2020年09月英语四级考试真题与答案解析：完整版

2020年09月英语四级考试真题与答案解析：完整版————————————————————————————————————————听力：SectionANewsReport1ANASAsatelliteorbitingoverPortugaltookphotographsthatrevealtheeffectsofpollutionfromships.OneofthephotosshowsathinfilmofcloudsabovethebrilliantblueoftheNorthAtlantic,cutbywhitelinesofthickercloudsthatlooklikescars.NASAofficialsexplainedthosethickercloudsaresignsofshiptrafficbelow.【Q1】Whenshipspowertheirwaysthroughtheocean,theypumpexhaustintotheatmosphere,justascarsdo.Andthosemassiveamountsofparticlescancausecloudstoform.Getenoughofthoseparticlesinoneplace,asfromtheexhaustofaship,andtheycanleadtothecreationofnewcloudseasilyvisiblefromspace.“Thesecloudscanbehuge,someofthemstretchhundredsofkilometersfromendtoend”,NSASofficialssaid.【Q2】It’slikelythatthesesortsofcloudsarehavingsomeeffectontheglobalclimate,accordingtoNASAofficials.Butscientistsaren’tyetsurewhateffectithas.Q1:WhathascausedthethickcloudsinthephotostakenbyaNASAsatellite?Q2:WhatdoNASAofficialsthinkaboutthethickclouds?SectionANewReport2StaffatasuburbansupermarketinMelbournesaytheyfeelunsafeatworkaftersecurityguardswereremoved.Thiscameafteraseriesofphysicalattacksandverbalabusebycustomers.Morethan50workersatthestorehavesignedalettercallingforapermanentsecurityguardfollowingaseriesofincidents,includingacustomerthreateningtoattackasupervisorwithaknife."Asecurityworkerhadguardedthestoreeachnightfrom7pmuntil12am,butthathadstoppedsuddenlyonMonday,”employeessaid.Oneworkersaidanangrycustomerhadthrownachickenathisheadaftercomplainingabouthowlongshehadwaitedtobeserved.Anotherworkersaidthelackofprotectionatthestoremadeherfeeluncomfortableatwork.However,thespokesmanofthesupermarketsaidthestorehadtakenstrongactioninresponsetoincidents,"Wehavefoundveryfewinstancesofbadcustomerbehavioratourstoreinthepastyear.Intherarecaseswehaveseenbadbehavior,wehavetakenstrongactioninresponse,includingbanningacustomerfromthestore."Q3:Forwhatpurpose,didthestaffatthesupermarketinMelbournesignaletter?Q4:Whatdidthespokesmanofthesupermarketsay,regardingtheemployees'demand?Newsreportthree5.driversontheirwaytothepolishcapitalofWarsawonWednesdaymorningfoundtheroadblockedbyanunusualobstacle.Tonsofliquidchocolatethatspilledontothemotorway,6.atruckcarryingthesweetloadhitaroadbarrierandoverturned,blockingtwolanes.Thecrackedtankspilledapoolofrapidlyhardeningchocolate,whichquicklycoveredthewidthoftheroad,whilethedriverwastakentohospitalwithabrokenarm,firefightersstruggledtoremoveareported12tonsofsolidchocolatefromtheroad.7.ArepresentativeforthefirefighterstoldthelocalTVthatremovingthechocolatewasworsethandealingwithsnow.Aftercontactingthechocolatemanufacturer,thefirefightersresortedtosprayinghot,pressurizedwatertogetridofthestickysubstance.ThelocalTValsonotedthatthecleanupspannedmorethanamile,becausedriverssimplydrovethroughthechocolateafterthecrash,leavingalongchocolatetrail.Butdespitethestickysituation,firefightersandpoliceattendingtothecleanupwerereportedlycheerfulaboutthelongtaskahead.Afterall,whocouldbemadabout12tonsofchocolate?Q5WhatdiddriversonthemotorwaytoWarsawfind?Q6Whatdoesthereportsayabouttheaccident?Q7WhatarethefirefightersrepresentativetellthelocalTV?SectionBConversation1Man:Lisa,whydidyoupayforyoumealwithcashinsteadofthepaymentappsonyourphone?Woman:Well,I’vegonebacktocash.I’monlyusingpaymentappsifthat’stheonlyoption.【Q8】I’mtryingtosavemoneyforanewphone,andIfindthatusingcashratherthanpaymentappshelpsmetosave.Man:Buthow?Moneyismoney,isn’tit?【Q11】Idon’tthinkitmatterswhetheryoutakeitouttothebankandputitintowallet,orsimplytransferfromyourbankaccounttothesellers’bankaccountusinganapp.Woman:No,Ibelieveitdoesmatter.It’sapsychologicalphenomenon.【Q9】Ibelievewehavelessconnectionwithavalueofourmoney,whenwejusttaptheapprovebuttonsonourphones.Man:Youmighthaveapoint,sinceIstopcarryingcasharound,andstarttousingmyphoneappstopay,Imayhavedevelopedatendencytobuy【Q10】moresmallornon-essentialitems.Woman:That’shighlypossible,thinkabouttheamountoftimewespendwithourphonesinourhands,andallthethingswedowithourphones.Itsometimesseemsthatourphoneisbuyingtheproductforus,notourselves.Man:So,cashisthepaymentaffectsourabilitytobudget?Woman:Ibelieveso.IfwespendahundredYuanincash,werealizethatwedon’thavethathundredYuantospendonsomethingelse.Butifwespendinelectronically,we’relesslikelytomakethatmentalcalculation.Man:IstoppedusingmycreditcardbecauseI’mfondofspendingexcessively.PerhapsIshouldtakethesameapproachofpayingusingmyphone.Woman:It’sworthconsidering.Q8:Whydidthewomandecidetogobacktocashforpayment?Q9:whathappenswhenpeopleuseappsforpaymentaccordingtothewoman?Q10:whatmightthemantendtobuywithpaymentapps?Q11:whatdoesthemanthinkofelectronicpayment?SectionBConversation2售后服务退换货W:HelloMr.Brown.Iwasexpectingyourcall.Mysecretarytoldmeyouwerehavingsomeproblemswiththewoodentable,isthatright?M:No,no,thetableisfine.【Q12】Theproblemisthechairs.W:Oh,thechairs,so,whatexactlyistheissue?M:Well,putsimply,【Q12】thesearenotthechairsmywifeandIselectedinyourstorelastweek.Theremustbesomeconfusionwithourorder.W:Oh,Isee.I’mlookingthroughmyfilesnow.AndIseethatthedeliverywasthismorning.Isthatcorrect?M:Yes.W:【Q13】Doyouminddescribingthechairsthatweredeliveredtoyourapartment,Mr.Brown?M:Sure.Thesehaveaflatbackwitharoundtopandareveryheavy.Theyarelightbrownandlookkindofcheap.Theonesweorderedweredarkbrowntomatchthetable.W:Right.Ofcourse.ItsayshereyoupurchasedtheArlingtontableandfourMilanochairs.Asyousaid.Theremustbesomeconfusionwiththeorder.I’mterriblysorry.【Q14】We’llsendavantocollectthosefourandreplacethemwiththeMilanoyoupurchased.Willtomorrow9a.m.beOKMr.Brown?M:Yes.Thatwouldbegreat.Thankyou.W:Good.DideverythingelseyouorderedfromusarriveOK?M:Yes.Ithinkso.Letmecheck.Themirrorandtwopaintingsarehere.Thetwocoffeetablesarealsohere.Andthesofa.Yes.Wehaven’tnoticedanythingelsewrongormissing.Butifwedo,we’llcertainlyletyouknow.W:OK.Great.Onceagain.【Q15】I’msorryfortheconfusionandtroublecaused.Q12:Whydidthemancallthewoman?Q13:Whatdidthewomanaskthemantodo?Q14:Whatdidthewomanpromisetodofortheman?Q15:Whatdidthewomandoattheendoftheconversation?–Thewomanapologizedagain.SectionBPassage1Doyouhavetoomuchstuff?Areyoudarewesayit“untidy”?SayhellotoaTVshowcalled“TidyingUpwithMarieKondo”.AhomeimprovementshowbasedonherwidelypopularbookTheLifeChangingMagicofTidyingUp.Intheshow,MarieKondoactsasatinygarbagefairyformessypeople,visitingtheirhousestosharethewisdomofthe"KonMari"method.Thismethodissimpleintheorybutcanbeendlesslycomplexinpractice.Youdivideallthestuffinyourhouse–allofit–intoseveralcategories,andthenexamineeachitem--allofthem–toseeifitsparksjoy.Ifitdoes,youkeepit.Ifitdoesn't,youthankit,andneatlydiscardit.So,istheTVshowinspiringpeopletotidyup?Firsthandaccountsseemtoindicateasmallwaveofpeoplebringingpilesofdonationbagstousedgoodstores.Onestorereceivedthousandsofbagsofusedpossessionsinoneday.Januaryisusuallythestore’sslowseasonfordonations,becauseit'scoldandpeopledon'twanttobother.ButnotthisJanuary.Peopleseemeddeterminedtocleanuptheirhomes.Oneusedbookstorereceivedamonth'sworthofbooksindonationsinaweekwhenamangaveover50boxesofbooksfromhishome.ItseemsMarie’sTVshowishavingabigimpactafterall.Q16.WhatisMaireKondo’sTVshowabout?Q17.Whatthingscanbekeptinone’shome,accordingtoMaireKondo?Q18.WhatdowelearnaboutoneusedbookstorethisJanuary?SectionCPassage2Atjusttwelveyearsold,MikeHannonismakingadifferenceinhiscommunity—onelunchatatime.“Mike’sLunchesofLove”hasfedmorethan2,000ofthetown’smostvulnerableresidents.Mikedeliversmealstothehomeless.“It’slikeawaytogivepeoplejoy,maybesparksomethinginthemthatcanchangethem,”MiketoldWBZ-TV.ThemayorofMike’stownfeelsthatMikeisagreatcommunityleader,especiallyinsuchtimesofsomuchnegativenews.Whilehisfathercommentedonhowproudhewasofhisson,yetMikeisn’tlookingforpraise,butkindnessinreturn.Hehopeshisactivecharitywillinfluenceotherstospreadpositiveactionsintheirowntowns.Mikeincludesahandwrittenmessageofjoyoneachbag.Hismessageandstarpowerhasspreadalloverthecountry.Todate,hisonlinepagetoraisefundshasbroughtinmorethan44,000dollarsandcounting,raisingmorethan17,000dollarsinjustoneday,withthehopeofmanyfamousactorsandothers.Peoplefromalloverthecountyaresendingspecialhandcraftbagstohelptheyoungmanwithhismissiontohelpthoseinneed.Manyarehopingthesimpleactivekindnessspreads.Mikeisseemedasthehopeforthefutureofthetown,thecountryandtheworld.Q19:WhatdoesMikeHannondotohelppeopleinhistown?Q20:WhatdoesMikehopeotherswilldo?Q21:HowarepeoplealloverthecountryrespondingtowhatMikeisdoing?SectionCPassage3Inarecentstudycarriedoutbypsychologistsonthedisruptiveeffectsofsmartphones,twogroupsofcollegestudentsweregivenword-searchpuzzles.Thefirstgroupwastoldtocompletethepuzzleswithitsparticipants'smartphonesintheirlineofsight.Thesecondgroup,however,wastoldthatthephoneswouldinterferewiththeequipmentintheexperimentandwouldneedbemovedawayfromthetestingarea.Midwaythroughthesecondgroup'ssolvingofthepuzzles,theexperimentcalledoneofthephonesandletitringforawhilebeforehangingup.Manyofthestudentsinthatgroupwereunabletofocusfromthenon,becominganxiousandperformingmorepoorlythanthefirstgroup.Useofelectronicshasalsobeenknowntoleadtoadeclineinhumaninteractions.Ratherthanhavingreal-lifeconversations,manyexpressemotionsandengageindeepconversationsthroughsocialmediasites.Manystudentsusetheirphonesandcomputersduringclassfornon-academicactivities,whichleadstopoorgrades.Perhapsthemostdramaticimpactisthereductioninamountofsleep,whichleadtopoorhealthandweightgain.Technologyisagreattool.However,it'simportanttorecognizeitsdownsides.Lackofsleep,reductionofproductivity,andweightgainareonlyafew.Ifwearenotcarefulaboutallthesemindproblemsrightnow,theeffectonthefuturegenerationisgoingtobemuchbigger.Q22Whatwerethecollegestudentsinbothgroupsrequiredtodointhestudy?Q23Whatdowelearnaboutmanyofthestudentsinthesecondtestgroupafterthephonering?Q24Accordingtothepassage,whatisthemostdramaticimpactofsmartphoneuse?Q25Whatdoesthespeakersuggestpeopledo?参考答案第一套：1.A)WarmcurrentsintheoceanB)

ShiptrafficintheAtlanticC)ParticlesemittedbypowerplantsD)ExhaustfromcarsinEurope

2.A)TheyneedtobetakenseriouslyB)TheyhaveahugeeffectonfisheryC)Theymaybeaffectingtheworld’sclimateD)Theymightbecausingtroubletoairflights

Questions3to4are

basedon

thenewreport

youhavejustheard。

3.A)ToappealforhigherwagesB)TodemandbetterhealthcareC)Todismissthebad-temperedsupervisorD)

Tocallforapermanentsecurityguard

4.A)Itwasseekinghelpfromthepolice.B)Itwouldputcustomers’needsfirstC)IthadalreadytakenstrongactionD)Itwouldtaketheirappealseriously

Questions5to7are

basedon

thenewreport

youhavejustheard.5.A)TheroadwasblockedB)TheroadwasfloodedC)TheroadwasfrozenwithsnowD)Theroadwascoveredwithspilledgas

6.A)

AtruckhitabarrierandoverturnedB)ThetruckdriverdozedoffwhiledrivingC)TheheavysnowmadedrivingverydifficultD)Atruckplungedintoapoolofliquidchocolate

7.

A)ItwasfortunatethatnopassengergotinjuredB)

ItwasahardtasktoremovethespilledsubstanceC)ItwasalongtimebeforethecleanupwasfinishedD)Itwasdifficulttocontactthemanufacturer.

SectionBQuestions8to11are

basedon

theconversation

youhavejustheard.8.A)ShefounditmuchsafertousecashB)ShecouldenjoydiscountswithcashC)

ShewantedtosaveforanewphoneD)Shebadbeencheatedusingphone

9.A)Theyderivegreaterpleasurefrombuyingthings.B)

Theyarelessawareofthevalueoftheirmoney.C)Theyfinditlessdifficulttomakepurchases.D)Theycansavealotmoretimeandtrouble.10.A)Morevaluableitems.B)Electronicdevices.C)Everydaynecessities.D)

Morenon-essentialthings

11.A)Itmayleadtoexcessivespending.B)Itisalteringthewayofshopping.C)Itcanimproveshoppingefficiency.D)Itappealsmoretoyoungerpeople.

Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12.A)He

wantedthefurniturestoretogivehimarefund.B)

Hehadaproblemwiththefurnituredelivered.C)Hehadtochangethefurnituredeliverytime.D)Hewantedtoordersomewoodenfurniture.

13.A)Sendthefurniturebacktothestore.B)Buyanotherbrandoffurniture.C)Collectthefurnitureheordered.D)

Describethefurniturehereceived.

14.A)ImprovetheirserviceB)ApologizetohiswifeC)

CorrecttheirmistakeD)Givethemoneyback

15.A)SherecommendedanewstyleB)ShedecidedalltheitemswiththemanC)SheofferedsomegifttothemanD)

Sheapologizedtothemanoncemore

SectionC

Questions16to

18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A)

Tidyingupone’shomeB)ReadingbooksofwisdomC)DonatingtocharityD)Sharingwithothers17.A)ThingsthatoccupylittlespaceB)ThingsthatarebecomingrareC)

ThingsthatmakeonehappyD)Thingsthatcostalotofmoney18.A)ItdidlittlebusinessbecauseoftheunusualcoldweatherB)

ItreceivedanincrediblylargenumberofdonatedbooksC)ItsoldasmanyasfiftyboxesofbooksD)Itjoinedthecity’sclean-upcampaignQuestions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A)

GivefreemealstothehomelessB)ProvideshelterforthehomelessC)CallforchangeinthelocalgovernmentD)Helpthevulnerabletocooklunches

20.A)PromoteunderstandingB)Strengthenco-operationC)

FollowhisexampleD)Winnationalsupport

21.A)SpreadingnewsofhisdeedsB)

Sendinghimhand-madebagsC)FollowingtheexamplehesetsD)Writinghimthank-younotes

Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.22.A)ToinstallsomeaudioequipmentinalabB)TotesttheireyesightusingaphoneappC)TosendsmartphonemessagesD)

Tosolvewordsearchpuzzles

23.A)TheycouldnolongerconcentrateontheirtaskB)TheycouldnotgoonuntiltheringingstoppedC)TheygrabbedthephoneandcalledbackrightawayD)Theyaskedtheirexperimentertohungupthephone

24.A)AdeclineinsportsactivitiesB)AriseinemotionalproblemsC)AdeclineinacademicperformanceD)

Areductionintheamountofsleep

25.A)EnsuretheyhavesufficientsleepeverydayB)RealizethedisruptiveeffectsoftechnologyC)TakeeffectivemeasurestoraiseproductivityD)Protecttheeyesightoftheyoungergeneration参考答案第二套：1.A)ShiptrafficintheAtlantic.2.D)Theymaybeaffectingtheworld’sclimate.3.C)Tocallforapermanentsecurityguard.4.A)Ithadalreadytakenstrongaction.5.B)Theroadwasblocked6.D)Atrackhitabarrierandoverturned7.B)Itwasahardtasktoremovingthespilledsubstance.8.A)Shewantedtosaveforanewphone.9.D)Theyarelessawareofthevalueoftheirmoney.10.B)Morenon-essentialthings.11.C)Itmayleadtoexcessivespending.12.C)Hehadaproblemwiththefurnituredelivered.13.B)Describethefurniturehereceived.14.A)Correcttheirmistake.15.C)Sheapologizedtothemanoncemore.16.B)Tidyingupone’shome.17.A)Thingsthatmakeonehappy.18.C)Itreceivedanincrediblylargenumberofdonatedbooks.19.A)Givefreemealstothehomeless.20.D)Followhisexample.21.C)Sendinghimhad-madebags.22.A)Tosolvewordsearchpuzzles.23.B)Theycouldnolongerconcentrateontheirtask.24.C)Areductionintheamountofsleep.25.C)Realizethedisruptiveeffectsoftechnology.阅读阅读试题选词填空源文Opinion

Thethreetypesoffinancialstress

ByPaulBenson

November7,2018-12.00am

TherearethreemaintypesoffinancialstressthatIcomeacrossonaregularbasis.Thefirstisinherited,thesecondisdebt,andthethirdislongevity.

Inheritedfinancialstressisthemostcommonanddebilitating.Itisexperiencedbythosewhohavegrownupinhouseholdswheretheirparentsregularlyarguedandfoughtaboutmoney.Moneythereforebecomesastressfultopic,andsothethoughtofsittingdownandplanningisaboutasattractiveasvolunteeringtohavearootcanaldonebyatraineedentist.

Financialstresscanmakeyoubroke,likeaviciouscircle.Credit:Shutterstock

Thosesufferinginheritedfinancialstresstendtofollowoneoftwopatterns.Eithertheyputtheirheadinthesand-theydon'topentheirsuperannuationstatements,don'tbudget,andcertainlydon'tdiscussfinancialmatterswiththeirlovedones.

Alternativelytheygototheotherextreme,andmicro-analyseeverything,tothepointofcompleteparalysis.They'reconvincedthatwhateverdecisiontheymake,itwillbethewrongone.

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Thenextcommontypeoffinancialstressisthatcausedbydebt.In99outof100casesofdebt-inducedfinancialstress,creditcardswillbeacentralelement.Andyes,thatisintentionallyplural-there'sneverjustone.Oftenthere'llbeacarloanandperhapsamortgage,butcreditcardscertainlyseemtobethegatewaydrugtodebt-relatedfinancialstress.

Thefinalformoffinancialstress,thatIsee,I'vesomewhatimperfectlytermedlongevity.Thismanifestsitselfinbeingstressedaboutthenormalupsanddownsofinvestmentmarkets-actuallynotsomuchtheups,butdefinitelythedowns.

Sowhatcanyoudotopreventfinancialstressfromholdingyouback?

Thefirstthingtodoishaveaseparatebankaccountforyourbillsandregularexpenses,andhaveanautomatictransferfromyoureverydayaccounteverytimeyougetpaid,totopitup.

Withthissystemupandrunning,youwillknowthatwheneverabillcomesin,youhavethemoneysittingtherewaitingtopayit.Thismeans,a)nomorestress,andb)noneedtohitthecreditcard.

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Opinion

Householddebt

Thepressureoflivingundertheweightofdebt

Thenextthingistoclearyourunproductivedebts.Determinewhichdebtisthemostexpensiveandfocusallyourattentionongettingridofit.Again,useautomatictransfersasmuchaspossibletoavoidtheriskofweakenedwillpower.

Anotherusefulwaytoalleviatefinancialstressistohavesomeprojectionsdone,soyouhaveagoodsensewhatthelong-termoutlookis.You'llfindyoursuperfundwebsitewillhaveaprojectiontoolsoyoucangetanestimateofwhereyourretirementsavingswillend,andsiteslikethegovernment'sMoneySmarthassomegoodcalculatorsforthispurposetoo.

Worst-caseplanningisanothergreatwaytoreduceworry.Thisiswhereyoulistoutthebiggestworriesyouhave,andthendeterminewhatactionyou'dtakeifthosethingsoccurred.Theactionsmaynotalwaysbepleasant,butjustknowingyouhaveaplancanremovethatdarkcloudfloatingaroundinthebackofyourbrain.

Finally,don'tbeafraidtotalkaboutyourfinanceswithyourpartnerorotherlovedones.Especiallyforcouples;you'reateam,andchancesareifyou'reworriedaboutyourfinancesbutaretooafraidtodiscussit,soisyourpartner.Don'tpassyourinheritedfinancialstressdowntoyourkids.仔细阅读1源文Doesthinkingyoulookfataffecthowmuchmoneyyouearn?

Twothingspeopleoftenthinkaboutaremoneyandtheirappearance.Pastresearchhasshownthatthereisacorrelationbetweenthetwo:Peoplesubjectivelyconsideredattractiveearnmore.

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Sunday,July15,2018-12:45PM

PatriciaSmithandJayL.Zagorsky

Twothingspeopleoftenthinkaboutaremoneyandtheirappearance.Pastresearchhasshownthatthereisacorrelationbetweenthetwo:Peoplesubjectivelyconsideredattractiveearnmore.

Andbodyweightplaysamajorroleinattractiveness.Aperson'sbodymassindex-whichadjustsaperson'sweightfortheirheight-andtheirsuccessintheworkplacearelinked.Putsimply,thinpeople,especiallywomen,arerewardedmorethantheirlargercolleagues.Butthosestudiesonlyconsideredhowotherpeopleperceiveyou.

Innewresearch,welookedattheflipside:Doesourownperceptionofourbodies,evenwhenincorrect,makeadifference?Inotherwords,doesthinkingyoulookfatorskinnyaffectyourwages?

Knowingifaworker'sownperceptionofhisorherweightmakesadifference-ratherthanonlytheemployer's-couldhelpdeterminethebestwaytomitigatetheimpactofweightdiscriminationonearnings.Inaddition,abetterunderstandingofgenderdifferencesinweightperceptionmighthelpexplainthepersistentgenderwagegap.

Plussizemodel.

Pressureto'lookgood'

Americansspendbillionsofdollarseachyearonmakingminorchangestotheirappearancewithmakeup,hairdyeandothercosmetics.Wealsospendbillionstryingtochangeourweightwithdiets,gymmembershipsandplasticsurgery.

Tryingtoliveuptothepervasiveimagesof"perfect"modelsandmovieheroeshasadarkside:body-shaming,anxietyanddepression,aswellasunhealthystrategiesforweightlossormusclegain.Forexample,anorexianervosainvolvestheextremeover-perceptionofweightandclaimsthelivesofroughly10percentofitsvictims.Italsohasafinancialcost.HavinganeatingdisorderboostsannualhealthcarecostsbynearlyUS$2,000perperson.

Whyistherebothexternalandinternalpressuretolook"perfect"?Onereasonisthatsocietyrewardspeoplewhoarethinandhealthylooking.Researchershaveshownthatbodymassindexisrelatedtowagesandincome.Especiallyforwomen,thereisaclearpenaltyatworkforbeingoverweightorobese.Somestudieshavealsofoundanimpactformen,thoughalessnoticeableone.

Americansspendmillionsofdollarstochangetheirappearanceswithhairdye,makeupandplasticsurgery.

Doesweightperceptionmatter?

Whiletheresearchliteratureisclearthatlabormarketsuccessispartlybasedonhowemployersandcustomersperceiveyourbodyimage,noonehadexploredtheothersideofquestion.Doesaperson'sownperceptionofbodyimagemattertoearningsandotherindicatorsofsuccessintheworkplace?

Insimpleterms,doesitchangeyourwagesifyouthinkofyourselfasoverweightwhenyouarenot?Orifyouthinkofyourselfasskinny,wheninrealityyouarenot,doesthismisperceptionaffectyourabilitytofindandkeepajob?

Wewereinterestedinansweringthesequestionsbecauseitisofteneasiertofixyourownviewofyourselfthantofixtheentireworld's.

OurrecentlypublishedstudyansweredthisquestionbytrackingalargenationalrandomsampleofthefirstwaveofU.S.millennials,bornintheearly1980s.Wefollowedabout9,000ofthemstartingin1997whentheywereteenagersandending15yearslaterwhentheoldestwas31.Ourresearchfollowedtheserespondentsoveracriticaltimeperiodwhenbodieschangefromteenageshapeintoadultformandwhenpeoplebuildtheiridentities.

Thesurveyaskedrespondentstoreporttheiractualweightandheight.Italsoaskedeachtoclassifythemselveseachyearas"veryoverweight,""overweight,""abouttherightweight,""slightlyunderweight"or"veryunderweight."Thisenabledustocompareeachperson'sclinicallydefinedBMIcategory,suchasbeingunderweight,withhisorherperception.

Asinotherresearch,womeninoursampletendtoover-perceiveweight-theythinkthey'reheavierthantheyare-whilementendtounder-perceivetheirs.

Americansspendbillionsongymmembershipseveryyear.

Whatotherpeoplethinkmattersmore

Whileself-perceivedweight,especiallywhenincorrect,caninfluenceself-esteem,mentalhealthandhealthbehaviors,wefoundnorelationshipbetweentheaverageperson'sself-perceptionofweightandlabormarketoutcomeslikewages,weeksworkedandthenumberofjobs.

Inotherwords,it'snotwhatyouthinkaboutyourappearancethatmattersintheworkplace,it'sjustwhatotherpeoplethink.Worryingifeatinganothercookiewillmakeyoulookfatmayharmyourself-esteem,butthinkingyou'reoverweightlikelywillnotaffectyourearnings.

Becausewefindthatwomenearnlowerwagesthanmendoevenwhenaccountingforweightperceptiondifferences,itappearsthewell-knowngenderpaygapisnotduetodifferencesinself-perceivedweight.

Whilethecontinuedgenderpenaltyinthelabormarketisfrustrating,ourfindingthatmisperceivedweightdoesnotharmworkersismoreheartening.Weightmisperceptioniscommon,butthinkingyou'reheavierorlighterthanyouaredoesn'tdampenearnings.

Atthesametime,it'simportanttorememberthatalthoughself-perceivedweightdoesn'tappeartoaffectwages,itstilltakesatollonmentalandphysicalhealth.

Passingoverheavierworkerstohireorpromotelessproductivebutthinnerworkersisinefficientandunfair.Ourresultsindicatethatexpandingeffortstoreducediscriminationonthebasisofbodyweightintheworkplaceisimportant.

Sinceemployers'perceptionofweightiswhatmattersinthelabormarket,policiestoreducethesocials