真题(第1套)PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaytitled“Arepeoplebecomingaddictedtotechnology?”.Thestatementgivenbelowisforyourreference.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.Numerousstudiesclaimthataddictiontotechnologyisrealandithasthesameeffectonthebrainasdrugaddition.【参考范文】Arepeoplebecomingaddictedtotechnology?Withtechnologyadvancingdaily,therehasbeenanincreaseinthenumberofpeoplewhobecomeaddictedtotechnologicalinventions,suchascomputersandcellphones.Frommypointofview,thistrendcanharmfullyinfluenceindividualsinmanyways.Thenegativeconsequencesoftechnologyaddictioncanbeillustratedfromtwoaspects.Foronething,beingindulgedintechnologicalgadgetsisdetrimentaltostudents’academicperformance.Forexample,manyuniversitystudentsstayupallnighttoplayvideogamesandthusfeeldrowsyanddistractedinclass.Inaddition,manypsychologicalresearchersfoundthattheexcessiveuseoftechnologicaldevicescanhaveanadverseeffectonindividuals’mentalwell-beingandinterpersonalrelationship.Forinstance,modernpeople,especiallyyoungsters,arereluctanttointeractfacetofacewiththeirfriendsandfamiliesbecauseoftheindulgenceinonlinesocialmediaplatformsorcomputergames.Inconclusion,itisofutmostimportancetotakeactionstocounteractthenegativeeffectsmentionedabove.Perhapsthefirststepisthatstudentsshouldbeeducatedtousetechnologicaldevicesinarationalway.【解析】本次四级作文考查的是现象影响类的论说文。题目给出的是一个负面的现象——人们沉迷于科技产品。采用三段式：开头段引出负面现象并发表自己的看法;第二段，即主体段论述该现象带来的负面影响;结尾段给出针对性的建议。PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreenewsreports.Attheendofeachnewsreport,youwillheartwoorthreequestions.Boththenewsreportandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1and2arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.NEWSReport1Andfinallyintonight’snews,anine-year-oldboynamedJoetoldnottodrawinclasswinsajobdecoratingarestaurantwithhisdrawingsratherthanshuttingdownthehabitofdrawinginhisschool’sworkbook.Joe’sparentsdecidedtoencouragehiscreativitybysendingtheirsontoanafter-schoolartclass.HisteacherrecognizedJoe’stalentandpostedallhisworkonline,whichledtosomethingprettywonderful.ArestaurantnamedNumber4inNewcastlecontactedJoe’steacherstoaskifthenine-year-oldcouldcomeanddecoratedthediningroomwithhisdrawings.Everydayafterschool,Joe'sdaddriveshimtotherestaurant,sohecanputhisideasstraightonthewall.Oncehe'salldone,theworkwillremaintherepermanently.Joe’sdadsays,Joeisareallytalentedlittleboy.He’sexcellentatschool.He'sgreatatfootball,butdrawingisdefinitelywhatheismostpassionateabout.Q1.WhatdidJoe’sparentsdecidetodo?1.B)Sendhimtoanafter-schoolartclass.Q2.Whatdidtherestaurant,Number4,do?2.A)ContactedJoetodecorateitsdining-room.Questions3and4arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.NEWSReport2ChristineMarshall,a34-year-oldmumofonepostedatearfulvideoonsocialmedia,Wednesday,beggingforthesafereturnofherbelovedpetdog.Aftercombingthroughthesecurityvideooutsideaglobal’sshop,Christinehasnowpostedanimageofamansuspectedofstealingthedog.Theimageappearstoshowamancarryingthedoginhisarms.Christinealsobelievesthevideoobtainedfromtheshopshowsthedogbeingstolenbyamanbeforedrivingoffinacar,whichhadbeenwaitingnearby.Thefamilyisnowofferinga5,000poundrewardforthesafereturnofthedogafterlaunchingasocialmediacampaigntofindthethief.Thedogissixandahalfyearsoldandwaslastseenwearingaredcollar.Christinesaid“Wewillpaythattoanyonewhobringshimhome,aslongastheyarenotresponsibleforhisdisappearance.Pleaseoninvestigatingtheincident”.Q3.WhatisChristineMarshalltryingtodo?3.A)Getherpetdogback.Q4.WhatdoesthenewsreportsayaboutChristineMarshall’sfamily?4.D)Itisofferingabigrewardtoanyonewhohelps.Questions5to7arebasedonthenewsreportyouhavejustheard.NEWSReport3London’seggsandbreadcafeoffersboiledeggs,toast,jam,andbacon,aswellastea,coffee,andorangejuice.Butattheendofthemeal,customersdon’thavetoworryaboutthebill.Hungrycustomerscanpaywhateveramounttheycanaffordtoeatatthecafeornothingatall.OwnerGuyWilsonsayshiscafeaimstobuildcommunityratherthanprofits.Hewantstoprovideabridgeforpeopletoconnectinanareathathasbeendividedbyclassandwealth,byprovidingaffordablebreakfast.Thecafeisopeninthemorningseverydayoftheyear,andhastwomembersofstafforsupervisorsonshifteveryday.Thecafedoesn’tusevolunteers,butpaysitsstafftoensureconsistencyinitsservice.Itdoesn'ttakedonationsanddoesn’twanttobeseenasacharity.Mr.Wilsonsayswhenpeoplestarttoknowotherpeoplearoundthem,theyrealizethey’renotthatdifferentandwhatevertheirfinancialbackgroundortheireducationalbackground,mostpeoplewillhavesomethingincommonwitheachother.Hesaysit’simportantthathiscafecanofferhiscustomerssecurityandpermanence.Q5.WhatdoesGuyWilsonsayhiscafeaimstodo?5.B)Helppeopleconnectwitheachother.Q6.Whatdoesthenewsreportsayabouteggsandbreadcafe?6.C)Itdoesnotusevolunteers.Q7.WhathappenswhenpeoplestarttoknoweachotheraccordingtoGuyWilson?7.D)Theywillfindtheyhavesomethingincommon.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions8to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.CONVERSATION1M:SowhattimedoyouthinkweshouldhavethepartyonSaturday?W:Howaboutinvitingpeopletocomeat6:00PM,thenwe'llhavetheafternoontopreparefoodanddrinkandstufflikethat?M:Yes.Iwasthinkingthataroundsixwouldbegoodtoo.Whatfoodshouldweprovide?W:Well,Ihadthoughtaboutbakingacakeandsomebiscuits,andnowIthinkweshouldpreparesomesandwichesandsnacksandsomeotherkindsoffoodsothatpeoplecanjusthelpthemselvesratherthangettingeveryonetositdownatthetabletoeatameal.Ithinkthat’sabittooformal.It'sbettertoletpeoplewalkaroundandtalktoeachotherorsitwheretheylike.M:Yes,thatsoundsgood.I’llgotothesupermarkettogetsomedrinks.IthinkImighttrythatbignewsupermarketontheothersideoftown,seewhattheyhave.I’venotbeentherebefore.Ithinkweshouldgetsomebeerandwineandsomefruitjuiceandothersoftdrinks.Whatdoyouthink?W:Soundsgreat.Ithinkthosedrinkswillbeenough.AndIheardthatthenewsupermarketofferssomebigdiscountstoattractcustomers,sogoingthereshouldbeagreatidea.Whatshouldwedoaboutmusic?M：MaybeweshouldalsoaskPualtobringhiscomputerandspeakerssothatwecanplaysomemusic.Hehasagreatcollectionofdifferentstuff.Yes.Allright.Q8.Whatarethespeakersmainlytalkingabout?8.C)PreparationsforSaturday’sget-together.Q9.Whydoesthewomansayitisagoodideatoservefoodsthatguestscanhelpthemselvestoo?9.B)Itenablesgueststowalkaroundandchatfreely.Q10.Whatdoesthewomansayaboutthenewsupermarket?10.A)Itofferssomebigdiscounts.11.D)Bringhiscomputerandspeakers.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.CONVERSATION2W:I’mthinkingofbuyingacar.Iwouldn’tneedtouseiteveryday,butIthinkitwouldbeveryconvenienttohaveonefortheweekends.M:That'sexciting.Wouldthisbeyourfirstcar?W:Nope.M:IactuallyownedacarforalittlewhilewhenIlivedinMiami.Yousee,inAmerica,manycitiesdon'thavegoodpublictransport.Somostpeopleneedtheirowncartogetaround.W:Isee.M:Sohaveyougotyourmindsetonaspecificmodel?W:No,notreally.I'veheardthatGermancarsareveryreliable,butIhaven’tdecidedonaspecificmodelyet.I’dalsolikeittobesmallsothatit'seasytodriveinthecity.M:Ihaveafriendwhosellssecond-handcars.Infact,Ithinkhisfamilyownsthebusiness.He’sareallyniceguyandheknowsalotaboutcars.Icouldgiveyouhisphonenumberifyouwant,andyoucouldcallhimandaskhimquestions.W:Hmm.That’sniceofyou,butIdon’twanttofeelobligedtobuyoneofhiscar.M:Ohno.He’snotlikethat.He’sagoodfriendofmineandhewouldnevertrytopressureyou.W:Well,ifyoutrusthim,thenIguessitshouldbeokay.Tobehonest,Icouldusesomehelpindecidingwhattypeofvehiclewouldbestsuitmyneeds.Speakingtoanexpertwouldbeagoodidea.M:Exactly.Youhavenothingtoworryabout.He’salovelyguyandhe'llbehappytohelp.12.D)Forconvenienceatweekends.Q13.WhatdoesthewomansayaboutGermancars?13.A)Theyarereliable.Q14.Whatdoesthemanrecommendthewomando?14.C)Seekadvicefromhisfriend.Q15.WhatdowelearnabouttheLoinbo'sfriendfromtheconversation?15.B)Hecanbetrusted.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreepassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.PASSAGE1PigsarenotnativetoNorthAmerica.TheywerefirstintroducedtoCaliforniabySpanishandRussianexplorersandsettlersmanycenturiesago.Intheearlytimes,pigswereallowedtowanderfreelyandsearchoffood.Thispracticealsoallowedmanypigstoescapefromfarmsandliveinthewild,whichbecameaproblem.Infact,asoneofthemostdamaginginvasivespeciesonthecontinent,wildpigscausedmillionsofdollarsincropdamageyearly.Theyalsoharboreddozensofdiseasesthatthreatenbothhumansandfarmanimals.Forestpatcheswithwildpigshavebeenfoundtohaveconsiderablyreducedplantandanimaldiversity.Inadditiontoeithereatingotheranimalsortheirfoodsupply,wildpigsdamagednativehabitatsbyreachingupcrossesandrubbingontrees.Theiractivitiesmayalsocreateopportunitiesforinvasiveplantstocolonizetheseareas.Wildpigswilleatalmostanythingcontainingcalories.Mice,deer,birds,snakesandfrogsareamongtheirvictims.Theycanalsoharmotherwildspeciesthroughindirectcompetitionratherthaneatingthemorshrinkingtheirfoodsupply.OnoneparticularUnitedStatesisland,wildpigsthemselvesbecameanattractivefoodsourceforaspeciesofmainlandeagle.Eaglesbeganbreedingontheislandandalsofeedingonaspeciesofnativefox.Thefoxeswerealmostwipedoutcompletely.Q16.WhatdowelearnaboutearlypigsinNorthAmerica?16.A)Manyescapedfromfarmsandbecamewild.Q17.Whyarewildpigsathreattohumans?17.D)Theycarryagreatmanydiseases.Q18.WhatdoesthepassagesayaboutthenativefoxesonaU.S.island?18.C)Theyfellvictimtoeagles.Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.PASSAGE2Apairofentrepreneursareplanningtobuildandlaunchaspacecraftthatwouldcarryandroastcoffeebeansinouterspace.Thecraftwillusetheheatofre-entrytoroastcoffeebeans,astheyfloatinsideitinapressurizedtank.Theeffectwouldbetoroastthebeansalloverandproduceperfectcoffee.Thebusinessmensaythatonearth,beanscaneasilybreakapartandgetburnedintheroaster.Butifgravityisremoved,thebeansfloataroundandinaheatedoven,receiving360degreesofevenlydistributedheatandroastingtonearperfection.Thespacecraftwillreachaheightofaround200kilometers.Thebeanswouldthenberoastedandtheheatgeneratedbythecrafts20minutere-entryintoearth'satmosphere.Temperaturesandthepressurizedtankwillbekepttoaround200degreesCelsius.Oncebackonearth,theplanet’sfirstspaceroastedbeanswouldbeusedtomakecoffeethatwouldbesoldforthefirsttimeinDubai.Thisiswherethepair’scompanyisbased.Itisnotclearhowmuchtheywouldchargeforacup.Surprisingly,theSpaceRoasterconcept-shoulditgoahead-willnotbethefirstattempttotakecoffeeintospace.In2015,twoItaliancompaniescollaboratedontheconstructionofasimilartypeofspacecraft,whichwasthefirstcoffeemachinedesignedforuseinspace.Q19.Whatareapairofentrepreneursplanningtodo?19.B)Roastcoffeebeansinouterspace.Q20.Whatdoesthepassagesayaboutcoffeebeansroastedonearth?20.A)Theycaneasilygetburned.Q21.WhatdidthetwoItaliancompaniesdoin2015?21.C)Theycollaboratedonbuildingthefirstspacecoffeemachine.Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.PASSAGE3IncoldandsnowyAlaska,there’savillagecalledTakotna.Ithasapopulationofmere49adults.EachMarch,thistinyvillageswellsupinnumbersbecauseitislocatedinthemiddleofaracethattakesplaceeveryyear.Itisaseven-dayracecalled“TheIditarodTrail”.AndparticipantsstopatTakotnafortheobligatory24hourrest.Luckyforthem,Takotnaisfamousforitsdeliciousfruitpies.Weeksbeforethecompetitorsarrive,theresidentsofTakotnastartpreparingwhatiswithoutquestiontheirbiggesteventoftheyear.Thewholevillagechipsintohelp,includingthekids,whoendupdevelopingtheirbakingskillsatanearlyage.Exhaustedandhungryracersaregreetedwithdelightfulpiesofallkinds,suchasapple,orange,lemon,orbanana.Theyconsumethepiesandastomachwarmingracefuel.Thetoughnessoftheraceallowsforracerstoeatprettymuchwhatevertheywant.Themorecalories,thebetter.Takotnahasgainedareputationforitsdessert-basedhospitalitysincethe1970s.Itstartedwithoneperson,JaneNewton.JanemovedfromIditarodwithherhusbandin1972andopenedarestaurant.Arichandfillingfruitpiesquicklygottheracesattention,andthevillagegainedsomefameasaresult.ProudresidentsthenstartedtorefertoJaneasqueenofTakotna.Q22.WhydoalotofpeoplecometothevillageofTakotnaeveryMarch?22.B)Aracepassesthroughitannually.Q23.WhatisthevillageofTakotnafamousfor?23.C)Itstastyfruitpies.Q24.Whocomestohelpwiththeeventoftheyear?24.B)Theentirevillage.Q25.WhatdoesthepassagesayaboutJaneNewton?25.D)Shehelpedthevillagetobecomefamous.PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.MostanimalsseekshadewhentemperaturesintheSaharasoarto120degreesFahrenheit.Saharansilverantsseeklunch,skitteringfromundergroundlairsintothesun’sbrutalraystoscavengeanimalcarcasses.In2015theywerejoinedbyscientistsfromtwoBelgianuniversities,whospentaswelteringmonthtrackingtheantsanddiggingouttheirnests.Thegoal:todiscoverhowthespeciesadaptedtothekindofheatthatcanmeltshoes.BackinBelgium,thescientistslookedattheantsunderanelectronmicroscopeandfoundthattheirdense,triangularhairreflectslightlikeaprism,givingthemametallicglintandshieldingthemfromthesun’sheat.WhenPh.D.studentQuentinWillotshavedanantwithatinyscalpelandputitunderaheatlamp,itstemperaturejumped.Hesaystheants’methodofstayingcoolisuniqueamonganimals.Couldthisreflectivetypeofhairprotectpeople?Willotsayscompaniesareinterestedinreproducingit.A)adaptingE)extremeI)M)thickB)F)huntJ)removedN)tinyC)crawlingG)literallyK)speciesO)uniqueD)H)L)SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.Whathappenswhenalanguagehasnowordsfornumbers?Numbersdonotexistinallcultures.Therearenumberlesshunter-gatherersembeddeddeepinAmazonia,livingalongbranchesoftheworld’slargestrivertree.Insteadofusingwordsforprecisequantities,thesepeoplerelyexclusivelyontermsanalogousto“afew”or“some.”Incontrast,ourownlivesaregovernedbynumbers.Asyoureadthis,youarelikelyawareofwhattimeitis,howoldyouare,yourcheckingaccountbalance,yourweightandsoon.Theexact(andexacting)numberswethinkwithimpacteverythingfromourschedulestoourself-esteem.But,inahistoricalsense,numericallyfixatedpeoplelikeusaretheunusualones.Forthebulkofourspecies’approximately200,000-yearlifespan,wehadnomeansofpreciselyrepresentingquantities.What’smore,the7,000orsolanguagesthatexisttodayvarydramaticallyinhowtheyutilizenumbers.Speakersofanumeric,ornumberless,languagesofferawindowintohowtheinventionofnumbersreshapedthehumanexperience.Inanewbook,Iexploredthewaysinwhichhumansinventednumbers,andhownumberssubsequentlyplayedacriticalroleinothermilestones,fromtheadventofagriculturetothegenesisofwriting.Cultureswithoutnumbers,orwithonlyoneortwoprecisenumbers,includetheMundurukuandPirahãinAmazonia.ResearchershavealsostudiedsomeadultsinNicaraguawhowerenevertaughtnumberwords.Withoutnumbers,healthyhumanadultsstruggletopreciselydifferentiateandrecallquantitiesaslowasfour.Inanexperiment,aresearcherwillplacenutsintoacanoneatatime,thenremovethemonebyone.Thepersonwatchingisaskedtosignalwhenallthenutshavebeenremoved.Responsessuggestthatanumericpeoplehavesometroublekeepingtrackofhowmanynutsremaininthecan,evenifthereareonlyfourorfiveintotal.Thisandmanyotherexperimentshaveconvergeduponasimpleconclusion:Whenpeopledonothavenumberwords,theystruggletomakequantitativedistinctionsthatprobablyseemnaturaltosomeonelikeyouorme.Whileonlyasmallportionoftheworld’slanguagesareanumericornearlyanumeric,theydemonstratethatnumberwordsarenotahumanuniversal.Itisworthstressingthattheseanumericpeoplearecognitivelynormal,well-adaptedtotheenvironstheyhavedominatedforcenturies.Asthechildofmissionaries,Ispentsomeofmyyouthlivingwithanumericindigenouspeople,theaforementionedPirahãwholivealongthesinuousbanksoftheblackMaiciRiver.Likeotheroutsiders,Iwascontinuallyimpressedbytheirsuperiorunderstandingoftheriverineecologyweshared.Yetnumberlesspeoplestrugglewithtasksthatrequireprecisediscriminationbetweenquantities.Perhapsthisshouldbeunsurprising.Afterall,withoutcounting,howcansomeonetellwhetherthereare,say,sevenoreightcoconutsinatree?Suchseeminglystraightforwarddistinctionsbecomeblurrythroughnumberlesseyes.Thisconclusionisechoedbyworkwithanumericchildreninindustrializedsocieties.Priortobeingspoon-fednumberwords,childrencanonlyapproximatelydiscriminatequantitiesbeyondthree.Wemustbehandedthecognitivetoolsofnumbersbeforewecanconsistentlyandeasilyrecognizehigherquantities.Infact,acquiringtheexactmeaningofnumberwordsisapainstakingprocessthattakeschildrenyears.Initially,kidslearnnumbersmuchliketheylearnletters.Theyrecognizethatnumbersareorganizedsequentially,buthavelittleawarenessofwhateachindividualnumbermeans.Withtime,theystarttounderstandthatagivennumberrepresentsaquantitygreaterbyonethantheprecedingnumber.This"successorprinciple"ispartofthefoundationofournumericalcognition,butrequiresextensivepracticetounderstand.Noneofus,then,isreallya“numbersperson.”Wearenotpredisposedtohandlequantitativedistinctionsadroitly.Intheabsenceoftheculturaltraditionsthatinfuseourliveswithnumbersfrominfancy,wewouldallstrugglewithevenbasicquantitativedistinctions.Numberwordsandwrittennumeralstransformourquantitativereasoningastheyarecoaxedintoourcognitiveexperiencebyourparents,peersandschoolteachers.Theprocessseemssonormalthatwesometimesthinkofitasanaturalpartofgrowingup,butitisnot.Humanbrainscomeequippedwithcertainquantitativeinstinctsthatarerefinedwithage,buttheseinstinctsareverylimited.Forinstance,evenatbirthwearecapableofdistinguishingbetweentwomarkedlydifferentquantities—forinstance,eightfrom16things.Butwearenottheonlyspeciescapableofsuchabstractions.Comparedtochimpsandotherprimates,ournumericalinstinctsarenotasremarkableasmanypresume.Weevensharesomebasicinstinctualquantitativereasoningwithdistantnonmammalianrelativeslikebirds.Indeed,workwithsomeotherspecies,includingparrots,suggeststheytoocanrefinetheirquantitativethoughtiftheyareintroducedtothecognitivepowertoolswecallnumbers.So,howdidweeverinvent"unnatural"numbersinthefirstplace?Theansweris,literally,atyourfingertips.Thebulkoftheworld’slanguagesusebase-10,base-20orbase-5numbersystems.Thatis,thesesmallernumbersarethebasisoflargernumbers.Englishisabase-10ordecimallanguage,asevidencedbywordslike14(“four”+“10”)and31(“three”x“10”+“one”).Wespeakadecimallanguagebecauseanancestraltongue,proto-Indo-European,wasdecimallybased.Proto-Indo-Europeanwasdecimallyorientedbecause,asinsomanycultures,ourlinguisticancestors’handsservedasthegatewaytorealizationslike“fivefingersonthishandisthesameasfivefingersonthathand.”Suchtransientthoughtsweremanifestedintowordsandpasseddownacrossgenerations.Thisiswhytheword“five”inmanylanguagesisderivedfromthewordfor“hand.”Mostnumbersystems,then,aretheby-productoftwokeyfactors:thehumancapacityforlanguageandourpropensityforfocusingonourhandsandfingers.Thismanualfixation—anindirectby-productofwalkinguprightontwolegs—hashelpedyieldnumbersinmostcultures,butnotall.Cultureswithoutnumbersalsoofferinsightintothecognitiveinfluenceofparticularnumerictraditions.Considerwhattimeitis.Yourdayisruledbyminutesandseconds,buttheseentitiesarenotrealinanyphysicalsenseandarenonexistenttonumberlesspeople.Minutesandsecondsaretheverbalandwrittenvestigesofanuncommonbase-60numbersystemusedinMesopotamiamillenniaago.Theyresideinourminds,numericalartifactsthatnotallhumansinheritconceptually.Researchonthelanguageofnumbersshows,moreandmore,thatoneofourspecies’keycharacteristicsistremendouslinguisticandcognitivediversity.Whilethereareundoubtedlycognitivecommonalitiesacrossallhumanpopulations,ourradicallyvariedculturesfosterprofoundlydifferentcognitiveexperiences.Ifwearetotrulyunderstandhowmuchourcognitivelivesdiffercross-culturally,wemustcontinuallysoundthedepthsofourspecies’linguisticdiversity.36.[E]Itisworthstressingthattheseanumericpeoplearecognitively(在认知方面)normal,well-adaptedtothesurroundingstheyhavedominatedforcenturies.37.[H]Comparedwithothermammals,ournumericalinstinctsarenotasremarkableasmanyassume.38.[E]Itisworthstressingthattheseanumericpeoplearecognitively(在认知方面)normal,well-adaptedtothesurroundingstheyhavedominatedforcenturies.39.[B]But,inahistoricalsense,number-consciouspeoplelikeusaretheunusualones.40.[K]Researchonthelanguageofnumbersshows,moreandmore,thatoneofourspecies’keycharacteristicsistremendouslinguistic(语言的)andcognitivediversity.41.[D]Thisandmanyotherexperimentshaveledtoasimpleconclusion:Whenpeopledonothavenumberwords,theystruggletomakequantitativedistinctionsthatprobablyseemnaturaltosomeonelikeyouorme.42.[G]Noneofus,then,isreallya“numbersperson.”Wearenotborntohandlequantitativedistinctionsskillfully.43.[A]Numbersdonotexistinallcultures.44.[I]So,howdidweeverinvent“unnatural”numbersinthefirstplace?Theansweris,literally,atyourfingertips.45.[F]Thisconclusionisechoedbyworkwithanumericchildreninindustrializedsocieties.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Educatorsandbusinessleadershavemoreincommonthanitmayseem.Teacherswanttopreparestudentsforasuccessfulfuture.Technologycompanies,likeAT&T,haveavestedinterestindevelopingaworkforcewiththeSTEMskillsneededtogrowthecompanyandadvancetheindustry.Howcantheyworktogethertoachievethesegoals?Playmaytheanswer.We’veassumedthatfocusingonSTEMsk